#but we needed this little clash to know things aren't okay between brothers

[cienie-isengardu]

Tomas brought that mean talk Bi-Han gave him on himself. Bi-Han only said he's tired of waiting and Tomas went on a speech why that's disrespectful to their dad. Tomas was out of line. Bi-Han should have been even harsher.

Mortal Kombat 1 made it clear that Bi-Han was not at his best mental state. Kuai Liang himself admitted to be aware that his brother’s frustration ran deeply while at the same time apparently neither Scorpion nor Smoke figured out it was their own behavior and treatment of Bi-Han that fueled the frustration in the first place. The one thing the game consequently showed is that whatever Bi-Han will say, be it an opinion about Lin Kuei’s future or just angry complain, all his brothers have to say back to him is father this, tradition that and I think even the most patient person at some point would reach the breaking point. And Bi-Han did reach his, otherwise I doubt he would openly confront Kuai Liang about their father’s death. 

So as much as it is understandable (human) that whenever Tomas or Kuai Liang mentioned father or the tradition Sub-Zero lashed out in frustration, anger alone is a poor excuse for saying mean things - unless in that scene Bi-Han did in fact speak his mind about not considering Smoke to be a true Lin Kuei. Which I doubt is the case, as they were called for the first big job in a while, and looking how

Liu Kang did not recognize Tomas through the whole story mode

Bi-Han had a final say in who is accompanying him, as he rejected aid of Raiden (Fire Lord’s current Champion) and Kung Lao and Liu Kang did not try to impose them on him

I think if Grandmaster truly had an objection to Smoke performing Lin Kuei duty or not deserving being one, he wouldn’t take Tomas on the top priority mission ordered by a very concerned Liu Kang when there were plenty of other more experienced warriors to pick up. Frankly, even if Bi-Han had a doubt about his younger brother’s skills, it wasn’t a baseless assumption, as the infiltration of the enemy's fortress proved Tomas lacks battle experience in that regard. As was seen during his fall after Nitara’s attack - instead of using his powers that literally allowed him to fly, he screamed in panic and using a knife to stop the fall was his second option after instinctively grabbing the wall with his hands failed. Which proves Bi-Han’s point but it didn’t override the decision to include Tomas into Lin Kuei duties. 

But I digress, so let’s come back to the awaiting scene alone. 

Bi-Han: “How long are we expected to linger?" Kuai Liang: “Patience, Bi-Han. There are many demands on Liu Kang's attention." Tomas: "Were he here, Father would advise us to wait without protest."

For one, Tomas did not say anything about Bi-Han being disrespectful to their father nor even to Liu Kang, only that the man would advise them - mind you, them, not Bi-Han alone - to wait as long as needed without a protest. Considering the real possibility that up to his death, their father was the final authority whose words settled any dispute between brothers, Smoke brought an argument to support Kuai Liang’s Patience, Bi-Han. There are many demands on Liu Kang's attention. He simply said what father would do himself in their situation. Something he and Kuai Liang take comfort in, as they held father’s teaching in high regard, while Bi-Han did not recognize the man’s authority any longer - what the younger brothers may know already but still ignore due to their own grief, or Bi-Han up to this moment managed to keep down his frustration under more or less effective control.

This exchange led the discussion away from Liu Kang’s treatment of high-ranked Lin Kuei to the more dangerous subject of father’s teaching and tradition:

Tomas: "Were he here, Father would advise us to wait without protest." Bi-Han: "But now he is gone and I am Grandmaster." Kuai Liang: “His teaching did not pass with him. They should still guide us." Bi-Han: "Guide us, yes. Shackle us, no." Tomas: “We can't abandon tradition." Bi-Han: "Mind your place, Tomas. Father may have taken you in, made you one of us... but your blood will never be Lin Kuei."

For me, Bi-Han’s response was harsher than Tomas’ words deserved, especially as the “your blood will never be Lin Kuei” has nothing to do with the main course of the argument - i.e., following father’s teachings and upholding tradition. If Bi-Han wanted to point out that Tomas is not in position to decide the course of the clan's politics, as it was Grandmaster’s choice alone, he could have said so instead of bringing Tomas’ past. However, at the same time, Sub-Zero’s words could be much harsher and hurtful, for example to deny him the brotherhood or right to consider himself one of Grandmaster's sons. 

The whole bicker was avoidable or at least could be toned down much better if Tomas did not bring their father into discussion. Considering that Kuai Liang was aware his older brother’s patience is a thin ice due to deep frustration, we can assume Tomas knew that too. I feel like if they acknowledged Bi-Han’s complaint or at least allowed him to vent his anger in peace, none of the following arguments would follow. 

I mean, Liu Kang called Grandmaster for top important mission (capturing Shang Tsung and destroying soulstellers), so we can assume Bi-Han and his brothers drop whatever they were doing at that moment and came ASAP only to be forced to wait for unknown to us period of time - that could be a ten minutes or hours, so Bi-Han’s complaint is not baseless. 

At the same time, I feel it is unfair to accuse Tomas of stepping out of line, as that was no formal meeting and he did not undermine the authority of the Grandmaster and older brother before outsiders. The scene was solely about them and their relationship and if Bi-Han felt comfortable to break out of his Grandmaster’s role to vent his frustration to younger brothers when they were all alone, Tomas had the same right to feel comfortable enough to state his opinion in the following discussion. This is them being brothers not the leader and subordinates, the way they were during the war meeting with Liu Kang.

Please, note, Bi-Han  as Grandmaster is singled out and to whom Fire Lord addresses only, while Smoke and Scorpion stood in their place in silence and won’t speak until the meeting is officially over, i.e. after Sub-Zero’s final decision (“We will leave immediately”). If Tomas spoke during that meeting anything contradictoring Sub-Zero’s words, even if his words were correct, then yes, that would be stepping out of line and deserves any lecture the Grandmaster would consider fitting or even dealing with Tomas’ behavior once they returned to home. 

But during the moment between brothers alone from any outsiders? It is different situation, different power balance to begin with (and really, if they didn’t feel comfortable in each company and didn’t consider waiting together as the quiet moment between just them as brothers, outside the clan politics, I doubt Tomas and Kuai Liang would sit while Bi-Han, their leader, was standing).

Did Smoke really need to bring their father into discussion, especially if he knew the late Grandmaster was a sensitive topic around Bi-Han? It could be easier to just avoid that topic however if we can acknowledge Sub-Zero’s frustration as the reason for his harsh behavior and lashing out in anger, I feel we should also acknowledge that Tomas, the same as Kuai Liang, was a son mourning the loss of father. As Smoke and Scorpion had no idea about Bi-Han’s (passive) role in their father’s death, and we don’t have an idea how long time passed since that incident, so there is a chance it was still recent occurrence and the brothers tried - and failed - to find a common ground between Sub-Zero’s ambitions and Smoke & Kuai Liang’s mourning.

Maybe Tomas was so wrapped up in his grief, he didn’t care or didn’t notice he was provoking Bi-Han? Maybe he on purpose kept bringing the late Grandmaster (tradition) into discussion to force his brother to talk about their father, because grieving people sometimes avoid talking about the dead and he did not want repeat what happened to him not speaking about mother and sister, as intro dialogue implied he did not talk about his biological family after their death (Scorpion: You never speak of your mother and sister.)

