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highwaytothedangerzone502 · 1 year

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Ghost Story - Chapter 40

Pairing: Rooster x Female OC

Word Count: 2844

Warnings: Swearing, death

Summary: No one will miss a ghost. It'd been a running joke for as long as anyone could remember, something Ghost herself started, and she always said it with a smile on her face or with mirth in her voice. The untouchable stealth pilot in every sense of the word, no one could've predicted the depth of her turmoil over recent events, nor the extremes she would go to in order to protect the man she loved, not even those closest to her. Now, all that was left of the young aviator for Maverick, Hangman, and Rooster were the memories of the past, which would slowly fade with time. She'd come into their lives and made an unforgettable impression, and then, like a ghost, she was gone... Then again, ghosts can't die a second time.

Notes: Y'all, I'm so sorry for this chapter... I put in a bunch of gifs of Rooster looking pretty to make up for it.

Chapter Songs: Tally Two/What's the Plan/F-14 Memories I'm Coming Home

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Rooster

Living up to her callsign, Ghost practically floated down the mountainside and barely left a trace of her presence. Meanwhile, like a rooster in the morning, Bradley made all sorts of commotion descending that blasted mountain, including snowballing down at one point. He would've rolled all the way to the bottom had Ghost not grabbed his leg in time and yanked him to a stop.

"Thanks," he said, shaking the snow out of his sleeves.

Ghost looked him up and down. "If we make it out of this alive, I'm changing your callsign to Snowball."

"Don't you dare."

"You have more snow on you than the ground," she pointed out, brushing snow off his hair. "Honestly, Rooster, how did you manage this?"

"My foot found a hole, and I tripped."

A small smile tugged on her lips as she shook her head. "Come on, Snowball, let's get going."

"I swear if you start calling me that-"

"Nah, Rooster is still more suiting for you."

"How so?"

"Because you're way too chipper in the morning." Ghost waited until an enemy in the distance turned its back on them before darting farther down to the entrance of the base. Rooster followed, slipping and sliding on the ice. In a whisper, Ghost reminded, "Remember, no matter what, until we're in a plane, don't say a word!"

"Underst-"

Ghost whacked him on the arm. "What did I just say?!"

Rooster opened his mouth to say something again but swiftly shut it when Ghost started lifting her hand. They slipped inside the base, the entrance turning out to be the end of a long runway. Wordlessly, they kept going, strutting like they belonged there and attempting not to look too suspicious. Either these terrorists were really stupid, or he and Ghost were phenomenal actors and found themselves in the wrong industry.

Ghost scanned their surroundings as if she understood the foreign language on the signs and the conversations around them. They passed a line of planes that Rooster recognized as Su-27s and Su-30s. Whoever these terrorists were, they had connections...

Ghost led them to a storage room full of cleaning supplies. Then, pulling Rooster inside, she shut the door and allowed them to take a breath.

"Now what?" Rooster whispered.

"We need to take one of those Su-30s, but we need to create a distraction first, so there are more personnel focusing on that than us," she said, sifting through the different chemicals on the shelves. Ghost stood with a huff. "God, nothing here that could be of use. We'll need to come up with a different plan. I guess I could threaten one of them-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what do you mean threaten one of them? Ghost, might I remind you, you are very American with a definitely recognizable Texan accent, and these guys are very Russian. What exactly are you going to-"

The door handle squeaked downward, and before Rooster could move a muscle, Ghost grabbed his flight suit and pulled him down to her level, crashing her lips onto his. He reacted instantly, instinctively, his hands gripping her hips as a way to ground himself to reality because the idea of him kissing Ghost in the middle of an underground terrorist base seemed unfathomable.

The door opened, and the conversation of two men abruptly stopped. Ghost broke off the kiss and smiled sheepishly at them. Rooster wasn't sure what he expected her to do because God knows his mind was mush from the kiss, but hearing her speak fluent, flawless Russian to the two dumbfounded men had not made the top ten. Hell, it hadn't even made the list. Rooster stared at her, attempting to hide his own utter surprise while she smiled sweetly at the two terrorists and explained something to them.

Whatever it was, the men bought it and began shutting the door again. Rooster already had his mouth open to ask what just happened when an alarm blared throughout the base. Once more, Rooster had no idea what the voice over the intercom said, but Ghost turned to him and mouthed, "Air raid."

Only two people would've been sent to attack the base, and Rooster found himself equally relieved and terrified at the same time. Maverick and Hangman were here, and they were undoubtedly thirsty for blood against the people who shot down Ghost and Rooster, the same people currently surrounding the two downed pilots.

Without a word, Ghost bolted out of the room with Rooster on her heels. She led him to one of the Su-30s, gruffly grabbing another pilot off the ladder he'd been climbing, barking furiously at him in Russian and pointing a firm finger at him, a fire in her eyes Rooster had never seen before.

I am simultaneously terrified and turned on, and I should not be feeling this way right now. Rooster thought as Ghost climbed the ladder into the cockpit. Bradley followed suit. He waited until the canopy closed before finally releasing his pent-up confusion and demanding, "Since when do you speak Russian?!"

