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kyros-tha-soldier · 6 months

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ONE PIECE CHAPTER 1098 FULL SUMMARY (AND SOME SCREENSHOTS)

⚠️Spoiler alert⚠️

This... this is disheartening, this is sad, messed up and disheartening... honestly if Luffy doesn't exterminate every single CD then I'm dropping OP forever. Let's get to the sauce:

-the chapter starts with the revolutionary army having a battle, and Kuma assisting in it despite Ivankov telling him not to go and that he was being reckless.

-since Ginny's disappearence, Kuma has gotten a lot more violent on the battlefield and has even fought against the enemy on his own and won.

-the revos receive a call from someone and when they pick up, the person tells them that they're sorry, and that their whole troop has been killed. This person of course, is none other than Ginny.

-Kuma tells his comrades that he will go rest on the ship since he was pretty exhausted from the battle, a battle that lasted three years that he single handedly won.

-two years after Ginny's disappearance, the revos receive a call from her, we can hear a baby crying in the background and she tells Kuma that she may not make it because she was seriously ill, she also tells him that she had been forced to marry a celestial dragon (we're not told who this CD is) and that he threw her out with her newborn baby after They both got the disease. She tells Kuma that she is Currently at the church where they used to live together. and that she made it over there by sailing under the sun and shielding her own baby using her own body.

-the sapphire scale disease is a very rare disease that causes the patient's skin to turn into a hard crystallized scale-like state upon contact with any natural light. So Ginny travelling to get back home while exposing herself to the sunlight and moonlight was literally a death sentence.

-Upon hearing that she's at the church, Kuma goes to find her, right before she says her last words "I have always, always loved you, Kuma..."

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD OH MY GOD ODA SHUT UP SHUT THE FUCK UP STOP THIS!!!!

GODDAMIT are you happy now????? You made Ginny die a terrible death, and the only man she ever loved didn't even hear her saying that she had always loved him!!!!! Fuck this shit god holy fuck!

-Kuma arrives at the church, it's empty, and we can see him kneeling in front of Ginny's dead body, we only see her hand and foot, they are badly damaged by the disease. Kuma starts Crying and holds her dead body in his arms before putting her into rest at a grave, the grave marker has her name on it, which is confirmed to be Ginny.

-Kuma takes it upon himself to raise little Bonney (he didn't name her bonney, it was Ginny who named her) however he is clueless about so many things regarding parenting, we see him asking the elderly for advice on how to make milk for Bonney 🥺 (they say that they would gladly help him but that he should put her in a cage so he won't crush her during his sleep... BROOOOO THESE ELDERLY MFS ARE SAVAGE AS HELL 💀💀💀)

-Kuma starts to balance between his work as revolutionary and a new surrogate parent. We see him holding the milk bottle so little Bonney can drink, and she chugs it in no time. Kuma calls her "a big eater" just like he used to do for Ginny.

-We see a montage of Bonney growing up, and she calls Kuma "papa", to which he burst out in tears (he reminds me of Kyros in this scene.... WHAT'S WITH ODA AND BIG SOFT DADS BEING ALL TEARJERKERS ?????) We see him assisting in revolutionary battles and training Sabo as well as taking care of his daughter in his hometown, scenes of him bathing her and sleeping next to her

-however it's not all fun and games (Oda: of course this is Kuma's flashback, it has to be messed up to the max!) And we see Gyogyo and his friend (Bonney's two future subordinates) come to the church, and Kuma orders them to lock the door. They comply and close it but notice that he had also closed the windows completely shut with woodbplanks, they ask him why he did that and he tells them that it's because Bonney shouldn't be exposed to light (he shows them a small spot of crystalized scales on her face near her cheek where she will have her piercing in the future). He tells dragon and iva that he will quit being a revolutionary so he can take care of Bonney

-The kids bully Bonney and call her a vampire, she beats them and gives them the middle finger, and when she tried to get out Kuma stops her, fearing she might get exposed to sunlight. Instead he brings her books from all around the world to read.

-Kuma takes Bonney to so many other doctors, some of which mis-diagnosed her with the amber-lead disease (the same disease law had)

-a doctor diagnoses her with the sapphire scale disease and tells Kuma that even though she didn't get exposed to natural light, the illness will still kill her slowly and she won't make it pass 10 years old

-Bonney overhears them and Kuma lies to her that the doctor said she will be cured in ten years, he calls her Jewelry because of the small patch of sapphire scales that she has on her face

-the two of them start dancing. Kuma asks Bonney where would she like to go and she tells him that she dreams of travelling the world and going to skypia and drum island.

-News about the return of King Beckori to the throne, and the elderly people tell Kuma that the king wants to exterminate those who oppose him, Kuma is shocked by the news, and the chapter ends.

Okay, overall impression of the chapter:

I am at a loss of words... I am appallled I'm... I'm...

and to think that we're not done and we still have more!!!!! KUMA WILL STILL SUFFER MORE AND MORE AND EVEN MORE!

but for now, I want to clear the air with some cute panels, if we gone remember Kuma, might as well remember him for the big softie he is:

people said Oda didn't draw well in this manga like, Nuh uh this shit looks AMAZING than whatever scribbles he used to give us! the dark undertones and shadows, wow, just WOW!

on a sidenote: Bonney is confirmed to be twelve, yikes oda....

Edit: I'm a dum dum bum bum and I mistook Bonney saying she wants to visit Fishman Island with her wanting to visit drum island

#Kuma #kuma one piece #one piece #Bartholomew Kuma #jewelry bonney #Ginny one piece #emporia ivankov #Monkey d dragon #One piece #One piece spoilers #Spoilers #One piece 1098 spoilers #Gooooooooood #Oh mah gawd this is FOUL ODA WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!!#I luv u Bonbonita and Kuma 🥺😭#They remind me of Kyros and Rebecca they're sooooo cute!!!

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eashmo · 8 months

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7 minutes in hell, or is it heaven? Part 23 Final

-bad boys bring heaven-

Warnings: none because i'm an asshole.

a/n: long chapter, sorry it took so long.

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*1 year later*

*Billy pov*

It was my fault that she… she….. I should have driven to the diner a different way, or I should have fought harder. There were so many things I should have done so that y/n didn't…. The past couldn’t be changed. my sanity slowly slipped. It had only been a year. I couldn’t sleep at all. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her. There was nothing I could do to stop it.

“I love you forever, y/n,” I whispered as her casket was lowered into the ground. “And I’m sorry.” My eyes stayed trained on her grave for what seemed like an eternity until I felt a presence beside me. For a fraction of a second, I foolishly thought that she was standing there beside me with our baby. I fell to the ground, screaming at the sky.

“BILLY?, BILLY WAKE UP!” a voice shouted. Jolting awake, I looked around frantically, trying to catch my breath.

“Billy, look at me.”

“M-max?” I breathed stilling up from the couch.

“You were having a nightmare, I just woke up from one myself.” she breathes. I noticed she had been crying, sweaty, and breathing heavily as well.

“Wanna talk about it?” she asks.

“I-I watched them bury her.” I started to cry and pulled her into me. She gave a tight squeeze.

“Do you think these nightmares will ever get easier?” she asks.

“I don't know kiddo” All of a sudden, a cry was heard from the bedroom and hush whispers.

“Shh sweetheart, mamas got you.” I heard as I moved to the door.

“I love you so much.” I sigh from the doorway, leaning on the door frame, taking in the beautiful scene, “I love you so much more. Did you have another nightmare?” y/n said with a smile which quickly dropped when she saw the redness in my eyes.

“Yeah, it was the same one, but I'm ok now.” I said as I wrapped my arms around her and Cora. y/n leans her head on my chest and sighs.

“Are you ready for today?” y/n asks.

“Of course, I've been waiting for this since i met you”

*y/n pov*

I was going to marry Billy today. As I tried to calm my nerves, I heard the door creak open. It was Max.

”Hey sweetie,” I said.

“Hey,” she replied with a small smile. “What's wrong, sweetie?”

”Nothing is wrong, just a tad nervous, I don't know why because I'm sure you're just as nervous. i'm just happy that we are finally family, i wish you the best, and i love you…… and i'm rambling”

I smiled and chuckled. “Thank you, and I love you too, kiddo. I'm so happy that you're my maid of honor and sister in law because if you weren't, i would be going insane.”

She laughs. ”come on, let's get ready.'' I say I held on her hands. “I'm ready to be Mrs. Hargrove.”

She had helped me into my dress, a long ivory skirt, beaded corset top with lace sleeves that fit my curves quite nicely, standing at the mirror for quite a long time admiring the way that she looked. It wasn’t anything extravagant it was simple but fairytale like, i knew for sure that Billy would love the way it looked on her. He had once told me that I would still look beautiful down the alse dressed in sweats and an old tee. As much as that was tempting, it wasn’t appropriate attire for our wedding day.

We hadn’t seen each other since this morning. I wish I could be in his arms right now. I was anxious to see him dressed up in his nice tuxedo.imagining how handsome he would look at the end of the aisle, i wondered if he would get emotional during the ceremony or manage to keep it all bottled up. After all, I knew I would not be able to hold back my own tears the moment my eyes landed on him waiting for me at the altar.

“You look gorgeous,” Max said as she stood behind me “Billy won’t know how to act when he sees you.”

“Do you think he’s nervous?” i asked,

“Oh I know he is. He always has been when it ever came to you. ” she said with a small smile.

I had never imagined that I would become a wife to someone, let alone be marrying hargrove. It seemed surreal, but I was happier than I had ever been in my entire life. He was the father of my child and now is going to be the perfect husband.

“I’m just so happy that we’ve made it here, with all the shit we have been through”

“I’m willing to bet he’s thinking the same thing.”

“Do you think all of the guests have arrived yet?” I ask, switching the subject off of almost losing him and almost dying.

“Mm, it’s getting close to the time the ceremony is supposed to start, so probably!” she said enthusiastically.

I smiled and was about to say something else before we heard a knock at the door. Max decided that she would be the one to answer it, just in case. Billy came to ruin the tradition of not seeing me before I walked down the aisle.

“Steve” Max greeted him with a surprised tone in her voice before she moved to let him inside the room. “Is everything alright?”

“Oh, everything’s fine! I just came to make sure y/n wasn’t getting too nervous. Wow, you look so beautiful! Hargrobe is going to fall over when he sees you walking toward him. I couldn’t help but smile at the compliment.

“Thank you, Stevie. How is he doing?” I asked him as he took a seat.

“Yeah, he’s nervous as hell. He even threatened to punch me like typical Hargrove. But he will be fine.” he laughed.

“So did you need something?” Max asked.

“Oh, no, I just wanted to come by and check on everything, and I wanted to brag to Billy that I got to see his future wife before he did.”

“Yep, you're asking for it.” I laughed.

“Anyway, I think they’re almost ready for you. They were telling me to get down to the altar, but I told them I had to come to see you first. Your parents should be here any minute.” he says.

“You’d better get going, you’re supposed to be standing at the altar with Billy, and you’re gonna be late!” Max said he seemed to take notice of the urgency in her voice and left the room with a quick bye and wave wave. It wasn’t much longer before my father and mother arrived at the door.

“Your absolutely beautiful, darling. Are you ready?” my father asked, a warm smile on his face.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been so ready for anything,” I answered, and we all left the room to make our way toward the ceremony.

“The ceremony is about to begin,” I heard the priest say as my bridesmaids and groomsmen formed a line with me in the back. everyone in my party gave me a thumbs up.

*Billy pov*

I stood on a raised platform, his step mom sat in front pew, and a few of my family members scattered about. Adjusting my suit as I looked out to the carpeted path of the church.

“You’re lucky that you found someone that loves you enough to marry you.” Steve chuckles at my state of nervousness.

“Are you saying that you didn’t think anyone would ever love me?” I asked, and he burst out laughing.

“No, I mean some people let things like that pass them by without a second thought. It’s good that you have y/n and held on to her, that’s all," Steve clarified his statement, and I couldn't help but think that he might have been referencing someone from his past…Nancy.

“I feel lucky to still have her despite everything” I said in response. and the bridal party started to file out. Nancy, Dustin, Robin, Lucas, Joyce, Will, Mike, and El helped little Cora, who was the flower girl. And Max As she got closer, she whispered to me “she's gorgeous by the way” as she said that the doors open to reveal y/n. I could see y/n in her ivory dress, bouquet of y/f/f in her hands. She was looking straight at me, smiling that beautiful smile that lit up any room that she had ever entered. Her e/c eyes were sparkling with what I could only assume were tears, and I couldn't help but smile at her as she and her parents slowly made their way down the aisle. All I could see was her and how beautiful she looked, and the fact that she was about to become my wife. I tried to keep my emotions at bay.

