#a lot of the time these other mothers didn’t even realize that holly just ate them up | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

someguy1023 · 5 years

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Nobody’s gonna care about this, but maybe someone will

i think it’ll help convey why im so stuck on this, and why i seem to be focusing more on Holly and, according to messages i kept getting, “white knighting” for her. I’m not gonna justify Holly’s behavior. thats not what this is about. I just want this off my chest.

(im gonna regret this)

also, just to preemptively defend myself, i know how cheesy all this is gonna sound. But its the truth.

so. i guess i should preface this by explaining when I first heard about Holly. Maybe it’ll help this make sense in context. Maybe not. I don’t know but it doesnt hurt to try.

I didn’t actually learn about Holly through the internet like i assume most others did. I actually first found her through TV. More specifically, through that Heroes of Cosplay show SciFi has produced a few years back. I enjoyed it, but found myself mainly enjoying the work Holly and Jessica did while on the show. They were my favorite team, and I always tried to watch whenever they were in an episode. After a while though, I, like a lot of others apparently, got bored and moved on, and eventually forgot about Holly.

It was a few years later that I would find her again. This time, like many others, through Grumps. More specifically, through Ross and Steam Train. I was surprised when it turns out that one of my favorite members of GG was also married to one of my favorite people on HoC. Small world. I stayed a more casual fan, watching the occasional playthrough or crafting episode on her channel. I was more of a fan of GG and Ross, so I tended to watch more of his stuff than hers, but I still made sure to keep watching her stuff. It wasn’t anything major, she just made me smile.

A few years later, it meant something more to me.

In 2016, my father died. Normally, that wouldn’t be such a big deal for something like this. It was everything leading up to his death that was the problem. I always had a very “problematic” relationship with my father. He was abusive towards me when I was younger, lashing out at me for really minor problems. (for example, one time he had lifted me up in the air by my throat and began strangling me when I was ~6. Why? Because I had used some money our neighbor gave me for cleaning up his lawn to buy a popsicle from an ice cream truck, ate half of it, then put the other half in the fridge. He found it, got mad at me, and then began to yell at me. I had a nervous tic when I was younger where I giggled uncontrollably when I was scared. Sure enough, I began to giggle and could stop it, and then he, enraged, lifted me up. I realize years later he was probably drunk, considering he smelled really weird. It isnt a good memory.) He eventually left my mom and I when I was almost 7, moving down to Alabama with this lady he met in a bar, and proceeded to do pretty much every major drug imaginable. I didn’t see/hear from him again until a few years later at his mother’s funeral. He seemed remorseful for what he did to me, and a year or two later, moved in with his cousin back in the state I was living in at the time. I began visiting him when I was 13, and he seemed to be better. He apologized to me for what he did, he tried to be a good dad, and I believed him. That was my first mistake.

Flash forward to January 3rd, 2016. I was visiting him for the weekend after staying at my cousin’s, and was sorting through my things to make sure i didnt forget anything. We had visited one of his friends to get something he borrowed (according to him) then got back to his house. He was sitting on the couch, watching TV, and I thought he fell asleep. I noticed he had a cigarette in his mouth he was going to light before he passed out, so I went over to put it aside. I figured out he wasn’t sleeping. It turns out, he was overdosing, and what I thought was snoring was his throat closed shut and the air escaping his lungs. He was dying. I told his wife (at the time) what what happening, she called 911, and I went upstairs to hide in my bedroom. A lil while later, the ambulance came by, and the paramedics gave him whatever that stuff is they give addicts who OD. (At the time, I didnt know what was going on. He had really bad lungs, and I thought they were shutting down or something. I was told it was from him overdosing later that night.) He woke up, and they drove him to the hospital to make sure he was okay. I went back to my moms house, and stayed there. That was the last time I saw him alive

As it turns out, my dad had been using me for over 2 or 3 years. He was not only stealing money from me under the pretense of helping him with driving for over an hour to pick up/drop me off from my moms place to visit, but had also been heavily manipulating me for years in order to control me. He had tried to turn me against my mother and her side of the family, claiming she had used me to verbally abuse and control him when they were married, telling me lies in order to keep me under his thumb. (like how she threatened to abort me if he didnt marry her after knocking her up, or how she had him steal from his sister during her wedding, etc.) I began to despise my mother, arguing with her constantly, and, on his insistence, never told her anything about what he was doing or what he told me. It wasnt until after that day that I learned it was all lies.

I was devastated. I felt hurt, used, and betrayed. (I realize now...its because I actually was.) I was a wreck. It didnt help that 4 months later...he died. Needless to say, it was a very, very tough grieving period. I locked myself away in my room, unable to summon the energy to even get up in the morning. I had suffered from mild depression prior to this, but it was much worse. I couldn’t find a way to get through this, suffering for months, and eventually, began to think about suicide.

Thats where Holly came back in.

Besided the playthroughs helping cheer me up a lil whenever I put them on, it was her advice that really began my path to healing. Her kind words and support to others began to help me sort through the baggage I had been dealing with about my dad. I began to follow her advice on how to deal with my depression, and began to slowly ull myself back from the edge, and, over time, began to pull myself back up. Eventually, with her help, I began to attend regular therapy sessions, and managed to fully come to terms with what my father had done to me, as well as properly manage both my depression and anxiety problems. I honestly don’t know where I’d be right now if it wasn’t for Holly. She helped keep me going when I really needed it. She, for lack of a better expression, helped save my life. I’ll always be grateful to her for that...despite all of this. Ever since then, whenever I felt my depression weighing me down, or felt my anxiety creep back up on me, I could rely on her to help keep me grounded.

When all this happened, I couldnt help but notice I felt the same way as I did all those years ago. Despite the fact that its just some random lady on the internet, and shouldnt have mattered as much as it did...it still hurt on a personal level. The worst part of this whole thing? I can’t go back to the thing that helped me out whenever I felt this way. Not without being reminded everywhere I go of how everyone thinks of her.

So...maybe thats why I’m doing all this. Not just to stop people from spreading hate and rumors based on speculation...but because part of me cant/doesnt want to believe one of the people I relied on and put trust in could be the bad guy. Because part of me just refuses to let go or lose someone who meant so much to me. Because part of me wants to believe that things will get better...even if I know they wont.

If you read through this, thank you. Maybe someone out there feels the same way I do. Maybe, if they dont, someone can understand. Its been a rough month for me. I just hope things will look up somehow. I dont know if I’m gonna come back to this. Im realizing it probably isnt healthy. The only thing I have left to say, then, if I dont come back; please, try to spread good. I know this is the internet, and even worse, tumblr...but i think people need some light nowadays. and constantly spreading hate and cruelty...that wont help anyone. I know nothing i say matters, that nothing i’ve done has changed any minds. but even if you cant trust Holly anymore, or dont believe anything she says...at least believe in one of her beliefs. That kindness is the greatest thing to spread to others, and the world can sure use a lot more of it.

Good night.

#atelierheidi #commander holly #heidi o'farrell #heidi o'ferrall #holly conrad #jared knabenbauer #projared #projared scandal

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leigh-kelly · 6 years

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(More Hospital!AU)

Neither Santana nor Brittany expect it, but Brittany gets a call from Chief Sylvester asking her to take over as interim chief of surgery. Santana doesn’t know the details, but apparently she’s having some sort of family crisis that is going to send her out of town indefinitely. She thinks it surprises Brittany more than anyone, given the fact that Shelby, Holly, and most of the other department heads have been there much longer than she is, but according to Sue, Brittany is the one that she wants and Santana is immensely proud of her wife.

Of course, she doesn’t realize at first what a strain this is going to put on their already tight schedule. Gone are the days where Brittany and Santana go to work and leave together. Brittany ends up taking a cab to work sometimes as early as six in the morning and doesn’t end up getting home some nights until after eleven. The kids miss Brittany, Brittany misses the kids, and Santana finds herself getting extremely frustrated at the entire situation. She knows she shouldn’t, but she just can’t help but feel irritated that she hardly gets to see her wife, all because Sue is having some kind of emergency.

She’s in bed half asleep one night after having gotten up to put Liam back to bed when Brittany finally comes in from work. Santana keeps her eyes half-closed as Brittany undoes her blouse, pulls off her skirt and puts a t-shirt on over her panties. She goes in the bathroom for awhile and Santana is almost asleep again when Brittany crawls into bed and kisses her on the lips. Santana doesn’t really feel like having a conversation since she’s exhausted and will probably have to wake up in an hour to nurse, but Brittany is there being so sweet that she can’t help herself.

“You’re finally home.” She murmurs, rolling over onto her side.

“I’m sorry I’m so late. Things were really hectic and I just couldn’t get out.”

“Did you have dinner? I saved you a plate.”

“I grabbed a croissant from the cafeteria and ate it in my office. If I were to eat dinner this late, I’d never fall asleep.”

“Okay.”

“Are you mad?”

“I’m not mad.”

Santana rolls over and falls back to sleep, trying to keep it to herself that she’s really annoyed by this whole situation. When Oliver wakes up to nurse, Santana looks over at Brittany sleeping soundly. She huffs to herself and pulls down her tank top, wincing a little when Ollie bites down with his gums on her nipple. Just as he’s finishing, Max wakes up and she feels like she’s never going to get back to sleep. It’s a lot, working full time and dealing with three kids when she gets home and she knows she shouldn’t take it out on Brittany, but this wasn’t in their plans when they decided to have another kid. When she finally gets to go back to sleep, she finds that she can do nothing but toss and turn, so when she hears Brittany get up in the morning, she’s utterly miserable and just pretends that she’s asleep.

The work day is hell. She’s in surgery almost the entire day and when she finally gets to leave the hospital, her feet and her back are sore. All she wants to do is go to bed, but she has to cook dinner and bathe the boys and do bedtime all on her own. She’s not used to this and she doesn’t think she ever will be. When she gets home, she’s snappish with her mom and tries not to be short with Liam when he has a fit about his favorite pajamas being in the laundry. It feels like every insecurity she’s had about motherhood is coming to fruition and when she finally flops down on the couch with a glass of wine, she thinks that she should just scream and make herself feel better.

“Hey.” Brittany comes into the living room and Santana offers her a half-hearted smile. “You’re still up.”

“Yeah, well, it’s only ten o’clock, so you’re home early.”

“Santana.”

“Don’t Santana me like I’m being unreasonable.” She snaps. “I think I’m well within my rights as your wife to be pretty fucking pissed off.”

“Because I’m doing my job?”

“Because your job doesn’t exactly fit in with our plan.”

“Do you think it was Sue’s plan for her mother to be sick?”

“To be honest, I don’t really give a shit about Sue’s plan. I give a shit that I’m tired and cranky and our kids haven’t seen you since Sunday when you had to leave the park because there was an emergency at the damn hospital.”

“I’m the acting chief of surgery. I don’t exactly have a choice right now. We talked about this before I accepted Sue’s offer, and now you’re getting pissy with me about it?”

“Well what was I supposed to say? No, don’t take the job that could actually shape the rest of your career? What kind of shitty wife would that make me?”

“So instead, you’re choosing to yell at me for doing the thing we agreed I should do? That seems like the way to go about it.”

“What I’m hearing is that you’re calling me a shitty wife.”

“You’re hearing what you want to hear.” Brittany huffs, crossing her arms over her chest. “All I’m saying is that you’re being unfair to me.”

“Oh, right, I’m the bad guy. Sorry that I’d like to see my wife once in a while.”

“You think I don’t want that too? You think I don’t miss my kids?”

“All I know is that I’m doing double duty and I’m in over my head. I could really use you around.”

“Santana, you know that I can’t do that right now.”

“Yeah well...fine.” Santana grabs the blanket from the back of the couch and pulls it around herself. “I’m sleeping down here tonight.”

“The boys—“

“There are bottles in the fridge. It’s your turn.”

Santana refuses to say another word to Brittany, instead, she gets up to get her sleeping pill and she falls asleep on the couch. When she wakes up in the morning, her breasts feel like rocks and she can see that Brittany’s shoes aren’t by the door. All that does is piss her off more and she goes upstairs, waking Max up so she can get some goddamn relief. His nursing is painful and Santana almost cries at the sensation, wanting the milk out of her, but not wanting to have to suffer through the pain of making it happen.

“Mommy Noodle?” Liam comes into the bedroom rubbing his sleepy eyes. “Where’s Mama?”

“Mama left for work already, Sir.” She forces a smile. “But hopefully you’ll see her tonight.”

“You sayed that yesterday.”

“You’re right, I did say it yesterday. Mama’s just very busy at her job. Remember, she’s the big boss right now?”

“I like it when she’s just a regular doccer.”

“I like that too, Li, trust me.”

All morning, Santana checks her phone expecting a text message from Brittany, but when none comes, she gets even more angry. At lunch, she considers going to Brittany’s office, but if they’re going to fight again, she doesn’t want it to be in the hospital. Instead, she goes to Mercedes’ office and finds her already eating a sandwich at her desk.

“So I guess you’re not available for lunch today?” Santana rolled her eyes and Mercedes looked up from her meal.

“What bit your ass today?”

“Nothing, why does everyone seem to think that the problem is with me?”

“Well considering you came in here pissed off that I was eating a sandwich, I would say because it is. Does this have to do with Brittany or what?”

“Are you going to think I’m being a bitch?”

“If you are, then yes.” Mercedes sucked her teeth and put her sandwich down. “You know I tell you like it is.”

“What would you do if Sam was never home?”

“Would the reason Sam was never home be because he’s the acting chief of surgery at a major New York hospital?”

“Why are you being so flippant about this?” Santana plopped down in one of the chairs in front of Mercedes’ desk and ran her fingers through her hair.

“I’m not being flippant, I’m just saying that it’s a temporary thing and you have to live with it while it lasts.”

“Okay, and what about when it’s not a temporary thing? Obviously Brittany is going to be the next chief of surgery at this hospital and does that mean that I’m stuck doing all the mom duty while she gets to do all the hospital stuff?”

“Do I detect a little jealously?”

“No! I’m one hundred percent not jealous of good things happening in Brittany’s career. When Sue called her that night and told her she needed her to step in, I gave Brittany like...six orgasms.”

“Didn’t need to know that, but thanks for the information.”

“I’m thrilled that she’s going to be the next chief, but I just don’t know what that means for me and our marriage.”

“So wait, let me get this straight, you think that Brittany, who you’re head over heels in love with and who’s head over heels in love with you is going to have a hard time maintaining a marriage and a career?”

“Do you have to say it like I’m completely insane?”

