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hobie-enthusiast · 10 months

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UNLIKELY CLASH !

— rulebreaker!hobie brown x perfectionist!gn!reader

— enemies to lovers, fluff, cursing (a lot tbh), arguments, character development, secret relationships, gossip, kissing, sneaking around, hobie is shirtless (its for one part for comfort)

— hobie brown was everything you weren’t, so maybe that’s what attracted the two of you together so well (pt. 3)

— part 3 woohoo! shoutout to 🫓 anon for the idea and honestly part 4 maybe? i have an idea brewing

— part 1 | part 2 | part 3 (here)

Sneaking around with Hobie Brown was truly exhilarating.

After the event in the supply closet, he declared you to be in a relationship (that’s about as far as he would label it). Only problem was it had to stay secret. Your reputation was on the line, and being with Hobie could label you as trouble alone. Plus, Hobie hated labels.

So a secret relationship ensued. For two months worth of sneaking around during school hours to rooftop dates, the two of you avoided all judging eyes. You were content with that, and so was he.

That was, until your grades started to slip.

It truly wasn’t a big deal. 100’s turned into 90’s, and you still maintained your A’s. But that wasn’t good in your parent’s eyes. They noticed the weird absences for singular classes. When you said it was for academic competitions, they grew even more weary.

A confirmation was apparent to them when you climbed in through your window while they were awaiting your arrival. They wanted to talk with you about the grades, only to find you missing. Of course they were worried, but they still found themselves more angry than not.

“What is going on with you?” Your mom questions, arms crossed. “It’s like we don’t even know you anymore!”

“Mom, stop, please.”

“No, that’s not how you’ll speak to her.” Your dad interjected.

You groan, sitting at your desk. “Nothing’s going on! I’m doing perfectly fine.”

Your dad raises an eyebrow and scoffs. “Yeah, because sneaking through the window and skipping classes is ‘fine’.”

“I’m not skipping classes!”

“Oh so you want to lie?” Your mom questions.

“Why won’t you believe me?” You ask. Of course you were lying, they couldn’t know about Hobie. “I’m still doing great. Keeping up. It’s normal teenage stuff.”

Your dad shakes his head. “Nope. I don’t think so.” He declares, crossing to the door. “As of right now, you aren’t going to prom. Maybe that’ll teach you to not sneak around and lie.”

“What?!” Your eyes widen as you stand. You turn to your mom. “Are you seriously going to let this happen?!”

“Let it be a lesson, [Name]. Get your act together.”

Your parents walked out of your room, and you groan in frustration. Tears pricked the corners of your eyes. You wanted to go to prom! The nice outfits, the dancing, and maybe even convincing Hobie to go was your plan. Now you couldn’t.

You angrily grab your phone, typing to Hobie before tossing your phone away.

Me (9:42 pm):

My parents banned me from going to prom.

Hobie <3 (9:42 pm):

???

why?

Me (9:46 pm):

Caught me sneaking through the window and cornered me. Said I was skipping classes and told me that I needed to “get my act together”.

It’s absolute bullshit.

Hobie <3 (9:46 pm):

shit im sorry sweetheart

give me 5 minutes

You smile gingerly at the phone, moving to lock your room door. You knew Hobie was already on his way, so you had to ensure your parents wouldn’t get you in more trouble. That’s the last thing you needed.

You sat in silence by your door, trying your hardest not to cry over the situation. It was rough.. you never disappointed your parents before like this. They always thought highly of you, but now they didn’t, and this feeling wasn’t kind.

A knock on the window stole you away from your pity. Glancing up, you move to open the window, Hobie entering and immediately hugging you tightly.

You couldn’t help but let out a choked sob at the warmth. “Oh swee’heart.. shh, ‘s okay..”

“But it isn’t!” You respond, pulling away and wiping your face. “I know this may seem stupid but I was looking forward to.. I don’t know.. having a genuine date to prom. I was going to ask if you wanted to go with me, become public, all that stuff. And now I can’t!” You finish, plopping down on your bed.

Hobie’s eyes widen before a sigh escapes his lips. He didn’t know you wanted to go public, not at all. Of course, everyone already had their suspicions after the incident in the hallway. But no one knew you actually were together. Just thought of it as Hobie being Hobie.

He sits next to you, draping an arm around you. In response, you lean against him with a deep breath.

“It isn’t just about prom. I’ve never.. seen my parents so disappointed in me. And I don’t get it. I’m still a great student. Like.. it doesn’t make sense, y’know?”

“I get ‘t. But they put a lot ‘f pressure on ya. Can’t let this get t’ ya.” He explains, a soothing hand rubbing your arm.

You sigh. “I can’t help it. I..” You want to say you love them, because you do. But you aren’t doing this for love. “…want them to care.”

Well that wasn’t what Hobie was expecting.

He says no more words, just holding you closely. He soon finds himself hearing you request he stay, him holding you close, underneath your blankets. He knew this was bad, if your parents walked in it wouldn’t end well. But it was alright. He could just.. keep you safe for a little while. That’s what his job is.

His job as.. as..

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Your eyes adjust to the light pouring in, a groan escaping your lips. You’re about to turn over and stretch when you feel yourself trapped. Glancing down, you see some familiar hands and rings.

The warmth elicited from Hobie was amazing. You let out a content sigh, savouring the moment with him.

Once Hobie awakens, which was possibly two minutes after you, you turn to him with a small smile. “Can’t believe you slept in your jeans and jewelry.”

“Eh, ‘ur worth the discomfor’.” He responds, a yawn escaping his lips.

“That’s.. corny as hell.”

Hobie grins, pulling you closer to him. “You make me wanna be corny, hm?”

Before you could respond, a knock comes at your door. Your mom’s voice rang on the other side, causing both of you to shoot up.

“Honey? Can I come in?”

“Shit!”

You stand from the bed, almost falling in the process, trying to fix up the scene. You usher Hobie up, who happened to be shirtless for comfort, into your closet.

“Woah woah, slow down darlin’.” He says as you shove him. His eyes glance over at something before he looks back, not saying anything on it.

That’ll be fun.

You glare at him. “Hobie Brown, you are currently shirtless in my room, slept in the same bed as me, with my mom on the other side of the door. The one who just got me in trouble for going from an A plus to an A minus. Get in the damn closet.”

He says no more, instead putting his hands up as you shove him into the closet, shutting the door. You fix up your hair before unlocking the door, opening it with the best smile you can manage.

“Hey mom.” You speak casually. “What’s up?”

She smiles back, pushing past you into your room. “Just wanted to say.. don’t take your father’s punishment too hard. He just wants what’s best for you.” She says, cleaning up some things that are out and about.

“Oh yeah! No it’s okay I’m just-”

Suddenly she stops, picking up Hobie’s shirt that lied on your desk chair. “Who’s is this..?”

You pale, clearing your throat. “No one’s! Just.. a gift I got.. couple days ago..?” You say in an almost convincing tone.

She eyes you suspiciously before shrugging, tossing it back onto the chair. You silently breath a sigh of relief, anxiety still in your heart. You’ve never hid a boy before in your closet; not a universal experience.

“…you understand? We’re just concerned.”

“Y-yeah! I get it.” You respond, not knowing what your mom said.

She smiles, walking over and ruffling your hair. “Good. I love you, honey.”

You mutter it back as she exits the room, closing the door behind her. You let out an exasperated breath before running to open the closet door. Hobie can only let out a chuckle as you slam in shirt into his chest.

“Damn you!”

“Oh come on. ‘t was excitin’.” He responds, following you back into the room.

You glare back at him as you sit on the bed with a huff. You cross your arms, as if pretending to be mad, turning away from Hobie. He rolls his eyes as his shirt slips back on.

He takes a seat next to you and plants a soft kiss on your head. “Ah.. Can’t stay mad a’ me. Ya like me t’ much for that.”

“Whatever.”

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

“I’m sorry.. what?!”

“Shh, keep it down!” You shush your friend, shoving their shoulder. “Seriously, it’s whatever.”

They look at you with still complete shock. “Whatever? Whatever?! You’ve been looking forward to prom tomorrow for months! How could they?”

You sigh, stopping in front of your locker. “It’s because of the small slip in my grades.” You explain, turning toward your friend.

“You mean the measly five percent? You’re still top of the class!”

“Trust me, I know.”

You open up your locker, and a small piece of paper falls out. You smile and pick it up, opening it up. You already had a feeling who it was from.

‘downtown apartments tmrw night. dress nicely. got a surprise for u. - h.b’

As you read the note, your friend seems to notice what you have. They glance over, only to see the initials it was signed by before you stuff it away.

“Secret admirer?” They question, holding their books closely.

You laugh, shutting the locker. “Mhm, you know how it is.”

As the two of you walk down the hallway, you manage to see Hobie standing at the corner, seemingly watching you while chatting with a friend. You smile slyly and he winks when you pass by.

‘Oh.. holy shit oh!’

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

The next day came, and with it, prom night. You were bummed, truly. Though, maybe a small hangout with Hobie was certainly enough to get you cheered up.

You told your parents you were going to the library, to try and catch up. Luckily, they didn’t question you. Just sent you on your way and told you to be careful. That’s when you rushed to the bathroom to change into nicer clothes and snuck out after.

Hobie waited for you outside the apartments, like asked. For the first time in a while, he wore a button up instead of his vest. His pants remained the same, but he looked more done-up.

And it was worth it when he saw you.

“Well well. Who’s date are ya?” He asks with a small smirk.

You groan, shoving his arm. “Truly hilarious, Hobie. Gotta say, you clean up nice.”

“I manage.” He shrugs, placing a hand on the small of your back. “C’mon. ‘s upstairs. ‘nd close ya eyes.” He requests, prompting a suspicious look from you.

Once he was able to assure you that he wasn’t a killer, he led you to the rooftops. After some bumps and near-falls, he managed to make it, telling you to wait a moment while he ran off.

Hobie returned behind you, breathing in your ear. “‘right swee’heart, open ‘ur eyes.”

What greeted you were strung up lights, a couple of balloons, and a blanket on the ground. Some snacks lied there with the blanket, and soft music was playing in the background; your shared playlist to be exact.

“Hobie..”

“Su’prise. Figured ‘s the next bes’ thing, hm?” He whispers, hands gently holding your arms. “Jus’ the two of us. ‘nd ‘s free.”

You laugh gently, turning to face Hobie. “You did all this?”

He nods, and you can’t help but lean forward and hug him tightly. He didn’t understand, not by a long shot, why anyone would want to go to prom. But he still helped you, made it up for you. And that was the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for you.

Pulling away, you plant a gentle kiss on his jaw. “Thank you, seriously. I thought I was going to spend tonight sulking.”

Hobie laughs quietly, pulling you towards the make-shift prom. There isn’t much to do, but the two of you share snacks and drinks, dance a small bit, and just talk a lot. It was quiet with just the two of you, much nicer than a normal prom.

You noticed how close Hobie wanted to be with you. He was always touching you; holding your hand, waist, or fingers. It was so.. out of character. Yet, you felt amazed at how comfortable he was with you after everything before to now.

When the two of you settle on the blanket, you silently watch the sunset. Your head lies in Hobie’s chest while he strokes your hair contently.

“‘ve been thinkin’.” Hobie starts, glancing down before looking up again. “‘bout what ya said. Goin’ public ‘nd stuff.”

“Oh? That was just-”

Hobie cuts you off. “‘f ‘s what ya wan’, le’s do it.”

Your eyes light up as you sit up, turning to face him. “Seriously? You’re okay with getting labeled as my boyfriend? Just like that?”

“‘f ‘ur fine with gettin’ labeled as trouble.” He responds confidently, a smirk on his face. “‘s not easy.”

You smile gently, kissing Hobie gently on the lips, his lip ring giving a cool and sensational feeling. He grunts for a moment before grabbing your waist, kissing back. He’s obsessed with you, the way you feel on him and here in this moment. His brain goes haywire every-time he’s near you.

When you pull away, you place a gentle hand on his cheek. “It’ll be easy if we’re together, hm?”

“‘s the spiri’. Now, dance wit’ me, yeah?”

He stands you up to dance with him, the music playing a softer yet harsh tune to dance to. But you both didn’t care. You simply danced and swayed together, twirling and sharing laughs and kisses.

As Hobie dances and kisses you again and again, his thoughts run. He was used to being labeled; as a hero for Spider-punk, as a rebel for school, and as scary all around. But this label he’s creating for himself - it’s better than the others. One that he controls and more importantly, let’s them know that he’s got you. That he was given a chance and proved himself.

But of course he would never admit that.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

The weekend comes and goes, and soon, it’s Monday, and your standing outside the school. You and Hobie both agreed to meet at the front of the school, walk in together, act as if all was normal. Treat it like another day.

“Hope I didn’ keep ya waitin’.” A voice calls from behind.

You turn and smile as Hobie makes his way up the steps. He leans down to kiss you, causing a few lingering students outside to gasp. He smirks when he pulls away, holding his hand out.

“Rea’y?”

You nod. “Absolutely.”

With a deep breath, you open the doors, walking in hand-in-hand with Hobie. He told you before to stand straight, to look confident, so you did. You looked forward, ignoring the gasps and stares you both got.

Everyone was going to go nuts about your relationship, it was quite annoying. They needed excitement in their lives, so on they go to bother the two of you. But you both agreed you were ready to ignore it. It was one of the terms to going public.

“Holy shit! Dude look, [Name] [Last] and Hobie Brown!”

“Holding hands? When did they start dating? Or.. even talking?”

“Girl remember, they kissed in the hallway that one time!”

“How could I forget?!”

Hobie grit his teeth as you squeezed his hand, opening up your locker. “Sorry.. maybe we shouldn’t have-”

“Don’t.” Hobie immediately stops you, leaning against the wall. “Don’ regre’ i’ jus’ because of those planks, hm? All tha’ ma’ters ‘s us.”

You sigh, shutting the door as you kiss his cheek. “You’re right. Thanks.”

“C’mon, ‘ll walk ya t’ class.”

“But you’ll be late if you do..”

You both look at each other before busting out laughing. Of course Hobie didn’t care, it was funny in itself. You were even able to ignore the annoying stares everyone around you were giving. Instead, the two of you walked off in blissful ignorance.