“Who is it that allows this woman to be married to this man?” the priest asked. Her father smiled at both of us.

“Her parents” he said, she hugged her father and mother tightly and I shook his hand before her father made his way to sit down in one of the empty seats in the crowd, and then it was finally time.

Taking her hands in mine as she turned to face me, tears streaming down her cheeks as she smiled so lovingly at me. i reached up with one hand to wipe away her tears, and she laughed a little, seemingly embarrassed at the fact that she was crying, to begin with.

“Thank you all for being here today to witness the marriage of one of this lovely couple. I have the privilege to be the one performing this ceremony, joining two people who are in love as these two are. Anyone who has been in a room with the two of them for any amount of time can feel how much they love each other. I understand the two of you have prepared your own vows, so we’ll start with William”

“Me?” I asked quietly, and y/n giggled.

“Do you want me to go Hargrove?” she says with a teasing smirk.

“Oh shut up nerd” I sighed, which earned a chuckle from her and the crowd that had come to witness our marriage. reaching into my tuxedo with one hand pulling out the piece of paper that laid within the breast pocket. Clearing my throat.

"Not many people can say they truly married the love of their life, but I can. when we met in highschool —I used to fantasize about this exact moment—and now I finally get to say, 'I do.' This journey, this adventure that we're on, has already challenged us as a couple, to work through hardships and obstacles, and to become stronger in our communication, in our commitment and to our love. It has been the biggest growth I have ever had for myself by far as a partner. Our relationship is full of more love and support than I could ever ask for. I have never been more adored or felt more safe, and the trust that we have built, that we have worked so hard to protect, is invaluable. So thank you. I've heard it said: 'It is better to not make a vow than to make one and not be able to keep it.' Therefore, I know what this commitment means. I promise… to help shoulder our challenges and celebrate all of our little wins. To tell you every day how much I love you and appreciate all that you do. To continue to learn from you and to follow the examples of patience and respect that you continuously share. To continue to build upon the trust that we have and to be by your side fully and faithfully. To put you and Cora first and above all, always. To try my hardest, to step away from my stubbornness, and accept that I make mistakes and that I am (to my dismay), not always right. Most importantly, today, in front of our closest friends and family, I take you as my wife. Because this is a great love story and we're getting married and I love you." A tear fell from my eyes.

She wiped away my tear that had fallen as she still had a smile on her face as she cried. Max handed her a tissue, and she dabbed her tears away. She took a piece of paper of her own from Max.

"The night we played 7 minutes in heaven was the best decision in my life I had ever made in my life because now I'm so proud that today I become your wife. I love you. I love the way you make me laugh. I love the feeling of being protected in your arms. I love that you protect your family and friends. I love that you're open to trying new things. Today, I want to make promises to you that I will always keep. I promise never to stop holding your hand. I promise to give you all the love and support. I promise to share my food with you, never go to bed angry, and always honor your passions. I promise to stand by your side while you face the world. Listen to you when you speak. I promise that when you can't look on the bright side, I will sit with you in the dark. I promise to grow alongside you but also to never grow up. I promise to love, respect, protect, and trust you, and give you the best of myself, for I know that together we will build a life far better than either of us could imagine alone. I choose you. I'll choose you over and over and over, without pause, without doubt, I'll keep choosing you. Today seems like it's the start of a new journey, but I already belong to you. Falling for you wasn't falling at all—it was walking into a house and knowing you're home. I love you."

“El do you mind bringing little miss Cora with the rings.” the priest asked, and she lifted Cora from her lap into her arms, carrying her, and rings over. Cora let out a squeal when she saw us.

“Mama! dada!” she said. Everyone in the church laughed at her cuteness.

“Hey pumpkin.” y/n says with a wide grin. As El handed the rings to me. Me and y/n gave Cora a quick kiss on her cubby rosey cheeks, which she erupted in laughter. El took her back to her seat.

“William, go ahead and put the ring on y/n finger,” the priest instructed, and I slipped the shining silver ring embedded with tiny diamonds onto her finger. She did the same with my ring, which was also silver to match hers, and slipped it onto my finger.

“With the exchange of these rings, William and Y/N make a promise to one another to love and cherish each other for the rest of their lives. They promise to take care of one another and to keep the promises that they’ve stated in their vows. if anyone that’s gathered here today has any objections as to why they shouldn’t be married.” There were no objections from our friends or family.

“you may now go forth and fulfill your vows with the same love and devotion which now blossoms between you. You are now Mr. and Mrs. Hargrove. And now for your first kiss as a married couple, you may now kiss” the priest said with a smile before he backed away from the two of them.

she pulled me down with eagerness into a passionate kiss as I smiled into the kiss as I melted against her lips. She wrapped her arms around my neck and leaned into his kiss, picking her up slightly before we pulled away for air. When we turned back to face our family and friends, they were all on their feet cheering and clapping loudly as we made our way out of the church hand in hand.

*y/n pov*

“Wow, Mr. and Mrs. Hargrove, that really is something.” dustin says as he hugged me

“It’s going to take some getting used to,” I said with a smile as I held tightly to Billy's hand.

“It suits you,” Billy says, placing a gentle kiss on my forehead.

“Ugh, yall are adorable. You two are so perfect together that it makes me sick. Max teased.

“We’re married,” I whispered with a smile as I looked up at him.

“I - I love you so much” he answered, unable to find any other words. He was happy, so happy that he couldn’t even think straight. The last two times I saw him this happy was when I woke up from my 3 week coma and the birth of Cora.

“Listen, I know we put a lot of planning into this whole reception thing, and there’s cake and dancing and...whatever, but, don’t you wanna just go home?”

“Home? Everyone is expecting us…what about Cora? "I laughed.

“Sorry I can't help it, you're so gorgeous in that dress and all I can think about is getting you out of it,” his voice lowered a few octaves as he pulled me closer to him.

“Patience husband, we have a whole week to ourselves.” I say with a smirk, breaking free from his grasp, I start running off toward the reception. looking back at him, giggling as he just stared at me for a moment.

“You coming daddy” I chuckled as I saw his eyes darken. “You're asking for it princess” He growled as he shook his head and jogged after me to join in the festivities.

(let me know if you want a honeymoon chapter)

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masterlist

2023

Taglist: @goth-cowgirl-03

#Spotify #billy hargrove x reader #stranger things billy #billy hargrove stranger things #billy hargrove smut #billy hargrove imagine #billy hargrove #billy hargrove fluff #dacre montgomery #billy hargrove fanfiction

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thefourchimes · 8 months

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Talking more about The Four Chimes AU because yes

so there’s been an interesting surge of apocalypse four (though most people call them vecna four) content recently, which i am very much thrilled to see

in line with that, i’m gonna share a bit more on the au that has been built from the ground up ever since last year, having definite arcs and various aus and sub aus of it already

the four chimes au

this universe has been mine and @lumaxramblings 's blood, sweat, and tears for the past year, ever since July 14

i've made a few posts about it, and shared some snippets on it in some wip weds and weekends, but i never fully explained the universe beyond the little bubble of the discord thread in the discord server im in

so let me explain now. we know this already but the apocalypse four are vecna's four sacrifices to make the four gates, but in this au, they're not just the four sacrifices. they're the four chimes too.

you see, vecna had a vision. he had remembered the story of the four horsemen of the apocalypse from a time victor creel had brought him and alice to the Church to listen

the four horsemen of the apocalypse, he had mused...and inspiration struck him.

he had a vision, and he saw it through.

and he got them all. he won.

and now he has his four horsemen of the apocalypse, or in this universe rather...his four chimes of catastrophe.

you all know who they are, but the question is, who is who? well, as @lumaxramblings has said in that fateful ask that started this whole universe in the first place, it would be:

chrissy = famine

fred = death

patrick = war

max = pestilence

as for the reason, canon itself gives some details and evidence to point out who would be who. (tw ed mention on chrissy's part)

chrissy is famine because of her eating disorder and her "hunger" to be free in a sense. fred is death because of his survivor's guilt and all the constant grave and death visuals. patrick is war because of his home life and how he's always in constant conflict. and finally, max is pestilence because of her thought process on being something that plagues others...and vecna!lucas' "you are sick."

there's quite a few more points that can be brought up, along with how some of the canon scenes actually fuel this universe, but i'll talk about that another time

so now, vecna's sacrifices are no longer who they were before everything.

now, they are his soldiers, his little experiments, his four chimes of catastrophe.

and just as they had been broken, they will now be the ones to break the world.

...

(but then...you remember, the apocalypse 4 weren't the only ones who got caught in vecna's curse and vision.

you know who else did?

nancy wheeler.

and in the four horsemen of the apocalypse lore, wasn't there something going on with the white rider of the horsemen? the fact that...there's a bit of confusion on whether the white rider is pestilence...or conquest?

...in another universe, nancy is conquest, the fifth chime of catastrophe.

an incomplete chime.

...but maybe that's a story for another day...)

—————————————————————————————————

i actually had started the fic of this already, but it's been a few months since i've updated it, oof :")

anyway, that's a bit of an explanation on the four chimes au.

it kind of becomes a s5 alternate universe in a sense? finnthony and i already have an idea on what happens all throughout the main story, complete with arcs already lmao (and that's not even talking about the sub-aus, like the conquest au...)

its lots of angst though, lemme tell you

i dont want to reveal too much but there is a lot of platonic and romantic dynamics here

platonic being the party's friendship (heh), the teens' friendship, best friend soulmates stobin ofc, and all other platonic relationships that can be connected with each member of this ragtag, traumatized group

for romance, we got lumax (with future elumax), byler, duzie, ronance, stongyle (aka steve x jonathan x argyle), jopper, and...well. a few others too, but i'll be keeping those quiet for now.

i’ll likely post more stuff at some point, to get it out here lmao and because this au is just <3

tagging the people who’ve been here all through out:

@laurienotteddy @mitski-slope @itsanotheridiot @hellsfireclub @history-of-stories @she-wont-miss

#four chimes #apocalypse four #vecna four #four chimes au #the four chimes au #max mayfield #fc pestilence #patrick mckinney #fc war #fred benson #fc death #chrissy cunningham #fc famine #nancy wheeler #fc conquest #stranger things #stranger things au #tw ed mention

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nerdy-girlramblings · 4 months

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My thoughts on Stranger Things S4

I'm going to break down my thoughts in categories because that's easier for me

Plotlines

The plot line with Murray, Joyce, and Hopper was great! I loved Murray and Joyce's dynamic and Yuri was frustratingly hilarious. I also love Hopper's strength and self-reflection when he was in the camps. And when he reunited with Joyce 🥰

The plot line in California with Jonathan, Mike, Argyle, and Will bored me for the most part. It is also so frustrating that Will is clearly internally dealing with something (I've seen fans guessing he's gay and has a crush on Mike) and Mike can't recognize it. Mike really annoyed me this season between that and how he was angry that "El didn't need him anymore".

The main plot line with Vecna and the Upside Down was amazing. I loved it. I laughed and cried a lot this season.

Characters and Ships

Max's grief and fear of being killed by Vecna brought me to tears multiple times this season. That scene when she read her letter to Billy at his grave broke me.

I love that Robin and Nancy got to know each other better too. I really enjoyed their visit to the asylum with Victor and getting to see Vecna's backstory. The girls' personalities contrast with each other so much and that dynamic was great to watch.

Steve's annoyance at being the babysitter was really funny. I also enjoyed his dynamic with Eddie, they are hilarious together.

Eddie was a character that I did not like when he was first introduced but he definitely grew on me as the season went on. His banter with the characters was great and his relationship with Dustin was so wholesome. And I can't believe he was killed off, what is it with this show killing the characters that have the biggest potential for character development?? It's infuriating.

Robin was one of the characters I was the most excited to see in season 4. I loved her helping the group and braving the Upside Down even though she was rightful scared. I also loved her and Steve navigating her crush on Vickie.

Argyle's character was kinda meh to me. He was funny sometimes, but I wish we knew more about him.

Jason's character terrified me. He instantly wanted blood and was able to rally his friends and the town behind him.

El's journey throughout the season was great. She had a lot of self-discovery and the exploration of her relationships with Dr. Brenner and Henry were so interesting.