“Okay, first of all, you know Sue Sylvester is not going to actually retire for like twenty-five years, right? That bitch is going to be working until she’s in her eighties, you’ll long be head of a department and your kids will be out of college. And second, it won’t be her temporarily doing the job so she won’t be taken by surprise by all the crap she has to do and be here constantly. You’re overreacting.”

“Gee thanks.”

“Okay, I’m just being honest because you sound like you need it. You don’t stalk into my office when things are good.”

“Well it really sucks right now.”

“Yeah, well, that’s relationships kid.”

After Santana leaves Mercedes’ office, she grabs a sandwich in the cafeteria and considers going to Brittany’s office. She debates with herself for a long while before finally making the decision to just talk to her. She’s so not good at these conversations and she’s still frustrated, but she also slept like shit and hates fighting with her wife so she goes up there and sees that the door is shut. She knocks slowly and Brittany calls out for her to come in. She’s surrounded by paperwork on her desk and Santana feels a little sympathetic, realizing that she’s only been thinking about how this effects her, not how it effects Brittany.

“Hey.” She mumbles. “Are you busy?”

“It depends. Are you here to argue with me? Because I really don’t have the time for it.”

“No. I’m just...here.”

“Okay, well. Sit I guess. I have to get this all done today.”

“We can talk when you get home if you want.”

“Santana, look, I really don’t have the time for this. Just please say what you need to say or I’m going to end up sleeping on the couch here tonight. Not that it would matter, I guess, since I slept alone last night anyway.”

“So you’re mad at me?”

“Yes, honestly, I am.” Brittany adjusts her glasses and pushes one of the papers to the side. “We had a conversation about this and you agreed that it was a good idea. Now that it’s happening you’re mad and I wish you would have just been honest with me from the get go.”

“I already told you—“

“I know what you told me, but did you stop to think about how I would have reacted if you told me it was too much? I know you’ve had a lot this year and if I thought it was going to be like this, I never would have done this for Sue.”

“Okay but don’t you see how that makes me sound? Like a selfish bitch.”

“I wouldn’t have thought you were selfish if you needed me at home for your well being. Now I think it’s a little selfish that you’re pissed off at me when you didn’t communicate your reservations to begin with.”

“I didn’t know it was going to be like this. I thought it would be a little more work and I’d still get to see you.”

“Santana, I’m running my own department and then the entire rest of the surgical staff. This is like the job I already have times ten. I thought you were aware of that and the fact that it’s only temporary.”

“Okay, I get that, but we have two infants and a child at home. I’m used to having two sets of hands to manage that.”

“Look, I’m sorry I haven’t been home and maybe had I known what it was going to entail, I wouldn’t have agreed to do it, but the point is, I did, and I could really use your support.”

“I’m sorry.” Santana takes a deep breath. “I didn’t think about how hard this was on you.”

“I miss you, I miss the kids. I need you to understand that.”

“I do...it just really sucks and I wish Sue would come back.”

“I’m at least learning that this isn’t something I can do permanently while the kids are little.”

“I’m overwhelmed at home.”

“I know.” Brittany nods. “You’re doing double duty in the morning and at night.”

“Thank God I went back to work, if I was home all day too I would probably lose my mind. Sometimes I feel like I’m not cut out to be a mom.”

“I think the kids feel very differently on that.”

“I hate fighting with you.” Santana sighs, picking at her cuticles.

“We don’t do it very often.”

“I know. But when we do, I feel like I’m going to die.”

“Santana.” Brittany bites her lip. “It’s really bad if we keep things inside. We were both frustrated, we needed to get it out.”

“How can you be so cool, calm and collected all the time? When we fight I’m afraid you’re going to realize you’re too good for me and leave me.”

“I love you, Santana, but I need you to be able to reassure yourself sometimes. Just because we had a fight doesn’t mean I’m going to leave you.”

“I just feel like you’re too good sometimes. You never lose your patience with me.”

“I’m not a saint. I’ve got my own things that go on in my head, but I never want it to become a thing between us.”

“I don’t want you to feel like you have to coddle me.”

“That’s not how I feel. I was upset with you today and I let you know.”

“I shouldn’t have slept on the couch last night, I should have had this conversation with you at home instead of coming into your office to have it.”

“You’re right.” Brittany nods. “Look, I want to try and get home earlier tonight but I can’t do that unless I get this paperwork done.”

“Okay. I’ll leave you do it.”

“Come here, give me a kiss first.”

After Santana kisses Brittany, she feels a little better than she did earlier. She goes into surgery and she doesn’t feel like her head is going to explode, which is definitely a good thing. Once her day is done, she sends Brittany a text to tell her she’s headed home and Brittany texts back that she’ll try to be there within the next hour. She says that she wants to do bedtime tonight and Santana smiles a little, even though she knows there’s a possibility it won’t happen.

When Santana gets home, Max is crying. She takes a breath then takes him from her mother. The moment she gets him into her arms she can feel that he has a high fever. She’s a little shocked that her mother didn’t notice it, but she tries not to panic in front of Liam. Instead, she takes him upstairs and she gets him in the bathtub, trying to lower his body temperature. In her head, she knows that she should take him to the hospital, but considering she’s a pediatric surgeon, she feels like she should be able to handle this on her own.

“Santana, is everything alright?” Her mother pokes her head into the bathroom when Santana keeps dribbling water over Max’s chest.

“I’m just trying to get his body temperature down. How long has he felt warm?”

“These boys always feel a little warm to me, and it’s warm in the house, I didn’t notice anything was wrong. I’m sorry, sweetheart.”

“It’s fine, Mom. I just need to get his fever down.”

“Should I call Brittany?”

“No.” Santana shakes her head. “She’s busy enough as it is, I can deal with this.”

“Are you—“

“I’m sure, Ma. Can you just stay and keep an eye on Liam and Oliver?”

“Of course, just call me if you need me.”

Santana keeps Max in the bathtub until he begins to shiver. She takes him out and wraps him in a towel, holding him close to her chest. Going into the bathroom cabinet, she takes out the baby Tylenol and fights him to get him to take a dose of it. He’s so strong willed and even as she blows on his face, he manages to spit some of it all over the towel. She sighs heavily and wishes she could get him to stop crying. It’s times like this when she feels so inadequate. She’s a mother and a doctor and it shouldn’t be so difficult to get her son to take some damn Tylenol.

Forgoing getting dinner ready, she lays down on the bed with Max in just a diaper and wrapped in a blanket and she lets him nurse. He cries even as she does it and Santana just wishes she knew how to make it stop. She’s a half hour into it when Brittany comes into the bedroom and has concern written all over her face. Santana takes a deep breath and shakes her head, telling her without words how helpless she feels. Just as she goes to say something, Max vomits milk all over her.

“Maxie, baby.” Santana coos. “It’s okay, Mommy’s got you.”

“Babe, what can I do?”

“Just get me a new shirt.” She shakes her head. “He’s not going to let me put him down. My mom doesn’t know how long he’s had a fever for.”

“Do you want to take him to the hospital?”

“I don’t know...we’re both doctors, we should be able to handle it.”

Maribel ends up staying the night with Liam and Oliver and neither Santana nor Brittany sleep. Finally, at one in the morning, after Max has thrown up for the fourth time, they get him in the car and take him to the hospital. Santana sits in the backseat holding his little hands, even though he’s finally fallen into a feverish sleep.

“I was wrong.” Santana sniffles. “We should have taken him earlier.”

“You made a call, Santana. You didn’t realize how sick he was going to get. It’s probably just a stomach bug, he’s going to be okay.”

“What if Ollie gets it? We don’t know how he’ll do...”

“Let’s just worry about one kid at a time, okay? We’ll get Max some fluids and he’ll be just fine.”

“How can you be so confident?”

“How can you not?”

“Because I see sick babies all the time who don’t get better. I’m fucking terrified, Brittany.” Santana snaps, unable to control herself.

“I know you are, but I need you to calm down. You don’t do anyone well when you’re like this.”

“Well I’m fucking sorry that I’m freaking out about our sick kid.”

“Santana, I don’t want to fight with you. I want him to be okay as much as you do, but you know that it’s not good for you when you get like this.”

“I don’t care about me.” Santana says, resigned. “I only care about him.”

“I care about both of you, and you’re more useful to him when you can take a breath.”

They get to the hospital and Santana sees Dr. Meeks, one of the pediatric residents that she knows from transferring cases. She feels a little calmer, knowing that someone on staff is someone she’s worked with before and he escorts them himself to an exam room. Santana thinks maybe of all the things she loves about being a doctor, having preferential treatment for her kids might be her favorite. Max wakes up and screams while he’s examined by the doctor and Santana sits stone faced beside Brittany, wanting nothing more than to scoop him up and comfort him.

“It looks like just a bad case of the stomach virus that’s going around.” Meeks tells them. “He’s a little dehydrated, so I want to put him on some fluids and keep him a few hours for observation.”

“But he’s okay?” Brittany asks, leaning over the little basinet to look at her son.

“He’s going to be just fine, Dr. Pierce. We’ve had quite a few cases of this just this week, and each child has been back to normal in a day or so.”

“Thank God.” Santana murmurs, though she’s not particularly religious. “It’s okay, sweet boy, Mommy and Mama are here.”

“I’d suggest if you could get him to nurse that would be helpful. But he may not take breast milk just now.”

“I’ll try. Anything I can do for him.”

Santana picks up Max and Dr. Meeks was right. He refuses her breast and she doesn’t breathe again until he’s on IV fluids and sleeping soundly in Brittany’s arms. She feels like she’s not cut out for sick kids of her own, everything scares her, but Brittany is just so calm. All she wants is to ever feel a sense of peace, but with the little hospital band on Max’s wrist, she knows she’s far from it.

“You should go home.” Santana tells Brittany finally. “I’m calling Shelby and taking the day off but you have to work.”

“I’ll go to work tired. I’m not leaving either of you.”

“We’d be fine here. Honestly.”

“I wouldn’t be fine knowing I wasn’t here with you. I’m not leaving.”

“You’re sure?”

“I’m sure.”

“Thank you for that. I’m just...we just.”

“We have unresolved stuff right now that we both thought we’d deal with tonight, but it’s not the time.”

Santana offers to take Max from Brittany, but she tells her it’s fine, that she wants to hold him. The two of them sleep fitfully side by side in hospital chairs and when Santana wakes up in the morning, Brittany looks like absolute hell. She has no idea how she’s going to be able to work, because Santana certainly knows she couldn’t do it. Brittany runs her hands through her hair and Santana watches her, really understanding for the first time how hard she’s trying to balance her temporary role as chief and her permanent role as a mother. It actually pains Santana to think of what a bitch she’d been about it and she sucks in a deep breath of air as Max begins to stir.

“I really should shower before I see my first patient today.” Brittany murmurs softly, transferring Max to Santana’s arms so he can nurse. “I would probably kill to be able to take the day off.”

“Thank you for staying with me last night. I just...It was important to me to have you here.”

“I know. It was important to me too. I would never have been able to sleep at home knowing that my son was in the hospital and I wasn’t there.”

“I understand it, Britt, that you’re doing your best. I really do, more than I said I did yesterday when we talked.”

“Being a mom is the most important thing there is to me. Being a wife is a very close second. I think about before I got Liam and how I thought the best thing that would ever happen to me was becoming chief of surgery. Don’t get me wrong, Santana, I still want that at some point, but it’ll never compare to what I already have.”

“It’s been a really emotional night, you’re going to make me cry.” Santana adjusts Max on her breast and breathes a sigh of relief that he takes it. “He’s eating.”

“I’m so glad.” Brittany stands and kisses Santana’s head, then leans to kiss Max’s. “Are you okay if I go?”

“I’m okay. I’m just going to wait for Dr. Meeks to discharge him before his shift ends and then beg my mother to stay through the day so I can bring Max into bed with me and sleep.”

“I love you a lot, Santana Lopez, I hope you know that.”

“I love you a lot too, baby.”

#brittana #hospital!au

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auroranotsogreat · 6 years

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Be Mine (Jacob Seed x Fem!Reader)

this one is the continuation of BBQ with Jacob Seed

Summary: Jacob has feelings for “you”, naming Alice. He will try to steal your heart with his own way, unless you are already falling for him.

“Well, honey. How was your day with Jacob?”

I turn my face to John. He looks at me curios. I know his question has double meaning, but I intend to answer only one of them. “It was good. You know Jacob, same old same old. But we ate our meals, I am not hungry I mean.”

“Is that so? Did he try to try his experiments on you?” John is persuasive little shit. I believe he knows Jacob’s feelings for me, and he tries to protect his property. And yes, I am his property.

“No, John. He didn’t. You know he won’t do such a thing. I am not the Deputy, remember? I am his friend.” I frown at him.

He shrugs his shoulders. “My dear, I don’t think you and him can be “actually” friends. Jacob doesn’t have friends. He has men. And don’t make me start to talk about his women.” He chuckles lightly.

I don’t know why but his comment about his brother makes my heart crunch. I don’t want to think about Jacob, especially his affairs with other women. I know, I shouldn’t care this much, I am with John after all. But our relationship is an arrangement, more than affection.

I don’t answer to him, he doesn’t push me to do so. I turn my face to the window, slide it open to feel the air. The cold is relieving in my lungs, making my body shiver. Seeing Jacob doesn’t feel good. We haven’t talked about our feelings properly, I haven’t let him to say something. I always know that he likes me in a romantic way, if such thing is possible, but I feel I owe everything to John. He has provided me shelter, and has taken care of me when I was injured.

I recognize the road to my house. I haven’t stayed with John, yet. I have my dignity. We both don’t want to make things official, because my feelings for him is not clear enough for him to believe me, and my requests are too hard for him to accomplish. We have problems, just like any other couple outside.

John stops the car and turns his face to me. “Trip is over.” He tries to remain calm and cheerful, but my nervousness makes him nervous, too. He didn’t want me to go because of that in the first place.

“Jacob said something today.” I tell him softly. “He said that Joseph had known about us.”

He widen his eyes, being calm is over. “How did he know about that?! We are not official, yet.” He runs his fingers into his hair. “I don’t understand. Did you tell him something?”

“Of course, not! I am not some sort of cheesy girl John! I don’t go and talk to him, to have you by my side. I don’t need that kind of attention.”

“I know, I just try to find a reason.”

“Well, don’t try to find a reason on me, John. I am not going to say that again. Have some faith.”

“It’s not about that you know that!” he basically yells at me for no reason, it seems that my fears come true. John doesn’t trust me enough to believe what I say. I always seem to him that I may be a traitor. Even in simplest things.

