#older brother danny in progress | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

escelia · 1 year

Text

I took a prompt from @ghostreblogging and ran away with it. I have other parts in progress that I'd be willing to post if you guys are into it. I'm not saying it's good, but I definitely had fun with this and got wild with the next part.

Danny Fenton-Wayne: Big Brother

To say Danny was excited to be a big brother was an understatement. He was so ready to finally be the older one, in a position where he was allowed to be protective but not overbearing. Jazz had trained him well for this. And Damian was just the perfect little brother to him, though he was sure that was weird to everyone else. It was so refreshing to have a sibling that didn't treat him like glass. He reminded him a lot of a smaller, angrier, less tech oriented Skulker. And it was great seeing the others' confused but entertained expressions.

"I will slit your throat while you sleep," Damian had glared at his new big brother. "You are not my big brother!" He insisted. Danny thought it was so cute! Skulker would love him. The other Wayne's had looked mortified as though the comment would scare Danny away. Really, the threat was weak. Slitting Danny's thought wouldn't be nearly as effective as Damian was hoping, and it wasn't even that creative. But Danny was a good big brother, and rough housing was a great way to let off steam and get in exercise, so Danny just laughed and responded,

"You could sure try!"

Damian lunged at him in rage. The kid was fast and efficient; he'd give him that. But Danny had faced things much worse than a 10 year old with a penchant for violence. He dodged and snagged the back of his shirt, scruffing him like an angry kitten.

"Damian! No! Bad!" Tim scolded. "Danny, I would tell you not to take it to heart, but he really will stab you, so please be careful?"

"Stab me? That's adorable!" Damian squirmed in his hold while Danny manhandled him into a hug. This didn't really count as being overbearing if it didn't last too long, right? Besides, with Damian fussing so loudly about it, he was sure this was exactly how Jazz felt when she smothered him. It was amazing. Being a big brother was the best.

He eventually let Damian go and he sped away like Pariah Dark was personally nipping at his heels. No doubt to go plan Danny's demise. He was kind of looking forward to it actually.

~~•○•~~

Dinner that night was eventful. He'd learned that Duke was a meta with an ability that affected his sight. Not that he'd outright said so, but Danny could tell. He also gathered a few inklings about his family being the freakin Bat Brigade? They were all vigilantes, and they thought he was some normal civilian! So was Damian being protective of his family in the face of some stranger? That was understandable. Respectable even. Jazz would have said that he was a newcomer in their space and that he needed to respect that. He wouldn't pry if they didn't want him to. Across the table, his baby brother waved a fork at him menacingly. Danny snickered.

"Damian…" Bruce warned. Dick tutted at him from his seat.

"Sorry about him, Danny. You can just ignore him," Dick assured. Danny found he really liked Dick too, what with his similar penchant for puns.

"Thanks, but I think I can handle him. He's what, 10 years old?"

"I'm clearly 12, you imbecile!" In the next moment, Damian was scrambling across the table embedding his fork into the back of Danny's chair, but Danny was no longer in it. Damian hadn't even seen him move if his stunned blinking was anything to go by.

"Trust me, I would not be good for your diet," Danny joked.

~~•○•~~

Danny had gotten a great idea when several days later Damian rushed him with a whole sword. Even as Phantom, Danny was never familiar with traditional weapons. He'd always wanted to learn, but knew that with Fentons it just wasn't a safe idea. So when Duke came running to reprimand Damian and the child saw an opening, Danny redirected the blade down and out of his hand, offering it back with a question about lessons. Perhaps he could bond with Damian by letting him teach him about his favorite weapon.

Their "training," as Damian put it, was going well. Danny genuinely felt like he was learning a lot from him as well as about him. And even with his ghostly enhanced speed the brat was keeping him on his toes. When Damian nicked him with his blade for the time Danny had been so proud. He knew he wasn't easy to hit.

"Say cheese!" Danny exclaimed, shoving his uninjured cheek up against Damian's for a photo. It had turned out amazing, with Danny pointing to the oozing scratch on his face while Damian scowled at him for enjoying himself.

"Please desist. You're taking all the fun out of trying to kill you." Danny just laughed

~~•○•~~

Damian's new brother was just weird. And apparently Damian was the only one who really knew it. At first he'd thought the fool was underestimating him, but boy was he mistaken. He was a civilian, right? Then why could he not land a hit on Fenton even without the interference of his inferior siblings? The wretched thing was able to snatch him mid air and wrestle him into a hug like it was nothing. He was a professionally trained assassin! This was embarrassing! The others thought Fenton just had decent reflexes and a lack of self preservation instincts, but Damian knew better.

The day Fenton disarmed him quickly went from infuriating to intriguing. His brothers had admonished him for attempting murder again, but Daniel had stood up for him and handed his precious blade back to him, going as far as asking if he was willing to give him lessons. Tt, at least one of his brothers could tell he was a superior warrior. He obliged, eager to show off his skills with a sword. And Daniel wasn't actually bad at it per se, but it was clear he wasn't versed in swordplay. After a few sessions with Daniel, he noticed something odd. Not bad, but odd. The room was always cooler when they sparred, and he found that he didn't often overheat. Daniel was a quick learner and very light on his feet. So light, in fact, that he sometimes seemed to float. And Damien would swear on his grandfather's blade that when Daniel got serious, his eyes would flash a bright, toxic green. Damian was determined to get to the bottom of this, and because he was, in fact, the smartest of the Wayne's, he would do it on his own!

Turns out, he didn't have to try that hard.

Damian woke with a start at the knock on his door. He didn't have patrol so he'd tried to turn in early for the night. Grumbling, he went to see who it was. He swore, if it was Drake and he wasn't sleeping even though he'd been kicked off the schedule for sleep deprivation, he would strangle him. He cracked the door to see glowing green eyes. But Danny didn't seem irrationally angry like Todd did when the Pit Rage consumed him.

"Can I come in please?" Danny pleaded. "I had a nightmare and don't wanna be alone, but the others are out and Tim needs his sleep…"

Damian sighed and opened the door for Danny to come in. He sat at the foot of the bed and curled his knees to his chest.

"I don't know what you expect me to do for you. I'm not some counselor." He closed the door and crossed his arms with an annoyed huff.

"I don't need a counselor, I just need my brother." Danny's tired smile was soft.

"Why? I've been told I don't have a comforting personality." Damain took a seat next to him.

"I don't need to be coddled, I'm not a baby. I really appreciate that you're straightforward and rough toward me. I'm traumatized, but like, I'm not gonna break, ya know?"

"You… like that I'm rude to you?" This had to be the first time anyone had ever said that to him.

"Do you know why I'm here? Why I was taken in?" When Damian shook his head Danny continued. "My parents were always pretty careless when it came to raising my sister and I. Their science always came first. We had to grow up pretty fast. And once you grow up, it sucks to be treated like a kid again. It's what got my sister into psychology, and she was constantly trying to psychoanalyze me. Well, I'd had a lab accident that… changed me. When my parents found out, they vivisected me. Bruce found out and got me out of there, but Jazz was already 18 and in college so she couldn't come with me."

Damian was horrified. Even the League with their harsh rules and cruel nature would never do something like that. Even so, it did explain a lot, and Daniel seemed to know how to handle his trauma. An accident in a lab would definitely explain Daniel's more meta-like features as well. He wondered if his father knew, but figured he didn't because the boy had been very secretive about any abilities he might have gained.

"So to summarize, your parents were atrocious to you and now instead of being coddled or analyzed, you prefer to spend your time with people trying to stab you? I tried to kill you." He pointed out.

"Yea, well so has everyone else in my family at one point or another. It's sort of like a rite of passage and you're the only one that's done it," Danny smirked and nudged Damian. The younger boy could admit he found the humor in that, dark as it may be. "Besides, you get it: not wanting to be underestimated or looked down on just because you're young even though you've been through hell." Damian couldn't deny that. Maybe they were more alike than he had anticipated. Interacting with him didn't grate on his nerves like the others did at least. He sighed.

"So, what now Daniel? We sit in silence until you feel safe enough to go back to your own room?"

"I strongly prefer Danny for reasons I'm not willing to talk about yet, but I get the feeling this is as good as I'm gonna get, huh?"

"Correct."

"Well then, do you mind if I call my dog? He's a good boy, I promise," Danny pleaded.

"I do like the company of animals. I didn't know you had a dog, I haven't seen a new one on the grounds." Danny took this as a go-ahead to summon Cujo.

"I don't take him many places, he can get rowdy and protective sometimes. But I'm positive he'll love you." He let out a sharp whistle and the green ghost puppy phased into the room from under the door. He trotted over to the boys, tongue flopping as he did. He pounced excitedly on Danny before giving Damian a thorough sniff and deeming his presence safe and acceptable. He happily let the boy scratch his belly.

"He's… uh, green. What breed is he?"

"The ghost kind," Danny replied sadly. The implications were heartbreaking. "My accident turned me half-ghost so now I have a ghost puppy," he said as if that explained everything. "You uh, won't tell the others about this, right?"

Damian tilted his head in thought while he scratched Cujo behind the ears. He'd definitely want more details on what exactly Daniel meant by "ghost," but for now, he felt pride at being the one family member Daniel actually felt comfortable talking to. He could lord that over his siblings later.

"We'll, you're no longer in any danger, and your past is none of their business unless you want it to be, so I don't don't see a reason to tell them."

Danny grinned at his little brother. He knew Damian would be his favorite! He already knew he would do anything for him.

#danny phantom #danny fenton #dc x dp #fanfiction #crossover #damian wayne #batfam #big brother danny au #dannys a good big brother #he learned all he knows from jazz #damian respects the crap out of danny for not treating him like a child all the time #but like he also wants to snuggle his brother

3K notes · View notes

phantoms-world-and-more · 5 months

Note

Damian and Danny are brothers, but not twins (Danny is a year older). While Talia isn't a great mother she does love her children in her own way. So when Ra chose Damian to be the heir he had no need for Danny. Ra told Damian to kill him in a final test to become the heir. Damian hated his older brother and was always in competition with him so he didn't hesitate. Talia made it look like Damian killed him (even Damian thinks he did), but she whisked him away. She gave/hid him with the Fentons, she and Maddie had trained together.

-Danny knows Bruce Wayne/Batman is his father but sees no point of contacting him especially after Damian shows up on the scene (also him being a billionaire, they are all fruitloops with too much money and power). He never wants to be in the same room with Damian ever again. Besides he loves is new parents Jack and Maddie.

-Talia has become more of a cool aunt figure/then mother figure who sometimes swings through town leaving interesting gifts

-Jack and Maddie are good parents, and would do anything for their children. Especially anything to keep them safe. They even do a 180 after Danny reveals to be Phantom and drive the GIW out of town.

-It somehow gets out to the BatFam that Damian was not the only child of Talia and Bruce. They trace Danny to Amity Park and try to force a reconciliation. It does not go well.

-Jason knew about Danny, he helped Talia discreetly whisk Danny away to the Fentons. He gets why and supports Danny's position of not wanting to be near Damian.

-Danny refuses to see Damian and claims Jazz and Ellie are his only siblings. Even if Damian has changed, it's within his rights not wanting to be around someone who hurt him badly. While he may at some point forgive Damian for what he did, that does not mean he has to forget and from a relationship with him.

-Danny's family supports his decision. Jazz especially when one of the BatFam makes a remark that he is too young to make such a final decision. She goes off on all them and psychoanalysis them.

Hahaha I love this!

Damian can go two ways

A) he feels guilty and is desperately trying to make things better, getting increasingly desperate and trying anything and everything to get his forgiveness

B) he relapses in his progress and still hates Danny, him being a reminder of when he was under Ras's control, and fearing that Danny will attempt to replace him as the blood son, reminder that Danny dosen't want or care about being blood son falls on deaf ears

The batfam all have different reactions from completely siding with Danny about not wanting to have a relationship with them (Jason) to wanting a relationship but accepting that he might not want a relationship (dick) to complete denial about Danny not caring about them (Bruce)

#fic prompt #daily prompt #dc x dp #dp x dc #Damian and danny are brothers #Good parent fentons

433 notes · View notes

goldsainz · 9 months

Text

SAFE HAVEN — one shot.

pairing: daniel ricciardo x verstappen!reader

2K CELEBRATION. MASTERLIST.

taglist: @lorarri @lpab @whatthefuckerr @noncannonships @lunnnix @elliegrey2803

summary: daniel is the one thing in your life that truly brightens your day.

request: “You're my family too with Danny Ric?”

warnings: childhood trauma (mentioned, nothing explicit), daddy issues, estranged siblings.

NOTE: not me making this a verstappen sister fic… honestly, if i can’t trauma dump in my fics then where will i? just kidding (or not), honestly it was not intento al to do this but i go too in the moment and then it was perfect to make this verstappen reader😭 please listen to matilda by harry styles while reading this, it’s too perfect no to!

[ word count: 2,2k ]

“I wouldn’t want to intrude, Danny.”

Summer break. A dreaded time of the year for you.

It’s the one time where there is genuinely no excuse for you to not see your family, to not interact with the one person who made your brother who he was and broke who you were.

Since you were little Max had always come first. From the endless trips around Europe to compete in the different Karting events, to the amount of time your father devoted to him, your brother had become number one since the moment your father could do so.

