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#if I was like him in debt and possibly going to jail
writerslittlelibrary · 3 months
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I will help you
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summary: when your parents went to jail, you started your life in the foster system. it was never very great, and you ended up with an amount of bad coping mechanisms. to help you, you were put in a psych ward, and who happens to be your personal nurse? the woman who will stop at nothing to adopt you…
pairing: Dark!Natasha x foster teen reader
warnings: mentions of self-harm, mentions of abusive foster families, hints of kidnapping, mention of murder, mention of abuse, drugs, reader is basically not very happy…
genre: fluff, angst
words: 2884
a/n: this fic was inspired by @xanthreee thank you lovely for the suggestion and I hope you enjoy it 🫶
(please note I have no idea how psych wards work, so if anything is incorrect, I’m so sorry)
You do not have my permission to repost, copy or translate my work
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You don’t remember much from that night. You suppose that’s how your brain protected itself from everything that happened. 
You remember the sirens, and you remember the police that invaded your home. They carried guns and were dressed in full protection gear. It was scary. That’s what you do remember. The feeling you had the moment your entire life was ruined. 
Sure, your father was never a great man, and sometimes he’d hit you, but he did it because he loved you. He needed to discipline you, because he cared. That’s what he told you. 
You never thought he was capable of something so vile, so sickening. And you could’ve never predicted your mother helped him.
You knew your father was aggressive. You knew he had sickening thoughts, but the fact he’d murder someone, just for his own enjoyment? You would’ve never thought your father was capable of such a thing. And the fact your mother helped him hide the body? You couldn’t possible process all this information at once. 
When you were put in the interrogation room at the police station, a man and a woman kept asking you questions. Had you known? Were you told to keep certain things a secret?
You hadn’t told them much. How could you? You were never allowed to tell anyone you were being hit at home. You were never allowed to tell anyone your father had some weird powder lying around. 
You were only 9 when it happened, but it had made an impression on you. 
The foster homes weren’t better than your home had been. At least you loved your parents, but now? These foster homes had people even more aggressive than your dad had been. They didn’t hit you to discipline you, they just did it because they felt like it. 
After being in the foster system for 4 years, your mental health started to go down hill. You never really visited your parents. 
You were mad at them, and you refused to let that anger slide.
After the police found a certain document, and you were called into the station to discuss it, you finally broke. That was the last straw. 
The police had found plans to pay off a debt your father had with some high important drug dealer. Apparently, he had wanted to use you as payment. Had the police not found the body when they did, you would’ve surely been in a much worse place then you were now. 
After learning that new piece of information, you broke. Your mind became darker than it already was, and your wrist became daily stained with fresh red blood. 
You had no control over your own life. Decisions were made for you, and you were thrown around from foster home to foster home with no care in the world. You didn’t have anyone that cared about you, and you needed a relief. 
Self-harming gave you back some control. After not having any control for so long, you gave yourself control over at least something, the pain. 
Controlling the pain worked, until you turned fourteen, and you became suicidal on top of it.
You started skipping school and laying in bed all day. You never did anything anymore. Your days consisted out of self-harming and scrolling on tiktok. 
You don’t exactly know how it happened, or when, but at some point, your foster parents had notified your case worker, and she had come to pay you a visit. Apparently, when foster children in your situation experienced mental health issues, and started showing signs of depression, you were immediately put in a mental health facility. 
You didn’t really care when they came for you. 
The ride in the ambulance was pretty peaceful. The man that was driving with you was very kind, and he had put up some of your favourite music to entertain you, and mostly keep you calm. 
When you arrived at the psych ward, you were terrified. 
You didn’t know what was going to happen, and you didn’t realise what you were supposed to do. The intake was one of the worst experiences you had ever had. 
It had been embarrassing and incredibly dehumanising, and when you were given paper clothes to put in, you nearly lost it. 
Luckily, after a few hours, that was over, and you were taken to your room by an old lady. 
She told you shortly how everything worked, and she gave you five minutes to change into the clothes provided for you before your personal nurse would come to assist you. 
Because you were classed as a high risk case, you were given a 24/7 nurse. She was supposed to keep her eye on you at all times, and make sure you never did or tried anything to harm yourself.
The moment the old nurse left, you quickly changed into the sweatshirt and sweatpants that were laid out on the bed. 
They weren’t the warmest clothes you had ever worn, but they were comfortable enough, and definitely better than those paper clothes you had been forced to wear. 
You changed fairly quickly, and after finishing you decided to just sit on the bed and wait. 
Your entire room was empty, and you weren’t allowed to bring anything in to entertain yourself. You had brought a bag of clothing, but apparently all of that was checked by some nurses, so you were left alone with your thoughts.
You tried to open the window, but it would barely open more than a few inches. 
You sighed and sat back down on the bed, staring out the window. You wished you could go home, but what did that even mean now? You had no home anymore. Your parents were gone. You weren’t going to see them in a long time, not that you wanted too, and your foster home basically got rid of you when they put you in the mental hospital. 
You were truly and utterly alone…
Soon, you were pulled from your thoughts by the sound of the door opening. A red-headed woman walked in. She had a kind smile on her face, and she was dressed in a nurse outfit. 
“Hello, y/n. I’m Natasha. I’m here to keep my eye on you,” she explained, smiling sweetly at you. That was quite straight forward…
You simply nodded, letting your gaze fall to the floor. 
Natasha took a few steps forward, crouching down to your level and placing her hand on you knee. 
“I know you have been through a lot, but I promise you, I will do anything in my power to help you get better,” she explained, smiling sweetly as she gently rubbed your knee. 
You simply nodded, giving her a small, awkward smile before looking back to the ground. 
Natasha didn’t take any offence, instead just standing up and lending you her hand. “Your room seems kind of boring. Maybe we should go and see if we can find some colouring supplies, and we can maybe try and decorate it a little,” she suggested, and you didn’t take long before you took her hand. 
She helped you up, not letting go of your hand as she walked to the door, leaving the room, dragging you along with her. 
She led you through a few hallways, explaining where certain things were, and explaining how you didn’t need to do anything if you weren’t comfortable with it. 
To say you were relieved would be an understatement. You had heard horror stories of people in mental hospitals, where they were forced into group therapy sessions, and if they didn’t comply they’d be punished by having to stay longer. 
You were quiet as Natasha led you around, not once letting go of your hand. 
After showing you the main hallway, she led you to some kind of common area, where there were tables filled with other kids. 
All seemed a bit older than you by at least a few years, but they didn’t even acknowledge you as Natasha led you through the tables, to a closet by the wall. Some of the kids greeted Natasha, clearly having met her before and taking a liking to her. 
When you reached the closet, Natasha let go of your hand, opening the doors and letting you see all the art supplies the closet carried. 
There was yarn, crochet hooks, glue, paper, crayons, tape, and even more. 
There were also pencils and scissors, but those were in locked boxes. You figured those were only taken out when there was supervision. Natasha grabbed a blank sketchbook, asking you if you wanted pencils or crayons. 
You gave her your preference, and you watched as she took everything from the closet. 
“Let’s go back to your room. It’s a bit calmer there,” Natasha stated, and you nodded as you anxiously glanced around the room. You were never a big fan of people, but right now, you were already freaked out, and all the people you were surrounded with didn’t help in the slightest.
Once Natasha had balanced everything in one hand, she grabbed yours again, squeezing it reassuringly as she gave you another kind smile, leading you through the tables and all the way back to your room. 
Once you were back in your room, Natasha set all the supplies down on the small table, pulling a chair out and taking a seat. 
You followed her example, pulling the other chair out and accepting the paper Natasha handed you. As you started drawing, Natasha started drawing too, probably to make it less awkward and confronting. 
She asked you multiple questions about yourself. They varied from your favourite colour, to how you felt about your parents and their actions. 
You answered most of them, and tried to answer them as honest as possible. 
You liked Natasha. She made you feel safe, and she talked as if she truly cared about you. You like how she made you feel. You felt at ease around her. Besides, she told good jokes. 
After finishing your drawing, Natasha hung it up for you.
You asked if her drawing could be hung next to it, and Natasha agreed as she picked her own drawing up, hanging it next to yours. 
You smiled at the drawings, and Natasha smiled at you. Maybe staying in a psych ward wasn’t the worst thing ever. 
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You had been in the psych ward for a little over a week, and until now, you were pretty much enjoying yourself. 
It was a little boring at times, and you had definitely had better things to eat in your life, but with Natasha around you almost all the time, you felt safe and cared for. You heard other people in the psych ward complain about their nurses, and about how they wanted time to themselves. 
You, on the other hand, had never felt more content. 
Wherever you went, Natasha was always there, helping you, talking with you, or just staying silent and keeping you company. 
You had grown quite fond of Natasha, and even though you didn’t know it, Natasha had grown quite fond of you too. She didn’t even want to think about the moment you would have to leave, and she would have to pick up a new patient. 
She had grown quite close to the little girl she was supposed to take care of. She cared about you, and she knew she was the only person in the world that ever would.
No one would ever care about you the way she did. 
After taking care of you for only a week, she had applied at multiple adoption agencies, wanting herself and her home to be cleared for fostering and adoption. She was told the process would go fairly quickly, seeing as though she was a licensed mental health nurse. 
If anyone was capable of adopting, it would be her. She just hoped the entire process was done before you go out. 
You had told her multiple times how much you enjoyed spending time with her, and Natasha had always told you how much she enjoyed spending time with you as well.
She had told you what a great kid you were and how you were a very nice person to be around. You were more than grateful that she was the nurse assigned to you, and you had told her that. Natasha had merely smiled and told you how nice she though that was. 
You didn’t need to know it wasn’t a coincidence…
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After about two months in the psych ward, you showed massive improvement. You were almost cleared to be released, and Natasha was a bit upset. 
The adoption agency had cleared her, and she was cleared to take you in. 
She had already pitched the idea to you, that after were released from the psych ward, you would come live with her for a period of time. 
You didn’t need to know she meant forever…
You were overjoyed with the idea of spending more time with her. You had explained to her on multiple occasions you didn’t want to get out, as you would not get to spend time with her anymore. That’s when she told you, and you had hugged her and told her how happy you were. 
She simply kissed your head, holding you close as you two sat on the bed. 
Natasha was a bit upset, though. In the psych ward, she got to spend every moment with you, but if you were to come live with her, you would have to go to school, and she would have to- you would have to miss her half of the day.
She didn’t want that, and so she started setting up her place in the mountains. You trusted her, and she would make sure that trust would not be broken. 
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When you were finally released from the psych ward, Natasha had made sure it was one of the best days of your life. There was cake, and presents, and all sorts of things you had not been given in a long time. 
After that day, Natasha had told you she was planning on moving up into a cottage in the mountains. 
You didn’t need to know what country she meant…
You asked her if there would be snow, and she promised you there would be. You were more than happy to pack all your stuff, excited with the idea of living somewhere peaceful.
Natasha had called in a favour with her parents, arranging a jet to take you and her to the location. You had asked her where the house was located, but she had told you not to worry about it. It would be perfect. 
You fell asleep pretty quickly on the jet, which was perfect, as Natasha didn’t have to explain why you were flying over the ocean. 
When you arrived, Natasha carried you inside, tucking you in the nice bed that was already prepared for you, before going back downstairs and getting all the stuff from the jet inside.
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You woke up from the sun shining through gaps in the curtains. When did you go to bed?
You stretched slightly, laying in bed for a few minutes to process waking up, before getting up and looking around the room. 
The room was absolutely beautiful, and it matched your interests perfectly. It didn’t take you long to spot the two drawings on the wall. The were hung up in frames this time. It were the drawings you and Natasha had made the first day you were in the psych ward. 
You smiled at the memory, soon recognising the pajamas that were hung over the desk chair. 
You changed into them and left the room, finding the stairs quickly and making your way downstairs. The entire house smelled of pancakes, and it obviously was in the kitchen where you found Natasha. 
“Hello sweetheart,” she greeted you as she gave you a small side hug, giving you a kiss on the head. 
“How did you sleep?” she asked as she handed you a glass of orange juice. 
“I slept fine,” you told her as you gave her a smile and took the orange juice, taking a few sips before sitting down at the kitchen island. 
Natasha smiled at you, getting the last pancake from the pan before placing two plates on the kitchen island. She sat down on the barstool next to you, handing you the syrup as she took a bite herself. 
“The house looks very nice,” you told her as you started eating your own pancakes. 
“Only the best of the best for you,” Natasha told you and smiled softly at the slight blush that stained your cheeks. 
“Is there a school nearby or something?” you asked her, but Natasha just shook her head. 
“I figured homeschooling would fit you a lot better. There are a lot of benefits, and I think it would do wonders for your mental health,” she explained, and you nodded. 
You could almost cry at how thoughtful Natasha was. 
You didn’t need to know it was purely in her own best interest…
You were finally home. You were finally safe. You were finally loved. Natasha would finally be your mother, and you would finally get the chance at a normal life. 
Somewhat normal…
Permanent tags: @marvelnatasha12346 @lesbionion @nova-kyle @darkstar225 @saraaahsstuff @marvelwomenarehot0 @screechcat @iheartjohansson @simp-erformarvelwomen @swaqcenix @karmasgxrl @marvel-lous3000
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simmerandwrite · 3 months
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Sink Into Me - 08 - mob!Steve Rogers x plus size!reader
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Pairing: mob boss! Steve Rogers x plus size! reader
Summary: You were simply doing a good deed, pulling the handsome stranger out of the way when a car jumped the curb. Little did you know that the life you saved belonged to Steve Rogers, the Army veteran turned art dealer with connections to the Brooklyn crime syndicate.
Steve Rogers, who won’t stop calling you his guardian angel.
Steve Rogers, whose new goal in life just might be repaying his debt to you.
Steve Rogers, who isn’t shy until it comes to his feelings and will stop at nothing to keep you safe.
Chapters: 01 02 03 04 05 06  07 08 09
Wordcount: 8.3k
Warnings: canon level violence (guns, physical fighting), allusions to dog fighting (but no mention of any kind of abuse), some angst
Notes: HI I AM SO SORRY ABOUT THE DELAY. life, ya know? but enjoy this little treat, please. and.. uhm.. sorry.
---
“We need to talk about Steve Rogers.”
You took in a hard breath and scanned the man - he had a permanent smug look to him, something that made you feel unsettled. The tag around his neck with his badge indicated his name was Grant Ward, NYPD detective. 
“Give me back my phone,” you said, slowly emptying your lungs in an attempt to stay calm. “Now.”
Ward shook his head, grinning. “Not yet. C’mon, let’s chat.” He slipped your phone inside his jacket pocket and grabbed your elbow, urging you to step further across the sidewalk in front of a closed down shop. “I got your info from Hammond’s file. You were a witness on a little vehicular assault case a while back, right?”
Nothing about this felt proper or to procedure. But you wanted it to end as quickly as possible, so you nodded. 
“What I need to know is why Steve Rogers asked you to lie on your witness report and identify the wrong person.” 
“Excuse me?” Your voice cracked as you tried to piece together what he was saying. “I didn’t lie about anything. Shouldn’t - shouldn’t Officer Hammond be following up with me - if there was an issue?”
“I’ve reopened the investigation.” Ward leaned against the building, glancing up and down the street casually as he spoke. “Your intentional misidentification put someone innocent in jail. How do you sleep at night?”
“I didn’t lie,” you repeated, swallowing hard. Hercules paced at your feet. 
“You’re lying right now. Rogers told you who to point out in that police lineup, didn’t he?”
You wanted to scream in this man’s face but given he was technically a person of the law, you resisted. Instead, you pursed your lips and opted to stay quiet. Shouldn’t you have a lawyer or something to represent you? God, why weren’t you into legal dramas instead of reality tv?
“Here’s what it looks like. Rogers asks you to help him out and in turn, you get a fancy new apartment. Isn’t that right?” Ward took a step forward and pointed past you, towards the rest of the block. “How else can you afford a luxury apartment working your little 9-5 gig? I verified your record of employment and something just doesn’t add up.”
Before you had a chance to reply to his asinine claim, he was reaching for his buzzing phone. “This is Ward.” You tried to listen to the other end of the call, but couldn’t make out the voice. 
He looked back at you, eyes roving up and down as he carried on with his phone conversation. “You’re kidding. That was all true? Wow. Okay. Yeah, I’m with her. Sure.” He raised his free hand and suddenly a nearby SUV was pulling up. “Heading there now.”
Your stomach twisted when Ward turned back to you. 