For me personally, this scene is not about who stepped out the line and who should be lectured, but rather a needed indication from the narration point that the brothers are drifting apart after their father’s death. Both sides have said things that rubbed the other in the wrong way (hearing non stop about father and tradition adds fuel to Bi-Han’s frustration, Tomas’s hearing no matter how hard he will try, he will never be a true Lin Kuei hits into his sense of self-worth), but even the closest siblings sometimes argue and it happened here.

The argument should not even happen in the first place, and maybe would not happen in any normal circumstances  but since Bi-Han and Tomas and Kuai Liang are affected by things outside their control - frustration and mourning respectively - it is understandable the heavy emotions led them to clashed over relatively small things. 

If there is one thing to say for sure, they have some serious communication problems and that is only partially about Bi-Han not saving their father and lying about that. The story mode showed us Bi-Han trying to explain his reasoning - and as much as game keeps his arguments as vague as possible, he still openly states what he wants for Lin Kuei and himself, while his brothers cling to "tradition" and "father said so" but won't present any countrarguments why those things should matters. Which is a major problem, as both sides want different things and can't find a common ground to agree on.

So no, I don't think Tomas was at fault in this scene, at least not in the sense he wanted to hurt Bi-Han by bringing father into discussion, the same as I don't think Bi-Han should be harsher. What they should have done was to talk about the issue in peace and work out the solution, but alas they weren't given a time nor opportunity until it was too late.

#mortal kombat #bi han #sub zero #smoke #tomas vrbada #my replies #i feel like this scene and their clash is blown up out of proportion by fandom #either as bi han being bastard just to be bastard or tomas being bastard for talking about father when no one asked him to do so #but we needed this little clash to know things aren't okay between brothers #bi han is frustrated #tomas is a son mourning father #the same as kuai liang for the matter #but whatever they said here did not indicate bi han hated tomas or tomas was afraid or abused #bi han had right to complain #tomas had right to talk about father and looking up to his teaching in stressful situation #still it didn't stop them working well together on mission and bi han showed his worry for the adopted younger brother #so the clash here did not affect their relationship that much #thus wasn't a serious argument to be remembered i guess #and also i know sometimes it is good to avoid subject that may frustrate your companion #but sometimes confrontation is also needed to move on with the problem #i feel like tomas falls into second category here #he wants to acknowledge the elephant in the room #and as kuai liang's bio says he was concerned about bi-han's politics and new path for lin kuei so tomas probably felt the same #even if he went about it clumsily

[jademakean]

Clouded Sea

JJ Maybank x Routledge!Reader

Warnings: Death, Thalassophobia.

Not edited

･*:༅｡.

It had been a while since your brother’s disappearance. You don't recollect how you reacted to the newfound information, in the beginning, your overwhelmed mind blocking out the details. What you do remember is how you spent days in your room mourning until you snapped out of your trance.

Just because they didn't find the boat doesn't mean they aren't alive.

It's John B, he knows how to get out of difficult situations.

He's okay

Of course, your slight change in attitude received attention from unwanted locals, you seemed more eager to leave the house, you didn't cry anytime you came back to the Routledge house, there weren't dark circles under your eyes anymore and it wasn't too long before they understood what you began speculating.

Delusion ran in the family

The pogues were the ones to understood your situation the quickest. On the rare location, John Bs name was mentioned, you spoke of him as though he were still alive. Barely phased by the fact that your brother wasn't around anymore. They also noticed how you'd run off right home to check the mail after hanging out with them.

At that point they began to pity you, believing that you were in denial and becoming obsessed-which you were- they discussed it amongst themselves trying to finds ways to bring you back to reality.

JJ was a different story, he became more distant and quiet. Mostly hanging at his house with his god-awful father. Doing his best at ignoring you because you'd just remind him of his second greatest loss.

As time went on you got some clarity on your surroundings. JJ behavior mostly.

You weren't sure how to approach him at first, he must be having his own battles that didn't need to be brought up, maybe he'd shut you out even more if you tried to ask him how he felt. So you decided to be casual.

You remembered how you had asked him to teach you how to surf before John Bs disappearance. You never learned how  because of your fear of the ocean, and it had gotten worse due to this past event. 

Sweat began to gather on your forehead due to the blazing sun up above. You readjusted you loose shirt, hiding your plain bathing suit. You knocked on the metal door, nervously waiting for who you were looking for and as you were about to knock a second time, a very tired JJ appeared with squinted eyes as the light hit his face.

The air left your lungs momentarily. You hadn't seen his face in a long while but he was here now, in front of you.

You snapped put of it when he whispered your name "What are you doing here?"

Taking a deep inhale, you smiled charmingly. “I came over to get you. You promised me you'd teach me how to surf last year, remember?” It was your fault for holding the plans back for so long, the thought of swimming above water clouded with sand was terrifying to you.

You walked past him, grabbing the beach towel on the floor and some sunscreen. “Right now?”

You answered with a smile “Of course! Better sooner than later. I'm tired of holding our plans off, we should just get it done and over with.”

“That's not what I mean.”

You stopped rummaging through the towels. It was easy to tell my the sound of his voice that he was still struggling immensely, it was also laced with confusion on how you aren't in the state of mind he is now.

“There are barely any waves today. I checked and there aren't many people either, it might be because it's a Wednesday.” You changed the attention the topic was directed to smoothly

“Y/n..”

You interrupted him by grabbing his hand, leading him to where his surfboard was abandoned for these past weeks. “Lets go, the sun is about to set.”

As you previously mentioned moments before, the sea was still. The sun warmed up everything beneath it, almost making you excited to get in the chill water.

Once you reached the shore line JJ began making little mountain of sand beside you “What are you doing?”

“You have to practice on sand before trying the real thing." He sighed.

“Actually-” you caught his eyes “-I was thinking that maybe you could help me get more comfortable with being in the water? I feel like that's the overall most basic step, you know?” You laughed lightly trying to cover up the anxiety spiralling in your head.

And thats what happened for the next few days. You started off small, allowing the water to reach your knees then moved on to mid thigh, and that alone lasted about 20 minutes. However, you didn't mind. You were able to talk to JJ more, which was hard.

It seemed like there was something on his mind that was one fake smile away from being revealed.

You both began meeting by the beach at 4:P.M, you'd stay for a few hours before he'd start help u balance yourself on the pile of sand with his surfboard.

It was all going well. You were always a quick learner when you got excited over something. JJ on the other hand seemed to become slightly closed off, like the only thing set on his mind was to teach you surf and nothing more. Limeted physical contact, no unessesary comments, no jokes.

Oh, how much you missed jokes. You hadn't heard one from him since your brother's disappearance. Your hopes of peeping one from him was slowly dimming away.

"Alrighty! I think I'm ready to sit on the board, maybe go farther out this time. A two in one." You smiled. While pulling down your shorts you decided to keep your shirt on. You excitedly took JJ's hand before guiding him to shore.

The water was cold, as usual, but you didn't feel as hesitant to enter it like before. It was an improvement that you were glad to notice.

Since you had a later shift at work it was already 7:50 P.M and the sun was starting to set, making the sky was a beautiful mixture of gold and blue.