"I always have," Ghost replied casually, flipping switches and putting on her helmet. "See if you can get us connected to the carrier. We might be out of range of them, but maybe we can contact Mav and Hangman. Although, I'm worried our connections won't work with theirs."

"I'm already working on it, but can we go back to the fact you speak Russian? Why did I not know this?"

"Never got brought up in conversation. It's one of the reasons I was chosen to compete for the mission."

"You could've gone-" raising his voice a few octaves, he imitated- "Hey Rooster, want to know a cool fact about me? I speak fluent Russian with a flawless accent!"

"First off, I don't sound like that. Second of all, hold on." The plane jerked forward and pulled onto the runway. Without hesitation, Ghost shot forward, rapidly gaining speed and pulling into the air the second the opportunity arose.

"Fuck!" Ghost rolled violently to the left, a missile whistling past their wing dangerously close. "Rooster, tell me if you can spot Maverick and Hangman!"

He spun around, scanning the skies behind them. Almost immediately, an F-35 descended behind them. "Tally one, six-o-clock! Coming in fast!"

"Hold on!" Ghost dove back to the ground, the underside of the plane practically scraping the tops of the trees. He watched her line up with the base's entrance and fire a missile at the mouth. While it didn't enter, it struck the roof, knocking debris onto the runway and effectively making it unusable for the time being. Unfortunately, it looked like she'd been aiming for the F-35 zipping above the base, so if her plan had been to show Maverick and Hangman- whoever trailed behind them- that they were on their side, it failed. Even worse, three enemy planes had managed to take off after Ghost and Rooster, and they swarmed the skies, tag-teaming against Maverick and Rooster.

"Are they still behind us?" Ghost asked, her voice slightly panicked.

"They're still behind us!" he confirmed.

"Shit... okay. I have an idea. I'm going to bring him in closer."

"You're going to do what?!"

"I'll bring him in closer, hit the brakes, and he'll fly right by."

"This is not a movie, Ghost! That's not how this-"

The missile alert went off, and Ghost went up and over their ally. She hit the thrusters, shooting the plane up and into a loop. From there, she rolled over until they leveled out and faced the three enemies in the distance, who were rapidly closing in on her.

"Now what?" Rooster asked, peering around to the front. "We technically have enemies behind us and in front of us."

"Maverick and Hangman still think we're on the enemy's side. We need to prove that we're not, and we're going to take some terrorists down in the process. Those enemies in front of us think we're on their side. Let's use it against them."

Without another word, with her own missile alert blaring, Ghost ignored it and locked onto the closest SU-27, releasing a missile straight at them at a dangerously close distance. The unexpected attack caught the enemy off guard, and they had no chance to react. Rooster watched the missile strike the enemy fighter straight on.

"If Maverick and Hangman didn't know we were on their side before, they should now," Ghost said, circling around to get behind the remaining fighters. "We even have better odds now that it's three against two and-"

"We have a problem," Rooster interrupted, catching a glint of a canopy disappearing between the mountains. "I think a fifth got up and is leaving the area to find out where Mav and Hangman launched from."

"Like hell they are." Ghost deviated from the main fight, chasing after the lone enemy. The unexpected movement flung Rooster to the side.

"Is it wise to leave your wingmen?"

"I'm not. I have you. The boys have each other, too. Besides, it's one plane, and if I can't shoot it down, I at least need to keep it preoccupied and its attention off the carrier until Maverick and Hangman join us."

"You make it sound so simple."

"Would you rather I make it sound complicated?"

"Not really."

Falling silent, he let Ghost focus on flying while he kept his head on a swivel to keep an eye on his surroundings, ignoring the twinge of pain each time he turned his neck and the absolute agony in his left leg. He hadn't told Ghost this, nor had he let on except for the slight limp she'd noticed earlier, but getting shot and down and having to eject and then tripping in a hole had seriously messed up his leg. If it wasn't fractured, then something had to be torn or severely strained. He'd ignored it up until now, but Rooster prayed that when they landed, he could walk...

At the idea of landing, a realization struck him. "Ghost, does this plane have carrier-landing capabilities?"

"That would be a negative, so we're going to be in for one hell of a landing," Ghost replied sheepishly.

How did I manage to end up in this situation again? Rooster groaned inwardly, dreading the idea of a jarring landing with his injuries. He also worried about Ghost faring through it. While she claimed her ribs were only bruised, he suspected worse with how she had clutched them the entire way to the base, how quickly she became winded, and the constant breathlessness in her voice. Moreover, if her ribs were already bruised or cracked, the forced landing would only worsen them, if not cause them to puncture a lung. Rooster shuddered at the thought.

"Talk to me, Rooster. What's going on around us?" Ghost asked, slowly closing in on the Su-30 in the distance.

"Nothing behind us and-" he bonked his head against the glass- "nothing below us except a raging river and only cliffs on our sides."

"And the sun's behind us, making it difficult for the enemy to see us. This is scarily too much in our favor." Ghost hit the afterburners, pushing Rooster into his seat. He simply took a deep breath, prepared himself for the ride, and prayed Maverick and Hangman joined them sooner rather than later.

That is, if they survived.

Of course they'll survive. It's Maverick and Texan Maverick. And I'll survive because I'm with the Female Maverick.