Maybe being with Hobie Brown would be easier than you thought.

tags for those who wanted it (🫶); @serenn08 | @babydollfoster | @em711 | @girl-detective16 | @midnightnoiserose

#NEW ARTICLE || OUT NOW !!#hobie brown x reader #hobie x reader #hobie brown #across the spiderverse #spider man: across the spider verse #atsv x reader #atsv #atsv hobie

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malarign · 1 year

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Can I request y/n ignoring jungwon as a prank but then he ends up getting really emotional about it because he had a bad day? 🥹

prank

(when you prank him and he gets emotional)

contains: idolbf!Jungwon x gn!reader | genre: angst with a fluffy ending | tw! crying, mention of feeling anxious | wc: 0,7

reblogs, likes and comments are highly appreciated!!!

author’s note: thank you for requesting anon! sorry for taking a little bit longer than usual, but i hope you’ll like it ☺️

When your friend challenged you to prank Jungwon you already had a bad feeling about it. You knew how hard he worked and your heart broke at the sight of his drained body and exhausted expression whenever he came over to your apartment, that’s why you were hesitant to pull an ignoring prank on him. Another things is, you never actually ignored him. Every time you argued, you both solved problems rather maturely using communication and honesty, so you were quite scared of his reaction. But curiosity of response was overshadowing the fear of hurting him.

That’s how, the second you heard the front door opening, you sat on the couch with a phone in your hand, pulling the most untouched expression you could.

“Hi Y/nie,” Jungwon said, his voice quiet from fatigue. Hearing the sound of it you almost raised from the couch to run up to him, but held back. Not hearing any response Jungwon frowned and called you again. “Y/n? Are you home?”

Hearing his steps become closer to the living room you started your act. Jungwon sighed in relief seeing you, in a moment that he needed you the most. He sat next to you and tried to take your hand into his, a habit he developed a while ago. He would play with your fingers to show you he needed your attention at that exact moment. You liked whenever he did that, but you brushed off the thought of stopping the prank and took your hand away. In a corner of your eye, you noticed he furrowed his eyebrows and opened his mouth to say something but stopped himself. Jungwon decided to try to at least lay his head on your shoulder, in seek of your comfort, but you once again gave him a brush off.

“Are you mad at me?” he asked in pure confusion. “If I have done something that made you mad I’m sorry, but please tell me what it is,” he pleaded. Not breaking the character you played you kept on playing with your phone. Not getting any response from you, Jungwon just lowered his head and stood up. “I’ll go take a shower now,” he announced quietly, hint of sadness in his voice.

Once you heard the water running you bit your lips, deciding to stop ignoring him. You went to your bedroom and prepared the bed to lay down and watch something with him, just like you always do. Unlike usual he finished pretty quickly. You waited for him to come out, but instead you heard quiet sobs.

“Won?” You softly knocked at the bathroom door. Jungwon unlocked it almost immediately, the sight made you regret everything. “Oh no, Wonnie,” you said and pulled him into your embrace. The moment he felt the warmth of your body against his he started crying, not even trying to fight back tears.

“Whatever I did, I’m really sorry, but please don’t ignore me,” he cried, his shaking body making you feel terrible.

“Won, you did nothing, it was supposed to be a prank. It’s me who should be sorry. Forgive me, please” you said, guilt eating your guts. He shook his head, unable to say anything.

Once he calmed down a little you sat on your bed and he laid his head comfortably on your lap.

“Did something happen today at work?” you asked tangling your fingers in his hair, he answered with a nod.

“I’ve been pretty anxious recently, because of our comeback. I don’t feel prepared, and I really don’t wanna let anybody down,” he said, occasional voice cracks accompanying him.

“Won, you should’ve told me. You work so hard everyday. I’m sure you’ll own this comeback,” you spoke, remembering how unmatched his energy was when they were rehearsing their new title song.

He looked up at you and asked: “You think so?”

“I am never wrong,” you said confidently putting an accent on third word. This made a smile creep on his face. He got up and threw himself at you, laughing on the way down. You let out a yelp in shock, but when he buried his face in a crook of your neck you just closed your eyes and wrapped him in your embrace once again.

thank you for reading! back to the masterlist

#enhypen x reader #enhypen fic #enhypen fluff #enhypen imagine #enhypen #enhypen angst #jungwon enhypen #jungwon #jungwon x reader #jungwon x you #jungwon x y/n #yang jungwon #jungwon imagines #jungwon fic #enhypen x y/n #enhypen x you

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mysticheathenn · 2 months

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How Are You Outgrowing Your Oldself?

Hi, Hexlings!

This pick-a-card reading is about who are you becoming by releasing your old self and the many blessings that come with releasing your old self. This is a Patreon Reading for all tiers.

Remember to take what resonates and leave what does not. This reading does not supplement your need to seek professional help and is for entertainment purposes.

Take your time when choosing your pile. Ask yourself the question and choose the picture that you can’t stop looking at. Listen to your intuition.

Extended Patreon Includes:

How are you outgrowing your old self?

What changes will occur from releasing your old self?

Extra Messages

MasterList

Patreon Link

Ko-Fi Donations

Sidenote: Love reading will be posted tomorrow

Who are you now? Tarot: 4 of Cups, Death, 8 of Swords, Queen of Wands (reversed), 5 of Wands, Ace of Swords (reversed)

This is my mental pile and when I mean mental I am not speaking crazy...unless you feel that way then carry on. When I say mental I mean you are constantly always in your head and not for the better. The phrase "I'm thinking" as someone says "That can't be good" may refer to you whenever you think because it's never a good thing. You're either dealing with imposter syndrome, self-doubt, low self-esteem, lack mentality, or just a doubt in your overall being as if you were placed on this earth to just exist and die. That's not true pile l. Some of you probably resist change because you fear success or failure. Some of this may have been residing in you since childhood/adolescence. While others of you this has been developing constantly over time as an adult just festering waiting to pop. Waiting for you to break. But then some of you are just comfortable in your little corner...Cinderella may have been your favorite movie or you probably resonate with her a lot, growing up in a "Be seen and not heard" household. The Song "In My Own Little Corner - Brandy (Cinderella) song is playing in my head Link to Song. The thing is I feel a lot of you have amazing dreams, ideas, and goals that you want to achieve but won't go after it because of what others or worse yourself have implanted in your head. You were meant for change,. You are not meant to be hidden in a corner because "No one puts baby in the corner" - Dirty Dancing (1987 Link to clip) If you haven't seen the original you are missing out. I feel the movie will speak to you, especially the main female character. Patreon Post Link

Pile ll:

Who are you now? Tarot: 10 of Pentacles, 9 of Pentacles, The Magician (reversed), Page of Cups, 4 of Wands, 5 of Cups (reversed)

Two different energies in this group...first one is "All About the Benjamins Baby" (Song Clip) is the phrase I heard in my head. Some of you possibly could have gone through a breakup or at least someone betrayed you whether it's your trust, or just hurt you in general that you closed yourself off to love and happiness and started chasing money instead. IF this isn't you then you are part of the very few who believe that they can't have it all. Similar to pile one but with different energy. Believing that the house with the picket fence dog and kids is not in your future, financial abundance is not in your future and etc. But overall I am getting the vibe that this pile is trying to get their money up. Fuck love and happiness, you can cry in a Ferrari or private jet later when you get your money up. I feel you pile ll I definitely feel you on that. Yea some of you something or someone betrayed you because the quote from Moulin Rouge movie "Betrayal. When love is for the highest bidder, there can be no trust. Without trust, there can be no love." just played in my head (Link to clip) (Sidenote: Amazing movie, be warned it is a musical and a tearjerker). Overall you don't know how and who to trust. Whichever side you are on if you are all about the benjamins you don't know how to trust others anymore and on your "demon time" , city girls, hot girl summer, era or those who agree more on not believing good things will happen for them you don't know how to trust yourself, god, the divine, universe, etc. You are operating in an energy that you truly don't believe or is who you are. Some of you probably listen to the music but don't fully resonate with the lyrics because you are a lover and giver at heart. Patreon Post Link

Pile lll:

Who are you now? Tarot: King of Swords, Ace of Swords, Page of Swords, 5 of Swords, 3 of Swords (reversed), Ace of Pentacles (reversed)

"It's all in my head. I think about it over and over again" - Over and Over by Nelly Ft Time McGraw (Song Link). Omg pile lll I hate being in your energy right now because I feel anxious, depressed, and just so many other mental things. You literally have nothing but swords in your deck and one pentacle. In case you aren't into tarot swords is all about the mental (beliefs, attitude, consciousness, etc). It's like you are constantly thinking a mile a minute. You never shut off your brain it's one thing or another. Either way, you are your own enemy. No one else. You remind me of another reading I did recently so this message may still be for some of you who didn't hear the first time this message came around. You are causing your depression, anxiety, etc. You are your own competition and nobody else is even though you believe that you have competition. You really don't you might be the type of person who hates going to public places like the gym or grocery shopping because you feel everyone is judging you or thinking about you when in reality they are thinking about what are they going to do later on or if they need to take a poop. Social anxiety is definitely here in this pile (remember I'm not a doctor so take head to any mental disorders or illness I mention). I See perfectionism as well. This may stem from parents growing up not accepting anything less than 100% on anything you did. Storytime: I had a friend who made a 95 on a test and his dad asked where is the other 5 points. You may have grown up in that kind of environment that led to this or this could have developed over time once you joined the workforce and had bosses and etc in your face constantly telling you horrible things, etc. I am going to say this to you pile lll. Do the thing. Do it scared. Do it unprepared. Do it with no experience. Do it. Do it. Do it. Nike that hoe. It will bring you abundance but you will never know because you are constantly overthinking everything and dealing with perfectionism. Patreon Post Link

I hope you enjoyed this reading. Thanks to everyone who likes, reblogs my posts, and joins my Patreon. I always appreciate you <3.

Until Next time stay blessed and be safe.

#spirituality #tarot reading #tarotcommunity #tarotblr #witchblr #pick a card #tarot cards #pac tarot #pick a pile #pac reading #pick a picture #pick an image #pick a photo #paganblr

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sapphic-agent · 7 months

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Let's Talk About Izuku Midoriya

As most of you know, Izuku is my favorite character in the show. But dismissing my bias for a second, there are a lot of issues with his character. Mainly, how it's handled within the story and the negative affect it tends to have on the overall plot.

What I think really dampens Izuku's character is a lack of depth. Fellow Izu fans hold your fire... let me finish.

The lack of depth wasn't always a problem. In season 1, he tends to have a lot of lines that indicate complex emotions. When he's walking home after Bakugou's suicide-baiting, he shows at least a little contempt for what was said even if he tries not to take it to heart. Hell, even during the suicide baiting itself, he reacts with anger and intends to stand up to Bakugou even if he is forced into silence by fear. During the bus ride to the USJ, Kaminari and Asui are (rightfully) observing that Bakugou is a dick and Izuku is surprised at the swap in their roles. In the Battle Trials, he's guilty when Bakugou accuses him of purposely hiding his quirk, but also confronts and outsmarts him, knowing that beating Bakugou (standing up to him) is the only way he can even start to become a hero.

(This is evidence that at some point Izuku was aware that Bakugou's actions weren't alright and wanted to condemn them, he just didn't have the strength or confidence to go through with it. This entirely disappears later in the series with no reconciliation of those feelings)

We don't get many scenes like this later on. Izuku takes Bakugou's insults and attacks with no reaction or just a nervous one. And we never, ever see him attempt to stand up for himself against him.

And no, I don't count Deku vs Kacchan Part 2. Izuku was practically forced to defend himself as Bakugou would have attacked him either way, and his entire role in the fight is going on and on about his admiration for Bakugou. Izuku isn't standing up to Bakugou, he's being placed in a situation where he's forced to help develop him. The entire episode is solely for Bakugou's benefit while shoving Izuku into a corner.

But even taking a step away from Bakugou for a minute, Izuku also becomes more one dimensional in regards to Uraraka.

I've said this before answering an ask, but in the beginning of the show Izuku was the one who was attracted to Uraraka. He was flustered by her kindness and reacted bashfully to her hero suit. And for some reason this... goes away. The last time he gets even slightly embarrassed around her is the licensing exam when she appears jealous of Camie (Toga). Not only that, it feels like all of that transferred to Uraraka. She was the one who ended up becoming bashful and flushed and embarrassed, which would make sense if Izuku's feelings didn't almost entire disappear. It does both their characters a disservice; Uraraka is reduced to a more one-dimensional love interest (don't @ me for this, she has her moments and I love her) and Izuku loses another aspect of his character.

I would even say this is present with Todoroki on some level. Izuku was supposed to be his first real friend and they barely interact. Which is even worse considering they're both part of the "main trio." It would have been so easy to play them off of one another since they're supposedly best friends and should be the closest two in that trio. Their friendship was one of the starting points of the entire series and their connection is an integral part of both their characters. Yet they both interact more with Bakugou than one another.

(For comparison, look at Bakugou and Kirishima. They're in a multitude of scenes together and we see how their relationship develops over time. We see their companionship and how Bakugou comes to trust and rely on him. We don't get anywhere close to that with Izuku and Todoroki.)

Over the seasons/volumes (whichever you consume), Horikoshi has dumbed Izuku's character down to crying, defending others, and being self-sacrificing. And these aren't inherently bad traits for a main character, but they weren't all he had in the beginning. He had more personality and he had stronger feelings. Taking that away from him cheapened his character.

Another failing of Izuku's character is how him being quirkless is blatantly ignored by the series.

This was an integral part of his character. It's what separated him from the vast majority of people in the show. It destroyed the only dream he ever had. He was discriminated against for it. It defined his entire existence for the first fourteen years of his life.

And it's never talked about.

Okay, I shouldn't say that. It is used to draw parallels between him and Shinsou (and Aoyama later on). But other than that, Izuku really doesn't acknowledge it. For someone who would grapple with not being good enough for OFA, him not really dwelling on being quirkless is odd.