You snapped out of your trance once you felt JJ's hands on your waist.

You were suddenly flustered by his action, and even though he was just helping you get on the board, he hadn't been very physical with you those past days. His a action was simply unexpected.

"Thank you." You said sitting up straight.

There was complete silence between the both of you. The only sounds heard was the waves clashing together gracefully, peoples distant voices and seagulls flying over their heads. This was the normal routine between the two of you, no talking, just the patiently waiting for your fear to disintegrate into ashes until you're able to swim without a care in the world, just like all the Pogues.

You missed them, truly.

There weren't anymore meatups at the Chateau or watching them surfing from your spot in the sand, sunbathing while drinking fresh juice.

"Do ya want to make plans with the gang? We could eat dinner at the diner, and maybe sleepover my hous-"

"What is wrong with you."

JJ interrupted you with a harsh tone, causing your smile to falter. "What do you mean?" You asked, calmly adjusting your body so you could sit with both of your legs on one side of the board.

"You know exactly what I mean." He looked into your eyes this time. And it's now that you have no choice but to look at his face that you notice the dark undereyes, dry lips and messy hair.

He wasn't taking proper care of himself, he probably couldn't if he tried. It was obvious your brother's disappearance took a toll on him. "How do you do that?"

"Do what?" You asked, slightly afraid of his answer.

"How are you so okay with everything. I remember when you were locked in your room for weeks on end, and one day you just- came out. I didn't even see you and from what I heard it seemed impossible to be true. But then you just showed up at my door with no warning, with this big smile on your face and- I don't understand. He's your brother." His tone became more exasperated as he let out all the words that had been running through his mind.

"JJ, I'm not gonna stay sad all summer just because John be isn't here. I'm sure he wants me to do what makes me happy and keep taking care of myself. Plus, he's-"

"Stop talking about him as if he's alive!" JJ interrupted once again "He's dead, don't you understand? He's not coming back, or gonna send you some letter. He's dead."

His harsh tone made you feel as though he was purposely trying to hurt you. The worst part is that that's not the case. He's trying to make you see what he sees. "He's not dead."

There was a slight pause, he looked at you as if you were crazy.

"He's not. There's no body, so until I see one he's not dead. He's smart. He's got Sarah, they got away from the police and are probably in some island enjoying themselves."

"You've gotten comeplety insane! Do you hear yourself? You sound exactly like him when your dad disappeared, and you know damn well how that went."

His hurtful words ignited anxiety within your heart, making it feel heavy and sensitive. You were starting to feel too much and you didn't know how to stop it.

"I know he's alive! You'll see. He's gonna send some sort of signal, ofcourse we couldn't just show up out of nowhere when the police is looking for him. Since when does a disappearance automatically mean they died?"

JJ's eyes darkened, he was done with this game. He had to witness JJ obsess over his dad's disappearance only for him to be hit with utter disappointmen, he wasn't gonna allow the same to happen to you. "Face it. Your brother's dead, there's nothing you can do to change that."

His words hit you like a wave, his harshness making the agonizing emotion worse than ever thought possible.

It was so hard to keep hoping. It was exhausting.

"I don't wanna be alone"

Your words came out quiet and shaky. Once JJ looked back at you he took notice of the fact that your eyes were casted down, glossy and relaxed to the point where it seemed as though there was no emotion behind them.

The thought of not being able to hug your brother again- not having anymore long converstation about your future or simply seeing him from afar as he tried to outsurf JJ- was a thought that you refused to accept. However, you had begun douphting yourself and JJ finally saw through that crack.

His tense shoulders dropped, guilt sinking in knowing you were hiding the way you truly felt deep down.

"He's not dead, okay?"

JJ gazed at your expression swallowing the shame building up your throat before nodding his head. “You're right, he's not dead.”

He slowly approached you and got between your legs, wrapping his arms around you. “He's not dead.” You collapsed against him, resting your cheek against his collarbone.

Teardrops fell onto his golden skin, the feeling resulted in a shiver, running through his body as he hugged you tighter.

John Bs disappearance was harsh on everyone who truly knew him, and some learned how to hide it better than others. All that everyone slowly began understanding is that you were all one family and should watch out for each other.

“Do you wanna go grab a bite?”

You could almost laugh at his poor attempt to be casual, but you settled with a smile, pulling away from him while wiping your own tears with your arm.

JJ ran his thumb underneath your eye before kissing your forehead. “Come on, we can listen to Bob Marley on the way there if you want.” He snickered as he guided your surfboard towards the beachfront. You sighed, liking the feeling of the water moving underneath you as he pulled you to shore, observing the fish beneath you.

The sun had already set and all that was leftover of the sky was a pinkish-blue.

You could finally feel the sand beneath your feet. You watched as JJ walked off, grabbing his bag and shirt.

“Here.” He tossed over his top and your flip-flops as he slid in his. “Arent, you gonna be cold?” You asked knowing the shit that laid in your hands was the only one he had.

“What, would you prefer to walk around in your soaking wet shirt? Because I think that'd do more damage to your health than me going shirtless.” He teased with a raised brow.

You paused for a second allowing the realization that you are in fact soaking wet to sink in “Yeah you're right. Suffer.” Your approving sentence got a laugh from him.

You gaped at him. This was the first time you heard him laugh ever since go started talking to him again.

A smile made its way to your lips “Alright, I'm ready.” You stated after pulling a new shirt over your body. “My tapes are in the outside pocket.”

He pulled out the Bob Marley cassette from the bag before sharing an earbud with you. You accepted, untying your dry hair and finally setting it free.

The walk was peaceful, a comfortable silence falling over the both of you. The smell of pinewood from the trees was calming as you walked past the forestry area of the island.

You and JJ would always use this path after a beach day with the pogues. You would separate yourselves from the group so you could discuss about his job, home life, aspirations. Those were all things he never felt very safe discussing about with anyone but you. John B knew, but they didn't have the sort of relationship where they could switch to sensitive topics easily.

JJ liked how listened. You didn't look at him while he talked about such things, knowing he would feel intimidated by your gaze. The way your body slightly turned to him to show that you were paying attention. Most of all how you communicated with him first. When discussing about his father, you would ask if he needed a listener, a solution, or comfort.

Most of the time he would ask for you to simply allow him to rant, however, there were many times where he would ask for you to comfort him, just so he could receive the soothing sensation of embracing you tightly.

During every hug you shared, we're mere seconds of pure relief, relief that there was someone out there who knows about every aspect of his life and is yet to view him as weak.

“I’m really glad you got me put of the house. I hadn't surfed ever since he disappeared.”

It was as if the path you were on gave him the courage to speak with confidence. “And I'm sorry I was so harsh on you. I didn't mean to. I've just been feeling so much and I got so frustrated when you didn't seem as miserable as I am, I should've never been so insensitive.”

You knew he had a hard time apologizing to people, it made him feel vulnerable and he wants to have the upper hand in every situation. He likes being in control to compensate for the how much of it he lacks at home.

You looked over at him before smiling. “I love you too, JJ.” You ruffled his hair playfully before hugging his side as you walked.

JJ returned your smile, grateful for the fact that you resorted to a light-hearted response instead of a heavy one.