“I know what I’ve heard John. I am not a fool.” He smashes his hands to the steering wheel.

“Calm down.” I say. Every time he does something like this, I feel like I am about to piss myself. I have a troubled childhood which has been involved physical abuse.

“Right! I am sorry.” He puts his hand on my thigh. I don’t give him a respond, but I don’t pull his hand away. He starts his soothing pulse on my thigh.

“We won’t be official, Alice. At least until you confess.” Here we go. I don’t want to talk about this. I don’t want to confess anything. In real, there is not much to confess. I was beaten to death by my own father, ran away and hide for almost five years with my mother. I killed him, it was self-defense, and tried to kill myself before the police found me. As soon as the court dropped the charges against me, I came here to build a new life. A clean slate. I had known John even before I came here. Well, I was one of his colleagues’ pro bono. When I came here, I decided to stay in John’s Region without a second thought. He needed someone to feel human again, and I have to show my gratitude towards him. This sums up our relationship a little. No love, no affection. We both keep saying that we have something stronger than love. But what else really matters than love?

“I know we won’t. I don’t intend to.”

“Alright then.” He kisses me on the cheek, and I get off the car. He drives away while I wave my hand goodbye.

My cabin is away from the Seed ranch, much closer to Jacob’s region. Sometimes Jacob comes to say hi when he goes out for hunt. The cabin is simply a one bedroom house with a living room. An old television and a radio are all my fun in here, and don’t forget the books. I am clearly a bookworm. That’s why John has brought all his books to my place. I know he cares about me in his way, but sometimes I have other thoughts about him. I would like to know whether he still sees Holly or not, but I am too afraid to hear the truth about it. I know, I am definitely not the person who can judge him mercilessly, but after all, I am a human being.

As soon as I lay down on my bed, I hear the buzzing of my radio. And a familiar voice tingles in my room.

“Are you there, pup?” his caring voice makes my body shiver from my spine. I smile to myself. It is so difficult to avoid him. I press the button to talk.

“Yeah, Jacob. I just came.”

He chuckled. “From what kiddo?”

“Jacob what?!” I bark at him, jokingly. “We’ve been together all day! I didn’t know you’re that old to re-… wait. You dirty man!”

He laughed hard at my belated realization. “With that brain of yours, I always feel like a young man! Who is old now, huh?”

“You, perv.” I laugh, but Jacob stops. I probably cross the line this time.

“Hold your little tongue inside, kiddo.” His voice is cold as ice.

I don’t know what to say and “Yes, sir.” I mumble.

“That’s my good girl,” he purred. “I couldn’t expect any less from you.” He hesitates one or two seconds to speak again. “How’s my lil brother John doing?”

“Fine, and not here.” My voice comes out a little upset, but in real, I am not. “We came here right from your place. You know, he must be tired.”

“I know, pup. Well, maybe tomorrow I can come at your place, and we go on a hunt. What do you say?”

“If you can promise me not to kill any of the civilian while we are on the road, I am with you.”

With a long sigh, Jacob answers. “Fiiiineeeee. I’ll come here around 5.”

“Deal.”

After talking lots of sweet nothings, I mean there are everything for us but still, I slowly fall asleep while he is talking to me softly. I open my eyes a little because of his husky voice.

“Good night my pup. Be mine.”

#jacob seed #jacob seed x reader #far cry 5 #fanfiction #writing #fc5 fanfiction #fc5 fanfic

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talesofealdancynedom · 3 years

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Patrick, riding his familiar Orion, in fairy robes; As baby of the family, the first illustration must be at maximum cute.

Tale 18: Patrick Monabellan & the Paladins (chapter 2 - snowy Slopes 2/4) part 3. Stories of True Love

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Patrick thought going to a magic forest, to be its protector, was as closest thing that fit the three things he wanted to live by: being a paladin, a mage, and a wolf. Grand Snow was high up, took a two-week quarantine before entering, and hosted a village that preserved a Westlander’s way of life from the dark ages. Patrick admittedly missed modern plumbing, computers and electricity. Now he chopped his own fire wood to stay warm; and the winters got cold up in the Westland mountains. The best accommodations Ouroboros, the designated Dragon mage, could give him, was a cabin along the north slopes. Ouroboros was more than happy to help another one of his friend’s children; now that him and Morgan were in-laws. Patrick didn’t want to hear any gushing over his older sister’s accomplishments, but Ouroboros wouldn’t be quiet about the happy union.

Ouroboros, and his wife Saianne were both mages, and the village didn’t need another. Immediately anyway. Ouroboros was the heartman healer and village doctor; He had studied midwifery due to the traumatizing maternal and infancy mortality rates in his home village. He was proud of his dedication to supporting big happy families. It caught everyone off guard, as between the khol, golden eyes, and black spiked dragon robes, Ouroboros looked like a menace. He was also a hugger and confident ditz. Patrick received a lot of hugs from him. Meanwhile, Saianne was a charmer, who sang to the glacier lake each week. She wanted to be a lifeguard and fulfill her pact with the selkie that enfayed her, to which prevented her from going grey dark. Saianne’s trance like magic state was triggered by bodies of water, where she automatically summoned The Black, Beating, Hex Waters of The Deep. She didn’t say much to Patrick. As passive casters, neither Ouroboros or Saianne had the skill of a paladin. A magic peace officer might prove useful.

Everyone agreed a magic forest post, a passive guard, was a good place for Patrick to be. He needed somewhere he would be accepted, could forget the world, and be himself. A mage needs a magic forest, and a magic forest needs a mage. Or three; whose counting. Ouroboros also mentioned Patrick could flirt with any lady he desired; to add to their small gene pool. The isolated hamlet of Grand Snow didn’t see many new faces. Morgan and Ouroboros abused some connections, to get Patrick into the restricted heritage area. They played the genetic variance gag to one Ragnar Goldenscale; who managed the heritage site. Unlike Cadence, he wasn’t there for an apprenticeship or had connections to the people. An immense amount of pleading a buttering, on Ouroboro’s part, was all it took for Ragnar to clear the papers. To make Patrick feel more welcome, Ouroboros added that if Patrick needed a doctor, he was a marvelous healer, blessed with the healing flames of Quellelthan. Patrick had never received such a warm welcome. It’s nice to have someone in your life that is so clueless and loving, that don’t care about you character flaws.

Patrick, and his wolf familiar Orion, now lived a peaceful quiet existence alongside the village folk and fey. The people here really liked mages and fey; but they never used magic themselves. There were no wizards, but everyone was content to be surrounded by magic. It was so different and surreal at first. He was so used to people fearing fey. Magic forests seemed to foster a traditional peaceful coexistence across the lands. It felt a lot like home. Patrick got so comfortable, he decided to take Ouroboros up on his offer, and started courting a local lady. Holly Goldenscale was the one who led people through the mountain pass. Their cabins were close, and they would often pass while going about their lives on the slopes Patrick patrolled. If Patrick wasn’t directly assigned to protect here as she did her job. They crossed paths so often, they began to recognize and visit each other. Initially, a man in furs riding a wolf, in the middle of a wintery nowhere, would deter a maiden. But gosh he was easy on the eyes to holly, and more charismatic than a golden Labrador. Patrick had his mother’s pale hair, and his father’s forest green eyes, freckles and stature. A puppy like demeanor that hid his feral nature. Holly on the other hand, had ice blue eyes, blonde hair, as a typical example of the Westland’s and people of Grand Snow. The Grand Snow people in particular, were adapted for cold, high altitude, magic forest dwelling. Such a small population made them quickly adapt, and any visitor exotic. However, a potential mate is not what Holly was originally after; it was curiosity at a newcomer. Not that she wasn’t pressured into having a daughter. Grand Snow was cursed to be protected by an unnavigable barrier around the valley’s mountains. Not even fey and mages could cross its enchanted slopes. Only the daughters of the mage Solomon Gydenwyvern, could navigate it. Holly was the end of the line. Which is why Holly and her mother, sister, and grandmother were in charge of leading anyone in or out of Grand Snow. They were the only ones who were able to communicate with the outside world. Thus, she was always passing by Patrick on her way to and from guiding people; they both spent a lot of time wandering the woods of the valley.

One day, Holly decided to follow Patrick, until he disappeared into the thicket. Only to reappear and lead her back to the village. He wanted an excuse to talk to her. It was his familiar Orion’s idea. According to him. Holly liked Orion; two good boys for the price of one. Holly and Patrick had work in the village that day; buying food and supplies, and maybe enjoying some mead. When they were ready to go home, they decided to go back to Patrick’s cabin, after dropping of Holly’s goods at her family cabin. It was an excuse to ride Orion. Even after a day together, they weren’t done with each other’s company; they were having so much fun. It was night, and Patrick took Holly to is shack, which was heated by a fire wildling who slept in his hearth; cribbed properly in wood. Holly had only seen ice wildlings before, and was enchanted. Holly gasped when Patrick didn’t burn his hand giving it a cookie. They began to take off their coats, now that they were out of the night air, and she finally got to see Patrick with his hood down. Holly realized the common folk, such as her, had no idea how young Patrick was; he was maybe two summers younger than her. Holly assumed, that because he was a trained paladin, he would look more graduated; instead of recently independent. This train of thought didn’t last long, as they promptly fell asleep after demolishing a loaf of bread and fresh butter.

Holly was pleased to visit Patrick’s home often, and he would make it so she could easily follow him; like an unspoken game of tag. They would leave tracks for each other, or tie ribbons on the tree fey that made up the forest. The chances of them being so compatible, as they came from such different lives, seemed small. The wildling’s fire, and the smell of the pine wood from the cabin, complimented the waft of hide and dried herbs in the hut, as they lay on the couch. It was made of carved sanded wood, and muslin filled with phoenix down. Cuddling was Patrick’s third favourite activity, ever since he was little; his affectionate nature never lifting. He was tender when not in conflict. Patrick loved swaddling Holly in furs he treated, from the food he caught and ate. Patrick said he hunted with his pack, which composed of: him, his familiar Orion, some village hunting dogs, and a Aliki wolf prince that lived nearby. It was hard to believe he wielded any of the swords along his wall. Holly already knew a lot of magic lore, but asked him where he got them, and what he used them for;

“My father’s cousin is a warlock, aunt Reggie. She made me special winter steel and silver tools. The blue one is what I used for ice magic in school, and the singing silver axe I use to chop wood. Though, I know some people who would think poorly of me using rare singing silver on lumber… Oh, and the wood one down there, is the one my father taught me to use a sword with when I was a child” Patrick laughed. “Actually, a lot of mage paladins I grew up with taught me a thing or two with that keepsake.”

Holly also visited, because loved his stories; and that night she asked him for his most embarrassing one. Swords and fey were nice, but she wanted to know why Patrick was a paladin when he seemed to never hurt a single thing.

“Not the paladin type eh? And a story without magic? Oh boy. You know what, Holly, I haven’t told you about my father, have I? I bet Ouroboros and Saianne just referred to him as another mage friend from school. My sister, Cadence, was probably too shy to talk to you. Well, aside from him teaching me how to use a blade…. Dad is…. Kind of, the most scattered, nervous, dork ever.” Patrick wince.

“Then how’d a mook sire something powerful like you?” she tempted.

“Oh no, he’s very powerful and talented. He became King Mage when his was fourteen; by accident. He wanted to get away from his abusive family situation, and found comfort in fey and the shadow veil. His familiar is a golden eagle, who is wise, and dad would ride him everywhere. And father treated my mother like a princess… My dad, he’s just, a huge nerd. It always embarrassed me to be in public with him. Any magic question turned into monologue of ancient mythical legends; it made him sparkle like a small boy. You know, the childlike wonder thing some people get around magic…. Also, because he was King Mage, people kept challenging him, fearing him, or asking him for answers. He is a nervous wreck otherwise; letting his anxiety overwhelm him. He could do anything, but instead lives in a tower reading and writing books. I have no clue how someone can be fearless, knowable, shy, forgetful, and be scrambled at the same time.” Patrick said, slowly becoming stunned by his words. His father, Morgan, was the one person he never admitted was one of his heroes. Patrick passed the ‘my parents are people’ stage before puberty. He was so focused on paladin studies, he forgot what a mystical and loving home life he had. He felt lucky. Holly saw Patrick drifting off, and nudged in closer.

“How about a nice tale about you and your father, then? Prove to me this powerful wise mage is an awkward mess?” Holly prompted.

NEXT--->

<---PREVIOUS

#art #tales of ealdan cynedom #short stories #fantasy #story 18 #patrick #holly #ouroboros #morgan #emilia #ragnar #saianne #quellelithan #orion

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itsafuckinggazebo · 7 years

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It x Stranger Things

I woke up, feeling way too warm under my thin cover. I opened my eyes and sat up, my eyes adjusting to the dark room. It was still pretty dark outside so I couldn’t see anything. I needed to use the restroom and I set out in the dark for the light-switch. It took me oddly a a good few minutes to find the switch of my room and when the light above shone, I felt my heart stop. My breathing slowed immensely and I felt like one of Its balloons popped inside my tummy, feeling a great amount of fear rise within me. This wasn’t my room. It was blue, with a fuckton of pictures and posters hung up on the walls. Knick knacks and trophies that weren’t mine were littered around a desk and drawers. Art projects I’ve never done were on a nightstand. I felt like I was kidnapped. But the person who did the room seemed keen on making it comfortable. It couldn’t be It, this room was too nice.

I backed up to the bed and sat down, feeling like this was a dream. I pinched my arm as tight as I could and I didn’t wake up. This is a nightmare. I got back into the bed, not feeling like my own. I steadied my breathing the way Eddie taught me to; god I miss him. I miss my loser friends too. I wonder when I’ll see them again. I hope soon. I didn’t realize I fell asleep until I was awoken. A lady with nice, mousy brown hair woke me up. She must be my ‘mom’. My mom never woke me up; I had an alarm for that. “Mike, c'mon, you’ll be late for school!”, the lady exclaimed and left after telling me she packed a lunch box for me. She seems like a good mother. I got ready with much difficulty. Whoever owned these clothes had no sense of fashion. My Hawaiian shirts are iconic. I got dressed into a black shirt with ugly yellow and red stripes then into jeans and sneakers. I’m gonna show this kid fashion sense if I ever see them.

I went to this kids bathroom, and did my own routine. I didn’t use his toothbrush because ew, but I did use my finger. What the fuck ever, desperate times come for desperate measures. I headed downstairs and tried my best to find the dining room without looking suspicious. Girl toys were cluttered around the living room, so this kid must have a younger sister. My eyes caught on picture frames on a mantle piece. My heart leaped out of my chest, yet again. The kid looked just like me. No difference at all. Same black hair, same built. The only difference is that I need glasses and he doesn’t. Fucking loser. “Come on Mike,” an unfamiliar voice came out from behind me. A tall, thin girl with hair like her mother came into view. “Breakfast is at the table,” she exclaimed and I followed after her.