Vecna / Henry's character was definitely the highlight of season four. This was the first time a human-like villain was introduced and I was obsessed every time he was on screen. His presence was amazing in both the flashback scenes and as Vecna due to how unsettling his character is. Before it was revealed that he has been the monsters in each season all along, I wondered if that was the case. I can't wait to see what happens next season.

Nancy's was great this season. I've loved seeing her progression over the seasons as her confidence grows. And her determination to kill Vecna when she shot him and "I have two guns in my room", I love her.

I'm not sure how I feel about the love triangle that's forming with her and Jonathan. Jonathan and Nancy have been through a lot together but their lives are starting to go into different directions and I wish they would just talk about it! It seems like Steve and Nancy might be developing feelings for each other again and I don't know how I feel about it. Both their characters have grown so much since they dated in season one that things could potentially work out but Nancy is still dating Jonathan.

I loved that Lucas and Max's relationship was explored more since I feel like it has kinda been on the back burner. They had so many good scenes together, like when Vecna attacked Max in the graveyard and the attic.

Ending

The very end of the season, with Upside Down spilling into our world is terrifying. This is the first season where there is a cliff hanger and the characters haven't won.

I was crying during most of the end because of things listed below

Jonathan telling Will that he will love him not matter what because he suspects he's gay

Max admitting that she prayed Billy would die, that she hesitated because she wasn't sure he should be saved, and she now wishes she would die instead

Max's memory to retreat in was the Snow Ball

Joyce having a flashback of Bob's death when Hopper says he will distract the demodogs

Steve's sacrifice and death

Lucas' reaction to Max's broken bones and bleeding eyes

"I can't see or feel anything."

Max telling Lucas she doesn't want to die

The crew reuniting in the aftermath of the "earthquake"

Max and the crew in the hospital

Dustin talking with Wayne Munson about Eddie

El and Hopper reuniting

#stranger things #stranger things 4 #nerdygirlramblings

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judasofsuburbia · 10 months

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how the light gets in: a fan playlist

"You're a monster."

"You're Nancy Wheeler."

read here.

listen to the playlist here.

fell in absolute love with the series How The Light Gets In by my lovely pal @fastcardotmp3 and decided to make a fan playlist!! seriously this series is so special and so poetic. it is about chrissy cunningham coming back from the dead as a vampire and nancy wheeler finding her out while she's visiting barb's grave. together, they go on a journey of self-discovery and girlhood through monstrosity. and of course, fall for each other in the meanwhile. GO READ THIS SERIES i cannot recommend it enough!

song explanations below the cut!

anthem by leonard cohen: where the fic title comes from! a slow song about life continuing to move forward even after tragedy. very fitting for this series.

just a girl (cover) by florence + the machine: of course this had to go on here! chrissy has "come back wrong" and has to rethink and relearn what it means to be a girl again and the horrors associated with girlhood.

all the things she said (cover) by poppy: there is a moment at the beginning where chrissy can't communicate to nancy yet because vecna can hear everything. but she starts to make a list of all the things she will tell her once she can speak freely again.

talk to you by ricky montgomery: kind of the same as before! they wish they could communicate with each other and eventually figure out that vecna (who is possessing chrissy, so to speak) can only hear what they're saying. not see or read. so they end up writing down notes to each other to avoid vecna ruining their plans.

seventeen by sharon van etten: this one is kind of more vibes but basically reminscing on the girl chrissy once was and how she's growing.

way of nature, way of grace by aly and aj and joy oladokun: soft love song that explores the growing fascination the girls have with each other and the admiration of beauty through the pain/ the horrors.

girls against god by florence + the machine: ONCE AGAIN of course this had to go on here. florence just gets troubled girls<3 something about taking the reins of your life even when everything feels out of control.

please, please, please let me get what i want by the smiths: it's explored in this fic that chrissy struggling to want things and nancy being so giving to her, unselfishly. it's so beautiful :,)

hungry eyes by eric carmen: WOO MONSTER SONG basically here for the vibes of monster girl finally getting to consume. and definitely looking at nancy with hungry eyes.

i'll be here in the morning by townes van zandt: nancy promising that she will be back for chrissy time and time again :,))

leonard cohen by boygenius: kind of just for vibes but because the title song is leonard cohen, i thought it fit! it's about that particular song and getting lost in your happiness<3

waiting for a girl like you by foreigner: some 80's vibes now!! basically following chrissy never understanding her attraction to men but everything finally starting to make sense once she gets close to nancy.

me and the devil by soap&skin: nancy's defense song! it takes a lot of convincing from her to the group to let her take care of chrissy. this song explores following the devil and not being able to explain why you need to<3

lay all your love on me (cover) by pale honey: felt fitting for their first kiss in the woods up against a tree. dot wrote the emotion and desperation in this scene SO WELL!!

i will follow you into the dark by death cab for cutie: kind of an overall vibe song but also relates to chrissy going through the upside down again to help save max and destroy vecna. willing to go back to hell in order to find her autonmy again<3

NFWMB by hozier: also a first kiss song after chrissy tears apart a demogorgan to save nancy phewwww<3 but also just general vibes of them protecting each other from the others who don't understand!!!

fade into you by mazzy star: ties into the irreplaceable bond that chrissy and nancy are making with each passing day. they're fading into each other.

to be alone with you by sufjan stevens: chrissy is craving genuine alone time with nancy like how it was when she first found her<3

like lovers do by hey violet: sexy spooky song ooo!!! i would relate this one to the way they can't keep their hands off each other once they get a taste you know ;) that's just how lovers do!!!

the way i feel inside by the zombies: a soft love song about deciding whether or not to speak their feelings. nancy and chrissy spend time in this fic finally being able to speak their mind and their desires (esp for each other! eep!) and being frightened by the power but also enlightened.

#!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!#will never shut up about this series fr #wheelingham #nancy wheeler #chrissy cunningham #kas!chrissy #kas!chrissy cunningham #wheelingham fics #stranger things #stranger things fics #stranger things playlists

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cirixwqnd · 2 years

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ST4 SPOILERS (theory)

EDIT/ATTENTION:

IT’S A PRODUCTION MISTAKE!! but still feel free to read the ‘theory’ this is such a bad start to my first theory post 😭

———

I’m actually surprised no one’s mentioned this, lol. Oh and I haven’t exactly shared any of my theories here before but bear with me. Remember this?

S4:E5: The Nina Project

“Nina’s” number. (We all already know that Nina isn’t a person). The number clearly written is ‘202-968-6161’ right? But what’s weird is that Will said a whole different combinations of numbers.

I would screenrecord it and put the video here but my goddamn screenrecorder won’t work, it won’t save the video to my phone so if you want to check, you know what episode it’s at. I forgot the timestamp but it’s around the middle but a little to the end. Back to the post; he said the first three numbers right, 202 but the rest? No. He says ‘564-9087’ instead.

Did he lie..? Did he know that this number would just call a computer? It’s like when El lied to Dustin, Mike & Lucas in S1 to keep them safe and away from the gate. And we all know how it ended, it ended with them getting into a big fight. So.. is there a Byler fight scene? Another one? God, I hope not. Maybe it’s just a mistake..?

S4:E4: Dear Billy • [link to the trailer]

Like this one! You see how the grave says “Billy Hargrove”?

Well, in the next shot we see the grave now says “William Hargrove” and not Billy. Others (including me) just think that this was on purpose, to let the viewers know that this is Billy’s grave and his full name is just William so that’s why it was also changed to William in the official episode. I’m gonna say that this is correct because so far there hasn’t been anything hinting to “Max is possessed and she is seeing Billy on the grave despite it saying William!” yk? Maybe there will be in Vol.2, I have no idea. But if that isn’t the case.. Will is lying.

He’s lying to protect not only his best “friend” (iykwim) but his brother & Argyle. But it can’t just be a coincidence that both numbers start with 202, right? Maybe it was a mistake! I just really hope there isn’t a big fight scene where Mike goes

“You lied to us! To me, I trusted you! Why would you even do this? To what? Stop us from finding El? From protecting her?!”

and Will is just speechless again, like in S3.. or maybe that’s where he confesses his love? O_O Perhaps he’ll say something like..

“Okay fine! I lied to you, is that what you wanna hear?! I lied to you Mike, to keep you safe. Because, I can’t believe I’m saying this but—I am in love with you! I love you! A-and I can’t risk being away from you again or losing you.. I can’t.”

Then he breaks into tears or something meanwhile Jonathan and Argyle are in the background looking like they’re watching an angsty romance movie. Maybe Argyle will even eat a pizza while staring. Who knows!?

Plus, lying is a very un-Will thing to do. You saw him in previous episodes & seasons, he hates lying. Will is never one to lie, especially to Mike. That scene in E2 where Will tells El that Mike’s not gonna be happy when he finds out about her lies, that’s an example! Or in S1 where Will told Mike “It was a seven. [...] The roll, it was a seven. The demogorgon, it got me.” even though Lucas told him “Then it doesn’t count!” if Mike didn’t see it.

All the party members are loyal to each other, some more than others and some less. Did Will lie? Am I stupid or going deaf that I did not hear the numbers correctly? Am I so desperate for byler scenes that I am willing to convince myself that the numbers are different?? I don’t know! What do you guys think? I am genuinely confused.

Me crying when I finish season 4 vol.2 without a romantic byler scene:

#stranger things s4 #stranger things #byler #byler s4 #byler season 4 #stranger things season 4 #st4 spoilers #st4 predictions #stranger things 4 spoilers #will byers #mike wheeler #i am aware that this is probably my like 3rd or 4th post about byler but you gotta hear this #stranger things theory #st4 theory #byler theory

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gently-decaying-flowers · 5 months

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oh my god you guys @loganmothman and i are working on a Good Omens AU and AAAAA ITS SO COOL

most of this brainrot so far is my doing, but to be fair it was his idea first (and when we get a plot going i will be writing and he will be drawing :DD right? i think so- (logan plz confirm that)

ANYWAYS! enjoy this for now! there will prolly be more info added later hehe :3

Church AU Brainrot

-Crowley- 🐍

- serpent from eden, became a priest to avoid the choice between heaven and hell

- holy water tears, leaving scars due to the half of him that is still hell incarnate

- he/him (secretly he/they)

- feels extreme guilt on behalf of both sides of him, when he does something good he betrays hell and when he does something bad he betrays heaven

- religious trauma to the MAX (if that wasn’t obvious already)

- becomes good friends with Nina and Maggie (will develop backstory for that later)

- often very quiet. he doesn’t lead any like mass, he mostly just hides in the background (to avoid being found out by the churchgoers) but he does occasionally allow people in to see him one on one (this is a very rare occurrence tho)

- remembers the angel of the east gate, and thinks about her often. he can’t really figure out why, but he often feels like she’s there with him.

- They were together (as in how they are in the show, running into each other every once in a while) until 1827 (grave robbing minisode) when Crowley decided to become a priest. He was overwhelmed with uncertainty about how good heaven actually is, but he didn’t want to stay with hell and be forced to hurt people, or let them hurt themselves.

- he often writes in a journal, sometimes seeking God’s help and sometimes seeking Satan’s. (it’s like his personality is split in half, and when he feels both he is in immense emotional distress)

- When he gets very stressed/angry his eyes turn full snake and he has to step outside of the church (consecrated ground)

- when he feels happy (rarely) or feels love (aka the presence of Azi) his eyes turn blue

How Crowley met Nina and Maggie:

There’s a small apartment right above Nina’s coffee shop, and one above Maggie’s record shop. Nina has her own apartment, so when Crowley got his Hell Appointed apartment taken from him- he didn’t know what to do. Nina noticed him living out of his Bentley and offered for him to rent out the apartment. Because he doesn’t make much money as a priest, he helps out at the shop when he can and collects tips to begin paying off his debt to Nina. (Even though Maggie has convinced her not to make him pay as much as often. We also see a little of Maggie and Nina’s relationship explored through Crowley’s interactions with them. Because of their love, he begins to find hope for himself- later finding out about the ineffable bureaucracy and having a crisis)

-Aziraphale- 🪽

- Angel of The East Gate

- uses all pronouns (i use she for her mostly tho)

- A representation of a biblically accurate angel (multiple halos, tons of glowy eyes and extreme power)

- fell in love with Crowley in the garden of eden.