"Come on, get a lock, get a lock, get a lock," Ghost mumbled, honing in on the enemy jet. "Annnnd... fire!"

She released the missile and had the enemy not dove behind the other side of a mountain, the projectile would've hit. Ghost chased after him, dangerously close behind. Rooster nearly came out of his seat when she flipped the plan over for the dive.

"Get back here, you little shit!" she snapped in annoyance, sending a wave of bullets at them. A few hit, but not enough. Not near enough.

"Damn it, I only have one missile left, and bullets are low too. Those terrorists might've had connections to get the planes but not the ammo."

"Which is both good and bad. Something I never thought I'd say," Rooster confessed, wincing as he turned around to see if Maverick and Hangman were in view yet. He could've sworn he saw the glare of a canopy far, far away, but he couldn't be sure. Besides, they'd have a hell of a time catching up to them. He and Ghost might've been in an older jet, but it was faster than the F-35. The only thing working in his dad and Hangman's favor was the fact the terrain slowed Ghost and her target down.

"Once we get out to the open ocean, I should be able to get a better lock on them," Ghost said, almost talking more to herself than to him. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm fine," he lied, holding back the nausea caused by the pain in his leg and Ghost's mercurial flying.

"You don't sound fine," she pointed out. "What's wrong?"

"Noth-"

"Bradley."

"Nothing you need to worry about right now. Focus on that plane first."

Her annoyed groan told him she did so reluctantly, but Ghost listened, and Rooster tried to scan the skies for Maverick and Hangman. Although only a little bit larger than dots on the horizon, he could see two jets flying in their direction, and the brief glimpse of the silhouette brought him to a comforting conclusion. Informing Ghost of the good news, he let himself briefly close his eyes to acknowledge the excruciating pain in his leg. It made him want to hurl, but he swallowed the desire, thinking to himself: Ghost will get you through this. She's mini-Mav. We also have Maverick and Hangman with us. We'll be fine.

However, Rooster underestimated his pain, not having realized that when he shut his eyes, he passed out for God knows how long. Rooster only awoke because of a high-pitched noise repeating his name. Groggily opening his eyes, Rooster looked around in a daze. The ocean water blurred past, and the sun that had once been behind him now lay in front of him.

"Bradley?! Answer me, damn it!" Ghost's frantic voice turned out to be the high-pitched noise he heard. "Bradley!"

"I'm- I'm here. I'm good," he replied, dizzy from pain.

"You're not good!" she snapped worriedly.

"Annalise, are you okay?"

"No! I've been calling your name for the past few minutes with no response! What happened?"

Rooster grimaced, realizing he couldn't keep the secret any longer. "I- I fucked up my leg or my ankle, maybe both. It might be broken, and it's- the pain-"

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want to worry you..."

"Jesus Ch- Bradley, if you're injured, I need to know! I can't- shit!" Ghost gasped and jerked her plane upward, but whatever happened, it was too late. Rooster found himself pinned to the seat, barely able to move as the plane lost all its momentum and went into a flat spin. Ghost frantically shouted, "We've lost both engines! I can't- I can't get them to restart! Fuck!"

"Keep trying, Ghost! You've got this!"

"Bradley, we have to eject!"

"No, we can-"

"That's an order, damn it! Eject! Eject! Eject!" Ghost pleaded with him, and he could hear her tears. He wouldn't be the reason she cried, not again. So, he listened. Mustering as much strength as he could, Rooster strained against the G-forces and grabbed hold of the ejection handle. For the second time that day, he found himself gliding weightlessly through the sky, although this time, the side effects of the ejection were much more noticeable. His neck and back swore in protest, but his leg screamed. His vision began tunneling as he looked for Ghost in the air to make sure she had escaped too. While he saw her parachute, the relief it gave him was short-lived. Rooster's eyes trailed down to her body, hanging limply by her straps. His tunnel vision disappeared, his body suddenly coursing with fear and worry. The moment he hit the choppy waters, he propelled himself foward, the adrenaline numbing his agonizing pain. Rooster reached Ghost as her body hit the ocean.

"Ghost!" He shouted, dragging her into his arms. Her head lolled against his chest, unmoving. "Ghost! Oh no, oh no! Oh god... oh god..."

Cradling her tightly so the waves didn't rip her away from him, Rooster tilted her face toward his, and bile rose in his throat. Blood trickled out of her nose, her ordinarily fair skin turning blue. "No, no, no," he croaked out. "This isn't- ghosts can't die. You can't- I don't- please, Annalise. Please, wake up."

Ghost never responded. Time slowed. The world went still. Sound disappeared. Rooster barely registered the sight of the helicopter or the soldier prying Ghost's lifeless body from his rigid hands. The moment he no longer held her, the pain finally overtook him, and Rooster passed out.

****

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imagines-by-a-typical-fangirl · 3 years

Text

The Perfect Bad Boy (Pt. 15 of 18)

Pairing: Billy Hargrove X Reader

Word count: 3 K

Summary: Working as a lifeguard in the Hawkins Community Pool, you try to fit in after moving from New York. Things were going pretty well when you notice you've been under someone's stare. Billy Hargrove, Hawkins' bad boy, has been staring at you since day one. You never intended to have anything to do with him, judging by the reputation he has. But Billy won't leave you alone, determined to show you his feelings are different this time...