Time passed quickly and before you knew if you had arrived at the Chateau. JJ took a deep breath, his nerves increasing. He hadn't seen any of them, just as he hadn't seen you during those long weeks. How would they react seeing him there, let alone seeing the both of you together with smiles on your faces.

You squeezed his hand gently. An encouraging gesture to give him some strength.

You led him inside, the yellowish lights contrasted the night sky beautifully and as you both sat around the wooden table, you removed the earbud from your ear, which prompted him to follow your actions.

“JJ?” You heard Kie from behind you. Once you turned to face her she looked as though a miracle just occurred before her eyes.

Before your brain could acknowledge she dropped her notepad and hugged you both with the strength of an amazonian. “I missed you guys.” she mumbled into your hair.

As you were about to respond you felt more weight on you “We missed you guys.”

You giggled, now aware that it was Pope who was crushing you.

It had been so long since you had all shared such a heartfelt embrace, and you weren't going to let each other go for a while. You were all family. No matter how far you are or how long you don't speak to each other. This is what a true family was, and soon enough you were all going to be together again, as one.

“We missed you too.”

#jj maybank x reader #jj #JJ maybank #jj obx #jj x y/n #jj imagine #jj maybank angst #obx #outer banks #jj maybank imagine #jj x reader

[nothing-but-dreamy]

TRUE COLORS ~ Ch. 6

Wanna start? Masterlist

Pairing: DBH!Connor x OC!Maya

Words: 2.193 (yes, it's a bit longer but I really love this chapter and didn't want to cut it somwhere)

Warning: some cursing;

Connor stayed the rest of the evening and the whole night with Maya. And as she awoke the next morning, she was surprised and very happy to see that Connor was still there. As Maya walked into the living room, she saw Connor staying in front of the terrarium, watching her little friend.

"Haven't you met Trevor before?", Maya asked and joined Connor.

"You named your gecko Trevor?", he asked, visibly amused.

"Sure. It isn't that he would care anyway. I mean, it's a gecko. I don’t think he understands one single word I’m telling him. Maybe it’s better this way.", she answered with a wink. Connor smiled but it faltered a bit.

"Hank had called me. Maybe we have a lead for our case."

"Sounds good. When do you have to leave?"

"He will be here in five minutes."

"Oh, then it's good I woke up or you would have sneaked out again, huh?", Maya joked but she saw that Connor didn't get it. He blinked with his eyes and tilted his head. Then, his expression changed as he searched for the right words.

"Thank you, again. I… I really appreciate what you do for me."

"I'm here for you whenever you need me, Connor.", Maya said honestly and Connor nodded before he left to meet Hank on the street.

"Connor, wait!", Maya called out and the android stopped. She ran towards him, got on her tiptoes and flung her arms around his neck.

"Please, be careful, okay? Don’t get shot again.", Maya said, softly smiling and he nodded not knowing what the right reaction would be. This much affection towards him confused him but in a nice way.

***

"Another night spent with Maya, huh?", Hank asked and watched the android closely as he entered the car.

"Yes, it was helpful. Where are we going?", Connor asked as the lieutenant hit the road.

"We have to meet someone."

Forty minutes and a quick stop at the CyberLife Tower later, Hank parked his car in front of an abstract and cubical building. As Hank's phone rang, he left the car to answer it. Connor looked one last time over the area before he left the car as well to join Hank who walked up and down.

"Is everything okay, Lieutenant?", Connor asked as he closed up to his partner.

"Chris was on patrol last night. He got attacked by a bunch of deviants but he got saved by Markus himself."

"Is Chris okay?"

"Yeah, he is under shock but he is okay. These are crazy times at the moment.", Hank said and walked to the front door of the building.

"I have a bad feeling, Lieutenant."

"Bad feeling, huh? Have you checked your program? It might be a glitch.", Hank teased but Connor frowned. After everything that had happened the last few days, Connor was insecure if something might be really wrong with him or his program.

[X] shoot

[O] spare

Connor pointed Kamski's gun at the head of the kneeling Chloe. He looked her straight in the eyes. Her LED was spinning blue. She wasn't concerned. She was a machine and she just watched him patiently. But Connor was disturbed. His LED was spinning yellow as his system was working. There was a clash between his instructions to get information for his mission and … something else.

… I'm convinced you will be able to find a way to solve this case without killing someone. There is always an alternative. To spare someone's life is always better…

Maya's soft voice echoed through his mind and reminded him of everything she had tried to teach him the first night. Suddenly, the eyes he looked into weren't the eyes of Chloe anymore, instead he saw Maya's bright eyes and her smile.

The LED was moving erratic red as he acted against his instructions: Connor pulled the gun away from the kneeling android. Kamski stepped around Connor and watched him.

"Fascinating. CyberLife's last chance to save humanity is itself a deviant."

"I- I'm not a deviant."

"You spared its life rather than to accomplish your mission. You saw a living being in this android. You showed empathy."

"Okay, that's enough. We're leaving.", Hank said and pushed Connor away from the eccentric scientist. Connor was almost out of the room as Kamski spoke up.

"By the way, I always leave an emergency exit in my programs. You might never know.", Kamski said and Connor left the villa with a troubled mind. He passed Hank who followed slowly behind Connor.

"You said you would do everything to accomplish your mission."

"I- I know…", Connor stammered.

"Why haven't you shot?"

"I don't know, okay? I just saw Maya's eyes and I couldn't-"

"Maya?"

"Th...the girls eyes, I meant."

"But you said Maya. You like her a lot, don't you? Well, obviously, she has a good effect on you.", Hank said with a smile and passed a confused looking Connor.

***

"It snows again.", Gary said dryly.

"You mean, it's still snowing. I never saw it stop for one sec.", Maya stated and gave a customer his order while she looked at the grey sky. She liked snow but not if she had to work in this cold truck. Tom, one of the construction workers, who always came over in his lunch break, joined the truck, as well.

"Hey man, have you heard about the deviant attack at the Plaza? They have destroyed the whole place.", Tom said. Maya had seen the so-called 'attack' on the news but even then, she wasn't trusting the anchorman and his information. Somehow, she was sure that Markus and the others hadn't been violent how it got displayed.

"Yeah, man! That's the reason why I still don't have one. I don't trust these things.", Gary admitted with a spiteful undertone.

"They're not things!", Maya insisted but no one supported her opinion. Gary crossed his arms and shook his head about his sister.

"You're sympathizing with these terrorists? After everything they have done so far?"

"They are not violent!", Maya called out and threw the flipper on the table.

"Haven't you seen the news this morning?"

"Sure, I have-"

"Then you saw how they have destroyed the CyberLife store and everything around!", Gary argued back. Maya gritted her teeth. The fact that they had broken into the store with a truck wasn't helpful for her argument. But still, she was convinced that the news had misrepresented the android’s action.

"They just want to be heard! No one would listen to them-", she argued.

"It would be better if they stay silent, if you ask me! Oh, hey, Jim! What's up man?", Gary said and turned over to the next customer. Maya hated it to be ignored but she also hated to have this kind of conversation with her brother again and again.

*

"Hey! Good to see you! The usual?", Gary asked the next customer.

"Yeah-"

"Good but please, send this thing away. It's an android free zone here!", Gary said and Maya turned around to see who his brother was talking to. Maya saw Hank and then, her eyes fell on Connor who smiled at her softly and nodded slightly to greet her.

