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luveline · 1 year

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For the Steve zombie au, may i request r and Steve’s friends getting to know each other? Maybe they’re all eating together and r realizing she can trust these people and Steve is just so happy they all get along?

thank you for your request my love! steve zombie!au | fem!reader ♥︎ 1.2k

You're majorly surprised that Steve would be friends with Jonathan Byers. It probably seems like old news given the apocalyptic circumstances, but you remember the epic and tragic bumps of their love triangle. Nancy bouncing between them, and the eventual messy breakup.

You're unsure if Steve knows you'd been there that night at the Halloween party. His Risky Business costume had actually done a lot to humanise him when you first met him again in the early days, and he'd been a total jerk. He'd say something cruel and you'd remember his sunglasses and his chicken dancing and get over it.

You're not in the early days anymore. Months of hiking and fighting and zombies and, amazingly, falling in love. Steve would kick the shit out of anyone if they talked to you the way he had, and his apology for being such a grump comes everyday and in new ways.

He has his hand between your thighs, fingertips stroking circles up toward your knee.

"No, man, I'm serious, it was a shit show! First you, then Hargrove," he's saying, stomach digging into the table's edge with his enthusiasm. "Good thing, though, my ego was dead and gone when I needed to be humble."

Jonathan snorts, picking through his cards with a concentrated frown. "I'm still sorry."

"I don't want you to be sorry. I was a dick."

"Yeah, but we were seventeen. Everyone's a dick at seventeen."

You're having a hard time distrusting him, or any of Steve's friends, considering they're the ones who fought to get you back. They walked miles in the dark and the cold to save you, and bring you back to the community. If it weren't for them, you wouldn't be tucked into Steve's side, eyeing his cards and whispering instructions. Nobody's given you shit for it, while it's pretty much cheating, and you know why — there's a resounding feeling of pity wrapped around you.

You still have all the cuts and scrapes of your kidnapping. The scratches on your face have barely scabbed over, your wrists still sore and torn. It's a constant reminder. You try not to look at them.

Pity comes with a good helping of care, though.

"Hey," Robin says, bounding into the town hall with a smile. "Where is everybody?"

"We're early."

"Oh. Well, I got more cards," she says, brandishing a fresh pack, plastic wrapped and everything, "Cooper didn't wanna give 'em to me, but I told him the cards club got a bunch of new members. Hopefully he doesn't come tonight."

She pauses. "Can I sit here?"

You nod emphatically. She can do whatever she likes as far as you're concerned. She'd been there for Steve while you were gone, and she's come to find you too. You're starting to realise that your suspicion of her had been unfounded. For the two weeks you'd slept in her room, you'd stayed up sick with nerves thinking she was gonna stab you in your sleep. It's kind of hard to believe she'd bother these days.

Plus, you desperately want to like Robin. She's funny, and smart, and she has a really nice voice. You could listen to her talk about movies for hours, and you would, because Steve could do it too, though he's far more opinionated than you are.

"Thank you," she says. "I got something for you."

You sit up from Steve's side, trying your best to look like a functioning person rather than his pathetic clinger. "What?"

"Yeah, I got this bio-oil from the medic station for your face. I mean, don't get me wrong, you'd look cool with a scar, but I thought maybe that should be up to you. And this," she says, putting the bio-oil and a white packet down in front of you. "Steve said you liked the first one."

It's a small bar of Hershey's Cookies 'n' Creme. You stare at the two items, lost for words, and then you decide you have to be brave even if it's a little awkward, and even if you're still scared of things going wrong.

"You didn't have to get these for me, Robin," you say.

"I wanted to."

You slide across the bench you're sitting on slowly, so she has time to move away. "Thank you," you say, and hold your arms out for a hug.

She looks startled but happy, and is quick to accept your offering. "You're welcome," she says, arms crossing behind your back.

You nod and pull away, giving her a genuine, if guilty smile.

Just as you realise Steve has been listening, Jonathan tries to save him, roping him back into conversation. You miss his hand on your leg and consider asking for it back, and you really wish he'd stop the game altogether so you can hide under his arm again. You've been feeling rightfully fragile since you got back. Touching him makes it go away.

But you're not a loser. Robin's breaking the seal on the new pack of cards, and you're really good at card games after so many nights alone with Steve, who's really bad at them.

"You know gin rummy?" you ask her.

"I do not," she says, with an air of grandness, her smile unmissable. "I'm a quick study."

"Robs, don't let her teach you," Steve butts in, "she'll teach you how to play, but she won't teach you how to play well."

"I only taught you badly 'cause I was mad at you," you say, rolling your eyes.

"What?"

"Yeah, it was after we got stuck inside that taco truck, and you said I sound like a dying cat when I sing, even though you're the one who asked me to sing in the first place."

He chuckles easily at the memory. "Oh, yeah. God, I'm sorry, you were still sick from that bad water and your throat was all raw."

He does you the service of kissing your cheek.

"I'm sorry," he says again. "I was mean."

"I don't buy it. That's a fake apology," Robin says.

You burst into giggles as Steve gasps with indignation, and Jonathan lays his cards out flat on the table.

"I win," he says.

Steve, despite your ganging up on him, and Jonathan's poorly timed victory, doesn't seem upset at all. He's smiling one of his more secret smiles, the kind you had to dig long and hard to find, and his hand feels like love as he takes up station on your thigh again. He squeezes three times.

You cover his hand briefly with your own, rubbing the fine hairs on the back of his fingers, before turning your attention to Robin completely.

"I'm gonna make you a champion," you promise.

#steve zombie!au #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x you #steve harrington x y/n #steve harrington #stranger things x reader #stranger things fic #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington fanfic #steve harrington fanfiction #stranger things #stranger things 4

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countrymusiclover · 1 year

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3 - Cooper Girls and Boys

Part 4

The Texas Tire Family

Tags - @supernaturalgirl30 @bvbwestfall @bubble-blu @patriciaplictisita

Parking in the driveway I got out of the truck following my husband into the house we had bought near the old Cooper house. Shutting the front door behind I removed my coat seeing him grab a beer from the fridge. “Georgie we need to talk about what you said to Sheldon."

"No we don't honey. You saw what it was like growing up with him. He needs to learn what it is like to not get everything he wants in life." He sat his beer down, sending me an annoyed look from over his shoulder.

Slumping my shoulders I tilted my head to the side a little. Moving into the living room I run a hand through my hair. "That may be true but he's still your little brother. You shouldn’t still treat him mean."

"You don't have a sibling Y/n. You wouldn't understand. Do you want a drink?" He asked sitting down on the couch beside me taking a long sip of his beer.

The night after George Sr passed away everything changed for us. Mary became broken as did Connie/Meemaw. Sure his brother was a pain but that didn't give him the freedom to help make him happy. "No, I don't want a beer. Now I may not understand entirely what it was like since I was an only child. But it still doesn’t make it right to be mean to him when you’re both grown adults.”

“Urgh you’re sounding like my father right now! And is it really so bad to get what he wants? I mean sure when the girls were younger we couldn’t give them everything. But now we can, so in a way we taught them to work hard to earn something.”

Georgie sat his beer on the table turning to face me with a heavy grumble under his breath. “That’s true, I just got frustrated when he barged into the store demanding that we do exactly what he wants like he’s a king.”

“It’s not right, that's for sure. But we had our fill of a rude teenager with Missy and Rora whining all the time.” Laying my head on his shoulder he draped his arm over my shoulder playing with my hair.

He turned his head kissing my forehead before his phone vibrated in his pocket so he answered it. He pressed the phone to his ear. “Hey baby girl. Yeah…yeah we’ll come.” He hangs up the end of the phone getting to his feet.

“The girls?” I asked to get to my feet with him grabbing the truck keys once he gave me a nod yes. The drive was silent where I rested my chin in the palm of my hand looking out the window.

Coming through the back door of the Cooper house I heard Missy blaring her music from her brother's old room. Walking down the hallway I knocked on her door where she flung it opened. “What do you want, Y/n!”

“Miss, are you alright? I’ve never heard you blaring your music like this before.” I asked, hooking my fingers in the belt loops of my jeans.

She rolled her eyes, stomping her foot on the ground. “It’s just a middle school drama why do you care anymore? You don’t have to deal with it anymore.”

“Because we’re friends and now family too. So don’t think that I can’t be here for you-“ I cut myself off hearing a loud commotion from the kitchen with Aurora and baby Evelyn.

Missy crossed her arms over her chest scoffing back. “You better go be mommy. Looks like you have more important girls to take care of.”

“That isn’t true, Missy. I am still here for you-“ Whipping my head around Aurora and Eve just started screaming at the top of their lungs where it was really hard to ignore them. “Give me one second.”

Running towards the kitchen Missy slammed the door closed yelling down the hallway. “Now you’re choosing babies over me!”

Picking up Eve I bounced her on my knee getting her to fall asleep in my arms a second before the back door got opened where I saw Georgie. “Hey little Evie. You havin’ fun with mommy.”

“Hey, can you watch them for a second? I need to talk with your sister.” Handing Eve to him I ran down the hall happy that once she stopped crying then Aurora did too. “Missy, Missy open the door. Please, I can talk now.”

“Oh really you pawn the kids off on my brother. Just so you can attempt to help me-“ I cut her off throwing my hands up in the air.

“Missy, just stop it. Okay how about we go take a ride in my truck. Because we’ve gotta talk.” I told her to turn on my heels and head outside. She got in the passenger seat in the front huffing with her arms crossed. “Alright Melissa. We are taking a drive and I want you to tell me what is going on.”