“Let’s go.” He tipped his head towards the vehicle, where the driver had gotten out to open the back door. “We’ve gotta move this chat elsewhere.”
Your eyes blew open, head shaking. “Absolutely not. Give me my phone and —“
Ward stepped towards you again, grabbing your hand that was holding onto Hercules' leash. “If you don’t get in that car willingly, you’ll have a dead dog on your hands. Is that what you want?” He flashed you a smile. “Let’s. Fucking. Go.”
--
“Storm coming tonight..”
Steve looked up from his plate of pasta, watching his mom across the table as she put down her cutlery. Sarah rubbed her hands together, tired with the weight of time and the pressure of weather changes that seemed to grow worse with each passing season. 
“I can feel it in these old joints,” Sarah continued, leaning back in her chair before glancing to the window above her kitchen sink.
“Ma,” Steve finally replied, quietly returning his own fork to the side of his plate. “Why don’t you skip the rest of this monologue about the weather and tell me what’s really on your mind?”
Steve tried to have dinner with his mother at least once a week, if time permitted. The last few months had been a bit chaotic for him though, mostly his own doing of course. And Sarah hadn’t pressed when he canceled. But, something about her tone and strange casual conversation wasn’t sitting well with him. In fact, he could read his mother really well and she was upset, maybe even mad at him. If there was one thing Steve hated, it was when his mother was upset with him.
He liked to nip it in the bud as quickly as he could.
Sarah sighed, slowly crossing her arms over her chest as she eyed down her son. “I haven’t had the chance to tell you about who I ran into at the hospital a few weekends ago.”
“You gonna give me a clue?” Steve smirked, taking a long pause to enjoy a sip from his wine glass. “Who?”
When your name left his mother’s lips, Steve felt his chest tighten. He had very quickly and casually explained to her that you and he had called things off, respectfully asking Sarah not to press him for details. Surprisingly, she hadn’t asked any follow up questions, though Steve knew she hadn’t been feeling positive about the news. In fact, he had assumed his mom would have had a much more passionate reaction. And maybe it was still coming.
He took a deep breath. “Oh. And.. how is she?” Would it be possible for this conversation to only last one more sentence? Would he be able to get out of it without his mother making him feel any worse?
When Steve met his mom’s gaze again, he knew that question wasn’t what he should have asked. He was starting to think maybe saying nothing would have been best.
“How is she?” Sarah repeated, letting out a hard laugh. “Steven.”
“Ma, listen, what happened between us is..” He hesitated. Complicated was not the word he wanted to use, but what else could he say? “I had to cut things off. She’s safer this way.” 
There. His heart was torn off his sleeve and slapped onto his plate. 
“Steve,” Sarah was softer this time, releasing the anger from her shoulders as she reached across the table for his hand. “You’re not being fair. To yourself. How are you supposed to live this way? Don’t you want a family in the future? Or a break from.. everything?”
Steve squeezed her hand but didn’t respond. Sarah waited another moment for him to say something, then stood and carried her plate to the sink. 
Without turning back around, she continued. “I told her about Hamilton House.”
Steve sighed, leaning back in his chair again and shaking his head. “Ma..”
“Why didn’t you just talk to her? She would have understood.”
“You barely made it out of that fire alive!” Steve pushed back from the table and met his mother at the sink, placing a hand on her shoulder. “And I can barely live with myself as is, but if something happened to her too, I’d..”
“Honey,” Sarah’s voice was even quieter now as she pivoted to look at him. She reached her hand up to cradle his face. “You need to stop blaming yourself, please.”
How could he ever do that? The scars were still quite obvious on many parts of his mother’s body - 
“Steve.” Sarah took in another deep breath. “I’m a grown woman who can take care of herself. And so is she.” There was your name again, coming off of Sarah’s tongue like it just warmed her soul. “She’s good for you.”
“That doesn’t matter anymore.” A painful laugh gurgled up in Steve’s throat. “I made pretty sure she’ll never talk to me again, unfortunately.”
“Steven.” This time the soft edge had left Sarah’s tone. The disappointment was back. “Don’t tell me you pushed that girl away on purpose.”
“I’m a grown man who can take care of himself,” Steve repeated back to her, stepping away from the sink and turning to grab his coat. “I’ve gotta go, Ma. Thanks for dinner.”
Sarah grabbed his wrist, eyes bright with words she wouldn’t say. Instead, she shook her head and sighed quietly. “At least take a container of pasta for Bucky.”
---
The further the vehicle traveled beyond your neighbourhood, the further your stomach sank. You did your best to listen to the conversations happening between Ward and his driver, but nothing seemed clear. 
Where were you going? Were you in trouble? You hadn’t lied to the police - you knew better than that. But how could you prove that when clearly they had another story created? Was this about Steve? You weren’t even talking to him. What the hell was going on?
The only thing saving you from a breakdown was Hercules resting his head on your lap. Gently you scratched behind his ears, doing your best to reassure your dog as he did the same for you. 
You were going to be okay. There had to be a positive solution to this mess. 
Eventually, the vehicle slowed down in an industrial area you weren’t familiar with. In the growing darkness of the night, everything kind of looked the same - rows of large warehouse style buildings, some in much worse shape than the others. As you approached one of the buildings, a garage door opened up to allow you access.
“Let’s go,” Ward barked out as the car stopped, quickly sliding through his door and throwing the one closest to you open. He reached for your nearest wrist. “But first..”
Handcuffs. What you could only assume were police-grade handcuffs joined your wrists together, despite your protests. Ward was choosing every opportunity to remind you he had a gun, so when he told you to head towards the staircase leading out of the parking area, all you could do was comply.
The driver, some other nameless brute listening to Ward’s every word, held on to Hercules’ leash and followed behind. The panic within you stirred.
The building had clearly once been a thriving warehouse or multi-level business hub. Now, it was reduced to whatever criminal activity these men were tied up in. Every second window was boarded up or leaking in cold air through broken shards, with the evidence of previous occupants littering the floors. Old desks, chairs, appliances laid strewn about.
Ward guided you across the second floor, leading towards the far side of the room. You could hear other voices as you approached. He yanked the door open and pressed against your back for you to enter ahead of him.
You stumbled past the threshold, lifting your head up to look around the room. It felt out of place, given the state of the building. This room remained intact from days before, the remnants of an executive office with a large boardroom table sitting opposite the broken windows. A man you didn’t recognize was seated behind an oversized mahogany table, a burning cigar hanging off his lips. Behind him, a disheveled blond wearing an ill-fitting suit jacket stood scrolling through his phone.
That man you did recognize – you were certain he had been one of the men who had broken into your apartment. You could feel the familiar wave of panic come over you again.
Sitting in a pair of chairs in front of the desk were another two men – one dressed in a long overcoat over his suit, with perfectly coiffed hair. The other donned more casual clothes, well worn with a scowl across his face, strong and silent. You thought perhaps you recognized them, too. You might have seen them at Shield or maybe they had worked with Steve? 
“This is her?” The man with the cigar asked, rising from his seat. The other two seated men had turned their heads to look in your direction, then stood the same. 
Ward laughed, returning his gun to his jacket, and reaching a hand to grip your neck. He urged you closer to the desk. 
“Russo – you’re sure?” The same man asked again, shooting a glance at one of the other two men. Ah, nice suit, nice hair - Russo. He had interrupted you and Steve, that day at his office.
“Yep. I know, doesn’t make sense to me either,” Russo replied with a dry laugh, stepping away from the desk and waiting to the side with the other man, Mr. Strong and Silent.
“Walker, you’re on dog duty,” Ward added after. He snapped his fingers and the guy scrolling on his phone was at attention, rolling his eyes as he grabbed Hercules’ leash from the driver. 
Hercules whimpered at the back of the room.
You tried to look towards your confused pup, but Ward’s hands landed on your shoulders. He pushed down to encourage you to sit in one of the vacant seats at the desk.
Finally, the man with the cigar looked at you. A tight smirk curled up on his face as he said your name out loud. “Well, nice to finally meet you. I’m Brock. We’ve got a lot to discuss.”
You sat still, hands resting on your lap. You resisted replying with some snappy commentary and instead dug your fingernails into your palms. Maybe you needed to comply, but God, what was the point of all this?
“I’m not really sure what I’m doing here,” you said quietly, letting out a long breath. “I told him-” you jerked your head at Ward, “-everything I said to Officer Hammond was true. Steve didn’t ask me to lie about anything and I’m sorry if someone you know ended up in jail but I had to tell the truth.”
Brock raised an eyebrow, amused. “Well, I don’t give a shit about any of that. We’ve gotta fix this and you’re going to help.”
You pressed your lips into a thin line. 
“You’re going to meet with Hammond and tell him you lied about-”
You shook your head. “I didn’t lie.”
Brock abandoned his cigar and slammed his hand on the table. “Don’t interrupt me, darling.” He took a breath and started again. “You’re going to meet with Hammond tomorrow morning and set things straight, alright?”
“And if I don’t?” You swallowed the lump in your throat as you asked your question. 
Brock leaned back in his chair, grinning. “You’re really asking that? Damn. Well, if you don’t - you’re never going to see your dog again, for starters.”
Your face fell and you shuffled in the chair again, turning to look back towards Hercules. “Please don’t hurt him.”
“What do you think, Walker? The mutt would be good for the pit, huh? They could use some fresh meat for the next fight.”
You gasped as Hercules pulled at his leash, trying to walk to you. Walker held the leash tight.
“P-please. Don’t. He doesn’t deserve that, he’s just..” Your voice shook as you turned and looked back at Brock. “Okay, fine. I’ll talk to Hammond.” You just had to agree and get out of here. Once you were home, you could call the police station and tell them the truth and and and–
“Hammond is expecting you first thing tomorrow morning at the station.” Ward was looking down at your phone, tapping away at the screen. Great, he was just sending messages on your behalf. You hated that. Clearly you were not getting your phone back. Fuck, how were you going to get out of this?
“Now,” Brock leaned onto his elbows on the desk, returning his cigar to his mouth for a long drag. “Let’s talk about Rogers.”
You gulped.
“I need every little dirty secret you’ve got,” Brock said with a snap of his fingers. “Let’s go. Talk.”
“I don’t..” You faltered, glancing around the room quickly. Russo was watching you carefully while his partner seemed to be preoccupied with his feet, his eyes were drawn down. “I don’t know what you think I might know.. Steve and I.. We.. He broke up with me a while ago.”
A laugh escaped Brock. “I heard that wasn’t the case.”
Russo stepped forward. “Rogers took you home from Shield a few weekends ago, did he not? Drove you right back into your apartment then even walked you to the door?”
You stilled. Why did these men know about that? Were they following you? Or Steve? How did they know where you lived?
“I don’t know anything, I swear. Even when we were..” You closed your eyes. “We didn’t talk about business.”
“You know, I don’t believe you.” Brock let out a frustrated huff and tapped his cigar ash to the floor. “Let’s start easy, alright? Rogers has a ledger, the Bible for all his transactions. Where does he keep it?”
You shrugged. “I honestly have no idea. I don’t remember ever seeing a ledger or–”
“Bullshit.” It was Russo jumping in now. “You were fucking him for months. Christ, give us something.”
If you shifted your head back and forth in a shake anymore, you were going to give yourself whiplash. “I-I don’t, really.” You didn’t like how they were both crowding in on you, guns visible on their hips as their voices escalated. “Steve didn’t tell me things - he.. I didn’t..”
“Where does he keep his safe? What buildings did he take you to?” Brock continued on, reciting any thought or question that seemed to jump into his head. “I need to know which Senator is really in his pocket. And what he promised to Rhodes.”
You repeated yourself again and again and again as they bombarded you. “I don’t know, I don’t know! He would never tell me those things.”
“Think harder then.” Brock stood up in a fury, circling the desk to plant himself in front of you. “I need something fucking useful.”
Squeezing your eyes shut, you tried to think of something, anything to stop this. Everything you retained about Steve wouldn’t be what they wanted - that he was an old soul, a gentleman who kept your best interests at heart. Who loved old musicals and his mother. Who cared deeply about things but had hurt you deeply, too. None of that would have been helpful so what the fuck were you supposed to do?
“I..” You let out a breath. Would it be worth it to lie?
“If you say ‘you don’t know’ one more goddamn time..” Brock leaned forward, closing in the space between you and reaching for your jaw. He held it between his fingers, keeping you in his grasp waiting for an answer. 
When you didn’t respond, Brock growled and reached for his cigar, flipping it in his fingers and bringing the burning end closer and closer to your exposed neck. You could feel the heat before it even touched your skin and all you could do was scream in anticipation. 
“I don’t– please! Please don’t-” You pressed yourself into the chair, trying to get as far away from him as possible. But, the burning sensation never came.
“Hey–” This was a new voice. The Strong and Silent man lingering near Russo had rushed between you and Brock, shoving him away before the cigar made contact with your skin.  “You said you weren’t going to hurt her.”
Brock pushed him back. “This has nothing to do with you, Castle. Back the fuck off.” 
Castle didn’t move - acting as a barricade between you and Brock. They stood at a standstill, and eventually Brock let out a long dramatic sigh. “Ward.” He snapped his fingers again and Ward came forward. Once again, a hand landed on your shoulder.
“Take her up to the roof.”
---
“Do we not fucking knock anymore?” Steve called out as Bucky burst into his office, dragging Peter by the collar as he did.
Steve’s patience had run thin following dinner with his mother. She had managed to stir everything else up again, the feelings Steve was desperately trying to eliminate from his heart. Yet, they hadn’t dulled over time like he wanted. They remained steady, as steady as the beat of his heart. 
“She’s good for you.”
On top of that, they had managed to clear out most of the out of territory drug dealers creeping into Brooklyn. But it hadn’t really stopped. The drugs still found their way in, and the problems were escalating moreso. Angry clients, aggravated partners, a particularly frustrated future Mayor who needed Steve’s compliance and trusted network underground for insight. 
The last thing Steve wanted to deal with now was another issue. But when Steve saw the panicked look in Bucky’s eyes as he grabbed Peter’s shirt, Steve paused.
“Show him.” Bucky urged Peter forward, eyes wide in a panic. “Now.”
Steve stood from his chair slowly, meeting the young man in the middle of his office. “What’s going on? Is this about Beck again?”
“No, sir. No. It’s uh..” Peter’s hand was shaking as he gripped his cellphone, tapping on the screen before he glanced between Bucky and Steve again. “I keep an eye on social media - mostly just to see what’s happening, who’s hanging out where. My friend Ned he..” Peter shook his head. “Whatever. No one knows it’s me who watches their stuff. So. I was clicking through John Walker’s Instagram stories - that guy is an idiot, by the way. Always trying to bait women to find him at clubs or wherever. And..”
Peter tapped through something on his screen then turned it toward Steve. “Mr. Barnes said he recognized the dog in the background of this video..” 
Steve snatched the phone and pressed play on the screen recording. John Walker was in the middle of the frame, filming himself with the front camera as he talked about which bar he’d be showing up at later. But none of that mattered to Steve. What did matter was the dog tied up in the background, pulling at his lead as he started to bark. 
“Christ. Sorry about the mutt. Dealing with something for work..” 
Steve raised his eyes from the screen, eyebrows furrowed. “When was this posted?”
Peter swallowed before he replied. “About 20 minutes ago.”
Bucky turned to Steve. “Is that..?”
All Steve could do was growl, shoving the phone back at Peter. “Send that to me. Right now.” Steve reached for his own phone, heading out the door of his office towards the primary club facilities. Bucky was at his feet, asking what he could do to help. 
“Buck, call Kate. I need a timestamp for when Hercules was picked up.” 
Bucky nodded and tore off, phone to his ear. 
Steve called Clint directly. “Barton, I need your help.”
---
Kate confirmed you had picked up Hercules just before they closed. She didn’t notice anything concerning, aside from your general demeanor seeming quiet. 
Clint reviewed security footage outside your apartment building entrance, back door and lobby. No sign of you. It’s possible you had picked up your dog then gone elsewhere, but Steve wasn’t convinced. 
Fuck. 
Fuck, fuck, fuck. 
Steve paced his office again and again, waiting desperately for some information. Peter and Thor had stolen off to a few well known bars to see if they could track down Walker or any of his friends. 
Clint had gone to your building to troll the neighborhood and seek out any additional video footage that might help. 
Steve called Vision to see if he could connect with Wanda to get some information about where you might be, without leading to anything especially suspicious. 