In a series about the corruption of society, it's strange that the discrimination the main character faced from that society isn't talked about. In fact, outside of Melissa (she's legit the only character who was born quirkless and stayed quirkless, everyone else who's listed quirkless had their quirks taken away or received a quirk later), the series doesn't really introduce quirkless people at all even though they make up 20% of the population (and that isn't a small number by any means, that would be 1.6 billion people in 2023).

Yet this issue that was very present in the beginning of the show is just... swept under the rug. Like everything Izuku went through because of it just doesn't matter. A four year old came to the realization that he was beneath his peers by society's standards, but Izuku just doesn't talk or think about it ever again.

It not only ignores the very real trauma and struggle the main character went through, it also shuns a very important piece of world building. Having Izuku born quirkless was the perfect way to introduce this problem with society. But no, other than his dream being ruined and Bakugou's bullying, Izuku doesn't struggle with this in any other way. We only have vague implications of what he went through growing up quirkless so we can't imagine what it's like for the other 1.6 billion people.

This ties into his lack of depth, but a lot of the time it feels like Izuku's only relevance is to be a prop for other characters. Bakugou is obviously the main one and I went over this in the apology analysis. But Izuku doesn't respond to his apology in any way, we never get to see his thinking or how he was affected, and then he faints at the end. Izuku is a puppet in place to further Bakugou's development. This is also present in Deku vs Kacchan Part 2; all his thoughts are centered around admitting Bakugou and propping him up.

As much as I hate it, it somewhat makes sense for Bakugou. But it's utter insanity that this is extended to Endeavor as well.

Back during the Sports Festival, Izuku displayed disdain for Endeavor. He was aware of what an awful person he was and how he hurt Todoroki. Yet for some reason he then tells Todoroki that he thinks he's ready to forgive him.

This is completely out of character for Izuku. For one, he never inserts himself into others' business unless it's to defend them. And up until that point he hadn't said a word about Endeavor; not to comfort Todoroki and not to abhor his actions. So why in the world would the first thing out of his mouth about him be that Todoroki seems ready to forgive him?

It's almost like he's acting as a mouthpiece for Horikoshi, indirectly telling the audience that Todoroki no longer holds any resentment for Endeavor. Izuku's relevance in this scene as Todoroki's best friend should not have been to assume that he's ready to forgive his abuser.

He also verbally defends Endeavor against Dabi. Even though he knows how abusive and neglectful Endeavor was to his children. Condoning Endeavor while disparaging Dabi makes no sense for Izuku's character. He was defending Shoto too which makes sense, but there was no reason to add Endeavor into that. Just because Endeavor was his mentor (for like three weeks if that) doesn't erase what he's done.

To make Izuku ignorant of this was a slap to the face of his entire character.

Even in his own major arc, Izuku gets the shaft. Dark Deku was a major let down because there was hardly a deeper dive into his character. He was on his own with the past OFA holders for weeks and we barely see him talk to them. Him cutting contact with Toshinori when we didn't even get to see them interact much made no sense (Toshi didn't even try to find him afterwards which was so out of character). The top 3 heroes allowed him- a fifteen year old student- to run on his own without even trying to talk him out of it.

And what's supposed to be an honest attempt to get him to come back and trust him turned into 1A a) physically attacking and ganging up on him and b) allowing Bakugou to goad and insult him. And he wasn't even close with all of 1A for nineteen of them to do this. This should have been restricted to Iida, Todoroki, and Uraraka (and maybe Tsu and Aoyama). He has issues with showing vulnerability in front of people, why om Earth would it make sense to blindside him with his entire class?

(The only part of Dark Deku I truly enjoyed was Uraraka sticking up for him at UA and Kota and that woman he saved earlier running to comfort him and show their gratitude. Although Eri not being there is very weird.)

Like I said above, I love Izuku. But I absolutely hate the way he's been handled by his author. He deserved an actual well thought out character arc and a lot more focus and attention. He deserved to have more intricate, complex relationships with other characters that weren't his childhood bully. He deserved to be treated well in his own story.

#izuku midoriya critical #i love him okay #i just don't love how he's written #izuku deserves better #mha critical #bnha critical #anti bakugou katsuki #anti enji todoroki #anti endeavor #long post

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thelostgirl21 · 7 months

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Oh. My. God.

Hugh... Hugh, you are awesome...

I was watching an interview they made with Hugh, Cassie and Graham where they asked Hugh "Does music play a part in you developing your characters?"

He answered that it was a conversation that he and Cassie had actually had, because they'd both made a bit of a playlist for theirs, and he'd been listening to Jobriath to help get himself in the mood.

And when he said that, I went "Wait, hold on..." because I remembered there was another interview - where they'd asked him if the actors had any say when it came to choosing the wig their character would wear - where Hugh mentioned that yeah, they did, and that he'd wanted his looks to be a bit inspired by '70s Glam Rock...

Guys...

Jobriath was the 1st openly gay Glam Rock artist, whose career suffered a major backlash from homophobic audiences (from what I understand, the way his publicist chose to exploit his sexuality as a marketing tool didn't help), that sadly died of AIDS back in 1983 (at age 36).

He played in the musical "Hair", and here is how he looked back then...

But the picture that fucking killed me, however, is this one...

Because, I mean...

Another interesting fact: His birth name was actually Bruce Wayne Campbell.

He changed it to Jobriath Salisbury after deserting from the US Army.

They eventually did find him and arrest him, though, and he spent about 6 months in a military psychiatric hospital after suffering a breakdown.

Just thinking about poor Radovid attempting to run away from the Redanian court, only to be pulled right back in, and definitely looking right in the verge of a breakdown here...

(I'm hoping Radovid's story get a happier ending than what happened to Jobriath IRL, though...)

One of his songs is actually called "Take Me I'm Yours"...

And it's totally worth a listen!

youtube

Baby, you just amaze me and daze me

You're the blind spot in my consciousness

C'mon and forsake me and break me

And drink the blood of my obsessiveness

Make me cry out and die out

Of love for this world's fallacy

Refuse me diffuse me

To the corners of the galaxy

Take me I'm yours

Take me take me I'm yours

Take me I'm yours

I can't say if this particular song was a part of Hugh's playlist when developing the character, but...

... suddenly feels like an even more inspired line to me.

There are other songs and lyrics from Jobriath that do give me some solid Radskier feels...

Ex:

I've always wanted a movie queen

To call my very own

That bright and shining star

I've worshipped from afar

Came to earth to be with me tonight

I've always wanted a superstar

To cherish as my own

But so high in the sky

I never dared to try

To take the steps that I can take with you tonight

So basically, Hugh Skinner was offered to play a gay Prince/King on a major fantasy show...

And apparently, thought that he'd take the opportunity to draw inspiration from, and subtly pay homage to, a near-forgotten gay cultural icon.

And it's perfect!

#Hugh Skinner #Radovid #Radskier #Jaskier #Jobriath #The Witcher #My Posts #My Thoughts #On this absolutely amazing human being!#And wonderful queer character...

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mrborocs · 10 months

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And here it is again all over again

When episode 6 of v9 came out. A certain circle of people became hysterical about Weiss' reaction to Jaune. Strangely enough, it was mostly WR fans and Bumblebee fans agreeing with them or Jaune haters. Even before the release of episode 6. Some artists and WR fans decided to make fun of Weiss' words about the beautiful knight.

Here's a meme for you about this. At first there was denial. Mostly on Twitter, of course. WR fans called it a bad joke from the writers and just trolling. Their main argument is that WK will not be canon, so we were told on Twitter. I have already said that there is no real confirmation of this.

Or they claimed that it was completely out of character for Weiss. The screenwriters ruined everything and in fact Weiss has no sympathy for Jaune!

The first battle ended with shouts, tears and crying. WK fans didn't even show up for the battle. But this does not mean that everything will just end like this. Small outbursts of indignation appeared on all sections of Twitter. In the end, WKfans began to respond, this is: the opinion of WRfans is not taken into account.

Then this happens. The first powerful blow. Where WRfans tell that objectively WK is a bad and boring ship and their opinion is not subjective. The focus is on the good guy trope. Supposedly boring heterosexual trope, when a girl rejects a good guy, and then realizes her mistake and gets him as a prize. I'll give my opinion briefly. No it's not. Jaune and Weiss at the beginning of their development were not the most beautiful characters. Both had a huge baggage of shortcomings. Jaune is an infantile and arrogant guy who wants to become famous. He is a little selfish, because he puts other people at risk with his desires. He is indecisive and weak. He can't immediately fight back against a bully. He does not see the personal boundaries of other people trying to attract attention to himself. Over time, he realizes his problems and gradually solves them. In v1-2, it was really difficult to take him seriously. This no longer fits the trope of a good guy. Just like Weiss, Jaune has changed a lot over time under the influence of other people and each other.

A typical example of toxic WRfans. The main difference between him and others is that he does not hide and does not try to say what WRfans think in a more veiled way. You have no right to wish that WK would become a canon! Others handle WK differently.

You can immediately see how WRfans began to develop the topic of other Jaune relationships. WK this is disrespectful to Pyrrhus. Jaune should actually date Neptune. Which of course is very funny. Not only that, both characters did not show attraction to men, but on the contrary. So for all WRfans arguments about WK, Neptune and Jaune are not connected in any way at all except for Weiss herself. There was only a strange rivalry between them. WKfans tried to object to something in the comments and there were quite a lot of them. Therefore, the battle ended in a draw. The parties went to the corners accusing each other of bias. WRfans didn't stop there. Deciding to attack his old enemy again. There was an attack on RG.

I didn't go into much detail, but this is something allegedly related to the sexualization of Oscar and Ruby. Suddenly, everyone started shouting that you can't do this. However, WR and bumblebee are engaged in the same sexualization. You can say that Oscar is still a child. I will object to this that the guy is already old enough to fight the forces of evil and in general this is a fictional character.

Of course, WRfans hastened to say that they are nothing here and in general they don't care about RG.

That's what WR fans really think.

Here is a rather interesting opinion about WK. Of course, she's right about something and WK has a pretty big gap in development. But their contradictory beginning, and after a sweet friendship in the background, still shows that the ship has a character and minimal interaction. While with v7, WR is very bad with development.

And here we go to the final. Finally, the last powerful blow. WRfans will show these heterosexual bastards who is in charge of this show!

Her didn't like the joke in the show. And he decided to tell everyone, calling her the most terrible. And of course, it didn't play any role here that she was WRfans. Humor is subjective, and I also don't like humor in v4, for example, when Ruby laughs at Jaune rabbit or Jaune runs away from grimm without a weapon. I didn't expect that after everything that happened to these characters, he wouldn't become at least a little serious. Although it was later fixed. If you don't like the joke, you can safely keep silent about it and not ironically attack the fans of another ship. For example, I don't like many bumblebee moments either. Although I do not sympathize with Black Sun. I could say similar things about WR, but when was the last time there was a meaningful interaction between them? There was a moment in v9 when Weiss accepted Ruby's choice when she shouldn't have. A very strange attitude of the best friends. I can't criticize WR because I'm subjective and I only see them as friends. For me, the main thing is that the ship would bring emotions to people. WR has a huge fan base - so there is something in it! In general, all normal people who enjoy their ships and do not attack others! You are beautiful!

#white knight #RWBY #whiterose #Rosegarden #jaune arc #WeissSchnee #RubyRose

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elf-osamu · 8 months

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“YOUR LAST MEMORY OF ME”

[ masterlist ] [ reblogs are very appreciated ]

angst, hurt/comfort, hurt/no comfort, romantic relationship, jing yuan x gn!reader

warning(s) : major character death, the concept of death is discussed, implied reference for the high cloud quintet lore !!!!, blood, injuries, depictions of violence !!!!

word count : 2517 words

“i think i got too many memories getting in the way of me; you only get what you grieve; the only thing that’s ever stopping me is me; i testify if i die in my sleep, then know that my life was a killer dream; and all my childhood heroes have fallen off or died” — song: stay frosty royal milk tea by fall out boy

a/n: i’ve almost cried while writing this. as a jing yuan lover, i’m terribly sorry (it will happen again).

to be part of a long life species isn’t as easy as mortals make it to be. since their lives are nothing but a fleeting moment which will be soon forgotten, they tend to hope for a longer time to accomplish their goals, rushing every task to meet the temporary relief that it brings — a sweet feeling which one could indulge themself in, but only for a brief moment. as a consequence of this, they’re quite envious of those who don’t have to worry about such matters: those people can enjoy life to the fullest and simultaneously take things at a slow pace, savoring each second of their existence without being overwhelmed by their imminent end; new experiences are always near the corner of their days, quietly waiting for the perfect time to appear and give opportunities of every kind; the weight of death isn’t a matter to reflect upon, since it’s something far too distant to be frightened by it.

a smile was something that jing yuan hardly got to see on that face he had profoundly grown fond of — yours. one could have defined it as an almost imperceptible change, but the way your lips slightly curved in response of his affirmations hadn’t ever escaped his attentive eyes. his life had been consistent for many years, still as a lake in a flawlessly sunny day, with his usual duties and habits which never seemed to change despite the passage of time. however now he had gotten used to your presence and he could have never substituted it. those lips he loved to touch with his, those hands he relished with his when he was looking for reassurance, those eyes he would have treasured with his life if they had been gems — you. jing yuan would have never gotten tired of you.

this is what short life species harshly tell themselves and others — they can’t but concentrate on what they don’t possess, on what their hands will never reach, on what they will never be able to accomplish. nevertheless, said behavior is rather commonly found in the majority of human beings with no distinctions made; envy is a comprehensibile emotion, but when used inappropriately it can develop in resentment. the inherent desire of attaining what we’ve wished for isn’t possible at all times — but we continue on our path forward, often stumbling along the way when it gets too difficult to move on.

the general’s soul wasn’t unblemished as many thought: you had gotten the chance to meet that part of him he tried to hide under a seemingly exemplery mask of polite yet playful remarks. you had tended to his injuries, taking care of his body while he narrated the story of some of his scars; you had listened to his usually unspoken worries, when the role he had to play for the majority of his life momentarily ended and he finally showed you that he was just a human being like any other — someone who had done both outstanding and terrible things. “i… i apologize for not being the hero you’ve heard of”, he had muttered the rare times he had allowed himself to cry; it had been too long ago since the last time he had opened up to someone in such a vulnerable way.