Breakfast was a quiet and quick event. I was right, there was a little sister involved; she ate waffles at her high chair and her name was Holly, and the elder sister from earlier was Nancy. I don’t have siblings so it was nice to eat with them and talk, but mainly towards Nancy of course, who was only a few short years older than me. After we ate we left the house minutes later, the dad driving us to school. He dropped Nancy off at her high school and then me at the middle school just down the road. “Love ya Mike,” he muttered and drove away. He seemed nice as well. The whole family was sweet but seemed a bit reserved in their own right. Still better than my isolated family. I started walking into the school when someone tripped me, sending me back on the concrete. Oh great, bullies here too. What the fucking fuck.

“Get outta the way frog face,” a boy with dirty blonde hair said to me. I rolled my eyes and stood back up, fixing my hair. “Your mom wasn’t saying that to me last night,” I said loudly; by the reaction him and his friends had, they weren’t used to a trashmouth talking back. That will stop by today. He came walking back to me, his fists clenched. “What’d you say to me freak?”, he asked as he jabbed a finger to my chest. “You mother wasn’t complaining about me last night,” I repeated and drew closer to him, keeping eye contact. “Or your father.” He threw a halfassed punch to my cheek, didn’t hurt one bit. It didn’t even knock me down, I barely lost my balance. I rolled my eyes and walked away, clutching onto my backpack. Or Mikes. Oh whatever.

“You haven’t seen the last of me,” he yelled. I turned around, instinctively putting on a accent. “Oh you sure know how to treat a lass like ma'self, I’ll see ya later handsome,” I shouted and I power walked into the school. I bumped into another person. Smaller might I add. “Oh hey Mike!” The boy said looking up at me, and we started walking, sticking to my side as we walked. I didn’t know what my first class was so I followed him. “Oh hey,” I replied. The boy was pretty and short, kinda like Eddie. But Eddie was the cutest thing in the world. “Are you ready for the Av club after school? Oh and the campaign at your house tonight?” He rambled on and on as I followed him to first class. But he stopped suddenly, looking solemn.

“I’m sorry for talking so much,” he apologized but I almost stopped him, wanting to reassure him talking is just fine by me, but he cut me off before I got words out of my mouth. “Ever since the… you know, got me, since then I haven’t had much freedom. Thanks for doing a campaign tonight, it means a lot,” he said and stood up on his tip toes, kissing me on my cheek. I blushed slightly. But I didn’t know what happened to him. I guess it’ll come up in conversation later. “It’s okay, I understand completely!” I said and he chuckled and motioned for us to walk into the biology classroom. We sat next to his two friends, which are technically Mikes/ mine too. Their names were Lucas and Dustin, and they were cool. Dustin reminded me of Ben. God I miss that loser. I wonder when I’ll get back, if I ever do. I miss all them. Bill with his stutter I’m so used to. Stan and his clapbacks, Ben and his books and candy he shared. Mike and his watchful ways. I missed Beverly, despite her being the only girl in the group, she was strong as any other guy, maybe even more than most guys at my school. They were great friends, we all complemented each other. And if I’m being biased, I miss Eddie the most. He was my rock. My best friend. And the love of my life. I have a childish crush on him but it’s not like he’ll ever return those feelings but I just couldn’t help myself. I wonder what’s happening there.

//There’s gonna be a part 2, from Mikes perspective. If it wasn’t obvious, it’s like a freaky Friday prompt I was inspired by. Mike is in the It universe while Richie is in the Stranger Things universe. Link here https://itsafuckinggazebo.tumblr.com/post/165412336195/the-space-cows-keep-mooing )

#it #stephen king #the losers club #reddie #byler #stranger things #I tried #lol #mine

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hotdogjumpingfrog5 · 6 years

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It’s Strange - Chapter 2

Previous Chapters: One

Nancy realized she hadn’t hung out with Johnathan and Steve during lunch since Friday. It was now Tuesday. They probably miss her by now. She had completely forgotten about them altogether, unless outside of school, Nancy had been spending the last few days with Emma. Nancy had been telling them she had something to study for, as her excuse. Even though it’s been a few days, she felt she needed to go back to hanging with them during lunch and stuff. Nancy was thinking she should probably introduce her to Johnathan and Steve, considering she was relatively new, and the fact they were starting to know each other. “So, I was thinking, maybe tomorrow would you like to come to the cafeteria and meet my other friends?” Nancy asked Emma accepted, and was slightly nervous too. What if they know about those rumours going around about me? Emma would think, what if they’re not going to like me? Or think I’m strange? The bell rang, and they both went their separate ways off to class. ~ Emma came home later that day, somewhat more relaxed than normal. “How was your day?” her mom would ask, “You look very content.” “I am.” she smiled, “I’ve been speaking to people.” “Well that’s good,” said her mother, “Coming out of your shell, are you?” “Guess you could say that.” Emma chuckled “Who would wanna be around you?” Lucy sneered, “Public school is full of chavs.” Their mom gave Lucy a look Lucy turned away, sighing. “Grow up.” Emma muttered under her breath “Emma…” their mom said calmly She also turned away, away from the sight of her older sister. The two weren’t fond of each other, and Lucy would sometimes criticize the fact Emma went to a public school, unlike herself. Hundredths of millions of people go to public school, piss off Lucy. Emma thought, You’re in college now, what the fuck you think you’re getting on with? You’re 19, get a grip. Not only was Lucy a bossy sister, who acted like their mum even though she was only two years older, but she was still not adjusted to this whole moving from England to Maine, she had to leave her friends and stuff, and that explained part of the reason Lucy was bitter. ~

The next morning, Nancy and Emma decided they were going to catch the bus today, and considering Joyce had borrowed Johnathan’s car for the day. She walks up to the Wheeler’s house, and knocks on the front door. A kid with rather thick glasses opens the door. “Who are you?” Richie scoffs “Your worst nightmare.” Emma replies, and Richie runs off into the other room. Nancy walks out from the kitchen five seconds later. “Oh don’t mind him, just one of my annoying twin brothers, Richie.” says Nancy She leads her into the kitchen, and says “And this is another one of my annoying twin brothers, Mike.” Mike rolls his eyes and says “Don’t you have anything else better to do than interrupt my breakfast?” “Eat somewhere else.” Nancy insists Mike huffs and scarfs down the rest of his cereal angrily, then left the kitchen. In comes in their much younger sister, Holly. “And this is Holly.” Nancy grins Holly looks at for a few seconds, then whimpers, for whatever reason. Similar to the type of whimpering when she saw Eleven sneaking past the Wheelers back when Mike kept her hidden from them. That’s when Nancy remembered the number on Emma’s wrist. 007. She calls out to Mike, only to see him and Richie dash out the door, catching their separate busses. Nancy huffs, now she won’t be able to ask about Eleven until later. That’s who Emma reminded Nancy of. Eleven. They acted so similar, except Emma said more words, and they both appeared to have a number written on their wrist. There is no way this is a coincidence. Thought Nancy ~ When Nancy and Emma hopped off the bus, Nancy lead them to where Steve and Johnathan normally hang, which is by the bulletin board next to the side doors. As a matter of fact, almost right next to the same place where Nancy had first got a glimpse of Johnathan. She remembered seeing him with his head hung low, putting up a missing poster of Will. While her ex best friends made the most rude comments about Johnathan, Nancy looked past that and approached him that day, in attempt to comfort him. She couldn’t believe this all happened a year ago. Nancy now dating who her friends thought was an outcast, Steve even used to taunt Johnathan. A year later, they’re like brothers. “Hey.” says Nancy “Hey there.” Johnathan replies, giving her a hug “Who’s this?” Steve asks, looking at Emma Nancy introduces Emma to both Steve and Johnathan, and they both appear to like her as well. “So, are you from England?” Steve asks “Yeah, how could you tell?” Emma asks “That accent, I like it.” Steve smirks, “So, you’re new here?” “Guess you could say that,” she replies, “I came here late last year, in March.” Nancy and Johnathan both shared a similar expression to their faces. They had a feeling Steve was taking a slight interest in Emma. But she didn’t appear to feel the same way, or could tell for that matter. “Right,” says Emma, “Guess I’ll see you guys at lunch?” They all nodded and said their goodbyes, while she went to class. Johnathan looks at Nancy. “Hey, Nancy, does she remind you of someo-“ “Yes, that’s what I was going to tell you guys about.” she said “What do you guys notice -“ Steve asks, but then the bell rings Nancy could tell by the look on Johnathan and Steve’s faces that they were wanting to know, but Nancy assured them they would discuss it at lunch.

Bill Denbrough lay asleep in bed. He woke up to the sound of Mike Hanlon snoring. Bill looked over to his side, and saw that it was 3:15 am on Thursday morning. He also had a strange dream that night. He saw It. Nothing happened though, all It said to him was “I was this close to catching your brother. THIS CLOSE!” But then the dream abruptly ended, and Bill forgotten about that dream real quick. Mike was asleep on the floor, stayed over at Bill’s that night. The previous afternoon, Mike came over after school to keep an eye on Georgie, while Bill’s parents were at work, and Bill was undergoing speech therapy. Mike stayed over for dinner, and hung out with Bill for the evening. Mike was reluctant to go back home, he wasn’t in the mood to listen to his grandfather criticise him about not being in the butcher shop. Bill was reluctant at first, but then they decide Mike pretend he’s leaving, then crawl up through the window, without Bill’s parents’ knowledge. He knew they would kill him and lot let anyone into his room or even house, except for Georgie. Bill reflected on what happened a year earlier. He kept seeing another Georgie, an undead Georgie. He told his parents, but they only got mad and convinced him he was “crazy”. Georgie himself thought it was kind of funny. But Bill didn’t. He knew exactly what he saw that summer. Then, he heard it. “Bill! Come into the kitchen!” Georgie shouted. Why the fuck is Georgie yelling at 3 o’clock in the morning? Bill wondered, hearing that frightened the life out of him, especially being deep into thoughts. He wondered why their parents weren’t going out there telling him to go to bed. Bill jumped out of bed, confused. He slowly made his way by the staircase, then took a peek in Georgie’s room. Georgie was sound asleep in his bed. Bill’s eyes widened, and looked downstairs in horror. It was pitch black. “I said, come down in the kitchen!” Georgie’s voice was now insistant. Fuck, not this again! “Bill, what’s the matter?” the voice behind him made Bill yelp out in fear. “Mike, don’t s-s-scare me l-like that ag….ain! Can you h-h-hear that?” “Hear what?” Mike said, half asleep. “Can you keep it down, I’m trying to sleep.” Georgie came out, also half asleep “W-w-weren’t you d-downstairs?” Bill asked “No,” Georgie said, confused, “Stop being strange. If you and Mike don’t keep it down, I’m telling mom and dad you’re here.” Georgie promised not to tell their parents that Mike snuck back in. Both of their parents would be unlikely to see Mike, since they got up for work around five. “Fine. Bill, let’s go back to sleep.” Mike said, not wanting to get caught. Bill wasn’t sure he wanted to go to school the next morning, he was all of a sudden feeling sick. He wasn’t sure if it was from fright or something he ate for dinner, or both. ~ That same night, the Byers had woken up around 3:30 in the morning. Before, Will was awoken to the sound of voices. Voices he hadn’t heard in a long time. This was after he woke up from a strange dream. It’s been almost a year, and now he was dreaming about this. The upside down. All he could see in the dream, was a cold, dark, damp, isolated spot, far from everyone else. He saw a man in the dream. He couldn’t see his face. This scared him so much, he woke up. Will woke up in a cold sweat, breathing heavily. He heard a voice. A strange voice. More than one now. More like whispers. He didn’t know who it was or where it was coming from. He looked around the room, paralysed with fear. “Mom? … Johnathan?” Will said, voice shaking. “Will…” said the voice He was too afraid to answer back. Then, out of nowhere, the man with no face appeared right in front of him. Will screamed. His mom and Johnathan awoken to the sound of their son and brother screaming. Confused and scared, they both ran out of their rooms, Joyce making it to his room first. By the time they got there, they were shocked. Will was completely out of it, his eyes were rolled to the back of his head. “Oh god,” Joyce gasped, “Johnathan, I think he’s having another seizure!” “Well what do we do? Bring him to the emergency room??” Jonathan asked, confused and scared. Their mom agreed, and they carried Will out to their car, making their way to the hospital. After an hour or so of waiting, Joyce was frantic. “So, what’s wrong with my son??” she asked “Looks like your child is going through what looks like severe epilepsy.” said the physician, “We may have to keep him here for another six hours, to undergo more tests.” Joyce saw that it was already 4:37 in the morning. “Johnathan, go back home. Take the car with you to school.” she said, and handed him the keys. “But mom, what about Will? What about you? I don’t know if I can -“ “Just go!” Joyce insisted Johnathan sighed, and made his way out the doors. He knew he wasn’t going to sleep that night. Johnathan laid awake in bed when he got back. It was now 5:08 am. He was worried about Will and his mom. How did their mom expect him to go off to school like that when they were both in hospital? Well, they said it would be another six hours. So maybe it won’t be too bad. Johnathan thought. He turned around, sighed, and closed his eyes. ~

Max looks out the window of the car, with the trees flashing before her eyes.

She looks to the left, and Billy, her rude as fuck step brother is going 40 km over the speed limit.

“The hell you think you’re looking at?” Billy says

Max rolls her eyes, and doesn’t respond.

“Thank god you now go to a private school. That way I don’t have the responsibility of bringing you back.” Billy says, now turning up into St. Peter’s parking lot.

Max steps out, and Billy speeds in the school zone.

Almost hitting a few third graders, and the principal yelling after him.

Max flipped the bird after him, as usual.

Max was already a week or two in, and she didn’t mind it. No one cared how you dressed, because everyone dressed the same in their uniforms. The age range goes from kindergarten to grade 12.

The only thing wrong was the fact she wasn’t with her friends from back in Hawkins. Some of the kids were snobby, especially this one kid who always called her out on weird shit.

She sat by the window on the second floor, right next to a marble statue of the Virgin Mary, watching other kids come into the school.

Max always kept to herself, she sat in this same spot every morning and lunch time, speaking to barely anyone. Not only was she a tad bit shy, but she couldn’t be bothered to interact with others, she never really fit in or had the same interests as the other kids.