Steve needed to know where you were and if you were okay. Truthfully, he wouldn’t be able to settle until he knew you were safe - until he saw you himself. 
This was the fucking risk, wasn’t it? Letting you in. People were going to use your relationship against him. It was staring him right in the face all along. Fuck, how could he live with himself if you got hurt?
Steve let out a fit of rage that had been brewing within him. He grabbed the rocks glass off his desk, still half full of melting ice, and sent it flying into the back of his door. 
God fucking damnit. He didn’t like any of this. With no news from Vision and Wanda, his mind was going to bad places.
Steve stalked across the broken glass and threw his door open, grabbing his coat as he left. He found Bucky downstairs at the bar, phone in hand as Natasha leaned beside him. 
“Please tell me someone has some fucking news to share,” Steve growled out as he approached. He didn’t even have to ask Natasha to pour him a drink, as it quickly appeared on the bar. 
“No Walker sightings yet,” Bucky said as he glanced at his phone. As he turned the screen, a new message appeared. 
The text didn’t contain any information or words, just a simple location pin. Bucky tapped on it, revealing an address on the outskirts of Brooklyn. 
“Who sent that?” Steve asked, eyeing over Bucky’s shoulder as he drained his glass. 
“No clue. I don’t know the number.” Bucky replied quietly. “No message either. Just a thumbs up emoji. But the timing is suspect.”
Steve shook his head. What did he have to lose? “Let’s go. Have Sam meet us there.”
---
You should have worn more layers, warmer clothes. Not that you anticipated being abducted on your way home. But you trusted the warm fall morning and now all you had was regret. A thin sweater barely kept you covered and the looming thunder overhead meant the threat of rain was very real. 
Ward had dragged you up the barren staircases to the roof, where he had then removed one of your handcuffs only to attach it to some external pipe system that hugged the outside wall of the building. You could sit on the dirty cold roof or stand and try to peer down, but nothing else. You were stuck. 
When you tried to plead with Ward  for your escape, he only smirked then offered an alternative. 
“Tell you what - if you get on your knees for me, I’ll remove the handcuffs altogether.”
As an answer to that proposal, you spit in his face. He really didn’t like that - which left you pushed to the ground and cuffed with no coverage from wind or impending rain. God fucking damnit. 
Once Ward disappeared through the door again, you yelled for help. If it made any lick of difference, you had no idea. There was another building very close by, yelling distance at least. But it looked abandoned just the same. On the other side of the roof, it looked like an emergency staircase existed. 
Not like you’d be able to escape. You seemed very stuck.
Were they going to leave you out there all night? Was this some scare tactic? What did they want from you - a detailed breakdown of everything you knew about Steve? You couldn’t do that - you wouldn’t. Despite the ricochet of emotions you had been through with Steve, you still felt.. something to him. Be it loyalty or kindness or whatever, you couldn’t throw him under the bus. 
Steve was a good person. You saw that in him often. But these men? You weren’t so sure. 
What if they left you until you had to meet with Hammond? Ten hours in the cold and rain. You could survive that, maybe. Maybe. 
Thunder rumbled above you. Rain started to fall. 
Fuck. Maybe not. 
In an attempt to make yourself as small as possible, you sat against the side wall and wrapped your free arm around yourself. It didn’t do much to protect you from the rain, but it helped retain what little body heat you still had. 
You weren’t sure how long you sat in the rain before you heard the access door burst open. You looked up and braced yourself, but felt almost relieved to see it wasn’t Ward again. 
It was Castle. 
He hesitated when he saw you, then quickly hurried in your direction. 
You closed your eyes in a panic. “I’m sorry - I don’t have anything to share about Steve  - I can’t remember if there was—”
“Hey, hey. It’s okay. I’m not here about that.” Castle crouched down in front of you. “I can’t let you go but let me help, alright?” He reached into his pocket and took out what looked like a Swiss Army knife. “I’ll get out of these cuffs at least.”
You braced yourself as he gently touched your wrist, using his tool to work through the lock mechanism. “Thank you.. uhm, Mr. Castle?”
He chuckled, barely. “Frank.”
You nodded, grateful as he freed your hand and left the cuffs dangling. “Thank you, Frank.”
“Over there,” Frank turned his head and pointed to the middle of the roof, where a small maintenance structure stood. It had a sloping roof that could provide more coverage. “Go. You’ll be covered at least.”
Frank got to his feet and offered you his hand. Once you were standing, he shrugged off his own heavy coat and handed it to you. 
“Frank,” you clutched the coat and met his gaze, eyes blurring from the rain. “Can you just.. make sure my dog is okay? Hercules? He’s a lover, not a fighter. But he’s all I have and- and..”
Frank gave you a curt nod. “Go.” He motioned back to the small shed and you nodded too. 
You had no idea why Frank was helping you. But you decided it had to be a good sign, right?
---
Steve had no idea what he was walking into. He had done this before – going in blind to certain situations was the nature of his entire job. It wasn’t always possible to anticipate who he would run into, if the person he trusted would deliver, if weapons were involved. But given his state of mind and the all-consuming worry he had about your wellbeing; he didn’t really care what he was faced with.
He just needed to figure out where you were and ensure you were safe. 
The location that had been sent to Bucky was outside of Brooklyn, just barely. Along an industrial neighbourhood, where plenty of abandoned factories and distribution centers lived, the coordinates lead them to a nondescript building. 
Steve and Bucky climbed out of the car, strapped with more than enough guns and ammunition to fight their way through whatever and whoever they were about to face. As they approached, Sam jogged into view, too.
“Thor couldn’t find Walker anywhere,” Sam provided as an update once they were waiting outside. “But Peter’s little tech friend managed to track a location for some recent postings to this general area..”
“Sounds like a likely place to look,” Bucky concluded, raising an eyebrow as he glanced at Steve.
Steve took in a deep breath, eyebrows narrowed as he gazed at the doors ahead of him. Raising his hands, he tugged at the collar of his coat and smoothed it out before nodding. He was ready to deal with this.
“If she’s anywhere in here, her safety is priority, you understand?” Steve glanced from Bucky back to Sam, waiting for their own nod of understanding. “If anyone put her in danger, they’re going to pay. But not at her expense.”
Bucky pressed his knuckles into his metal palm, a coy smirk raising on his lips. “Here’s hoping I get to fuck up Walker’s face again.”
Sam took the lead and yanked the dilapidated entry door open, busting open the lock mechanism with little effort. The main level they entered on was mainly being used for vehicle parking and what looked like some storage. A staircase led up to the next level.
Steve carried on - striding to the top of the staircase and heading through the doors. The entire building was in bad shape but this wasn’t their first rodeo.
Someone was hiding out somewhere. And when he found them, it wasn’t going to be pretty. 
“Sam - call everyone to be standby, including Thor and his brother. Get Barton to scope out next door, too. Lots of windows for coverage, the rooftop. Remind him about the Bullseye protocol.” Steve ran a hand through his hair then glanced to his right, motioning to the far door with Bucky. “You’re with me.”
In a few long strides, Steve reached the door and waited. Then, he raised a hand and knocked against it. Bucky stood behind his left shoulder. 
Someone on the other side of the door was yelling, then eventually they heard heavy stomping as someone approached. When the door opened, Steve didn’t hesitate - he leaped forward and reached for the collar of whoever it was. 
Steve growled. Grant Ward.
“Oh Jesus fucking–” Ward yelped out, trying to pull away from Steve’s grasp as Steve backed him into the room. “Take it fucking easy, Rogers. What the fuck are you–”
“Where is she?” Steve’s voice boomed, holding Ward in his grip as he glanced around the room. It was a fairly sparse leftover office, but sitting at the end of the large boardroom table was Billy Russo, Frank Castle and Brock Rumlow himself. A few other nameless thugs waited behind them, guns at the ready. “Where IS SHE?”
Steve threw Ward to the ground, reaching for his gun as the men at the table stood up and drew their own weapons, too. Bucky followed in behind Steve and kicked Ward down when he tried to get back on his feet.
“Stay down,” Bucky said to Ward. 
Rumlow moved from his spot slowly, waving his gun around and placing it down on the table as he walked towards Steve. “Rogers.”
Steve didn’t respond, darting his eyes from Rumlow back to Russo and Castle at the table. Russo looked away, suddenly preoccupied with anything else but Steve. Castle, though, also put his gun away.
“Rumlow.” Steve growled out your name this time. “Where. Is. She?”
Brock smirked. “Who? Oh.. yes. Sure. We just met. As far as I know, you two aren’t together anymore. What’s the concern?”
“If you fucking touched her-” Steve raised his hand again, gun pointing directly at Rumlow as they stood apart. “Tell me where she is.”
“Me and Russo have been talking. I think the three of us could be working together better. If you haven’t been picking off my dealers one by one, the pot could be a lot sweeter.”
“You and your drugs aren’t worthy of Brooklyn.” Steve stepped forward. “Tell me.”
“You know, I didn’t want us to meet like this.” Rumlow brought his hands up, in a faux act of surrender then slowly moved one of them forward to encourage Steve to put his weapon down. “In fact, I went through a lot of trouble to keep your pretty face away from here.”
“Not much trouble, it seems. And it sounds like you have a mole,” Steve shot back, sparing a quick glance back around the room. Russo looked away again but Steve met Castle’s eyes for a beat, then turned back to Rumlow. “Loyalty is rare around these parts.”
“Speaking of loyalty - your girl.” Rumlow stepped back and let out a long breath.
Steve matched him and stepped forward, raising his gun up once more. “If you laid one fucking hand on her–”
“I’ll tell you where she is after we chat, alright? I need a promise from you - to share the territory.”
Steve huffed, lips pursed as he scanned Rumlow’s face. “Tell me where she is.” Steve could hear Bucky shuffling behind him, metal fist clenched, growing just as impatient as Steve was. 
“Nah.” Rumlow shrugged, glancing around the room. “If you won’t negotiate, my lips are sealed. I still need her, gotta clear something up with the cops. Then, I don’t know. I guess she’s nice enough on the eyes, bit thicker than what I usually go for but maybe I’ll get her to warm my bed for a–”
Steve wasn’t an idiot. Rumlow was baiting him. And god fucking damnit it worked. Steve surged ahead, letting out another growl of rage as he attacked Rumlow with his fists.
On the other side of the room, Ward slid over to kick against Bucky’s knee - angering Bucky all the same. Sam rushed in to join them at the first sound of chaos. It wasn’t quite contained and really, it didn’t come as a surprise that everyone in the room was more than prepared for a fight. Rumlow’s extra lackeys seemed more than charged enough for the action. Bucky easily took care of Ward on his own, as Sam darted between helping Steve with Rumlow and the others as Russo tried to keep his distance. 
“Where is she?” Steve had Rumlow on the ground, pummeling his fists into Rumlow’s jaw. He didn’t get a response, as the sound of gunshots sounded out, ending with shards of glass flying across the floor. In a brief moment of hesitation after, Steve took in the rest of the room. 
Russo had slipped out. Castle too. 
“Sam!” Steve stood quickly, keeping his foot against Rumlow’s neck. 
Sam hurried over and tagged in as Steve rushed through the door to follow where the other two had gone. Running towards the staircase, he looked upwards and could hear the distinct sound of hurrying feet and the slamming of a metal door.
He bounded up the stairs towards the roof.
---
The rain continued to fall, although it had at least slowed down to a cool drizzle. It didn’t mean much since you were already soaking wet, though the coat from Castle had helped. It hadn’t really fit you but the extra layer kept you marginally more comfortable, despite the fatigue and hunger setting in. Was anyone else going to check on you? Would Castle come back to help?
Did.. did Steve know what was going on? Although - how would he even find out? Fuck, you kept going over everything again and again and again. The steps you took today, the conversation you had with Sarah a few weeks ago, Steve’s last words to you at your apartment…
You wish things had gone differently. Maybe in a different life or timeline, it might have all worked out.
Gunshots.
You could hear gunshots from somewhere nearby. Downstairs in the building, maybe. Truthfully, at least up on the roof, you were away from the reality of this situation - that these people had guns and clearly weren’t afraid to use them. Up there, in the rain, you could ignore all of that.
But no, here was the glaring reminder. A few more shots sounded out then it seemed to stop. You tried to keep ignoring it, laying your back flat against the wall of the structure until you heard the door open again. You couldn’t even bring yourself to look until you heard someone barking out your name. This time the voice belonged to Russo.
A set of footsteps tracked further onto the roof, but you held your safe position. Russo finally appeared ahead of you, a scowl etched on his face. “I thought Ward tied you up. Whatever, let’s go.” He grabbed your closest wrist, urging you away from your hiding space. You tried to yank yourself away.
“Please, I don’t want to-”
“Bill - come on, can’t we just drop all this?” Frank came into your eyeline next, looking you over quickly then back towards the door. “Rogers isn’t dumb, he’ll follow us up here anyway.”
Your heart jumped at Steve’s name. He was here, he was going to get you away from this.
Russo’s grip tightened on your wrist, though he turned to look at Frank. “The plan remains the same - we need her to talk to Hammond so Rogers can land some jail time. It’s the only way we can get ahead.”
Frank let out a noncommittal sigh. “Rumlow is a fuckin’ idiot. You don’t think his plan is to screw us over later too?”
“I don’t give a shit about that right now,” Russo growled, looking back towards you. “Let’s go.”
Frank hesitated again, but didn’t argue any further. You pleaded again as they took you to the far side of the roof, where the emergency fire escape stairs were. Russo let you go momentarily as he stalked over, peering down towards the stairs. 
“They should hold up, I hope” he said with a shrug, motioning his head for you to go. “Ladies first.”
You shook your head, taking a step back and glancing towards the door instead. “No, I..” You turned on your heel.
A gunshot sounded out behind you, loud and piercing. You screamed, eyes wide as you turned back. Russo was scowling again, holding his gun high as he shot it upwards into the sky. He lowered it slowly, pointing it at you directly instead. If that wasn’t enough of a warning. “Down you go. Now.” 
You glanced at Frank, who remained completely stoic as he looked between you and Russo. 
Suddenly, the door flew open again. You all turned to look.
A wave of relief flooded through you - it was Steve. He called your name as he walked towards you, never breaking his eye contact with you. In an instant, all your worries and doubts and everything seemed to shatter as he looked at you with such gentleness and grace.
Russo let out a hard laugh, waving his gun for a brief moment before aiming it back at you. “No time for your cute reunion. Let us walk away, Rogers.”
“Sweetheart,” Steve didn’t even bother replying to Russo, though he did stop in his tracks when he realized Russo had a gun pointed at you. But, Steve carried on, repeating your name. “Are you okay?”
You swallowed hard, jaw shaking as you nodded. 
Steve softened, for a fraction of a second. You knew he could tell you weren’t being honest. But what were you supposed to do? You were a hostage, soaking wet on a roof, with a gun pointed in your direction - no, you were not okay.
You watched as Steve transformed again, soft eyes replaced by hard lines, a tight jaw. He finally broke your gaze and turned his attention to Russo and Castle. “Let her go and we’ll all walk away from this unscathed.”
A loud laugh escaped Russo. “Right. I don’t think so. We’re walking away from this with the leverage we need.”
You watched as Steve took in a deep breath, then reluctantly put his hands up. “What do you want, Russo? Money, territory, names? What? I’ll give you whatever you want - just put your gun down and let her go.”
“You think I’m an idiot?” Russo shook his head. “No, I’m not playing this game.”
“This isn’t a fucking game,” Steve continued, reaching his hand slowly for his gun. He raised it up then just as quickly tossed it behind himself. “Please, Bill. Just leave her out of this.” 
“Billy..” Frank finally spoke up too. “Let’s call it, okay? Sounds like Rogers is willing to talk and–”
“No.” Russo took a step closer to you, gun firm in hand. “No, we’re going to–”
Before you realized what was happening, you weren’t even standing on your own two feet anymore. A flurry of noises rang out around you - screaming, gunshots, shouting. Someone had wrapped their arms around you – you fell towards the ground – you landed on.. Steve. It was Steve.
He had run towards you in the action, caging you in his arms as you both landed on the rooftop together. Safe. Alive. Steve shielded you with his own body from the noise and chaos happening around you. You didn’t know who had been shooting who, if anyone escaped or made it down the fire escape. All you knew is that you were safe, in Steve’s arms.
Steve was whispering out your name, again and again, like some sort of prayer on his lips. His words were wrapped in apologies, in cries for your safety, in hushed words that begged for reassurance. As everything else seemed to quiet down, he gently pushed himself up to peer down at you. 