The drive was short until we ended up parked outside a Dairy Queen when I put the truck in park shifting in my seat to my sister in law. “Marcus tried to ask me out again even though he broke my heart. Why do boys have to be such idiots and makes us feel dumb.”

“Don’t worry, Missy. When you’re older you will find a guy who treats you right. And worse comes to worst you can always throw a baseball at his head like I did your brother once.” I chuckled hearing her smile giving me a side hug.

Georgie and I decided to grab some food inside the mall and just told the girls to meet us where we were eating. Taking a bite out of my pizza slice I heard footsteps coming towards us with Eve quickly picking up her skateboard giggling. “Rora likes a boy. Rora likes a boy.”

“Ugh Eve just shut up. I don’t like anyone.” Aurora came and sat down beside me laying her head on the table trying to hide when there was a group of boys for their school walking in our direction.

Glancing over my shoulder with some of my hair falling over my eyes there was a boy with blonde curly hair that smiled in our direction. “Hmm he is cute, Aurora. Should go say hi to him.”

“No! No she should not!” Georgie hit his fists on the table making me and Aurora both send him a look. “What I thought about my sister and boys was weird. So it’s extremely weird when it is my own daughter.”

Eve hit the table with her hands singing to just annoy her older sister. “Aurora likes a boy. Aurora likes a boy!”

“I’m going to kick your butt, Evelyn!” She threw some fires at her where they started having a food fight like they were five again.

Raising my voice I started scolding them until my phone went off. “Girls enough we are in public. No food fights…uh hi…oh my god Missy!”

“What does she want?” Her brother asked to take another bite out of his piece of pizza with a raised brow towards me.

Holding the phone to my ear I was grinning so big that we still had a close connection to each other. Even though we had our fights when I was having to help raise her I still love the Cooper girl’s company. “She’s coming home for a little bit. She wants to spend time with the girls.”

“Aunt Missy!” Aurora and Eve both squealed pausing their food fight super excited.

Comments really appreciated ❤️

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keldae · 5 months

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On a small college campus, it didn't take long for rumours to start flying. Naturally, Jonas was the instigator of such things – a little word to Mako that his roommate was seeing a pretty girl, and it became campus news.

Somehow, Xaja didn't notice this.

If she'd been aware of the rumours starting to swirl around her dorm, perhaps she would have been a little less eager to go visit her cute neighbour across the hall. But in her moment of panic, her dismayed screech stifled as her laptop bluescreened, her mind went fairly blank.

“Shit!” Kira exclaimed as she eyed her roommate's computer and the Blue Screen Of Death. “Weren't you in the middle of a paper, too?”

“Yes,” Xaja all but wailed. “And it's the one for Doctor Shan. Fuck me, I need this thing functioning!”

Kira had a thought of someone else who'd probably appreciate that particular invitation more, but kept it to herself. Xaja wouldn't appreciate the teasing about their cute neighbour while in such a moment of panic. “‘Kay, we have a couple neighbours across the hall who are in computer science. Hopefully one of them is home.”

“God, I hope so,” Xaja groaned, unplugging her malfunctioning laptop and getting to her feet. She hurried out of her and Kira's room, knocking frantically on Theron and Jonas’ door. Please, one of you be home… and please, neither of you with ‘company’... She had no interest in interrupting Jonas if he was in the middle of ‘entertaining’ a girl, and the mere idea of Theron being with someone else made a spark of jealousy bloom in her chest.

The door cracked open, and Theron himself poked his head out, confusion in his amber eyes. A second later, he smiled. “Hey there. What's up?”

“Oh, thank God you're here!” Xaja quickly said. “Help!”

Theron's brow creased in a frown. “What's up–?” Xaja turned her bluescreened computer to face him, and his eyes widened. “Oooh shit. Okay, yeah, I can probably fix this. Gimme.” He took the laptop out of Xaja's hands and retreated into the room, holding the door open for her to follow him inside. “Take a seat, this might take a while. Sorry about the mess.”

“I can excuse almost any mess,” Xaja said, relief making her knees weak as she took a seat on the bed Theron pointed to. “I've got two younger brothers, and you're saving my sanity along with my computer.”

Theron shot her a grin. “Okay, yeah, you get it then. Hang tight.” He set the laptop down on his desk and quickly took a seat in front of it, pushing his own computer out of the way. “What were you doing when it died?”

“Working on a paper for the guest lecturer Professor Din brought in this week, and listening to music in the background,” Xaja answered, anxiously watching as Theron forced her computer to a hard restart. “Nothing too strenuous.” She looked up as the door to the shared bathroom opened and Jonas stepped out, yawning. “Hey,” she said in greeting.

Jonas paused, looking back and forth between Xaja and Theron. “Am I interrupting anything?” he asked, a slow grin on his face. “I can go…”

“Nothing like that,” Theron growled out, although Xaja noted his ears were starting to turn red. “I'm tech support today.” He pressed a key, booting into what Xaja thought was the BIOS of her laptop. “Okay, baby, what's going on with you…” he murmured.

“Tech support?” Jonas asked, tilting his head as he sat down on his bed.

“Blue Screen Of Death,” Xaja answered. “And I have a paper due tomorrow for Doctor Shan!” She didn't notice Theron do a slight double-take at the mention of the guest lecturer.

Jonas winced in sympathy. “Worst timing! Isn't she that guest speaker Professor Din brought in this week?”

“The very same,” Xaja confirmed. “And she's rewarding a bursary for the best paper, and I could really use that bursary…”

“No pressure,” Theron absently said, still fussing with the BIOS of Xaja's laptop. “I'll get your computer back up and cooperating. Don't you worry.”

“Pretty sure he'll put in a good word for you with Doctor Shan too,” Jonas added with a grin. “If he ever accepts that invitation of hers to go for lunch.”

Xaja paused, frowning. “Why would Doctor Shan be inviting you for lunch, Theron?”

Theron looked up from the laptop to scowl at Jonas (who just grinned cheerfully back), then sighed. “She, uh… she's my bio-mom.”

Xaja felt her eyes widen comically. “Doctor Shan is your mom?”

“What, you never connected ‘Theron Shan’ with ‘Doctor Satele Shan’?” Jonas asked with a smirk.

“In all fairness, ‘Shan’ is a super common name,” Theron pointed out. “And I don't think I look a ton like her.”

“Hmmm.” Xaja looked at Theron (or rather, at the back of his head and shoulders), putting the mental image of his face beside the memory of Doctor Shan's. “She mentioned she had a son attending here, but she didn't say it was you…”

“Our relationship is… complicated,” Theron admitted. “She didn't come back in the picture until I was in high school – my grandfather raised me. She was too busy with all her international work to do more than send birthday and Christmas gifts for most of my childhood.”

“... I feel like I just broached a sensitive subject,” Xaja slowly said. “Sorry – I didn't realize it was a touchy subject.”

Theron shrugged. “You didn't know. Don't get me started on my bio-dad – he didn't know I existed until last year.”

“That was a whole thing,” Jonas agreed. “Nice guy, your dad, but he low-key intimidates me. So does your mom, come to think of it. How did you not inherit ‘mildly intimidating’ from either of your parents?”

Theron flipped Jonas off without looking at him. “I swear I'll sign you up for some obscure fetish email list again.”

“Rude.” Jonas stood up, dramatically throwing a hand over his brow. “I can tell when I'm not wanted.”

“Unless you're helping fix this bluescreen,” Theron growled out, “kindly fuck off with your helpful commentary?”

“Fine, then I will. Maybe I'll go out for lunch with your mom instead.” Jonas pulled his shoes on and started heading for the door. “Since her only son doesn't seem interested in seeing her…”

“You are not going out for lunch with my mother!” Theron snapped. “Can't you go find a freshie to hit on or something?”

“You spoil all my fun,” Jonas complained. “Xaja, tell him he's a killjoy!”

“Don't you go dragging me into this!” Xaja yelped, looking back and forth between Jonas (who looked entirely too pleased with this situation) and Theron (who had turned to give Jonas a murderous glare).

“Come on,” Jonas cajoled. “Doctor Shan's hot, isn't she?”

“Theron's being nice enough to fix my computer,” Xaja retorted. “Of course I'm going to side with him – no hitting on his mom! Besides, Doctor Shan isn't my type.”

Theron twisted around in his chair to give Xaja a grin, one that made her heart race a little bit. “Knew I liked you for a reason,” he said, winking at her before turning back to the laptop.

Jonas dramatically sighed and sauntered toward the door. “You two are made for each other. I'm gonna go find something to do – have fun!”

Not wanting to admit how her heart sped up even more at Jonas’ comment about her and Theron being made for each other, Xaja watched as the other student left, then looked back at Theron. “If you decide to strangle him, I can help hide the body. I watch enough true crime shows...”

A snorted laugh came from the computer. “I'll bring the shovel and tarps, you get the ropes and scout out a good location to dump him. But the first priority is fixing your computer. We can plot murder after.”

Xaja grinned, then got up from Theron's bed, stealing Jonas’ desk chair and dragging it over to sit beside him. “Sorry if I'm interrupting your own studying with this.”

“Don't worry about it,” Theron quickly assured her. “I'd rather be doing you a favour than working on Doctor Trant's coding project.” He shot her a grin. “I still owe you one for letting me sleep on your floor the other week.”

“We're even now,” Xaja laughed. “At least until the next time Jonas kicks you out for the night.”