Money wasn’t necessarily tight, but with your parents divorced and your mother struggling with the absence of her son, there definitely wasn’t a lot of free realm to roam as you pleased.

You became devoted to school, devoted to distract yourself from the mess that your life progressively became. You had become obsessed with understating how racing had become the be-all end-all of your life. Education was the one thing no one batted an eye at when it became the one thing you spent your time on.

There were moments where you were allowed to go to races. If it was close to your home and the fees weren’t outrageous to the life you led, you could tag along. It came with stipulations though, your father always made it clear you were to never disturb Max from his pre-race shenanigans and that you were to watch but never interact, you weren’t allowed to talk any rival to Max much less befriend them. And for your younger self, these rules were absurd but not absurd enough to defy them.

As you grew older, and studying became more demanding, a gap formed between your brother and you. There was no more time to attend races, and so, when your brother joined F1 you had already finished engineering college. Connections were everything in the racing world, and you knew that the opportunity to be an engineer for Red Bull Racing wouldn’t have been so quick if your brother wasn’t connected with them. You couldn’t say you weren’t grateful in that moment of the path your brother had taken, because that opportunity would introduce you to the most important person in your life.

Daniel Ricciardo is sunshine personified. That was the one thing you knew about him before even meeting him. The day you met him was the day your life became brighter and funnier. Your job wasn’t necessarily boring, in fact it had become the one passion that was truly yours and no one criticised, but having Daniel be a constant part of it made the experience precious.

You think that��s how you got so involved with the Aussie, how you waited every day for him to smile at you and start a conversation. It made your day better when he gave you attention, even if it was just the littlest amount; it didn’t matter. Attention was attention, and you were getting it from the one person you wanted it from.

Watching the man you longed for become so close to your brother, someone who had become almost a stranger save for the name you shared, was heart-shattering. It made the reality of things stick out, the fact that there could be nothing between the two of you became more real. Not only was it inappropriate in a work sense, but now it felt wrong to go after a person your brother was friendly with. Even if you were older, even if you didn’t talk much with your brother, even then, you weren’t about to risk the repercussions your actions could have.

You saw how his career went on. Watched as he went to Renault, and by proxy, left you behind as he started a new chapter in his life. All the stolen glances you had shared became illicit, from the bond he shared with your brother to him being part of another team, there was no real way to connect with him without being suspicious. It wasn’t like you could go up to Max and ask him how he was doing.

From time to time, Daniel would ask you how you were doing. He passed by you in the paddock and couldn’t help but smile and wave at you. The action made your insides tingle and have a light blush creep on your cheeks.

You knew it wasn’t weird to watch his Instagram stories, to like his posts, he followed you too and you knew he watched your posts too. But you hoped it wasn’t something preoccupying to watch him have fun on the summer break with his family, sharing barbecues on his farm back in Perth. It gave you a sense of longing that you learned to despise with each passing year.

This year was no different, except this year Daniel was back with Red Bull.

You remember the exact moment the news broke that Daniel wouldn’t be a part of the 2023 season, and how devastating watching him announce the news in a video was. It made you feel for him, you knew it wasn’t a foreign situation in F1, it was more common than it should’ve been. Especially working in Red Bull, a team that was known for their cruelty with drivers. Hypocritical or not, having the one person who was always nice to everyone no matter what he treated in such a way, when everyone knew the results he was getting weren’t a show of his talent but rather the incompetence of a team, was undeserved.

This time, you were both older and had been through enough to understand your feelings. There was a shift in the dynamic you and Daniel shared. He was aware of the fact that you always held back from truly opening up to him because of your brother, because you cared too much about him and didn’t want to worsen your relationship with him. He didn’t know of the promises you made to your father when you were younger, but he knew you were holding back.

Maybe that’s why he went out of his way to talk to you. He approached you at any given moment he could, if he saw you sitting alone while working he would pause whatever he had going and sit next to you. At first you didn’t mention his increasing interest in you, but after a while you asked him if he needed anything from you; which he did, but not in the way you meant it.

You suppose it wasn’t totally unexpected when stolen glances turned into stolen kisses. After knowing him for over 7 years your mouths slotting against one another didn’t feel as foreign as it should’ve, it felt right, like you should’ve been doing that all along.

If there was one thing Daniel Ricciardo tried to not be was an eavesdropper. He didn’t want to hear something he didn’t want to or intrude in a private conversation. But, hearing you talk was a melody he felt he should never be deprived of. So when he heard you talking to a fellow engineer, he just couldn’t help himself.

“You’re not doing anything for summer break?” The engineer asked.

“Honestly, I’m probably gonna go home and read a couple of books alone.” By the tone of your words, he knew you were hiding your emotions in poor humour.

“Well, that’s one way to spend your summer.”

You just chuckled, “I guess so, yeah. Maybe I’ll see my family, too.”

“Don’t see them enough already?” Daniel knew the engineer was just poking fun at the fact that your family was actually very present in your day-to-day life.

“Probably more than enough, but nothing like being at home with your family, right?” Now the Aussie knew you were just lying to get out of an awkward conversation, there was no actual way you were being honest with your co-worker.

“Well, have fun!”

“You too!”

The moment the engineer left, your shoulders sagged and the fake smile you were wearing went away.

“So, you're seeing your family during the summer break?” Daniel broke the silence you were in, waking into the room so naturally you would’ve thought he was always there to begin with.

“You’re eavesdropping now, Ricciardo?”

“Wouldn’t call it eavesdropping if you’re in public,” You smiled at his words, something he could do so easily. Smiling was a no-brainer when Daniel was around.

“I think it’s still eavesdropping.”

“Agree to disagree.”

You felt like a high school girl talking to the guy she liked all over again. You hoped the blush that covered your cheeks wasn’t as noticeable as you thought it was, but by the way Daniel was looking at you, it definitely was.

“You’re going back to Perth for the summer break?” You deflect the question he asked, not ready to get into the mess that it is seeing your family.

“Yeah, gonna see my parents and take care of my little farm.”

“From what I’ve heard it’s anything but little.”

“Oh, how would you know?” He is amused at the knowledge you have of his life, slightly honoured to have your attention in that way.

“Um, Max mentioned it. Like once. But it was so long ago, maybe you have another farm by now, and what I’m saying is totally wrong.”

Daniel’s laugh is infectious, especially when it comes to you. He’s sure you could say a thing and he would be laughing.

“My farm is a normal size. I don’t know how many farm’s Max has been to, but mine is nothing special.”

“I hope you have fun then.” You tell him, and you’re being sincere about it. But he knows you’re trying your best not to show how much you long for a calm summer break. He knows that what awaits you back home is nothing short of a wreck, filled with berating from your father and the awkwardness of spending time with people who never really took the time to understand you, while you’ve spend your whole life trying to understand them.

“Come with me.”

You stop picking up your stuff, almost dropping your phone in the process. You look up to him, you watch the vulnerability in his eyes.”

“What?”

“Come with me. Back to Perth.” He repeats, this time clarifying where he means, though there is no need for it because you know exactly what he meant with those three words.

“I can’t.”

“Why?” If there is something you know about Daniel is that he doesn’t back down without a fight, you know he would respect your choice of not going if he knew you really didn’t want to. But after years of knowing you, he is sure you do want to go with him. And you do. You’d go anywhere with him.

“I wouldn’t want to intrude, Danny.”

Those five words are probably the most absurd words he has heard you say since knowing you.

“You wouldn’t.” He watches you throw him a look, a look that tries to tell him he’s wrong, “I promise, Y/N, you wouldn’t be intruding. At all.”

“You’re gonna be with your family,” You say like that explains everything. But to Daniel, it doesn’t. “And I have to be with mine.”

There is a moment where he considers backing down, because yes, what you are saying is technically true. But his family knows so much about you just from pure hearsay, from all the times Daniel has gushed about how great of a person you are. He has the feeling they wouldn’t mind you being there and knows for certain you would fit right in with them.

“You’re my family too.”

“Daniel…” You trail off warily, like you’re scared of the implications his words have.

“You are. You’ve become family to me.” He steps forward and grasps your hands in his, “And I’m sorry that I never said it before, or that I never properly asked you because I was scared of what would happen. But you could be a part of my life, my family, if you want to.”

You’re rendered speechless at his words. It is too much just as it is enough. It is all you’ve wanted to hear for years from him, the confession that his actions are just in your head, that all those times he stared at you like you hung the moon after nights together, weren’t made up. It makes you want to wrap your arms around him and never let him go, so you do.

Hugging him feels perfect. Like there is no place you should ever be but in his arms. You discover something new from Daniel Ricciardo, and it is that he is your family. Slowly but surely he became essential to your life, and loved you like no one else had before.

If there was ever a family you wanted to be a part of, it was his.

854 notes · View notes

undreaming-fanfiction · 1 year

Text

No Such Thing As Stupid Question

This one is for you, Anna! @unclewaynemunson! Congratulations on your academic progress, I'm so proud of you!

Also on Ao3 for your convenience :)

As someone who showed as little interest in romance as possible, Wayne Munson didn't really expect to be come a parental figure. Maybe he'd get a dog when he retired, some older mutt from a shelter, and they'd sit in front of the trailer in quiet company, perhaps a bark here and there as Wayne sipped his beer. Wayne could imagine that. But a kid, never.

But of course, life had a peculiar sense of humor and his younger brother hit a new low - sadly admirable, given that he was already at the very bottom, but someone brought a shovel with him. Grand theft auto, petty crimes all over, domestic disputes (to put it mildly)...Wayne breathed a sigh of relief when he found out he got locked up before he escalated even further. He didn't want to believe Danny had it in him to seriously hurt someone, but given the right or wrong circumstances, he couldn't guarantee there wouldn't be a casualty like a random witness, someone trying to protect their property...yeah, Danny was definitely better off where he ended up.

As for his son Eddie...Wayne couldn't guarantee the same, even though he vowed to try his damn hardest.

Eddie was a scrawny kid with an ugly buzz cut and dark eyes so large he seemed afraid of anything and everything. When Wayne met with the social worker and they talked over coffee, Wayne couldn't help but notice how Eddie grasped his milkshake, as if someone would take it from him the very next second. His twitchy fingers wrapped around the glass in a vice-like grip and even though Wayne was convinced he was listening to every word said, he kept stubbornly staring into the drink, refusing to meet anyone's eye. And even though the kid was barely in middle school, Wayne found the rigid focus all too familiar, painfully so. It was the first time he found himself truly and purely hating Danny, feeling a burning coal in his chest at what his so-called upbringing did to this boy.

In the end, Eddie was sent to live with him, only a bag with clothes too big, a few trinkets and a single book, worn from constant reading. The Hobbit.

The first day, the now joint Munson household was quiet. Eddie was chewing on an improvised pasta Wayne had made - on his own, thank you for asking, with all three ingredients - and looking anywhere but at his uncle. And Wayne was a quiet man himself so sure, they could stay in silence until Eddie graduated and moved somewhere else, but there was a part of Wayne that didn't want this for Eddie. He wanted at least one Munson to turn out alright.

"Hope it's edible. I...don't cook much," he tried, swallowing a lump of poorly mixed spices.

Eddie's eyes were fixed to his plate. He nodded, the movement almost indiscernible, and then returned to his pasta.

So Wayne tried again. "I saw that book you have," he mentioned and boy, was that a wrong move. Eddie almost curled into himself, his eyes darting to Wayne for the first time - but not with curiosity. With defiance and fear.

He didn't say anything, only stared at Wayne. As if he was daring him to say something, do something.

So Wayne did. "It looked interesting. The Hobbit? I've never heard of it. Is it any good?"

The slight relaxation in Eddie's shoulders seemed promising. "It's my favorite," he said, his eyes returning to the pasta, stabbing a few offending pieces with his fork. "It has an adventure in it. An unexpected one."

Wayne huffed a quiet laugh under his breath. "Ah. So somethin' like this?"

Eddie looked at him again with those large dark eyes. "...yeah."

And then it was quiet again, but this was less forced, less tense. Wayne thought that maybe this was how Eddie would be normally, a withdrawn soul just like himself, but just as he chewed on the last mouthful of less than ideally cooked pasta, Eddie broke the silence.

"Why'd you take me in?" Eddie blurted out and seemed to regret it immediately, biting in to his own lip. "It's...it's not like you knew me before and you could have refused, I...I would understand that. I think. But you agreed to let me stay and I'm grateful and all, but...I just don't get it. Why?" Pausing for a moment, he added "sorry if that's a stupid question. I just want to understand."

It might have taken Wayne a second longer than ideal to answer, but he didn't want to spit ketchup on the poor boy who already seemed flustered enough. He held his finger up and quickly washed down the food with a gulp of soda. "First rule of this house, son," he said and smiled at Eddie, actually smiled, although his facial muscles protested. "Ain't no such thing as stupid questions. Anything you want to ask, just ask. And if I know the answer, I will give it. Understood?"

Eddie was maintaining eye contact now and he nodded eagerly. Almost too eagerly. It made Wayne reconsider in that very second, because this wasn't a withdrawn soul like he'd suspected - this was a boy who wanted to open up to someone so, so badly. "Yes," he muttered and Wayne couldn't help himself, he reached out, slowly, and ruffled whatever hair remained on Eddie's head. And Eddie didn't move away, just watched his hand like a hawk and, when he ensured he wasn't in any danger, even leaned into it, giving Wayne a small smile.