“Sweetheart, I’m so–”
“Steve, it’s okay. I’m okay.. I’m..c-cold.” 
He shook his head and quickly shifted again, standing up and helping you back to your feet, too. He shrugged off his own jacket and draped it over you. Slowly, he raised his hand and slid it down the side of your face, wiping away stray droplets of water with his thumb. His palm was warm against your cheek, you could feel his whole heart pulsing as he held you. 
“I’m sorry, baby. I’m–”
“Steve!” Bucky’s voice broke you both from the spell. Steve reluctantly looked away from you, pivoting slightly as he looked towards Bucky running in their direction. Across the roof, both Frank and Russo were on their knees, hands wrapped behind their backs.  A makeshift bandage was wrapped around one of Russo’s biceps.
Wait, had someone shot him? It couldn’t have been Steve, he had put his gun down. Would Frank have..
Bucky leaned in slightly and mumbled into Steve’s ear, then they both looked across the roof towards the adjacent building. Bucky waved in that direction and Steve nodded, then they both turned back to you.
Before Steve could say anything else, you reached for his shirt. “Steve - you..we need to find Hercules. They said.. They..” You closed your eyes tight, head shaking as you tried to form your words. “They were going to take him somewhere to fight. I don’t know if..”
Bucky stood up tall again. He said your name firm, like a promise. “I’ll find him.”
As Bucky left, Steve wrapped his arms around you again - tighter this time. With one hand, he secured your back and the other cradled your head against his chest. He didn’t say anything and you couldn’t find any words either. 
---
You were back at Steve’s apartment. You thought you’d never see those big windows overlooking Brooklyn ever again and yet, there you were. Safe.
Safe and warm, following a long shower in Steve’s guest bathroom. Stripping away your damp clothes and stealing away into the stream for longer than probably necessary had been a nice escape. Especially given that Steve had driven you back to his place in silence - though it wasn’t as awkward as before. It just felt like maybe there were things you both needed to say but couldn’t bring yourself to mention yet.
Before you had left the building earlier, Steve hadn’t let you leave his sight. Well, except for about ten minutes where Bucky hovered over you instead.
Steve brought you inside, back downstairs to that same boardroom and office space. But this time, you weren’t faced with bad guys with guns. Well, the bad guys remained but the guns were gone.
All four of them were bound and seated at a chair. Ward’s head was lolled to the side, Brock had a bloody face, Russo and Castle were mostly left without much damage. But you had a feeling that wasn’t going to last.
Steve squeezed your hand, gently turning you away from looking at them. 
“Hey,” he said quietly, tipping your chin up with his thumb. “Can you tell me what happened? What they did?”
You swallowed hard, eyes wide for a moment as you considered his question. What was he going to do?
“Don’t overthink it, okay? Just tell me what you think I should know.”
You let out a breath then recounted everything. Ward ambushing you on the sidewalk, Brock threatening you, Russo joining in…
“But Frank he..” You finally spared a glance over your shoulder. Frank sat up straight in his chair, resigned to whatever fate awaited him. “He helped me. Tried to protect me, gave me his coat..”
Steve nodded, looking in Frank’s direction the same way. Steve called for Sam, then gave him another nod and Sam went to untie Frank from his chair. 
It was only a few moments later that Bucky showed up with Hercules, who - thank god - looked unharmed, if a little worked up. You couldn’t help but start to cry as you broke away from Steve and rushed to your son. 
But, It wasn’t lost on you how quickly Bucky led you away from the room with your dog. Or how the door shut behind you, leaving Steve and Sam in there with the rest of the men, the overlapping sounds and sounds of distress…
When you finally decided you had wasted enough water and regained all the proper feeling in your body, you shut off the water and let out a long sigh. Outside on the counter, folded neatly beside your warm towel, was some clothes you had left at Steve’s ages ago. Soft and clean layers to keep your temperature steady as you got ready for bed.
You supposed it was a choice you made - agreeing to go home with Steve instead of back to your own apartment. But you knew you wouldn’t be able to sleep there - not tonight. And you knew Steve would insist on staying and keeping guard outside your door anyway. So it made more sense this way.
After you changed, you found Hercules waiting for you in the hallway. You could hear Steve in the living room, speaking quite passionately on his end of a phone call.
“Jim, this is the only deal I’m making. Proof of your dirty cop aside, I’m handing you Rumlow alive on a silver platter, even though I should have let him bleed out. So you have to do this for me. I don’t give a fuck about protocol..” There was a heavy pause. “Every instance of her name on any police report - gone. I don’t want her attached to any of it, do you understand? No trace of her. I don’t care - redact it or burn it. Get that done and I’ll deliver Rumlow to you in the morning. Understood?” 
You knew you probably shouldn’t be listening, but it was your name he was mentioning.
“As for Russo, I’m dealing with that myself. But keep him on your radar. If you need another arrest to clench your win, you can have him once I’m done.”
You quietly slipped into the guest bedroom once you realized his call had ended. Once Hercules followed you in, you shut the door. Fuck. What happened now? Maybe you and Steve needed to talk about all of this - you definitely needed to talk about it.
You heard footsteps coming down the hallway towards the bedrooms and Steve stopped outside your door. You held your breath, wondering if he would say your name or knock. But - nothing. His phone buzzed again and he disappeared into his bedroom.
With a heavy sigh, you leaned against the door. 
---
Mentally, Steve was exhausted.
Physically, his energy peaked in the midst of the action and hadn’t seemed to peter off yet. 
You were safe, you were safe, you were safe.
Why couldn’t he calm down? You were one wall away, falling asleep. Safe. He got to you before anything critical happened. Christ, nothing should have happened in the first place.
Following his long frustrating phone call with Rhodes, he wanted to talk to you. He wanted to say everything that was weighing down his heart - but your door was closed and he couldn’t even find it in himself to knock.
You were probably even angrier with him than before - given that this was all his fault. But that was fine with him. He could deal with your anger if that meant you had any feelings towards him left. Anger counted.
He rinsed off in the shower then pulled on a pair of pajama pants before falling into bed, not that he was tired. His brain was wired and maybe an allnighter was in his future. 
Steve sent off a few last messages to Bucky and Sam, then discarded his phone on the nightstand. He leaned back against the headboard and–
There was a knock at his bedroom door. You were knocking. He swung his legs off the bed and hurried to open the door, just as you were about to push it open yourself.
“Hi,” you said quietly, meeting his eyes in the low light streaming in from his lamp.
“Are you okay?” Steve asked, scanning you for any signs of distress.
You shrugged, drawing in a deep breath. Then Steve took a step back, waving his arm to invite you in. You released your lungs slowly, nodding and following him inside. Wordlessly, he climbed into the bed and offered the open blanket to you, arms wide. You just nodded again, crawling in and finding a spot - your spot - underneath his arms.
---
CHAPTER 07 - CHAPTER 09
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fairyhaos · 10 months
Text
seventeen and monopoly
how seventeen would play monopoly w/ each other
notes: im woozi. every single game i play, i always end up being woozi.
masterlist
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seungcheol:
most competitive when it comes to monopoly. calls out jeonghan's cheating whenever possible, can never figure out how or when shua cheats, but is also totally down to cheating himself to win. has once engaged poor dokyeom in a bid for a train station that he raised way too high before suddenly pulling out, leaving dokyeom with -769 when he originally had 980. poor thing looked at his leader with the utmost betrayal in his eyes for over a week. also has totally owned almost the whole board before, calls it one of his biggest achievements in life
jeonghan:
the Biggest cheater (1). steals everyone's 50s when they're not looking. somehow manages to empty the bank of all the 500s, even though dino's been watching it like a hawk the entire time. has also definitely upturned the board during a game when it wasn't going the way he wanted, and has also definitely been nearly strangled by seungkwan because of it. asks if he can do aegyo or offers to do a dare instead of paying rent when he lands on someone's property, succeeds in making a deal 50% of the time
joshua:
the Biggest cheater (2). takes the little hotel buildings and puts them over properties that he doesn't even own, demands that people pay him anyway. has mastered the skill of looking all innocent while lying through his teeth and pinning the blame on a totally different member (jihoon or mingyu). gets extremely competitive when it looks like he has the slightest chance of winning and starts bending the rules like crazy, but if he's losing then he loses interest really quickly and gives up all his money and property to whoever looks like they're most likely to drop out any second
junhui:
makes up rules that sound really weird but also really plausible so the members don't know if they should trust him or not. has managed to convince mingyu that landing on the jail square when you roll means that you're in jail permanently unless you let the other players give you a dare to do. is somehow also passing Go every other turn of his. never wins, but never loses either: is always one of the last players still playing the game
hoshi:
attempts to be a cheater, is terrible at it. wants to win so badly, but he has such bad luck that he always lands on other people's properties and has to pay up. once spent the majority of the game in jail, bc he kept paying to get out only to end up back in there again, and didn't have money left to bail himself out or the 'get out of jail free' card. was the most upset when he had to play using a pawn from a chess set they had lying around somewhere (monopoly never comes with enough pieces for all 13 of them to play. weird, right? you'd think they'd make 13 pieces) and complained that even being the hat would be better than this. was then hit on the head by seungkwan, who was playing with the hat piece
wonwoo:
before they start playing he's constantly preaching that monopoly is basically based on luck and luck alone but as soon as it looks even the littlest like he's winning, he's telling them that monopoly is all about strategizing and budgeting and really the members could learn a thing or two from him—. only plays if he's in the mood to deal with all of their yelling tho, n normally says no thanks to the game when offered
woozi:
loses the most terribly all the time. 70% of the time, is the first one to give up on the game bc he's basically 100,000,000 in debt and he doesn't even know why. gets so angry this one time that he steals all of mingyu's money bc the dumb fool was stupid enough not to take it with him when he went to the bathroom. ended up losing all of it before mingyu even came back from peeing. tells them after every game that he'll never play monopoly with them ever, always ends up joining in the next time someone busts it out during game night
minghao:
always starts the game looking like -__- but as the game goes on and he keeps on gaining money, he slowly gets more and more excited and soon he's giggling every other minute bc people keep landing on his properties or he keeps getting good chance cards. the fates love him. has never gone into debt before. was so close to winning that one time that jeonghan flipped the playing board, wouldn't talk to him for five whole days after that. once owned both of the 'get out of jail free' cards in one round, refused to give them out to the people in jail unless they promised to do him any favour he asked for
mingyu:
never loses, but still loses. had jihoon steal all his money from him when he needed the bathroom one time, and came back to find out he'd pathetically lost it all. somehow always ends up playing the ship. doesn't know why he needs to mortgage his property, or how he even does it. asks the bank for loans, and chan refuses, saying he won't give him a loan unless he does aegyo. ends up still not getting the loan. has knocked over people's houses dozens of times while moving his ship round the board. ends up dropping out of the game halfway through bc jihan keep cheating too much for him to keep up and besides, seungcheol owns half the board and he doesn't even have any money left :(
dokyeom:
managed to almost win out of pure luck one time. has no idea what he's doing, asks his hyungs for help on every go. wants jeonghan to give him advice on whether he should buy a property or not: jeonghan either advises him genuinely or says the complete opposite of what would benefit dokyeom, depending on how he feels at that moment. has lost all his money bidding for a property before. finds it super unfair when jihan cheat him, starts whining and pouting so badly and throws his cards down in frustration. rarely sticks around till the end of the game, giving up and just watching the others battle it out across the board
seungkwan:
competitive. could almost be as competitive as seungcheol, but since he's competitive about every game they play it kind of cancels out so he's placed under him. fights any member who so much as looks at the dog piece, because that is his thank you very much. spent the entire game in a foul mood one time when he lost the dog piece to joshua. always ends up throwing something at someone during the game. never lasts until the end, throws his money in the air in exasperation and dramatically flings himself down onto the couch to watch the rest of them fight over the game
vernon:
monopoly is one of the few things that vernon can get truly competitive at. loves yelling at jeonghan every time he cheats, has also had to dodge flying pawns before as seungkwan threw them at him in anger when he landed on his ridiculously expensive property. always owns only a few streets, but manages to upgrade them so high that he's raking in money if ever anyone lands on them. almost lasted a whole game one time, before hoshi physically wrestled his cards out of his hands. he still doesn't know why he did that, or even why he let his hyung do that. 
chan:
is the banker. knows that he's terrible at games involving money, especially if it's against yoon jeonghan, so decides, for his sanity and his mental health, he'll never play a monopoly game against him. is also a great banker, apart from the times that money mysteriously disappears from the box. likes to sit back and enjoy the chaos that happens, knowing full well that their entire game could descend into even further catastrophe if he decided to withdraw the bank from them. 
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Group F, Round 3, Poll 4:
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Propaganda under the cut
Tsurumi Tokushirou
in two words: "it's love". I was already insane about this guy but this line. just wow. the context is a flashback in which Tsurumi has been away fighting in the Sino-Japanese war and is now telling his dojo master that even trained soldiers are typically reluctant to kill another person and many will only pretend to fire their weapons. he spent a long time considering how you convince them to overcome that before figuring it out. "the motivating force that can bring out the aggressiveness in your soldiers... it isn't hatred of the enemy troops, nor is it fear... it isn't even a difference in political ideals. [what is it then?] it's love". this man is *surrounded* by soldiers who will do anything for him and you slowly see through multiple flashbacks just how much he has been pulling strings for *years* to make them love him. this particular flashback involves two fourteen year olds fighting over his attention until one of them kills the other and tsurumi helps cover up the murder and tells the murderer how *of course you have always been my favourite*. that kid goes on to work under him and when tsurumi draws on his face as a punishment he gets the drawings tattooed on so they stay forever. in another case he orchestrates the kidnapping of a different 14yo son of a navy commander by "Russians" (his loyal subordinates) and then pulls off a dashing rescue, earning the livelong military support of the dad and a major crush from the son. this kid chooses to go to army route rather than follow his dad into the navy, specifically because of tsurumi who he also ends up working for. he can't speak comprehensibly to tsurumi and edits himself into photos of him. case 3: while a soldier is away at war he crush appears to commit suicide by drowning in the sea. upon finding out that his dad told her he wasn't coming back, he beats him to death and ends up on death row. I forget exactly what info is revealed when but a) the woman is alive and tsurumi helped her move to Tokyo and get married, b) tsurumi planted fake bones under tsukishima's father's house to frame him for her murder, c) this then allowed tsukishima to be freed from jail, as long as he agreed to work for tsurumi as a Russian translator (he doesn't speak Russian at the time), d) tsukishima doesn't know all of this initially but tsurumi sets things up so he overhears a convo that reveals some of it so that he can know exactly what lengths tsurumi went to and feel even more in his debt, e) tsukishima later realises that conversation was set up and its purpose but *even with that knowledge* and being probably the character most aware of Tsurumi's manipulations, the pull is too strong and he will follow him to the ends of the earth. literally his only goal in life now is to have front row seats to the Tsurumi Theatre, which btw involves chasing convicts around to obtain their skins, wiping out entire prison populations and invading parts of Russia. he sometimes blames his erratic actions on the brain damage caused by a mortar shell to the forehead but he was doing all the same things before that, just more quietly. he knows *exactly* what he's doing and has everything planned out in detail
that post by @temp-propaganda because no way I can fit that all in propaganda section
Goncharov
He spends the entire film lying to and manipulating as many people as possible to achieve his ultimate goal (Katya is an obvious example; her having enough of that is a driving force behind their breaking relationship), and also including himself (insisting that he doesn't like Andrey when they're basically about to kiss anytime they're on screen). Also Gaslight Gatekeep Goncharov amiright
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respectthepetty · 6 months
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I think your theory about Saifah robbing Kang’s house seems pretty plausible. Im just wondering what happens after that. We see Sailom getting shot at which is crazy. But why? Are the debt collectors just evil villains willing to murder a poor kid because he can’t payback money or is it something else?
Anon, oooooohhhhh, I have spent far too much time thinking about this particular scene in the Dangerous Romance trailer, and I think it boils down to politics.
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So I offer you my wildest ass theory yet!
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At first, I thought since Sailom has to go back to escorting with Saifah in jail, Kanghan will fuck up that job with his anger, leaving Sailom with no way to get the money to pay the debt collectors. They follow him with plans to shoot him, but . . . they are the torture type (iron to skin, remember?) because they still want their money. They wouldn't kill him. ❌
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So I thought about the possibility of Kang swindling someone on his honeymoon by playing pool to get more money, and pissing someone off, so they go after Sailom, but they have to drive to the honeymoon place, so would that person find them again back in their hometown? No. ❌
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Then, I thought that Sailom hustled someone to get the money, and they are pissed off at him. He knows how to make money, so maybe he swindled someone, and they angrily chased him down like the guy who aggressively approached in the alley for sex in episode three.