“Which will hasten his demise,” Theron muttered. “Okay, I'm going to run a couple of processes that'll take some time, but should recalibrate the glitch that gave you the BSOD…”

For a second, Xaja thought she could quite literally kiss Theron for fixing her computer. But wait, that would be entirely too forward of her to do that. He hadn't said anything that made her think he was interested in her in that way – and a handsome, charming, endearingly awkward guy like him? There was no way he was single. No, kissing him was entirely out of the question. So she instead settled for beaming at him. “You're a literal lifesaver, Theron. Thank you!”

The grin she got back sent butterflies rushing through her stomach. “Anytime.”

***

Jonas barely waited for Kira's “Yeah?” after he knocked on her door before letting himself into the room across the hall, inelegantly flopping into what had to be Xaja's desk chair. The taller redhead looked up from her textbook. “Theron gets to be the hero of the day? Or is he gonna make Xaja actually cry for her computer?”

“Theron's got an uncanny touch with making BSODs fix themselves. I'm sure he'll get Xaja's laptop fixed up. Maybe she'll kiss him out of gratitude and he'll figure out she likes him.” Jonas grinned impishly at Kira's snort. “I'm a closet romantic at heart, what can I say?”

“You're also delusional. I've known Xaja long enough to know she's so chicken with making moves on cute guys – and she definitely thinks he's cute.” Kira smirked. “Unless Theron charges for his tech support in kisses or dates, she'll never make a move on him.”

Jonas groaned. “And Theron doesn't want to girlfriend-zone a girl he likes as a friend, even if he's pining for her. Maybe I should threaten to hit on her if he doesn't make a move…”

“I think they'd both kill you,” Kira laughed. “I'll keep trying to encourage her to flirt with him. He can't be so oblivious that he misses a pretty girl hitting on him, right?”

“You haven't known Theron long enough if you think that.” Jonas sighed, then dug his phone out of his pocket and texted Thexan. <Can you be a creep for a second?>

Thexan's response came back a minute later. <Whyyyy…?>

<... You're asking me to go listen for sex noises from the bathroom? Are you for real?>

Thexan's response took a few minutes longer. <Invoked ‘older twin’ rights and made Arcann do it. He says ‘fuck you’, and also he heard nothing but Theron trying to explain computer shit to Xaja.>

Jonas sighed in annoyance at his oblivious (or chicken-shit) roommate. <Thanks.> That done, he looked up at Kira and shook his head. “Well, so much for leaving them alone. The twins didn't report anything happening that they heard.”

“You planning on just hanging out in here while waiting for those two to be done?” Kira asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

“Nope. I'm going to utilize some drastic measures.” Jonas stood back up. “Doctor Shan is still getting meals at the cafeteria with the rest of faculty, right?”

“Yeeeeeessss?” Kira slowly answered, tilting her head.

“Excellent.” Jonas grinned and turned for the door. “Don't tell Theron, but I'm gonna get his mom involved in this.”

“Doctor Shan is Theron's mom?” Kira blinked, then shrugged. “Yeah, okay, I can see it.” She looked over at Jonas as he started opening the door. “You know he's gonna kill you if he finds out, right?”

“What he doesn't know won't hurt me,” Jonas called back, waving over his shoulder and smirking as he left the room. “Toodles!"

“... Did you just say ‘toodles’?” Kira asked incredulously as the door closed behind Jonas, saving him from having to answer her. He chuckled, then started sauntering down the dorm hallway. Doctor Shan was a very diplomatic sort, from what he'd heard and seen of her. Maybe she could help drop Theron some subtle hints.

And if not… well, this would still be entertaining as hell for Jonas, and the rest of the dorm.

#kel writes #theron/xaja #swtor #college!AU #theron shan #xaja #jonas balkar #in which Jonas is not nearly as helpful as he pretends he is #but he definitely ships it #so does everyone else on campus #mutually pining idiots #xaja is oblivious #BSODS: unintentional wingmen

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izzielizzie · 2 years

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okay, so i just finished rereading oouin and omg i need to rant about the ending. like the book is really good and everything but the ending is ??????

like first of all: the bomb?? why is there a bomb it seriously came out of nowhere? and that jared jackson guy was rly random character imo, like he came out of nowhere basically, set off a bomb, then we never hear anything about him again?

then second of all nate, i dont even really know why nate was the one to get hurt by the bomb bc he wasn't really a major character? like it would have made sm more sense if it was maeve or knox??

then somehow, after getting hit by a bomb, nate is well enough to go to a wedding the NEXT DAY even though maeve literally says that the arboretum closes at 6 - so presumably the explosion took place much later than 6, so nate had surgery that night and then is just fine and let out of the hospital at what can only be a few hours later??

and then BRONWYN IN THE WEDDING SCENE. why was she so pissy when nate didn't want to dance?? like babes, your boyfriend literally got severely injured last night (protecting her as well) maybe he wants to rest?? seriously the whole book bronwyn was completely out of character and she really annoyed me.

oh my god hi i love this so much.

the bomb was so out of the blue?? like i completely forgot about all the threats bc they weren't touched on? like it was treated as something that just happens to eli and therefore not something to knox to worry about (as sad as it sounds). and jared is so random?? i just feel like this entire plot point came out of left field ngl.

nate did not need to be injured. knox getting his hero arc would have been better. maeve nearly dying after literally telling her sister a couple hours earlier that she was convinced that she wouldn't live past high school so she didn't get close to anyone would be so interesting.

again: when you get literal pieces of bomb shrapnel taken out of you, you are not well enough to go to a wedding the next morning. i wasn't even allowed out of the er when i dislocated my knee for at least twelve hours and that was not a surgery.

bronwyn was the worst at the wedding. if the guy doesn't want to dance then don't dance. go dance with your sister, or your friends, or heck go dance with your parents. i've danced with my dad at tens of weddings when i didn't have anyone else to dance with. and bron has great relationships with her parents that's totally plausible for her to do.

i've said this before and i'll keep saying it bc i'm mad: bronwyn did not need to be in the book at all. cooper was literally just in a different city and he didn't have major scenes. bronwyn was on a different coast. this book was maeve's book. the main couple was maeve and luis. not bronwyn and nate. it made sense for nate to have scenes, he's like maeve's brother. and he works for knox's dad. it made sense for addy to have scenes, her sister was getting married and she lives across the hall from phoebe. it made sense for kris to have a scene because he was watching his boyfriend's baseball game.

also bronwyn was kind of the worst to everyone. she kept telling maeve to apply to college even though maeve clearly has not had a normal high school experience and it might be hard for her to think about that right now. she judged addy for not being organized when the literal wedding planner was stuck in the hospital with her daughter (who had alcohol poisoning). she got mad at nate when he was kissed by jules even though he didn't willingly do that (he was assaulted!!) and bronwyn did willingly hang out with her ex boyfriend. and then she made maeve's cancer scare all about her. there was no reason for her to be upset with maeve for not telling her because maeve was scared out of her mind and she didn't want to hurt bronwyn.

i'm just so upset with the way bronwyn was written in oouin i wish her scenes were replaced with cooper.

#knox myers #phoebe lawton #maeve rojas #bronwyn rojas #nate macauley #cooper clay #addy prentiss #luis santos #kris (oou)#one of us is next #oouin

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rikumorimachisgirl · 3 years

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Title: Eyes on you

Pairing: Shaw x You

Genre: Fluff

Word count: 2,901

A/N: You (Y/N) are not the MC in MLQC. This is a plunny that's been bugging me for quite a while, I had to write it. I hope you like it.

Disclaimer: I do not own MLQC or its characters, but I do own the concept of this fic.

There were a few mysteries in this world that the esteemed Archeology Graduate Professors at Loveland University can't explain - for instance, the formation of the Stonehenge, the exact location of the lost city of Atlantis, the origin of the Nazca lines… and your presence at the Metro Art Gala dressed to the nines, positively gleaming as you strode arm in arm with your classmate and Thesis partner Shaw, who seemed like the perfect gentleman that evening. Thanks to your work at the Loveland Museum, you scored two invites to the gala featuring the recently discovered works of a well-known artist - an event any Archeology fanatic wouldn't let pass. The two of you walked along with LFG's Exhibition Hall, pausing occasionally to admire one of the recently discovered sculptures by the Renaissance artist D'Romani. As you both looked at the intricacies of the artwork in front of you, your charming companion would lean in slightly and whisper something in your ear, causing you to roll your eyes or stifle a giggle.

To the guests in the prestigious gala, the two of you looked like two young people at the cusp of falling in love, but the members of the Faculty of the Graduate School of Archeology saw it differently - this was a real-life mystery if they'd seen one.

As your eyes swiftly swept through the entire room, you could see that your professors only had one question in mind - how'd this happen? How did two people as different as day and night, who argued with each other throughout Graduate studies, end up amiably enjoying each other's company tonight?

You drew a sharp breath and sighed. The answer was simple: Your Thesis defense was right around the corner. You needed him to cooperate, you were willing to go to great lengths to make it happen. And your Thesis partner (unfortunately) was ready to take full advantage of the situation.

***

"Tell me why we're doing this again, " you said through the door that separated you and your date, as you were putting on the dress you bought (or invested on, as he casually stated) for tonight's gala, which he insisted on attending with you. It was six in the evening on a Friday, and you had just arrived home after cramming your workload at the Loveland Museum and foregoing your meal breaks just so you could leave work at exactly five-thirty.