As if your heart flooding you with confusing feelings wasn't enough, there are weird, strange animals lurking in the woods... But those have to be just part of the wild live of the woods surrounding Hawkins... Right?

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{Stranger Things Masterlist}

Missing

There are seven holes. Seven. But they aren't seven different nests, they're tunnels, with seven openings to the surface of the Earth. You only know that because Eleven spent the whole night focused on finding them, seated in the living room of Joyce's place, a piece of fabric covering her eyes. The map from before remained on the floor beside her, and she reached out to draw where the tunnels reach. You barely had any sleep, just the pair of hours you slept with your head on Billy's shoulder, seated on the couch, but someone's voice woke you up.

Relief fills your heart when the morning comes. During the night, you could only think about those things lurking around. After a quick shower, and using one of Eleven's shirt, you go to the kitchen and decide to have breakfast there, where you can be alone. Eating a bowl of cereal, you run a hand through your hair, trying to understand how are you going back to the pool today and act like none of this is happening.

“Hey, princess,” Billy says, coming into the kitchen. Hair is still wet and wearing only his jacket. “Are you ok?”

“I'm trying to be.” Pushing the bowl away, you watch as he makes himself the same meal you had. “Wondering how am I going to work today.”

“Wanna stay here? I can tell Anthony that you're sick. If he even shows up.”

“No. It'll be worse if I stay.” You're confused, not sure what's the best or what's worse. But at least in the pool you'll have something normal going on.

“Hey, you two,” Joyce says as she comes in. Her voice gets your attention, and when you look at her after exchanging a glance with Billy, you see that Hopper is right behind her, arms crossed and eyebrows furrowed together. “How are you two doing?”

“Uhm... Good.” It sounds like a question. Joyce sits at the table, with Hopper standing behind her. He has the chief face on, and you have no idea why. “Everything alright? Are we in trouble or something?” Gesturing at you and Billy, and cross your legs, an eye on the clock because you'll still need to stop by home to get the swimsuit.

“No, of course not. It's just that the kids were talking about something and–”

“Are you two living together?" Hopper speaks up, swallowing Joyce's words. She gives him a hard stare, and there's some kind of conversation going on through facial expressions that you can't understand.

“Yes.” You answer, not sure why you're in this situation in the first place. You feel like you're having the talk with Diane all over again. Diane. You have to call her, just to make sure everything is alright. “Why?”

“There were some rumors running around that–”

“That Billy Hargrove got some chick pregnant.” Hopper again. But this time Joyce slaps his arm.

“We agreed you'd let me do this.” She whispers.

“Then just get to the damn point.” He snaps back.

With wide eyes, you look at Billy. He doesn't seem bothered by this, peacefully eating his cereal. There's a smile on his lips that he tries to hold back, but you know him far too well now. You can see it. He's having fun.

“Look, guys, Uhm... These rumors started after I fainted on the pool, but it was from heat exhaustion, so...” Deciding to just end whatever this is, you speak up, kicking Billy's leg and whispering to him. “Say something.”

“(Y/N), honey, do your parents know about that?”

This makes you laugh, but then you remember Joyce doesn't know about your relationship, or better saying, the lack of it. “No, and I don't plan on doing that. But my aunt Diane does.”

“And she allowed it?” Hopper takes his time pronouncing every word as if this is absurd. “You're lucky you're not my daughter.”

“Hopper, just...” Joyce mumbles, her voice fading. “We just wanted to make sure you guys are... You know... Going somewhere with this. Living together is something really big and important to do.”

“I'll only say two things.” Billy finally makes his presence known, getting up and throwing his bowl in the sink. “First of all, I'm planning on marrying (Y/N). Second, we better go now or we'll be late. Again.”

There's a weird buzz in your ears as Billy takes your hand and starts pulling you with him. Joyce and Hopper have wide eyes, mouth half-open, in shock. You're not that different, and all your body is able to do is keep following Billy outside and to his car. You're silently looking through the window as he drives, but you're doing that on purpose, just to get back at him for saying that out of the blue.

“Aren't you gonna say anything?” He asks parking in front of the house.

“Absolutely not.” Stepping out of the car, you don't wait for him, heading inside. “If you really wanna do what you said, I'll patiently wait until you propose, Hargrove.” Turning around just enough to wink at him, you bite back a smile.

You're quick to get ready and manage not to be late. The song is blasting when Billy pulls over on his parking spot, and the moment the song is gone, you hear the chattering, noticing three police cars.

Your heart skips a beat when you leave the car, taking a deep breath. “Hey,” Billy calls, taking your hand. “Let's check what happened before jumping to conclusions, ok?”

“Ok.” Holding his arm, you move to the entrance, where a small crowd gathers. Hopper is here, and by the messy way of his clothes, he had to run over here. He immediately notices you and Billy, a sad look on his face. And that's when you see Monica, running a hand through her hair, tears glistening on her cheeks.

“Mon?” Calling, you let go of Billy and runs to her. Monica breaks a little bit when she sees you, and you're quick to hug her. “Mon, what happened?”