"Hey, plastic asshole! What are you staring at?", Gary asked angry and stepping into the line between Connor and Maya. This was the point where Maya had enough.

"Gary! Shut the fuck up!"

"Stay out of this!”, Gary hissed and glared then at Connor, “And you, go away!"

"You won't send him away!", Maya hissed back.

"This is my truck and my rules! And I don't send him away! I send it away!", Gary said and turned around to Maya with gleaming eyes.

"His name is Connor and you will apologize to him because he's my friend!"

"Your friend? Are you out of your stupid mind? You can't be serious!"

"I am very serious, Gary!", Maya hissed through gritted teeth and stepped closer to her brother.

"Maya, I swear to god-"

"That's enough!", Hank called out to stop them, "Gary, calm down! It's still your sister you're talking to so, calm the fuck down. Connor, I guess Maya could use a break. Accompany her a bit.", Hank said further and watched how Maya stepped back and out of the truck. She threw her apron into a corner with more force than necessary and grabbed her coat and scarf.

"Hank! You can't let her walk around with this thing!", Gary called out frustrated. Once again, Maya stopped and glared at her brother, ready to jump at him again but Hank pushed her carefully further as he saw her angry eyes.

"I trust him. Connor, we meet us later in the DPD.", Hank said with no room for any more objection from anyone.

*

"I'm so sorry for my brother’s behaviour. Sometimes, he can be such a jerk!", Maya said frustrated after they had walked a bit. She was so angry that she couldn't even look at Connor.

"It's okay-"

"No it isn't!", Maya called out and stopped suddenly. Connor stopped as well and looked confused at her.

"No matter if android or not, no one should be treated like that!", Maya called out and Connor stepped closer.

"You defended me in front of your brother. No one ever did that.”, he said with a soft smile, “Maya, you have the best intentions but not everyone sees it this way and some people won't ever see it like you.", Connor said low.

"It's frustrating.", Maya said but calmed slowly down. The cold air and the falling snow cooled her temper. They continued their way side by side. Maya snuggled deeper into her coat and pushed her hands deeper into the pockets while Connor walked just casually next to her, seemingly unaware of the cold. She watched him, gnawed on her lower lip and asked the question in her mind.

"Aren't you freezing? It's so cold!"

"No. My systems regulate my temperature to a perfect level. See?", Connor said and offered her his hand. Maya smiled because it was completely innocent from him but the butterflies in her stomach danced happily around. She took the hand and because Connor had learnt it recently, he intertwined his fingers with hers. Connor's hand was perfectly warm. And like this, hand in hand, they started to walk again.

"How's your case doing? Was the lead helpful?", Maya asked after five minutes of comfortable silence. The android next to her stayed silent but the LED told her something was bothering him. The LED was spinning yellow with a bit of red.

"Connor?", Maya asked, carefully pushing.

"We have met Kamski-"

"Kamski? You mean the Elijah Kamski?", Maya asked surprised and Connor nodded.

"Hank could make an appointment with him."

"And?", Maya asked excitedly as the android stayed silent.

"We...we haven't found out something useful.", Connor said but stared at the ground, avoiding her glance. Maya knew that he was hiding something.

"Connor, please. Tell me what happened. Something keeps you busy.", Maya said softly and looked at him encouragingly with a smile.

"Maybe he knew something but I…"

"Yeah?"

"I failed. Again.", Connor admitted low and looked away from her. Doubts were written on his face. Maya stopped and stepped in front of Connor. With her hand on his cheek, she turned his face back to her. With a sad expression he looked at the small woman in front of him who was simply nice and sweet towards him. Suddenly, he realized he was going to lose this if he wouldn’t make any progress soon.

"Why do you think you have failed? What happened there?", Maya asked and waited. Connor looked into the distance, his LED spinning yellow as he reconstructed the happenings earlier that day.

"There was this 'Kamski Test'. I had to pass it if I wanted information from him. If I would have passed this test, he would have told me what I needed to know but I… I…", Connor stopped and looked Maya straight into the ocean blue eyes he had seen earlier in a different situation.

"Yeah?", Maya said encouragingly and squeezed his hand, "I'm here for you."

"The test was to kill one of his androids."

"What? That's ridiculous! What kind of test shall this be?", she said shocked.

"It is based on the Turing Test. The test shall show if a machine is able to feel empathy. In the end, Kamski put a gun in my hand while his Chloe knelt in front of me."

"And, then?", Maya asked, feeling on edge. Connor looked away and she tried to give him time. As it was almost too long for her to endure the silence, Connor looked back at her.

"I couldn't kill the android. I saw yo- something in her eyes and I couldn't shoot.", Connor closed his explanation. There was something else. Something in his voice. He wanted to say something else but before Maya could wrap her mind around it, the thought was gone.

"You spared her life because of empathy. That is good. Don't blame yourself, Connor.", Maya said reassuringly but she saw that Connor was still troubled.

#dbh connor #dbh #connor dbh #dbh connor x reader #connor #detroit connor #detroit become human connor #detroit become human aesthetic #detroit become human #x reader #fanfic #fanfiction #writing

[arethereanyoriginalusernames]

Top 5 least favorite zoophobia character designs

-----------------------------------

Welp, got the positive list out of the way. Now yet me give you the list inevitably more people will like because everyone apparently likes it when I'm negative. Go figure. Vivziepop has a whole arsenal of character designs, and here are some of my least favourites. Same ground rules for my other list apply here. And first, some dishonorable mentions.

DM 1: Jack and Damian

First things first, I don't hate the designs of the main cast. Yeah, they're simple compared to other designs in zoophobia, but, as I've said before, I like Vivz's more simple designs. But out of all the main cast, I disliked these designs the most for one reason. At least everyone else looked like their respective animal. Spam looks like a fox, Vanex looks like a cat, Kayla looks like a kangaroo, and Zill, despite the crazy colour scheme, looks like an unidentifiable creature. These guys? Damian is supposed to be this demonic jackal, but, if you look up jackal in Google Images, you'll notice that he doesn't really look like one. He looks more like some kind of wolf or fox. I don't mind the ears (hell, the horn-like, long ass ears could be his signature look ), or the eyes (he IS a demon ) but, fun fact, jackals have black ears, a black tail, and a distinct black patch of fur on their backs. Some liberties can be taken with colours, I suppose (I mean, we have a freaking purple cat in our midst, you think I'm drawing the line at the canines? ), but perhaps parts of his fur could be made darker in order to get him to resemble a jackal. Jack is a wolf/jackal hybrid, yet he looks more like a domestic dog or a rabbit. It's mainly his ears that cause the problems. Maybe give him more wolfish ears. Seriously vivz, what wolf or jackal looks like that?

------------------------------------

For this next entry, I shall perform my best Nicholas Cage impression. *ahem*

DM 2 : Most of the Party Dawgs

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH! MY EYES! MY EYES! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!

*cough * Anyways, now that I've finished my hyperbolic reaction to the party dawgs, let me single some out. Koko, Mint, and Raven. Koko (aka the purple one with purple clothes) literally looks like a clone of Mint (the green one). The only differences between the two are colours, hair being parted on opposite sides, and slight clothing difference. And let's be honest, Raven literally looks like another Jayjay. But hey, at least their colours don't make my eyes bleed.