"I already told you a couple of times - you want me to cooperate with you so you can pass our Thesis, and I need a reason to be around her," the purple-haired man waiting at the other side of your bedroom door called out nonchalantly. "You can drop your fantasy about me asking you out because I'm attracted to you."

You hissed silently at his snarky remark and counted to ten. You haven't even left your apartment yet you already wanted this night to be over. "How do you even know she's gonna be there?"

She - the Miracle Finder Producer, the object of your Thesis Partner's fantasies, and as fate would have it, his brother's girlfriend.

"They're doing a show featuring our Thesis adviser. Didn't he tell us about it during our last consultation?" He asked, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

"I wasn't listening," you shot back, as you took off your ponytail and started styling your hair with your curling iron. You chose a one-shoulder fitted black dress that stops right above your knees, so you thought of wearing your hair down for a change.

"Ah, yes. You were too busy looking at your notes, trying to prove me wrong as always."

You closed your eyes, as you continued to make big beach waves and prayed to the gods you wouldn't commit murder tonight.

"How much longer are you gonna take?"

"Excited much?" You asked, smirking while you now removed your glasses and put on your contacts. "You sound like a teenager excited to see his crush in a school fair!"

"Don't compare me to you!"

"I don't have designs on anyone in the party," you called back. "Unless your brother's attending the event, that is. From what you've been telling me, he seems like a great guy."

Silence. You arched an eyebrow as you strained your ear to listen for any sign of life outside your bedroom door. What must your grunge-rock skater boy-turned-date-for-the-evening be thinking?

"Do you want to pass our Thesis or not?"

You struck a victory pose at his remark. Finally, one point - you, Shaw - about twenty.

"Are you done yet? This suit is really uncomfortable. Damn, why do people even wear these?"

"Because they're decent?" You shot back. "You know, you can always go home if you're not comfortable in your attire because when we get there, you need to act decent, too. Can't have your usual swagger in a formal affair."

"Just hurry it up already!"

You rolled your eyes as you applied your nude-colored lipstick to finish off your look before putting on your black stilettos, and stuffing your phone, wallet, and your makeup in your purse.

"All done," you replied, as you finally emerged from your room.

***

A part of you wished that the dynamics between you and Shaw were different. While he was a pain in the neck, and too carefree for his own good, you also thought he made for a good intellectual sparring partner, quite attractive, and it was hard to deny that he's got your heart beating double-time whenever he got too close for comfort like he was at that very moment.

"My, you two kids seem to be having fun tonight."

You gasped, at the sound of the voice behind you, and you felt your date nudge you ever-so-subtly while straightening.

"Hey, Professor Adler," he said in his usual unruffled tone, his lips stretched into a smirk as he held his hand out to your Anthropology professor and Thesis adviser, who watched you both amusedly. His gesture made your eyes shot wide open, you thought they'd fall right off. Shaw shaking someone's hand? That's one for the books.

"Shaw. Fancy seeing you here," the stout middle-aged man greeted while shaking your date's hand. "This isn't your usual scene though."

"Yeah, I know, but I can't exactly turn a pretty lady down, can I?"

"I can see that," your professor said as he looked at you appraisingly. "Well, well, you clean up well, Miss (y/n)."

You fought the urge to squirm at the older man's words when you heard your date cluck his cheeks with his tongue and suddenly felt his arm around your shoulders, pressing you protectively close to his side.

***

"All done!" You happily announced as you stepped into the living room of your small apartment where your date was impatiently waiting for you.

You could've sworn he was stunned for a second or two before he shook his head and tried to regain his usual impassive expression. Finally, he stood and walked closer to assess you better.

"You're not wearing your glasses. I thought you said you're practically blind without them?"

You cocked your head to one side. Out of all the things he could've complimented or called out, that's the first thing he noticed?

"Wouldn't it look awkward if I wore glasses to a formal event?"

"Your hair is all curly," he continued as if you didn't say anything. "And your shoes are so tall, won't you trip? Also, surely you have a jacket to go with that dress, right?"

You stared at him in disbelief. Why did this carefree, bass-playing skater boy turn into your dad all of a sudden?

"Uh…"

"Well, at least you're not wearing red lipstick. You don't have to try too hard to look sexy. Geez! I've got plans of my own this evening, so don't expect me to be your bodyguard," he continued to mumble as he circled around you. Before long, you felt something warm and heavy on your shoulder. His coat?

"It's just until we get to the venue," he shrugged as he led you to the car he borrowed for tonight. "I don't want people seeing you freeze to death."

You sighed, your shoulders slumped as you followed your date to the car. You already expected he wouldn't throw you a compliment for looking like a proper human tonight, and you cursed yourself for feeling gutted over it anyway.

***

"So, which one of these sculptures did you like best, Professor?" You sighed in relief as Shaw changed the subject, his arm still wrapped around you, making you blush furiously.

"Oh, I have to say I liked Eros and Psyche best. In case you haven't seen it yet, it's located a little further down the hall near the bar area," the older man was starting to explain when someone tapped his shoulder from behind.

"Excuse me, Professor Adler," a gentle voice called out, making both the professor and Shaw jump. From behind the old man, a pretty petite with brown hair and big brown eyes, and the biggest smile on her face stepped up. "My name is MC from Miracle Finder."

Almost immediately, Shaw withdrew his arm around you, almost causing you to stagger backward. He straightened up and feigned disinterest.

"Hey. It's a little rude how you stepped in while I was talking to the Professor," he said, his tone teasing.

"Oh, I didn't notice you here. Do you mind if I talk to your Professor? We've invited him for an interview about the exhibit," the girl said sweetly.

Based on how unconsciously coy she acted around Shaw, and the way he kept egging her, there was no doubt that this was the girl he was crushing on. You felt like the odd person out all of a sudden and needed to step away.

You backed away slowly, careful not to rouse their attention because it would probably suck if you knew how Shaw would introduce you to his little crush. As soon as you were in a safe distance, you turned and walked aimlessly down the hall, pausing briefly at paintings or sculptures that caught your fancy, looking at its intricacies as you did so earlier. But somehow, it wasn't as fun as it was before, so you moved on quickly, to give way to the other guests who also wanted to view the artwork.

Finally, you came upon the bar and decided to rest your tired feet at the far corner, hidden from the rest of the world. Sighing, you slipped your feet off your stilettos and quietly watched as the guests around you - mostly couples - happily chatting away as they enjoyed the beauty of the art around them and the wonderful music that filled the air. You knew somewhere in the crowd, your date was fawning over his lady love, probably getting in the way of her filming your professor.

Tch.

You knew he liked her - he always told you he did. And why wouldn't he? MC was pretty, seemingly sweet, and dainty - the kind of girl any guy would like to protect. And you. You were the opposite. You lived for your work, were 'one of the boys', and didn't need anyone to protect you - that's just how you were - and now you started to realize that maybe guys don't exactly like that. At least not Shaw.

Wait, what were you thinking? You scolded yourself as you shook your head. Why were you even thinking of what he liked when you don't even like him to start with. Or did you?

"Ugh. What the hell is wrong with me?" You groaned when a cold bottle of beer and a frozen glass was placed in front of you.

"I was gonna ask you that myself."

You straightened up in your seat and shot a look at the guy seated beside you. Dressed in a nice grey suit, he smiled as he raised his beer bottle in front of you.

"You look like you needed a drink. I hope the beer is okay. They don't have fruit beer or soda," he said calmly, his amber-colored eyes never leaving yours.

"Y-yeah. Beer is perfect," you replied while pouring the amber liquid into the glass. "Thanks," you muttered before raising the glass to your lips to gulp down some liquid courage.

"I saw you with Shaw earlier -"

The name on his lips drove you to a coughing fit, as you choked on your drink. "Sorry, " you mumbled in between coughs.

"No, I'm sorry," the brown-haired guy said, as he cautiously and politely patted your back. "I didn't mean to bring that up. I was just curious."

"It's fine," you replied when you finally regained your composure. "Yes, we're just classmates in Grad school who decided to check this exhibit out for the heck of it."

"Classmates, huh?"

"Yeah, that's what we are," you said, taking a sip off your glass. "Grad school classmates."

"Are you telling me or telling yourself?"

You looked up and saw him smiling. There was something about Dreamy McHandsome who was seated beside you that felt so familiar yet different at the same time, but you couldn't point a finger at what it was exactly.

"We're classmates, and we're working on our thesis together. But we're not friends - far from it even. We hate each other's guts."

"Can't blame you for doing so," he shrugged as he drank his beer.

"Yeah. He dragged me here so he can get with someone he's been crushing on for so long," you rambled on, frowning.

"Oh? And who might that be?"

"The Miracle Finder Producer. You know, the pretty girl in a blue top and white skirt. He's been going on and on about her for weeks…"

"You mean my girlfriend?"

His girlfriend. You choked on your drink once again. "Y-y-your girlfriend? You mean to say…" You gasped. Has the beer made you stupid? You've barely drunk half of it, you thought as you fought to regain your dignity. This was Shaw's brother you were talking to - and boy, we're they blessed with good genes…

… And the same social awkwardness, you noticed, judging by how he kept his hand at your back, but not exactly touching it, as if trying to assess if he had to pat you or not.

When you finally calmed down, he cleared his throat and gave you a small smile. "Don't worry. She talks to me about their conversations. I know what that guy is playing at, and I most definitely know he's not after my girl," he said, his voice broke no room for doubt. "My name is Gavin..."

"Yeah, I know…"

"You - what?"

"Oh," you said, tapping on your glass nervously. "Shaw kinda mentioned it in passing before."

"I see."