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But then I remembered that Sailom isn't about that life, which is why he gets upset at Saifah. He doesn't like to deceive people, so he can get money. He takes up escorting because the client is getting what he paid for, which is his company and dinner with him. Sailom isn't being deceitful to get money. ❌
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This is Laws of Attraction political.
Why would Saifah, who normally asks clients for gifts, rob a client's house? But more importantly, why would he rob a client's house that his brother is basically living in?
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HE WOULDN'T!
At least, he wouldn't do that intentionally. But his high school buddy who doesn't have an honest job sure the hell would!
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But, but, but, why would Name want to rob the house? He is a debt collector. Saifah and Sailom being in that house assures that they can pay their debt. So is he trying to make a quick buck too? NO!
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Either Name leaves his job as a debt collector and joins Saifah in his great adventure as a rich person's caretaker or he has motivation for being in that house and "robbing" it. I have believed someone gets shot during the robbery by mistake, but what if it isn't a mistake? What if the robbery is simply a cover-up, and the shooting is the real purpose for being in the house?
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The dad is running for office.
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That means he is a target from "all sorts of people."
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So Name gets in the house under the guise of taking some stuff, only to intend to shoot Kang's dad because his boss tells him to. Saifah isn't about this plan, freaks out, and tries to stop it. The dad still gets shot, but it isn't as bad as it could have been because Saifah intervened maybe. Saifah gets arrested, but Name (and others?) escape. Sailom believes his brother didn't have anything to do with the shooting and in normal Sailom fashion, he won't let that injustice slide.
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Saifah is already in jail, but Sailom has now become an unpredictable loose end. The night of the Sailom's shooting, both boys are in a (police) office possibly hearing more news about the open investigation. This could be before he gets shot, but it could also be him reporting the shooting after Kang rescues him, but either way, it's meaningful to the criminal investigation.
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Name or whoever his boss is can't have Sailom out there running his mouth. Sailom may not even know anything, but he knows the debt collectors, he has been escorting (the ONE client who may or may not have some info), and he knows his brother would not shoot someone. He knows SOMETHING that can connect Name or whoever his boss is to the shooting of Kang's dad, so little homie gotta die.
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I noticed before that Kang doesn't take Sailom back to his house after rescuing him, and this isn't Sailom's house either. It's not the hotel from their honeymoon stage that has to happen in episode 8 or 9.
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If the grandma was shot, I feel the dad would stay at the house, but if the dad got shot, the grandma would move Kang somewhere safe because she knows this wasn't an accidental shooting (Pimfah's house?). Kang is protected, but Sailom isn't.
The last snippets from the trailers and OST are coming up in the next two episodes, which means only the shooting, the shower scene, and the swings scene (which feels like the final) are left for the last three episodes.
It seems like a lot of plot but we need the "dangerous" portion of this romance, so if the dad is shot by episode 9 . . .
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my wild ass theory might just have a chance.
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4ce-of-2pades-inkwell · 4 months
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I’ve been watching/listening to those SCP videos on YouTube while I draw Cuphead stuff, so it was only a matter of time before I came up with a crossover AU:
Dr. Manuel Animi is a young but talented scientist rising up through the SCP Foundation. He has a particular interest, fascination, obsession even, with SCPs that break the laws of reality, or that are beyond comprehension. Merely out of scientific curiosity, of course, nothing more... He spent many years working with eldritch beings such as… well, I can’t remember any off the top of my head, but things along the lines of what Cthulhu was expected to be, not his SCP reality. Dr. Animi had a better capacity than most for withstanding the dangerously incomprehensible, a mental tolerance for things that would drive an average person to insanity, but he was still human, and many times was affected to the degree of needing prolonged therapy or even intense medical treatment to recover. He would always return to his work with a passion as soon as possible, but eventually he was banned from working with any SCP classified as a significant mental hazard. His superiors claimed he had reached the lifetime exposure limit that was protocol (similarly to scientists working with radiation), and they cited his hair, which had changed from red to pure white as a result of the horrors he had seen, as proof he had been at this long enough to be at risk of permanent mental damage. They claimed his relocation to other SCPs was for his own safety, and that they did not want to lose such a bright scientist, but this was a lie. In truth, Dr. Animi’s obsession with these eldritch beings and mind-breaking ideas concerned them. They saw a high probability that Dr. Animi would not stay content with his permitted research, and would attempt to use the anomalies for his own purposes, becoming a threat. In short, he liked his work too much. If he had refused the ban on his area of study, he would have been deemed too far under its thrall, and would have been terminated. So Dr. Animi now works with other anomalies, though is not satisfied with his current work, and is biding his time for an opportunity to reenter his preferred field.
Chase Animi is a gambler. Addicted to it. This has caused him to go deep into debt, and in and out of prison. Any attempt to keep a job or build any kind of stable life is sabotaged by this addiction. He’s miserable, but he can’t stop. He falls in with shady crowds trying to pay back the money he owes, starts conning people for their cash, gets caught and put in jail again. He is not having a great time. One night, a bar fight gets a little too heated, and results in three men dead by Chase’s hand. If this isn’t enough of a crime to earn a death penalty, then he somehow does something else to earn his sentence. He ends up a D-class at the SCP Foundation. He is given cleaning duty for The Sculpture for several months, and as all goes to plan during that time, he survives without incident. Soon though, he is sent in to observe an SCP that affects a person’s mind—though he doesn’t know that yet. This is where he first interacts with Dr. Animi, who has just convinced the higher-ups that he should be allowed to study mind-altering SCPs again, if only ones of significantly less power and danger to himself. Chase doesn’t recognize the scientist that happens to share his name. But Dr. Animi recognizes him.
They’re twin brothers.
The two had parted ways years ago after an argument. Manuel had just joined the SCP Foundation as a scientist, and tried to convince Chase to apply as well, so they could stick together. Chase was furious with Manuel for wanting to retreat from society into a group of crazy all-powerful scientists, and for not telling him sooner that he was planning this. Chase wanted nothing to do with the Foundation or any organization like it. Manuel warned Chase that if he didn’t join the Foundation in some way, he would have to be given amnestics to forget its existence. Chase said that was fine by him, and that if Manuel wanted to leave him so badly, then he would be more than happy to forget his brother entirely. So Manuel, also caught up in anger, did exactly as he asked, erasing any trace of himself from Chase’s mind and leaving his brother for good, devoting his life entirely to the Foundation. Chase’s life, meanwhile, fell into disarray. It is possible that the careful amputation of such a constant presence in every single one of Chase’s memories negatively altered his mind in such a way that predisposed him to his addiction. With the sudden lack of something he had depended on all his life, he needed to depend on something else…
Dr. Animi recalled Chase from his current assignment before its effects could take a stronger hold, and through application of his recent research, was able to produce a near-total recovery. Dr. Animi then told Chase that they were brothers, and explained what had happened to cause his amnesia about their shared past. Chase was furious with Dr. Animi for destroying his memories of him, and disgusted that he would not only commit unethical experimentation, but do it to his own brother. Chase refused to speak to Dr. Animi further, but Dr. Animi still wanted to help Chase. He knew there were a few rare cases of D-class not only surviving their ordeals, but being allowed to reenter society and live ordinary lives. Only a handful of cases, out of innumerable casualties, but if Dr. Animi played his cards right, he could save Chase.
There was an SCP that had been discovered earlier that year (let’s say this takes place in 1973 I guess), SCP-666. That one that tempts people with addictions. Very few D-class had been tested with it so far, and all had died as a result of succumbing to their addictions, but Dr. Animi had a theory about the nature of SCP-666, and he was going to bet his brother’s life on it. He contacted the team studying SCP-666 and recommended Chase as a test subject, highlighting the strong gambling addiction that had been the root cause of every crime Chase had ever committed. The team had tested subjects with substance addictions, but had yet to try addictions of any other nature. They accepted Chase as their next subject.
Dr. Animi insisted on being the one to deliver the D-class to his destination. Chase refused to speak to him, but Dr. Animi whispered that he was doing everything he could to save Chase’s life. This was his best chance at not only survival, but escape. If Dr. Animi was right, SCP-666 was not a death sentence, but a test. Any D-class subjected to it who was not already an addict had seen no ill effects—666 did not compel a person to act against their will, at behaviors that were not their own, but merely encouraged existing addiction until it reached the point of death. If Chase could resist 666’s temptations, he may be released alive, and in order to study the long-term effects on his addiction, Chase would need to be introduced back into the wider world, where he could be monitored in his natural environment with its usual available temptations. Dr. Animi would convince the Foundation, somehow, that Chase could not be exposed to any other SCP without destroying a valuable research subject. All Chase needed to do was not die from SCP-666. An even more difficult task, as there was not much opportunity to gamble in containment, and Chase was feeling withdrawal. Dr. Animi had a theory, but the facts (which Chase was not supposed to be told) said that everyone who had faced this SCP had died. So why not live it up one last time before he went? What did he have to lose? What did he have to go back to? And yet, this addiction had destroyed his entire life. If he was going to meet his end… what if he could win, just once, over that all-consuming force? Win something not through luck, but through skill, through willpower?
Well, he’s going to try. He doesn’t anticipate an outcome where he survives. He’s not doing this because he believes he’ll be freed, in any sense of the word. He’s doing this to spit in the face of 666-1, and prove to himself that he has control in his life, even if that life is about to end.
Also, there’s one last thing you should know about Chase. See, that mind-altering SCP he did a brief stint with? Well, I looked pretty unassuming. Just a plain white cup sitting on a table. Chase didn’t know what he was supposed to be looking for. And he certainly didn’t realize when he started talking about me in the first person. My effects can end pretty badly for those exposed. Usually, they end up drowning themselves, often with tea. But Dr. Animi caught Chase’s symptoms early, and managed to talk him out of being a danger to himself. He was unable to be convinced that he was not, in fact, a cup like me, but Dr. Animi twisted this belief into something safer. Chase had arms and legs, right? And eyes and a nose and a mouth? He repeated this often, making Chase locate these attributes on himself, until he finally believed it to be true. He was a person, who had different needs than a cup. But he was also a cup, there was no talking him out of that. Dr. Animi could only do so much. Instead, he worked with Chase to develop a persona that became his new self-image, a persona that was, of course, still a cup, but functioned a lot more like a human. Chase once again understood himself to need sleep and food and air, and to be susceptible to death under many conditions that an average non-person cup would thrive in. And despite an insistence that his hair be constantly damp with tea or milk or coffee, Chase was deemed able to live normally again, thanks to a little outside-the-box thinking on Dr. Animi’s part. After all, Dr. Animi understood that you don’t necessarily have to see the world in a way that makes sense to anyone else to live a good life. You don’t have to be one hundred percent “sane.” Sometimes your life can even be better if you let yourself go a little crazy…
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unovan-gardener · 24 days
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//heyy I hate to ask this bc it's probably annoying/inconvenient but my brain does this dumb thing where it's like, "you can't interact with that person, you're months out of date with their lore" which is stupid but brains suck sometimes
//so. I hate asking this cause it's probably time consuming but. Could I maybe have a summary (doesn't need to be detailed!!) of unovanra (& possibly joltik guy, since you guys are very connected characters I think) lore? Specifically after minkst went to jail
//I know this would probably take for ever, so if you just give me arc tags or a link to posts with major events that's totally fine too! I don't mind reading through stuff at all and I like your writing! But if I didn't have a starting point / label of "here's what's important" I'd try to Read Everything and get burned out
//Thank you! Sorry! Your characters are cool! AAAAA
//okay!!!
i will do my best!!! it will be under the cut for length!! HEED TAGS SERIOUSLY THIS IS SUPER LONG. ITS FROM LATE NOVEMBER TO NOW. ITS SO LONG. PLEASE.
NOV 24-29: okay so! after Minsk got arrested, CD stayed with their dad for a while, since their dad found out how their face got burned and he did a skin grafting surgery on their wound. CD is scared of catmons after this. While CD is in surgery and recovering, their dad (Atley Deo) takes over the account briefly (his tag is #pater plantarum). He is the head of Deo horticulture, a plant based business. Auzi owes Atley a blood debt. Atley asks about service mon and everyone and their mother suggests a smeargle. It is revealed that CD's mother and Atleys wife died in childbirth. Joltiks boyfriend breaks up with them while CD is out. When they come back they are very woozy.
NOV 30-DEC 1: CD decides to adopt an eevee egg from @/allthatglitterzz, and they receive a smeargle service mon to monitor their heart "arrythmia" , lovingly named Stencil. nobody thinks its an actual arrythmia and also people are even more theorizing that he is a plant. Speaking of that arrythmia, CD has a heart attack while home alone, and Stencil calls Joltik instead of their dad to come help. Their heart had stopped entirely, but a zap from Tik sets it back going again. Joltik calls CD's dad, and then leaves before Atley comes home.
DEC 2-DEC 6 : The eevee egg hatches! She is a beautiful baby girl and her name is Porridge, Pidge for short. CD is diagnosed with the TIsm for plant identification reasons /joke. CD and Joltik watch a lot of competition reality tv shows.
DEC 7-DEC 8: Nothing really important happens
DEC 9- DEC 15 : Joltik asks CD to catch them in a pokeball. CD keeps buying candles and they keep going missing, much to their annoyance. CD catches Joltik and it goes poorly, Joltik gets a bit messed up because of it. His candles continue to go missing, people begin to theorize about litwik. A new problem arises: a resident with a mightyena that is hopped up on X attack is roaming campus. DEC 16- : A candle appears on CD's windowsill, looking a lot like a litwick, although it has no flame. its merged into the windowsill and cannot be moved. It continues to amass more wax. CD names it Kerosene, after being hounded a bit by anons. DEC 17 -18 : Pidge briefly goes being, being found in Joltik's dorm. She knocks over a drawing filled with thunder stones and evolves into a Jolteon. Mightyena guy comes back, CD is on duty and patrols to chase him off. CD runs into him on patrol, and Pidge gets her ear torn off by the mightyena. CD goes offline, and Kerosene takes over the phone. It is implied that Kero evolved into a lanpent and consumes the mightyena to save CD. Kero uses a spirit box to communicate, saying that CD was at a pokecenter, and asking for help as she is lost. Joltik comes to find her. DEC 18 -23 Nothing overly important happens. CD accidentally helps Joltiks eevee Mint evolve into Umbreon.
DEC 23- 26: CD's dad finds out about the mightyena attack, and wants to assign CD a bodyguard which they think is stupid. their dad makes them stay home for a while. Tik comes to visit and watch shows while Atley is out. Atley comes back early, but isnt mad, just starts interrogating Tik a bit.
DEC 27-30 : Christmas present from dad!! It's a sprigatito named trowel!! Technically Juniper's first canon interaction with CD! @/sinnohstruggles
DEC 31: Lucretia Minsk escapes prison
JAN 1: the nuytsia project arc starts. should be tagged #the nuytsia project but is occasionally mispelled as #the nuystia project. Summary: joltik is infected by a parasite that makes them compulsed to protect and take care of CD, CD is revealed to be kept alive by a living plant inside them after being stillborn. Atley gains remote access of CD's phone for a brief takeover to try and explain why he did what he did. Atley then proceeds to let himself be taken to jail without struggle. CD is very very sad and distressed by the events of the arc. ARC OFFICIALLY ENDED JAN 8
JAN 9-12 : not a whole lot of importance here, cd gets sleepy and slow in the cold because plant. Juniper and CD start dating and they are cute lmao JAN 13-20 :CD's granparents get in contact, finally hearing that Atley is in jail. They attempt to get custody of CD, all of the pokemon, and all of Atley's assets. Atley did not get along well with his parents and a Lawyer will be in contact with CD, as they are being taken to court. CD quits their job as an RA and drops out of college due to stress from the oncoming court case. They begin lashing out a bit, because of the stress. CD has an argument with Juniper where Juniper attempts to help them but CD feels like they are being treated like a child. They throw the phone at the wall in frustration and Kero takes over the account. During the court case, CD has a heart attack due to the stress, and their grandparents use that to win the case, gaining custody over CD and all of Atley's assets.