“It's Jason. My cousin is missing, (Y/N).” She cries on your shoulder, and you close your eyes tight because the first thing that comes to your head is probably what got him. The Demodogs. “He went out yesterday to buy dinner a-and his mom called mine saying he was taking long and...” You pull away, holding her hands. “...that was early evening yesterday. And he's still missing. The family spent the whole night looking for him and–”

“Mon, I'm sure we'll find him.” It's hard to lie. It's even harder not to break down in front of her. “Maybe he felt bad and fainted or something like that. We'll find him.”

“I hope so.”

“I'll drive you home, ok? Billy can keep the pools safe for one day.”

When she nods, drying off some tears, you make your way over him, who's talking to Hopper. He probably already knows, but you try to keep a straight face.

“Come here, princess.” He opens his arms and you don't even hesitate, hugging him tightly. “I'm so sorry. But we'll find him. The party is already aware of everything.” Whispering on my ear, Billy places a kiss on the top of your hair.

“I...” Getting rid of the single tear that escaped your efforts to hold it back, you pull away. “I'll take her home, she's very shaken. Can you just keep an eye–”

“Keep an eye on the kids, of course.” He bends over to kiss you, and your arms, almost automatically, move to be around his neck. “I'll pick you up after work, ok? I love you.”

“I love you.” It still makes you blush to hear those words, but you absolutely love to say it back. After one last kiss, you part ways.

Monica talks as you drive to her place, sharing memories with her cousin. Some of them you already know, but you don't stop her, laughing and making silly comments, trying to keep her mind away from the fact that Jason is missing.

Your mind also starts remembering. Obviously, you didn't have all the time around Jason that Monica had, but he was one of the first people you met when you got here. He's always smiling, carrying his siblings around, always complaining, but always happy to be with them. Jason is funny, even when he's the only one who actually gets his jokes.

Jason is missing.

Demidogs need a lot of food. An almost 6 feet tall male human has a lot of meat.

Shaking your head lightly, you push these thoughts away. No breaking down now. Monica needs you strong, to keep her strong too. Her family is either at Jason's or still looking, so you're alone. Both of you stay seated on her bed, and you give her your shoulder when she starts crying again. He's gone for one night and she's already losing it... If anything bad happens...

Her parents return home a couple of hours later, thankful to you for taking her back home. You drag her into the living room, turning the TV on this random movie and trying to convince her to pay some attention. You can hear her parents in the kitchen, making lunch, but you also hear when her mother cries, the low, cracking voice as she talks to her husband. It's getting hard by the minute to stay here, pretending you don't know what probably happened, but if you cry, if you start doubting Jason is ok, Monica will break apart.

A knock on the door, an unusually loud and frenetic knock, gets your attention. Looking over your shoulder, you see as Monica's father goes to answer it.

“Hi. Is (Y/N) here?” You hear a feminine voice, and you soon recognize it's Nancy.

Excusing yourself, you get up. “Yes, she's–”

“Hey.” You go to the front door, seeing Nancy and two cars in the sidewalk, many eyes looking at you. “Something wrong?”

“Sorry, but we need you. Uhm... Maxine is sick. We need to have a doctor check on her.”

“What?” You exclaim, running a hand through your hair. “Mon.” Calling her, you quickly make your way back to the living room. “I'm so sorry, but Maxine is feeling ill, I have to go. But I promise I'll call you later, ok?”

“Sure. Go help.” She says, nodding and clearing her throat since her voice is all clouded by her crying.

“Stay calm, honey. Jason is alright, I'm sure.” Another lie. You shouldn't make promises you don't know if you can keep. Giving her a quick hug, you run outside, muttering a goodbye to Mon's father as Nancy does the same.

“We'll go looking for him.” She says in a low voice as you move toward the cars. “We don't stand still when shit happens.”

Her choice of words makes you raise your eyebrows. You never heard her saying anything like that. “Thanks.” Muttering, you seat shotgun in Steve's car as she goes to Jonathan's. There are four kids on the back seat, fighting for some more space. You're happy to see Max is alright. For a moment, you thought she was really sick.

You park in the woods, and there are already some people here. Everyone but Hopper, because he has to be in the official search party, and Billy. God, you wish Billy was here.

“Alright, let's do this,” Mike says, and he freely starts separating you in groups. “Eleven and Will with me. Lucas, Jonathan, and Robin. Uhm... Max, Steve, and (Y/N). Joyce–”

“Why are you messing up the groups, man. I wanna go with Max.” Lucas complains and Mike rolls his eyes. “Groups of four, as usual.”

“Since when?”

“Alright, just gather in groups, c'mon, guys,” Joyce says, eyeing both her kids until they go to stand by her side, alongside Nancy.

You move to stand with Max and Lucas, and after playing rock, paper, scissors with Robin, Steve comes to your group. You raise your eyebrows at him, trying to get why they had to use that method to choose a group. “Nobody wants to be with these two lovebirds.” He says when he's close enough.

“That's something I can understand.” There's no doubt Max and Lucas are into each other, but they're constantly fighting. It's funny to watch, actually.

“Let's get started then, guys. Be careful, pay attention to the radios, and let's find Jason.” Joyce announces, taking over Hopper's role in this.