"So, what were you saying earlier about Shaw?"

"Oh. From what my girlfriend tells me, he's got his sights set on…"

"Ahem," you heard someone say loud enough for you and Gavin to turn your heads around. And there, standing behind you, was an angry-looking Shaw. You sat up, your gaze shifting between the two brothers as the air started to thicken with tension. "I talk to someone for a minute and the next thing I knew, my date walks out on me and right into the one person I'd hate for her to meet."

"Well, if you were just honest with her as with a lot of other things in your life, maybe she wouldn't have left your side earlier," Gavin retorted flippantly. "Is she finally done with filming?"

Shaw simply grunted in reply as he watched his older brother finish his bottle of beer and stand. "Well, Miss, there's a lot I've heard about you. Seems somebody couldn't stop talking about you, but I'll leave it at that."

With a wink and a mischievous smile upon his face, the brown-haired guy sauntered off to look for his better half, as you and Shaw watched in awkward silence.

He cleared his throat and glanced at you. "Hey."

"Hey," you replied, shakily.

"So, about what that jerk said -"

"Yes?" You asked, feeling your heart hammer against your chest by the second.

"Whatever he said is not true," he said dismissively, as he took his coat off and draped it over your shoulders. "I told you before, I don't find you the least bit attractive."

You felt tears starting to sting your eyes, as he continued with his harsh commentary. "You're tough, highly opinionated, and you always want to come out on top. I don't find those attractive at all," he said. "I prefer a damsel in distress. I want someone clingy… someone, needy."

"I know that -"

"Oh do you?" He teased, his amber eyes twinkling. "You seem to know a lot about me."

"We've been working together for months now," you said. "Of course, I'd know more about you."

"I see," he said, as he took a step closer to you and touched your cheek, rubbing the stray tear that had managed to slip down the side of your face. "So, you must know I'm also a good liar. After all, I've kept all these feelings to myself for quite some time."

He snickered when he saw your frown deepen and he bent down just as he had done so earlier, to whisper. "I made you think I liked someone else when in fact," his low voice made you shiver. "I've always eyes for you."

The End.

#mr love queen's choice shaw #mr love queen's choice #mlqc fanfic #mr love fanfic #mlqc shaw #shaw x reader #mlqc gavin #iris writes

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underfell-crystal · 3 years

Text

Stayed up til 3 am writing the first chapter of one of my books.... IT'S HERE!! Since I didn't realize you had to wait like a week to start writing in AO3, I'll be posting the chapters of both stories on tumblr for now.

I do not own any of the characters other than Crystal (kid with the white hair)! I'll probably write another chapter tomorrow while the brain juices are still flowing, so stay tuned!

~~~Prologue~~~

A long time ago, monsters and humans lived in harmony. One day, war broke out between the two races. In the end, the humans were victorious, and the monsters were sealed underground by a powerful spell, and have remained there for many years.

StoryGlitch was another UnderTale AU. It's core premise, as described by it's creator, was very similar to the original universe, but instead of the Determination Soul being the Angel, it was the Integrity Soul, which belonged to a little girl by the name of Crystal. She was meant to fall in place of Frisk. However... that never happened.

~~~20XX~~~

Crys woke up to the same thing as she usually did on Saturday mornings- her mother calling for her on the other side of her bedroom door with the smell of pancakes and bacon wafting through the air. She yawned, rolling over and snuggling back into her ocean-blue comforter as her mother's footsteps receded down the hall, still not quite ready to get up despite slowly being coaxed out of her drowsy state by the scent of perfectly cooked food.

Like clockwork, Crys' mother came back five minutes later and called for her again. This time, Crys sat up and rubbed her eyes, reluctantly sliding out of bed and padding down the hall to the kitchen, where a stack of pancakes loaded with syrup with a side of crispy bacon were waiting for her. She clambered onto one of the stools seated at the kitchen island and picked up her fork, eagerly digging into the soft, buttery pancakes. Her mother went through her Saturday routine of brewing herself a coffee, making a list of things she would need from the grocery store, and putting away the breakfast ingredients before finally sitting down to eat with Crys.

"Crys, honey, slow down. Nobody's taking your pancakes away from you."

Crys nodded in reply and slowed down a bit, if only to appease her mother. She swung her legs beneath the counter as she ate, and eventually her mother cleared both their plates and sent Crys up to her room to get dressed for their trip to the grocery store. Her mother had already picked out a cute, soft pink romper with a pink bow to match, which Crys absolutely adored. She loved decorating her plain white hair with colorful or interesting-looking things. While her single blue streak was better than ordinary plain white, she still preferred to wear little hair accessories. When her mother called for her again, Crys dashed from her room to the front door, allowing her mother to put her shoes onto her little feet. Her mother ushered her into their white car, and soon they were on their way to the grocery store.

The trip to the grocery store was uneventful, and so was the actual shopping. Her mother allowed Crys to get a single round, chocolate candy for behaving through the whole experience, which she enjoyed wholeheartedly the moment she was buckled into her booster seat. Her mother started driving home, and all was normal for a couple minutes. Then the world came to a halt, and Crys was thrown forward in her seat. She looked up at her mother to see what the cause of the sudden stop was, only to see a man standing in front of a white.... something. It definitely wasn't natural, being all cubey and stuff.

Crys' mother swore under her breath, and Crys reminded her "Swear jar."

Her mother, oddly, didn't seem to hear her, and instead threw open her door and jumped out. She pulled open Crys' door and quickly unbuckled her. As Crys was picked up and taken into her mother's arms, she saw blue strings wrapping around a man and a woman strolling down the street. Two glowing things appeared in front of them, and the strings wrapped around them. As Crys' mother started running, Crys could hear the screams of more people.

Crys didn't understand. Why was her mother crying? What happened to the man and lady? She tried to ask her mother, but her mother ignored her questions and kept running. Crys looked over her mother's shoulder and saw the strange man running after them. His skin was completely black, and his wide, yellow grin was visible even from where Crys was being held. He had blue strings attached to his fingers, and suddenly, the strings were there, wrapped around her and her mother's glowing things. Her mother clutched her tightly, begging and screaming at the man to stop as he slowly advanced towards them, grin widening as the strings around the glowing things squeezed.

At first, Crys didn't feel anything at all. Just the confusion and vague fear she felt from seeing her mother so distressed. Then the pain started. Crys had never experienced anything NEAR the level of pain that came from the blue heart in front of her. Falling down the stairs, skinning both her knees, and breaking her arm were incomparable to the absolute agony she felt as the strings squeezed the blue heart in front of her tightly. The sounds of the world became muffled, and she could only stare at the heart as it began to crack. Crys was vaguely aware of her mother screaming, and of the strange man laughing. She could also hear someone else's screams, and it took a moment for her mind to register that they were hers.

Then the heart broke in half, and Crys was plunged into darkness.

Dark... and cold... so cold....

There was something golden... she reached out and touched it. Suddenly she was back in the car, exactly when the man first appeared. Again, her mother swore, and grabbed Crys, running from the man. Again they were caught. Again the pain started. Again, she watched her blue heart snap in half.

Again.

Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. AgainAgainAgainAgainAgainAgainAgainAgainAgainAgainAgainAgainAgainAgainAgainAgainAgainAgainAgainAgainAgainAgainAgainAgainAgainAgainAgainAgainAgainAgainAgainAgainAgainAgainAgainAgainAgainAgainAgainAgainAgainAgainAgainAgainAgainAgainAgainAgainAgainAgainAgainAgainAgainAgain.

She felt herself take longer and longer to find the golden thing each time her blue heart was broken. She could barely sense the glow. She pressed her hand against the golden thing again, and again she was back in the car. Again, her mother grabbed her and ran. Again, the strange man caught them. Again, the pain started. But this time, as her soul began to break, Crys could feel something snap inside of her. White rectangles surrounded her body, and the strange man loosened his strings a little, staring at her, dumbfounded, as she struggled against his strings, more and more white particles appearing around her. Then, with a final scream of pain, Crys disappeared from the man's clutches, his strings grasping at nothing.