No one could ever understand her like Lucas, Dustin, and the others. She missed seeing them every day, at the same time, she didn’t mind having alone time.

Besides, she was going to be seeing them this weekend anyways. And hopefully the others from Derry sometime. Mike and Richie brought everyone together, considering they were twins, and the fact they went to different schools.

Max reflected a bit on the last time she met with the Losers. Alongside from Lucas, she also mixed well with Stan and Ben.

“First, you hang with that black kid? Now a Jewish and fat kid? The hell’s wrong with you?” she remembered her stepbrother Billy saying “And TWINS,” he pointed at Mike and Richie, as well as Eddie and Ella. “And another kid who stole MY NAME. Fucking copycat.” he pointed at Bill Denbrough. “The zombie boy, that strange girl, toothless, that other black kid, whose family burned in hell. Good thing that Beverly slut is gone.” Billy said while pointing to every one of the losers and stranger kids. She remembers everyone keeping silent, not even Richie said anything, nor did Eleven bother to use telekinesis, that’s how scary Billy was. They were all angry on what he said about Beverly. How did he even know about those rumours? “Leave them and myself alone. I’ll find my own way home.” Max would say. She knew Lucas would give her a lift back. Billy chuckled, knowing he would be unable to take on all twelve of them. “You’re all a bunch of freaks!” he laughed, “You’re all going to die out here!!” Then, sped out of there.

“All alone now, are you?” a snaky voice interrupted Max’s thoughts.

She turns around and sees Kevin, that stupid rich kid who started picking on her

“What do you want, Kevin?” Max glared.

“How about do yourself a favour, and look like a girl, like everyone else in this damn school.” Kevin laughed.

“How about no?” Max said

“Jeez, you’re worse than my cousin, and he’s in public school, that explains why you don’t look so good, you came from Derry or Hawkins or whatever stupid school you came from.” Kevin sneered

Max looked back out the window, hoping he would just go away.

After a few seconds, he finally did.

Ben had woken up very early that morning, making his way to the library almost two hours before school started.

He got an early start on his history assignment, which wasn’t due for another two months.

As normal, he went in and collected a few books each time.

He was the only one in there, besides the librarian.

Ben glanced over at the staircase, which he hasn’t even thought about going near since he saw It. That mummy, or whatever It was.

Something caught his attention outside when he gazed out the window.

In the isolated road at 7 am, stood a man with a suit. Just staring in Ben’s direction.

From a far distance, he couldn’t see the man’s face. It appeared to be covered with something, but he just couldn’t tell. He wasn’t sure if this was some early Halloween joke, few days after the first day of fall.

Ben tried his best to ignore the figure, but he could feel the man’s gaze staring at him, from a few floors down.

Five or so minutes had passed, and the figure was still standing in the street, not moving.

The figure did something very odd, which sent goosebumps all over Ben’s body.

It waved.

“Ben..” he thought he heard the figure, or another voice say

He couldn’t help but inch closer to the window.

“Aren’t you going to say hello back?” said the voice.

Ben ran to the librarian’s office, and told her to go look

But by the time they got to the window, the man was gone.

She gave him a strange look.

“I could’ve sworn he was right there!” Ben said, panicked.

“I think you may have woken up a bit too early.” said the librarian.

The entire walk to school, Ben was confused on what he just saw.

He walked up to the losers, who were hanging outside. Everyone except Bill and Mike (who was homeschooled).

“Hey, where’s Bill?” he asked

“Sick,” said Stan, “He called my house this morning and said he wasn’t feeling well.”

Stan looked around at the rest of the Losers, and there was five there including himself.

“Guess this means I’m the leader for today.” Stan said

“I think my willy is the leader of this gang.” said Richie

Everyone in the group, of course, gave Richie the ‘That’s disgusting!’ look.

“Oh my god Richie you and your dick jokes!” says Eddie

Stan just stands there, shaking his head, then changed the subject.

“Right, so are you guys still coming over to study for that science test today?” Stan asked, looking at Ben and Ella

They both agreed.

“What time again?” Ella asks

“4:15, then Sunday at three.”

Ben was going to tell the about what he saw that morning, but was reluctant.

He couldn’t be bothered to this hour of the morning.

Maybe the librarian was right, Ben thought, maybe I did wake up too early.

Next Chapter: Three

#stranger things #it movie 2017 #fanfic

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theoddcatlady · 7 years

Text

Show Business

I used to be the star of a kid’s show called Lola’s Dollhouse back in the eighties. It was one of those that aired on a few local channels. I’d always wanted to be a movie star as a child, so when auditions were held, I begged my mom and dad until they caved. They made sure I knew there was next to no chance that I’d get the part. After all, dozens of little girls who had acting experience were already trying out for parts. The odds were not in my favor.

I proved them wrong when I scored the lead role of Lola. Lola was a curious little kid who had a big imagination with what went on with her dolls. Once her ‘parents’ left, her dolls would grow to full size as a full doll family and they’d go on magical adventures together. I know. Real ground breaking television right here.

The Doll Family were made up of Mom, Dad, Brother, and Sister Doll. Sister Doll was a little girl whose name was Jessica Pearl. We were the same age, we both loved cats, and we both loved to be actresses.

Jessica had already gained some stardom by doing commercials, but she loved being Sister Doll. She told me the director was a lot more fun. And that was true, Michael Harding or ‘Mike’ as he told us to call him was a pretty great dude. He knew how to work with kids.

I loved going to Jessica’s house, her family had made good money off of Jessica being a star. Her mother loved to chatter on about how Jessica was in line for another part, or that if she really tried she’d be in the movies within a year. She was kinda naggy. But Jessica didn’t mind. “She just wants me to succeed,” She’d say.

I was only acting in Lola’s Dollhouse, I hadn’t considered trying out for anything else… until Mike told both of our parents about his brand new show he was making with his brother.

It would be called Rainbow Ride, which would be about a child exploring the world on their magical rainbow train. That’s all I remember of the plot. Jessica and I both wanted the part, but I remember a pact we made, under my treehouse at night.

No matter who got the part, we’d both still be best friends.

When we went to audition, the building was packed. I think I even recognized a few other child superstars. Jessica and I held hands, we were terrified. But Jessica’s mother, I think her name was Betsy, looked smug.

“No way is any of these children going to be able to compete with my Jessica!” She proclaimed, quite loudly I might add, right in both of our earshots. For a few seconds Jessica beamed, until she saw the crushed look on my face.

She leaned in close to me. “She does this to bring up my confidence. Don’t worry, she doesn’t really mean it, we both have equal chances,” She whispered. That comforted me, I smiled and told her thank you.

We both did have equal chances, and it was exciting to try out at all. They would invite you into the room and you’d read the part they gave you, or if you couldn’t read, you’d just have to have the lines fed to you. Jessica was a much better reader than I was, but I tripped over a few words.

I was thrilled to find out that I made it past the first round of auditions, and so was Jessica. We both made it past the second and third round as well.

The night before the final audition I was having a sleepover at Jessica’s. It was great, we ate pizza, gorged ourselves on ice cream, and practiced our lines for Rainbow Ride. Betsy would come in every so often and bring us even more snacks. It was a dream.

Around midnight I woke up to find myself covered in vomit. I’d puked all over myself and woke up afterwards. I felt terrible, my stomach hurt horribly and I begged Betsy to call my mom so she could take me home.

I remember being leaned over the toilet while Jessica sat beside me when I heard Betsy say in a sickly sweet voice, “So I suppose your friend can’t try out tomorrow?” Talk about a kick in the gut. Here I was sick as a dog and now I realized I couldn’t audition like this. Not while puking and hurting.

Jessica ignored her mother. Betsy tutted her tongue.

“Well, that’s show business, I suppose.”

The next day I spent in bed, curled up in a little ball, completely miserable. The weather chose to match my mood by raining all day and that did not help. I heard the phone ring and my mom answer it, but when she asked me if I wanted to talk to Jessica I told her no. I knew the only reason she would call me is if she got the part and I just didn’t want to hear it right then.

Early the next morning I was woken up to my mom shaking me awake. I could hear her breath shuddering, like she’d been crying.

“Amanda, there’s been an accident.”

I don’t remember what my mom said next, not really. Just little pieces, about how Jessica and her mother were going to sign some contracts, the road was slippery, the car slid… and Jessica was in the hospital.

When I saw her lying on that bed, her face covered in a plastic mask, I started to wail.

The doctors explained she was on life support, that she could be okay, but I just knew. I knew at that point my friend was dead and I wasn’t going to talk to her ever again.

I walked with my mother down the hall to where Betsy was, she looked even worse with all those nasty cuts and bruises on her face. But she was awake. And when she saw me, she was livid.

She forced herself to sit up and started screaming at me. I hid behind my mother, still traumatized by what happened earlier, but these are the words that stick with me.

“You! You little bitch! It was supposed to be you! My daughter’s dead because of that audition! It’s because of you!”

My mom rushed me out of there, but it was like someone flicked a switch.

I remember about the time we went to bed Betsy brought us juice, in a red cup and a pink cup. I initially reached for the pink cup, but Betsy swatted my hand away.

“No, this is your cup. Don’t be sharing now, you don’t want to get each other’s germs before the audition!”

My mother broke down crying when I told her what happened that night. I think she instinctively knew what had happened when I came down sick out of nowhere, but she never knew it would end in a tragedy like this.

Rainbow Ride was canceled. Mike didn’t want anything more to do with the project. I tried to back out of Lola’s Dollhouse but I had to film at least three more episodes, according to my contract. The new Sister Doll was a girl named Holly. Holly liked dogs, was three years older than me, and didn’t have any dreams to become an actress. She was just doing it for the fun. I think no one told her what happened to Jessica, and as an adult, I know that was for the best.

After it was over my parents announced a move. We ended up moving across three states. New school. New life. No more Lola’s Dollhouse. No one who could even recognize me as ‘Lola’.

I’ve never acted again. Not even in school drama. It’s too painful. And every time I see a car rush by on a rainy day, I remember that day and wonder how things would be different if I went to the audition.

#horror stories #scary stories #creative writing #sixpenceee stories #writers on tumblr #my stories

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zwatchtowerz · 7 years

Text

Part 1 of my birthday theme little fics I’ll be doing this month cause my own birthday. Read it on Ao3 too if you want It was at a movie night, with the pack all over the place, talking about the movie they wanted to see, others making popcorn and some just sitting on his couch.

After what happened last time, Derek decided to stay at Beacon Hills. Everything worked out and the peace was restored. The pack finished high school, went to college, and came back to live their lives as the town protectors. It was weird since he didn’t have a previous relationship with half of them, but he managed.

Over the years he made progress in the social apartment. He was more talkative and less grumpy all the time thanks to (surprising) Chris Argent. They bonded over their common ‘dislike’ for the teenagers. Said teenagers that were over 20 years now and were his friends. Most of them, he didn’t like much Theo.

But if he had to put a tittle on the friendships, he could say Stiles was his best friend. Actually, Stiles was so much more to him than a friend, but he’d died before admitting it. They were kind of friends before he left and when Stiles rescued him (or tried) everything was like he never left. There were always jokes, sarcasm, banter and a little maiming between them. So, when the movie started and everyone was laughing with sex jokes from the dumb comedy they were watching, Derek couldn’t help to stare at Stiles and noticed something was off.

The next day, when the pack was leaving, Derek stopped Stiles. He waited until everyone was out of werewolf hearing range and asked. “What’s wrong?” Stiles, apparently didn’t realized he was alone with Derek. He looked around and hummed a low “Nothing”. Derek grabbed his arm and asked again, this time looking to Stiles’ eyes.

“Nothing is wrong, Der”. That was another thing Derek got used to. Stiles calling him Der when they were alone, but never when the pack was around.

“Are you sure? You don’t look okay to me”.

“I’m just having troubles to sleep and that drains my energy. Don’t worry” Stiles’ heart didn’t skip a beat like when he lies. Derek let him go.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Two days later, Derek was bugging Scott to know what was going on with Stiles.

“Don’t worry, he will be back on himself next week. Just give him space”

Derek wasn’t satisfied with the response. Stiles seemed more down than ever and he didn’t remember another time he was that way.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

He went for Lydia next.

“Scott is right. Give him space”

“That means you know what’s wrong with him”

“Of course I know. But he didn’t tell me, I just know him that well”. Derek growled a little. Lydia rolled her eyes and punched him in the arm. “Stop being all possessive, is not like that”

“I’m not being…”

“Don’t. Just don’t. Everybody see how you changed because of him, how you look at him every pack meeting, how you act around him. “ Derek sighed. She was right.

“I want to help him. I can’t see him like that and do nothing. He won’t tell me.”

“I know. Stiles is stubborn like that. And oblivious. He doesn’t realize that he is hurting you with all the sadness. “

“What do I do?”

“Think. There is a lot of clues. Look around and you will see it. Know get out, I have important things to do”

Derek went to sleep that day thinking about what could shut down Stiles that way

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

“Holly shit Der!!” Stiles was clutching his chest, backpack lost in the ground. “I thought you left behind the habit of wait for me in my room, in the dark”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t want to scare you”

“It’s okay. Something is wrong? You usually send a text if there is an emergency”

“Yes, something is very wrong. With you. What’s going on? You look tired and smell sad”

Stiles face did a combination of things before showing seriousness.

“First, smelling people emotions is rude and an invasion of privacy. Second, nothing is wrong. Thanks for the concern, now go. I want to be alone”

“Stiles, come on, I’m worried”

“I said go.“

Derek didn’t move.

“Derek. Go!”

The ‘Derek’ and not ‘Der’ was what made him move. He left through the windows, not bothering to take the stairs.

He heard from the street Stiles voice murmuring “I'm sorry Sourwolf”.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

“Hello Derek. I like having you around but what are you doing here this late?”

He shifted his weight and cleared his throat. It was 11pm after all.

“I’m so sorry to bother you Sheriff. I was worried about Stiles. He was acting differently this couple of days and he won’t talk to me”

John Stilinski looked at him for not more than a few seconds but it felt like hours. For a human wearing an old shirt and sweatpants it was intimidating. He finally took a big breath and let him in. “Stiles is at Scott’s,” he said.

Derek went in and stayed there, not wanting to perturb the Sheriff night more than he already did. “I know, that’s why I am here”

“Do you want something to drink? Water? Coffee? I can make some”

“No, it’s okay. Just, please tell me what’s wrong with him and I’ll let you go back to sleep.”

“You really don’t know?”

“No, sir. He is keeping it for himself. But Scott, Lydia…all of them seems to know why”.