JAN 21-22 : CD is taken to live with their grandparents. Their pokemon are taken from them, leaving them only with Stencil, Trowel, and Pidge (as well as Kerosene who is there secretly). CD is locked in their room at the grandparents house during this period, not allowed to leave. The house is cold and they feel slow and sick, not allowed plants or anything from home. They are fed food that makes them sick. CD begins sending audio messages to their friends, but they are short because they get in trouble when caught. It is revealed that the house is in Icirrus City. Kerosene evolved into a Chandelure in order to melt the window and get CD out of the house. JAN 23-FEB 1 : CD's phone is still broken, so they post audio recordings for a while. While in the Snowy forest, CD finds a eevee named Kiwi in a basket, who becomes very clingy and comes along with. It is revealed that CD has now been declared a missing person by their Grandparents. ALSO JUNIPER AND CD ACTUALLY STARTED DATING THE 28TH I FUCKED UP. Anons start hounding CD to go to moss rock because they think it will activate CD's latent plant powers. CD notably doesnt want Kiwi to evolve and gives kiwi 5 everstones. Kiwi dips once they get to pinwheel and loses all their everstones somehow, evolving into a leafeon, much to cds dismay. CD goes home very grumpy about this.
FEB 2- :Silvervine arc starts. should be tagged #silvervine arc. Summary: kiwi roots into cd, merging into them and making them a leafeon hybrid. minsk kidnaps CD, brainwashing/mindcontrolling them with her control over cat-mon. The hybridization merge makes CD have a rush of endorphins and dopamine to minimize the pain, giving them a floaty fuzzy feeling. cd helps minsk with some gardening ;3 lore is dropped, and CD escapes, fully hybridized, but still somewhat conditioned to listen to certain command phrases told to them by minsk, and feeling floaty fuzzy when they fall into leafeon instincts. THIS ARC ENDED FEB 5TH FEB 5th- Onward: Juniper went to a psych ward after stress from CD not wanting to see him post hybridization, he is still there. CD is briefly blocked by both tik and juniper. CD goes to live in lostlorn for a while. CD kinda breaks up with Juniper??? unclear. CD can now spead to cat mon and understand grass types. they meet a tropius named Yache who joins their team. CD lives with Juniper's pokemon team for a while before an argument happens and they leave again. now theyre kinda homeless! also! they turned into a leafeon for a few days and now they can kinda do that sometimes maybe work in progress I hope this was helpful!!!
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19burstraat · 4 days
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So I read in your newest fic’s (which IS INCREDIBLE btw you never miss 🩷) notes that you originally conceptualized the fic as being in the vein of “it’s a wonderful life” and I’m wondering…….how do you think that would have gone? Just curious 💕
Ty!! I note that I haven't seen it for quite a few years so it would have been a fairly basic comparison bc I forget the specifics of the context in IAWL, but yes... The spirit of Jordie (or possibly just Kaz's brain pulling a Really Complex Hallucination, I think the idea was it's like a fucking weird dream after he either nearly drowns or gets beaten up) pulls up, and says Hey Kaz Want To Know What Would've Happened If You HAD Died and Kaz is like. 'Um not really actually' but it's too late. I do have a bunch of notes app scraps of it, that I repurposed slightly for the current fic, so I'll paste em under the cut for your perusal. Ultimately I found this way of doing things a bit unsubtle but it was very interesting!
"Is this some guilt complex shit?" said Kaz.
"If you want it to be."
"No, I don't." Kaz wriggled out of the way and got to his feet. "I'm just going to—"
***
The sheet was wrenched away.
Kaz had seen plenty of death in the Barrel and on the Barge, and he had known who was going to be under the sheet. It didn't matter. He had to crouch abruptly in the corner before his legs gave way. He clamped his hands over his mouth and tried not to look anywhere in particular— not at Jordie, dead beside him, or Jesper, dead on the morgue table with a set of terrible wounds. He could hear snatches of conversation:
"...ran up debts... gangs... sent debtors after him..."
****
"Well, Miss Zenik— I run a little thing called the Hellshow," said Rollins. "Heard of it?"
Nina shook her head.
"Don't," Kaz said, even though it made no difference.
***
With a horrified start, Kaz realised it was Wylan; leaning on the wall in neatly re-hemmed Barrel flash and hastily cut hair.
"I want my cut now," he said.
"You'll get a cheque in a few days."
"In cash; now."
"You think I'm running a charity?" said Wylan. "You think all this information and all those chemicals come free? If you want to run this job without me, that's fine. But I won't bail you out of the Stadhall Jail when the Stadwatch grunts catch you with a fucking circular saw at the vault."
Per Haskell exchanged glances with Red Felix and Beetle. Eventually, there was some fumbling, and a wodge of kruge was produced. Wylan took it and counted it.
***
Kaz watched him go.
"He won't get out," he said.
"He might," said Jordie.
"He won't," said Kaz. "He can't. He's in too deep, now. He should've folded and left months ago, but he was too conscientious about the money and too anxious about being scammed."
***
"I get it, alright?" Kaz said wretchedly. "I get it. I understand."
"Do you?"
"I know I have to live for everyone else to make it, too." Kaz spat. "I know. What do you want me to say?"
"Fate has plans for us all, Kaz."
"Killing her and taking her platitudes? That's fucking rich." Kaz turned and paced the cobbles furiously. "Fuck! Fine! So— what? Go on! Tell me! Give me the moral!"
***
It's interesting bc I kinda like the idea (I miss Kaz when he's not there I get very upset when he's not around. Like a baby at a party screaming when everyone holding them isn't the Specific Person They Want) but also I think I'd never have finished this lmao. Also I'd have had to decide if it was a real supernatural kinda thing or if it was just Kaz's brain on a mad one. And like I say, I kinda prefer the ominous absences... To deploy Kaz's favourite tactic, planting an idea but leaving a lack of specifics or certainty, creates a lot more unsease.
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mygwenchan · 26 days
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Post credit scene~
Wholesome Nuth and Phop to make us hurt even more ;;
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Another drug delivery, but since this happened before Nuth went to jail, at least we know that Phop won't get caught (in the end he's still dead though, so that probably doesn't matter anymore ugh)
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IS THAT NANT?!
Damn that is Nant!
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WHAT? Phop, what are you doing? Why are you attacking Nant?!
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NOOOO Don't choke him OMG
Well damn, so Phop was the one who killed Nant? And I guess he injected him with drugs and placed him in the woods to make it look like Nant died from an overdose
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Why did Phop kill him though? I'm slightly confused...
Let's see about the time line: The post credit scene happens during ep8, so that's right after Nont has barged into Nuth's flat and has threatened to kill Phop, if Nuth won't tell him what happened to Nant. The three of then end up having a more or less normal conversation about Nant and Nuth shows Nont the suicide clip.
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Later on that day, Nuth and Phop are all happy again in the kitchen, doing their laundry. Phop even says that he's not mad about Nant. The post credit scene of ep14 continues these events.
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So now that means on that particular day, Phop must've thought Nant is already dead, right? Since he thought the suicide clip was real. Which then means that Phop mistook Nant for Nont in that dark alley? Did Phop actually intent do kill Nont, maybe to protect Nuth? Or maybe Phop was really angry at Nont for the whole "being held at gunpoint" thing?
Another possibility is that Phop mistook Nant for Zouey. After all, Nant was wearing Zouey's clothes at that time. Then the question is, why would Phop want to kill Zouey?
And in case Phop recognized Nant and was aware of the fact that the suicide clip was fake: Maybe he wanted to kill him because he feared Nant would try to get back with Nuth? Since Phop was already super attached to Nuth, he decided that Nant had to go for good?
Or: Someone hired Phop to commit this murder? As we know now, Phop has large amounts of debts. So maybe someone forced him to pick up this kind of work. Wouldn't be too weird, since Aob pretty much did the same dirty work in the past. But who hired Phop? Jason? Zouey?
Either way, the guilt about this accidental (?) murder must've contributed to Phop's own suicide. Ah damn...
We still don't know more about the clip Phop gave to Nont though. Phop said it's the real reason why Nant died. So... What's the reason?!
I need the second season ASAP ;A;
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panurei-derogatory · 8 months
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Hey guys I can't sleep so you're all going to hear my thoughts/theories about the lore of pizza tower in no particular order
Obviously spoilers to the game, the story is hardly important to the gameplay but I'd highly recommend you go into the game as fresh as possible. In case you haven't heard already, the game's fucking phenomenal and you should've played it yesterday at this point
POINT ONE: The Pizza Tower is something that has existed for a significant amount of time before the events of the game, as it seems The Vigilante has lived here for a while. We see this mostly in the refrigerator level, where it looks like snowmen have been left there resembling his late father/grandfather present as a ghost during his bossfight. Either the vigilante GREW UP here over some time (how long is a cheese blob's lifespan?), or these are left here as a means of honoring his parental figure. Vigilante also knows where to find the Noisette Cafe, which is hidden very well, so he's been here long enough to know the places ins and outs. This explains why he's invested in this place enough to take up an anti-hero role of defense, as he's grown very fond of the place. This ties somewhat into point two:
POINT TWO: The Pizza Tower's purpose is likely some sort of resort, if not a place of permanent residence. At least, that's what it was initially designed as before falling into some degree of disrepair (mainly in the slums). It has everything a guest would need- different kinds of entertainment (minigolf, saloon, beach for swimming, ect) and other essential facilities (plumbing system, cold storage, countless different restaurants, places like the peppibot factory that can supply jobs, housing, even a fucking GRAVEYARD) are strewn throughout the entire tower. Maybe the first floor with all the dungeon levels is some sort of jail area, a punishment zone for misbehaving residents. It has just about everything needed for people to call this place home, and we even SEE the bosses actively living here. The bosses don't just wait in their arenas, we see them sulk off to other parts of the tower after we defeat them. They don't want to leave until they're forced to by the tower's collapse. It's like some massive cruiseship.
POINT THREE: The events of the game are being recorded and broadcast as entertainment. The television in the corner that displays peppino at all times is shown in numerous other areas: the residents of the pig city are seen watching it, the televisions are used in pizzahead's one attack, the resume button in the pause menu is a TV with a play symbol on it.. Hell, even the Noise has an extra camera crew for a portion of his own bossfight, though that could be partially unrelated as the Noise seems to have a media presence completely separate from the tower. A TON of signs point to Peppino's escapades being recorded, but the purpose of this is completely up in the air- it could be televized as a believed-to-be-fictional series to the outside world, it could be a security system monitoring Peppino, hell, it could even just be for Pizzahead's personal entertainment.
POINT FOUR: This is NOT Pizzahead's first attempt at a business venture. Don't Make a Sound's background elements point to the idea that this was Pizzahead's first ever restaurant, which went bankrupt for reasons that aren't ever insinuated (probably the same problems that plague the rest of the tower: poor quality, poor safety measures, poor matinence and upkeep). This gives Pizzahead the motive of being jealous of Peppino's success (despite Peppino himself being in serious debt, although his restaurant IS still standing.. I guess debt like that wouldn't be something Pizzahead would be aware of), wanting to destroy him for being more successful. This jealousy also gives an explanation to why things like the cloning section in WAR and Peppibot Factory would exist in this supposed utopia Pizzahead attempted to create; Pizzahead wanted to replicate the success of Peppino somehow, but always failed. This gives credit to the next point.
POINT FIVE: The story of Pizza Tower contains a moral pertaining to quality over quantity. Pizzahead most certainly has or had a fuckton of money and connections in order to build this massive tower AFTER going bankrupt on his own business, marking him as some sort of corporate conglomerate millionaire figure comparable to someone like Ronald McDonald. Despite all of the money thrown at the Tower, it's all brought crumbling down by a single man and his blazing desire to keep his proper, authentic, mom-and-pop pizza business afloat. Craftsmanship and dedication to what you create will always outshine heartless corporate slop. And then there's the more obvious moral of don't push people's limits and/or don't fuck with Italians (which is probably the moral the devs would adhere to more since they don't really take the lore seriously like my autistic ass).
Do I have a way to wrap this up? No. Did any of this make sense? Probably not. Whatever. Thanks for reading another massive wall of text from Panurei "Autism" Derogatory.
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doulayogimama · 2 months
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Every time this single mom friend of mine talks to me about her problems, the more I want to shake the woman.
I have kept my mouth mostly shut because the girls are friends and I didn’t want to make anything awkward. I’ve known her for 3 weeks, but not a day has passed that she hasn’t vented about this stupid man. I really really want to give this girl some harsh advice re: baby daddy once we part ways and leave Málaga. I don’t care if she never speaks to me again, but someone needs to tell this girl to wake the fuck up.
He is in so much gambling debt that she says when she forced him to send her everything (CC statements and things) she almost threw up. He doesn’t even pay his most important bills, healthcare, cell phone. He doesn’t help her financially with their child at all. He not only asks her to send him money, but he asks her to send HIS FRIENDS and OTHER BABY MAMAS (yes you read that right, she is 1 of 3) money. She told me yesterday that it’s the hardest thing in the world to not send him money when he asks. (In my head I was like… what???) She told me her mother often wishes her baby daddy would die because she’s so tired of her daughter being put through his BS.
She asked him to go to therapy: he said no. And he only believes that he can take care of his debts by gambling more. She says if he doesn’t make a $2k payment towards a certain bill, he will go to jail for 4 days just for that one bill.
This girl is a self love / body positivity influencer 🫠 I just … I really want to tell this girl in the kindest (but firmest) way possible to stop being a frigging idiot. STOP sending him money. Let his ass go to jail. Let him get a job!!!! She has given him thousands of dollars and compromised her financial security to give him gambling money.
I know she may hate me for telling her IDGAF whose father he is, let him GO. She keeps saying, “he sent me the most beautiful letter on my birthday saying I didn’t deserve what he’s put me though…” like AND???? Did it come with a check for all the money he’s ever taken from you? I wouldn’t be surprised if he got with her simply because he knew she was easily manipulated. I’m just… disgusted by this guy. Disappointed in my mom friend for allowing her daughters money to go to casinos because SHE KNOWS where the money goes.
All her mum friends also seem to be single, distressed women with big problems as well. Maybe she thinks this is all okay because most of the mums she knows are going through something but girl I BEG OF YOU - stop entertaining this assholes addictions. Let his ass cry himself to sleep in jail. THEN he will realize how much he needs to make things right. Maybe.
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akechi-stole-my-heart · 2 months
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i saw ur post abt black star right after reading it and I'd love for u to elaborate lol my biggest problem w it was Akira disliking/not forgiving akechi... like i know it was written before royal and im not even THAT big of a shuake shipper but reading akira as anything other than in love with akechi is just. Wrong. my only other problem w it was how it treated prison like the only other option for akechi besides death, and anyway akechi would have chosen death regardless. It's crazy how both of those huge flaws were disproven in royal and how they're most likely the cause for fan misinterpretation today. still a good plot and i liked the other characterizations but like. the conclusion of akechi going to jail and akira supporting that above all is just so wrong
Oh yeah Akira's feelings toward Akechi were a huge reason why I had to dnf, easily one of the worst aspects by far. And it sucks because otherwise Akira's characterization was SO good. OP understood him but they did not understand Akechi and that extended to Akira, sadly.
And yeah, the jail thing is both baffling and Bad. Akechi does not need to go to jail. Can we please stop believing in punitive justice even when it makes no sense. Akechi doesn't even get what he deserves anyway because he doesn't go on trial for most of his crimes (like, you know, the murder) and then he gets off easy getting to join the shadow ops months into his sentence. After all that set up about him needing to get what he deserves/justice being served only for that to Very Much Not Happen. Because if Akechi DID get what he "deserved" under our justice system he'd get life in prison at best. It's hypocritical.
Possibly my biggest gripe other than the stupid insistence that Akechi go to jail is Akechi's characterization, though. It's alllll wrong. And like, to be fair, it was kind of impossible to know that it was wrong at the time because Royal hadn't come out yet. In black star Akechi is portrayed as absolutely, 100% unremorseful and gets angry at the idea of having to pay for his crimes. Which just. isn't. in character for him.
I kind of went into this with my recent post about Akechi and regrets, but there's another aspect this take on Akechi is completely missing. And that's Akechi and debts. He absolutely recognizes that what he did is wrong. He did it despite knowing it was wrong. But his reaction isn't going to be "how dare you suggest I turn myself in." It's going to be "I should be in jail already and I will do my best to repay my debts as far as I am able." Not in a guilty sort of way (at least outwardly), but a pragmatic one. There's a reason Akechi turns himself in for you, and it's not just about making Shido pay. It's about making things right, both to Joker and the world in general.