- Azi did have a “human ish disguise” up until the incident in 1827, where Crowley decides to become a priest due to not wanting to get punished for saving and helping people. Azi was therefore banished to heaven for failing to “defeat evil”

- They were obviously distraught to be torn away from him, especially when he could use guidance now so she started to secretly watch over him when she could. they became a guardian angel of sorts

- behind the scenes she’s been trying to find a way to get back to earth for him

- Started her studies to become a “better servant of god” which then in turn made her a guardian Angel of sorts

- they desperately want to help Crowley choose (mostly heaven but it’s a guilty thought for them) so he isn’t stuck in this terrible limbo between

- Azi isn’t respected in heaven, but he holds out hope and never lets it get him down. they’re the good guys, so whatever they do has reason :) (oh yeah, she’s got trauma too. very very blinded. she struggles to understand why Crowley won’t pick a side, but she loves him anyway)

#gomens #gomens au #my au #YAYAYAY #i’m having a lot of fun with this one #yeah there’s more about crowley because he is my boiest boi but there will be more info an azi’s character later i promise #eden is going slightly insane #aziracrow

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local-redhead-bookworm · 1 year

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Just got done watching Dear Billy, and holy shit 😩 I don't even know where to begin. After listening to Running Up That Hill, I totally see why it's Max's favorite song. The regret she feels about Billy, the helpless yearning to change the outcome. How it must've felt like it was her and Billy against everything. Her battle with grief. Dear God. And her letter to Billy was excrutiating. That sweet boy. I don't think I'll ever get over my heartbreak for him. Max cared. She cared. People cared about him. He was loved. He deserved to know. And they just had to do that scene at Billy's grave, didn't they?? The letter was enough for me, but the way it's set up as Billy being one of her primary pillars of safety, even after death, was agonizing. I mean, it could be a complete coincidence, but something felt so right about Max being freed from Vecna's curse at Billy's grave. And Max getting a glimpse of the boys calling for her, the flashbacks, realizing she wanted to live. I just- I need time to recover from this ep, but I know I won't give it to myself lmao

🌸 anon

(P.S. thank you for assigning me the emoji! I was gonna ask if I could identify with one if I wasn't annoying you 😊)

Running Up That Hill is just so painful. Because to me, the song is essentially about how Max wishes that she had realized what Billy was going through sooner and how she wishes she could take his place. It’s very poetic in a painful way, because Billy took so many beatings when Neil was angry about Max misbehaving, and he died to save not only El, but all of Hawkins and the world. She’s dealing with so much survivor’s guilt because she spent so long denying that anything was wrong with Billy and she can’t help but feel that if she’d only seen things his way, if only she’d looked closer, she might have been able to save him. She wishes that he had lived, even if she would have to die to bring him back.

Yes, it being at his grave felt extremely poetic. She didn’t have the chance to reconcile with him while he was alive, so she goes to his grave. And “maybe we could try again…like a real brother and sister” had me holding back tears. She cared about him but she never showed him or helped him while he was alive, and the guilt is eating her up inside.

I’ve always held onto a theory that Billy was in the Upside Down listening to that letter, and that he was the one who helped her find Vecna’s mindscape. There are a few things Vecna says later in the show that I don’t want to spoil for you, but it hints that Billy is still alive in some way. The fact that she escaped the curse at his grave…it feels like he was helping her. There’s a fantastic piece of art that I’ll have to dig up!

In my opinion, Dear Billy is the best episode in the entire season. Honestly, the only thing I would have changed about Max’s memories is that I would have added a shot of Billy holding back the Mind Flayer. Because to me, that scene has always felt like the one thing it was missing was a reminder that Billy was in fact, dear to her. That she had good memories with him, which I firmly believe she did.

And I’m glad you like the emoji! I’ve never had an anon that’s regular enough for me to assign them an emoji, so this is fun and new for me. It’s always a pleasure to hear your thoughts!

#answering asks #🌸 anon

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boysintears · 2 years

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Please Forgive Me | Billy Hargrove

Pairing: Maxine "Max" Mayfield & Billy Hargrove

TW: canon death

Word Count: 1,195

Summary: She kept talking, in this soft, broken voice. He could see tears filling her eyes, he wanted to reach out so badly. “Basically, ever since you left, everything’s been-” she took a shaky breath, “a total disaster” Max shouldn’t cry. She never did before. She was the toughest little girl he ever met, she should have been way above crying. But here she was, wiping stray tears off her cheeks, crying about him. Somebody who didn’t even deserve the tears. _ A rewrite of the grave scene in S4e04 _

The stone underneath him was supposed to feel cold, but like everything else it just felt like nothing.

Besides his heart he guessed. Because that was breaking into a thousand pieces right now.

The last thing he remembered was coughing up blood while his body was going numb. Telling Max that he was sorry. He desperately hoped that she heard that. That she understood that he meant everything. And not just what had happened with the shadow thing, and what it made him do. The world went dark after that.

The next thing he knows, he’s blinking his eyes open. Its bright day, he’s sitting on a gravestone and he can’t move. It feels like somebody is holding him there.

Panic is just starting to set in, because this feels so much like before, when this, this thing, took possession of his body, when Max shows up.

She is walking towards him with purpose, headphones on and an envelope in hand.

“Max!” It didn’t seem like she heard him. He tried calling her again, but she was already standing in front of him, or better, in front of the grave.

Taking a breath she sat on the grass, pulling a letter from the brown envelope.

Her voice was soft when she started reading.

“Dear Billy, I don’t know if you can even hear this”

His breath stocked. Wait, she was talking to him. She came here to talk to him. So-

“Two years ago, I would have said, ‘That’s ridiculous, impossible’” he found the strength to move, sliding down from the stone and sitting in front of her on the grass.

She kept talking, in this soft, broken voice. He could see tears filling her eyes, he wanted to reach out so badly.

“Basically, ever since you left, everything’s been-” she took a shaky breath, “a total disaster”

Max shouldn’t cry. She never did before. She was the toughest little girl he ever met, she should have been way above crying. But here she was, wiping stray tears off her cheeks, crying about him. Somebody who didn’t even deserve the tears.

“And the worst part is, I can’t even tell anyone why you’re gone”

He’s treated her so bad. So, so badly, just because he didn’t know how to deal with his emotions. He let everything out on her. That wasn’t how it should’ve gone.

It wasn’t-

“I can’t tell them that you saved El’s life. That you saved my life”

She looked right through him, tracing the name on the stone behind him.

Shakily he lifted a hand to her face. He didn’t expect it to make contact, but her skin felt smooth under his fingertips. He couldn’t remember the last time he touched her so carefully.

“I play that moment back in my head all the time”

Tears hit his skin, he tried wiping them away, but they kept coming. Max shouldn’t cry. She wasn’t allowed to cry over him. Just, not, just not him. He didn’t deserve that.

“I imagine if I had, that you would still be here” she had to take another breath, “And everything would be, everything would be right again”

Now he was crying as well. The tears felt hot on his skin. His lungs wouldn’t fill with air anymore, and his breath came out as ugly sobs.

He knew that she couldn’t feel him. She didn’t know that he was here, but he still couldn’t help himself placing his arms around her and pulling her into a hug, burying his face in her hair.

“I’m sorry Max. I’m so sorry”, his voice was breaking. “It shouldn’t have been like this” he pulled in a shuddering breath.

“I was so awful to you, and I only real-, I only realized how wrong that was when it was already too late”

“You hated me”

“I didn’t Max. I didn’t hate you at all”

“I hated you”

A wet laugh left him, he squeezed her tighter.

“I thought that maybe, maybe we could try again” He couldn’t listen to this. Why was she telling him this? Was this for him? Or was she just trying to get this off her chest? “I’m sorry”

“But I, I think that maybe a part of me died that day too”

“Please don’t say that” He pulled back a bit. She still didn’t seem to know that he was here. He tried pulling a stray strand of hair behind her ear, but his fingers glided right through.

“But I had to tell you, before it’s too late”

“What do you mean too late? Max?”

“I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry, Billy. Love, your shitty little sister, Max”

“Max? Max, talk to me! What do you mean?!” Her eyes suddenly rolled back in her head. He tried grabbing her shoulders, but his hands slid though her again.

“Fuck! Fuck! Max! Shit, shit, shit. What am I gonna do?” He looked around frantically. “Why is it know that I can’t touch anything anymore?” Tears continued blurring his sight.

Suddenly everything went black. Billy started blinking frantically, trying to get the blackness to vanish.

The darkness stayed around the edges, Harrington was here - where the fuck did he come from? - and he was shaking Max, calling over his shoulder to somebody.

His vision faded again.

Max’s little club was together now. They were looking though tapes. Max’s tapes. And, and his? Max had a lot of his cassettes. It brought a smile to his lips, before he remembered what situation he was still in. It was getting hard to focus. His vision kept fading, and he couldn’t hear clearly anymore. Everything sounded like he was under water.

Sinclair was putting one of the tapes into her walkman. He didn’t recognize it. But he also didn’t pay much attention while he could, did he?

Everything went fuzzy.

Max was levitating.

Panic. He could feel panic. It felt too much to be just his own.

“Billy!”

Max, surrounded by red. Covered in, in something. Running.

“Max!” did he scream? It didn’t feel like it.

He reached for her again. Her hand clung to his. He pulled, but she slipped through his fingers.

Her body fell from the sky, caught by her friends.

Black once more.

“Billy?”, soft, choked, out of breath. “Was that you? You, you saved me”

He opened his eyes, all he could see was his sister. Everything around her was fuzzy, out of focus. He couldn’t help the grin from spreading.

“Are you safe?” She nodded, tears are falling down her cheeks again. “I’m glad. I’m sorry how I treated you. I’m so fucking sorry Max. You gotta know that right? I wish it could’ve been different. I wish I would’ve been different” “Billy-” “I think my time is over Max” He gave her a genuine smile. Probably the first ever.

“Please forgive me, yeah?”

Everything went numb. But different than before. A warm numbness. It felt, safe.

He gladly closed his eyes this time.

They both got to say what was on theirs hearts.

This was probably the best outcome of this situation.

It felt like he was fading out into the blackness.

#billy hargrove #billy hargove imagine #max mayfield #billy hargrove & max mayfield #stranger things #st4 #masterlist #stranger things season four #dear billy

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br0k3ngu4rd14ns · 2 years

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An awful night

This takes place at the end of Season Three, and it’s angst.

Sobbing could be heard throughout the apartment, Steve was sitting on the couch bouncing his leg. He was still in his Scoops Ahoy uniform. Letting Eighteen sob in the singular bedroom the apartment had, he sighed noting he would have to make her happy sooner or later. A few months go by and dark bags start to form under Eighteen’s eyes, she hasn’t slept since his death. And her hair was never cleaned, her club leader brushed it for her constantly because she didn’t. Eddie is a nice guy. Sometimes he even offered help to Steve, who declined. Sometimes when he passed the girls bathroom he heard Eighteen’s sobs. He couldn’t do Jack shit about it, mostly because she had asked him not to intervene. As soon as Billy got a grave, every moment she had that wasn’t with the Hellfire Club or the Party.. she spent there. Even if it were to rain, she was there. Torturing herself with lack of nutrients and sleep is what kept her “sane” she was far from sane. Max always tried to help her through it, but she always failed. One day she was found out in the rain asleep next to Billy’s grave. Steve was contacted by the Party and she wasn’t let out of his sight, having Max pick up her schoolwork. And explaining to the principal that she wasn’t going for a bit, but was going to work anyways. She missed multiple D&D meetings, everyone was concerned for her health. Every night Billy sat next to her, not caring if she couldn’t see or hear him. He just sat there, scooting over eventually for Steve to come cuddle her. Which is what he did most of the time, when he didn’t have a late shift at his job. Her hair had changed, going into her freshman year it had been cut shorter. The Cheerleaders hated her, and Billy screwed with them just because of that. Chrissi never hated her, in fact she was the only one. And the sweetest, on the other hand. When the Party came to the High School her hair was buzz-cut on one side. She looked a bit more composed, Eddie had to help with that entirely. Less hair equals taking care of it, that was the ground rules Steve set for Eighteen. And by the time Steve and the other adults plunge into the Gate in Lover’s Lake, Eighteen is a hot mess. She’s gripping was little hair she has on her head and just mumbling about how she can’t lose both of them, on how she doesn’t want to go back to that damn lab. Because that’s what will happen if she loses both of them, she’ll go back. Max was unhappy with her, yelling at her after she got interrogated by the police, “YOU DIDN’T KNOW BILLY LIKE I DO.” She screamed at the sobbing one, “Like you know him?! He moved out because he didn’t want his daughter to deal with your father!” The lab rat yelled back tears still flooding down her face, “I at least connected with him! Despite the fact he never connected with YOU!” Max had shoved her down, this gained the attention of a very much still in the Upside-Down Billy. His silhouette flickering beside Eighteen, “You.” A broken voice said. It was laggy, “You can’t just do that to MY daughter.” Eighteen’s eyes were wide, the fact he would stand up for her instead of just staying in a dormant state, “Billy- I-“ Was all Max could stutter out, Eighteen’s bangs fluttered on the side of her face as she stood up. Her ponytail elastic breaking, she looked far too much like Billy with her hair down. But here’s the thing, the top half of her head was slightly shaved. The back was untouched, leaving enough hair for her to ponytail it. It’s 1986, no one cared right now. All they cared about were the QUEERS. Dustin had walked in and saw the scene, Billy had evaporated into air. The most sadistic smile played on the face of who had just been protected, “Mmmm~ I guess that settles it. Do you have a spare hair tie? Mine broke..” Max dug around in her bag for a moment and dished on out, tossing it to her, “What the hell was that.” Dustin said from behind them, “A greeting for the upside down.” Eighteen replied, tying her hair up. Gods it’s going to be a long night.