Returning to his side of the table, Wayne leaned in. "Why'd I take you in? I could give you a bunch of reasons, none would fully cover it. Obligation, sure. You're family, that's another thing. But most of all, I just..." He trailed off, finding the correct words, the truthful words. Throughout all of it, Eddie was watching him, waiting. "I guess I just want to give you something better, Eddie. Danny and I, we didn't have the best family, not sure how much he told you. And there ain't much we can do to fix ourselves, but I look at you and I think...maybe I can make a difference right here. Because you seem like a bright kid to me and I just...I just want to do right by you. Even if I'm the only one."

Eddie swallowed thickly, fidgeting. "And...and if I turn out like him?" he mumbled, struggling to keep the eye contact. "What if you...you do that, but I still fail?"

Damn, Wayne Munson did not cry, but the fear, the insecurity in Eddie's voice tugged at something in his chest. He reached over again and grasped Eddie's bony shoulder. "Then you'll still have home here for as long as you want. All I want from you is to give it your best shot. That work for you?"

The boy smiled at him and nodded, wiping at his eyes. "Yeah."

"Good." They were grinning at each other over dirty plates, the smell of ketchup and cheap soda between them. "And I meant what I said. Anythin' you want to ask, go for it. No question is a stupid question."

Eddie smirked at him and Wayne might have detected a glint of mischief in his eyes. He thought he'd bend over backwards to keep it there, to give this frightened kid a bit of childhood back. "Anything, huh?" he asked.

"Yup. But count on me askin' a lot of stuff too. Like," he paused, rubbing his chin in deep thought.

It was ridiculous. But Wayne remembered what the doctors told him when he returned from Vietnam - sometimes to get moving, you need something unexpected, something to confuse the anxiety right out of your brain. So he dug deep and hard into his imaginative side and pointed at Eddie. "What is the single superior animal noise? No long thinking, go."

Eddie blinked at him, once, twice, and then he burst out laughing. He kicked his knee into the table and the dishes rattled around, but he couldn't stop himself. He was wheezing, grasping the side of the table and trying to breathe. And if that didn't make Wayne's heart swell. "You...you looked so serious!" gasped Eddie between snorts and giggles.

"It's a serious question. Now, Eddie, what's your answer?" Wayne tried to keep his face under control, but Eddie's grin was contagious.

The boy cleared his throat and leaned forwards, brow furrowing in concentration. "So many fine choices," he said in a contemplative voice that made Wayne nearly choke on his soda because it sounded like a poor imitation of a British TV celebrity. "I have to go with ribbit. Unique and well-balanced." Glancing at Wayne, he shot back. "The soup to beat all the soups!"

Wayne smirked and crossed his arms. "That's an easy one. Bean soup. And before you ask - not from a can."

"Knew it."

It gradually becomes their thing.

Whenever Eddie is lost in thought, when he comes back from school with a new bruise, Wayne shoots a ridiculous question at him, what is the best race in the Middle Earth for a basketball tournament, what is the ideal number of dried peas to have in your kitchen, and Eddie's smile is back, as radiant as ever.

When Wayne returns from the plant, grumbling about the stupid idiots from the previous shift making his job harder, he finds Eddie bouncing on his feet, waiting for him to come home to ask what is the ideal sole color for running shoes. "Not the shoe color, the sole, Wayne, what is the sole color that makes you just want to run? No thinking, go!"

Even years after Eddie's hair has grown into the thick wavy locks that Wayne isn't envious of, nope, not at all, they still randomly yell questions at each other across the trailer. Eddie hollers "WHAT'S THE FUNNIEST FRUIT IN THE WHOLE WORLD WAYNE?!" and Wayne shouts back "IT'S PEACH BECAUSE IT'S STUPIDLY HAIRY JUST LIKE A CERTAIN NEPHEW OF MINE AND STOP YELLING, BOY!". Wayne asks between quiet puffs of smoke outside "if you had to wear a hat for the rest of your life, what hat would that be?" and Eddie blows out a circle and snickers "a top hat." There's a joke there and Wayne smiles to himself, wondering if he should acknowledge it.

And eventually, when his boy is returned to him after the hell that was March of 1986, when Eddie slowly heals and the Harrington boy doesn't leave his side, Wayne has the perfect question but he bides his time, watching the two fools dance around each other like the foolish fools they are (has he mentioned they are fools? Because they absolutely are). He's hoping he won't need to ask the question, maybe it will be enough to just wait, but nope, he's had enough. Life is too short for people like him and Eddie. So he grabs a couple of beers, drags Eddie to the porch of their government-funded house and after a couple of cans, starts their favorite pasttime.

"What's the best pink thing to ever exist?"

"Plastic flamingos," responds Eddie and sips his beer. "The one piece of clothing humanity should have never invented?"

"Ties, who's supposed to learn to tie that thing...the best cat name?"

"Household or wild?"

"Wild."

"Fluffles. Imagine being eaten by that in the woods. You'd never live it down, even after dying. The most humiliating job ever?"

"TV weather guy. Must suck to be wrong all the time." He doesn't even pause, just continues in the disinterested, flat tone they always use for their late night rounds of no-stupid-question. "The best place to take Steve for a date?"

"Somewhere calm, I think a picnic, he doesn't do well with a lot of loud noises or people," replies Eddie immediately. He sips his beer and freezes, mid-gulp, when his mind finally catches up with his mouth.

Wayne just pats his shoulder reassuringly. "Sounds like a great plan to me." When Eddie doesn't answer or move, he adds "swallow, boy."

Eddie pours the rest of his beer into his mouth and chuckles at Wayne, breathless. "That sounds more like a second date idea. Uh, shit. Sorry. I mean..."

"I'll pretend I stopped listening at the picnic," says Wayne, but the smile tugging at his lips betrays his sternness. "Just stay safe, Eddie. But if I have to keep watchin' you and that pretty boy dance around each other for a week longer, I swear I'll have you two sit down and talk it out, kindergarten style. So you'd better ask him out before I give him the talk."

With the corner of his eye, he sees Eddie nodding, grasping the can for support. "Will do. Just...are you..." He bites his lip, turns to Wayne. "Does this change anything?"

"I sure hope it does!" Wayne flicks the ash off his cigarette. "For one, I'd expect your room to be much cleaner when you get a boyfriend."

They're both chuckling now, clinking their empty beer cans together. "Smart ass," says Eddie but it has no bite, no venom. "Thank you, dad," he says quietly, and Wayne can't help himself, he throws his arm over Eddie's shoulders and pulls him into a very uncomfortable sideways hug. It's the best hug in his life.

When Eddie throws open the door the next Friday and hollers "WHAT IS THE BEST CHAPSTICK FLAVOR FOR KISSING?" and Wayne answers, he gets corrected for the first time. "Wrong," says Eddie and wipes at his mouth, still grinning wildly. "It's cherry."

And Wayne gets proven right once more when, not even a year later, after rebuilding of Hawkins, practically adopting Steve into their small weird family, Eddie proves to him that he's not just scarily observant, but he learns the worst tricks in the book.

Because sure, Wayne might have buried his own needs and desires so deep they're practically at the Earth's core, but then there was a sympathetic man close to his age, maybe a bit younger, who approached Wayne and told him he's so happy for him that Eddie is back, that he taught Eddie in middle school and he never believed a single word about his involvement because that boy is incapable of harming anyone, that's what he said. And he invited Wayne for a beer because some people were still treating the name Munson as the plague itself and Wayne might be finding himself looking at Eddie and Steve, wishing that he was younger, he had more courage...

So he's still mostly lost in those thoughts when Eddie starts pestering him during one of Steve's shifts, meaning they're home alone and bored. It's late July, they're both sitting on the porch, sipping beer again, and Wayne has already answered questions about the mug to end all mugs, whether soccer would be more fun to watch with human-sized insects and who is the single person from all Hawkins to be sent to Mars to never return. And then Eddie asks "what's the best movie to take Scott Clarke for the first date?" and Wayne's brain short circuits.

When he comes to, Eddie is smirking at him sympathetically, offering him a new can of beer because Wayne dropped the old one. "Come on, did you think I wouldn't notice?" he asks and nudges his shoulder. "I can sense the "desperately in love" Munson eyes from a mile away. I've got them patented, you know. So. Your answer?"

Wayne coughs and stammers out that it would have to be something smart because Scott is smart. And that he isn't smart enough to figure out what he'd like, so it's not really a good question...

But Eddie just shakes his head and reaches into his pocket, producing two tickets to the Hawkins movie theatre. "Wrong, Wayne. Or not completely. Mr. Clarke - Scott, shit, that's difficult to get used to, he loves smart things, but he's also a massive nerd, as our lady Applejack loves to call him and everyone within a certain interest group. And I happen to know there's something called RoboCop playing tomorrow. I also happen to have two tickets right here, to know that Scott is free and that he'll be waiting for you 15 minutes before the movie starts."

Wayne gapes at him, mouth hanging open and speechless for the first time in his life. His eyes are traveling between the tickets and Eddie's smile while he's desperately trying to stomp out the flames of hope in his heart. "But...but what if he doesn't see me like that?" he asks and he hates how small and insecure he sounds, but Eddie needs to understand that things are different for people like him, for his age, his...whole person.

His nephew - no, son - throws his head back and laughs into the setting sun. "Look at that," he grins and shoves the two tickets into Wayne's hand. "That has to be the first stupid question I've ever heard from you. Let's see..." he taps on his chin, pretending to think. "Ask me again tomorrow after the movie, okay? If you still need to ask."

The next evening, Eddie leans next to the door when Wayne returns from the movie. "So..." he drawls, raising his eyebrows. "Do you still need me to answer?"

And Wayne huffs out a laugh and shakes his head. "Nah, no more stupid questions in this household."

#steddie fanfiction #steddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #academic fairy godmother Aneta #clarkson #wayne munson #scott clarke #steddie drabble #stranger things #stranger things fanfiction

601 notes · View notes

halfagone · 7 months

Note

Here’s a simple prompt, an experienced 17-18 year old Danny meets the original YJ crew. What do you think?

I know you were probably just hoping for a short excerpt where Danny meets the YJ crew, but honestly I think a lot of it depends on what kind of 17-18 kid Danny is. We as a phandom like to play with Danny and how he deals with his trauma, and we see this a lot in DC crossovers too.

So is this a situation where Danny is still the goofy, motormouth, but he just so happens to have more finesse because of 3-4 years of extra experience? If that's the case, then he and the YJ crew (and I'm assuming you mean the comics version?) would get along swimmingly because the YJ crew are unhinged, just like our boy Danny. XD

But if this is a case where, as time went on, Danny just became more and more exasperated and resigned to hero work, then we would be seeing much different results: If Danny were to meet the YJ crew, he'd probably end up turning into an older brother who they drag along to their next adventure to get him out of the house, so to speak. And Danny, on his part, probably goes along with it too just to make sure they don't get into too much trouble.

However, if you want a more mature Danny who takes his role as a hero very seriously... I can see things going downhill pretty quickly. The OG YJ crew already have their mentors, and even then they've always kinda laughed in the face of authority. As teenagers- especially crime-fighting teenagers- are wont to do. So I can see this version of Danny having contention with the YJ crew because of that. They would probably see him as an example not to live by: someone who let heroics consume and ruin his life.

Many aspects of these scenarios are dependent on the OG YJ crew's ages as well. Are they a newer team? In that case you would have members like Greta (Secret) and Cissie and Anita- essentially, more characters that can either add to the scene or make the blow that much harder.

It can be very fun to have everyone super impressed with Danny and his powers and prowess but like- these are teenagers. Not just any teenagers- sassy teenagers. These are kids that don't acknowledge authority when they believe they need to go another way to do what's right (vigilantism is illegal, after all) and they're young and they want to be cool and, as teenagers are wont to do, sometimes that means they think they have it all figured out. Do you know how hard it is to impress sassy teenagers? As someone who was that sassy teenager, I can tell you that it's not that easy.

I know you said this was a simple prompt, but I don't do simple. I write essays. lol XDD But in all seriousness, it can be really hard to choose what kind of character progression we want Danny to have. But once you do, you can have a lot of fun with it.

#halfagone replies

62 notes · View notes

jadedwolf18-blog · 1 year

Text

Mini Phantom Invasion

<< Chapters One - Six | << Chapters Seven - Twelve | << Chapters Thirteen - Eighteen

^^^^^

Mini Phantom Invasion - Mini Adventures

^^^^^

Fourth lot of chapters begins! Thank you for all the interest and likes!

And the time line has caught up to the start of the Mini Adventures!

🤍🖤💚💙💚🖤🤍

Chapter 19

Danny fell silent after their recount of everything they had gone through, from when they died, all the to how they became king. They had shared bits and pieces with Dan and compared their live up till the Nasty Burger incident and how Danny’s was different after Dan was sealed away but it had never been in such detail or in one whole sitting. It felt like a weight, they didn’t know they had, had been lifted off their shoulders.

They had a brother, a blood related older sister who understands the feeling of being thrust into a hero role and a brother-in-law had also experienced finding out he was an entirely different race than they had been raised as. Not to mention their niece and now, officially, their daughter.

They had a family, people who understood in ways their friends and Jazz had never been able to do. They new their true heritage, even if half was still missing. They felt more whole than they’d ever felt, even before the accident. All the little odd behaviours they’d has a a child, that the Fentons had basically trained them out of doing, that they were told was wrong. They finally knew why and that they had in fact been normal behaviours for a mer-child.