And everyone starts moving, each group in a different direction. You're going to the holes first, just to check, and then you'll cover a specific area. Max and Lucas are once again responsible for the map and walk a couple of feet ahead.

“Hey. Take this.” Steve gets your attention, taking the bat from his backpack and handing it over to you. “I know Jason was a close friend of yours. Sorry this happened.”

“Yeah.” You lay the bat over your shoulder, careful not to entangle your hair in the nails. “I really thought it couldn't get any worse but life proved me wrong.”

“I remember when Will went missing. I was a total jerk back then so I didn't really care.” You glance over to Steve, and he has an apologetic look on his face. “They found the body and there was a funeral. But the body was fake and Will was fine in the end.”

“Someone should make a movie out of that story.” You mumble, taking a deep breath. “Do you think Jason could be in the... Upside Down?”

“No. According to Eleven, no portals were open. The Demodogs just made these woods into their new home and are doing what it takes to survive.” Through the corner of your eyes, you see when he almost slips, opening his arms slightly to regain balance. “Don't laugh.” He says, but you're already chuckling. “Anyway, wherever he is, he's here.”

“Why don't we tell Eleven to just use her powers and find him. Wouldn't it be easier?”

“These woods are huge. And we usually just do that when it's the last resource.” Lucas answers.

“We don't like pushing her. It always brings back sad memories.”

That's something you can understand perfectly. “We do it the old way then.” You've seen how complicated it is. Eleven's nose wouldn't stop bleeding while she was figuring out the tunnels, and after while blood came out of her ears too. As much as you want to find Jason, you'd never ask her or the party to do something just so you'd feel better. They're in it far longer than you, so you trust them to make the decisions and set the pace. “I just hope he's alright. He's Monica's cousin, and she's worried to death.”

“Yeah, I get that.” It doesn't go unnoticed how Steve doesn't make false promises as you did with Monica. He doesn't say he's ok, that you'll find him. Running a hand through your hair, you take a deep breath, confused between having hopes or just expecting the worse. “So, changing the subject.” He speaks again. “You and Hargrove. I never thought Billy would actually fall in love.”

A smile comes to your lips, and you're thankful for having something else to think about. “Yeah. It took a while for me to believe that but he... He worked hard.” Involuntary, your hand goes for the necklace, fingers playing with the earring.

“Joyce and Hopper were saying something about marriage...” It sounds like a question, and you give Steve a glance, giggling. “They were trying not to let anyone hear them but Hopper doesn't really know how to whisper.”

By the heat spreading through your cheeks, you know you're blushing. Could it be real? Would Billy marry you? Is he really considering such a thing? “We spoke about it, Uhm... Twice, I think. But not a real conversation, he just spilled it out.”

“Holy shit, he's going serious with you then.” He playfully elbows your arm. By what you've seen and by what Max told you, Steve usually grows protective of everyone since he joined the party, and you think it's cute. He's like everyone's babysitter. “Send me an invitation, would you?”

“I will.”

“You–”

Maxine's yell cuts him short, getting your attention as you notice you have fallen behind. Immediately, you and Steve start running towards then.

“Man, that's...” Lucas says as Max hugs him, eyes tightly shut.

You're about to ask them what the hell happened when you follow Lucas' scared stare.

It's a weird sensation when you're brain refuses to take in the information. When your eyes, focused on something, are blind. And your ears are deaf and the wind blowing doesn't touch your skin. It's like you're not there.

Jason's body is stuck between a big rock and a dead tree. His torso is opened up, and there's nothing inside.

As there's nothing inside Jason anymore. He's empty. Body and soul. There will be no laughter leaving his lips, no more jokes, no more arms to carry his baby siblings around. Nothing. Just flesh and bones, both ripped apart.

“(Y/N).” You're sure it's not the first time you hear someone calling your name, but you're not even sure where it comes from.

You only move when an arm pulls you, and you feel it around you. “We have to go. C'mon.” Steve says, and, far and distant, you hear static, and voices, coming from the radio. “(Y/N).”

“I need Billy.” It's the only thing that comes to your head, and you find a way to force the words out of your throat.

“Alright, let's go,” Steve says, and you're only set on motion because of his arm around your shoulders.

Everything is a blur. You notice people moving around, and some of them come to hug you as they start regrouping near the cars. Nodding and thanking their kind words, you remain silent, arms crossed, the image still burning in your brain.

Jason's rib cage broken open, the blood staining his clothes and the ground around him. His head twisted in an awkward way, neck probably disconnected from the body.

“Let's get moving. She wants to talk to Billy.”

“The pool will close in an hour. Take her home.”

“No, she's scaring me. We need to take her to Billy.” Max intervenes, and Steve pulls you to his car. You let Max seat shotgun, feeling better in the backseat where you can curl into a ball, knees pressed against your chest as the landscape passes by.

It reminds you the first time you saw that thing. You were trying to beat Billy, driving back to your place. Maybe, if you had gone to the police station the next day, let them know something was out there, you could've avoided this. But who would believe you? You didn't believe it either. What are you going to tell Monica? After saying things would be ok, that they would find Jason alive and well when you knew being out in the woods all night long probably meant he'd become Demodog's meal.