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lumaxramblings-moved · 2 years

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thinking abt s4 max + requiem.

~HIGHLY RECOMMEND LISTENING TO THE SONG AS YOU READ~

cut to max, standing in front of b*ll7's grave. she doesn't look sad. she looks hardened. angry. she sings quietly, and a bit of sadness (not for him) slips into her expression.

'I gave you the world, you threw it away Leaving these broken pieces behind you Everything wasted, nothing to say So I can sing no requiem'

it flashes back to young max and young b*ll7, with her showing him a picture that she drew at the first line. at 'threw it away', he brushes past her, ignoring it completely. max looks crushed. she crumples it up and throws it away. flash back to max now, still standing. she looks angrier. there's a reflection of another max, a happy one, what the world thinks she should be.

'I hear your voice, I feel you near Within these words, I finally find you And now that I know that you are still here I will sing no requiem tonight'

at the last line, the two maxs sing together, one happy and one stubborn and angry, before the happy max vanishes.

" 'Cause when the villains fall, the kingdoms never weep No one lights a candle to remember No, no one mourns at all When they lay them down to sleep"

~the scene dims, almost going to black. spotlight on max~

at the first line, lucas steps into frame, in the same outfit he was in when b*ll7 attacked him in season 2, with bruises on his arms and cheeks. he looks hurt, but angry and determined, his head held high. steve is next, at 'kingdoms never weep' his face is battered, bloodied, bruised. he, like lucas, is in the same outfit as s2, and his state mirrors his situation after getting beaten by b*ll7. he looks ready for a fight, determined. angry. but his eyes are tired and weak. he's in pain. mike steps forward next, and you see a pattern: it's all max's friends that b*ll7's hurt. he has a bruised and bloodied cheek, like in starcourt, and his shirt (from starcourt) is a little bloodied. he looks pathetic, weak, but there's fight in his expression. finally, there's el. beautiful, determined, brave el. blood trickles down her forehead and onto her yellow and black shirt. her eyes are kind, but she has a hardened expression. max looks crushed and sad and heartbroken as she looks at the state of her friends. she turns away from the grave and steps toward them.

'So, don't tell me that I didn't have it right Don't tell me that it wasn't black and white After all you put me through Don't say it wasn't true'

the tension builds. her singing gets louder and more passionate, angrier. she walks by each of her friends in turn, laying a hand on all their injuries as if she could fix them with her touch. when she gets to lucas, she rests her forehead against his and cups his cheek with her hand, but it's too painful. she turns away. she reaches el last and wipes the blood away, but it keeps coming. el offers a small smile, mouthing 'it's okay' before she returns to her prior position. max sniffles before turning back to b*ll7's grave, getting louder and pain fills her expression as she belts:

'That you were not the monster'

her strong expression crumbles. the camera does a 180, cycling around her and max is back in starcourt. her hair's in braids, she's clothed in her starcourt outfit, her cheek is bruised and bloody. and b*ll7's dead body is in front of her. 'that i knew....' her voice cracks with emotion. but she doesn't kneel. doesn't play the grieving girl. simply looks. a single tear slips down her cheek. there's b*ll7, in all his cruel glory. but she doesn't love him. he wasn't her brother. after a long moment, she turns away.

and she's back at b*ll7's grave.

" 'Cause I cannot play the grieving girl and lie

Saying that I miss you

And that my world has gone dark"

extra emphasis on the can't. her voice cracks. just because what she's saying is true doesn't mean she doesn't feel a hell of a lot of guilt.

wide shot. we can see lucas and steve making their way toward max. they walk slowly, with melancholy. they reach her as she sings 'and that my world has gone dark.' her voice cracks again. the tears finally come. steve and lucas reach her. their expressions are full of pain. seeing max like this stabs the two right in their hearts.

steve places his hand on max's shoulder as he sings "i will sing no requiem...."

lucas is next, wrapping an arm around her waist. max looks at him. tears are swimming in her eyes, but they sparkle just a little. she loves him. she leans into him as he sings. "i will sing no requiem...."

max is last, removing a letter from her pocket. we can't see what it says, but at the top it says 'dear b*ll7.' she looks at it for a moment miserably, and a tear drops on it. but then her expression hardens. she gently crumples it up and tosses it at the grave. it rests there, pathetic and small. 'i will sing no requiem....'

she leans further into lucas, resting her head on his shoulder as a final tear slips down. 'tonight.'

she nods to the guys and they turn away, still in the same position, and walk through and eventually out of the graveyard. we watch them go as the final notes play. cut to black.

oh my god this is SO incoherent lmao but hey !!! stranger things marketing team !!! hire me !!!!!

hope you like this incoherent mess <3

THSIUSGSHAHDHSHSHSHSB I JUST LISTENE DTDHSHSSBSH SHSHSHS I AM SO NORMAL ABOYT THIS

lucas and steve??? being the most supporting partner + brother duo ever???? i love them??? so much????

THIS SONG FITS SO WELL FOR MAX IM GOING TO FUCKING CRY

THIS IS SO SAD SOMEONE GIVE HER A HUG I WANT TO HUG HER SO FUCKING BAD NO MAX ITS FINE ITS FINE I WANNA HUG U SO BAD AAAAAa

MY PRECIOUS BLORBOOOOOOO AAAAAAA :((((((((

ANNA THIS IS BEAUTIFUL U OUTDID URSELF IM AAAAAA!!! THE DETAILS OF LUCAS TOO PAINFUL AND EL'S SMILE AND FUCKKKKKK ANNNNAAAAAAAAAAAA

you really said 'mom said it's MY turn on the angst!!' huh shsjhshjs

#i. deserve this #max mayfield #lucas sinclair #lumax #anna tag #el hopper #stranger things #st4

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yurtletheturtlehenderson · 3 years

Text

COSMIC - S3:E4; Chapter Four, The Sauna Test - [Pt. 5 - FINAL]

A Will Byers x Reader Series

𝘔𝘪𝘬𝘦, 𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘪𝘵 𝘌𝘭, 𝘔𝘢𝘹 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘠/𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘍𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘳'𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘙𝘰𝘣𝘪𝘯, 𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘋𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘓𝘺𝘯𝘹.

📝: you have... NO IDEA how long i have been sitting on this one. Just... wow okay. And this is just the beginning, wait till you see the cabin scene 👀 Edit: tell me why I had the main chorus of Timber Feat. Ke$ha in my head on infinite loop while writing the fight scene 🤦‍♀️ LMAO

⚠️: asphyxiation [aka suffocation], several mentions of blood, and graphic (?) depictions of violence throughout. Also, long chapter

||𝟑𝐑𝐃 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝐏𝐎𝐕||

"MAX! LET ME OUT OF HERE!"

Everyone watched stilled, with pounding hearts as Billy's billowing cries echoed out across the weight room. No one more so than Max. He had barely taken his eyes off of her and his voice fell into a weakened plea.

"Let me out,"

And then it was gone. Replaced with a malice-filled hiss that was beginning to feel a little too familiar for their liking. One by one his eyes flicker between the party members with a twitch in his eye as he began to shift, eyes darting past their shoulders and sweeping the room before his next glare.

"You kids," he pants, each breath like swallowing smoke. "you think..." he was swallowing embers. "this is funny?"

Mike and Lucas share a nervous glance.

Another heaving breath, the flames now licking his lungs.

"You kids think this is some kind of sick prank, huh?" With a snarl, he rears his head back and spits on the glass. "YOU LITTLE SHITS THINK THIS IS FUNNY?!"

Anxiously, Max eyes Will from where he stands beside El and he meets her gaze. The two seem to share the same thought. It was working.

But the sauna's prisoner had caught on, and as the fire was rekindled in his veins, he shifted nervously again; eyes darting once more around the room before landing on the two.

"OPEN THE DOOR!" They all flinch when he throws himself against the window in a fury. He was growing more frantic. And he wasn't stopping. "OPEN THE DOOR! OPEN THE DOOR!" He pressed his nose against the glass, showcasing his darkening eyes. "OPEN THE GODDAMN DOOR!"

The fire was now ablaze, the blood in his veins felt as if it was actually boiling, cooking him from the inside out and he finally collapsed on the sauna floor with a groan. Will took that as his cue and raced to the thermometer on the wall where the needle rested at the end.

"We're at two-twenty,"

When he returned to El's side, a great wail reverberates from within the sauna followed by a great many thumps.

"It's not my fault," he weeps, catching them all by surprise. "It's not my fault, it's not my fault, Max. I promise it's not my fault."

With a pounding and aching heart, Max crept towards the sauna door. Many eyes darted after her, fearfully, dealing between her and the only barrier protecting her from what lay inside.

"What's not your fault, Billy?" She asks.

When she peers behind the foggy glass, her heart threatens to split in two; he sits before her on the tile floor, beads of sweat blending with his tears and his hands glued together in plea as he looks up at her.

"I've done things, Max," he sobs, his voice threatening to break. "Really b... bad things and I didn't mean to."

As Billy peers up at his sister now, he can feel himself slipping again. He tries so hard to hold onto that sliver of himself, drifting away into the dark. His hands wring together as he pleads, his nails raking into his skin to stop himself - to stop Him - from winning.

His sanity was slipping and everything in him was screaming for him to do violent, inhumane things to the girl before him but he fought it. Billy knew he didn't have much time, and it was getting harder to think. And Billy spat the words from his tongue before he considers the repercussions from the shadow.

"He made me do it,"

Max was certain she knew the answer now. She knew it even as she stood in the living room facing her brother just twenty-four hours ago. But she had let herself believe the tempting lie over the bitter truth that the Shadow Monster had not gotten Billy. But she knew she had to. And so she asked.

"Who made you do it?"

Fear flashed in his eyes as he wept. He looked as something was trying to stop him, and Max knew very well something was, but he managed the words anyway; unknown to all, his final warning. The words that confirmed all their darkest fears and chilled their bones.

"I don't know, it was like a shadow. A giant shadow,"

Y/n's heart leaps into her throat, and her brows knit together in a curious frown when she sees El and Will meet eyes in matching grave expressions. They share a knowing look and nod, and silently they form a wall, herding Y/n behind them. It was likely they had made a prior agreement, she realizes, but her worries still remained on her other best friend inches from the glass.

"Please, Max," Billy weeps.

"What did he make you do?" Max asks through a wavering voice.

"It's not my fault," He cries suddenly, sinking into the sauna bench. "okay, Max?! Please! Please!"

At the sound of his broken cries, Max's eyes squeeze shut, and hot tears slide down her cheeks as she faces the small window. Her heart is torn, but she tries to remain strong.

"Please, believe me, Max! I tried to stop him, okay? I did."

He's trying even now, but the darkness is closing in. Her tearful face is blurring from his vision and he's losing the grip on his body without realizing it. He can already feel the shadow breaking free from his hold when his arm creeps across the tile floor without his permission.

"Please, believe me, Max. Please believe me,"

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she reaches out to Billy; her hand on the glass and speaks through her breaking voice.

"Billy, it's gonna be okay,"

The darkness was spreading to his vision, closing in on his sister and he knew he had only moments. They had only moments. There was no telling when the shadow would let him resurface. As Billy disappeared, he spoke what little warning he could before the shadow stole his voice.