Now onto the list proper.

--------------------------------------------------

5. Tom

Look, to anyone on this site who wants to know what I think of Tom, he's just meh. There's nothing really that special about him. Oh, you're a lonely demon? It's not like we have someone in the main cast like that already. Oh, you can be something of a charmer and attract a lot of ladies? Hi Zill! And Tom's design isn't helping his case. He looks like a recoloured Bozzwick or a genderbent Ink. There's nothing really creepy or strange about his appearance. You could argue that his eyes are strange, but plenty of other characters have strange eyes, and Tom's eyes aren't even the strangest. He doesn't look demon-y. He looks like another edgy teen. And yeah, I might be a hypocrite here because I love Damian's male human design, but in his case it's kind of funny. I mean, it's just amusing to me that someone like Dame (who is also the anti christ ) looks like a hot topic addict. It's just so weirdly fitting it's hilarious. Same can't really be said for Tom though. ....

-----------------------------

4. Styx, Tentadora, and Jillian.

Three way tie! Whooo! Okay, but in all seriousness, I put these guys here because they all suffer the same problems. They need some adjustments to their designs and a change in colour pallets. Go back to ch 3 of zoophobia, and look at how much these guys seem out of place in hell. These three characters become a major distraction as your eye is immediately drawn to them instead of whatever more important scene is going on. Give them a colour pallet that helps them blend in a little more. Jillian, I feel, since the poorer parts of Hell are have a more Western feel, should have a more Western influence since that's where she came from. Maybe give her boots or a bandana. around her neck. Styx needs the most change since he looks like a recoloured Damian. Take the ears and tail away. Perhaps give him a more Victorian influence while keeping Tenta's western influence to represent their clashing personalities. Maybe give Tenta a hat or apron to make her look more like a member of Hell's staff.

3. Elijah

Look, I know a lot of people love his design, but Eli's design bugs me on a couple levels. Why? Well, look at some of the other snake characters that take on a bi-pedal stance, such as Gustav, Quinton, the Max brothers, and Castello. You might notice something. ...slightly different autonomy wise. Look, I appreciate that Vivz is making some of her characters look vastly different than others, but in this circumstance. ...why? Why does Eli get to have a more snakey influence? Shouldn't he resemble Gustav since their both snakes? Why does Eli get to have a snake head, but none of the other snakes do? I know, Dollcreep came up with Eli's original design, but Dollcreep came up with Gustav's original design too. There, we had the same problem with heads we do here, so yeah, this reflects on Dollcreep as well for inconsistency. Besides, Vivz could've fixed this problem while redesigning Elijah. As for the colour pallet, while yes, pink and white are overused in Vivz's characters, I'd argue it makes sense here with Eli being albino. However, I'd make the colours on his face and in his hair lighter. Albinos can't really keep pigments in their skin and hair, so it'd be impossible for Eli to be as... covered in pink as he is. Unless he, for some reason, constantly dies his hair and paints squares on his face. That would actually be pretty funny.

Damian : Eli, you've been in the bathroom for 2 hours, what are you doing?

Eli: Putting pink squares all over my body. As normal people do.

Damian : But...why tho?

Eli: Aesthetic.

-----------------------------------------

2. Jayjay

AAAAAAAAAAAH! MY EYE-- yeah, I'm not doing that joke again.

Look, I liked Jay in the Die Young video. Her colours weren't as saturated and they worked well together. Everywhere else? Not only do her colours clash terribly against each other, with a few exceptions, her colour pallet is always so bright it's actually painful to look at for more than two seconds. Her design in Die Young was just fine. It communicated exactly what it needed to about Jayjay. Not to mention it used contrasting colours in a way that was nicer to look at. Lesson here kids? Jay doesn't need a loud design. She needs and effective design.

Also, any Dollcreep fans who try to come out of the woodwork to say shit along the lines of "Dollcreep did it sooooo much better "

....no he didn't. Get off my front porch, you wannabe edgelords. I'm the non straight edge Lord of social ineptitude here!

And number one goes to......

-----------------------------------

1. Whitney

.....you know, if I didn't already use the Nick Cage joke already, I'd be hamming the shit out of it rn.

Look, I wasn't sure if I wanted to keep this dude on the list, since unlike the others, I dunno if vivz is still using him, and I didn't want to go after a character she may have abandoned, BUT JESUS ALMIGHTY.

This design actually hurts my head when I look at it. Take everything I said about Jayjay and stick it here, except times 100! The colours are far too bright, and clash horribly. ..to quote my buddy, @imviotrash when they first saw him, "What even is Whitney? "

I'll leave so I don't need to look at this much longer, but as usual, tell me what you think!

I apologize for wasting your time.

-ATOUN

Ps. Let me know your favorite or least favorite zp designs! I'd love to see what others think!

#zoophobia

[allonsysilvertongue]

Hi! Could you write something where Joyce and Lonnie are married and having an awful fight and one of the kids calls the police department since they aren't able to stop it and Hopper comes?

Hopper saves Joyce from being attacked by her ex. She breaks downin his arms, and he takes care of her.

Hey, I’m not sure if you are taking requests at the momentbut I thought I would just leave mine here: Lonnie comes back (whether to getback with Joyce or just be a j*** I don’t care) and we get to see Hopper getprotective of Joyce. Anyways keep up the amazing work! I may or may not checkon this story every morning before I head to work to have something to lookforward to when I get home ;)

Since I had a few prompt requests circling around Lonnie, Joyce & Hopper, I decided to do them all together which resulted in this three times, one time thing which grew out of hand. It took me days to write and I’m happy it’s done!

Hawkins: The Upside - The Ex

The three times Jim Hopperstood between Lonnie and Joyce, and the one time he didn’t.

1980

The door to Jonathan’s bedroomslammed closed. Outside, in the living room, Joyce stood her ground, glaring atthe man in front of her.

“We needed the money forthe boys, Lonnie,” Joyce screamed. Her hand was fisted at her side as shetried to control this anger bubbling and clawing out of her. “Schoolreopens in three weeks!”

“Will you calm downalready?” Lonnie’s voice was sharp and loud. “There’s three weeks –I’ll get it back.”

Their argument and shoutingmatches were legendary ever since high school. Back then, people thought it wasendearing that two forces of nature that often clashed could still be togetherbut they were young and their arguments were petty, something that couldeasily be casted aside, something you could close one eye to without anyconsequences. The make-up sex at the back of Lonnie’s car certainly did wondersto smooth ruffle feathers.

Except now…

Now they were both adults withtwo children and things were real. There were consequences. His gambling andmounting debts were not something Joyce could sweep under the rug. She workeddouble shifts whenever she could, leaving her sons with babysitters, just tohave something to feed this family, cloth them and send them to school.

The last thing she needed wasto come home to find out that Lonnie had used the money to place bets in orderto pay off some of his debts… only to lose the bets. It was a vicious cycleand she was tired.

She was so exhausted.

“That’s what you alwayssay and you never get it back,” she gritted her teeth.“You’re a fucking scum, Lonnie.”

She turned to walk away butLonnie grabbed her by the elbow.