“He is protecting you. He thinks he is, anyway”

“But why?!” Derek was getting anxious and the Sheriff raised an eyebrow.

“For a werewolf, sometimes you are worse than a human” Derek made a frustrated sound and the Sheriff chuckled. “Sit down and I’ll make you coffee. Then we talk.”

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

It was Saturday morning. Derek had everything ready since the night before. After the conversation with the Sheriff, he felt calm and embarrassed at the same time. He felt so stupid for not realized before. Not just what was making Stiles sad, but for everything.

The Sheriff (“Call me John, enough with the sir thing. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you much more know”) opened his eyes and slapped his face metaphorically speaking. He was still in denial that Stiles …. But now with all the facts, thinking about all their moments, it was obvious. Derek cleared his head and called Scott to cancel the pack movie night. Then grabbed the things he carefully prepared with Lydia’s help and went out, he didn’t want to be late.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

He found Stiles sitting legs crossed and talking to her. He gave him a moment, waiting for an appropriate moment.

“You can come in Der, I can see you”.

Derek walked slowly, suddenly unsure of what was he doing.

“I’m sorry” Sorry for your lost, sorry for being annoying, sorry for everything. Bud Derek didn’t say that many sorrys.

“She was always happy all this week. Dad and I had a hard time cause she was like…like a hurricane always happy and excited to see her birthday gifts and cake, even if it was a cupcake with a candle above”

Derek put his hand over Stiles and squished it a bit. “My mom loved nature. We had every year for her birthday a picnic in the preserve.”

He didn’t know what was the trigger, if it was the shared memory or Derek’s hand over his but Stiles couldn’t contain the tears. Derek just hugged him.

“Sorry for being an asshole. I was moping around about my dead mother and I was ashamed to be like this around you when you lost them all too. I didn’t want to upset you”

“I was upset, yes, but because I didn’t know how to make your sadness away.”

They smiled at each other until Stiles looked confused.

“How did you know I was here?”

“Your dad. He told me about your mom. And about other things” Derek put his hand on Stiles’ cheek and wiped away a tear with his thumb. Stiles' heart went crazy. “Come on. I have a surprise”

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

They were hugging each other in the park (“It’s called cuddling Der, accept it”). Stiles cried, even more, when Derek showed him the picnic he organized, a way to remembering Talia and celebrate Claudia’s birthday. Both ate telling stories about their moms and laughing at the funny things. The food was long gone when Stiles closed the distance and snuggled against him. He was a little shocked but accommodated his body to be more comfortable.

“Hey, Der?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you”

#teen wolf #sterek #sterek fic #my writing #I KNOW IS AWFUL

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clans-of-the-sea · 7 years

Text

Delicious Katsudon Chicken

by Princess Panda Pie

Stewart let out a cry as he was chased around the house once more. He didn’t understand! Fur was on end, and he glanced towards the group of People that were going after his brothers and sisters. He panicked as he saw his mother and his siblings - hardly a moon old - get scooped up one by one and put in Metal Dens. He let out a screech as he ran towards them.

“Mama!” He let out a screech, freezing up as he felt one of the People grab him by the scruff and stuff him into his own Metal Den as well. He wailed, cried out. He saw some cats run faster and out of the house, some made it outside and then quickly out of his sight. He wailed, tiny paws fighting at whatever he could get. He didn’t want in here, he wanted out with the boxes and soft sheets and beds and that weird funny sounding stuff everywhere - some of it was delicious! … Not all of it, and sometimes he walked in dirt and sand, but they had always been happy here!

The small eight month old cat swiped out when he saw his sister cry and his mother look nervous. He suddenly grew happy they weren’t in the same crate - he had seen his mother eat his new kin before when she was really anxious like she was now…

He sighed as he and several of his siblings were tossed into a Road Beast, hearing one of his brothers next to him in his own Metal Den.

“Hey… Stewart, at least no one will ever get crushed again!”

He frowned. He liked climbing the mounds of stuff! He found some really cool stuff in there before….! His hind paw came and scratched his ear. “I miss mama….” He frowned, hearing a snort from a voice he recognized as one of his littermates.

“So long as I don’t have to have fleas anymore, I’m glad someone came and got us. It was stinky!”

“What about the kits?” He sighed, tail tip twitching. “I don’t understand. I want to see them again!”

“Who cares? They weren’t there nearly as long as we had to be….” Another voice, one of his fully grown sisters who was going to have her third litter of kits soon. She had lost her second as still born, and one of his nephews from her had ran away - the other had died during one of their no-food droughts.

Stewart sat in the Metal Den, half-asleep until they arrived in a new place. Fear scent, loud Dog Talk, he started pacing when he was put into a new Metal Den, claws clicking. He could hear his siblings around him. He could see the sunny sky around them, but couldn’t touch it!

Yes! That was what he wanted, out! He purred as he felt the warm strong legs around him. Yes. He missed cuddling… he missed his kin! He smiled and nuzzled. This People wasn’t too bad. A lot smaller then his Owner had been, but she smelled much nicer as well.

The tom didn’t mind his new Owner for awhile, happy to press close and hear her giggle when he did. He liked cuddels, he missed them far too much and too often.

He got excited when she set a new bowl of food next to his, and he saw a new Metal Den in the living room. Since arriving here, Stewart had seen a few different Metal Dens with new friends inside them. After awhile they would all leave, and he would stay. Now though, this Metal Den was …. well, bigger then him. He was a little jealous. He moved to peek in and welcome his new friend when -

Dog Talk! He hissed, swiping at the large thing. He ran, shaken even as his Owner tried to cuddle him. Begone!

For nearly a moon he had to deal with this, escaping for a few nights at a time with fur on end and creeping around until the Dog would try and snap at him, corner him, or knock him down. He waited by the door as his Owner opened the door for the Dog to make dirt. He bolted, slipping up the nearest tree and hiding up there. The dog tried to get to him several times, but Steward shivered and would go further up until the dog went inside and he would travel around the city a bit..

It wasn’t until one time he waited a bit too long after the Dog was gone and his Owner tried to reach him did he make his own attempt to jump down. His Owner must have thought he was in danger, moving to try and grab him but only knocking him from his fall to his paws and into the branch below him.

A cry escaped the tom; he could feel blood! How though! He hadn’t gotten into a fight, why did he hurt so much?!

He let out another cry and he ran back up the tree, staying there until nightfall. He saw the Window was open, he could go inside soon… but only when he knew the Dog was asleep. He shivered at the sight of the red moon. His mama used to tell him scary stories about the red moon….

“Hey ugly!” He jumped, yowling as a large brutish tom came up onto his fence, staring right up at him. “What'cha doin up in there?”

“B-Meeb?” Was…. Was that his voice? The tom frowned, whimpering. It had hurt to talk…

“…. C'mon ‘ere with me huh? I know someone who can fix thaa there for ya.” The large male hoped back over the fence, leaving the small pet to scrabble after him.

Stewart had followed the tom - Murdoc, he learned - all the way through town. They made stops, with Murdoc refusing to keep showing him the way again until Stewart did him a favor - catch his food for him and such. It took several days to get to the docks, and each day Stewart whimpered as they made several stops to point out where certain loners he knew lived… all the pretty females.

Finally Murdoc led him out of the city to a really grassy spot near a stone trail. He wasn’t sure why they waited, but after nearly so long he was starving, a molly - all dark colors on top and white on bottom with the yellowest eyes he had ever seen - appeared on the rise. “Sthees v'ary prettea!”

“Yeah, shut it kid.” Murdoc shrugged. “Oi, Plant-Cat, we got a problem for ya!” He shouted to her as she ran up.

They argued for a bit until suddenly he was the center of attention. He and Murdoc must have left at some point because he woke in the scary toms den in a literal hole in the wall of a collapsed building in the city.

After that, well… why go home? He hadn’t wanted to live with the Dog that messed his face up, he hadn’t minded he had to return to Plant-Cat - who he later learned her name was Holly - every so often just so she’d check up on him…

He stayed with Murdoc. It wasn’t fun but when he did check his home it had more Dogs then last. Instead he and Murdoc enjoyed themselves… One more then the other. Stewart had to do most of the hunting; otherwise Murdoc ate most of it. He didn’t mind though, it was peaceful to hunt near their area where there were many rats.

He also started getting good with the mollies - Murdoc was a favorite for some reason he never understood but he could talk to one or two of them. It was all fun! Life was easier without People, who ever needed them?!

“Oi! Hey Face-Ache, this little rat was going through our stuff!” Stewart woke up to Murdoc hissing at another cat. He hurried out of the hole and watched as a small tiny form swiped its claws across Murdocs face and ran off with a piece of bird nearly half its size.

“….. Th'aoo wassa bigger rat then I ‘ver seen tha'rre Mur-do'c!”

“That wasn’t a real rat you idiot!” The blue tabby winced as the large black paw knocked the back of his head. “That was a bloody kit! You! Go find her and bring her back! There’s supposed to be honor among thieves!” He spat, thundering off somewhere to hopefully find that weird bird stuff that not-rat had stolen. A kit though? Hm… he wasn’t sure….

Stewart sighed and leaned close to sniffle at the crumbs of that crumbly coated chicken. He really had been looking forward to yesterdays Garbage Find. It was supposed to make for an easy breakfast….

But there was another scent under the bird; he bristled and realized he knew that scent! He bounded to his paws, close pressed to the ground, as he followed the scent. He looked around near Beast Paths, fur on end when Beasts passed.

He looked up when the scent got heavy, and saw up the side of the Large House, like seagulls on the cliffs he had visited once in awhile when seeing Holly, that there were dens there. He started following the Made-Path upwards to the small stepping space where the small kitten and the piece of stolen prey was.

“Ooohhey!” He did know that scent! That was his kit sister! Moons ago she had played with his tail a lot and tried to tackle him down - despite him being so much larger.

“Oohheey. Ioe 'noh yoou!” He purred, circling the small cat as she ate. Her green eyes narrowed and her white paw swatted out at him. He just barely dodged it. “'Ey!”

“What?” Her voice was awkward. Well, coming from him that wasn’t the right word for it he guessed, but it sounded stale. Stiff. Short. Like Holly when she was angry. She looked rather thin, and on edge.

“Donnacha reemmember meh? Ioe'ma St-Stewwaart!”

She seemed to detense a little, paw on top of the piece of chicken skin that was left crumbling beneath her tiny toes. “Eeeah, yoou 'member meh!”

She nodded. Once, and very curt. He looked up at the place she was sitting at. Her People’s Den. It had yellow stuff on the door, but he saw the window open. There was some cool looking stuff in there once he hopped up to the sill. Looked like their lights were weird - round like balls and looked like that stuff the Dog made dirt on after Bed Time. It also smelled funny, like his First Houses Basement. “Aye-wecahn go on insi'ee and geeshame waater?”

She seemed to stare at him, ear twitching. She was quiet for a long time, and he waited for her response. “….. What?”

“Aaan. Weeeee. Gooooooou. Eeeeeeein. Siiiiiiiiiide.” He tried to sound it out, knowing he couldn’t talk properly.

“….. No.” she shook her head. Twice, and slowly this time.

Stewart frowned, leaning into the window to see if these People were feeding his sister. They better be! Poor molly…! If only she had lived with him instead of mama! Hm… No, mama’s scent wasn’t here. Was she all alone?!

Wait.

He frowned, and realized that copper scent wasn’t the basement here. He turned back to his sister and jumped down next to her. “Ere… Eeereah, whysa doncha c'mon home weetha me t'night?”

She seemed to perk up.

“… Mama nevah gaveyah name yeet. Whacha call ya?”

She stared again, deciphering slowly before she eemed to hum to herself. “… .Katsu.” She poked the bird at her paw, the skin on her claw quickly ripping it as she slid it from undertoe to eat - preventing Stewart to even ask for some. She giggled, and licked her maw. “Hallo, Stewart!” She giggled again, jumping her big brother.

#rogues #katsu #stewart #murdoc #contest #writing #submission

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martxoa · 7 years

Text

Sisters of Steel, the superhollis AU prequel

Haven’t decided if I want to put it on ao3; but here’s the entirety of the prequel here. For those who don’t know, this is a prequel in preparation of the first chapter of my supergirl Carmilla AU ‘Stronger Together,’ which will be debuting in a few months for the @carmillabigbang!

Please let me know if you liked it. :D

Sisters of Steel

When Ell was almost fifteen years old, Mom and Dad had pulled her aside and explained, gently, that she was going to get a little sister for her birthday.

Ell had asked for a puppy, so she was understandably confused.

But Mom had sat down at the kitchen table, explaining the situation as gently as she could. How this little girl, Superman’s cousin, had crash landed on Earth; how she had lost her world, her entire world, and was lost, scared, and afraid; how Superman thought his cousin deserved a childhood like his, with a family, and he could think of no one better than the scientists that helped him.

And the timing just happened to mean that she was coming tomorrow.

Ell's birthday.

“Ellie, how do you feel about all of this?” Mom asked; Dad putting a hand on her shoulder.

She didn't know. There was something heavy in her chest, not bad, but nerve wracking. When she found the words, Ell finally said, “But what if I'm...bad at it?”

Their serious expressions cracked. Dad hugged Ell, laughing into her hair, while Mom shook her head with a fond smile.

“Uh, Dad, what's funny?”

“What's funny is that we're telling you that you need to share your house with a stranger, and your first thought is to be worried you won't be a good sister,” Dad ruffled Ell’s hair affectionately, “the fact that that's what you're most worried about is proof you'll make a great sister, kiddo.”

Ell smiled weakly. She hoped he was right.

Ell wasn't allowed to see Superman when he showed up. He came wearing civilian clothes, to avoid attracting attention; her parents knew his secret identity, but Ell didn't, and she wasn't allowed to find out. It annoyed her, but she still got to see him--just after he got changed back into his suit.

“Eileen, you can come down now!”

Ell peeked her head around the corner when she descended the stairs, and saw Superman in the kitchen, sitting at the table with a cup of coffee.

For the millionth time, Ell lamented silently that she couldn't tell anyone at school hey, Superman stopped by my house on my birthday for coffee.

Then he smiled, and Ell blushed, because it was Superman, what girl didn't have a crush on the Man of Steel. “Hey, Ell,” he stood, “happy birthday.”

“Um, thank you,” Ell said in a small voice, and then realized that there was someone with him.

“This is my cousin, Laura Zor-El,” he said.

She was so small Ell didn't notice her in Superman’s shadow. So small that she was hugging herself with hunched shoulders and big brown eyes, looking around the room fearfully. Her hair, brunette and frizzy, was being smoothed down by Superman’s hand.