"Max please..." -get away, his mind screams. But the words didn't come. Go away. Get out while you can.

She hadn't heard him. It was too late. The hand that lied hidden beneath the sauna bench, had already found a weapon.

"It's gonna be okay, we want to help you," Max swears through stinging tears.

His fingers curl around the broken and jagged tile.

"We want to help you. You just have to talk to us, okay? You have to talk us."

All too well indeed. He felt it even now.

Will's eyes had never left the sauna door, drilling holes through the glass even when the man had collapsed to the ground. Billy's haunted cries had reached Will in a way it never could the others. He knew the feeling all too well.

An unnatural chill zapped the air despite the muggy atmosphere and his whole body seized up. His hair stood on end and the skin over his body tightened, goosebumps breaking out out all over his skin.

He's activated.

-"What?"

Will has little time to look at Mike and Y/n and realize he had uttered the words aloud before looking back to Max.

"Max, get away from the door," he cautions.

Taken by surprise at his sudden request, Max hesitates. "What?"

"GET AWAY FROM FROM THE DOOR! NOW!"

Max had barely heeded Will's warning when the glass burst inches from her face as Billy hurled his arm through the window. El jumped back, sweeping both her arms in an effort to protect her friends. And with miraculous timing, Max had dove to the left just in time to escape the confetti of glass shards but her arm had not been so lucky.

While he had dropped his tile shard his hand had caught her bandaged forearm in his iron grasp and yanked. She yelped in pain, using the traction of her shoes against the linoleum to keep herself away.

"LET ME OUT, YOU BITCH!" He howls, tugging her arm as she attempts to pry and claw her way free. "I'LL FUCKING GUT YOU!"

"NO!" Came the sudden angered cry of Y/n Henderson as she forcibly broke free from the wall El and Will had created. She pushed their shoulders aside and sprinted forward, throwing her hand out before her. "LET HER GO!"

A powerful blasts burst forth from her palm and Billy cried out, yanking his hand back. He withered for only a moment, a loud hissing breath sucked in from between his clenched teeth as he visibly shook in anger. His hair was still dripping and it hung like a dark curtain over his eyes, but she could see it - they all could. The whites of his eyes were harder and harder to see as he looked upon his festering arm.

Max had scrambled away from the wall, back into the safety of El and Y/n's protection but Y/n didn't flinch.

He was pissed, but so was she.

In an instant, he throws his head up to look at her, his drenched curls landing on top of his head and draping over his seething face. His darkened eyes locked on her, his gritted teeth clenched so hard his entire body shook with fury. His expression finally matched his eyes from the previous night and confirmed to Y/n it had been the Mind Flayer to have spoken to her at Heather's. Never Billy.

What followed next, had unfolded all at once.

His screams return and he bangs his fist against the door once before yanking out the lead pipe and chucking it at Y/n.

She ducks just in time, and El swipes it out of the way, sending it flying into the wall with the flick of her head before it could hurt any of the others. And Lucas releases the pull on his wrist rocket he had trained on the man since he scrambled to load it when the glass first broke.

With an audible snap, the ammo was released and sent flying into its target; crashing into Billy's forehead.

A second time he was sent tumbling to the sauna floor, disappearing from their view with an even louder thump.

"Y/n, come on!" Lucas cried.

She wasted no time, scurrying back to the safety of her friends who engulfed her into their surrounding figures. Their heads all snap towards the ceilings when the hum of the lights grow stronger and everything begins to flicker.

Billy's insides churn with a disgruntled choke, his mouth spitting out fluids as he comes to. With a groan, his body spits and writhes on the floor. The icy storm in his veins spreading. And festering.

Joined shoulder to shoulder, the huddled party backed up in one circle. Each of them faced away from one another, looking around worriedly as the rows of florescent lights flicker violently above them. They all close in on Y/n in a protective stance.

Billy's body twisted and thrashed on the tile floor as he attempted to heave himself up to his feet. The grip of the Mind Flayer had broken free from the barriers of his mind and was coursing all throughout his body, the dark mass staining the very blood in his veins and poisoning his system. Dark lesions broke out all over his back and arms, and black veins rippled out under his skin, all across his body as he clutched the wall. Throwing back his head, Billy released an inhuman, agonized wail before charging for the door.

A second time they all jumped, and a second time El's arms swept out to protect her friends - finally including her Max. Their horror-stricken eyes were fixed on the door as Will inched closer to Y/n, and Max spoke through a fearful waver.

"He can't get out, can he?" She frets as he barrels into the door a second time, the chains testing the pipe anchored to the wall.

Fear gripped his heart and Lucas shook his head, voice filled with doubt in his own words. "No way. No. Way,"

"Y/n, get back," El orders in a flat voice, her tilted head unblinking on the door. "Go with Will."

Y/n gawked over El's shoulder, frantically looking between the door, her best friend, and a pleading Will who grabbed for her hand.

"What? No! No, bullshit! We agreed!"

"Y/n, come on," Will urged, tugging a little harder on her hand.

It grew hot under his touch and she ripped it from his grasp. "No. I need to do this," Y/n cried, her head whipping back and forth between her boyfriend and the fraying thread that was the bowing sauna pipe; the last defense holding back the Mind Flayer's newest host.

The door stopped moving and one split, heart-stopping moment a thunderous cry barreled out deep from within Billy's chest.

The door was thrown open, the pipe bursting from the wall and expelling puffs of steam as Billy tumbled through the open door. The Party jumped back in shrieks, El on the front lines pushing everyone behind her, even still.

With a lumbering breath, the fluorescents still flickering madly above them, Billy rose to his feet to meet eye to eye with the wrong girl. With a fear-inducing glare and an overpowering sense of protectiveness, El had forcibly barricaded herself in between the Mind Flayer and her best friend.

He curled back his teeth, a growl growing in the back of his throat. He was ready to wring her neck but she simply rose a single hand in the air, and the nearest barbell rose with it. In the blink of an eye, Billy was pinned against the brick wall by his neck, gasping for breath.

Everyone watched on in a mixture of shock and awe as El threw another arm up, and the weights sunk deeper into the brick, crumbling them near his head. She was panting for breath, nose dripping with blood but she was determined.

And she wasn't the only one.

"Y/n-!"

But she ignored the Party's cries, as well as the pleas in her gut screaming for her to turn tail and run. But she couldn't stand by and do nothing as El faced it all alone - nor could she sit still when she saw the very monster she had faced the prior year, wearing the very face that plagued her dreams in her last sleep. Y/n Henderson didn't walk away. She couldn't.

Y/n stormed to El's side, throwing her arms up in sync with two large and billowing waves of heat that filled the entire room. Billy howled as the heat consumed him completely, the black veins festering underneath his skin. Across the sauna, Mike and Will watch on in a mixture of awe and worry as El and Y/n stand side by side, their arms extended as they fight with great strain and their guttural cries begin to blend.

Tears pricked Will's eyes as he watched the scene unfold, frightened not only for Y/n's life but El's. He truly feared what the Mind Flayer might be capable of in someone like Billy Hargrove. And already he had every right to be.

What came next stole the breath right out of his chest.

With a husky grunt and a terrifying spur of adrenaline, Billy heaved and broke El's telepathic hold, sending the barbell flying for their heads. With matching screams, they throw themselves to the floor, avoiding the otherwise inevitable blunt force trauma by a hair's width. He stormed to their bodies piled together on the floor. Learning his lesson and counting every precious second, Billy grabs a fist full of El's hair and drags her to her feet and off of Y/n's body. She yelps out in pain, clawing to get free but he had already thrown her into the wall she had just pinned him to. Her head collided with the brick and she sunk to the floor, fighting to keep her eyes open and vision clear but she was losing her battle.

Mike and the others cried out to her, unable to reach her but her blurring vision was fixed on the sight of Billy closing in on Y/n's body. She threw her arms up with a vengeful grunt, her skin beginning to glow. The ground begins to shake and all their hopes rise with Y/n as pulls herself onto one wobbly knee. The spidery veins adorned her eyes, lips, and ears, heat pulsing from her palms as her light began to illuminate the weight room.

And like a candle's flame, it was extinguished under Billy's hand.

Her grunts died in her throat when his hand encircled her throat, cutting off all her air. What strength he possessed as Billy Hargrove had doubled with the Mind Flayer and lifted the young girl above his head with ease.

Y/n tried crying for help but her voice was lodged in her throat with the rest of her breath, leaving her no choice but to claw at Billy's arms as she fought for air and freedom. Her legs were finally listening to her brain's signals, kicking and squirming as she tried to reach him or even the ground but they never did, no matter how close she got. Just as she had foreseen.

"Y/N!" The others cried.

She gasped and choked for breath, any whisp of air she could possibly manage between his fingers as she tried to conjure a fight, but she was losing concentration. She was losing air.

All she saw beside the white spots swallowing her vision were the seething eyes of the Mind Flayer peering up at her. And as he watched the life drain from her eyes, he hissed to the one he had been waiting in agony for all these months his final greeting.

"You."

Y/n could barely hear him over the cries of her frantic friends, nor could she barely register the repetitive snap of Lucas's wrist rocket as he sent rocks flying into Billy. But this time, Billy resisted. Out of spite, or with the aid of the Mind Flayer's mutation, none of them knew but with El out cold on the floor and unreachable without crossing through Billy, little options were left.

And Lucas was already running low.

Y/n's hands latched onto Billy's wrist, at first, seemingly trying to pry herself away as she sucked in as much air as she could capture. And as her bulging eyes began to flutter, she manages to speak through choking, gasping breaths.

"Fuck... you."

Latched hands had locked on and began to glow and Billy's eyes fell to her grip. The skin beneath her palms began to sizzle and a agonized cry grew deep within Billy at her searing touch. And yet still he held, but the same could not be said for Y/n. Like El, she was fighting to remain conscious.

And Lucas had run out of ammo.

Lucas and Will seemed to share the same thought as everything had unfolded within an instant. And with an angered cry, Will charged forward just as Lucas chucked his metal wrist rocket at Billy's head.

His grip still iron clad over Y/n's throat, Billy's head whipped to the party as fast as his other hand stopped in front of his face, catching the wrist rocket mid-air. And just in time for Will to reach him. Billy reared his arm back and smacked the butt end of the wrist rocket into the boy's head, knocking him to the ground without ever blinking.

"Will!"

Those that remained stood back, watching terror-stricken as Y/n begins to grow limp, her eyes rolling back in her head.

Tears prick Mike's eyes as the sights surrounding him become too much; one of his best friends dying before his eyes, and the two people he had probably loved most in the world, fading on the floor. And he snaps into action.

He looks around wildly, thanking whatever force was out there that the burst pipe from the sauna was near his feet. He picked it up in an instant, charging forward with a sudden surge of adrenaline, and crashed it into Billy's skull.

Y/n dropped to the floor, gasping for breath as she rolled away from Billy's fallen body. Mike towered over the man as Y/n came to, a vengeful look in his eyes as he swung the pipe back above his head.

"GO TO HELL YOU PIECE OF SHIT!"

With all the force he could possibly muster, Mike threw the pipe down at Billy's back but it had stopped inches from his face. In the blink of an eye, Billy had turned, catching it in his single fist with as much ease as the wrist rocket.

Mike gasped in horror as Billy seethes up at him, much too frightened to even flicker to the sight of Y/n wobbling up onto her hands and knees and risk giving her away. She was coughing on every wheezing breath, her lungs and throat burning but she still felt a spark big enough to hold onto.

Will had just started to come to, the sideways vision of the weight room floor showing to him two things: Billy chucking the pipe against the wall with an earsplitting clang and Y/n's heaving chest swallowing desperate, gulping breaths, the blood steadily draining from her face.

He tried to move to her, but his limbs were heavy. All he managed to do was hoist himself up onto his arms as tears fell from his eyes, slowly pulling himself along as the world began to steady. But he never reaches her in time. Billy had begun to rise, and yet the beginnings of a smug smile curled Will's lips as his eyes trailed her across the room.

Anger battled impatience within the Mind Flayer at the unrelenting children, but killing this one - the Wheeler boy - would be easy. At least, it would have been had it not been for the young girl emerging with the two hot blasts of searing heat raining down upon his exposed chest as Y/n unleashed her fury upon him.

A primal scream grew from deep within her belly, ripping up her throat as she circled back around to face him, arms outstretched before her in two taut claws. What little space he had created from himself and the weight room floor had vanished as the blasts intensified with her screams.