“Hey,” he snarled,his face turning ugly. “You don’t get to say shit like that to me.”

“I can say whatever Iwant to say, Lonnie. I’m the one pulling all the weight around here.You’re out there losing my money on gambling and on your whores. Oh, Iknow about them,” Joyce scoffed when Lonnie’s eyes widened imperceptiblyat that accusation. “You should be ashamed of yourself. They’re young andyou’re…”

She gestured at him only toend up shaking her head. There was no use talking to him. It was always just inone ear and out another. Besides, hadn’t she told herself years ago whenJonathan was ten that Lonnie would only end up disappointing her?

“I’m what…?”

The obvious challenge for herto finish her sentence flashed through his eyes.

“You’re trash.”

And wasn’t that the truth? Shekept having to throw him out only for him to come crawling back because ‘Joyce,I need some money’ or ’Babe, you have to bail me outta this’.

“Fuck you, Joyce,” Lonniespat, shoving her roughly away from him.

The unexpected force causedher to stumble and crashed on the table. The bottles of vodka and whiskeyshattered to the floor, the beer cans clattered noisily. When she tried to pushherself up, she hissed in pain, realising belatedly that she had cut her arm onone of the broken shards.

She looked up at the sounds ofhurried footsteps to see her children running out of Jonathan’s room. Heroldest took one look at the scene and stepped between his parents. Will wasstaring at the cut on her arm, eyes wide and in shocked. Instinctively, Joycecovered her wound, more to protect Will than herself.

“Get out of my way,boy,” Lonnie growled. Jonathan only clenched his jaws which made Lonnie laughedin his face. “You look so much like your mother like that – thought you’dbe more like me.”

With that, he pushed passedJonathan towards Joyce, sending Will scrambling away. Lonnie towered over her.

“I told you I’d get itback, Joyce,” he said quietly, crouching down so they were eye to eye.

He reached out to touch her armbut she pulled away, glaring at him defiantly.

“You didn’t have to getall pissy. None of this would have happened… right?”

She chuckled bitterly. Healways had a way of turning it around and making it her fault. It wasnever his. It was always something she did that made him act the way heacted. Joyce pushed on his chest when he tried to help her up.

“Don’t be a bitchnow,” he warned, keeping his voice low.

“I will when you stopbeing such a bastard. I want you to get me all that money back by tomorrow youhear me? By tomorrow, Lonnie! I need to get them new shoes and books.”

“If I said I’ll get itthen I’ll get - ”

He stopped abruptly at thesound of the police siren approaching the house. Lonnie looked behind hisshoulder at the two boys.

“Who called the fuckingcops?”

“I – It was me,”Will stammered, peeking out from behind the wall. “I was scared and you –you were hurting mom and - ”

“Hawkins Chief of Police,open the door.”

The pounding on the door wasloud, insistent and had the attention of all four Byers.

Lonnie shot Will a disgruntledlook, muttering an expletive that sounded suspiciously like ‘fag’ under his breath which made Joycekicked him on his leg as he stood up from where he was crouched next to her. Atthe door, he pulled it open.

“Hey, Chief,” Lonnie grunted.

“We had a call. Just here tocheck it out.”

“Oh, yeah, about that… See,the kid, he was just fooling around. You know how kids are.”

“Fooling around… Wasn’tthe impression I had, Byers. Your kid sounded scared.”

Joyce could imagine the lookon Lonnie’s face; could picture the way his eyes twitched like it always didwhen he tried to suppress the annoyance he was feeling.

“This one’s an oddball.He’s scared of everything,” Lonnie snorted. “You’re just wasting your timehere, Jimmy.”

Joyce bit her lip. If therewas one sure fire way to annoy Hopper, it was to call him by that nickname.

“Step back, Byers. Let me takea look inside. I’ll need to talk to your son, make sure everything’s fine andif it is, I’ll file a quick statement to that effect. The quicker this is done,the faster I’ll be out of here.

Still, Lonnie stood steadfastby the door, refusing to budge an inch.

“Come on, Jimmy, don’t tell meyou’ve never fought with your wife? You must have that’s why she’s an ex now, isn’t she?” Lonnie snickeredwhen he saw the way Hopper’s eyes hardened just as he clenched his jaws. “Joyceand I… We had some petty quarrel, alright. Nothing for you cops to get involvedin.”

Ignoring him completely,Hopper raised his voice so he could be heard, “Hey, kid, you alright in there?”

"Yeah,” Will answered,his voice shaking a little, “but my mom is bleeding!”

Hopper arched an eyebrow.

“Move back.”

Lonnie hung his head, exhaledin irritation but stepped aside this time round. Hopper stepped into the room,his presence suddenly felt large and looming in their small space. Still, thesudden feeling of security that Joyce felt right then was overwhelming.

Hopper took in the sight ofthe living room. His gaze landed on Joyce in an instant, standing next to thebroken coffee table, cradling her injured arm.

“Joyce,” Hopper started,taking a step forward. “Are you okay?”

"She fell,” Lonnieshrugged.

Joyce looked away, fixing herstare on her worn out shoes, suddenly ashamed to face Hopper’s intense scrutinisation.They had been quite a pair – she and Hopper. They had been uninhibited, freeand loud. They had done what they damn well please regardless of anyone oranything. Look at her now… In a loveless marriage, trying hard to meet endsmeet.

When Hopper turned to faceLonnie, it was then that Joyce raised her head, realising at once that Hopper’sbig frame had effectively blocked Lonnie from her.

“What – she just so happen tofall?”

“Yeah,” Lonnie replied,unconcerned. “Clumsy, ain’t you, babe?”

Still keeping an eye onLonnie, Hopped addressed the boys. “What happened, kids?”

Between the nervous stammersand stutters, Jonathan and Will managed to tell him of the argument they couldhear through the door and how Will had been so scared he had called the police.

“Alright, Byers, you’recoming with - ”

Hopper stopped mid-sentencewhen he felt shaking hand on his arm.

“I just need the clinic,that’s all.”

“You can press charges.You can let him rot in jail.” Hopper spoke to her under his breath so Lonniewouldn’t pick up on it. "You should - ”

“I don’t need another manto tell me what to do,” Joyce cut him off. “I got it.”

Hopper said nothing. If theside glance was anything to go by, he didn’t look like he believed her but shemade her decision and it was out of his hands.

Two weeks later, as he stoodin front of the counter she was manning, waiting for her to bag the pack ofbeers and cigarettes, she told him quietly.

“I’m divorcing him.”

Hopper glanced up but she wasn’tlooking at him.

“Good,” he muttered. “Horowitzis a better name than Byers.”

1982

It had taken a full year andnumerous shouting matches before Lonnie finally signed the divorce papers. Bythe time it was finalised, her anxiety that skyrocketed and she had beensmoking a pack a day much to Jonathan’s worry. But the boy had been her buoy, alwaysmaking her sure she kept her head up, whipping meals for his brother when shewas too distraught to even tell salt from sugar and taking on a job despite herdisagreement the moment he realised that whatever money Joyce had, she was spendingit on legal fees for the divorce.

It was summer and with schoolout, Lonnie had taken Will to a baseball game. Jonathan had gone along if onlyto be there for his brother.

That was yesterday.