long life species know this too well: between the scars of their past and the hopes for their future, it isn’t rare to find people who are lost in their journey, surrounded by painful memories and feelings of desperation. to forget what one’s forced to remember can make themself cling to the old days and refuse to give a glance to the other side.

you were aware of jing yuan’s foibles and past mistakes — how could you have not? — but those things had never stopped you from loving him. as you were there to accept him for who he was, you could proudly say he did the same for you; patience and consideration were only a few of his characteristics, but they were greatly helpful when you were going through difficult times. jing yuan wouldn’t have ever judged your fears and thoughts: he would have sat next to you, grounding your mind from the stress that life could give you, and reminded you of his unfeigned adoration towards your being. you both had found comfort and solace with each other.

the general of the cloud knights of the xianzhou luofu, jing yuan, had lived for too many centuries to be truly able to count them. he was acclaimed by many people and frowned upon by others — but nobody could have never doubt his dexterity and strength when it came to swordsmanship: his exceptional abilities had been of considerable effectiveness in battles and, simultaneously, his carefulness and diplomacy couldn’t be disregarded in the slightest, since they kept the law and order in his nation.

death passively follows its natural course when the right time is known — it’s a neutral state which can’t be converted by the human mind, something… irreversible; many have tried to change this fact and many have failed. each stage of life is meaningful, thus to accept what’s going to happen someday is the wisest and least painful choice, though it has to be recognized how it can still be a tough journey. his loved companions, his long-lasting enemies, everybody he knew… he had lost them, either because of demise or a change of paths.

during his life, jing yuan had collided with friends, foes and even with himself — bonds were broken, rancour was deepened, distress was reinforced: all the experiences and emotions he had been carrying in his heart for centuries seemed to be never-ending. he did his best to hide his damaged self through loads of work and too many hours of sleep; after all he was one of the arbiter-generals — if he couldn’t do his job, who could have?

he was a symbol of hope: he was someone to use as a role model and as a pillar for anyone who was in need of support and protection — failure had never been an option for those of such great importance.

he just had to resist a little longer… then everything else would have ended and peace would have prospered, as it always did.

clashes of swords and polearms reverberated through the battlefield, they were the only sounds which could be heard alongside the warriors’ screams. destruction and ruination harshly painted the surroundings, scarring the ground where nature once flourished, while combatants fell and took their last breath.

an invasion of that magnitude hadn’t been on the xianzhou luofu for quite some time and nobody had been prepared for it; unexpected encounters were the most dangerous and tiring ones.

you were a brave and capable soldier — your technique wasn’t flawless, but your determination made up for the few careless mistakes you committed while fighting; jing yuan was aware of that, but his chest still hurt whenever he knew you were battling against his enemies. as much as he believed you could successfully take care of your well-being in dire situations, he had to fight the urge to be near you when you risked your life; said feeling was reciprocated though, since the general had caught a glimpse of your figure finishing off an enemy who had tried to attack him behind his back while he was busy with three other opponents. you had flashed a smile at your lover before going into battle again.

it was a tough confront between distinct factions, but hope had come to the surface again once you had taken a glance at how many enemies were still standing: only a few were alive and their counterattacks were growing more haphazard by the second — they hadn’t expected to fall behind in battle. the rush of adrenaline you felt before accompanied your weapon through taking the life of your opponents without backing away.

jing yuan had just fought against a few people when he saw a group of his opposite faction go near you; they were too many to be dealt at the same time, too many even for someone as experienced as him — so he couldn’t let them lift a finger on your body, it was a risk too huge to be taken so carelessly.

he rapidly moved to get to your side — you were rather distant from him but, if he had screamed, you would have been distracted and you would have gotten severe injuries… or even worse. his mind was spiralling while the general was trying to calm himself down and choose the best option available to keep yourself safe but, when he saw a spear coming too near your figure, his body moved on its own: he rushed towards you and, without giving you the time to react, he took what once was your place.

time seemed to stop for a moment as he tasted the flavour of pain that came from the deep skin tear on his chest: gushes of blood brutally tinted his armor and all of a sudden his face lost the color it had just a moment before.

you couldn’t feel anything at first, your brain had registered only a part of what had occurred. then, however, you realized what you had witnessed when you watched jing yuan’s body fall on the ground.

everything had happened in a few seconds, but it felt like an unceasing event: something atrocious was taking place, something you just wished to ignore and forget… but you couldn’t allow yourself to do that.

therefore, a wave of rage hit you: you didn’t waste time to slaughter the ones who attacked the man you loved; when anyone tried to come near you, your blade was swift enough to promptly eliminate them and destroy anything that crossed its path, wounding whoever couldn’t understand the weight of the situation. it had been a while since you felt an emotion in such an intense and uncontrolled way, you looked feverish from how much strength you were using.

anger’s origin was different for everyone — yours was because of despondency.

you were moving too fast to process what was happening: the only clear thing your blurry vision could notice was the carmine blood that colored the soil and people’s armors, especially your own. you couldn’t feel the pain derived from your injuries, your clouded mind wasn’t able to process your physical state.

wrath was embracing you in its strong grip, the one thing that heartened you when you would have preferred to hide away in your own solitude.

as the only opponents left decided to retreat from the battle, you tossed your weapon to the side and fell on your knees; you were exhausted from your sudden outburst, your limbs were becoming numb and your head was spinning.

the familiar sound of your name, however, kept you grounded, making you look at the white-haired man who was laying down on the turf.

sweat and blood littered his scarred skin, a look you had gotten to know through the years you had spent with him. but this time was like no other.

you immediately sat by his side and forced yourself to act like you had everything under control, while trying to disregard the spear that had pierced his body: your hands slightly pressed near the major wound on his chest, clinging to the last hope of keeping more blood from coming out.

“my time… has come, then?” he murmured, his lips were moving slowly, too slowly, though his voice was calm as the usual; you would have said he wasn’t feeling much pain, if you didn’t know him that well.

a grin was plastered on his face and it only made you sadder to see him keep his mask even on that unpleasant occasion.

“don’t you dare say that, jing yuan. there’s still time, we can make someone look for a doctor, we… you can resist for a few minutes until then!”, you sounded — you were — desperate. “everything is going to work out in the end, isn’t it?”.

you were trying your best to pay no attention to your thoughts: there was no doubt that his injury was fatal, he already had lost too much blood to return back to his usual life and be saved. you would have switched places in a heartbeat if you were given the opportunity to do so, you would have given anything to keep him alive; jing yuan had understood it since the first day your love for him had been known.

his eyes were fixated on your face, as if they were trying to soothe your distressed mind. with the last remaining ounce of strength, he rested one of his hands on yours and deepened his smile.

he called out your name again. “do you know how much i care about you?”.

if the situation were different, you would have punched him; tears began to fall down on your cheeks; you would have liked to scream and say he wouldn’t have died in that way, but you managed to make your lips curve into a faux grin; if you had to smile, you would have done it for him.

“yes, love. i do know it all too well”, you whispered, your gaze was focused only on his face and the flutter of his eyelashes.

jing yuan slowly nodded and mumbled “good”: his heart could have ultimately rested now that he had your confirmation.

he looked at the gray sky, silently saying his goodbyes to the world around him. “if there’s anything beyond this life… i hope i’ll get the chance to… to meet my friends… and lost companions there…”. you felt his fingers caress yours in a reassuring manner, a habit of his the general of the luofu couldn’t abandon even in death. “perhaps we are going… to talk again”.

you inclined your head, there was nothing else you could do.

his deep voice, the white cascade of his long hair, those golden eyes that held many memories, the strategies he followed while playing chess, his comforting laugh, every characteristic of his — you would have never forgotten any of them.

“i feel… so light…” he muttered as he closed his eyes, inhaling air for the last time.

an uncontrollable sob broke out from your throat as you bended over and hugged his cold body close to your chest, your forehead was against his.

pain had been a part of jing yuan’s life since he was a child and it ushered him also to his demise, as a loyal intimate who had never left his side.

you held back your tears when a question made its way into your head: would he have found solace now that everything was over? you shivered and hoped he could finally rest, but your heart wouldn’t have been the same ever again.

the peace you had found within his presence had mercilessly been broken and nothing could have ever repaired it.

[ do not copy, translate, repost, etc. | by @ elf-osamu ]

[ tag list — @bladesmuse ]

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nataliaphantomhivesblog · 9 months

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Predictions for Soukoku’s fate (BSD CH 109 spoilers!!)

How I be looking after dedicating two posts on the possibility of Chuuya not being a vampire due to the fact he was faceless for absolutley no reason during some chapters, thinking it was important:

alright people, i wish i could express my embarassment further but instead of kicking my feet, screaming and crying over my miscalculations, i will proceed to (hopefully) redeem myself with my following predictions.

Guys, first of all I need to tell you something that I think is absolutely obvious: Dazai is not going to die.

thematically, it makes absolutley no sense for Dazai to die considering how many characters still depend on him, EVEN HIMSELF.

We still haven’t learned his backstory, we still haven’t had a cathartic moment between Akutagwa and Dazai, Atsushi is yet to learn more from his mentor, and he’s overall a very key character to foil others and develop them while he’s at it.

Even Dazai himself dying right now feels extremely weightless, we haven’t even learned anything about Dazai’s past and he’s already killed? without growing as a person? without fullfilling Oda’s promise? I don’t know, personally to me, direction wise, development wise and plot wise killing him off is absolutley nonsensical.

Asagiri does tend to take a very unique and unpredictable route with his writing and characters, but for plots sake, I highly doubt Dazai is gone forever.

Also, Fydoor and Dazai continue throwing uno reverse cards at each other, always catching one another unexpectedly. I am still going strong on the idea that Double Black will catch Fyodor off-guard.

Fyodor during these whole prision sections has been constantly belittling and teasing Dazai over how shallow his bond with Chuuya is.

When that’s beyond the truth. Dazai and Chuuya’s trust is literally undying. Stormbringer, the double black chapter and dead apple show us this in the most obvious way possible.

Asagiri himself has quoted that Soukoku knows each others motives, which has also been proven plenty of times when they are working together.

Dazai himself admited there really was moments where their hearts reached out to one another.

and I think that’s enough to understand, Fyodor is wrong. THEY ARE DOUBLE BLACK FOR A REASON!!!

So far in this chapter, I got various things confirmed. Let’s walk through them together.

1. Dazai’s nullifcation ability works on vampires, confirmed by Fyodor himself.

So what does this tell us? That Dazai had been planning all along to get in contact with Chuuya. He knew his partner’s abilities will break him out of the water trap, he’s not dumb.

So Dazaj totally meant to get in physical contact with Chuuya in order to nullify his vamparism. And no, it’s not only because Dazai cares for Chuuya (which is a true statement, but not the main reason.) It’s because out of everyone in this room, Chuuya is the only one able to physically overpower Fyodor.

And even if Chuuya somehow can’t overpower Fyodor, atleast Chuuya can be Dazai’s bodyguard considering well...Dazai’s countless of injuries. Chuuya is Dazai’s ticket to get out of the prision.

Dazai needs Chuuya in his corner. He needs double black in action. He needs Chuuya.

2. Dazai is genuienly frustrated that his plan to bring back Chuuya didn’t work.

I can’t be the only one who ADORED seeing Dazai panicking. (I sound so masochistic but seriously, it’s rare to see Dazai unmask this way).

Anyways, Dazai’s panic and frustrating during these pannels are unfortunately proof that things did not go at all how he planned.

3. Aya is attempting to take out the sword that stops Bram from having full atonomy on his vampire abilty.

If by any luck, Aya is able to detach the swoard from Bram, Chuuya and literally every other vamp will return to normal. (which honestly, let’s do hope Aya removes the sword bc this is getting too agonizingly dragged out.)

4. Chuuya and Dazai are destined to....

kiss?? marry?? make out under the moonlight??

Nono my friends, Chuuya and Dazai are destined to die together.

Chuuya and Dazai dying together has been hinted since Fifthteen, but my theory of these two dying together strenghtened during Stormbringer when Mori teased Dazai about a double suicide with Chuuya.

I’m not saying they will die right now but in order to solidify the need for Shin Soukoku in Yokahama.....

This old married couple gotta go and make room for the highschool sweethearts/hj

5. Dazai took the L

Honestly, I won’t lie to you and say that Dazai’s way out of this situation is going to be hard. But Dazai has attempted to kill himself plenty of times, I wouldn’t be surprised if he has shot a bullet through his head in his early 20s. (Im not joking when I say this i swear).

Anyways, Dazai seems somewhat imune to death and honestly, his character is too important to die, especially in such a meh, anticlimatic way.

Dazai said it himself best, him and Chuuya are destined to die together.

6. Vampire Chuuya’s expression

I mean,,,, what is the need for the random three little pensive speach bubble ?? we have been proven by Akutagawa that vampires are capable of some sort of sentinence, especially when it’s tied to their deepest desieres/mental strenghts.

I don’t have anywhere grand to go with this but, I just wanted to point it out lol.

ALL IN ALL

I can’t say for sure what is going to happen, but with Aya’s attempts of removing the swoard the possibility for Chuuya to become concious and do something to get out of there and save Dazai still remain pausible in my books.

I am not too confident on where this section of the story will go exactly but I am certain that Soukoku won’t die yet. MARK MY WORDS!!!

#bungou stray dogs #bsd #bsd spoilers #bsd 109 #bsd manga #bsd chapter 109 spoilers #analysis #soukoku #chuuya nakahara #dazai osamu #fyodor dostoevsky #Ryūnosuke Akutagawa #atsushi nakajima #aya bsd #bram stoker #bsd analysis #soukoku analysis #manga

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green-alm0nd · 1 month

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[Tech x fem!reader]: You can't catch me now

----

Summary:

Although everyone told you to let go, you can't help but wonder if there's someone you know under the mask of the well-known clone assassin. You finally find a chance to do so.

WARNINGS: MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH, SPOILERS FOR TBB S3, angst, mentions of mental breakdowns, canon violence, and a little bit of fluff, italics mean flashbacks. A bit long lol. Not proofread.