You knew it, yet you lied. Vain hope is the worst kind of hope, and that's what you gave her.

“(Y/N).” Steve gets your attention, touching your shoulder. “We're at the pool.”

Blinking a few times to wake up from the stupor, you bolt out of the car, making your way to the entrance. It's crowded today, but you don't see faces, you just see obstacles.

It finally starts kicking in.

You went to find Jason, and you did. But instead of the dear friend you so easily grew to love, you found a dead, empty corpse. The tears threat to overflow as you rudely bump into people, making your way through the pool. At a distance, you see the moment Billy finally notices the commotion, his eyes quick to find you. By the way his face changes, the way he takes off his sunglasses and jumps to the ground, shoving people out of his way, you must be looking terrible.

But you don't care. Billy is everything you need, the only thing you see and you know you can break down in his arms. You just need to reach him, and when you do, you collapse against his chest, not able to hold back the tears anymore, the sobs building up your throat as you hold onto him.

“I'm so sorry,” Billy mumbles in your ear. He knows. How could he not?

You suddenly feel him lifting you up, and you hide your teary face on the crook of his neck. Seconds later you're at the locker room, and Billy screams for the other girls to get out as he puts you down, seated on one of the benches.

“I'm so sorry, (Y/N).” He repeats, kneeled before you, thumbs coming to dry off some tears, just to make space for more.

“I saw him. H-he was all eaten, Billy. His body was-his body was wide open and everything was gone–”

“Stop, stop.” He begs, pulling you into a hug. “You don't have to tell me, not now.” Nodding, you take in his scent, feeling safe, secure, despite the terror creeping under your skin. “I'll take you home, ok?”

“No.” You mutter, pulling away just enough so you're foreheads are touching. You don't know what comes to you, but this has to be said. This feeling has to be let out. Not after, not tomorrow. Now. Maybe it's the fact that you saw death for the very first time. You just need to let him know “You're my home.”

@chloe-skywalker @dpaccione @dreamin-of-dacre @funeral-7 @uncookspaget @youhavemyfantasticbeasts @halloweenbitch2764 @redlovett @multific @shinydixon @nikkixostan @clockworkballerina @nope-thanks

#imagine billy hargrove #billy hargove x reader #billy hargrove fanfiction #billy hargrove x y/n #billy hargrove imagine #imagine stranger things #stranger things imagine #stranger things fanfiction

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softer-ua · 3 years

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I have no idea what Bakugou would have done if Izuku died in the sludge Villain accident. They had a lot of strong unresolved emotions, I just can't fully visualize it, the only thing I have clear is him trying to latch onto anger, but that would burn out fast because the Villian was trapped and the heroes did their thing (Winning, which at that point he believed everything was) so I don't know what would he do. Sooo...could you please give us your insight? Please :D

I’d love to give my insight! Thank you for asking!!!🥰

It would depend on which sludge incident, the one where Deku ran to save Katsuki or the one where Deku was on his own? 🤔 I’ve got ideas on both lol

Buckle up this is gonna be a long one, and it’s not a fun ride

For the first I think Katsuki would latch onto anger and be a self hating righteous little monster for the rest of eternity. Because obviously he’s never getting therapy.

If he can blame himself for AM’s retirement and his parents can blame him for getting kidnapped than I have zero doubt the Entire Bakugo family would blame Katsuki for Dekus death. That family loves to victim blame, and Mitsuki would have a field day with chart topping world’s lowest blows like

If Katsuki hadn’t been hanging out in an alley and had gone straight home the villain wouldn’t have got him

If Katsuki hadn’t just been randomly blasting the heros wouldn’t have had to divert their attention to the fire

If Katsuki hadn’t been so weak(what’s the point of that flashy quirk if you can’t even save yourself)

Going with him to make him apologize to Inko (trying to imagine this feels like my brains touching a hot stove, it would be a thousand times more horrible and scarring than being forced to apologize to his Idol and teach for being kidnapped)

If hs Katsuki didn’t have the tools to block out his mother and broke down over a 50 year old man retiring, then poor ms Katsuki doesn’t stand a chance against being forced to bare the blame in someone’s actual death, especially not Dekus. Plus whatever destructive aftermath Katsuki created.

Did you have to blow up the entire alley way??

Katsuki would also never stop blaming those heros, even if the villain was captured they lost what really mattered, Dekus life.

They should have stopped the villain before Deku ever showed up

They should have never let Deku cross the line

They should have saved him

I think his fear of being weak would have been magnified by 10000. And it wouldn’t be a stretch for me to believe that witnessing that kind of hero failure so personally would be his villain origin. But even if it wasn’t, I think 10 months of stewing in grief, rage and self hate at such a young age would leave some very permanent scars

He’d habitually train to the point of self harm(reminder to check in on your fitness bros)

He’d never ever let someone close to him again (he didn’t want Deku close to him in the first place and look at how bad it hurt anyway)

He wouldn’t give a shit about any heros opinion anymore, if it’s not about how he can get stronger than any would be mentor can fuck off

His ego would have taken a massive hit, he’s no longer trying to prove he’s the best