Her ex-husband had promised tohave them both back by this afternoon, not that his word meant shit, but Joycehad held on to that regardless. Now, the sun was already setting and her sonswere still not home.

Naturally, she had calledLonnie multiples times but the phone went unanswered. So she finally decided tohead down to the police station.

“I think he’s kidnapped mysons,” Joyce declared, barging into the Chief’s office.

Hopper looked up from his deskand then behind Joyce to where Flo was standing there, looking at him with anapologetic shrug.

He frowned, annoyed that hisafternoon was interrupted just when his shift was about to end. “What?”

“You heard me. Thatbastard Lonnie took my sons and they’re not back yet.”

“Uh, Joyce,” hepinched the bridge of his nose, “did you call him?”

“Of course, I did,Hopper,” she huffed. “I need to file a missing person - ”

“That’s not how it works.They’re with a parent and - ”

“They’re not home yet.”

“They’re not but you knowwhere they are,” Hopper argued, “and who they’re with.”

“Are you even listening to me,Hop? They’re supposed to be back by now but they’re not. Is there anything thisstation can do? Send a patrol car out or – “

“I can’t send a patrol car outto Indianapolis, Joyce. There’s a waiting period for – “

She gritted her teeth.

“I know they’re with theirfather, Hop, but what if – what if he’s not allowing them to leave? Or – Or he’skeeping them there to spite me?”

“He won’t want to keep thosekids around longer than necessary,” Hopper tried to comfort her. “He’ll havethem back. Why don’t you – uh – why don’t you head home and try to get somesleep?”

“Is that it? That’s your bigadvise? Get some sleep?”

With a huff, Joyce stormedout. Hopper stared after her, debating with himself if it really was worth theeffort. In the end, and with a loud curse, he grabbed his hat and ran afterher.

“You’re not driving out there,” he rapped on her window. “I’ll go. I can’t senda patrol car but I can go, I’m off duty.”

“Why?” Joyce looked up at him,squinting against the bright glare from the lamp post.

He couldn’t answer her but thelast time he had seen Joyce with Lonnie Byers, she was bleeding from her arm.He didn’t want to know what she would or could do to provoke Byers in the nameof her children.

“Head back home. I’ll get yourkids.”

It wasn’t even his job. Heexhaled and yet, for the sake of an old friend…

February - 1984

“You have some nervecoming back here telling me you’re taking Will to a see a psychiatrist inIndianapolis. What would you even know about my son?” she glowered.

“I know something ain’t rightwith the boy after what happened. First they found his body in the quarry onlyfor it not to be him? Come on, babe, how stupid do you think I am? You ain’ttelling me the whole story, that’s fine, but don’t tell me the boy came out ofthat okay. So he’s coming with me.”

“He is not,” she counteredfiercely. “If you lay a hand on him I’ll – “

Lonnie’s lips curled into amalicious sneer. “You’ll what? Call the cops? Hopper’s still Chief, eh?”

Maybe she would do just that,she thought.

Hopper had been waiting for achance to knock Lonnie out cold since they were teenagers, and Hopper woulddefinitely know that Will would be better off with her. He would take steps toensure her son remain in Hawkins.

"He’s my kid too,Joyce.”

“Suddenly he’s yourkid?” She laughed. “Oh no, Lonnie, I know what you’re up to. The onlyreason you want to bring him back to Indianapolis to get checked is so you can milkit out. I don’t know how you’re going to do that but I know you, yousleazy piece of garbage.”

“Everything alright here?”

Joyce could cheer but she didn’t.Still, she was immensely glad to see Hopper driving up the school driveway. Hiscar was on idle, the windows had been rolled down and a hand was hanging out ofthe window as he leaned forward.

“If it isn’t big old JimHopper coming in to save the day,” Lonnie sniggered. “Ran out of drunks tothrow in the tank, Jimmy? What the hell are you doing at a middle school?Harrassing children part of your new hobby now?”

“Could say the same about you,”Hopper grinned mockingly. “Harrassing a woman something you’re into? Whensomeone tells me that Lonnie Byers is in town, I find that it’s my civic dutyto make sure you’re not causing trouble. Looks like I’m right about that.”

That remarked must have hit anerve because Lonnie looked like the time for disdainful exchange was over.

“Fuck off, Hopper. We’rehaving a private conversation here and it’s none of your business.”

Behind Lonnie, Joyce wasshaking her head silently. She saw the way Hopper’s gaze shifted from Lonnie toher and back to him again.

“Indianapolis finally realisedwhat kind of jerk you are and kicked you out?“

"Surprised Hawkins stilldidn’t realise that about you, Hopper. Fuck off, yeah? Not saying it again.”

The bell from the school rangout.

“You can do better thanthat,” Hopper scoffed but by then he had already alighted from his truck,planting himself right in front of Joyce and shielding her.

The school door burst open andthrongs of students filed out. Out of the corner of her eyes, Joyce spottedWill coming out of his school followed by Mike, Dustin, Lucas and Max. The rareright of the three adults standing by the street halted them in their steps. Amongsthis friends, Will recovered first. He hurried over and stood next to Joyce,behind Hopper.

Lonnie narrowed his eyes atWill clearly taking sides.

“We’re going,” Joycedeclared, ushering her son back to her car.

She saw Lonnie trying tofollow, heard his voice rang sharp calling for her name but when she glancedover her shoulder, she saw Hopper had his hand on Lonnie’s chest, stopping himfrom taking a step further to follow them.

She made a mental note tothank Hopper the next time they see each other during Dr. Owen’s appointment atHawkins Lab.

December – 1984

Somewhere between Hoppersthird eggnog and fifth, and watching the boys giggling as they tried to put up mistletoe,Lonnie Byers had barged into the house.

He swayed on his feet,watching wild-eyed in confusion at the six children and three teenagersgathered there. Hopper rose on his feet, his first instinct was to protect El.He stood next to his girl, hand on her shoulder.

“You having a party?” Heturned, waving an accusing finger at Joyce. “When was the last time we had a Christmas party, babe?”

“Get out of my house,” Joycedemanded.

It was beautiful, the thoughtcame unbidden to Hopper’s mind, to see Joyce stand up to Lonnie. It wasbeautiful to see the way her eyes flared in anger, to see her stand tall. Shehad gone to the ends of the earth and battled monsters to get to her son.

This man, standing confused atthe sudden authoritative attitude, was no match for her. He knew it. Jonathanknew it. Everybody else in the room could sense it but not Lonnie.

“Look,” Lonnie slurred, “justcame to ask if I could get a grand. I’ll get it back soon as I hit a jackpot.”

“Screw you, Lonnie,” Joycesaid before she landed a punch on her ex-husband’s face.

Hopper heard the sickeningcrunch. He had been in enough fist fight growing up to know a broken nose whenhe heard one. Seeing Joyce knock Lonnie out was one of the best things ChiefJim Hopper had ever witnessed.

He wasn’t even going to bookher in for assault.

As Jonathan stared and Willtried to make sense of what just happened, Hopper laughed.

Lonnie Byers deserved it forbarging in during Christmas dinner as if he was still living in that house.

As usual, you can leave me Jopper prompts!

#jopper #jim hopper #joyce byers #lonnie byers #filed under: hawkins the upside #stranger things fic