She vaguely felt herself land on something cold and soft as she ran away from the strange man. She tried to get up, but her body wouldn't cooperate. She screamed for help. But nobody came. She tried to look at her surroundings, but her vision was blurry with exhaustion. A few minutes later, she closed her eyes, her world slowly going silent as she faded out of consciousness.

~~~Chapter One: That's New~~~

Crys awoke to something delicious-smelling, along with what she faintly recognized as mustard. She sat up and realized she was on a green sofa, a thick red blanket draped over her. She looked down at herself and realized she was wearing an oversized red sweater that easily went down to her knees. She wondered where her jumper had gone, but that thought was quickly abandoned when someone walked into the room from what she assumed to be the kitchen. Only it wasn't a person. It was a SKELETON, with pearly white sharp teeth, with the exception of a single gold tooth, red eyes, and it was wearing a black coat and a similar red sweater to the one she was wearing. It seemed surprised to see her awake. It rumbled lowly, and she realized after a moment that it was actually speaking to her.

"-d? Kid? Uh, can ya hear me?"

The skeleton sounded vaguely male, with an accent like the cashier who told Crys he was from New York. Crys could only stare at the enormous monster before her.

"Uh, kiddo? Why ya lookin' at me like I'm a ghost?"

The skeleton chuckled. He seemed nervous. Crys was taken aback. What did this monster have to be nervous about? She opened her mouth to speak, but only a coughing fit came out. The skeleton quickly moved closer, and Crys flinched away. He stopped about a foot away and slowly held out his hand. Crys looked at his hand and realized he was holding a glass of water. He didn't move his hand any closer, so she reached out with trembling fingers and took it. She raised the glass to her mouth and gulped it down greedily, momentarily forgetting about the monster watching her as the thirst she hadn't even realized she had was partially quenched.

She looked up at the skeleton and tentatively held out the empty glass, whispering, "More? Please?"

The skeleton rumbled again (was that his laugh?) and took the glass, retreating back to the kitchen. While he was gone, Crys took the opportunity to look around the place she was in. It seemed to be an ordinary home. There was even a TV. There were stairs nestled against a wall leading up to a second floor as well, and Crys could see the tops of two doors behind the railing. The walls looked like they had seen quite a few fights, based on the scorch marks and holes in them.

Crys' attention was drawn away from the upstairs of the house as the skeleton shuffled out of the kitchen, holding the refilled glass. Crys didn't shy away this time when he came close, and she took the glass again, drinking more slowly and observing the skeleton over the rim of the glass with large, dark blue eyes. The skeleton sat down in front of her, now eye level with her. Crys drew her knees up to her chest and tucked the blanket around her legs, remembering that this was an actual monster that was likely going to eat her, judging by the very pointy teeth he had. Nevertheless, she swallowed another gulp of water and croaked, "W... Who are you...?"

The skeleton bared his teeth at her (or was that a smile?) and held out his hand for her to shake.

"The name's Sans, kiddo. Sans the Skeleton."

Crys slowly reached out and grabbed the skeleton's hand, when a loud farting noise interrupted the quiet. Crys stared at the skeleton, in shock. He snickered.

"Heheh.... the ol' whoopee cushion in the hand trick. It's always funny."

Crys startled herself with her own peal of laughter. At the sound of her joy, the skeleton visibly relaxed, shoulders slumping and releasing tension Crys hadn't even noticed he was carrying. He grinned at her.

"So, kiddo.... What's yer name?"

Crys hesitated, still unsure. After all, this was something that wasn't supposed to be real. Sans sensed her reluctance, and offered a smaller, less threatening smile.

"'S ok, kid, I don't bite."

".... Crys.... my name's Crys..."

Sans smiled a bit wider. "That's a nice name."

Crys smiled at him, his compliment lowering her wariness a bit more. Sans gave her a concerned look.

"So, uh.... what were ya doin' out in the snow all by yerself?"

Crys shrugged. Sans continued.

"And how didja get here without goin' through the Ruins?"

"Ruins?"

Sans nodded. "It's where all the humans came out of. Ya just sorta... poofed into existence in the middle of Snowdin Forest."

Crys shrugged agin, feeling nervousness coil around her heart, although she didn't know why. Sans sighed, seeming irritated. "Alright kid, I get that ya might not wanna talk about it, but I seriously need to know how ya got here."

Crys felt the familiar sense of slipping away as she did when she first started escaping the strange man. Sans didn't seem to notice her unease.

"Yer lucky I got to ya in time... ya might have frozen to death a few minutes later, or been attacked by another monster wanderin' through the forest."

Panic started to swell in her gut. She saw the familiar white particles at the edge of her vision, and Sans stopped talking, looking at her oddly. Crys curled up beneath the red blanket, letting out a choked sob.

"I-I don't know! I... I don't know how- how I got here!!"

Sans looked alarmed. "Woah, woah, kid! It's okay! Calm down!"

His words did nothing to soothe her rising anxiety. She let out another sob, hiding her face beneath the blanket. A moment later, the blanket was pulled down from her head, and she felt something begin stroking her hair. She looked up and realized the skeleton was running his oddly human-feeling bone-fingers through her hair. He seemed embarrassed, but also lost on what to do. The stroking was actually quite comforting, and after a few minutes, Crys saw the white in her vision fade away, leaving her an unobserved view of Sans' face, especially his sharp teeth. He pulled his hand away from her head and cleared his throat (how?), looking abashed.

"Heh.... sorry I spooked ya, kiddo... I didn't mean ta."

"It's okay," Crys murmured. She got the feeling he really hadn't meant to.

Sans stood up. He smiled at her again.

"Wanna have a hot cat, kiddo?"

Crys tilted her head in confusion. "What's a hot cat?"

Sans chuckled. "'S like what you humans call a hot dog. Only it's a cat."

Crys was intrigued by this new animal-themed food, and swung her legs off the couch and stood up. Immediately, the room tilted around her, and she fell to the side. Sans, thankfully, caught her before she could hit the ground and scooped her up, enveloping her in his arms. He smelled like mustard, and his jacket was warm and soft. Crys couldn't help but snuggle into his jacket. He let out a low, rumbly laugh that shook her bones.

"Don't fall asleep now, babybones. You still gotta eat."

Crys closed her eyes anyway, and slipped into a dreamless sleep.

~Feel free to ask questions and voice your thoughts about the story in my ask box! Goodbye my gems!~

#SG:UF #storyglitch: underfell #undertale #underfell #undertale au #underfell au #underfell sans #fell sans #red #underfell papyrus #fell papyrus #error sans #error #oc #my oc art #digital drawing #digital art #art #drawing

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capri-ramblings · 4 years

Text

Idk if anyone still remembers this but I actually forgot I finished chapter 3 about a week ago and didn't even posted it 🙂 still kinda confusing I think? But I promise, It'll come together soon 😤💖

[ R a p t u r e d ]

Chapter Three

The walls encasing your freedom began to simmer your frustration, and when a spiral staircase immerged from the wooden floorboards right across the room, your hands reflexively balled into fists.

Though when an unfamiliar face greeted you, they uncurled and from where you sat on the chaise beside your only window, your figure hunched over to pull your knees closer to your body. You'd been reacting so defensively lately, it almost felt natural now.

"Did they send you up to finally get rid of me?" Your words were harsh, a deep grating rage lacing each enunciation you spat out and yet the girl seemed unfazed as her lips curled into a small smile.

"I don't think they're that merciful, but Prince Leona has stated multiple times he'd rather you be dead."

"Who are you then?"

"An ally" She answered then rather hastily added, "If you'd allow it."

You scoffed,bitter and dry you almost sounded gruff and nasally.

"Like I allowed to be imprisoned and kept like an animal?"

The girl's expression softened and she gave what seemed to be an understanding nod before she placed both hands behind her back and stood poised before you.

"Boe" She said, "My name is Boe. As in the kind you'd use to hunt with but with an 'E' at the end because my nan felt it was creative." She sounded pleasant, to be honest,she looked decent as well, like a very familiar face you'd seen somewhere and yet nowhere at the same time. She wore her hair in two loose twin braids,her simple beige coloured tunic and short khakis gave her overall soft, feminine looks a rather boyish touch. And when she smiled it was genuinely given.

Despite yourself, Boe's appearance had you feeling a little less hostile and perhaps even a bit more hopeful.

"I made them an offer" You told her and again she nodded her head.

"To kill your brother in exchange for your freedom. Why?"

"Isn't that what they wanted? That bastard killed their beast and the only reason I'm here is because he's traded me off for his glory."

Boe seemed surprised at how you caught onto the situation at hand but you could see how calculative her eyes were. She may have looked pleasant but you weren't foolish enough to trust her, and if she knew your captives then chances are she wasn't just some typical servant running errands. They sent her up to you to talk, which meant they trusted her. And they didn't look like the trusting type.

"He and I aren't related by blood" You told her, scornfully. "It doesn't take much to piece up my being here, and I'll tell you now that he's not coming to save me. Not when he has every village folk singing his glory and the King welcoming him in his halls."

You sounded so dejected, Boe practically felt the heat of rage circulating through the room, but she also sensed sorrow. A sort of grief from the way you hunched yourself over. You've been through a lot, she could see that much.

"Tell me, did you ever believe the story your land has? It's history with the Faefolk and magic?"

You knew little. Simply enough to have your mind wander, but every child was like that, and when it was time to face the world and grow up, the stories you used to cling to before sleeping became just that; Stories.

So, you told Boe you didn't. You told her you knew the land has always been lavish, that it had always been easy to farm and make produce because it's forests were endless and green. It was because it was placed right in the centre of a growing land, wasn't it? Magic felt too foreign to have been a part of it all.

But then she told you of the story of a man planting a seed given to him by a generous Fae, and that the seed grew into a tree and another and another, until it formed a forest so lush and rich with life, people came to the land as a place of salvation. She told you that the Fae was the Mother Goddess Gaia and that she had made a pact with the humans who stayed in her grounds. They were allowed to grow and live as they wanted as long as her generosity was remembered. Thus the human built shrine after shrine in her name, and the land never once withered. Until weeks after your brother slayed the beast.

You sat there facing her,baffled and refused to believe in such a tale so easily, told yourself that no such thing could be possible...