This is actually a 'songfic' based on the song 'Can't catch me know' from Olivia Rodrigo. (Click here to listen to the song)

Enjoy!

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Blood trickled down your nose, painting the grey surface you stood in with a bright red color.

'There's blood on the side of the mountain'

Your breathing was unsteady, irregular; and your knees were about to give out as you saw the now faceless clone assassin.

'There's writing all over the wall'

You were against the idea of going back to Pabu after rescuing Omega, mainly because you didn't want to remember the nostalgic happiness you felt in Pain when he was with you.

'Shadows of us are still dancing, in every room and every hall'

Yet, there you were. You say down on the bed on the small cottage that you and him had rented.

It had been a long time since you dared to step in that small house, everything reminded you of him. Guilt never left you, it always hunted you like a ghost.

Dust accumulated on the corners of your old bedroom, one that never got to be a long-lasting bedroom.

'There's snow falling under the city'

And, in the middle of the now destroyed battlefield, Tantiss cried. All the destruction, all the people that had died had stained the planet red; a reminder of what had happened.

Little particles of dust hovered around, dancing and making the atmosphere even more melancholic.

Your knees began to tremble.

'You thought that it would wash away'

Everything came back to you: the memories, the feelings, the butterflies.

It took one look to the tall man standing opposite you to make you remember everything.

'The bitter taste of my fury, and all of the messes you made'

Back when you joined the squad, you had thought he was just shy and that's why he never really talk to you. When he did, it would only be for curt responses or reminders. As time passed, and you both got along better, you realised he had not talked to you at first because he had felt intimidated by you.

You had laughed at his confession. Intimidated? You were only a medical assistant. Yet, you found it endearing for the clone to admit that.

'Yeah, you think that you got away'

Your comm beeped. You figured it would either be Wrecker or Hunter, asking if you were still alive.

But you didn't care.

Your throat was dry and you dropped your blaster to the ground.

'But I'm in the trees, I'm in the breeze'

The first time you kissed was after a year of travelling with the squad of defective clones. He was developed feelings for you, and he had developed them fast. So had you.

He kissed you under the shadow of a palm try, hiding from the heat of the planet the Bad Batch had landed to pick some supplies for Cid.

'My footsteps on the ground'

After you kissed back, he had been out of words. It had been the first time you had seen him absolutely speechless. You laughed at the tall man's face, and how flustered he was.

'You'll see my face in every place, but you can't catch me now'

Everywhere you turned, everywhere you looked, you could only see the smart clone's face haunt you. In your dreams, sometimes in real life after hallucinating. Upon realising that he was not there, you'd break.

You'd break, and you'd cry.

You'd cry, and sob, and whimper because no one could hear you: not even him.

'Through wading grass the months will pass'

It had been around six months since you lost him, but it felt like an eternity. And now, to find him there, was as if your heart had finished breaking.

What had they don't to him?

'You'll feel it all around'

One if the things you had done in Pabu that pained you to remember, was grabbing an old box you two had found on the side of an alleyway, filling it with things that were precious to eachother.

"This is an Ipomea alba, also known as a 'Moonflower'. They glow at night and I recall that this delicacy of a flower contrasted very well with your hair. Thus, why I will place it here." He said, and you laughed at that. You decided to place a wristband that you had made for him that had broken after a mission, but that he had saved it. You found it and decided to put it there.

You and him had hidden the box somewhere in Pabu.

The only thing you did was cry when you remembered that. Because you couldn't remember where the box was.

'I'm here, I'm there, I'm everywhere'

The night's you'd shelter in your mind until the day your body stopped working where the ones with him: stargazing, kissing, sleeping, investigating together.

You had agreed on helping Hunter rescue Omega, though the ache in your chest made it harder to breathe every time anyone would mention his name.

'But you can't catch me now. No, you can't catch me now'

The realisation that dawned over you when you realised what Plan 99 meant made your heart stop for a nanosecond.

You screamed his name, as if that would make him come back to the cabinet you were stuck in with the rest of the squad.

His eyes gently smiled at you, a very rare sight since he was not one on smiling, but rather showing you his love.

...

You took another step forward, your heart beating as fast as the first time you had seen him.

His tall and slim body still made him look like the older brother of the squad, though he was the middle brother.

You swallowed, and kept your feet on the ground this time.

'There's blood on the side of the mountain'

His eyes hypnotized you, hazel coloured ones locking into yours. You gulped, again, and took a step back.

How much time had you been standing there? Had it been seconds but it felt like longer? Had it been a minute?

'It's turning a new shape of red'

But you did not care: because he was alive.

All this time The Bad Batch had been trying to defend themselves from the threat that now stood in front of you, that seemed harmless for a second.

Did he remember you? Could he even remember after his memory was wiped? Had his memories come back? You didn't know, and you couldn't tell.

'Yeah, sometimes the fire you founded don't burn the way you'd expect'

Your lip quivered, and you tried to keep your posture straight but failed miserably, as a whisper came out of your mouth.

"Tech...?"

'Oh, you thought that this was the end?'

----

I feel like it's a bit rushed but I hope you liked it!

A/N: a jellyfish stung me while surfing and I wrote this to forget about the pain lol

#the bad batch #bad batch #star wars #star wars tbb #the bad batch x reader #tbb tech x reader #tech x reader tbb #tech the bad batch #the bad batch tech

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fritoley · 14 days

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TBB S3 - Why Wrecker Will Die (Ep 8-12 Spoilers)

Ok, I’ve seen all kinds of posts predicting who in the Batch is gonna end up dying by the end of S3, I’ve seen Hunter, Echo, and maybe even Omega.

But I’ve been thinking about it, and I just realized…

What if Wrecker dies?

Wrecker has gotten a lot of character development recently, from being the voice of reason for Hunter in Ep 2 to showing off his expertise in explosives in Ep 8. But there’s something else.

THINK ABOUT IT, PEOPLE.

HE’S ALWAYS GETTING HURT THIS SEASON.

Ep 8 (Bad Territory): Almost got STABBED when fighting Sylar. TWICE.

Ep 9 (The Harbinger): Force choked by Ventress

Ep 11 (Point of No Return): Was unconscious for the majority of the episode after narrowly escaping the Marauder when it exploded

Ep 12 (Juggernaut): Almost FELL OFF PHEE’S SHIP when escaping Erebus

WHY is he getting so much character development?

WHY is he getting so many close calls?

and WHYYYYY is this so similar to another dear brother's character arc who departed us?

TECH.

Tech had a LOT of character development in S2, and there were multiple moments when he slipped or stumbled, FORESHADOWING his deathly fall.

Y’ALL SAW THE WAY WRECKER SLIPPED WHEN JUMPING ONTO PHEE’S SHIP IN JUGGERNAUT, RIGHT??

RIGHT???

THIS👏IS👏NOT👏A👏COINCIDENCE!!!

Excuse me as I go cry in the corner---

#the bad batch season 3 #tbb #the bad batch #star wars #the bad bad spoilers #tbb s3 spoilers #tbb s3 speculation #tbb hunter #tbb tech #tbb wrecker #tbb crosshair #tbb echo #tbb omega #star wars spoilers

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wnterslder · 4 months

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whew !! what a wild and crazy year it's been ! to all of my mutuals from the start of my reemergence into the realm of m.arvel and writing to now [ and anywhere in between !! ] , from the bottom of my heart , thank you so much for joining me on this ride on writing our beloved j.ames b.uchanan b.arnes. cheers , to good times , to good pals , and a happy new year !

the howling commandos : @spybiote , @viperbit , @ncmad , @battletrio , @espercr, @chernayavidua

!!!! what is there to say ?? where do i begin ?? from my early ramblings in developing his voice and characterization to now , y'all have been there ! the worlds that we've created together have kept me going , and i've had a blast throwing ideas back and forth through our muse's [ no doubt ] angsty [ and occasionally , deservingly soft ] journey. i am thinking about them for forever and a day fr.

the comrades and confidants : @gingerspiice , @thirt13n , @goldshadows , @unexceptional , @matryochka , @greatrspnsibility , @tr4umaborn , @dr-foster , @arachnidiots , @congregaticn , @dcmur3 , @clochanam

i am in awe of you , your writing inspires me ! we've talked plenty some and i am grateful that we can always come together and chat and cry about our muses about whatever , whenever ! your presence is cherished absolutely , it always brings me joy to see you pop up on the dash ! i am rooting for our muses always , whichever path they may take !! we're in your corner. <3

the allies and pals : @haiiling , @thunderbringer , @razorfst , @notspiderkid , @peacereflected , @risingod , @ppctts , @shieldretired , @cag3dsong , @shieldagentnatasharomanoff , @belayadeath , @myatonements , @mcmorare , @executiioner , @defectivexfragmented , @reyestr , @gwenbiote , @bruz3r , @breaksmen , @spinxeret , @cxpt , @eldritchblcst , @farforvdova , @khakerskayavdova , @biitchcakes , @neonwebs , @drtwat , @hexsreality , @lvebug , @atrocitahs , @aercnaut , @ecopoison , @maidmyth , @maimedaffair , @itsalcngstory , @pitborn , @am4zon , @imperiyapala , @madeofmarblex , @medicbled , @heartsbreaking , @whctewidow , @stripesofbrooklyn , @trckstaer , @whitelace , @pcraspcra , @labwebs , @sisterwidowed , @quinnzelles

perhaps we've written or talked some , or not , i admire you INCREDIBLY still ! thank you for bein' here and ilu a bunch !! the love and attention to detail for your characters is very much clear , and i am here for it every step of the way. i am certain i am not alone in saying that you are amazing , and grateful to see the development of your character in your posts.

and again , i cannae thank enough : YOU ( yeah u ! ) !! thanks for making my year full of fun on this website , and i can't wait to see what next year brings us. love ya , be well , be kind , peace out. pat / wnterslder.

#fkjgdsh i think tum.blr has a tag limit and won't let me save the post before it crashes kjdfgh #i am sending hugs and hugs to you though !!!!!#😭 <3 #❪ ⠀ * ⠀ ─── ⠀ 𝙰𝙽𝚂𝚆𝙴𝚁𝙴𝙳. ⠀﹕ ⠀ ooc. ⠀ ❫#long post /

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aloneinthehellfire · 6 months

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Chapter Ten: Part Two: An Ode To The Complicated

Gates Of Hell Masterlist

Word Count: 9.6k

Warnings: swearing, mentions of death/cancer, bit of angst... okay, a lot of angst.

[A/N: So this one took me a while, as you can probably tell by the word count oops. I promise the next chapter will actually progress the story but for now, it felt fitting to develop the characters... wink, wink. enjoy]

Part Two: An Ode To The Complicated

Lights flicker out the corner of your eye, only catching your attention. The others were still deep in their exchange of scary stories, not noticing the flickering bulb locked behind a door just further down.

And then you watch as it dims completely, almost in a snap. You shouldn’t think anything of it. The world was literally ending, electricity was easily one of the first resources to go. Except… don’t these places usually run on a generator?

The light in the next room starts flickering. And when that bursts, it moves to the next, and you feel your hairs stand on end. You can see the bulb lose its spark, your breath foggy against the glass.

Since when were you this close to the door?

“Never be distracted.”

You spin around. There was nobody whispering in your ear. You were just hearing things again.

“Don’t look away.”

The voice echoes further down the hall. Your mind feels clouded, a high pitched ringing in your ear making the overhead lights unbearable. They were flickering madly, and you take a step back toward your friends.

“Run.”

Everything is bright once again, like the bulbs had never been acting up. You exhale a breath and walk back to where the others stood. Paranoia was setting in unusually often today.

It took you all of five steps to notice something was wrong. Maybe it was the silence in the room. Maybe it was the lack of movement. Whichever, you felt uneasy to see them with their backs to you, not speaking, barely breathing.

“Guys?” You frown, expecting someone to laugh. But you got no response.

You rush towards Steve, finding his face. It looked like he was mid sentence, mouth slightly open.

“Steve.” You wave a hand in front of his face. Nothing.

You tried the others, calling out, snapping your fingers.

Still nothing.

It’s like they’re stuck in time. Or you are.

This isn’t happening, you repeat over and over in your head, pacing the hallway. You were dreaming. Hallucinating. Hell, you could have been drugged for all you know. Judging by the dryness of your mouth, the rumble in your stomach, that didn’t seem to be the case. You hadn’t eaten in a while. Maybe it was hallucinations from starving yourself?

“Never be distracted.”

“Don’t look away.”

“Run.”

Letting out a cry of frustration, you turn around again to fuel your curious mind, expecting the same bare space as it always was.

Except a breath catches in the back of your throat, so quick you almost choked.

Dust.

It looked the same as that creature you had seen in the sky. The one that left you paralysed, fed you a nightmare that you couldn’t get out of your head any time you closed your eyes. Here it was, fluttering about in front of you, completely void of shape.

This is a dream, you tell yourself, tightening your grip on the shotgun, It’s just a dream.

The black dust began to trail backwards, slipping between the cracks of the double doors. You could see its shadow behind the small window of glass. It was waiting for you. Expecting you to follow.

It’s a bad idea. But you feel like this is your only escape from the time-stop around you.

You’re led back through the hallways, your footsteps rushed and sneakers squeaking against the polished floor. At least, you hoped it was polish.

It’s leading you past the security room, over the broken glass of the front door, stepping out of the lab and into a blinking state of awe.

The sun beams brightly down, the world suddenly silent. Nothing was happening. It was barely moving. Like the earth had stilled, frozen in time.

Some kind of blackbird had been flying low. Now it was just suspended in air, mid flight, making you gulp.

Of all the crazy things to happen to you lately, this one takes the cake. You couldn’t keep staring. Never be distracted.

Something flutters in the corner of your eye. The dust. It was still leading you, towards the edge of the building… where that grinning creature lay in a mess of its own brain matter.

Trying not to gag, you keep a distance, wondering what this dust was trying to tell you. Did you have any other choice, or would you have to follow it for as long as it took you? How far would you go?

It doesn’t go any further than the building. You frown. You don’t know what that means.