Akechi thinks of justice in extremely punitive terms. If you do wrong, you deserve to have wrongs done to you in turn. This applies to both others and himself. It's what leads him to his actions, and why he willingly sacrificed himself and then later turns himself in. It's why he hates the idea of being granted mercy in Maruki's reality. In his eyes, he doesn't deserve anything more than death and/or prison. He hurt people, and so now it's time for him to reap the consequences.
The author of black star has it completely backwards. Akechi's arc shouldn't be learning that he needs to face consequences. He wants to face consequences. He wants to die/go to jail because he thinks he's worthless and doesn't deserve anything better. That's his starting point of any post-canon arc. Giving him jail time is giving him exactly what he wants.
Personally, I think punitive justice as a concept is complete bullshit. I'm not gonna get into the nitty gritty of that here. But my point stands regardless--and whether you believe in punitive justice or not, objectively the more interesting direction to take an Akechi redemption is to force him to live life to the fullest. That is unironically the worst punishment you could give him. Force him to face the consequences of living when he thinks he should be dead, of going through the painful and difficult process of recovery, and being forced to interact with and reconcile with the people he hurt after acknowledging that hurt not pragmatically, but personally.
I don't want to read a story about Akechi learning to accept that he has to go to jail. it's stupid, out of character, and counter to my core values as a person. That's why I stopped reading black star. I want to see Akechi learning to live. To me, that is a far more in-character and interesting concept to explore.
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wordstro · 2 years
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[6] post apocalypse + ex!san au + "is that a threat?"
part 5 | masterlist | part 7
a/n: 4k words, no warnings this chapter, just cussing and build up lol
-
"yeosang?" your voice hitches around his name. despite the disappointment, the familiarity of his voice gives you hope - something you're sure san would have berated you for if he was on the other end anyway.
"yes," yeosang sounds impatient, high strung. he says, "you didn't answer my question."
you wonder, for a moment, if he knows. you wonder if he'll care to help. he doesn't owe you anything anymore. that's the kind of world you're in. still, the hope is there. it sits with the thought in your head that he answered. yeosang still answered.
you explain how you were captured, gaze flitting to the dark entrance of the room. just in case. you don't give him all the details, just how you woke up to hongjoong and he'd brought you to the sanctuary. you're sure yeosang, of all people, knows what this place is like more than anyone. even you. you don't need to explain it to him.
there's silence on the other end of the walkie talkie, before the static fills the room and yeosang says, voice crackly, quiet, "where are you right now?"
"a jail cell. the whole place is a repurposed jail, though i'm sure you know that."
"fuck," yeosang curses, "they must have moved locations."
you blink, "what?"
"it used to be a gated apartment community."
"oh, well i didn't see where exactly we were. just a forest. a lot of it. when...during tonight's..."
"shipment?" yeosang finishes for you. his voice is strained.
"yeah, i saw it then." your fingers curl around the thin blanket on your lap, "the trees are tall."
another long pause, before yeosang finally speaks, "i'm sorry, y/n."
"why are you sorry?" you scoff into the walkie, leaning your head against the cold stone wall of the jail cell as you stare at where you remembered the entrance to the room was. "you didn't know this would happen."
yeosang doesn't say anything this time either. for a moment, all is silent, and the only sound in the room is your staggered breathing and the distant laughter beyond the walls of your jail cell. yeosang couldn't have possibly known this would happen. right?
yeosang says, "we're gonna get you out of there."
you sit up at that, shaking your head, nearly dropping the walkie talkie in your haste to press the button. "no! wooyoung mentioned you used to be here. you can't come back here. not after what i've seen and what wooyoung said about this place. not for a stranger like me."
"wooyoung is just annoyingly overprotective," yeosang says, scoffing, "he doesn't know shit. besides i still owe you for saving mingi's life."
"you already repaid that debt."
"a couple pieces of bread and a single night's sleep is not equivalent to saving mingi's life."
"i know," you sigh at his annoyed tone, "i just...you don't owe me anymore. i don't want anything from you."
"i do owe you." yeosang says, tone adamant and clear. there's no talking him out of it. he continues, before you can click the button to speak, "can you describe the jail to me? they must have given you a tour."
you don't comment on his knowledge, or the fact that at least seonghwa and hongjoong appear consistent in their creepy methods. you just say, "fine, yeah."
you tell him everything you remember of the layout of the sanctuary. you curl up against the corner of the bed, against the wall, and speak in hushed tones. afterwards, he says nothing about the information you've given him. yeosang just says, "check in with me every night, okay? in the meantime, i'm going to get the other's input on how to do this."
you think of san. wooyoung's comments about why they helped you when they did. somehow you don't think wooyoung will be too keen on helping to get you out. not when it'd put yeosang and mingi back in harm's way. "you really think they'll help?"
"i'm charming as fuck, y/n," yeosang says, "they'll help."
you still doubt it, but you smile into the walkie talkie as you say, "thank you."
"don't thank me." yeosang says, "anyways, i'll hang up now. just remember one thing. some people there don't agree with seonghwa and hongjoong. find them. it'll make things easier."
you were surprised at him mentioning seonghwa and hongjoong when you never really mentioned them by name, but yeosang used to be in the same position as you. of course he'd know them.
he seemed so sure of dissenters. you'd seen the crowd at the shipment. no one seemed opposed to it. you frown, "like who?"
a long pause. your stomach curls a bit at the pause.
"anyone you can." yeosang finally says, "just be careful."
"okay. bye."
he doesn't respond and take that as your queue to turn off the radio, tucking it away. you wonder, for a moment, if he was thinking of anyone in particular. that would make sense wouldn't it? but then again, if yeosang and mingi got out, why wouldn't he bring anyone else he cared about with him? yeosang did not seem the type to leave anyone behind. that much was evident from the circumstances you met him in. he would have died rather than leave mingi there.
you sleep that night with just a little bit less fear in you, naïve as that may be in the kind of place you're trapped in.
~.~.~.~.~
"rise and shine!"
you jolt awake to the sound of metal clanging against metal. you scowl at hongjoong. he pockets the knife he used to bang against the jail cell bars (wooyoung's knife, of course) and he grips the bars, leaning in. he grins, wide and sharp and not even a night away from him has lessened the impact of his crazed smile.
"what the hell?"
"you have work to do, sweetheart," hongjoong says, pushing himself back from the cell. he digs out the keys and the jail cell door creaks open.
you remain seated at the furthest corner of the tiny bed, watching him, "like?"
hongjoong crosses his arms over his chest, "making up for all the rules you broke yesterday. you're new, so seonghwa is allowing you some...relief, but you doesn't mean you're getting away with it?"
"what rules?" you sit up at that.
"lying to me. interrupting seonghwa. speaking in the library." hongjoong taps his chin, "wasting food. that's a big one. personally i think you deserve at least a finger chopped off for that one."
you blink, "how am i supposed to know what the rules are if you didn't bother telling me?"
hongjoong shrugs, says, "how am i supposed to give you punishments until you talk then?"
that makes you pause. the honesty of it all is ironic. he doesn't even sugarcoat it.
"is that what you and seonghwa are planning then? to force me to speak?"
"my methods don't require force, y/n. i'm good at getting people to talk all on their own. though that's only if you're on your best behavior. i don't recommend acting out."
you stare at him, "is that a threat?"
hongjoong smiles quite sweetly, "absolutely. glad we're on the same page."
then hongjoong flashes his sharp teeth, taps the bars of the jail cell, the clanging echoing between you both, and he says, "now let's hurry. breakfast will be served soon and you wouldn't want to miss it. get dressed. i'll be outside."
~.~.~.~.~
"are you kidding me?"
you stare at the outhouses, manned only with a flimsy mop, a water bucket with barely any soap, and a pair of elbow length latex gloves. you'd attended breakfast and ate everything off your plate, wary of hongjoong's presence. breakfast is where the members of the sanctuary are given their daily tasks. since you're being punishments for bad behavior, you've been given the shitty tasks. literally.
breakfast, aside from the threat, had given you a chance to scope out the other people in the sanctuary. you couldn't see how any of these people would go against seonghwa or hongjoong. they bowed to him as he passed and greeted him warmly. when seonghwa arrived with the daily task assignments, they looked at him with such reverence it reminded you of the night before and you nearly threw up your breakfast. the dining hall was set up like an array of picnic tables beneath a large roof. you think this used to be the prison yard. now it looked like a picnic spot in the parks, from back before. you'd spotted the man from last night, jongho, near the fruits. he was nodding as someone spoke to him, but his eyes kept flitting across the room. he'd met your gaze, briefly, and he'd smiled kindly. it was strange, but not unwelcome. no one else really smiled at you here. they all eyed you in indifference, a strange thing to encounter after months and months of no human interaction. still you'd looked away from jongho when he smiled.
hongjoong directed you to your tasks, and now here you are. you mutter, "i'd rather clean up blood in your torture chamber."
"of course you would." hongjoong says, his gaze narrowing. then he wrinkles his nose, waves a hand in dismissal, and leaves you to clean the outhouses while trying to keep from suffocating.
~.~.~.~.~
days, maybe weeks, passed of you trying to keep from breaking any rules. you'd half expected hongjoong to make up rules to break just so he could punish you, but he found his amusement in other ways. like clanging wooyoung's knife against the jail cell doors every night and cackling as he woke you to walk you to breakfast or to do an early morning task. every night he sat beside you at the shipments and told you exactly what the person did to get the injuries they had, why they were being "shipped". every night. without fail.
every night, you'd sit in your little jail cell bed - you hadn't bothered asking for an actual room, since hongjoong had it out for you - and you'd check in with yeosang. the exchange was only a couple sentences long. you couldn't fault yeosang for wanting to hang up so quickly, but you also hated how much you relied on those check-ins for a modicum of sanity. you'd tried speaking to the other people there, but all they did was sing praises for hongjoong and seonghwa. they scared you. what scared you most was that every night, after the shipment and hongjoong's taunting, seonghwa would tell stories to the crowd, especially to the handful of children, and you'd sit there sometimes, and you'd understand why they listened to him.
seonghwa was sweet to the children, to everyone really, and his voice was gentle. he was kind, at least on the surface. and, you found yourself falling into the lull of security his very presence brought. whenever that happened, it made you angry. at seonghwa and the sanctuary, and more importantly at yourself for falling for his charms and the image he created, even just a little bit.
one night, you were walking back along the beaten footpath, the stars shining bright. you still did not dare to look at the sky. you wondered often how the sanctuary managed to keep the fog and those things in the sky away. there really was no explanation provided other than seonghwa's benevolence. you'd tripped and someone grabbed your arm and you'd looked up and it was seonghwa. you'd snatched your arm back, and he gave you a sweet smile.
you'd said, "that story was nice. i liked the movie too. what was it called again?"
"whatever do you mean?"
"that was definitely the plot to the lady and the tramp."
you expected seonghwa to glare at you. he only let out a small laugh and shrugged. "they don't know that. that's all that matters."
"do you do that often?"
"what?"
"not tell them the truth," you'd stared at him, ignoring the voice in your head telling you to stop trying to antagonize seonghwa, "it's funny because you'd think the man who takes people's tongues for lying wouldn't dare lie himself."
seonghwa stopped walking, and you came to a halt too. everyone else was long gone, and the silent darkness made every hair on your body stand on end in anticipation of an attack. no matter how long you did this, that instinct would remain, you think.
"how will the truth help?" seonghwa eyed you then with a hint of mirth - the first time you've seen an ounce of true negativity on his face. "that is what i ask myself before i lie. i don't do it to protect myself or my interests. i do it because i want to keep my people safe, mentally, emotionally, and physically. if a white lie will keep them from worrying then so be it."
"i'm sure the threat of dismemberment helps with that too, huh?"
"a society can't progress without a justice system in place. i know you believe it harsh, but it exists for a reason. if i didn't keep everyone in line, do you know what would happen?" seonghwa crossed his arms, watching your expectantly.
you shook your head.
he said, "chaos. death. the fog. it's happened once before, so I had to make security tighter and the rules more strict."
"it happened before?"
seonghwa looked at you strangely then, as if he thought you should know the answer to your own question. his eyes flickered over your expression for a long moment before he shook his head.
"in a world of chaos and uncertainty," seonghwa pressed a hand to your shoulder. you'd shrugged it off, and he smiled, "strict rules keep the peace. it gives structure. people need structure. you'll never understand, and i will tolerate that. for now."
then he walked on ahead of you, and you had this churning feeling in your stomach, and this awful urge to run. one thing you learned staying here was that you actually missed wandering ghost towns and cities and losing track of time. here you felt trapped. you were trapped. like a caged bird surrounded by vultures who all knew things you did not.
that same night, after you'd checked in with yeosang, you asked the question you'd been wondering about since he answered.
"why do you have the walkie talkie?"
you didn't think he'd answer. it was silent long enough that you figured he wouldn't.
"what do you mean?" yeosang's voice was quiet, even with the radio static going through it.
"the only walkie talkie this can connect to is it's pair," you explained. you paused, before you added, "that's why i thought san picked up."
you took your finger off the talk button, and waited.
yeosang did not answer.
~.~.~.~.~
you had to do the dishes, and fill the water jugs with water from the well at the back of the sanctuary. you'd think whoever the designed the place would put the wells and the kitchens closer together. you struggle with the pails. filling the water jugs was a task that took all day. your only breaks would be meal breaks and then you'd have to wash the dishes after and get more water for the water you've lost to the dishes.
you set the two buckets in your hands down, wiping at the sweat in your eyes.
you were contemplating just collapsing right then and letting hongjoong chop your head off or whatever. it was hot, and your shirt was sticking to your back, and you wanted to curl up and cry, especially ever since yeosang stopped checking in with you since you asked the question. a part of you whispered that you should tell them where you got the knife from. it's the least you could do if yeosang decided to throw you to the wolves with no way out.
you sit there, sprawled on the dry grass, and just as you're catching your breath and trying to keep your emotions at bay, a shadow blocks the sun from your covered eyes. you jolt, scrambling to sit up.
it isn't hongjoong or seonghwa, and you slump back at the realization.
instead, it's the man from the punishment warehouse. jongho. you manage to finally get a good look at him. his short dark hair, stocky build, and sweet smile. he only grins down at you.
you blink. he gestures at the buckets, motions at himself, and bends at the knees, pretending to pick it up.
"you want to help?" you ask.
he nods, grinning so wide, his gums show.
"okay," you say, unable to help your own grin. "if you want."
he nods vigorously.
he reaches a hand out to you first, and you let him help you up. he then reaches for both buckets and easily hauls them up on his shoulders. you gape at him, "where were you four hours ago?"
he grins, raising a brow. over the course of the rest of the day, you learn that although jongho cannot speak, he is a very expressive person. he's sweet, and probably the most normal person here. you can't imagine what kind of monster would carve out the tongue of someone like this.
after dinner, you take a seat beside jongho instead of sitting alone. jongho grins, all gums and smiling eyes. you look around, a habit you've taken on to pinpoint where hongjoong was before you did anything. hongjoong stares back at you, brows furrowed into a glare. maybe he didn't like that you had a friend. hongjoong was certainly petty enough.
you wanted to spend that night's shipment sitting with jongho, keen on avoiding hongjoong's company. however, jongho pulled out a little notebook and wrote that he had to work. you did not want to acknowledge exactly what kind of work he was doing. instead you'd nodded and waved him goodbye, suppressing a shudder. despite your liking to jongho, he still did something that scared you. even if it was an assigned task, it still reminded you of where you were and your status in this place. once jongho left, hongjoong slid into the seat next to you, his expression livid.
he says, "you really don't want to tell me where you got the knife from?"
"i don't know where i got it from," you say, keeping your eyes on seonghwa as he strides with the utmost grace to the front.
hongjoong say, "i see. all right then."
his tone is sinister, the kind of tone that makes a chill run down your spine. you watch him slip away, into the warehouse door, and your skin crawls.
~.~.~.~.~
"y/n."
it's yeosang. after days of no contact. you want to cry. you'd truly thought he'd ditched you in this place.
"sorry, something...happened. but we have a plan set, and we're going to get you out of there soon."
"are you going to tell me the plan?"
"no, not yet. you can't know until it's underway."
"are you kidding me?" you snap, fingers curling into fists at your lap, "i've been sitting here in the dark for weeks, yeosang. i deserve to know something."
"you can't fucking know the plan."