Looking over to where Rukia and Elle were playing… they were relieved and happy that Elle would be able to embrace all of her instinct from the start. They still found themself holding back or suppressing some instincts, even around others of their kind. Years of being told, trained, to act human were hard to shake off.

****

Clock Work had come to inform them that the claiming ceremony was ready and the family of siblings and nieces made their way to the private room. The ceremony was short and sweet. An exchange of ectoplasm and a sworn oath of familial bond.

They had all been surprised, excluding Clock Work who was acting as the main witness, when Elle was engulfed in a bright light. Once it had faded they were met with a human looking Elle as a three year old.

Clock Work was quick to explain that the ceremony had corrected the unnatural age progression that Vlad had put her through in the pod, as well as the error in her make up that had made her susceptible to destabilisation, even with the Ecto dejecto. She was now a true Halfa. Her memory was still intact but she would now act more her true age.

Danny had scooped Elle up and held her close, they had always had the fear, that she would one day disintegrate and they would not be able to help her. This was one less fear they had to worry about. She was safe and healthy and she will never destabilise again.

****

Dan sighed as he slumped back into his chair. Dan had a strange mix of emotions, he wanted to go after Vlad for what he had done but he was happy to have another niece, there was also the jumbled thought on if Elle could be counted as his as well or if, despite being the same person, their genetics were different.

It was something to look into, for curiosities sake, for all they knew they could actually be brothers… their mother could travel dimensions for fucks sake, it was in the realm of possibility. Did Clock Work know? Who was he kidding, they probably did. Continuing that thought he wondered if they had the same father? Was a different time period also considered a different universe? It that was the case, how did he end up the same in the same environment, with the same people? He new of other Earths, thanks to his time with the JL. They had made no progress in finding their father…

Maybe it was time they asked Clock Work directly. He didn’t have much hope in finding him nor that he would be happy to learn about them, to be honest, unless Clock Work hinted or told them where to look. Considering time, would their father even be alive now? They didn’t have a time frame or any indication of what time period or universe he was from. He didn’t particularly care either way but Danny…He would keep looking for his brother’s sake.

His intrusive thoughts were interrupted by a pat to his leg, looking down he came face-to-face with his youngest niece.

“Hi!” The smile on the three year olds face made him wary. It was to much like Danny’s, when they were up to something, to not be suspicious. Dan knew for a fact he did not smile like that when planning something. Danny had told him many times he had more of a smirk, Danny, and therefore Elle, had a smile that radiated to much innocence that anyone who was not familiar with the little gremlin would never suspect the chaos they had, were causing or will cause in the future.

“Hi… can I help you?” He continued to watch for any hint of what she was up to, as her eyes widened and her smile brightened, his senses prickled further. Danny had caught him off guard, more times than he’d like to admit, with that look. Were her eyes sparkling…?

“Can I call you Uncle Udon too?” Dan stared before slumping further into his chair, in resignation. ‘I’m never going to shake this nickname now.’ His siblings’ laughter and his older niece’s giggles just further cemented the thought.

****

Their older sister and her family stayed with them for a week after the coronation and Dan had informed the JL that both he and Phantom would be off world for the week and had Katana checking in with Japan during the week while Superman had offered to do a few flybys during his free time. Their claimed haunt was relatively problem free but they did suffer natural disasters at certain times of the year. Though they were quick to boot anyone who planned to cause trouble, before it could truly begin.

It had been nice, all the heavy stuff had been felt with on the first day and that left the rest of the week to relax and bond as a family. Rukia and Elle had become fast friends and they Danny, Lucia and Kaito got to know each other more and they had learned more about their Mother and the world their sister lived in. Sharing stories of being teen heroes in worlds that had no other heroes to guid them. Danny was happy.

Once their sister and her family had gone home, Danny and Dan had returned to Japan and their home town, Elle in tow. To say the town was overjoyed was an understatement, they had shown a festival in honour of Yuurei and the the fact that they would continue to prosper for many generations in the future. Elle had had a blast as she played with the town children and are to her hearts content. She loved the fact that she now had a place to, permanently, call home. That night they slept at the Shiro as the festival continued for three days.

****

Things had settled down, after three weeks, and Danny was only now ready to face the box of their mother remains. It was common for some ghosts to have keepsakes of family members, even the mere kept blood pearls, either to remember or as gifts of protection or proof of bonds. The thing was, usually, it was one or two pieces. A tooth, lock of hair, blood pearl or fur. Not every usable piece, like the Hunters had kept. Now faced with the box full of fins and scales… They didn’t know what to do. Deciding that they could figure it out later, they started organising them, trying not to think about where they had come from. Ells was taking a nap and Dan had come in at some point to help them. They were thankful for the quiet support.

****

Danny was exhausted. It didn’t happen often anymore, due to the power boost being King of The Infinite Realms gave them, but it had been a long two weeks. There had been an intergalactic war that was getting to close to their planetary orbit and almost everyone had gone to investigate and help, in any way they could, to resolve the problem peacefully. Everything had been going well but one side had decided that they still wanted the other planets resources. The JL were then fully dragged into the war. They were finally able to resolve thing with minimal casualties but it had taken its toll on everyone their.

Dan had stayed back so Earth wasn’t left unprotected while most of the heavy hitters were off planet. He had also kept an eye on Elle. Once Danny had returned home, despite their fatigue and heavy body, they had spent some much needed time with Elle. All three of them had gone to the hot spring and messed around as Danny unwound the tension they had built up over the weeks they had away.

It had been their first large scale fight, they had been involved with, Dan was usually the one to go on these kind of missions but this one had been in space. In Space! Sure they could go anytime they wanted but they also had a pull at their protection obsession. So two vultures one stone.

It didn’t hurt that their partner for this particular mission was Red Robin. They had gotten to know the other hero on a more personal level, though that is rather subjective, they were friends now. Besides, war didn’t allow for deep discussion, as much as movies portray at least. They mainly worked on information gathering, hacking alien tech and espionage, in some cases, in their quest for information. For the first week at least. The second week was filled with fighting and making sure their teammates did join their domain so soon.

Danny sighed as they slipped further into the hot water. They were so relaxed that they didn’t notice a certain three year old sneak up on them.

“Daddy? When can I get a sybling?” To say Danny nearly drowned would be false but they did sink into the water and flounder around in surprised embarrassment, before coming up and sputtering. Dan was laughing in the background.

“Not unless someone manages to clone me! Again!” They cried out in a rush before mumbling. “Or someone actually agrees to marry me.”

****

Danny collapsed onto their bed at Phantom’s keep. The rush of Ectoplasm would help them get back to normal quicker. They snuggled into their pillow and their thoughts drifted to Elle’s question and immediately blushed when Red Robin crossed their mind. Forcing their mind to be quiet, they slipped into sleep. Their dreams were hazy and fragmented and their consciousness remains out of reach for almost to days. Unaware of their sleepy actions.

🤍🖤💚💙💚🖤🤍

@akikoyuii

@emeraudesfateandfandoms

@cryinginthevoid

@gay-and-random-shit-i-can-find

@alinmenttreasure

@blackroserelina

@blacksea21090

@seraphinedemort

@skulld3mort-1fan

@sussura

@littlefeather345

@michikoy-yuki

@yinari-uchiha

@jotaroslooseeyebrowhair

@currant-owo

@jeminiikrystal

@mnemovoid

@buginetye

@thatrandomsarahchick

@thiawenwriting

@dannyphantomphan

@serasvictoria02

@isaactheautobot

@d4ydr34min9

@blackfoxsposts

@busterkeel

@fisticuffsatapplebees

@time-travel-toke-up

@phoenixdemonqueen

@aconitewolfsbane

@crazydoughnutlady

@xye-chan

164 notes · View notes

eslanes · 2 years

Text

ＴｈｅＥｖｉｌＤｅａｄＣｈａｌｌｅｎｇｅ 💀

eslanes presents...the grooviest challenge this side of the grave!

The Concept: Six friends travel to a cabin in the woods, where they unknowingly release flesh-possessing demons. Chaos ensues.

The Challenge: It's 1996. Five sims (plus one by me) will attempt to survive the night in a remote cabin in Granite Falls that just so happens to be the home of sleeping Sumerian demons. As per horror tropes, only one can survive (hint - it won't be mine lol).

The Details: the plot of this challenge will (evidently) follow the basic premise of the Evil Dead series (minus Army of Darkness - there will be no time travel). While the basic structure will stay the same, there will be options given via polls that will influence what happens.

⚠️ Given that the source material is 18+ so is this challenge! Content Warnings for violence, gore, sexual content, strong language and zombies ⚠️

The Sims: for this challenge I'm going to provide a name and brief description of each sim - it's up to you to fill in the blanks and fully flesh them out! Humans only please! Please see below the cut for the sims!

The Prize: The winner will receive a custom sim by yours truly (and another treat that I haven't decided yet)

Also, please keep in mind there will only be one survivor, please do not submit a sim unless you're okay with them dying a horrible death! Also to keep it fair, please only one submission per person.

To submit, @ me in your post and use the tag #eslanes evil dead challenge!

Deadline for submissions is September 18th! Challenge will run though October!

(PS: for those of you wondering about The Dating Game, that will run asap while I'm prepping for this challenge :))

Jason Jacobs (23M) - the bookworm

*Please do not submit for Jason, I will be providing him!* A childhood friend of Nancy and Danny. Recent college grad (anthropology, specifically ancient languages) working in his university's library. Jason is intelligent, shy but level headed. He's held a secret crush on Nancy since childhood. It goes without saying that he will not survive, but how he kicks it is up to you!

Nancy Crewes (21F) - the secret keeper

Nancy is a troubled, recent college drop-out. Her friends arranged this trip to the cabin as a show of support for their struggling friend. But what's actually wrong with Nancy? That's up for you to decide... (Nancy has a secret that is not known to the audience but will come out as the challenge progresses and will impact the plot. If you are submitting Nancy, please DM me with her secret - please do not put it in her submission post!!)

Danny Crewes (24M) & Bonnie Leigh (22F) - the 'on-the-outs' couple

Danny, older brother to Nancy (can be half siblings so they don't need to necessarily look alike). Danny is your typical jock - athletic, tall good-looking and cocky af. But, he's also very close with and fiercely protective of his younger sister. Danny arranged the trip to Granite Falls. Bonnie is Danny's on-and-off girlfriend of two years. Bonnie and Nancy do not get along, mostly because of Bonnie's frequent cheating on Danny. Bonnie, on the other hand just can't help it that she's so fabulous and hot! Bonnie is flirtatious, vain, charming and manipulative as hell - your typical sexy villain. She may also attempt to come onto others in the cabin, which may impact the plot...

Jesse Ross (23 any gender) & Brandon Power (24M) - the lovebirds

The main thing you need to know about these two is that they are SO in love. Like enough to make you sick. Like get a room. Brandon is another close childhood friend of Danny and Nancy and your typical brooding bad boy with a heart of gold. Jesse is a wildcard, they can be whoever you like (as long as they are a good match for Brandon). Just remember what happens to sims that spend too much time canoodling in horror movies...

#the sims 4 #ts4 #ts4 challenge #eslanes evil dead challenge

230 notes · View notes

samgirl98 · 1 year

Text

Cain and Abel Wept 5/?

Prev | Next

Surprise, two chapters in one day! Don't get used to this lol

Jazz knew any good psychiatrist would be promoting healthy conversations at the moment. Any good psychiatrist would be trying to dispense the awkwardness with icebreakers. They would be doing anything possible to facilitate the blending of the two families.

Jazz wasn’t a psychiatrist.

(Honestly, those dreams burnt up when the GIW burnt her home, and she and her family had to run.)

Jazz was a (reluctantly) proud Fenton, a budding ghost hunter, and a badass with the Boo-staff. Still, first and foremost, she was an older sister who decided to stay with Danny even if she wanted to know what her parents and the Batman were discussing.

Danny’s shoulders were curved inward, his posture tense. Every time Robin, no Damian (everyone had changed out of their costumes, even Batman, though she refused to call him by his civilian name.) moved, Danny would flinch.

(Every flinch caused the younger boy’s face to fall.)

Nightwing Dick would quickly put his hand on Damian’s shoulder and try to diffuse the situation with jokes and stories. He brought provisions snacks from the safehouse’s kitchen and could tiptoe over any emotional topics that were accidentally brought up.

Jazz recognized elder daughter syndrome when she saw it (she had it, too.); however, Jazz was only here for Danny. She couldn’t imagine how exhausting it would be to monitor the emotional (and probable physical) needs of six, maybe even seven people.

Jazz knew that Dick hoped to have an ally in her to make the meeting smoother. She didn’t care about them, however. Only Danny mattered. Her parents, as much as she loved them, were not her responsibility. (She knew how guilty they felt about Danny’s accident and their hand in his half-death. In a way, she blamed them, too.)

“So, Danny, what’s your favorite band” Signal, no, Duke, asked.

“Dumpty Humpty,” Danny whispered and left it at that. Jazz could taste Duke’s disappointment that the question didn’t help open Danny up.

Thank you, liminality

Jazz saw Dick’s and Jason’s frowns. She focused on the other liminal in the room. He was tall, had green eyes that glowed at random times, and had a tuft of white hair in stark contrast to his dark hair.