“Hi,” Ell said politely. Laura nodded.

“She speaks English; she's just shy,” Superman said.

Mom and Dad were scrambling, looking for food, asking if Laura wanted coffee (“Sherman, honey, she's thirteen, she doesn't drink coffee”), until Ell took pity on her.

“Mom. Dad. She isn't from here; she doesn't even know what food you're talking about.”

Mom stopped. She smiled sheepishly, putting a hand lightly on her husband’s upper arm to get him to stop. “Ell is right, Sherman.”

She kneeled down, to look Laura in the eye. “Laura, honey, it’s actually Ell’s birthday today. Would you like to try cake?”

She nodded, biting her lip.

“Cl--Superman,” Dad’s eyes flitted quickly to Ell before looking back at him, “do you want to stay for our daughter’s birthday dinner?”

“I would, Mr. Hollis, but unfortunately duty always calls,” he answered. He looked at Ell, bending to mimic how her mother had been with Laura just a moment before. “Fifteen, right?”

Ell nodded.

“Well, happy birthday young lady,” he said, “your parents told me how nervous you were, about taking Laura in. Thank you for caring so much.”

“Of course,” Ell managed to squeak out, because seriously, Laura’s entire planet had died, how could she complain?

“Well,” he gave Ell a hug, “I can tell you’ve got a hero’s heart in you, Eileen Hollis.”

She could only nod mutely when he let go, smiling dopily. Logically she knew this was a line he probably used on every kid he talked to, but at the moment he was talking to Ell, and he gave her a hug.

Superman thanked them all again, and then whispered to Laura.

Who didn’t take it too well.

Instead of letting him go Laura grabbed his leg, saying something in a language Laura didn’t recognize. She kept hearing the word Kal repeated over and over, and Superman shook his head and spoke back in the same language; but the way he spoke was different. It was clunkier, and his brow furrowed as he pronounced the words.

They hugged, Laura clutching him fiercely. When he finally pulled away, it was reluctant, his gaze fixed on Laura before Mom made Ell go back upstairs so Superman could change. It only took him a second, and Mom called her down again.

Laura, tears in her eyes, watched the front door.

Everyone stayed silent.

“...So!” Dad clapped his hands together, “why don’t we kill two birds with one stone and throw a little party for the two of you?”

Laura was despondent all through setting up the dinner, grabbing the plates, getting the cake on the table. When she broke her third plate in half from holding it too hard, she was led, gently, to sit on a chair right across from Ell.

“This is...nice,” Mom said, “you ready to have us sing happy birthday, Ell?”

Ell nodded, and everything was awkward, but Mom and Dad did a rousing rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ anyway. They got to the end, and waited for Ell to blow out the candles.

She figured if she was going to be a sister, she might as well start now.

“Hey,” Ell said softly. Laura looked at her. “This is gonna be your birthday too, you know. ‘Cause this is the day you came to stay with us. Do you want to blow out the candles?”

Laura blinked.

“See, that’s what we do on Earth to celebrate. Watch.” Ell blew out a couple of them. “There. Now you try. It’ll be like an--an initiation! I guess that is what it is, isn’t it?”

Her parents were beaming at Ell’s gesture, and Laura, for her part nodded, taking a deep breath--

FOOOOOOF!

--and spraying Ell in the face with cake.

Ell blinked.

Laura clapped a hand over her mouth.

She’s an orphan, she lost her entire family, she’s getting used to Earth Ell--

Ell wiped chocolate cake off her face, licking her fingers.

“...Great cake, Mom,” she managed to say.

Ell learned very quickly that in a way, she actually did get that puppy. Laura and a puppy had a lot of similarities.

Like a puppy, Laura followed her everywhere. And she still barely spoke. It apparently wasn’t her English--which everyone kept insisting she knew how to speak--but trauma, her mother explained, had all kinds of effects on someone.

Ell, for her part, didn’t really know what to do. At first she talked; she talked pretty much at a near constant pace, trying to make up for Laura’s silence. But Ell didn’t talk much either, even when the person she was talking to wasn't a brick wall like Laura. So that didn’t last very long.

So Laura would just sort of...stay near her. Watching Ell read or watch TV.

Like a puppy, Laura wanted to eat everything. She was constantly in the process of chewing. Ell learned that if she wanted to save anything for later, she couldn’t keep it in the fridge or the pantry.

Like a puppy, Laura had way too much energy. She was always vibrating in this weird, semi-constant movement, even while she was supposed to be sitting still. Mom, who had taken the lead in caring for her, even tried to take Laura for lots of walks to try and help her.

So Ell had gone from being an only child to having a twelve year old that followed her around everywhere, ate all of her food, and was constantly on the verge of accidentally crumpling doorknobs in her hands.

It was kind of rough.

Mom and Dad were introducing Laura to the rest of their social circle gradually, as they slowly got paperwork together and prepped Laura on her cover story. When they were reasonably certain that Laura could say it without needing to stop and remember details--her parents died in a fire, she was at school, all of her things were destroyed--Ell had to deal with the problem of other people’s reactions. Because it was one thing to think Laura was a weird alien girl. It was another to think Laura was a weird human girl. That made it about ten times more obvious.

So Ell sort of just...avoided her friends.

And if she talked to her best friend on the phone instead of hanging out with her in person, well, wasn’t that for the best?

“Hey, Betty, so--”

“You’ve been avoiding me.”

Ell winced. “What? No I haven’t.”

“Ell, admit it. You have been avoiding me. I don’t know why, but we haven’t met in person for over a month, and it is summer, girl. What’s keeping you?”

“I’m not avoiding you, Betty! I’ve just been...busy.”

“Prove it.”

“Prove--”

The doorbell rang. Ell bolted down the stairs, opening the door, where Betty was looking at her with a smirk.

“What’s up?”

“Elizabeth Spielsdorf, haven’t you heard of telling someone before you come over?”

“Eileen Hollis, haven’t you heard that it’s rude to ghost on your best friend?”

“I’m telling you, I wasn’t--”

“Ell?” Laura walked downstairs, freezing when she saw Betty. “...Hi.”

Betty stared back.

“Oooookay, so I'm gonna guess this has something to do with it?”

Ell nodded.

“Mind giving me some deets now that the cat’s out of the bag?”

“Betty, this is Laura. She's my, um...Mom and Dad adopted her. A little while ago.”

“You have a sister now and you didn’t bother saying anything--”

“My parents died in a fire,” Laura supplied dutifully, remembering what she was taught, which seemed to take the air out of Betty’s sails enough that she didn’t start interrogating Ell.

“Jesus, kid, I'm sorry. I'm Ell's friend Betty. Cool to meet you.”

She held out a hand that Laura didn't take, because she still forgot her strength sometimes after a month of being on Earth. Betty stuck her hand in her pocket.

“Uh, you want to come with us? Ell and I were going to take a walk by the beach.”

“We were?”

“Ell, look at you,” Betty spun her around. “Oh, this is bad. It is summer, but you're still winter pale. That isn't right. Besides, practically everyone else hangs out there. There’ll be boys. And like, the athletic kind. We can play a game of volleyball.”

Ell wavered a little. Mom and Dad were at work. They told Ell to stay home. With Laura.

But sunlight was good for Kryptonians, wasn't it? Like, extra good? Plus, Ell deserved to still have a life.

“Laura, we're going, come on.”

“But Eileen and Sherman said--”

“To keep an eye on you. And I am.”

Laura, hesitantly, followed them both out the door.

“Hey, Ell, what's Laura doing?”

They were walking near the cliffs, Laura lagging a little behind them, staring up at the sky, occasionally stopping to turn in a circle. Ell smiled sheepishly at Betty, walking back to Laura.

“Laura, what are you doing?”

She looked back at Ell and shrugged. “I’m...sorry. They don’t have birds on Krypton.”

Betty’s brow furrowed, watching them both out of earshot of Laura’s voice. Ell felt a twinge of...what? Sympathy? But now wasn’t the time.

“Don’t say stuff like that,” Ell hissed, looking back at Betty. “Um...the cliffs. Laura is looking up at the cliffs.”

Laura blinked, then nodded. “Yeah. They’re like...really high.”

“Oh, yeah! They’re awesome. I keep trying to get Ell to climb them with me, but she won’t do it.”

“Because it’s really slippery and dangerous?”

“I mean, yeah, but totally worth it! You get the best view. Especially when the sun is setting on the cliffs.”

“The sunset?” Laura looked up at the sky wistfully, and Ell grabbed her wrist.

“Betty, can we head back? Laura, come on, let’s head back.”

“Right.”

Betty kept talking as briskly as the pace she walked, and Ell started to lag behind with Laura, because she was starting to get this look that she had started to recognize--the one that said she wasn’t really paying attention anymore, that she was getting lost in her own head. Ell didn’t know what else to do about it except just be there. So she kept saying ‘uh-huh, totally Betty, uh-huh,’ hoping that she wasn’t saying yes to anything crazy.

“The sun was really important,” Laura said softly.

“Um, yeah,” Ell whispered back, “it is?”

“No, I mean,” she shook her head, “to my--my people.”

Ell blinked. “Oh.”

They got back to the main part of the beach, where people were playing a game of volleyball--Betty invited her, and Ell shook her head.

“What? But Ell, you gotta stay in shape for school!”

“I know, but...um, I’ll join the next game, alright?”

Betty frowned, but she turned, going to join the game. Ell sat down in the sand, hugging her knees, looking at Laura.

“Hey,” she said softly, pulling Laura again out of whatever she was picturing in her mind, “do you want to tell me about it?”

“About...about Krypton?”

“I don’t know anything about you,” Ell said, “and I mean, if we’re going to be...we’re family now. Neither of us chose to be, but who chooses family, right? So maybe we can start to get to know each other. I understand if it’s too painful to talk about,” Ell added hastily, “but the best way not to forget something is to talk about it, I bet.”

She spoke haltingly, trying again to be understanding, to be a sister like Mom and Dad wanted her to be. And Laura was staring at Ell, crossing her legs.

“On Krypton,” she said, “we worshipped the sun god, Rao. When our loved ones die, we say a prayer and send them to the sky, to Him. That’s where we go when we die.”

“So it’s like, Heaven?”

Laura tilted her head.

“Um, it’s like, when you die you go to a really good place.”

“Yeah, exactly. And we say a prayer, you know, that we remember them in every dawn, and wait for the day we join them in the sky.”

She looked up at the clear, cloudless summer sky wistfully. Ell joined her before covering her eyes with a hand.

“You’re staring straight at the sun, Laura; you’ll go blind.”

“It doesn’t bother me,” Laura answered, and of course, invulnerability, right.

“We have a similar thing,” Ell supplied, “well, some of us. There’s lots of different religions on Earth. Mine, it’s called being Catholic. Basically we all, like, believe that God sent his son down to die to save us from ourselves.”

“Why?”

“Because humans totally suck at the whole morality thing, but he already promised not to wipe us all out in a flood again, so that was the next best option.”

“He wiped you all out in a flood? I think I like Rao better.”

Ell laughed, and she kind of found it fun, to explain stuff to someone who had literally never heard of those things before. It did sound kind of silly when you had to explain it.

“Naw, He’s cool. He loves us infinitely and whatever. But when we die if we're good we go to Heaven, which I mean, technically is on a whole different plane of existence,” she pointed to the sky, “but we think of it as being up there.”

“Maybe it's different words for the same place?”

Ell shrugged. “Yeah, maybe.”

She couldn't control the smile on her face, because this was the first time they'd had more than two words to say to each other before. And Laura was actually smiling, small and fragile, but there.

Maybe she could do this.

“Hey, Ell! Come play the next game!”

Ell looked back at Betty. “Uh, sure, just a second!”

She looked at Laura. “You want to watch?”

“Sure.”

“Cool! I'm really good. Watch,” Ell rolled up her sleeves, “and learn. No seriously, you should totally learn. Volleyball is really fun.”

Ell jumped up, high fiving Betty. She looked back at Laura and, seeing that she wasn't moving, relaxed.

“You want to serve, Ell?”

“Totally!”

Ell served, focusing on the ball as it bounced back and forth across the net. She was wearing jeans and a t-shirt, sweating from the heat. When she saved their team with a rather magnificent dive (if she did say so herself), Ell stood and dusted herself off.

“Laura! Laura, did you see that? Did you--”

Ell froze. “Laura…?”

She wasn’t sitting near them. She wasn't anywhere.

“Guys! Where did Laura go? Did--did you guys see a girl, twelve years old, walk away?” Ell brought her hand to her upper arm, “about this high, guys?”

“Brunette that you were talking to before? Yeah, she got up all of a sudden and took off,” one guy said, pointing in the direction she left. Ell looked at Betty.

“Stay here, I’ll be right back. Just--just keep playing without me!”

Ell ran off in search of Laura, ending up on the side of the road, calling her name.

“Laura? Laura, I know you can hear me! Laura!”

Ell stopped when an acrid smell filled her nose, like burning rubber, and there was smoke farther up the road. Ell broke into a sprint.

And sure enough, there was Laura.

The van was on fire, door ripped off and lying on the side of the road. The car looked like it had smashed into a telephone pole. Laura was holding what looked like a small child in her arms, comforting him. A woman was lying on the ground.

“Laura! What happened?”

“They needed help! I heard the mom crash her car, and she called someone I think, but now she's passed out, I don’t know what else to do.”

Ell stared at the burning car, the crying young boy in Laura's arms, the alive but raggedly breathing woman with a blossom of red spreading across her torso and a cellphone that was lying in her now open hand.

“When I pulled her out of the car I cut her,” Laura said tearfully, “we--we need to get her somewhere, right? I could fly, I could get her--”

Ell was snapped out of her shock. She couldn’t let Laura use her powers; she already had to explain how a car door got ripped off its hinges. And if the woman had called someone, then there was already help on the way--it was just a matter of getting to them in time. She pointed at her.

“No! No more powers. You stay right there.”

Ell felt like she was going to throw up, but she steeled her nerves, kneeling by the mother's side. She didn't know a lot of first aid, but she knew to put pressure, so Ell pulled her shirt off her head, pressing it against the wound.

The woman's head moved from side to side, her eyes fluttering open.

“Hey, hey,” Ell repeated, “just stay still, okay? Just stay still, stay awake, you'll be okay--”

She tried to sit up, falling back down with a wet gasp.

“Are you worried about your son? He’s okay. My sister has him; he's fine. Just focus on me, okay? Stay awake and focus on me. Don't talk; just stay awake.”