Instead he’s insuring it because he’s never losing anyone again

Even with that in mind I think the sports festival actually would have gone a lot calmer because he no longer gives a shit about showing off, he’s just fighting to test himself and Dekus the one who pushed Todoroki to the point anyone even knew he had a fire side(I always wonder how much longer Aizawa was gonna let that go on for) so he’d except his medal quietly so it’s possible the lov would never have tried to recruit him

I think he’d be a lot more proactive in helping his classmates get stronger

Just not in a cute tsundere way anymore, but in a “if you can’t keep up with me I will keep attempting to murder you until you drop out” way, because B List heros are not allowed to be a thing anymore

Eventually he would grow up to be the top hero and he revels in that victory by hating himself, his job, his coworkers, his family, and everyone and everything else. The best part of his days are the adrenaline highs and that’s not even a happy high, in a bad headspace it just makes you ansty and aggressive, still better than being a hallow husk of resentments

I wouldn’t be surprised if he eventually did kill a fellow pro for not meeting his standards. Depending on what the hero did to earn his ire would shape wether he went on to be the new hero killer or simply stopped being a hero himself in custody or more permanently

Now if the villain had instead been captured after being caught hiding in Dekus flesh suit things would have been very different than the above

Katsuki would definitely be traumatized at this news, so would most of their class and they’d probably do some kind of memorial deal, and over the course of a couple of days Katsuki would slowly descend into madness at watching his class act like they have ever given a single fuck about Deku

Then he would speedball into it, because how dare they grieve over him, non of them deserve to especially not him

He’d be angry for as long as he could, at himself and everyone else, but eventually that’d putter out without anyone stoking the fire, no one else blames his class for feeling sad and no one blames the heros for not existing on every single possible street corner

Maybe he makes it through UA. He’s not as hot head, not as naive, but teens hold grudges like no other, he can be mad at the world a little longer.

Throws himself into the work so he doesn’t have time to think. He’s going to be the best because Deku always believed he would be and if he’s not allowed to be sad than this will be his only way to honor the nerds memory.

But the thing about pain is that it demands to be felt.

Eventually his regrets and grief would come for him, in a year or in ten years doesn’t matter they will eventually claim the time and space they need with interest.

He’d probably meet his regrets first so that he can be mad at himself for a little longer

He should have let Deku be

If he hadn’t held Deku up after class maybe he’d have made it home

His last words play on loop growing distorted and more malicious as the years go on(fun fact about memory ! It’s easily manipulated because each time you remember something you’re actually just remembering the last time you remembered the thing! Basically your brain reconstructs the memory completely each time! Fuck it up once and it’s all down hill)

He regrets not ensuring that he’d have more than his flimsy memories to hold onto Deku with, he never realized he’d want to, never could fully conceive that he’d actually have to.

He should have been kinder

He should have been less of a coward and faced his own insecurities

He should have talked to Deku about so many things

He can’t just focus on what he did and didn’t do forever tho, eventually he’ll have to recognize the hole Deku left behind, his regrets will paint the picture of his grief

Maybe he forgets the exact date of Dekus birthday but he knows it was in the summer, he regrets not going to his last one and grieves never going to a next one.

He regrets not going to the funeral, of course he was sad, he’d been an idiot to think he couldn’t be

He regrets not visiting Dekus grave, and grieves over how long he’s been gone now

He regrets that he had to learn what the value of saving is by having lost, god how he grieves that loss

Without Deku Kaminari never hears that nickname, Kacchan died with Deku. He grieves over never hearing it again

He wonders if Dekus hanging out with Kacchan wherever he is, he wonders if this makes him crazy.

He grieves over Deku dying so young, so alone, so horribly. It gives him nightmares, he can’t imagine the pain of having all his organs crushed down from the inside, and yet he’s some how intimately aware of its possibility. He debates looking for the autopsy results, maybe if he confirms it was asphyxiation and not internal blunt trauma the nightmares will stop. But you don’t ask questions you don’t want answers to.

He grieves over the dreams Deku never got to chase, and regrets ever playing a part in taking away the happiness a dream is supposed to have

He grieves over the Deku shaped hole in his life that seemed to grow with him despite only ever getting to know the knobby knees version, he can’t help but think with every achievement and milestone “you should be here”

He doesn’t hate his life, it just feels half lived.

Without Deku pushing his buttons and no god complex shaped alarm bells people were slower to reach out to him.

Without Deku to vouch for his good qualities people were a lot more hesitant to see them.

He still did make friends it’s just a shallower connection and he doesn’t make time for them

He becomes top hero but the victory feels hallow like there should have been more of a fight for it. Maybe he is crazy but it feels like it should have been Deku fighting him for it.

His saves are legendary and numerous, he’s never able to shake the feeling that there’s someone out there who needs him just around the corner

Between the nightmares and the anxiety clocking off gives him he probably gets less sleep than any hero before him, even Aizawa.

It was a short career

#softy answers #tw child death #tw child abuse #tw selfhate #tw grief #idk what else to tag #let me know if there’s any I should put up #I like talking about heavy topics but I want to help keep bnha a fun space for everyone #I am so sorry about how long I made this #I’m on mobile and idk how to make it do the read more thing

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