Jason Todd was not hiding his ectosignature at all. Surprisingly, he hadn’t been clocked by the ‘proper’ authorities yet. He felt closer to a halfa instead of an ectocontaminated human. Jazz frowned. What had Danny called him? A revenant, that was it; a person brought back from the dead. Her frown deepened. She would have to ask Danny later what the difference between a revenant and a halfa was.

“…Zz, Jazz, can you hear me,” she looked at her worried brother’s face.

“Yeah, sorry about that, just lost in thought. What was the question?”

Danny’s frown matched hers, “I was wondering if maybe it was time to hit the hay. I think you answered my question, though. It’s getting late.”

Jazz followed Danny’s stare and noticed that the sky was lighting up. They had stayed up all night, and no progress had been made between the Fenton and Wayne siblings.

“You’re right. I am tired. Unlike you, I’m still not used to being up all night,” she tried to joke.

“Why would Danya—Danny be used to staying up all night,” Damian asked, his arms crossed over his chest and his face turning suspicious.

“None of your business, Damian. I’ll let you and your family know about me if I want to.”

Damian flinched as if he had been physically hit, and Jazz saw Danny’s guilty expression.

(Her baby brother carried too much unnecessary guilt.)

“Sorry, Dami, I didn’t mean to sound harsh. I’m just not used to being open about my…other life. I’m sure you aren’t used to talking about your alternate lifestyle to strangers, either.” Danny scratched the back of his neck.

Jazz saw Damian suppress another flinch. Ouch. She wondered if Danny phrased it like that on purpose or if he subconsciously wanted to hurt his younger brother somehow. Jazz wouldn’t be surprised if it were the latter. For all of Danny’s anger, he tried to be too nice sometimes. She knew it was because of Dan.

The rest of the family members also frowned at Danny’s word choice.

“Well, if you ever want to let us know, we’re here with open ears and no judgment,” Dick said with a wan smile.

Seriously, elder daughter syndrome.

“Do you want me to show you to your rooms, or do you think you got it?”

Dick was giving them choices to make them feel safer; it didn’t work. Still, she would take it.

“We can manage, thank you.”

Jazz took Danny’s hand and disappeared upstairs. Danny was all that mattered.

____

“Well, that went…well,” Tim said hesitatingly.

“It was a disaster, Drake. He hates me.” Damian’s voice broke, and Dick thought his baby brother would start crying again.

He was ready to reassure him, “No, baby bat, he doesn’t hate you. It’s just a bit awkward for everyone at the moment,” Dick ended lamely.

Damian shook his head and threw himself into Dick’s arms. He automatically caught the kid and rubbed Damian’s back soothingly. He looked toward his other siblings hoping for some type of help. Everyone but Cass looked away; they never knew what to do with a crying Damian.

Dick looked at Cass imploringly, looking, needing all the help he could get. She shook her head and signed ‘hurt, both of them. Danny feels betrayed. Later I say more.’

Dick sighed. Well, nobody said getting two brothers to reconcile would be easy.

____

Bruce was processing everything the Dr. Fentons had told him.

It was, to put it mildly, a cluster fuck. How had the Justice League missed something this huge?

Government-sanctioned experimentations, the multiple attempted genocide of interdimensional beings, and the attempted murder of a foreign sovereign. Bruce thanked his lucky stars and praised whichever god was listening that Danny wasn’t a vengeful ruler, or the Earth would’ve been fucked. And they would’ve deserved it.

He typed everything the Fentons had told them, put everything in a neat file, and called for an emergency meeting with the Justice League and Justice League Dark.

“So you’ll help us,” Jack Fenton asked. Bruce looked up at the man, glad to have his attention taken away from the gruesome experiment of what seemed to be a ghost girl no older than seven.

“Dr. Fenton.”

“Jack, please, no need for formalities.”

Bruce nodded, “Jack. Yes, this is exactly what the Justice League is here for. We don’t just stop alien attacks or big earth-ending catastrophes; we help the whole Earth and everyone in it, whether humans, aliens, or some other species.”

Maddie and Jack looked at each other, their shoulders untensed a little.

“That’s good to hear. We have some allies, but their very few, and with the help of the Justice League, we would have the best help.”

Bruce nodded.

“Mr. Wayne, if I may ask,” Bruce interrupted Maddie Fenton.

“Please, it goes both ways. Call me Bruce.”

“Bruce. If I may ask, what exactly do you intend to do now that you know about Danny?”

Aww, they were worried he would take Danny away from them. He wouldn’t be so cruel as to separate child and parents, no matter how much he wanted to.

“I intend to get to know him and hopefully create a bond with him. When we get these laws repealed, I hope you would allow me to get to know Danny and maybe get him and Damian reintroduced.”

Both Fentons looked at each other for a long time before coming to an understanding.

“Bruce,” Maddie started, “We don’t mind you wanting to get to know Danny, but ultimately, it’d be up to him. Damian, well, Damian did leave him for dead; that type of trauma doesn’t just disappear.”

Bruce had kept his face clear of negative emotions at the reminder that his youngest had been brainwashed into believing killing his brother was an acceptable course of action.

Damn you, Talia.

“I understand. I don’t mind following yours and Danny’s lead.”

Bruce got up and stretched. The Fentons followed suit. It was rare that Bruce ever saw someone taller than him, but he had to look up to look Jack Fenton in the eyes, “thank you, Bruce. For listening to us and for giving Danny a chance.”

Bruce nodded, “Of course, even if Danny hadn’t been my son, I still wouldn’t allow an innocent person, let alone a child, to be hunted like some kind of animal.”

The mere thought got Bruce’s blood boiling.

“Speaking of, you need to keep an eye on Jason, was that his name,” Bruce nodded, “You need to keep an eye on him. He’s broadcasting an ectosignature, and if the GIW find us, they’ll hone in to his, too. Under the Anti-ecto acts, he’s fair game.”

Bruce gritted his teeth; just another reason to get rid of the GIW and those stupid laws.

“Don’t worry. Those laws will soon be gone forever. You two should get some rest; it’s been a long night.”

Bruce left the Fentons in the kitchen and went to look for his other kids. They had work to do, and then…then he would see in mending his broken family.

@spectralstardustandphantomnights @avelnfear @idfk-man10 @blackroserelina @candeartist422 @luer-mirin @mur-ururu @insufferablecrab @skulld3mort-1fan @meira-3919 @aethernorwood @mimilikey @marshmelloe @latheevening226 @ahyesanerd @lexdamo @chrysanthemum9484

#dc x dp fill #cain and abel wept

79 notes · View notes

rruhlauthor · 1 month

Text

Film Review - IT Parts 1 & 2 (2017 and 2019)

I have not read the book IT or watched the older movie adaptation, so my only point of reference for this story is the two films from 2017 and 2019. I suppose I should preface this review by saying I wasn’t a huge fan. In general, I’m not a horror movie watcher, despite writing horror and reading it. There’s something about the visual aspect that takes it to a different level from the written word, where the fear feels more imaginary because it really is all in your imagination; you can’t see it or hear it. Horror is a genre, like romance, in which personal boundaries and tastes play the utmost role in one’s enjoyment of a story. I’m not a fan of stories that involve kids getting hurt, so this was never going to be for me. The Shining was different, maybe because it was more focused on the adults and Danny was never hurt too bad. The casual ableism and homophobia, especially in Part 2, left a bad taste in my mouth with the escaped mental hospital killer and “bury your gays” tropes. Anyway, while this movie was not for me, clearly it was for a lot of people given the blockbuster success. I’ll say right away that Stephen King’s name was a significant player in the success of IT. He's such a well-known horror author that someone brand new to the genre is likely to pick up something by him first, and longtime fans are going to eat up anything that comes out with his name on it. Let’s focus on the story, though. In a character driven story, it is the strength of the characters and the compelling dynamics and motivations between them that turn IT into a popular tale.

People love an underdog story. The group call themselves “The Losers,” and you can’t get more underdog than that. In this unbelievable world with alien fear entities, the characters’ motivations are touching and perfect in their simplicity. Someone wants to know what happened with his little brother’s disappearance. Someone wants to escape her abusive father. Someone has hidden romantic feelings for someone else. I remember when IT Part 2 came out, I had a friend who was obsessed with the characters, specifically Richie and Eddie. They don’t get a happy ending, but there’s enough potential there to capture an audience’s imagination, especially an audience that wants to see more LGBT+ characters; 2019 wasn’t a long time ago, but still in 2024, there aren’t a lot to choose from. Catharsis is an appealing emotion for an audience to crave, and has been for all of human history. Tragedy is one of the oldest artforms, going all the way back to Ancient Greece, progressing through Shakespeare, and coming to our modern emotionally motivated genres. For an example on this timeline closer to IT, there’s Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes with the unsettling circus that preyed on a fear of aging. Compared to First Blood, IT has a pretty simple perspective on the good vs. evil theme, and it works wonderfully for the story being told. IT shows that you can have a book or movie with very popular, very old plot types and themes and still make it unique and appealing.

Even more basic than anything else mentioned before, down to the roots of the horror genre: IT is about people who want to confront a fear. The 21st century has been characterized by widespread anxiety. Economic downturns, climate crisis, wars across the world, censorship, backwards movement in human rights, and an entire plague. An audience seeks a safe environment to process fear and see it defeated in a tangible sense. The different ways Pennywise manifests in the film reflect our cultural fears: disease, hate crimes, loss of loved ones that we felt should have been preventable. And yes, the less abstract and existential ones like spiders and clowns. IT permeates our pop culture. I knew who Pennywise was long before delving into the movies. I wonder, were clowns a big fear before IT, or did it cause a surge in clown related fears? Does anyone remember the weird scary clown incidents from 2016?

There’s something interesting to be said about horror movies, which contain characters who are meant to be so grotesque and avoided at all costs, being turned into cute consumer goods. I was at the mall today and saw two different stores with displays with backpacks, shirts, and plushies of horror movie baddies like Jason, Chucky, and Pennywise. If you go online, you can find hundreds of results for smut with these creepy villains in less than one second. I am not shy to say I’m a monster enjoyer, but I can’t say I personally get the appeal of some of these more gruesome things like Pennywise. I never watched a horror movie like IT before and I don’t intend to again. I’m content with tamer shows like The Twilight Zone, and my Halloween decorations include classic monsters like skeletons, ghosts, and vampires. This all being said, I salute those with an interest in the creepy clowns and dolls and demons that I avoid, just like I’m sure there are others who like visceral horror but shy from the gothic tales and psychological thrills I prefer. Maybe preference doesn’t have to have an explanation. There doesn’t have to be deep literary analysis or audience psychology to study— “I just think it’s neat” is reason enough to enjoy a character or story! The horror genre is so varied, and it’s a wonderful thing. There’s a story for every fear that anyone is trying to confront, a story to excite anyone’s macabre fancies, and a special villain for every villain lover.

#film review #horror #stephen king's it

4 notes · View notes

streamsofstardust · 1 year

Text

Call the Hunters

in collaboration with @tlexx

Chapter 5:

word count: 4,751

content warnings: cursing, more asshole jake, detailed descriptions of violent acts (including gore), homicidal ideation/threats, threats, emotional moments, mentions of past trauma, very minor physical fighting, danny being soft, non-sexual use of restraints, mentions of death

a/n: not much to say for this one. lots of emotions being shared, jake is still a dick, danny is my sweet baby, and magic is really cool. happy hunting🖤

Yelena followed Daniel out of her bedroom and into the living room where Jake was waiting rather impatiently. She gave him one brief glance, not allowing any emotion to show on her face. She was done letting him believe he frightened her; she refused to give him the satisfaction. Walking past him, she grabbed her cloak, a different one than she had been wearing the past few days, which had gotten horribly filthy.

She looked between the two hunters, disgust filling her body at the sight of Jake, and something she could only describe as minor disappointment as she looked at Daniel. She couldn’t get over what she saw just moments before. Part of her truly believed they had made some sort of progress, especially after he opened up to her, but apparently not. Any semblance of trust that had been building evaporated at the sight of Daniel’s hand reaching for that arrow.

There was a profound feeling of sadness at the realization that she had been right to be concerned by Jake’s arrival. Daniel hadn’t easily given in to his older brother, but it was foolish to believe he would have put up a genuine fight. Daniel knew his place, and Yelena felt ridiculous for thinking that would have changed.

“I don’t suppose either of you will give me a moment to bathe myself?” She asked, already knowing the answer.

Jake rolled his eyes, his arms crossed in front of his chest. “Your comfort or lack thereof is the least of my concerns, witch. We have somewhere to be. Stop stalling or you’ll find those shackles wrapped around your flesh once more.”

Daniel sighed at his brother’s comment. “Jake.” A warning, but one that likely held little weight.

Jake looked over at Daniel. “I said I wouldn’t kill her, I said nothing about being kind. She’s gotten more than enough of that from you lately, I presume.” He smirked at the end of his sentence. He fully planned on tormenting Daniel about his feelings towards the witch.

Yelena scoffed, muttering under her breath, “Barbarians.”

As the trio walked out of the cottage, Yelena turned around to get one last look at her home. She had no idea when she’d see it again, if she’d see it again. She couldn’t even be certain she’d be alive this time tomorrow.