Ell didn't know when Betty must have brought the other kids to look for her. She didn't know how long she was pressing on the mother's wound before she heard the sound of ambulance sirens and police cars. All she had was tunnel vision, everything turning into don't let her die, don't let her die.

And, somewhere even farther back in her mind, Ell thought don’t make Laura see another person die today.

She didn't know until someone was shouting at Ell to move, and she was pulled away, paramedics taking the woman away in a stretcher. Another pulled the little boy, crying, from Laura's arms.

And she was turning around and Betty was grabbing her to give her a hug and Ell hadn’t even realized she was crying because she was more focused on the fact that she didn't have a shirt on and her hands were soaked with blood and everyone was watching her.

When she looked back at Laura, she thought she saw her mouth to herself, with a look of absolute awe, I saved them.

“No...no...I've already told the last person who called, my daughters are not going to give any statements for reporters. Their actions more than speak for them. Thank you.”

Mom hung up, looking back at the rest of the family. “Reporters again,” she said, “that's the fifth one.”

Ell was sitting on the couch in the living room; Laura was sitting at the other side, giving a good length of space between them. Dad was pacing around the room, shaking his head.

Mom had already spoken to Laura, alone, in the backyard. Laura had walked back inside wearing a new pair of glasses. Now it was Ell’s turn to get yelled at.

“I cannot believe you,” Dad said, pacing around the room, “I cannot believe you would do something so reckless, so dangerous--”

“Sherman, it wasn’t Ell’s fault, she told me not to move!” Laura exclaimed.

“Not Ell’s fault? Eileen Hollis,” he turned on Ell, “how could you let this happen?”

“How could I let this happen? She has super strength and speed! I can’t stop her from doing anything, Dad!”

“Ell, you are Laura’s sister now,” Mom interrupted, “it’s your job to keep an eye on Laura. We told you not to leave the house without telling us, and you did. How are we supposed to feel?”

Something inside Ell twisted and snapped, like a frayed rope finally giving way under tension.

“How are you supposed to feel? How about proud?” Ell’s hands twisted into the couch cushion, “how about like everyone else feels that saw what Laura and I did today?”

“Ell--”

“I saved someone’s life today, Dad,” Ell snapped, “Laura pulled that woman out of a burning car, she saved her baby boy, I had to wash the blood off myself because I kept his mother from bleeding to death.”

She stood up, balling her fists. She looked straight at her mother. “You can't get mad at me for not doing a good job,” Ell said, “you didn't even ask if it was okay! You just told me that some stranger was going to live with us! I didn't ask for this. I didn't ask to have some freaky alien for a sister! And I've tried to be nice about it, and understanding, even though she follows me everywhere and eats all my food and keeps breaking things but--but--I did not ask for this, I don't want to do it, so stop telling me what I need to do!”

She stopped, breathing heavily. When what she said really hit her, Ell looked at Laura. She bit her lip.

“Laura, I'm--”

Tears in her own eyes, Laura got up.

“I didn't ask to have you as a sister either,” she snapped in a wobbly voice, running past all of them and up the stairs.

Ell fell back down on the couch.

“...How long am I grounded for?” Ell asked.

“Young lady--”

“Sherman,” Mom put a hand on his shoulder, “I'll talk to her. Can you check on Laura?”

Dad frowned, but they had a silent conversation for a moment before he left. Mom sat down next to Ell, rubbing the bridge of her nose.

“Mom, I know, that was awful,” Ell said, “I'm sorry.”

When she looked up, she said, “No, honey, I'm sorry.”

“What?”

Mom sighed. “I did push you into this without asking,” she said, “it all happened so suddenly that I...I didn't know that much longer than you did. But she needed someone, so how could I say no? But,” she sighed, “it was not my decision to make. And you had every right to say no.”

“Mom, I wouldn't have said no,” Ell answered, “I didn't mean it like that, this is just so…”

“Overwhelming?”

Ell nodded wordlessly.

“I know. Eileen, you're doing your best, and you deserve to still have a life with your friends. But a lot of...a lot of really bad people, if they knew about Laura...it would be bad. That's why we reacted the way we did.”

She leaned over and kissed Ell on the top of her head. “But no matter what, Ell, I'll always be proud of you. I promise. I am really proud of how you and Laura helped those people. Just...tell us next time you want to take Laura somewhere, okay?”

Ell grabbed her mother, hugging her tightly.

“I promise,” Ell said, “I guess I should...probably say I'm sorry to Laura, too.”

“Maybe give her a night to calm down,” she answered.

“Sure.”

“I don't want to wake her up. She was out pretty good when I checked on her before bed last night. She had a pretty tense day yesterday.”

Mom and Dad were dressed for work. Dad reached across the kitchen table to ruffle Ell's hair.

“You'll be okay today?”

“Dad, I promise, no more taking Laura out without parental supervision.”

“Just a little longer until she gets settled,” Mom added.

“I know, Mom.”

“Be safe, kiddo.”

“I will, Dad.”

There was lots of hugging, and goodbyes, before they could finally bring themselves to go to work. Ell finished her cereal, drank the milk, and took a deep breath.

Time to talk to Laura. She had to do it, of course--what she said really was hurtful--but that didn't mean she was looking forward to it. Because Laura was probably angry. And angry with super strength was not a great combination.

“Laura?” Ell knocked on her door, “Laura, can we talk?”

No answer.

“Come on, I'm here to say sorry,” she tried the lock. “Please unlock the door.”

Still no answer. Ell frowned.

“You know, there's a key above the door frame, I can still get in,” Ell said, reaching up on tiptoe to grab it.

She unlocked the door, pushing it open. “Laura, we need to--oh, you have got to be kidding me.”

The window was open, no Laura to be found. Ell ran to the window and looked out. Still no Laura.

“I am so dead.”

She backed up. A girl with super speed and the ability to fly had run away. She could have been halfway around the world if she wanted to be.

Ell took a deep breath. She had to think. Where would she go?

A girl who was scared and lonely and wanted to go home…

She remembered the look on Laura's face the day before and her face paled.

She needed binoculars, and hoped she was wrong.

She really, really hoped she was wrong.

Especially since it started raining.

At least it meant there wasn't anyone at the beach.

Ell looked up at the cliff, using her binoculars to get a better look.

And of course Laura was there.

“Laura? Laura!”

She was sitting cross legged at the edge, eyes closed, like she was meditating or something. She opened her eyes.

“Yeah, I'm talking to you! Come down here!”

She shook her head.

“Laura Hollis so help me I'm coming up there--”

She stuck her tongue out at Ell.

“Oh, real mature. That is it!”

Ell kept her binoculars around her neck. She rubbed her hands together, looking up at the rocks that were getting wet from the rain.

And now she needed to climb up.

“Okay, okay, okay,” she grabbed one of the craggy rocks and hoisted herself up.

People climbed it all the time. Betty had done it without her a few times. Who cared that there was thunder? It was just a little rain, that was nothing. She went slowly, testing each new ledge.

Ell finally hoisted herself up to the top, gasping and soaking wet.

“Laura, why are you even here?”

“I wanted to watch the sun rise.”

“Well, it's raining, so let's go.”

“No,” Laura answered, “I want to stay here.”

“Come on, Laura, we need to go home--”

“I can't go home!”

Ell took a step backwards at Laura's outburst.

“I can't go home,” Laura repeated, softer this time, shutting her eyes tight, “it's like there's this--this hole in me now, this part of me that's just been cut out and I'll never get it back. My own cousin didn't want me. I left to protect him. If I hadn't left I would be with my family. I just--I want to be with my family. I don’t belong here.”

Ell felt her stomach drop. She wished she was on her planet when it exploded and Ell called her a freak.

“Laura, I know what I said yesterday was...was bad, but I do want to be your family--”

“No you don’t.”

“I just climbed a cliff, in the rain, risking extreme bodily harm. Why would I do that if I didn’t care about you?”

“You just don’t want to get in trouble with Eileen and Sherman.”

Ell raised her hands only to let them fall uselessly to her sides. “Yeah, I don't want to get in trouble, okay? But that doesn't mean I don't want you to feel better. Can't you at least ignore me somewhere dry?”

“I told you; leave me alone.”

“Laura, do not make me come over--”

BOOM!

The top of a high place: not the best location during a thunderstorm.

She wasn’t hit, but the lightning struck right in front of her, freaking Ell sufficiently out and making her stumble backwards on slippery ground, falling backwards over the side of the cliff.

“AUGH!”

“Ell!”

She felt weightless, for a brief moment, as she plummeted to the water; then a feeling of breathlessness as she was thrown back up. Ell kept screaming until Laura started talking.

“Ell, it's okay! I caught you, see?”

She looked around her. They were in the air.

“Are we...we...flying? Oh my God we're flying!”

Laura was holding her awkwardly, bridal style, grinning. “I know! We are!”

She started giggling. It started as a low chuckle in her throat, then a full blown joyful laugh.

“This is so amazing! I'm so sorry you can't do this more!”

Laura grinned. She swooped low, making Ell squeal with delight.

“Ell, I can’t see with you in the way.”

“Use your x-ray vision!”

“I can’t, I’m wearing these glasses.”

Ell took one more moment to admire the view before they both landed on the ground. Laura was hopping up and down, looking at her hands after she put Ell down.

“That felt so cool! It was like, the feeling you get when you’re falling, except you’re not, it was just so...so…” She calmed down. Ell scuffed her foot against the sand.

“Thank you for um, not letting me die.”

Laura smiled. “All in a day's work, right?”

They kept smiling at each other until Ell said, “you know what I just realized? That's three people you've saved in two days.”

Laura put her hands on her hips. “I guess it is...actually, no?”

“What do you mean, no?”

“You saved that lady, remember? You’re a hero too!”

She didn’t feel like a hero.

Ell rubbed the back of her neck. “Want to...get ice cream and celebrate?”

“I don't think I've eaten ice cream yet.”

“Oh my God, you haven't? Come on, I know this great place on the boardwalk!”

She took Laura's hand and pulled her, out of the storm, toward the boardwalk. Just like that, everything that happened yesterday was forgotten.

It was a little place near the end of the boardwalk called Cocoa and Chippy’s. Ell pulled Laura into a booth near the corner, near the cutout of a chipmunk wearing a paper hat and an apron.

“Stay right here.”

Ell ordered two ice cream cones, digging into her pockets for the last of her change. She handed one to Laura.

“Chocolate peanut butter swirl. It’s my favorite, so you can start with that.”

Laura hovered her lips in front of it for a moment, feeling the cold radiating off, before she took a tentative lick.

And then promptly stuffed the entire thing in her mouth.

It smeared across her face in such a way that she started rubbing it off, then licking her fingers. Ell scrunched her nose up at it, covering her mouth to keep from laughing.

“Uh, you like it?”

“This tastes amazing!”

Ell laughed. “So, are we...cool?”

“About what you said?”

“Yeah…”

Laura licked the corner of her mouth. “I...it isn't your fault.”

“Because what you said before kind of scared me. And if I made you feel like...like that...that's horrible and I'm sorry.”

“I'm sorry for running away,” Laura responded. “And I didn't...I was just being dramatic.”

“Don't be sorry. Apology accepted.”

“Same to you.”

They sat awkwardly for a moment before Ell added, “I, um...like the glasses Mom gave you.”

Laura brought a sticky hand up to the stem. “Eileen said these would help me with my powers,” she said, “they're lead lined. Which is cool, because I used to like, randomly start seeing through people and stuff.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. It's so weird!”

“You don't mean like,” Ell lowered her voice, “their clothes?”

“Oh, Rao, I see like, their skeletons and stuff. Which is creepy but less...gross. I guess.”

“What else did she say?”

“Just that I couldn’t do that again. And that the only thing I should be worried about is being Laura Hollis, not being another Superman.”

She made a face.

“Laura, what?”

“She wants me to be Laura Hollis. Not Laura Zor-El,” she said, “and...names are important, you know? It’s who I am. I’m not Laura Hollis. And I,” she sighed. “I can’t even be myself anymore. I lost that too, and it’s just...not good, you know?”

Ell tilted her head a little. She didn’t have an answer to that. Laura was right. It sucked. Everything about her situation sucked.

The only thing Ell could do was make her life from this moment on a good one, if she could.

“I'm going to make you a deal,” Ell said, “you're going to not run off without telling me, and I'll try harder to be your friend. Maybe I'm just putting too much pressure on myself. I've been so caught up, you know, in being your new sister and whatever. But maybe we should just focus on being friends? ‘Cause I think that'd be cool. I mean...you save lives with someone, and then almost die and get rescued by the same person, you really should be friends.”

Laura beamed at her. “I'd like to try that.” She pointed at Ell's hands, “are you going to finish yours?”

Ell rolled her eyes fondly, handing it over.

“So you see, we have to watch Buffy. That's like, essential viewing. You'll love it. That'll be the second thing--” Ell stopped. “Mom?”

She was waiting on the porch, tapping her foot impatiently.

“I tried to call, and you didn't answer. So I came home.”

She was staring at them strangely, and Ell realized it was because she was carrying Laura on her back.

“She wanted to fly home,” Ell explained, putting Laura down, “this was a compromise.”

“What part of ‘don't leave without asking first’ do you not--”

“Eileen, we had so much fun!”

Laura ran up to her, bouncing excitedly. “We were at the beach, and then she showed me what ice cream was--and it is delicious, can we get some more?--and then she showed me how to play this dancing game at the arcade. Now Ell says she's gonna teach me how to make a blanket fort and show me Doctor Who!”

She turned around, hugging Ell. “Thanks, Ell, you're the best.”

“Um,” Ell patted her on the back, “you're welcome. Of course.”

Mom looked conflicted for a moment. She bit her lip. “...Well, I'm really glad you two are having fun. Promise you won’t do it again without letting us know.”

“We promise,” they both intoned.

“Then I'll head back. You're just lucky I managed to tell your father not to come!”

She hugged them both and left. As soon as she was out of sight, Laura fist pumped.

“Whoo! You're welcome, Ell!”

“You were acting?”

“I mean, I meant it,” Laura answered, “but I did like...lay it on a little thick.”

“Are we gonna tell her you broke the DDR machine…?”

“Are you crazy, of course not!”

Ell grinned. If she was starting to get to know the real Laura, she liked what she was seeing so far. “Well, I promised you Doctor Who. Come on! Allons-y!”

Laura looked confused and Ell covered her mouth.

“Oh man I forgot you wouldn't...we really need to start like, ASAP.”

She grabbed Laura's hand and pulled her new sister inside.

#superhollis AU #sisters of steel #carmilla

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