The fluorescent lights about their heads were flashing violently now, enunciating the matching veins each opponent bore. The buzzing of the lights was nearly as loud as the rumble of the shaking room and the cracking of the tile that sounded eerily like thunder. The two blurring bursts of energy were pouring from her palms and pinning Billy into the tile so hard the tile floor cracked beneath him.

His screams blended with hers, the light pouring from her skin illuminating his agonized face and she pushed harder. her arms dug closer to his chest and the deep and inhuman voice returned; the voice of the Mind Flayer cried out in pain.

Y/n felt the sudden force of Billy's untouched leg sweep under her own, knocking her off her feet. The Mind Flayer coughed and hacked once more, and threw himself over her as she lied on her back. His hands were around her throat again, yanking her up before slamming her back into the ground.

With the strobing, flickering lights disorienting their already obscured vision the others could barely make out Billy hunched over something on the floor. His haunched, vein painted back nearly in ribbons as blood drizzled down his back like rain on a window. It didn't take them long to put together the pieces, Y/n's name on their weeping tongues as Billy repeatedly threw her back into the tile until she steadily lost consciousness. Finally, after one last gust of power, he thrust her into the tile and releasing her throat. But only to raise one darkening, blistering fist into the air, ready to strike...

Horrified screams tore from their throats, each of them prepared to tackle Billy. Will had finally stumbled to his feet for the first time without falling, ready to do just that but something had stopped him.

Billy froze, growing horrified as he himself began to choke.

A body hidden away in the shadows that had finally fought her way back into consciousness for the sake of her loved ones

There she was in all her glory.

El, rising to her wobbling knees; the sound of Y/n's broken cries and gasping pleas for help that broke through her subconscious mind had been the final push of adrenaline she needed.

Like Y/n, El's grew from deep within as she pulled herself to her feet, arms outstretched. Steadily, Billy's body was pulled off of Y/n's until even his toes had left the ground. He was pulled far away from the young girl's body as El circled him, once again placing herself in between the Mind Flayer and the girl she couldn't lose.

Will took the advantage El had bought for them and closed the remaining gap, collapsing at Y/n's side. He breathed a sigh at unimaginable relief when he saw her chest moving with labored breaths. She was alive. Hoisting Y/n's bloodied head into his folded legs, he returned his worried sights to El just in time to see her give a great roar, hurling her clawed hands to the side and watching as Billy was thrown through the brick wall in an explosion of dust.

El's knees buckled beneath her, and she collapsed to the ground in exhaustion beside Y/n's limp body. Mike rushed to her side, steadying her arms and looking on with pooling eyes at his waking friend.

Y/n lays in Will's arms on the grounds of the cracked and broken sauna floor, her bloodshot eyes popping out of her skull as she coughs and chokes on what air she hopes to regain. Strenuous marks circle her throat from where she was previously held captive, and specks of blood drip from the back of her skull onto Will's leg. The others begin to crowd around in worry and fear as they jump in to help.

Will cradles her head softly, brushing away the stray hairs from her face as he weeps, desperately wanting to ease her pain though he does not know how. He's doomed to watch her lay suffering, her wails of anguish are strained and hoarse from the Mind Flayer's grip. A similar, deathly grip squeezed the hearts of the rest as they watched her suffer.

With flooded eyes, Will leans down and plants a shaky kiss on her forehead before resting his own against it. Her left hand comes to wrap around his wrist as it still holds her head in place. He breaks away to examine her once more, the puffiness of her swollen cheeks had already subsided a great deal but it was clear she was still in pain. Trembling, she looks out to each of them, her eyes watery and thankful. Reaching out her other hand, it finds El's, and they both let out a sob knowing the other was okay. Each sniffle tore right through his heart, and as if asking for help he looks up at his friends hoping for answers.

But they all stare at her, glassy-eyed and frozen, and that's when it dawns on them; Billy. Each of them, Will included, look frantically to the broken brick wall through which he was thrown. Everyone apart from the young couple on the ground rushed to see the young man, singed and bleeding making his escape into the trees far across the field and into the squalling storm.

Will's gaze is torn back to his lap when he feels Y/n begin to rise. Eagerly, and without hesitation, he helps Y/n to sit up. Tracks of thick tears stream down her face, cleaning her bloodied and dirtied cheeks in their path. His hand finds a home on her back, reflexively trying to run soothing circles into her muscles but she immediately whimpers, flinching. Her back had taken most of the damage, which he realized was preferable to her skull. But still, a plethora of apologies spilled from his lips, his eyes are filled with nothing but worry and heartbreak.

Y/n takes a moment to steady herself, the blood rushing to her head combined with the powerful forces inside her still hard at work as they desperately try to repair the gash in her head. She tries to smile, silently telling him it was okay, but it hardly showed. But Will still knew.

As she attempts to stand - one arm hooked around his shoulder, the other over Lucas's - the energy drains from her quicker than anything she had felt in a long while and when she blinks she realises she is resting her head on Will's shoulder.

Her sobs are weak and drawn out in her taxed state, yet they still demand to be heard even buried in Will's chest. The pain of seeing her this way makes him feel as if he has been torn in two, and yet worse, he knows it's dwarfed in comparison to whatever she is enduring. All he can do is hold her close, and hold her gently, assuring her safety.

Will wishes more than anything to take her pain away, and how cruel of fate to deprive him of this.

With the aid of Will and Lucas, Y/n hobbled to the gaping hole in the brick where Billy had disappeared. Her shoulders rose and fell as she attempted even know to even her breathing, her haunted glare stretching out across the dark and stormy night where the Mind Flayer had made his second escape.

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

"The girl, was it her?"

Heather's voice cuts through the silence is Brimborne as she sat opposite Billy.

"Yes," he answers with a hiss, eyes darting to the handprints seared into his skin. "Yes it was her, and she knows now. She knows about me. They both do."

Heather's hand and the cool wet handkerchief it holds reaches for his blistered wrists but finds her own entrapped in an instant but neither of them blink.

"She could have killed me." He asserted.

"Yes," she says. "But not us."

She looks out onto the darkened sea of the warehouse, where the very rot of the Mind Flayer had seeded and spread and multiplied. And the numbers were still climbing. Waiting, out in the shadows for their noble sacrifice to the monster of flesh bone known as the Mind Flayer.

Or more specifically, the Mind Flayer's army.

"Not us."

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

MN Teen Activists:

Instagram link in comments or @/mnteenactivists

MN Uprising: also posting protest/rally info from across the U.S

Twitter link in comments or @/MnUprising

Instagram link in comments or @/mnuprising

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wrenhyperfixates · 4 years

Text

No Cause For Alarm

Pairing: Loki x reader Summary: Loki blames himself when you get hurt on a mission. Thor is convinced that the only way to ease his guilt is for him to confess his feelings for you, so he and Peter hatch a plan to get Loki to do just that. Warnings: none I think; a little angst but mainly fluff

Disclaimer: Gif not mine

Loki paced in the waiting area of the hospital wing, anxiously awaiting when the doctor would come out with some information on you. His heart was pounding in his chest, living in the moment of the accident. You’d been on a mission together, supposedly just for reconnaissance, but before long you had to engage in combat. Not that you hadn’t been prepared for things to go that way, per se; it was just overwhelming. Naturally, anytime one spends in the field should be trademarked by a preparedness for things to go south. It's just that your intel had been off, or else the enemy agents had been alerted you were coming. There was supposed to be five guys, max, and only two of them there for muscle. Instead, you were met with nearly thirty burly men, all armed with guns. Though you could protect yourself, you were terribly outnumbered. Loki had done his best to protect you against the impossible odds, but he had failed. And now you were hurt.

“How are they?” he asked as soon as the doctor appeared, fear creeping into his voice.

“They’re going to be fine. The left leg is broken,” they replied, showing Loki the x-ray. “It should heal in about two months.”

“With checkups, of course? To make sure it’s healing properly?” Loki questioned, concerned for your recovery, not even realizing how much he was overreacting.

“Yes. And as I’m sure you know, the Tower is fully handicap-accessible, so you don’t need to worry about them getting around.”

“Good. May I go in and see them?”

The doctor gave him the all clear and pointed in the direction of your room. He hesitated a second before knocking on the door, afraid you’d be angry or disappointed with him. Currently, he felt both of those things toward himself, and he certainly deserved that and much worse after what happened to you.

“Come in,” you called, voice muffled by the door.

“Hello,” he said in a soft voice after slowly pushing open the door. “I am certain I am the last person you want to see right now, but I have to tell you how sorry I am.”

“Loki,” you laughed, an amused smile making its way on your face, though you were trying hard to suppress it. “Cut the doom and gloom. I’m fine, it’s just a broken leg. I’ve been through worse.”

“That may very well be, but this is my fault.”

“No, it’s not. Don’t do that to yourself,” you argued, more distressed by his emotional conflict than your physical pain. “This was the fault of those Hydra agents, whose, I might add, asses we absolutely whooped!”

Loki couldn’t understand your upbeat attitude, but it gave him enough courage to go to your bedside rather than lurking by the door. He knelt down next to you and rested his head on the bed. You played with his hair as you waited for him to say that he forgives himself, ready to reassure him again that it wasn’t his fault. The way you were methodically braiding and unbraiding a few locks of his hair helped him focus on calming down.

“I should have protected you,” he whispered, unable to let the notion go.

“But you did protect me, Loki,” you responded gently, cupping his face. “You did.”

“Ok,” he said after a shaky breath. “If that is what you truly believe, then I will drop it.”

Though he relented, you could still see the remorse in his eyes. He knew you didn’t want him tearing himself apart over this, but he couldn’t help it.

“Good,” was all you whispered, not wanting to upset either of you any further.

Loki opened his mouth to say something else to you, but it was drowned out by Thor’s thundering voice as he burst into the room. Peter followed behind him and they were both carrying balloons and other get-well gifts for you.

“Greetings!” Thor boomed. “How are you feeling?”

Loki hurriedly stood up, not wanting to be caught in this intimate moment with you, regardless of the fact that his brother already knew how he felt. He’d done his best to hide it, but the God of Thunder noticed his longing glances sent your way. According to Thor, you felt the same way, but it was just based on observations he made. Without verbal confirmation from you, Loki would never believe it. After all, why would you like him of all people?

“Pretty good, all things considered,” you answered, shifting your position as much as you could.

“Make sure you take it easy, though,” Peter cautioned, knowing how hyper-active you could be. “You don't want to hurt it more.”

“I know, I know. Jeez, you all need to lighten up.”

You continued to talk with your new visitors and Loki snuck away as to avoid the bright atmosphere that clashed with his gloomy one. Thor noticed and followed him out, stopping him in the hall.

“Brother,” he asked, putting a hand on his shoulder, “what is the matter?”

“They will not admit it, but it is my fault that they are injured.”

“I have already read the mission report, and that is not what happened. You are just thinking this way because of your feelings for them.”

“Don’t patronize me, brother,” he said, jerking away. “You were not there. You do not know what happened.”

“Perhaps if you confessed your feelings, this guilt could clear up.”

“Enough, Thor. Please. Leave me alone.”

Loki stalked off to his room to brood in silence. How could everyone else be so flippant toward such a grave matter? Though, he supposed he did do everything in his power to keep you safe. Still, it wasn’t enough. He resolved to make it up to you any way you would allow. Later, he would go back to your room to take care of you, but right now he knew the best thing to do was stay away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A little over a week later, Loki was still doting on you, though you had almost convinced him that your current predicament was not his fault in the slightest. To be honest, you were a little overwhelmed by the attention he was giving you and wished he’d ease up a little.

“Honestly, Loki, don’t worry. I can handle it,” you chided when he put his arms out as if to catch you when you’d barely even stumbled. “I have the hang of it.”

“I am sure that you do, but one can never be too careful,” Loki scolded right back.

Both of you glared at each other for a minute before laughing. You knew he meant well, and he was doing his best to relax a little, so you shrugged it off.

“I guess you’re right. And, it’s nice to know that if I do fall, you’ll be there to catch me.”

Then you took the weight off your crutches and tipped toward him. Immediately, his arms shot back out and encompassed your body, pressing you to his strong chest. You relaxed against him as he hugged your frame tightly.

Meanwhile, across the room, Thor was watching the scene with sorrow. He was about ready to punch a wall when you laughed at something his brother whispered in your ear. It frustrated him to no end that Loki would not admit how he truly felt. For the love of all things good, you could not have more obviously returned his affections.