She kept her distance from the two men, allowing Jake to lead the way. Daniel had looked back at her a few times while they were walking, his face much softer than it had been while he was alone with his brother. He wanted to speak to her, to provide an explanation as to why he didn’t argue more about going back to the kingdom, but he didn’t. She refused to spare him a single glance, and for whatever reason, it wounded him.

No one was speaking, and the silence was deafening. There was a thick tension surrounding the three of them, and a bit of fear towards Jake. Neither Daniel nor Yelena would openly admit the latter, though.

Two hours of quiet walking became unbearable for the witch. Yelena was tired, angry, and even a bit hurt, and all she wanted to do was get some rest. She loudly groaned upon realizing she hadn’t even been home long enough to enjoy the comfort of her bed, a fact that only made her angrier at the whole situation.

“What could you possibly be complaining about, witch?” Jake asked, not even turning around to speak to her directly.

“Just thinking about how I was home for no longer than a few hours before you decided to show up and rip me from my safe haven once again.” She spoke with a smile on her face, the anger in her voice clear as day. “Tell me, hunter, do you find pleasure in torturing those around you with your presence?”

Jake stopped walking the moment she finished her sentence, causing Daniel and Yelena to follow suit. Daniel looked between the two, his hand slowly reaching for the dagger on his right hip just in case. Jake was eerily quiet for less than a minute before he turned around, a terrifying grin plastered on his face. He stared into Yelena’s eyes and inched towards her as if he was a predator instilling fear in his prey. In a way, he was.

“Occasionally.” He answered, stepping closer to the witch, leaving mere inches between them. Jake’s breath tickled her neck, eliciting a cascade of shivers up her spine. “But I find much more pleasure in killing those who disrespect me. Slowly, methodically. Watching as the last bit of light slips from their eyes. Listening for that final breath of life.”

Yelena was stunned into silence, having no ability to conceal her fear this time. Even Daniel was in shock, never having heard his brother speak so horribly. All four of the hunters had killed their fair share over the years, but they never enjoyed it. For a while, they’d mourn the loss of life, wishing wholeheartedly things were different. But Jake’s words, his horrifying and brutal words…

Daniel didn’t know what had happened, but the man before him wasn’t his brother. He simply couldn’t have been, unless someone had done something so awful to him it changed him entirely. He opened his mouth to speak but couldn’t find any words at that moment.

Jake smirked, an evil looking expression taking over his face. He was enjoying the fact that he had clearly frightened Yelena, and stunned his brother into silence. He basked in it, actually, smug and disgustingly prideful. With nothing else to say, and a metaphorical win under his belt, Jake scoffed and turned around, resuming his walk.

Yelena was frozen in her spot, her thoughts racing a mile a minute. It didn’t matter that Jake had explicit instructions not to kill her, she couldn’t find it in herself to fully believe he’d listen to that. She could no longer deny that she was terrified of the hunter. The lack of rest she had been getting, the constant running, and the stress of everything that had been going on was getting to her. She was exhausted in every sense and on the verge of collapsing. She didn’t know how much more she could take.

Daniel hesitated to continue walking, finding it impossible to not look back at Yelena. He couldn’t blame her for being so frightened of his brother; he was feeling the same way. The difference was Daniel suspected something was off with Jake, and Yelena couldn’t have known that. As far as she was aware, he truly was that horrific.

Daniel wanted to console her, tell her that everything would be fine, that she was safe. But in all honesty, he wasn’t sure that was the truth. He wanted it to be more than anything, but even Daniel had his doubts stemming from his brother’s abnormal behavior.

Eventually Yelena calmed herself enough to walk, keeping a wide distance between her and the hunters. She felt all of the anger and frustration of the past few days clawing its way through her body. She wanted to scream, to collapse to her knees on the ground and scream at the sky until her lungs exploded and her throat was raw. She hated this feeling, hated that these hunters had seemingly destroyed her life in the blink of an eye.

She wasn’t sure what the appropriate action would be: drop to the ground and sob, or use her magic against the hunters and kill them where they stood. She felt the rage bubbling up inside her, an unfamiliar feeling that she had typically done so well to ignore was preparing to consume her. This time, she considered allowing it.

Yelena knew what came with being a gray witch- her access to black magic. She knew how quickly she could become the very monster they all believed her to be. She spent her entire life finding a balance between black and white, light and dark, to prevent that very perception from clouding the minds of those around her. But after everything she had been dealing with lately, she felt less and less inclined to continue doing so.

She wanted to destroy the hunters. To tear them limb from limb and cause them a degree of pain they had never imagined in their lives. She wanted to be that monster that haunted the dreams of the mortal children. She wanted to cause that pain and destruction. To burn everything they knew and loved to the ground without a second thought. They had caused her plenty of pain, now it was time for them to get a taste of their own medicine.

It was easy for her to picture herself ripping Jake’s head from his shoulders. To torture him extensively, watching as the blood poured from deep gashes on his body. To watch his own brothers’ faces twist in agony as they witnessed her completely eviscerate their leader. The hunters were nothing compared to her. They relied on weapons and wit to get them by. She had power beyond their wildest dreams. They had no idea what she was truly capable of.

And yet when she moved to think about ending Daniel’s life… she couldn’t.

For some reason, Yelena felt a pang in her chest at the thought of hurting Daniel, especially after all she had learned about his past. He’d been through plenty of hardships and trauma, events of immense pain that she believed shaped him to be the man he was. She couldn’t be angry at that, or rather she didn’t want to be. Jake was a completely different story though.

Daniel, despite capturing her in the first place, had helped her and cared for her in his own way. He was thoughtful for the most part, even kind at times. She wanted to hate him, she wanted to have nothing but pure disgust for him in her heart. But the longer she spent time with him, the more she realized she just… couldn’t.

Regardless, she was furious. Furious that he didn’t fight Jake more. Furious that he didn’t stand up for himself. Furious that he was so quick to follow in Jake’s monstrous footsteps. She didn’t think Daniel would kill her on his own volition, but she saw how he reached for the arrow. She couldn’t help but think if Jake demanded him to fire that arrow straight into her heart, he would.

After a few hours, the sun had gone down and it was clear it was no longer safe to walk. No one had spoken since Jake made his earlier comments, and the tension was palpable. Jake had stopped walking first, resting his hands on his hips and looking around.

“Right, well. Time to set up camp.” Jake said, completely unphased by the silence that had consumed the three of them.

“Did you not judge me for doing the exact same thing?” Daniel bravely spoke.

“I’d advise you against making comments right now, Daniel. And don’t think for a second this is the same thing. The minute the sun begins rising we’re heading out.”

“Fine. But we’ll need a fire.” Daniel looked at Yelena and called her name, noticing how small she appeared. She looked up at the hunter, her eyes glazed from having zoned out completely. “Can you make a fire for us?” His question was posed softly, not wanting to come off demanding when she was clearly out of it. She nodded, lifting her left hand in preparation of conjuring a small flame to keep them warm.

“Absolutely not.” Jake spat, lifting his pointer finger in Yelena’s direction. “I’m not sitting here while the witch casts spells.” Yelena furrowed her brows at his words.

“I’ll grab firewood, and Daniel, you can babysit.” Jake left no opportunity for a response from his brother or Yelena. He turned around and walked further into the forest on his own, his right hand resting on the hilt of the sword sheathed at his hip.

Daniel figured that with Jake gone, it would be a good time to speak with Yelena about what happened at her cottage, to give an explanation that he knew she wanted. The problem was, he didn’t even know where to begin.

“Yelena.”

She was sitting on a tree stump, refusing to look at him. There was too much going on in her head. The loss of peace, the possibility of never going back to her home, the uncertainty of what was to come. And Daniel. How could he go from sharing such a personal and intimate detail of his life with her and then moments later reach for that arrow? She couldn’t look at him, certainly couldn’t speak to him. Especially not without exploding and the last thing anyone needed was a witch who couldn’t control her magic. She didn’t want things to get that out of hand.

“Yelena, please look at me.” Daniel was almost begging. He could see the gears turning in her head, and could tell how hurt she was.

She lifted her hand, conjuring her powers without the need for a single incantation, and swirled her fingers, the magic flowing in between them. She hadn’t even looked in the hunter’s direction, but she saw in her peripheral vision that he had ceased moving towards her.

“I highly recommend leaving me alone, hunter.” Daniel was taken aback at her tone. She hadn’t referred to him as that in some time now. He didn’t listen though, despite being slightly worried about how she might use her magic against him. He felt she’d be justified in whatever she chose to do, but he was tired, physically and mentally, and just wanted to have a civil conversation.

He continued slowly walking towards her, his hands raised in front of himself to not come off as a threat. “Yelena, please let me explain. I know you must have heard something Jake and I discussed, and I-”

Yelena whipped her head around to face him. “You what?!” She stood up, walking towards him much faster than he had been moving. “What you could possibly say, Daniel? I heard everything. Every. Fucking. Word. I saw the way you rolled over like a pathetic dog the second Jake got you alone. The big bad hunter is just so scared of his brother, huh? You didn’t even try to argue with him. Just accepted his word as the final say. I don’t consider us friends, hunter, but I didn’t think you’d sell me out that fucking quickly.”

Daniel had yet to make another attempt to speak. He could tell there was more she wanted to say, so he gave her the chance to do so.

“You don’t understand what it’s like to be on the run all the time. You have no idea what it's like to be hunted for sport just because you’re different, because you’ve been blessed with the ability to do things others can’t.”

“Yelena, ple-” Daniel started.

“No! Just shut up and listen!” She felt the anger coursing through her body, an unstoppable warm fire spreading over every inch of her. If she was in the right frame of mind, she’d be worried about it, but she wasn’t. He closed his mouth and waited for her to continue, as if it was against his own will.

“You and your remorseless, evil, brothers have taken everything from me! My home, my family, my life, my fucking sense of self. Everything. And you do it because what? It’s your job? Do you know how many people have been hurt? Killed? Just for being like me? You ruin lives without a single shred of care because ‘it’s your duty.’ Well you know what, Daniel? I don’t care. I’m done. I thought for a moment that maybe there could be peace, or at least some sense of civility between us, but clearly I was wrong. It was stupid of me to think a hunter could ever give a shit about someone like me.”

The fire was spreading, and she could feel it subconsciously, but there was nothing she could do to stop it. Daniel saw as the color of her eyes began to change, a bright glow overtaking the soft sage green of her irises more and more the further enraged she became. He knew it had something to do with her magic, but he didn’t think she’d take well to him interrupting her to point it out.

Yelena moved even closer to the hunter, only a mere foot of space separating the two, and continued yelling at the hunter.

“All I wanted, all any of my people have ever wanted, was to be left alone! We’ve done nothing to you! And yet for centuries you’ve been slaughtering us and I’m tired of it! I’m so fucking- UGH!”

Yelena shoved Daniel as she finished her sentence. He barely moved, as she was a fraction of his size, and though he initially moved his hands to stop her, he lowered them, realizing she needed to get her frustration out. She continued the action, switching between shoving the hunter and punching his chest over and over.

“Fight back hunter! I could kill you if I wanted to!” She shouted at him.

“No, Yelena. I’m not going to fight you.” His voice was soft and he spoke calmly, hoping she’d do the same soon enough.

“Gods, you’re the worst! I should kill you for everything that’s happened!” She continued punching the hunter. “I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!”

“Yelena.” Daniel’s hands wrapped around her wrists, effectively stopping her hits. She made an attempt to fight back, but it was fruitless. Pounding against his chest, howling as she did. “Yelena, stop.”

“Let go of me you wretched, vile monster!” Yelena twisted her arms, trying to get herself out of his grasp.

“Yelena. Yelena.” Daniel understood being calm was useless, she wouldn’t listen to his voice. “YELENA!” He shouted, shocking her into a stunned silence. The intensity and volume of his voice had her stopping her movements immediately, her eyes returning to their normal shade, but her breathing no less erratic.

The two stared at each other, Daniel still refusing to let her go. At this point, he was panting just as much as the witch, his own body temperature feeling hotter than normal. Neither of them dared to speak, but when Daniel looked closer at her expression, he noticed tears welling in her waterline, nearly spilling over.

His own expression softened, feeling a pit in his stomach at the sight. Without giving it a second thought, he pulled her into his chest, holding her tightly. His right hand came up to hold the back of her head, while the other gently rubbed her back. Within seconds, she had begun sobbing, her hands gripping the leathers across his chest as her body shook.

Daniel let her cry, deciding to stay quiet. He knew Jake would likely be back soon, and he was fully aware that his older brother would have plenty to say about him consoling a witch. He couldn’t find it in himself to care, though. He felt genuine guilt for what had happened, and the animosity that had surrounded the two of them had become a pest to him.

“Yelena, please let me explain myself.” She made no effort to move, nodding her head against his chest and wiping away the last few tears.

“You said you heard everything, but I feel as though you’re not telling me everything. You saw us too, didn’t you?” Yelena froze, feeling like she was caught red handed. She had no actual reason to be embarrassed, but she whispered a soft ‘yes,’ not having the energy to speak at a normal volume.

“Yelena, I wouldn’t- I know you saw me reach for the arrow. I wouldn’t hurt you like that. Not after everything. I hate that it took me so long to realize how bad things have gotten, how out of control, but you’re right about me and my brothers. We’ve hurt too many innocent people in the past and I just… I can’t do it anymore. I’m done hurting people, I promise.” Daniel moved Yelena, separating her body from his so he could look at her directly as he spoke. “I know you don’t know him, but something is wrong with Jake. Something very, very wrong. I don’t know what happened, but the version of him you’ve seen… it’s not him.”