Yet, the tower that kept you had nothing but a single window and a door that only seemed to appear when called. You remember how you tried climbing down through the window and how your makeshift rope snapped and you thought you'd fall to your death but instead you stayed in the air. Frozen.

As your hardened gaze looked to Boe and the faint light of the sun peeked through the window and into the room, you noticed the slight point of her ears and how in that specific lighting her features looked ethereal,as if she was carved out from a completely different mold.

You've seen those features before. A long,long time ago. The brief memory tucked behind the grains of your mind.

You must've laughed because Boe's expression shifted into confusion, and you ran your hands through your hair as a slight colour flickered to life in your eyes.

"You must think I've gone crazy. Wanting to kill my own brother but I've never seen him as family, and I'm sure he feels the same. It's the only thing we have in common."

"You'd really kill him for your freedom?" Boe asked, almost quietly.

You lifted your gaze,heavy and dark but driven with determination.

"Wouldn't you? It sounds selfish and maybe it is but hasn't he done the same to me? Ever since mother died, I was left under his care which meant he'd been shackled to me against his will and now I'm here and he's drinking in the castle." Your voice shifted, breathless and worn. You wanted to stand, to show to her that you weren't as weak as your captives had force you to be. That you meant what you said.

"I don't care about being kind and understanding anymore. I want to be released. I want to take back what I've lost and if that means killing Cyril and appeasing your Princes, so be it."

***

"You could be their Champion" Boe said as she stared you up and down,her gaze flickering with something you couldn't quite put a finger on. But she smiled when her eyes landed on your face, and a slight shade of pink dusted your cheeks. Though you felt it was because she had been nothing but open in her discussion and all you ever did was scowl and kept your distance.

And perhaps,you couldn't really be blamed for any of it given your own situation, but maybe it wasn't too harmful to act a bit more cooperative...

"A champion?" You repeated the words with your brows furrowed and lips down-curled.

Boe nodded her head.

"Faes often keep champions in order to settle certain affairs,like a representative or a tribute on their part without having to physically attend said affairs themselves, and unlike most dealings, this one has the exceptional perk of not being entirely enslaved by the Fae you serve under"

"...You mean if I agreed to being their... Champion? I wouldn't owe them anything?"

You know the tales of giving your thanks to the Gentry, and how such unfortunate humans fell to the mercy of the cunning creatures. A slight shiver ran up the length of your arm, but you fought the urge to look disgruntled, and simply crossed your arms.

Boe's smile widened a fraction.

"Yes, and I can't tell you why such a thing is possible in the first place, not because I don't want to but because I also do not know the reason behind it. It's said that this pact Faes have created with humans is a rare thing and a ritual they hold with great respect. If you so desire to kill your brother and gain your freedom, being the Princes' Champion is perhaps the best and only way."

"But how can I trust them to hold onto their end of the bargain? I might not have full belief in all your fae nonsense, but I know that whatever you are, your kind are known to be cunning and slippery!"

You felt like jabbing an accusing finger to her chest then,but you bit back the venom on your tongue and swallowed your carousing temper from erupting. Anger did no good in discussions after all. You learned that from years living with your step brother.

Despite it all however,Boe didn't seem to mind your frustration or hostility. In fact, she remained informative and calm, you began understanding why she had been sent up in the first place.

Unlike the Princes themselves, Boe didn't have any intimidation oozing from her demeanor. She came as a neutral party, neither to nurse nor make you submit.

Perhaps her words were the most trustworthy you'd have here.

Perhaps being a Champion was your only way out.

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memes-saved-me · 4 years

Text

Five Days

Inspired by (Harringrove mafia au)

Warnings: Mention of heavy drug and alcohol use, angst, mentioned abuse. (Also sorry, there's no "Continue reading" on mobile)

Five days. It had been five days since Billy Hargrove had dropped off the face of the earth, again. He'd done this before, disappeared without warning only to be found days later in some back alley drugged out of his mind, on god knows what. Except, this time Steve was involved.

Three days it had taken Steve to search all of San Diego for his boss's spoilt lost son. For three days he drove down every street, down every alley, searched every known drug den before he realised where he'd be. His own god damn apartment.

Being who he is, or rather who he is the son of Billy lived in secret locations throughout the city, all of which he had taken Steve to for secret hook ups that ended in him sneaking out a window and getting the bus home to avoid suspicion.

For four days Steve had covered for the idiot. Doing his jobs, lying for him. He knew how much trouble he'd be in if anyone found out but he also knew what Neil Hargrove, the Boss did when Billy didn't follow orders.

When he pushed open the front door the smell of the inside hit the back of his throat instantly, a small gag escaped Steve's lips. It was dark, so dark he couldn't see anything inside.

As he closed the door behind him he switched on the hallway light to see a pile of sick right at his feet, a trail of dismay leading to the living room doorway. Stepping over the puke, the clothes and the smashed vase he made it to the end of the hall to find a turned over coffee table and broken glass everywhere.

"Billy?". He called out but no one answered. There was a lamp on in the corner, illuminating the mess of a room. That's when he saw it, the kitchen counter. "For fuck sake". He said out loud as he touched the white powder to his tongue. Not recorgnising the taste, which only made him more anxious to find Billy.

"Who the fuck is in my house?". He heard someone slur from the next room.

"Billy?". Steve followed the grunts until he found him. Lying on his back beside the bed, covered in his own vomit and whatever he'd been drinking, by the look of the apartment it had been a lot.

"Oh, it's you. What you doin' here, beautiful?". Billy was smiling but his eyes were barely open. His fingers were gripping some bottle of Bourbon.

"Fucking hell, Billy". Steve exclaimed bending down to help him up. "What the fuck is this?".

"What? Don't like a little party?". He chuckled but it was hallow, a laugh that was there to try and convince himself that everything was fine.

"You've been in here for five days?". Steve was trying to get him to walk but his legs weren't cooperating, in the finish he threw Billy over his shoulder and headed for the bathroom.

"Five days? Broke my record". He didn't fight when Steve pulled off his shirt and socks. "Wanna have some fun, pretty boy?". He grabbed at Steve as he tried to kiss him but Steve pushed him into the bathtub before he could reach his lips.

"You can't be doing this, babe. Your dad will actually kill you". Steve almost couldn't look at the man infront of him. His eyes barely able to focus on him as he pulled off his underwear, threw them straight in the bin and turned the shower on.

"Hopefully". Billy didn't react to the water hitting him. Didn't flinch.

"What the fuck is that suppose to mean?". Steve snapped, pulling the shower curtain out of the way. He didn't reply so Steve took a cup from the sink and threw the water in his face.

"Fuck". He finally opened his eyes and for the first time Steve saw some recognition in them. "Why am I in the bath?".

"Because you're a fucking idiot who goes on five day benders". Steve was pouring more water over him trying to get the stench off him.

"Shit. Shit, my dad is gonna kill me". Billy sat up and wiped his face.

"I had to lie to his fucking face, Billy". Steve helped him stand up, holding his arms as he stood there trying to process it all. "He doesn't know you're like this. I made sure of it. I can't watch him do-. I can't stand there and do nothing like last time. Not again".

"I know. Thank you". Billy was reaching out to rest his wet hand on Steve's cheek but it was shaking. Shaking to the point he pulled it back. "I'm sorry".

"Why?". Steve helped him out of the tub and wrapped a towel around his shoulders.

"What?".

"Why get shitfaced on whatever is on the counter and drink yourself into a coma?". It became quite apparent that whatever strength Billy had left he had used stepping down and staying somewhat steady.

He didn't answer, this time he was staring. Not at anything in particular but his eyes were focused on something that Steve couldn't see.

Steve lifted Billy up again, bridal style into the bedroom and put him down on the bed. He threw a blanket over him and sat on the edge. "He finally made me do it".

Steve took his hand in both of his and looked at the blond's tired expression.

"He said if I didn't he'd destroy everything I care about because if I didn't get made I'd be an embarrassment". Billy finally turned to Steve as he lay looking up at him.

"Shit". Steve looked away but felt Billy's free hand pull his face back to his. "Why didn't you call me?".

"I don't know" He rested his hand on Steve's knee. "All I remember is doing it then I'm shutting the front door and throwing up all over the rug. I think I downed something that kicked in real fucking quick because after that it's blank".

"Jesus Christ, Billy". They sat looking at eachother in the dim light of the cold bedroom for a moment. "You said before that you hoped your dad would kill you".

"I mean, if he'd just done it you wouldn't be dealing with this right now". Billy sat up and pulled his hands back to himself.

"Shut up. I'd rather be cleaning sick off your face than you in the ground, babe". Steve lifted Billy's face and rested his forehead to his. "Don't ever think I'm better off without you. Without us".

Billy smiled. "What did I do to deserve you, Bambi?".

"Get some sleep, we'll deal with all that shit tomorrow". Billy lay back down but this time Steve curled himself around him, curling his hair between his fingers as he fell asleep.

Steve didn't sleep of course, the worry of someone busting through the door to find them like that, to find the apartment like that was too much for him to just drift off. He knew what they were doing wouldn't last, that Billy would either marry to keep up appearances or that his father would find out. Leading to one or both of them dead.

Except in that moment as he felt the familiar heat of Billy against his front, saw the way he curled himself into a ball so tightly and gripped his hand as if he'd disappear if he let go and heard his breathing slow down and soften he didn't care about all that. He knew that in the morning they'd have to face it but right now it was just them, just them in a quiet trashed apartment where they could be themselves. Be them.

Part 2

A little angsty I know but if people like this I might continue it properly. Hope you enjoyed!

#harringrove au #harringrove fic #harringrove #steve harrington #billy hargrove #steve x billy #billy x steve #stranger things #short #angst

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the-only-villain-here-is-me · 6 years

Text

The Aftermath

Fandom: MCU

Pairing: None

Warnings: Violence, Language, Very Very Sad.(You've Been Warned)