“Mr. Thor, are you ok?” Peter asked, wondering why the blonde god was standing off to the side, clenching his fists and muttering to himself.

“No. Can you keep a secret, spiderchild?”

“Absolutely,” he replied, wide-eyed.

“See, it is about Loki,” Thor whispered, leaning in conspiratorially and nodding toward where he was standing with you. “Look over there. They are in love, but they will not admit it!”

“Well, what if we created a situation that brings them so close together, they have to?”

“An intriguing idea. But what situation would that be?”

Peter started racking his brain, casually leaning back to rest against the wall. The only problem was he misjudged the distance and ended up flailing for something to grab onto as he fell back. Thor went to help him, but moved too late, and Peter somehow managed to pull the fire alarm.

“Spiderchild you’re a genius!” Thor shouted over the blaring siren.

“Oh, yeah. I meant to do that,” Peter said with a nervous laugh.

Knowing there was no real danger, the pair stayed and watched as Loki scooped you up in his arms and took off towards the nearest exit. They followed him down the levels of the Tower, eventually being met with a mob of people trying to flee the building. About halfway down, Loki teleported to safety with you, nervous that there would be too many people to get you out in time. By the time Peter and Thor stepped outside, the alarms had been shut off and Tony was talking to you and Loki.

“Are you sure there’s no danger?” they heard you inquire as they neared the spot where you were standing.

“No fires detected,” F.R.I.D.A.Y responded through the tablet in Tony’s hand.

“No malfunctions either. Someone tripped it manually,” Tony added, pointing at the offending alarm on the system map he was looking at.

Thor and Peter halted their progress toward you, and began to turn around. Not before Loki had spotted them, though.

“Were not the two of you standing by this location?” he asked as everyone else was told it was safe to return to the building.

“Uh, I don’t know,” Peter faked, thinking quick. “That’s kind of a confusing map.”

Thor agreed with Peter and, when it was obvious they weren’t going to say anything else, Loki magicked the group back up to the spot where they had been. After setting you on a chair for a second, he went to retrieve your crutches, which you had abandoned during your escape.

“Oh, this alarm,” Peter said in his best shocked tone. “I guess we may have been in the general vicinity.”

“Yes, it really was very hard to tell on that tablet,” Thor added.

“Honestly tell me, did you guys set it off?” Tony interrogated them, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I need to know for safety reasons.”

“Yes,” they sighed, finally telling the truth.

“But it was by accident,” Peter added. “Kind of.”

“What do you mean ‘kind of’ spiderling?” Loki asked with growing suspicion.

And then Thor realized that the only situation that would make them own up to their feelings was to call them out on it. So, he told the story of how he and Peter were scheming and ended up triggering the alarm. Tony walked away, muttering about how he was the only sane one in the whole Tower. Loki, on the other hand, was partly furious, partly amused. You, however, were mainly just the latter.

“Listen, it’s a sweet gesture, but an unnecessary one,” you told them.

“It is true. You see, I have already confessed my love.”

Peter happily gasped and started clapping his hands while Thor’s jaw dropped. He stood there for a minute before Loki’s words sank in. Once the surprise wore off, he grabbed Loki in a bear-hug, then gave you a considerably gentler one, being mindful of your injury.

“This is wonderful news, brother! But why did you not tell me?” he asked with sad puppy-dog eyes.

“It is a recent development.”

“Yeah. We were going to tell everyone at dinner tomorrow,” you contributed.

“See Mr. Thor, it’s all good. And now we can celebrate.”

“Indeed! We can have a party tonight,” Thor excitedly said, already making preparations in his mind.

“Not so fast, Thor,” Loki interjected. “It is lovely that we are all happy, yes, but you must stop meddling in my personal life.”

Then he scooped you up and swept you away from the room before Thor had the chance to argue. He should have stuck around, though, because there was no one to stop Thor from beginning to plan your wedding.

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percywinchester27 · 3 years

Text

A lot like ‘Us’: Separation

Word count: 1.6K

Pairing: Sam X Reader AU

Warnings: Mentions of multiple deaths, feels, fluff

Series Summary: Y/N Y/L/N is eager and honestly, still in awe that she managed to get herself an acceptance from Stanford Law School. On the face of it, her life seems as put together, mysterious and independent as one might hope for. On the insides, she carries the burden of past that haunts her till date. Seemingly, she’d left it all behind; that is until she sets foot in the class of the Law School’s youngest, most promising professor.

A/N: This timestamp takes place before the first chapter of the series. I wrote it for myself, because it’s a snapshot of their lives that demanded to be fleshed out.

The present timeline for the story takes place in 2014.

A lot like ‘Us’ masterlist

29th August 2014

Sam simply had to look away. He couldn’t bear to see the pictures Stacey had put in front of him.

“Why’re we doing a homicide, again?” Chase asked, face screwed up. He didn’t want to see the horrifying images either.

Stacey pursed her lips. “Sam had told me he’d like to be informed if something similar to… you know... if something like this ever pops up.”

Sam had told her that. She was only doing what she’d been asked.

“So, what’s the deal?” Sam motioned with a tilt of his head towards the photos on his desk.

“Victor Parker, 37 and Alicia Parker, 32, were found murdered at their San Jose home yesterday. They are survived by a 5 year old boy John.”

“What happened?” Chase’s curiosity got the better of him.

“Burglary gone wrong, or so the cops are saying. The resemblance of the crime scene was all too uncanny. I had to tell you.”

Stacey wasn’t wrong. The way the bodies were splayed- just like Simmons.

“Where’s the boy?” Sam’s fingers scratched against the etching on his pen. A nervous tick he had developed over the years when he started feeling the panic.

“In the hospital, fighting for his life. The assholes shot everyone. Little John got it twice. The surgeons removed the bullets, but there’s been a lot of internal bleeding.”

Sam flinched, closing his eyes.

Chase got up from the chair. “What’re we going to do about this? We’re lawyers not law enforcement or miracle workers.” He turned to the girl before him. “Stace, darling, c’mon. There’s nothing we can do for the poor boy. We work private law jobs and this is the DA’s territory.”

Stacey pushed her hair behind her ear, distressed. “Sam, you okay?”

“Sam?”

“Hmm?” He looked up, fingers sweaty against the obsidian in his hand.

She looked like something had just occurred to her. “Wait… Wasn’t your dad’s name John? Oh, Sam, I’m so sorry if I brought something up.”

He shook his head. “No, I’m okay. It’s not that.”

It wasn’t. His parent’s death had been a grave tragedy, but it affected Dean a hell lot more than it had ever affected Sam. He had always been sheltered, protected and loved by a brother who was his entire family.

Sam let out a long breath. “Call the PD and check with them which hospital they’ve put John in, will you?”

“On it!”

He watched Stacey hurry out of his office.

Chase gave him an apprehensive glance then walked out of the cabin, too. He wasn’t wrong about what he’d said earlier. There was nothing Sam could do. Max’s case was a one off. Ralph Simmons had been a client to Johnson’s before, so Max was by default on the firm’s radar. These murders were only a news report. Even though Sam couldn’t be legal help, he could always be monetary help. It’s why he’d asked Stacey to keep a look out. If there was anything Sam could do for little John, he would.

The glass door opened, and his secretary stepped in.

“Stace?”

Her lower lip quivered before she put her face in her hands. “Just heard from the Hospital. He passed, Sam. That little boy didn’t make it.”

******

“Mr. Winchester, can I offer you something? A glass of water, perhaps?” The principal asked him, casting a side eye at the other teacher.

“No, thank you,” Sam whispered. “I just want to see my son.”

“I have to tell you, this is very irregular. We usually don’t pull out kids from their classes. Is something wrong?”

He closed his eyes and said the words with deliberation. “Nothing is wrong. I’d just like to take my son home early. Will that be a problem?”

The principal gestured to the teacher, who Sam now realised was Max’s class in-charge. She shrugged. “Sure. There’s just an hour of school left for the year. You can take him home.”

When Max shuffled into view outside, through the office’s blinders, he looked small and confused, brown eyes flitting nervously. It was all Sam could do not to fall on his knees and hug him to his chest.

Max’s eyes went round with worry as he read Sam’s. Kid just always knew.

With shaking legs, Sam made his way out and clutched Max’s shoulder. He would have picked his boy up, but the fear of collapsing kept him from doing that.

“Come,” he said quietly, placing a hand against Max’s back.

Max followed without a question, climbing in the passenger’s seat.

Sam drove the rest of the way doing his best not to break down. His eyes kept tearing up and he rolled them up each time to stop the threatening tears from spilling.

Once home, he discarded his coat and sat Max down on the sofa. The packed suitcase, along with Max’s backpack stood right next to it.

“Stay here, let me fix you something to eat, okay?”

Sam’s kitchen was open, he could see Max from where he was standing in front of the stove. The eggs broke unevenly and the whisk shook in his hands. Next time that Sam’s eyes flitted to the sofa, it was empty.

“Max? Max!” He yelled.

“Right here!” Max was sitting on the kitchen island right behind, feet tucked under him.

“I told you to stay right there on the sofa!”

Max dropped his shoulders. “You’re spooking me out, you know?”

Sam was taken aback.

“Look,” Max sighed. “If you don’t want me to go, I won’t go, okay? It’s not that big a deal.”

Closing his eyes, Sam leaned back against the counter next to Max. “It’s not that. I… Well, I had a rough day at work.”

“What happened?”

He wasn’t sure how to put it to Max, but he sure as hell couldn’t lie to him.

“You don’t want to tell me,” Max huffed.

“Something very sad happened today,” Sam breathed. “And I just… I couldn’t take it-” his voice broke. “I couldn’t breathe another minute without seeing you, knowing you were okay.”

Max was silent for a moment, then he spoke through pressed lips. “You look funny. Bad funny. You wanna sit down?”

Sam gulped once and pulled himself on top of the counter next to Max.

His house wasn’t big, but it sure felt cavernous when Max went over to Jody’s for the night sometimes. One whole month. How was he supposed to live?

“Your hands are shaking,” Max said in his sweet, ringing voice. “Sam, you’re scaring me.”

First rule of parenting, don’t let your kid see you fall apart, Dean’s words came back to Sam.

He ran his hand over his face- it must’ve been white- not knowing what to say to Max.

“I’m not going to the camp,” Max announced.

“No. You should go. Your aunt Jo would butcher me with one of her fancy knives if you don’t show up now. I’ll be fine.”

The boy next to him didn’t look convinced. Max saw right through him with those sharp eyes. “You’re bluffing. And I thought you were the best lawyer in the world.”

“All kids think their parents are infallible.”

Max snorted. Sam turned to look at him.

“You’re infallible, alright, but you’re also stupid!”

“What?”

Little brown fingers grabbed Sam’s hand, stealing eyes. “It’s just a camp.”

“But you want to go, right?”

Max didn’t say anything. Sam knew he’d been dying to go to that mechanics camp his uncle Dean had suggested. It would mean cars, tools and dinners with his aunt and uncle on the weekends. Dean and Jo were looking forward to this, too. They had their own kid on the way and Jo loved Max. Much like Sam, it was second nature to her to keep looking at the roads and door and be disappointed each time when the person she was hoping to see never showed. Sam couldn’t disappoint her.

“I’ve never been away from you for more than a day since you moved in with me. I wouldn’t know what to do with my days.” Or life for that matter.

Max smirked. “Uncle Chase keeps asking you to have fun. So have fun.”

Chase’s definition of fun was very different from Max’s. Sam wasn’t interested.

“You call me everyday, you hear me?” Sam said through a thick throat. “You miss a day and I’ll haul your ass back all the way from Kansas. I won’t care if the camp counsellor says no. I can throw hands.”

Max gave him a very slow once over then snickered. “No one’s dumb enough to fight you.”

Sam couldn’t stop himself. He threw his hands around the little boy, engulfing him completely. “I’m going to miss you so damn much, son.”

“Can’t. Breathe.” Came the muffled words. Sam eased the grip.

“I’ll miss you, too, Dadda.”

Thirty-one days. Sam could do it. Monday was the orientation lecture for the new class of Stanford Law. A fresh batch. Sam was supposed to teach Civil Procedure. That would keep him plenty busy. Submissions, hypos, presentations. He could take over extra cases at work, make more trips to LA to check on the boys home. The month would be in and out and before he knew it, his kid, the light of his days, would be back to bouncing on his couch and reading on the kitchen counter.

Max yawned against Sam’s stomach.

Yeah he could survive. After all, what could possibly happen in thirty-one days.

********

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