“But you-”

“I know what you saw, I know what you thought. And I know you have no reason to, but I need you to trust me. I need Jake to think I’m on his side right now, okay?”

“I need to get back home to my brothers. I have to know if what’s happening with Jake has happened to Sam and Josh too. But I knew that if I left you alone, Jake would take advantage of the opportunity to do something awful, and I wasn’t about to let that happen. So please, please, trust me.” He reached up to move a piece of hair that had fallen in front of her face, tucking it behind her ear. Her breath caught in her throat at the action.

Yelena thought over his words, taking the time to process everything he told her. She could tell there was genuine concern for the well-being of his brothers, there was no doubt about that. She was finding it hard to maintain the anger that had previously consumed her, and as much as she wanted to, she couldn’t find a reason to continue being mad now that he had provided an explanation.

“Okay.” She whispered, her throat raw from yelling. Maybe revenge wasn’t the best plan for Yelena. Daniel had done enough already to spare her, he may deserve the same understanding that she was receiving from him. “But if I feel threatened by anyone other than Jake, I cannot promise that I’ll hold back.”

“Sam and Josh aren’t like that.” Daniel tried to reason, but he knew that all Yelena could see was the King’s crest branded in their leathers.

“They are hunters.” She stated plainly, as though it was all the explanation she needed to defend her previous statements.

“But they’re reasonable.”

“Witch hunters.” She emphasized.

Daniel smiled the slightest bit, a breath of a laugh fluttering past his lips. “So am I.”

Yelena looked up at him, searching for any sign not to trust him. It would be easier that way. She grew up being told that hunters were the most vile, wretched, unsavory of men; yet when she searched his face all she saw was kindness.

“Just don’t leave me alone with them, Daniel.” The two stared at one another, taking in every detail of each other's face. A warmth spread through Yelena’s body that was foreign and indescribable, but she did know it made her feel happy. Happier than she had felt in years.

The sound of breaking tree branches made Yelena and Daniel separate frantically, they would not allow Jake to find them like this. It was too dangerous.

“You should be sitting, witch.” Jake appeared from the shadows, a stack of firewood piled in his arms, looking calm and unbothered. The hunters were fit and skilled, and that made Jake all the more threatening to a witch.

“Yes, sir.” She teased with a roll of her eyes. There was no point to fight Jake anymore, not for her sake but more for Daniel’s. Looking over at Daniel, she noticed the smallest twitch of his lips at her sass. The crooked smile that took place on his face was endearing, and she couldn’t deny she enjoyed the sight of it.

Jake scoffed, throwing the wood on the ground. Her change in demeanor, being more calm, pissed Jake off. He liked her terrified, preferred her in that state, actually, and he relished in her fear. Now he was left disappointed and agitated.

Daniel avoided Jake’s questioning gaze. It was evident Jake was able to tell that the two had spoken, but he didn’t care enough to pry - it wasn’t worth his time.

“Danny, do me a favor and watch your… pet.” Jake knelt down, forming a fire pit in the center of camp. Daniel didn’t comment, choosing to sit on the ground while keeping his eyes on Yelena. He was hardly bothered by the orders he received from his older brother.

“Oh, I’m a pet now? Well, let me show you some of my tricks.” Yelena crossed her legs, one over the other, and with a sassy point of her right index finger, a roaring fire erupted around the wood Jake had dropped.

Jake jumped back, showing an emotion he hadn’t yet - fear. Magic was something that he couldn’t explain, and the unexplainable was the root of all fear.

Daniel stifled a giggle, covering his mouth with one of his hands, a direct opposition to Yelena’s loud laugh, a mistake on both of their parts. Jake got up quickly, making a direct line towards Yelena. If it wasn’t for Daniel’s just as swift reflexes, Jake would have had his hands tightly around the witch’s neck.

Daniel held his brother back, keeping his back to Yelena, but Jake had his black eyes locked on her. Spit flew from his mouth, skin red as the flames by his ankles, finger threateningly pointed at Yelena. “I said no magic!”

“Jake!” Daniel tried the same tactic he used on Yelena, yet this time it had little to no use. Jake grew angrier, pulling from Daniel’s grasp to knee him in the stomach. Daniel toppled over, having no choice but to let go of his brother. Yelena shifted in her seat, ready to rush over to him, but was barely able to move an inch before she was attacked by the older hunter.

It only took Jake two steps to get Yelena in his grasp. One hand choked her, while the other pulled her hair. Yelena looked in his eyes to try to find some sense of humanity, but there was nothing there. He was seemingly void of a soul.

“If it wasn’t for the King, I’d happily let your blood stain my boots.”

“Yeah?” She choked out. “Calling me a pet, but look at you. You’re such a good boy, Jake, listening to orders like a dog.”

Jake choked her harder, taking away her ability to breathe completely. “When he is done using you, it’ll be my hands that take your life.”

“Can’t wait.” Yelena spat through a strangled gasp. She wanted to murder Jake just as much as he wanted to take her life. But when she looked over to Daniel, who was still on his knees looking anxious and confused, his words repeated in her head. ‘This isn’t my brother.’

“Let’s just get you and that pretty little gem back to the King, shall we?” Jake pushed her away from him with a smirk.

Yelena fell back, gasping as she took in ragged breaths and holding her throat which was undoubtedly going to be bruised. Jake had revealed that he knew, he knew all along what Yelena held in her possession and what it was used for - something she wasn’t even aware of.

“I cannot believe I’m doing this, but I don’t trust you. Either of you. We will be back home an hour after sunrise, then I’ll happily remove you from my body.”

Jake looked disgusted as he pulled the shackles from the leather belt around his waist. He ripped one of Yelena’s arms in the air, popping her shoulder in the process. Yelena screamed out in pain, causing Daniel to rush forward.

“Jake you’re being ridiculous, stop it!” Daniel tried to reason.

“If it wasn’t for Samuel, you’d have the same fate as your witch.” Jake turned to look at Daniel, securing the shackles without having to look at them. Yelena yelped at the unnecessary harshness he was using against her. Jake pointed at his brother, his eyes narrowing as he spoke. “You’ve betrayed me, Danny, and that won’t be forgotten.”

Yelena and Daniel looked at one another, scared and asking the other for help. It was no use, they should have run when they had the chance. Daniel’s only hope now was that his other brothers would be willing to listen to his desperate pleas for help. No longer just for Yelena; but for his tortured brother, Jake.

taglist: @allieboop @obetrolncocktails @greta-flanveet @kdarling1 @doodle417 @mollie-gvf @hoeforstevienicks @shutupdevvie @joshkiszkas @gardenofgreta @gretasmokerising @lunaindigoraven @jakekiszkasleftnutsack @teddiie @sammiejane22 @gretavanbitches @jordierama @skankforjakekiszka @fantazmagorical96 @gretavangroove @stardustgreta @gvfrry @myownparadise96 @richjaaasss @dannywagners-chesthair @highdefkiszka @gretadanfleet @writingcold @gretavanfleas @stardust-jake @maddie-van-fleet @wingedgardener2000 @cyliegvf @mywaykiszka @gardensgatedaisy @tearsofbri @earthlysorrows @lvnterninthenight @gabyvanfleet @gretavanferal

#call the hunters fic #gvf #greta van fleet #gretavanfleet #danny gvf #danny wagner #danny wagner fic #greta van fleet fic #gvf fic #gretavanfleet fic #danny wagner gvf #daniel wagner #my fics

36 notes · View notes

oliverreedmasterass · 1 year

Text

Words: 4k

Synopsis: Jake insists that everyone should participate in a new drinking game, bets are made, and things almost immediately descend into chaos. You should definitely listen to "Roxanne" by The Police while reading this.

Warnings: drinking (not underage though), language, allusions to being physically ill

______________________________________________________________

“Who’s ready to get this party started?” Jake whooped as he walked through Sam’s front door, his arms loaded with a crate of Coronas and a Costco-sized bottle of Jack.

“Aren’t we going to the bar?” Sam called from the dining room where he was sitting with Danny, both of them scrolling on their phones.

“Change in plans, Sammy boy!” Jake replied. He dropped the booze on the kitchen counter with a loud clunk and made his way to his brother’s side so he could beam down at him and Danny.

“You freak me out when you’re like this,” Sam looked up at his older brother.

Jake found his hands moving to Sam’s tense shoulders, where he gave them a loving rub. Sam only stiffened at his touch.

“I found a drinking game that we have to try before we set our sights on the bar,” Jake explained to the two. “It’ll be a lot of fun, I promise.”

“The last time you promised we’d have fun, Josh wound up in the emergency room,” Danny murmured just loud enough for Jake to hear.

“It’s not my fault he fell off the hiking trail,” Jake frowned.

“We were hiking it at night ,” Sam cut in. “And he thought he saw a mountain lion.”

“That’s on Josh,” Jake argued. “He should have known there hasn’t been a cougar sighting in Tennessee since the early 1900s.”

“I beg to differ, I saw quite a few cougars last weekend,” Danny joked.

Jake rolled his eyes at his bandmates and wandered over to Sam’s impressive turntable setup in the corner of the room. He grunted and, with an agonizing pop in his knees, squatted down so he was at eye-level with Sam’s album collection.

“It’s got to be here somewhere,” Jake mumbled to himself. Sam was known to be a tad bit over-obsessed with vinyl: over their years of touring, he always made an effort to duck into at least one record store in each town they played. Considering how many shows they had under their belts, he had accumulated enough records that he could probably open his own store if he wanted. The great thing about Sam was, out of the four of them, he had the most extensive taste in music. Sure, he was prone to beeline straight for the jazz section in each shop, but he also made a habit of grabbing things he had never heard of before, or never thought to listen to. Due to that, his record collection spanned across a pretty impressive range, from The Spinners to Amy Winehouse to Iron Maiden. This was why Jake was confident he would find a specific new-wave album.

While Jake sorted through Sam’s albums, Josh let himself inside, wearing his typical white long sleeve shirt and khaki pants combo, his hands unfortunately free of any booze. As he made his way deeper into Sam’s house, he slowed down at the sight of the Coronas and whiskey.

“Are we throwing a rager?” he asked the room. “I thought we were just going to the bar tonight.”

“Jake had a change in plans,” Sam reported to his older brother. “But he won’t tell us what he’s fixing to do.”

“I’m working on it,” Jake called over his shoulder. “One sec.”

Josh, Sam, and Danny watched Jake in a mixture of confusion and interest as he continued to sort through Sam’s stash, growing progressively more disheartened.

“Why don’t you alphabetize these?” he turned back to face Sam.

“I know where all the good ones are, why would I alphabetize them?”

“So I can find this stinking album,” Jake huffed. Sam took a hint and hurried over to Jake, kneeling down so he could scan through his collection.

“What are you looking for?” Sam asked under his breath.

“Outlandos D’Amour?” Jake replied so only Sam could hear. Sam leaned away from Jake for a brief second, shooting him a bemused look.

“I didn’t realize you were a Police fan,” he couldn’t help but poke fun.

“It’s for the drinking game,” Jake tried to explain. “It’ll make sense soon.”

Sam’s eyes danced over the album titles, trying to find what Jake so desperately wanted. Right when it looked like he was about to throw in the towel, Sam’s mouth hung open.

“Oh,” he whispered. “I do have it.”

“I knew you would,” Jake had trouble containing the large grin that was stretching across his lips. He watched in eager anticipation as Sam slid the album out from its spot on the lowest shelf, tucked off to the side. The album cover looked to be in rough shape, as if Sam had used it in an ultimate frisbee competition, but to Jake it was just water off a duck’s back. All that mattered was there were no scratches on the vinyl.

“I’m pretty sure I grabbed this one from a bargain bin in Scottsdale,” Sam remembered. “It was like a buck. I don’t think I would have bought it otherwise.”

“I thought you played bass because Sting is your Messiah,” Jake faked shock.

“Haha,” Sam rolled his eyes. He handed the album over to Jake and stood back upright so he could rejoin Danny and Josh and give them a confused shrug. Jake heard him mutter that he thought Jake was having a midlife crisis 25 years too early or something, but decided not to bite Sam’s head off since he was too focused on getting the music going.

“Grab a drink,” Jake said over his shoulder to the three, making an extra effort to motion back to the drinks he had gone out of his way to bring over. “The harder the booze, the more fun we’re gonna have.”

“I’m playing golf tomorrow,” Danny sounded apologetic as he opened the box of beer. “I need to be clear-headed.”

“I’m going all in, Jake,” Sam countered Danny. “I’m definitely not playing golf tomorrow, and I want to be mentally tapped out if we’re gonna be listening to The Police all night.”

“The Police?” Josh looked confused. “Why would we listen to them?”

“It’s a drinking game,” Jake answered, finally turning around from the record player, which started to blast the first track of the album. He liked the feeling of everyone’s eyes on him as he moved into Sam’s kitchen, grabbed a crystal glass, and joined Sam’s side to pour himself a hearty helping of whiskey. “It’s about the easiest drinking game out there. We’re going to listen to ‘Roxanne’ and, every time Sting says, ‘Roxanne’, you have to take a chug of your drink.”

“How many times does he say ‘Roxanne’?” Josh looked worried.