Note: I cried like a baby writing this because Marvel can't just let my faves be happy for once and now I'm the one making my babes sad, dark, and brooding.

Summary: After the snap, what occurs after such a catastrophic event? Will tensions rise between our heroes or will they break down their walls and invite each other in? This is the aftermath...

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

The worst had happened and they were unable to stop it. With the snap of his mere fingers, the devilish Mad Titan brought half the universe to nothing more than wisps of dust.

They had searched; of course; they weren't ready to give up so soon on bringing back their loved ones.

After the snap, they gazed upon the destruction he brought about and the only corpse they had to bury; the Vision. His lifeless image stayed with them; kept some of them up at night even.

Steve had sunk to his knees in the place where his best friend; the man he had just finally regained back from the brink; had perished. He was just a pile of ashes and nothing more.

No one dared bother the mourning man, even after they lead him back to his quarters to stay. The sobs of their leader were just background fuzz to their own traumas; they were shell shocked, angry, frightened, and struggled to hold back their own tears.

Natasha threw herself back into the gym the second they walked through those doors; anyone who tried to talk with the eerily quiet assassin were met with a grunt in acknowledgement or mainly, silence; aside from the repetitous thumps of her bare, bruised and bloody knuckles against the leather bag.

They were broken; but tried their hardest to piece themselves back together. No one had been able to locate Tony in those days after the snap and they had unanimously voted to stay in Wakanda to help with the clean up; it gave them something to focus on.

Bruce blamed himself; for not being able to do more, although he knew in his heart that the Titan wouldn't have been felled by the Hulk alone. He locked himself in one of the labs, basking in the silence as he researched tirelessly ways to recover his friends. He was sure it just had to be science and he knew science. He wouldn't stop until he unlocked the truth.

Shuri would occasionally hover in the doorway, jumping in to assist wordlessly when he needed help with some variables. She would bump him out of her way gently and examine the problem, pretending for just a moment that her brother would stop by and urge her to return to her room for some much needed sleep.

She, of course; knew that wouldn't be the case and so she didn't sleep, at least until Bruce banned her from the lab.

They had gotten into quite the fight over that; tensions already high and boiling over into things that usually wouldn't matter so much.

"This is my lab; you don't get to tell me what to do!" She had screamed, a big fat lump sitting in her throat as her voice cracked on the next part, "You're not my brother!"

Bruce had apologized profusely, but she ignored him as she decided to return to her room in order to avoid speaking to anyone further.

Okoye never was far from the Princess either; although she did keep a little distance as instructed.

She felt guilty, that T'Challa had slipped through her fingers as dust as he tried to help her rise. She knew she couldn't have changed the outcome; but that didn't stop her from wanting to protect his sister with everything she could muster. Sort of as an unofficial last request to her King.

Thor had become the rock, of sorts. He still mourned his brother and friends, but his facade was much stronger; the cracks sealed with a layer of wisecracks and reassuring pats on the backs of his quiet comrades.

When he retired to his quarters, though; that was a whole other story. His dreams were plagued with the dull, emerald eyes of his mischievous brother. Every time he attempted to picture his brother back at his trickful ways, all he saw was his pale corpse devoid of any breath.

In his nightmares, he watched as Thanos squeezed the life from his brother; helpless.

"Br-rot-ther...h-help me!" Loki would choke out, his eyes pleading.

When the Mad Titan released his grip, his body would tumble to the floor like a rag doll; his limbs splayed awkwardly.

Slowly, his brother would turn to face him and with nothing but distaste in his dull eyes, would utter, "You let me die!"

Thor woke up in cold sweats after these and took to staring out the window the remainder of the night; glaring up into the stars as he plotted the slow and painful ways he would bring Thanos to his knees.

The day Tony returned, with Nebula in tow; Rocket had rushed in; hoping to see the rest of the Guardians.

"They're gone," She had deadpanned before storming off.

Bruce had pulled Tony into a bear hug when he saw the man walk in. The broken man hadn't reciprocated the action; his eyes dull and glassy; as if he was stumbling through a haze.

Steve had taken that exact moment to exit his room, his eyes still red and cheeks swollen, his lips set in an unmoving line.

They met eyes, from across the room and Steve pulled away from the intense staring match first, flicking his head to look at a spot on the wall.

"He's dead too, isn't he?" Tony had questioned, the first sentence he had let slip past his lips ever since they arrived.

Steve merely nodded, pinching the bridge of his nose tiredly.

The others steeled themselves for an outburst, their bodies rigid as they waited for the two to explode at one another after being thrown back into a still smoldering fire of anger.

Then Tony did something unexpected; he stepped forward and placed his hand on the Captain's shoulder, nodding his head slightly.

"We're going to get that purple son of a bitch, even if it's the last thing we do Cap," He muttered before taking off soundlessly down the hall to the lab to fix up his wound properly.

He met a tired Rhodey at the end of the hall, still fuming after having had spoken to General Ross.

General Ross had been spewing an angry tirade about how the Avengers had let down the world and this is not how a team acts and blah blah blah.

"With all due respect, sir; half of the team you're talking about were considered fugitives by you five minutes ago and now you want to complain that they weren't doing their jobs?" He had scoffed angrily, ending the call before he could really let the man know what he thought.

He was the only person left to deal with the hellish late night calls from pissed off U.S Government Officials who knew jack squat and it had been taking a toll. Not to mention that the press couldn't stop ringing him for juicy details about the catastrophe.

"Good to see you in one piece Tony," He chuckled at the man, pulling him into a brief one armed hug.

"Have you heard anything about Pepper?" Tony questioned him, his eyes wide in worry over the fate of his fiance.

"She's fine Tony, we got her set up in a safe house," Rhodey had murmured.

"The kid- he's gone," Tony added, his voice cracking.

"We'll get him back Tony," Rhodey had promised; knowing good and well he was in no position to be making such promises.

Two years since he had made that promise.

Things still hadn't changed.

Tony headed back to New York eventually, noting the city streets were nearly empty as he made his way down them; watching the clean up crews fixing the destruction.

He and Pepper pushed the wedding as he searched day and night for Thanos.

One such night, he found himself staring up into the sky littered with stars due to the drastic transformation of New York City's skyline due to less emission.

"Man up asshole; I want to talk!" He screamed up into the night as a cool breeze tickled his face.

The balcony remained quiet, and he had shaken his head at the half hearted try.

He should of been happy that night; when Pepper announced she was pregnant. He should of been ecstatic at the news.

He just felt, oddly empty. Thanos had taken the one thing he had longed for and turned it into runner up to getting Peter back to his distraught Aunt May.

"Morgan Parker," He offered, gazing into her eyes as tears welled up in his.

She had pulled him into a hug and he felt safe. Safe had usually taken on a new meaning for him, but this; this was safe.

Steve got himself an apartment in Brooklyn for dirt cheap with all the real estate popping up seemingly over night.

It was a one room studio; all he had was a bed, a bare kitchen, and a table with three chairs.

He had a stack of sketch pads under his bed, tucked into a rusted metal box. Page after page was filled with the images of his dead friends.

Bucky, Wanda, Sam, Vision. He was almost obsessive as he tried to draw them into beautiful scenes.

Vision and Wanda with their heads tossed back, frozen in mid-laughter. Bucky curled up in a raggedy arm chair, feet slung over the side as he read, brows furrowed; To Kill A Mockingbird. Sam rolling his eyes jokingly or paused in a sort of still as he threw a water balloon.

He refused to take them out when anyone came over; locking the box and hanging the key under his shirt, close to his heart.

Natasha came over a lot; more than anyone else had. Mainly, she visited between missions.

He would often wake up to find the woman passed out against the wall in a sitting position, snoring gently as the cuts all over her body spilled over and bruises painted her pale skin.

He would pull the blanket from his own bed and lie it over her lap, attempting to ignore her strangled cries that erupted as she slept fitfully.

She also had a lot on her plate as she helped Clint out; as Laura and Lila had perished in the snap; leaving him to care for Cooper and Nathaniel.

Clint was pissed, to say the least, that even after he retired; his old life still pulled him back in like a moth to a goddamn flame.

He couldn't exact his revenge; his kids were his number one priority. Instead, he entrusted Natasha with being his eyes, ears, and legs.

She would go out and bring him back information on Thanos, all while balancing bedtime stories and dinner time.

Clint would have envied how strong she was if he didn't know how hard she was trying to keep it together in the first place. He knew she was just as broken as he was, no matter how hard she tried to mask it.

"You know; you can cry Nat," He had told her one day after a fight over her well being.

"Crying doesn't get your family or our friends back Clint," She had huffed back pointedly, storming from the house.

She had went to see Bruce at the compound, wanting to talk.

Bruce resided at the compound with Thor, Nebula, Rocket and Rhodey, but he rarely talked to anyone as he chose to throw himself into his work.

"Nat," He greeted the woman with a nod as she stormed in, fluttering the papers around her.

"Why did you leave?" She deadpanned, although she could still feel the unfamiliar sensation of a lump in her throat.

"Nat- I- I really don't know," He had stammered.

"BULLSHIT!" She broke down, slamming her fist against the glass table, sending it through.

Her hand was cut up, skin shredded and pain dulled as adrenaline coursed through her veins, as she took out her rage at the shitstorm that had erupted in their lives those past couple years; that tore them apart, pulled them and molded them into people she didn't recognize.

Bruce wordlessly patched her up as she stared out the window with angry tears prickling the corners of her eyes.

He pretended not to notice.

That was all any of them had been doing.

Pretending.

Pretending it didn't hurt.

Pretending they were moving on.

Pretending they were tough enough to contain it.

Pretending they weren't self medicating.

With booze...

With love...

With obsessions...

They couldn't think of the consequences during battle; they had to fight.

This was the battle that was littered with the consequences and choices.

This was the inner battle.

This was the aftermath.

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