It takes a moment for you to realise it was hovering over the monster, settling into an airborne shape that resembled its silhouette.

Then it lowered, covering the thing completely.

The hairs on your arm start to raise, and you take slow steps back. But you couldn’t look away. Don’t look away.

It was a blur of movement, settling around the body.

And then it was stitching it back together.

You watched in horror as melted into the dead skin, the mutilated face being woven back together like nothing had ever happened.

You should have ran. You should have done anything but watch.

Terror flooded your body when the dust finally faded and its eyes snapped open, completely black. It practically jumped to its feet, rolling those scarred shoulders of it, flexing those claws in and out of a fist. Then it stills completely.

The head snaps towards you, baring its grinning teeth.

You fumble with the shotgun, checking it was loaded. Your heart was racing so much that all you could hear was the repetitive thumping against your eardrum.

As your hands shook, the thing just stands and watches, smiling and smiling and smiling.

Wind blew against your face, winding through your hair. Was it windy before?

You were too terrified to take a glance around you, but slowly you start to hear the distant chirps of small wildlife, the faint hum of the building behind you. You were no longer frozen in time.

Just as you cock the gun, the blackbird finally flaps its wings, carried by the wind…

… and snatched out of the air with a malicious grip, snapping each and every bone, ricocheting through your body.

You almost cried when it bit into the bird, the sounds enough to make you nauseous. It was still staring as it chewed. Still smiling. Even as the blood dribbled down its chin.

Holding your breath, you take aim at its head. It only stared, dropping the dead bird.

You pull the trigger, awaiting its fall into the grass, awaiting the nightmare to end. But it didn’t move. It barely flinched.

The shells had pierced skin, aimed at the neck. It acted as if nothing happened, and you couldn’t control your breathing. Scarcely five minutes ago, Steve had blasted its head into a million smithereens. It should have been impossible to get back up.

But now, as you stare at the grinning creature with deadly wounds still standing there, you realised that the impossibility was killing it for good.

That black dust had returned it to life as if it were nothing. Everything you killed before, everything you kill now, will be meaningless. It will always come back to life.

Cocking the gun again, you are determined to at least slow it down. At least enough to find safety.

But you couldn’t even shoot before it’s suddenly in front of you, gripping tightly onto the barrel and twisting it around with blood-curdling strength.

The shotgun slips from your hands and something wraps around your throat before you can even run. It squeezes hard, lifting you so you were level with its creepy face, inching closer.

Its breath was rotten. You try and claw at its hand, kicking your legs. It didn’t budge one bit.

Those black, endless eyes bore flames into your skin. Your voice cracked as you attempted to call for help. It was useless.

Your throat was surely bruised by now, but you didn’t feel like you were losing air. It was almost as if it was taking the satisfaction of having you in its grip, helpless. It wasn’t killing you, but it wasn’t ever letting you go.

With only panic driving your actions, you let go of its burned hand and reach out to its face, digging your nails into its eyes to be returned a chilling screech.

Your body hit the ground and you gasped for air, coughing against the compression you felt in your throat. You needed to run.

Run.

Stumbling to your feet, you break out into a run towards the lab, ignoring the flaming of your muscles as you thudded across the grass. You needed safety. You needed back-up.

You needed Steve.

The glass crunched beneath you, your feet almost slipping out from under you. But you keep your balance, rushed footsteps echoing down the hallway. You couldn’t remember the turns.

A broken sob leaves your lips right before something heavy barrels into you and knocks you into the wall, sending a shooting pain into your shoulder. You hit the ground hard, gasping.

Its breathing heavy, that grin plastered to its face like it had no choice. You try to scramble away from it, shoes squeaking against the red slippery surface of the floor.

You couldn’t escape.

“Y/n?”

A voice calls out to you, but your mind is still ringing from the impact.

The thing starts leaning down towards you, dripping spots of blood from its mouth onto your face and you squeeze your eyes shut. You knew you couldn’t prepare yourself for anything. You knew the pain would be excruciating as it ripped you apart with those teeth. Those razor teeth.

Some high-pitched sound travels down the corridor. It sounded like… a scream?

The creature whips its head to the noise, that grin faltering ever so slightly. But you caught it.

It wasn’t enough to grab its attention, however, as the head turns back to you slowly, that smile growing even wider than humanly possible.

You hadn’t even realised tears were streaming down your cheeks until a drop patted against your jeans. You needed a miracle.

And just like that, another scream rips out from the unknown, and that smile snaps back towards the sound. And this time, it doesn’t ignore it.

Still gripping your twisted shotgun between claws, it starts moving back down the hallway, taking a familiar left. That initial relief was shattered by a deep-seeded cove of fear.

It was heading towards your friends. And they couldn’t kill it.

Gritting your teeth, you clutch your shoulder as you try to raise yourself from the ground. The first try had you back on the floor with a thump, a sob caught in your throat. You weren’t giving up.

Bracing yourself against the wall, you groan as a burning pain shoots back to your shoulder. But you keep going, your wobbling legs barely holding your weight, but staying strong enough to keep you upright. You needed to warn them.

By the time you had made it around the different hallways, relying on muscle memory to guide you, the monster was already stood in front of double doors, the very same that granted entrance to where the others were.

There’s a twitch in its head, and it turns around to face you. The lights overhead start flickering wildly, plunging you into moments of darkness. And yet its twisted face still remained in the black, staring, grinning.

You stumble back, still clutching your shoulder. You only had one option left.

Another scream rips through the air, louder this time. It glances over its shoulder, and when it returns to your stare, something has changed in its face.

Its forehead wrinkled, like it was frowning. No. Glaring.

It looked at you like it was plotting something sinister. Another glance over its shoulder and your stomach drops.

It was going to kill them.

“No.” You whisper out, shaking your head. Its grin only grows wider, stretching until the corners met those of its eyes, and you cry out.

It spins around, and starts taking steps towards the double doors, making you scream the only thing you can think to.

“Steve!”

A yell was what it took to snap Steve out of his own torment.

Nancy cried out as Jonathan was thrown across the hallway, cricket bat tumbling out of his hand. She raises her gun, shooting the chest. It turned its grin towards Robin.

Nancy shoots another bullet, piercing its ribcage. It moves towards the panic-stricken girl.

The last bullet goes straight through its head, and this time it stumbled back, giving Steve enough time to grab Robin and pull her behind him.

The creature looked like it was wobbling, and Steve thought for sure Nancy had killed it. But she hadn’t.

It turns towards them, practically ripping its skin as it smiled from ear to ear. Nancy lowers her empty gun in horror, looking to Steve as if he could have some explanation.

It was then that Steve really looks at the monster, taking it in. The warped shotgun, the blood-stained teeth.

The shell holes ripped through its neck.

His eyes stung as it all tied together in his brain, raising his bat. He knew it wouldn’t kill it, especially not after surviving bullet wounds. He was going to make sure it felt his anger.

The lights flickered above him as he span the bat around in his hand, striking upwards and hooking it just under the monster’s chin. It had just enough force to knock it backwards, and to burn the muscles in his arm. But he wasn’t done.

Next he struck its legs, nails driving into the back that had it screeching, hitting the ground.

And then it was a massacre. Over and over, he drove the bat down. Into its chest, its face, anywhere. He kept going and going and going. And when his arms started to get tired, he forced himself to swing the bat into this monsters chest harder. A relentless battering, black blood spurting out, oozing. Steve barely saw what he was doing. He only saw red, hot, rage.

“Steve!” Somebody shouts, but he isn’t listening.

The creature isn’t moving anymore. It barely had distinguishable features left. Steve had driven the bat down so many times, he was hitting what he assumed to be bone. But it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t enough.

“Steve!”

A hand is on his shoulder, pulling him away. The sudden action loosens his grip and the bat becomes lodged in the monster’s chest as he stumbles back.

“What are you doing, I have to-” He begins, but then he really looks, and all that fire for revenge is lifted from his body.

Because you’re stood there, clutching your arm, bruised but very much alive. He lets out a shaky breath. But he can’t speak. And it doesn’t look like you’re going to start the conversation either. So, rather, you’re both looking at eachother, unreadable expressions for undefined feelings.

“Well, I don’t think that’s getting up any time soon.” Robin’s voice cuts through, a nervous laugh in her throat. But then she makes eye contact and tightens her lips. “I’m so glad you’re alive.”

She runs to pull you into a hug and you wince. She steps back, muttering a repeated apology as she takes in your state.

“What the hell did you get up to?” She asks, barely a whisper, like she didn’t even want to know.

“It’s a long story that… honestly… doesn’t make much sense.” You sigh, biting your lip as it threatened to wobble. The corners of your mouth would always drag your lips down into a frown when you were sad, an uncontrollable tell.

“Hey, you’re okay.” Robin shushes, and this time you let her hug you. Because how else were you meant to start dealing with everything that just happened?

“Jonathan?” Nancy taps her boyfriend’s face, crouched beside him. After a second nudge, he blinks awake, looking dazed.

“What did I miss?” He asks with a gruff voice as Nancy slowly helps him up, checking his head for any wounds.

“Uh, you got launched like five feet across the room into a wall.” Robin relays and you pull away from her frowning. “That thing wasn’t messing around.”

“Why didn’t it die?” Nancy questions as she helps Jonathan to his feet, inspecting a bruise at the back of his head. “I shot it. It should have died.”

“How do we know it’s dead now?” You wonder out loud, and your eyes wander back to the body by the door. Steve had done a number on it for sure. Even if it did get back up, it wouldn’t be moving fast.

“I can’t believe there were two of them.” Steve mutters, frowning down at the body as he wipes his bloodied hands on his jeans, “How did we miss that?”

You should have told him. You should have told all of them the truth. But you still couldn’t believe it was real. Maybe you had blacked out, made your way outside just to run into that grinning creature. A different one. It made more sense than time-stopping black dust resurrecting the dead. You’ve dealt with enough people telling you were crazy. You couldn’t go through that again.

You would get your answer when you left here. If the original body was still a disfigured mess in the grass, then you would know.

“I need to get him some ice.” Nancy announces, sending a look of apology to Jonathan as he winces. Her eyes shift to you. “And I think we should definitely get you checked out.”

“You look like hell.” Robin agrees, surrendering her hands. “Don’t get me wrong, you still look cool as fuck but you’re covered in blood and bruises right now.”

Frowning, you take a glance down at yourself for the first time. She wasn’t wrong. That slick of blood you had slipped in earlier coated your sneakers and your hands. Your neck was surely blue and purple from the monstrous grip of claws wrapped around your throat. And the pain in your shoulder was throbbing to a painful extent.

“Okay.” You sigh, feeling exhausted.

“Lead the way.” Steve clears his throat, nodding at Nancy as she wrapped an arm around Jonathan to keep him steady. He ignored how hurt that made him feel.

He stomps his foot down on the creature’s chest to heave out his bat before he left, one sharp tug to dislodge his weapon from a ribcage. At least, that what he assumed it was. He wasn’t even sure this thing had an anatomy he would recognise.

Turning, he sees Nancy and Jonathan taking lead, a chattering Robin beside them. And you, crouching down by a shotgun way beyond repair.

“I don’t think you’ll be able to shoot anything with that.” Steve comments and you stand back up, pursing your lips.

“Hopper’s gonna kill me.” You say, brows furrowed.

Steve almost laughed. You were stood here, clutching what could be a dislocated shoulder, covered in blood and scrapes from fighting off a foreign monster, and yet your biggest concern was breaking one of your dad’s many shotguns.

“I’m sure he’ll understand.” He chuckles, but you simply look up at him, biting your lip.

“Yeah.” You give a small smile before nodding to the others. “We should keep up.”

Another instance in which Steve felt like he said the wrong thing. You were walking away from him again, looking too defeated to argue. Again. But he didn’t want to let it go, or leave you alone. Three days ago he wouldn’t have given you a single thought. That was before you both survived together, he supposed.

“I know a thing or two about strict dads, you know.”

You almost jump when you see Steve suddenly beside you, lips tight as he matched your pace. This was unusual.

“Uh…” You weren’t sure how to respond. As said, this was unexpected.

“Yeah, I, um…” He looks at the back of Nancy’s head, the girl too mesmerised by your best friend’s rambling to notice, “Remember how I told you a, um, a girl when missing in my backyard?”

“Yeah, of course.” You nod. Barbara Holland. You had assumed she had ran away like everyone else claimed. Hearing the real story had your stomach churning.

“You know what I said when Nance wanted to go to the police?” He raised an eyebrow and you frown. “I was worried about my dad finding out we were drinking. A girl literally disappeared and I was terrified I was gonna get in trouble with my dad. I mean… how shitty is that?”

“Sounds like he’s an asshole.” You say before thinking. But Steve laughs, nodding his head.

“A real piece of work.” He smiles a little sadly, looking at you. “So, yeah. I get it. The whole… afraid what your dad is gonna say.”

“No, he’s not-” You start, biting your lip as you’re all directed around a corner. Steve holds the door open for you, arm stretched above so you could duck under. “It’s not like that. We’re just… complicated, I guess.”

“A ‘sometimes we fight but we’re family’ complicated or…” He leaves the sentence unfinished and you almost squirm. Now wasn’t the right time to be honest.

“Or.” You send a knowing look. The swinging bat dangling from his fingers catches your eye. “So… you really showed that thing boss, huh?”

“Hm?” Steve raises his brows before clocking his now bloody bat, some nails looser than others. “Oh, right. Yeah, I, uh… I don’t really know what happened there.”

A lie shot straight through his teeth. He had seen enough to think you were dead. That you had been taken away from him when he had his back turned again, and this time you were caught right between the teeth, defenceless. It was a flash of guilt that turned into anger. A moment of weakness he didn’t quite understand.

“Do you at least feel better?” You ask, a smirk on your lips. “Looked kinda therapeutic in, like, a really messed up way.”

He takes a moment, suppressing a laugh, before looking at you. To be honest… “Yeah. I feel a whole lot better.”

The lab wasn’t as completely clear as you thought to believe when you first arrived.

Nancy and Jonathan led you around the long way, claiming that they had to mark off doors because of a demodog infestation they were dealing with the first day. Something about a smaller gate that had opened but immediately closed.