"then answer the fucking question i asked you before you disappeared for days. give me some kind of answer for something."
maybe you're taking out your frustrations on cryptic comments and threats on yeosang, maybe you're just in a bad mood. but the frustration bubbles over and you have to force yourself to keep your voice down, fingernails digging into the palm of your hand.
"the walkie?"
"yes."
"oh, san gave it to me a long time ago. i needed a radio at the time." yeosang says is so simply. you deflate at his tone and response. at the way you're acting over something so trivial. so childish. you feel awful.
you drag a hand over your face, "sorry, it's been hard in here. i hate not knowing what's going on."
"you'll know soon enough, okay, y/n?" yeosang sighs, "just not yet. so leave it for now."
you roll your eyes, "fine."
"good night."
this time you do not respond.
~.~.~.~.~
"i'm going to fucking kill him."
jongho glances at you, eyes widening at your words. you are elbow deep in dirty laundry suds, your hair sticking to your face, the midday sun beating down on your back, and sweat dripping down your safe. jongho waves at you in bewilderment.
but your gaze is on the man restrained next to hongjoong. hongjoong is giving a tour of the sanctuary to the restrained man. at least, you think, hongjoong is consistent.
"under way my ass. are you fucking kidding me?," you hiss, when he comes closer and your suspicions are confimed.
it's choi san.
the man in the restraints is none other than choi fucking san. no wonder yeosang wanted to keep the plan from you. why the hell was san here? why would he have agreed to a plan in the first place? was he accidentally captured?
hongjoong brings him closer, sweeping a hand over you and jongho. san meets your eyes first, tilting his head. you bite back a scowl.
hongjoong smacks his hand against san's back, laughing, and says, "say hello to your new job and coworkers for the next month for that nasty kick you got in. hope you enjoy it."
choi san struggles against his restraints, a purpling bruise growing on his cheek that you cannot look away from, his dark hair in his eyes. as hongjoong yanks him forward. somehow, he still has the audacity to scowl at you. your fingers curl into fists and you stare after him, questions running through your mind.
all you can think of right then is: what the hell kind of plan is this?
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What if Arnav was 5 shades darker than how we saw him in the show?
After making my music edit, I cut and edited many Khushi Arnav scenes. After digging and digging, I realised that an already so intense character like Arnav could possibly be even more dark than what Star Plus showed.
What if
I don't like made up scenarios very much. Nor do I like to imagine IPKKND in an AU where Arnav is a doctor and Khushi is a nurse.
I always try to stay close to the og story in my wild imagination and only those scenarios which don't change the story are taken seriously by me. I like it original at best.
What if Arnav actually was darker than he already was?
The man who at the beginning of the show said
"Usool sirf bevkoof logo ke liye hote hai"
When Anjali talks to Arnav about their mumma he says
"pehechan bhi nahi pati mujhe"
What sort of things has he done for him to not be recognisable by his own mother whom he loved so much?
What if writers could write as they pleased.
My imagination:
1. Arnav has done many shady things in order for AR designs to reach where it is today.
Arnav started his company from scratch. It reached its success very fast. This could not happen without malpractices. What if he really refused to involve "principles" in his business? What if he bribed politicians for favours? What if he captured lands by manipulating the system? What if his factories are not following the obligations required to operate it sustainably? What if AR designs isn't concerned about the damage it causes to the environment by producing fast fashion?
2. Dating shallow and shady women on purpose to meet his physical needs.
We have seen Arnav dating women like Lavanya kashyap, Lisa (allegedly) and Sheetal. These women were definitely not lovable when it comes to their nature. Lavanya did turn out to be a good person but, the Lavanya kashyap that ASR dated, was very Shallow.
What if Arnav Singh Raizada associated with such women because, he knew he could easily dump them without feeling sorry. Because, these women deserve it? Associating himself with cruel women just like himself. Not worthy of Love.
3. The extent of his cruelty. How deep the waters are?
Arnav is shown to be cruel. He made his uncle homeless without a penny in his pocket (though he deserved it). But, can we take a minute and think, how Arnav was so cruel to Khushi? A girl who has literally not done anything to him (not on purpose at least) and he knew it.
A man who can be this cruel to an innocent lady, just how much worse he could do to someone who actually did him dirty?
Did he ever financially destroy someone? Forced someone by blackmailing them to meet his purpose? Threaten someone if they didn't obey? Trap someone in some sort of debt?
4. Shyam deserves worse than being jailed and Arnav knows what is worse.
Arnav Singh Raizada never forgets, never forgives. We have seen him living a life full of betrayal and hurt. He kept scratching his wounds himself to remind him of his wrongdoers.
A cruel and darker Arnav Singh Raizada, if not having Shyam killed, can do many other things to make his punishment more unbearable.
Did he have the police be brutal to Shyam in jail? Did he bribe the jailors to beat him more at times? Did he make sure Shyam never gets a single chance to present himself as innocent in front of the law? Did he personally go to the prison to beat him for Harassing Khushi?
Did Arnav make sure that all the kidnappers were given a very special treatment within the confines?
5. Arnav's dark and wicked plan to take revenge from Khushi for having an affair with SMJ.
Let's all be honest. Even our current Arnav Singh Raizada could do worse to Khushi for destroying his sister. What will the darker ASR do?
Arnav Singh Raizada was falling in love with Khushi. Khushi was reciprocating. He was ready to accept his "Farak" and tell her "kyu farak padta hai" but, Khushi betrayed him and at the top of it, was destroying his sister's marriage.
What if ASR had continued his "love angle" to fool Khushi to Trap her into marriage? He continued his love facade, made Khushi fall for him, until he married her. Only to have her see his cruelty after their marriage? What a horrifying thing would that be?
A betrayal in return of a betrayal.
"she fooled me and now it's time to double it to return"
His Nafrat was forced but, he knew exactly what would hurt her.
5. Arnav Singh Raizada had deep desires to possess Khushi.
Darker Arnav Singh Raizada was still capable of wanting Khushi regardless of a betrayal. He held strong desires within. He could smell her from afar, he could sense her presence without even looking. He could hear her movements as she walked by, readied herself, changed her clothes, washed herself, stretched within the bedsheets, and breathed.
A dark desire within him was to have her love him more than Shyam even if she was his sister's enemy.
He had suppressed his dark desires of wanting her. The eye locks and accidental falls were only testing him. Her clumsiness had become his misery. His greed was only increasing and the dark desire to get on his knees to present himself to his captive was intensifying each day. Arnav Singh Raizada was weak against that woman's sex.
6. Being a better person wasn't easy.
Current Arnav Singh Raizada changed for Good. He wasn't as sad and disturbed as he was before. He could be lovable, less cruel, less egoistic and less angry.
Darker Arnav would take very long to recover. Being in love with Khushi, having her accept him as her husband made Arnav very happy. Finally, getting the love of his life was a dream come true. But, Arnav became too dependent. He was too attached, he fell way harder for her to an extent that it was unhealthy. His love was very intense, and his issues with temper still needed some work.
He had issues. They still disturbed him. Getting angry at times, shouting and saying cruel stuff in fit of rage was not all gone. Regretting things after saying them, still persists. He needed longer to heal.
7. You are mine. Even if you are engaged, even if I am not telling you that I love you.
Selfish. His love was selfish. Darker Arnav wanted to control Khushi. He wanted her to be in his control even if he didn't have the rights.
He could not afford to accept his own surrender to his feelings, but, he could sure confuse Khushi. Remind Khushi what he can give her, how he is far superior to any man she will ever meet. Now this is something we have seen him do in the show. But, the level can be increased.
A.He bought Khushi an engagement gift (expensive) to show off his wealth and secure future.
B. He would especially get cozy with Lavanya in front of Khushi to make Khushi jealous.
C. Not respecting physical distance between himself and Khushi even after knowing she is engaged.
D. Getting crazy jealous over the thoughts of seeing her with someone else. To the point of childishness.
E. Getting a sense of relief upon hearing about her broken engagement.
7. Darker Arnav would end up kissing Khushi on Diwali.
OFCOURSE. Current Arnav was about to kiss Khushi but stopped because of a phone call. We must acknowledge that he would have kissed her if it weren't for the phone to snap him out of his trance. If Arnav was written even darker, there would never be a phone call at the very first place.
Rather, it will be Khushi herself who will snap him out of his drunkenness. Khushi will end the Jadu and Nasha. We must know that Khushi is the light to Arnav's darkness. We can never have Khushi be painted as a seductress who stole Arnav from Lavanya and hid it from her.
Arnav will feel rejected first, and guilty second.
He would regret trying to kiss Khushi because, he thought Lavanya was wronged, also because, Khushi meant a lot to him and would never ever want her to be the other woman in his life. Not like this, not when he wasn't someone who deserved her. He will get enraged, return to lavanya and announce his engagement. Rest we know.
8. Darker Arnav will probably capture Khushi's lips rather than cheek on Payash mehendi.
Not hard to imagine. He will definitely go for the lips.
9. He was definitely sexually involved with women before Khushi.
I think that was the original intension of the show too. They just didn't show it openly because, the channel changed and Desi audience can't digest it.
Definitely, he had sex with Lavanya. He definitely hooked up with Sheetal. And definitely had a non committed, mutual friends with benefits relationship with Lisa.
10. Habits. Hobbies
What if He had managed to have a poison? Except for plants.
Smoking? Liquor? Participating in auctions? Betting on horses? Attending glamorous parties? Maybe occasionally going to casinos?
Overall, falling for this Arnav is far more unhealthy than the current one. This one looks like some character in a Wattpad story. But, I think ASR of the OG ipkknd was a lighter version of this Arnav which he could be if the pens were left lose a little bit more.
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yanderes-galore · 1 year
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Praise the lord, the time’s finally come /lh. For Halo RVB, could you please write a Sharkface concept with a Freelancer darling? Like they were one of the Freelancers he fought back when the project was still going, and when he started working with the Mercs he found them serving Kimball on Chorus? I just binged the series for the 7th time and I forgot how bad that man rots my brain.
Okay but like... Sharkface without the armor? 😳 HELP-
Damn- I'd love to!
Yandere! Sharkface with Freelancer! Darling
Pairing: Romantic
Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Kidnapping implied, Violence, Angst (?), Mind break, Unhealthy coping, Obsession, Forced affection, Fighting, Branding, Psychotic themes, Forced relationship, love/hate relationship, Murder, Honestly what were you expecting? You're enemies. Have caution when reading, meant to be horrific to fit character.
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Similar to Mark Temple, Sharkface despises freelancers.
He can never forgive them for killing his fellow men.
His family.
He can't forgive you, either.
He remembers a freelancer who worked with Carolina and Washington....
Through the entirety of the time he was in jail, he kept thinking back to his mission.
The raid...
Those damn freelancers.
He was expecting to meet Carolina and Wash, sure, but you?
Once he was hired by Locus and Felix and out of jail he made vengeance his goal.
He had no idea you were still active.
Perfectly fine with him, you have a debt to pay.
You had been working for Kimball after the Reds and Blues crashed their ship.
Sharkface feels they won't miss you....
You quickly become a target for Sharkface.
He's brutal, threatening, reckless, unforgiving and seemingly immune to pain....
Sharkface struggles connecting with others due to his ideals, often because of his motives.
There's no hope for you if you're a freelancer...
It's either death or something worse-
Sharkface primarily wants to kill Carolina and Wash.
This is because of their confrontation in the past.
His original goal was to kill you.
But for some unforseen reason, he enjoys torturing you mentally and physically.
There's times he'll seek you out to vent all of his freelancer rage onto.
Sharkface may even hate you more than other freelancers.
This is because he simultaneously hates you and loves you.
He loves to break you... he wants to make you a toy.
Yet he can't kill you like he should be doing.
Unlike Mark Temple, Sharkface is not delusional enough to just love you.
He doesn't bother trying to pretend you've done nothing wrong.
No, he'd like to make a freelancer darling suffer, alone.
With only him there to greet your vision.
If he can't kill you then he'll just break you.
As you can tell, Sharkface and a freelancer darling is a troublesome pair.
This is because you'll primarily face his wrath as his form of love.
He hates that he loves you...
So he'll make you pay for everything.
He'd use his obsession towards you to break you.
There's times where you and him will straight up fight.
Usually when you attempt escape/his death.
Sharkface doesn't mind burning you, either.
Any pain you inflict he either doesn't register or he laughs it off.
Then there's uncharacteristic times he'll be affectionate to lure you in.
He'll take off his helm and kiss you, wanting to keep you on your toes.
He loves your struggle.
You yourself aren't even sure if he hates or loves you.
Perhaps he doesn't know either.
Sharkface is much more violent with his darling as a freelancer.
He'll lock you up, he'll injure you, he'll brand you, he'll show you who you submit to.
Sharkface is obsessed with you and the idea of breaking you.
Oh the smug look on his face when he shows Carolina and Wash what he's done to you.
He's stripped you of your armor, broken you mentally, now all you know is him.
If anything to him it will be the ultimate revenge to reveal you before killing them.
Then he'll get to keep you as his own personal toy...
He'll never forgive you for what you've done to him.
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newyearknwwme · 7 months
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DANGEROUS DANGEROUS ROMANCE EP4 BBABYYYY
Guys I wanna cry Perth is killing me. 'that means sAiloM (wind) is super important for Kanghan(windmill) right?' pERTH AND CHIMON.
Kang's shirt says painkiller. I need one. All the ones in my house are MISSING. Or in sibling's bag. And sibling is there.
@airenyah HELLO THIS SCENE WAS IN PART 1/4????? whomsoever decided to put Perth In a giant helmet with his squished cheeks and bangs sticking out
'Let's be honest, DO I HAVE ANY INFLUENCE ON YOU?' SAILOM YOU FKCING. FIVE SECONDS AGO KANG WAS TELLING YOU. LITERALLY. HOW IMPORTANT SAILOM IS FOR KANGHAN. AND FIVE SECONDS AFTER THIS SCENE HES AGONIZING ON BED (hello, beloved bl sheets)
KWAI!!! DUMBASS EHEH.
I think their shirts are different whites for a reason.
NOT SAILOM PASSING AN ERASER THAT HAS ENCOURAGEMENT WRITTEN ON IT INSTEAD OF ANSWERS SFFF
Ohmygod CHIMON !!!!!!!! Your face!!!! When he asked Kang his exam results. And his face when Kang told him he failed one subject. I hate it here. L i hate it here. 'why, were you worried about me?' that DELAY before kang says 'nO!!!!!!1!' they're gonna end me. I am ending rIght NOW.
What if Kanghan ends up doing something in the chemistry field. I really want him to.
Oh goshz, Sailom has also falled a bit for kang hasnt he.
I love Papang. Where's that post. That brilliant edit. Where this man's getting arrested and he's asking sailom if he's serving and sailom's like yeah jail time pERHAPS.
OH KANGHAN'S HAVING SAD STEAK ALL ALONE. kang. Sweetie. Did you consider. That your gran would let you get tutoring lessons from sAiloM. If you asked. Bc she loves you. And you love her. Have you tried asking her king?
VIEWWWWWW VIEW IS HERE!!!! what's her name I don't remember
Omg they're gonna use every excuse possible to spend time together god they're so FKCINF gone for each other. 🥺😭🥺😭🥺😭🥺😭
Okay that hurt. That they're not in the same team.
Oh hello creepy debt collector who is also the brother's childhood bff. OMG IS HE GONNA GET SAILOM INTO bEING AN ESCORT????
Oh god this is so fucked up
View looks so beautiful. The hime cut suits her so well!!!!
Love how his gran is a jumpscare to him every time eheheheh.
PIMFAH! that's her name!
L i am not surviving this show. I'm simply not. And it's all Perth Tanapon and his beautiful big brown eyes' fault.
THIS SCENE. IN THE RAIN. UNDER THESE DAMN UMBRELLAS. WITH A WINDMILL ON IT. I AM NOT OKAY. I AM 🚫🚫🚫🚫🚫🚫🚫🚫🚫
StAY AT THEIR PLACE TO TUTOR KANGHAN?! KHUN YA. OH GENIUS.
hmm. KANGHAN I TAKE IT BACK. YOU DID ASK YOUR GRAN.
Eveything about this show is perfect. The music the direction the acting VIEW BENYAPA. I'm lovfm.
Ah the PPL. It's OISHII but not honey lemon. I'll settle <3 hrfjfkt they said no more drinking OISHII, we're gonna have a food fight<3
'Be my servant or I'm gonna go backa to study' bullies his tutor/crush into feeding him and pressing his shoulders.
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