That and the occasional screams. The scariest part was how used you became to them. Like they were a normal part of life now, a mere sound to be ignored.

“It’s just up here.” Jonathan points ahead, arm slung around Nancy’s shoulder any time he felt woozy. Concussions were no joke. You knew that. So did Steve.

“Thank god.” Robin mutters, earning a smirk from Steve. “What? My feet hurt. Sue me.”

You were too busy mentally preparing yourself for what would be behind that final door. Would he even care? Is he just going to tell you how stupid you are for getting detention in the first place? Was he going to forgive you for what you said to him?

“You okay?” Steve’s voice interrupts your smarming thoughts and you nod, smiling.

“Yeah.” You brush it off, raising your eyebrows. “I bet you’re excited to see Dustin.”

“What?” Steve scoffs, shaking his head. “Why would I care? It’s cool. It’ll be good to see him. Don’t think I’m excited.”

“Uh-huh.” You sound unconvinced and he rolls his eyes.

“Whatever.” He says, but he can’t force the smile away from taking hostage of his lips.

You notice the others have stopped suddenly and your heart pangs. Another creature? Blood? Something horrible-

The jingle of keys has you uncurling your fists as Nancy struggles to pull them out of her pocket. Steve immediately steps forward to hook his arm under Jonathan, relieving her of his weight. She sends him a gracious look, but you observe the way Steve avoids her eyes. He must be hating every second of this.

“Okay.” She breathes out, slotting the key into a metal door. “We lock the door anytime we leave, just in case. We take shifts so some of us end up sleeping between. Don’t wanna be blind-sided.”

“It’s a good idea.” You say and she smiles.

“This way.” She announces as she swings open the door.

It was like stepping into a sci-fi movie. Lab equipment everywhere, some now lifeless machines, a large glass window overlooking rows of metal staircases, cages.

And a giant gate to hell staring back at you.

You weren’t sure what to expect when Steve told you there was a portal connecting worlds, but never did it look so… real. Like it was breathing light.

“Woah.” Robin sounds beside you and you mindlessly nod.

“We’re just down here.” Nancy says from the other side of the room, nudging open another door. It opened to a deep staircase, like it was leading down to a bunker. Which, as you come to realise, was exactly the case.

There were so many twists and turns to this lab, unknown hallways, undiscovered rooms. At the end of the day, it wasn’t your average lab. It was more like a shelter. A prison that could never let anyone or any thing out.

Three taps against the final door. Nancy’s hand wavered in the air as she listens out. You can only hear your heartbeat. This is what you have been surviving for since everything was flipped to a nightmare. Was it worth it?

The door clicks open, a pair of drowsy, blinking eyes filling the small gap.

“What are you-” They squint before widening the door frame fully. A toothy grin erupts on the face of a short boy. “Oh my god!”

Dustin flies forward to Steve, grabbing him in a tight hug that send the older boy stumbling back.

“Woah, easy there tiger.” He laughs, but the joy on his face has you smiling too.

“Wait. How did you- We thought-” Dustin stumbled through sentences, taking in his face, the bat in his hand, the smear of blood on his jeans. “You survived an apocalypse. Do you know how badass that is?!”

Steve simply chuckles, ruffling his hair. He wasn’t sporting his usual cap. “Yeah, well, I wasn’t alone.”

To your surprise, his eyes drift to you. Dustin whips his head around with a frown before his eyes widen.

“No way.” He breathes and you give a small wave. Which, in return, lands you an excruciating hug. You try and bear the pain, appreciating the sentiment too much to tell him.

“Uh, maybe be a little more careful there, dude.” Steve gently pulls him away and Dustin pouts.

“Why?” He frowns, looking up at you. And then he looks at you. “You look like shit.”

“Wow, thanks, Dustin. Good to see you too.” You laugh, playfully nudging his shoulder.

“This is…” Dustin looks between you both in bewilderment, “We thought you were dead.”

Your stomach drops, a detail you wish you had forgotten. Everyone in that room thinks you’re dead. And you weren’t looking forward to the reactions of your sudden resurrection.

“We know.” Steve ruffles his hair again. “Come on, show us the way.”

“Right.” He snaps his fingers, turning around. “Oh, you’re gonna love what we’re doing. It’s like full battle mode in there-”

Dustin stops, staring up at a girl he’s never seen before. “Hi. I’m Dustin.”

“I’m Robin.” She replies with an amused smirk.

“Pleasure to meet you.” He nods.

“Likewise.” She returns with a sceptical tone.

“So… the battle mode.” You return the conversation and he smiles. You were now caught in the web of Dustin’s ramble, the boy rushing through a series of events like they were nothing while simultaneously commenting on how ‘cool’ you looked.

As he did, he led you all through another room. It was a little dark, but in the distance you heard murmured conversation. There were tables here, lined with various weapons, maps. There were notebooks too, some scribbles that looked like Hopper’s handwriting. Your wandering hand brushed over them. He had written down everything he was learning.

“Oh, and we’re having a hard time closing the gate. It’s like something is blocking El’s powers.” Dustin says, glancing behind you to where Steve was smirking with a perked brow. “You know what a gate is, right? Did Steve explain? Did he tell you about…”

“Y/n?”

You take your hand away from the table and glance up, overwhelmed by every emotion coursing through your head, your chest. It was feeling everything and nothing at all. You were frozen, waiting for something to pull you under the ice. A scowl, a yell, anything.

Instead, you end up moving closer, heart pounding.

“Dad.” You finally let out, a sad smile breaking loose as he eventually catches you in a tight hug, planting a kiss on top of your head. Your shoulder stung, but it was nothing compared to the shattering guilt you were feeling. He had already lost a daughter. You didn’t want him to ever feel that again.

“Aw.” Dustin pouts, nudging Steve’s shoulder. He looks up to see Steve looking on with a smile and Dustin can’t believe his eyes. Was the Steve Harrington actually feeling happy for Y/n Hopper?

“We should give them some privacy.” Robin suggests with a whisper and the others nod, Nancy silently leading them past the reunion and out the next door.

It took a little while for you to pull away, wiping away the quiet tears that had slipped down with hoodie sleeves.

“Hi.” You laugh and he clears his throat, hands resting gently on your upper arms.

“Where the hell have you been, kid?” He asks, but he doesn’t sound mad. If anything, it was sadness.

“It’s a really long story.” You sigh and he shakes his head, smiling.

“I’ve got time.”

You were all stood around a circular table, a large flashlight sat near an edge to illuminate the map you were staring down at. The lights overhead had been flickering on and off for too long.

“They’re scattered all over the place now. We don’t think there’s any connection.” Hopper explains, pointing to the crosses marked across the map. There were almost too many to count now.

Apparently Hopper and Joyce were keeping track of the unexpected gates to the best of their ability, mostly from Dustin’s radios picking up calls for help moments from disaster.

Joyce was in another room – behind a glass that connected it to yours – with Jonathan as Hopper explained the situation to you and Steve, applying an ice pack to her son’s head while preparing some painkiller. You had taken ibuprofen for your shoulder, using a cloth to wipe off any blood. Your throat was still as sore as ever, but it would heal.

Robin had taken your advice on getting some sleep, even after arguing that it should be you getting some rest. You didn’t feel like you could shut your eyes just yet, however. Her reluctance finally led her following after a strangely cheerful Dustin to where they kept the ‘sleeping quarters’.

The others were apparently resting too, unaware of your or Steve’s arrival. Moments prior to this meeting, you and Hopper and sat and talked. About the monsters, about survival. But neither of you have really opened up yet. There was still time.

“And El can’t close them?” Steve asks, earning a tight nod.

“She’s trying her best, but it’s not the same as last time.” Hopper replies, and you frown, tilting your head down at where one of the bigger ‘X’s was marked.

“You said it started at the high school?” You prompt, looking up at him. “What causes these gates to open?”

“That’s what we’re tryna figure out.” He admits with a deep sigh. His hand runs down his face. “El thinks she may have opened the one from the lab. Something about… her psychic connection, that Shadow Walk Dustin keeps droning on about.”

“Shadow Walk?” You frown and Steve nods.

“Hm. She can apparently find people in this weird black void thingy.” He shrugs and you bite your lip.

“So… the gates open when someone makes a connection to this… Upside Down?” You ponder and Hopper hums a response. “Is El making these connections now?”

“She’s mostly been resting. It’s taken a lot out of her. As far as I know, she’s only trying to close the gate, not communicate with whatever hell is behind it.”

“And if she’s not doing it…” You scrunch your face. You felt tired, and achy. You really weren’t sure what your brain was trying to tell you until it finally clicked, staring down at the outline of your high school building. You then follow that trail of red markings, all the way back to the lab. “It has to be someone else.”

“Huh?” Steve raises a brow and you tap the map.

“It’s random because… because someone could literally just be walking around.” You start, still staring back at confused expressions. “You said that this Upside Down was literally a flipped version of Hawkins, right? All these places that gates have been opening… we went to them. Here. The high school. Then down here, Cornwallis near Steve’s house. The trailer park, the cabin, the arcade-”

“All the places we went.” Steve realises and you nod, sharing in his look of horror. “All the places we got attacked.”

“What’re you saying?” Hopper straightens, glancing between you both. “That the gates are following you?”

“No, not necessarily.” You furrow your brows, trying to make sense of it. “I’m just saying that Steve and I were travelling around Hawkins. We didn’t have a set route, in fact we were detouring so much I started to doubt we’d ever make it here, but what I’m trying to say is that our path to the lab was random. Could someone… could someone also be walking around just as randomly in the Upside Down?”

Steve’s eyebrows raise as Hopper ponders your theory. You were notorious in high school for, well… it wasn’t for being a ‘good’ student. In fact, Steve has seen you in detention enough times to know you had been flunking classes more times than not. But you were smart, clearly smarter than you realised. And, as he looks at Hopper’s expression, he knew it too.

“You’re suggesting that someone, or, hell, something, might be responsible for these gates?” Hopper leans forward and you nod.

“I know I haven’t known about all this nearly as long as you guys have,” You start, avoiding his eyes, “But if I were to assume anything, it would make sense that there could be someone else out there just like El.”

“It’s a good theory.” Hopper approves and you smile, quickly dropping it as you notice shadows entering the room.

Four silhouettes chatting away until they clock your existence. They stop and you’re scared if you move too much, you’ll spook them.

“No way.” Lucas gapes as Will and Mike stop beside him, eyes wide. They look between you and Steve like they had seen a ghost.

“I told you.” Dustin smirks smugly, arms folded as his friends still look on in shock.

“Hi.” You give a small wave, and Will waves back silently, still wide eyed.

“You’re alive.” Mike points out, then turning to Steve. “You’re also alive.”

Steve takes a sarcastic glance down at himself. “Huh, would you look at that.”

Mike simply rolls his eyes in return and you try to smile. But Will is still staring at you. Or, more specifically, your neck. It’s probably brightly coloured right now so it made sense to draw in his eyes, however you don’t think that’s the case. He looks a little panicked, and you didn’t know why, but you felt uneasy.

“Alright, quit staring.” Hopper interjects, rubbing his face before looking back at you. “I’m gonna tell Joyce your theory. Maybe we can figure out a way to test it.”

And with that, he leaves the room to you and Steve, both feeling creeped-out by the constant stares.

“Any of you weirdos gonna say anything?” Steve finally snaps, and they all simply shake their heads in silence. He sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “This. This I didn’t miss.”

He redirects his focus to you and your eyebrows raise when he says nothing, an unreadable look on his face.

“Don’t you start doing it too.” You groan, tilting your head and wincing as the side of your forehead stung. You immediately place a hand over the strips of medical tape. “Fuck.”

“What?” Steve is immediately moving towards you, an unconscious reaction.

“I think I need to change the tape.” You hiss as you feel the skin being pulled back open, using your fingers to pinch it together.

“Yeah, okay, hold on, I’ll find some.” He quickly says, heading to the door that led to where he assumed they kept the medical equipment. You watch him from behind the glass as he rifles through some things, earning a curious glance from Jonathan still holding an ice pack to his head.

When you look back at the kids, you notice they’re smirking. If you weren’t worried about ripping open your wound, you’d raise a suspicious eyebrow.

“What?” You ask hesitantly, and Lucas shrugs.

“Nothing.” He says in a sing-song manner, sharing a smile with Mike.

“What?” You repeat again, and Dustin has to cover his mouth and look away, smothering his own laugh. Will tries a smile at that, but that same haunted look was stuck to his face.

“Here.”

Steve rushes back into the room and dumps some more tape on the table, carefully replacing your hand with his as he delicately removes the ruined strips from your forehead. You try not to react, resting your hand against the table, looking anywhere but his eyes that were barely centimetres from your face. You couldn’t resist in the end, gaze travelling from where his hand acquired a strip of tape to the concentrated dimple between his brows, right down to where his lips…

Get a grip, you think, holding your breath.

“Okay.” He eventually says, assessing his handiwork. “I think you should be good.”

“Thanks.” You offer, sighing. You can hear the muffled giggles across the room but you know acknowledging it will only make it worse.

“Is everyone here?” Hopper holds open the door for Joyce and Jonathan, Nancy following closely behind with a water bottle that she hands to Mike. You suspected they were rationing it. You weren’t entirely sure how far this apocalypse had gone when it came to necessities.

“Um, Robin is sleeping, should I…” Dustin gestures behind him but Steve folds his arms.

“I wouldn’t.” He comments and you suppress a smirk.

“Where’s El?” You suddenly frown. Since you’ve arrived, she hasn’t been anywhere in sight. Which you tried to ignore, but you couldn’t help wanting to see her, hug her. She was meant to be family now, after all, even if you couldn’t seem to admit it yet.

“Uh…” Mike shares a look with Hopper, but Joyce answers you.

“The last attempt took a lot of out her.” She shares, nodding to the door that the boys had walked through. “We’re just letting her rest until she feels better.”

“So we’re just waiting for the other two.” Mike shrugs and Lucas folds his arms.

“We only need one of them.” He huffs and Mike looks sympathetic at that.

Just as you were about to ask who they were talking about, Hopper clears his throat.

“We can fill them in later, right now we need a plan.” He stands tall at the table and the kids move closer so everyone was practically shoulder to shoulder. “Y/n thinks she may have an idea on how these gates are opening. We can’t say for certain that it’s true, but it’s the closest we’ve gotten.”

You nod and the conversation continues, your worried eyes drifting to that same metal door. How long did El need to rest for? Was it serious? You had only found out she had powers three days ago, hearing that she was shutting a giant portal to another dimension, for a child to be stuck with that responsibility? It felt wrong.

“What we know right now, is that the first gate to open outside of the lab was at the high school.” Hopper states, pointing to the map with a stab of his finger. “If Y/n’s right and something else is out there opening gates, we need to find it.”

“What are you suggesting?” Nancy questions, scrunching her brows.

“This lab gate-”

“Mothergate.” Dustin corrects and Hopper takes in a deep breath.

“This mothergate won’t close until we neutralise what’s threatening to keep it open.”

“How can we do that if we can’t see it?” Lucas asks, shaking his head.

“We go to its turf.” Hopper says simply and your head shoots up, eyes wide.

“Into the Upside Down?” You exasperate, “Won’t that be dangerous?”

“Yes.” He nods, lips tightly shut. “Which is why it’ll be me going down there.”

“By yourself?!”

“What about us?”

“No way.”

A roar of outburst cut through as you were all struggling to convince him. It wasn’t a set plan, barely even one at that. And to be doing it by himself? What would that achieve?

“It’s the safest option for all of us!” His loud voice cuts through, slashing a sharp silence into the air. He sighs, clicking his jaw. “It’s not worth risking anyone else’s lives for a theory.”

“But it’s worth risking yours?” You challenge, and everyone is glancing between you both, immediately feeling the tension. You swore to yourself you weren’t going to fight with him again, but this was a serious issue. You needed to be heard. “What are the rest of us meant to do while you’re on this suicide mission, then? Just twiddle our thumbs and pray that our hero makes it back in one piece?”

“Y/n-” He warns, but you’re sick of just being ordered around.

“You’re not even going to entertain the idea that you don’t go into the mouth of hell all alone? Is your opinion really worth that much over everyone else’s?”

“Y/n.” He says again, lowering his voice with a glare. “We will talk about this privately.”

“So you can just tell me I’m being dramatic then get yourself killed?!” You try and remain calm, but your emotions are grasping hold of your voice beyond control. “And when I’m wrong about there being someone else controlling the gates and you die, how am I meant to live with that? What about El?!”

“Enough!” He shouts and you try to continue, but he’s quick. “We can’t get emotional over these decisions. I have the experience, I’ve been down there before. We’ve found a way to communicate with Dustin’s radios and El can track me if necessary. End of discussion.”

Tears prick at your eyes for a second before you’re pushing away from the table and heading towards the door that will lead you back up to the lab.

“Where are you going?” Hopper takes a few steps towards you but you hold your hand out, swiping a knife from the table of weapons.

You say nothing as you’re out the door and shutting it behind you, taking in deep breaths as you stalk down the hallway with a tight grip on the sharp object. He was still treating you like a child. And maybe your anger had gotten the better of you, but he wasn’t listening.

Hopper’s back is turned to the others, staring at the door like it would shatter. Steve could tell he was restraining from following you. He cared. He really cared. It was clear neither of you were great at explicitly stating it.

“I’ll, uh…” Steve speaks up, walking over to the table and grabbing his trusty bat. Hopper looks at him with a torn expression before letting out a sigh and turning away.

“That was intense.” He hears Dustin mutter as he exits, the only thing running through his mind being the conversation he hadn’t even prepared for.

Steve eventually finds you, your back pressed up against the wall as you fiddle with the knife between your fingers. You weren’t in a mess of tears like he had expected. Instead, your head was down with a worn expression. You were tired.

Silently, he takes the seat next to you, almost a shoulder brush away as he braces his arms on his knees, using the height to swing the bat between his legs as he searched for what to say.

“He doesn’t get it.”

You speak first, much to his surprise, eyes glued to the knife. Steve shifts to see you better, frowning.

“Get what?”

“Anything.” You laugh sadly, finally meeting his eyes. “He can’t see past his own rules he’s set for himself. Like he has to always be the one responsible, to blame.”

“Blame?” He repeats and you sigh, biting your lip.

“It’s hard to…” Your voice drifts and you’re staring back at the knife. You’re holding back from him and he knows it.

“You don’t have to tell me anything.” He says and your head whips up. “I get why. We’re not… pals.”

You let out a breathy laugh. “No. Probably not.”

You sit for a while longer in the quiet before you squeeze your eyes shut and take a deep breath.

“Do you remember that picture?” You suddenly ask. There was no going back now. “The one I picked up from the cabin?”

As Steve slowly nods, you’re reaching into your jeans and pulling out that very photo, gently unfolding it after discarding the knife with a clatter to the floor.

“I remember my mom taking this photo.” You smile sadly, observing the faces like you had forgotten them. But you never forgot. “She, uh… she got sick of him always taking photos of us with her and finally made him stop and pose. It was like he was always preserving memories for the rest of us.”

“It’s… um…” You frown, eyes focused on the little girl in blonde pigtails, smiling widely at the camera with the cutest grin. “It’s the last photo we have together.”

Steve doesn’t dare to breathe, afraid it’ll ruin the moment, ruin your chance to finally get something off your chest. So he stays as silent as can be, listening intently. And when you unexpectedly hand the photo to him, he grabs it without objection, watching as you point to the little blonde girl stood beside a younger you.

“She’s my sister.” You finally admit, barely a whisper. “Sara.”

“I didn’t know you have a sister.” Steve says, looking down at the grinning girl. He knew your mom was elsewhere, he had never assumed she would also be with a sibling. To be honest, he had never taken the time to learn much about you, not even when you weren’t ripping out eachother’s throats.

“Had.” You say softly and his heart drops, immediately looking to you. Your eyes are glued to the photo, tears pooling. “She died when I was 11.”

“I’m sorry.” He was sure you wouldn’t have heard it if you weren’t now a breath away from eachother, huddled up against a wall just ignoring the world around.

“Cancer.” You nod slowly, eyes never leaving the captured memory. “It was all so sudden. One day she was fine, we were playing with dolls or something stupid. And then the next, she was in hospital. Just like that.”

You eventually take the photo back from him, staring at it one last time before folding it back up and slipping it back into your pocket.

“Hopper blamed himself for it. Something about being exposed to something when he was in the war.” Your head lolls back to rest against the wall. “My mom blamed him too, not that she really said it out loud.”

Steve couldn’t believe how comfortable you were sharing this with him. But then again, he also couldn’t believe how happy he was that you were. Maybe neither of you would admit it but it didn’t make it less obvious; you had a bond.

“He left and I thought he didn’t care about me anymore.” You sniffle slightly, blinking back the tears teetering towards the edge. “I didn’t think he cared when I was forced to move in with him, or when he would ignore me any time I wanted to talk about Sara. He was grieving and I was a kid who didn’t understand what was happening. Or why he blamed himself.”

“It has to be hard losing someone. Especially a child.” Steve comments and you hum an agreement.

“He was scared. I know that now. And I was so…” You wave your hand, searching for the word. “Cruel. I only ever made things worse.”

“Don’t say that.” He frowns, searching your face. It looked like it was full of grief. Grief of the guilt you never let yourself feel.

“The last time I saw him, we had a fight. A huge one. It wasn’t even his fault.” You take a deep breath. “He’s always kept a part of my sister on him. One of her ‘lucky’ blue hairbands. She loved them. Refused to go outside without her hair in bunches.”

You smile at the memory before clearing your throat, finally meeting Steve’s eyes. You can do this. You can be honest.

“When El started living with us, I was scared he was trying to replace her. Maybe even a little scared he was replacing me. A new daughter. A new chance. I liked El, don’t get me wrong. She was so sweet… she was literally just a child that needed a home. So I pretended like I didn’t care.”

Shifting around, you bring your knees to your chest and relax your shoulders, mindlessly picking at the loose threads around your knees from one too many trips.

“The morning before we got detention, I, uh… I came out of my room to see El sitting there in front of the TV. She got really excited to show me something, said that Hopper gave it to her.”

You bite your bottom lip and Steve can see the way your lips are tugging down. You didn’t have to say anything, he knew exactly what you were talking about.

“I was so mad. And I was wrong. I screamed, I yelled at him. I made sure El was in a different room but she probably heard everything.” Your eyes were starting to glitter now, lowering your head. “I told him that he was a shit father, that he couldn’t just replace her like that. I… I wanted him to hurt the same way I was. I didn’t even mean any of it. And until half an hour ago, I thought that was the last thing I had said to him.”

Your head hangs lower and you struggle to keep the tears from falling. “I feel like a monster sometimes. Everyone at school hates me and- and I don’t blame them. I’m a horrible person.”

Steve was never good at wording his sympathy. Words in general would get caught in his throat, be thrown around in his head in struggle to form a coherent sentence. So, rather than blurt out a string of words that would leave you confused, he tenderly reached out to where your hand was pulling at loose threads and places his hand over it.

“No, you’re not.”

You still under his touch, surprised but… comforted. Your eyes move up to meet where his soft brown irises were already looking at you. Like really looking.

You couldn’t remember the exact moment the cosmic balance of your seething relationship had shifted. Was it this moment right here, or was it a feeling that had slipped past unnoticed before? Either way, sitting here, staring up at Steve Harrington with nothing but a sense of longing, you knew you could never hate him again. And that seemed scarier than anything you had encountered in this apocalypse.

Steve’s heart ached when you pull away, taking in a breath and retrieving the knife from the floor beside you. His hand itched to be touching yours again.

He had been dodging his feelings for so very long. You had surprised him, shown him that you were more than everyone else thought. Selfless, empathetic, complicated in the better ways. This morning, the moment you shared on the hood of his car, he regretted not taking that leap. Because he can’t avoid it any longer.

Steve liked you. A lot. Too much to just be a fleeting crush. It was time to stop pretending he didn’t.

“We should probably get back.” You nod before pushing off the floor and to your feet, wiping your eyes with the sleeves of his hoodie, ignoring that fluttering feeling in your stomach.

You couldn’t fall for Steve Harrington. You wouldn’t get hurt again. Even if that means pretending for a little longer that you didn’t care.

When you eventually make it back into the room, your heart racing from anger and embarrassment, you only find Joyce and the kids were the only ones in the room.

“He’s making preparations.” Joyce says when she sees your eyes darting across the room, offering a small smile. “And he changed his mind. He’s not going alone.”

“Really?” You ask, surprised that Hopper ever would listen to you and your concerns. Maybe it was from the collective disagreement rather than yours.

“We discussed it and thought it best that two others go with him. That way no one is alone.” She explains. It should have made you happy, but your stomach is still twisting. He was still risking his life.

“I can go with him.” You suddenly say and the hushed murmurs of the Party in the corner are cut off, eyes on you.

“No.” Steve blurts and you turn to him. “You’re- you can’t, okay?”

“Why not?” You frown and he lets out a sigh, running a hand through his hair.

“Look, I’ll go.”

“Seriously?” You raise your eyebrow and face him fully.

Steve meets your eyes and shrugs. “What?”

“You can go but I can’t?” You challenge and he lets out an exasperated sound, gesturing to you.

“I’m not the one with a broken shoulder-”

“Bruised.”

“Or two concussions!” He points out and you shut your mouth. Just when he had thought he’d won, you roll your eyes and glare at him.

“Ooh, excuse me, King Steve, I didn’t mean to interrupt your heroic declare.”

“Cry me a river.”

“How about I drown you in one?”

“Okay.” Joyce laughs nervously, intervening. “Before someone… uh, murders the other, I feel I should tell you that they’ve already decided who’s going.”

You both frown, anticipating the answer.

“Nancy decided it be best she go.” She says, almost solemnly. You supposed she’s known Nancy since she was little. It had to be hard watching kids do these things. “I would have but… one of us needs to stay here.”

In case the other doesn’t make it back. She didn’t say it, barely implied it. But it was there, lingering in the back of your mind.

“Who’s the other?” Steve prompts, assuming it would be Jonathan. But the eldest Byers kid was sat in a chair with an ice pack still pressed against the back of his head, looking a little ill. He did hit his head pretty hard.

“About that…” Dustin suddenly appears beside you, looking like he was already apologising for something, and Steve’s face drops.

“What? No. Don’t tell me they’re gonna send a kid-”

“Not me, dude.” Dustin scrunches his face, shaking his head. “Come on.”

“Then who?”

In that moment, the door to the sleeping quarters open to show Max Mayfield, her red hair a little frizzy from what you assume to be from sleep. She locks eyes with you and her expression brightens.

“They told me you weren’t dead.” She smiles and you can’t help but return it. You hadn’t expected her to be here, but you were happy she was.

“Can’t get rid of me, you know that.” You laugh.

“You two know eachother?” Steve furrows his brows in confusion. It made sense, you were both stubborn and a little intimidating. Perfect recipe for Steve’s nightmare duo.

“Yeah, I…” You begin before your voice trails off. Max avoids his eyes, wearing a suspicious expression.

Before Steve can open his mouth, the answer to his burning question walks right in like a car crash. Stood there with his hand on his hip, a familiar denim jacket hanging from his shoulders, a look of surprise that creeps into a smirk.

Steve sees your demeanour shift, standing a little straighter, like you were alert and intrigued at the same time. You wore an amused look on your face and he can’t comprehend it.

“Billy.” You state, and Max raises her hands in surrender before walking away, a soft groan of disgust echoing with her retreat.

“Hey, babe. Long time, no see.” Billy replies, and Steve’s brain explodes into a million little pieces. Babe?!

As Steve stares between you both, the door swings open again. This time, a very tired looking girl joins everyone in the room, oblivious to what was around her. Robin yawns, rubbing her eyes as she tries to focus.

“What did I miss?” She asks, noting Steve’s look of despair and her head slowly turns to the boy stood in front of you. Her face twists to an unreadable expression. “Fuck.”

The apocalypse just got a little more interesting.

Chapter Eleven: Once Bitten ->

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