“If I remember right, a fuck ton,” Danny studied his bottle, as if gauging how much beer he would have to drink through.

“It’s not gonna kill you,” Jake assured Josh. “This is meant to be fun.”

“You see,” Josh begged to differ, “whenever you say that, I always end up feeling like shit for one reason or another. It’s getting to the point where I’m starting to wonder if you pull shit like this just to put me through the wringer.”

“That’s nonsense,” Jake waved him off. “You just have bad luck.”

“Maybe. Considering I’m related to you and all.”

Jake scowled at his brother. They were constantly bickering back and forth like that, trading blows as if they were permanently trapped in a boxing ring, but he knew that Josh didn’t mean it. Their bantering was more a love language than anything else even though, to an outside perspective, it might have come across like they were mortal enemies.

The record moved to the next track and Jake turned his attention away from his twin to address the rest of the room.

“Roxanne is coming up next. Whoever taps out first has to pay for drinks tonight.”

“What if we all make it through the song?” Sam asked. “We’re not exactly new to this whole drinking thing. Hell, Corona is like lemonade to me.”

“Trust me,” Jake assured him, “one of us is definitely not going to make it.”

Just to make things especially interesting, he decided to squint his eyes at Danny to get him on edge. That seemed to do the trick since Danny’s shoulders shot up to his ears as he cradled his bottle.

“I’m good at drinking games,” he stammered. Instead of replying, Jake continued to stare. “I do keg stands all the time,” Danny continued to ramble. “This will be a piece of cake.”

“I say we place bets on who won’t make it,” Jake decided.

“My money’s on Josh,” Danny cut in, still looking like stress was on the brink of eating him alive. “Not me. Don’t waste your money betting against me.”

“Just because you said that, I’m gonna bet against you,” Sam said, reaching into his pocket and fishing a $20 bill out of his wallet to slap on the table. Danny fumbled around and got his own wad of cash from his jacket pocket, which he threw on top of Sam’s.

“You’ve obviously tried this out before,” Josh said as he studied Jake’s face. “And I feel like you weren’t able to do it, so you want us to try it as well and fail so you feel better about yourself.”

Jake was terrified of just how well his brother knew him.

“That’s your interpretation,” Jake attempted to give his best poker face. “I’m gonna bet against all of you.”

“Then I’m betting against you,” Josh quickly retorted, grabbing a post it note from Sam’s kitchen and a pen to scribble “IOU $10” out as his contribution. “I don’t have cash on me,” Josh looked around at his friends to explain.

“How were you gonna pay for drinks at the bar?” Danny asked.

“I was gonna steal some money from Jake.”

Jake shook his head and dropped a neat $100 bill into the money pot.

“Good luck stealing a Benjamin Franklin under my nose.”

“I’ve done it before.”

“Hey, wait a minute,” Jake started to complain at Josh’s confession when the second track faded and the opening chords of ‘Roxanne’ started to pulse around Sam’s house.

“Oh boy,” Sam groaned out. “Here we go.”

Jake readied his drink and looked around at his friends. Danny looked like he was on the brink of passing out from nerves, Sam looked excited, and Josh still seemed like a part of him wasn’t sure he wanted to participate.

I’m gonna drink you losers all under the bus, Jake eagerly thought to himself.

“Roxanne,” Sting crowed from the scratchy record. To Jake’s relief and joy, all of them lifted their drinks to their lips and tipped them back.

“Take a bigger swig than that, Josh,” Jake called to his twin, who had just barely stuck his tongue into his cup of whiskey.

“Hey, no peer pressure,” Josh barked back.

You don’t have to sell your body to the night…

“Roxanne,” Sting sang out again. Jake, with a bright smile, took another drink from his glass and felt the whiskey burn down his throat. He looked around and saw that Sam’s face was twisted in disgust at his own drink, but he still looked determined. To his surprise, Danny was already halfway through his bottle.

“This is doable,” Danny stated with utmost confidence right before Sting launched into his third ‘Roxanne’.

“You’re gonna take that back soon,” Jake told Danny.

You don’t have to put on the red light…

“Roxanne,” Sting sang again, causing all the boys, with the exception of Jake, to flail to bring their drinks back up to their lips.

“Best of luck to you, boys,” Jake raised his glass in a cheer.

“Oh no,” Sam’s face paled as it became increasingly clear that he suddenly remembered how the chorus of ‘Roxanne’ went. Josh glared Jake down and slowly shook his head.

“You evil, evil bastard,” he whispered right as Sting launched into the chorus.

Roxanne (Put on the red light)

“Jesus christ,” Sam choked on his drink.

Roxanne (Put on the red light)

“Are you okay?” Danny turned to Sam after downing his drink. He held his hand up to smack Sam on the back, but Sam looked at him and rapidly shook his head.

“I’m fine,” he croaked.

Roxanne (Put on the red light)

“I don’t know how you made it through that, Sam,” Josh commented as the song entered the next verse. Sam was looking a bit green to the face and, putting his head down in embarrassment, he rushed to the kitchen to fetch himself a glass of water.

“Is that cheating?” Josh asked Jake as they watched Sam gulp down the water and messily wipe at his mouth with the back of his hand.

“He’s drinking more than you are, so I’ll allow it,” Jake replied, motioning down to Josh’s glass, which was still half-full.

“I’m taking a good gulp every time,” Josh protested. Jake observed his glass again and made a clicking noise to disagree.

Danny had managed to drink through two bottles of Corona up to that point and, as Sting sang the verses free of any ‘Roxanne’s, he worked on opening his third bottle. While Sam was focused on his glass of water, Danny used the corner of Sam’s dining room table to pop the cap off.

“You’re going down,” he called over to Jake.

“Yeah, okay buddy,” Jake replied back. He was glad that getting under Danny’s skin had worked as well as it did. While Danny more often than not came across as the level-headed, mature one of the group, once his competitive side was brought to the light, he was like an entirely different person. Jake had learned that the hard way once when he and Danny went mini golfing: let’s just say you should never dare Danny to tee off at the windmill hole and then tell him there’s no way he can bust the golf ball through the windmill’s wooden base.

Sam finished his glass of water and let out a loud burp that nearly made him keel over.

“This is torture,” he moaned.

“You can tap out,” Jake responded, arching his eyebrow in a testing way while motioning towards the $20 bill Sam had deposited on the table.

“I’ll never hear the end of it if I do,” Sam frowned.

“Wanna switch to beer?” Danny asked. Sam looked to Jake to see if he would let him, and Jake gave a slight nod. The kid was trying his best.

“Yes,” Sam quickly said. Just as he got the cap off, Sting was back at it again.

Roxanne, you don’t have to put on the red light…

Everyone got back to it, taking their drinks and looking around at one another to see who was going to drop out first. Sam, obviously feeling guilty about quitting with the whiskey, made a concerted effort to down as much of his beer as he could before Sting got to his next “Roxanne.” Jake was about ready to call Josh out again for not drinking as much as everyone else, but he stopped himself when he saw that Josh was already pouring himself a new glass of whiskey. When the next “Roxanne” came around, Jake decided he needed to catch up to his twin, so he downed the rest of his glass. Was it stupid, considering they were seconds away from the chorus? Absolutely, but Jake needed to win this thing fair and square.

Roxanne (You don't have to put on the red light)

Jake snatched the whiskey off the table and, looking around at his friends with an air of confidence that even he acknowledged was over the top, took a chug straight from the bottle.

Roxanne (Put on the red light)

Danny finished his third bottle and hustled to get the next one prepared, but his hands were shaking as he struggled to force the cap off. Sam, looking as if the life was being sucked out of him in real time, motioned to Danny to hand him his bottle and, like a fucking heathen, unscrewed the lid with his teeth, spitting the cap off so it clamored to the floor. Danny took the bottle back from him, looking troubled.

Roxanne (Put on the red light)

To Jake’s surprise, Josh was actually drinking him under the bus. It was as if he was meditating while participating in Jake’s drinking game: his face remained stoic and, like a robot, he methodically raised his glass up to his lips at each “Roxanne”, tipped the glass back slightly, and easily swallowed the hard liquor. Then, he let in a deep breath, as if to recenter himself.

Roxanne (Put on the red light)

“My head is spinning,” Danny’s guard came down for a split second as he held onto the table for support.

“My world is spinning,” Sam agreed after accidentally knocking all of Danny’s empty bottles onto the floor.

Jake was still feeling good.

Roxanne (Put on the red light)

While it was obvious that Sam was going topple over and eliminate himself at any second, Jake set his sights on Josh. Not being the first to tap out wasn’t enough anymore: he needed to outdrink his brother. In that moment, that was all that mattered to Jake.

Roxanne (Put on the red light)

“I fucking hate The Police,” Sam sounded on the brink of tears.

Roxanne (Put on the red light)

“Their music stinks.”

Roxanne (Put on the red light)

Jake had his drinking down to a rhythm, right on time with the drum beat of the song. He could feel his cheeks flushing a vibrant red from the liquor, but his head remained placid and his stomach calm. He was far past the point where he had had to tap out during most of his attempts the night prior. He continued to watch Josh and, for the life of him, he couldn’t tell if Josh was showing any cracks. The fucker would have to back down at some point.

Roxanne (Put on the red light)

Josh had finished his second glass and held a hand out to Jake to pass him the bottle. As much as Jake didn’t want to, he handed it over and Josh took a deep drink from it before giving it back. Jake followed suit.

Roxanne (Put on the red light)

“How long is this song?” Danny cried in agony.

“It’s The Police,” Josh calmly explained after finishing his sip from the bottle. “Their music always fades out, so technically a Police song never really ends.”

“I hate you,” Danny turned to Jake. Jake could only shrug.

Roxanne (You don't have to put on the red light)

“I think I’m gonna be sick,” Sam gargled from his side of the room. Danny hopped away from him in an attempt to preserve his white sneakers.

“You’re so close, Sammy,” Josh told him. Sam gazed down at his bottle in disdain, but nodded his head.

“I’m doing this for all the people out there who hate The Police,” he slurred.

“There you go,” Danny tried to encourage him.

Roxanne (Put on the red light)

It was obvious that Jake and Josh were having a drink off at this point in the song. They stood facing each other, only about a foot and a half away from each other, their eyes locked as they passed the bottle back and forth. Jake made sure to keep his gaze in a narrow squint as an extra step to get under Josh’s skin. It was mildly unsettling that Josh looked back at him with a bored look on his face, like he was daydreaming of being off somewhere else.

Jake was certain that he was sporting the complexion of the Kool Aid man, just based on how hot he felt, but Josh’s cheeks were hardly showing a light rosy color. Jake made a mental note to talk with Josh about how he managed to handle his booze later. He was really starting to feel like, genetically speaking, he had been given the short end of the stick.

Roxanne (Put on the red light)

Danny was onto his fifth bottle and, rather than carefully setting his fourth bottle down like he had with his previous ones, he slammed the glass to the ground so it shattered everywhere. Sam let out a small squeak which morphed into a hiccup, causing him to force a hand up to his mouth.

“Oh lord,” he said in between hiccups. “This is a nightmare.”

Roxanne (Put on the red light)

“You’re not finishing this,” Jake told Josh as he watched him take a long drink from the quarter-full bottle. “I’m the whiskey guy in this family. This is my game to win.”

“We’re all getting through this, Jake,” Josh told him. “Whether you like it or not, I’ve been playing this drinking game for years.”

As Josh said that, Jake started to choke on the whiskey he was in the middle of gulping down. Josh watched in wonder as Jake threw the bottle onto the table and started to thump at his back, coughing and gasping while his face somehow managed to turn even more red.

In between his tears, Jake could see that Danny and Sam were watching him with concern. On the contrary, Josh almost seemed to have a twinkle in his eye as he looked down at his twin, who was keeled over and letting out window-rattling coughs.

Roxanne (Put on the red light)

Sam and Danny took their final drinks as the song faded out and, in a shocking rush of adrenaline, Sam let out a loud whoop, which he automatically regretted.

“I’m going to the bathroom,” he excused himself, hustling down the hall.

Josh gulped down almost all of the rest of the bottle, but left a sip for Jake. Jake was still struggling to catch his breath and, in his moment of weakness, the booze had finally caught up to him. He hoped it wasn’t obvious to Danny and Josh just how awful he finally felt. His head felt staticky, his body ablaze, and his stomach was screaming out in protest.

“They said ‘Roxanne’,” Josh told Jake, shaking the bottle down in his face. Jake felt like he was on the brink of blacking out. He let out one last deep cough, finally clearing his throat, and looked at the bottle with a grimace.

While Josh’s expression had remained stoic throughout the entire drinking game, it unleashed into a face of childlike glee as Jake grunted and pushed the bottle away from Josh.

“Can’t do it,” Jake heard himself admitting.

“Oh my god,” Danny said from the other end of the room. “I out-drank Jake Kiszka.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Jake waved Danny away. “Mark this day on the calendar or whatever.”

Jake felt his knees buckle and he somehow managed to awkwardly book it to Sam’s couch so he could throw himself on the cushions before he toppled over. With a grunt, he planted his face into the intricate stitches of one of Sam’s decorative pillows.

“How many bottles did you get through? Five?” Jake could hear Josh asking Danny.

“I told you guys, I’m good at drinking.”

“Try it next time with whiskey.”

The toilet in the bathroom down the hall flushed and then the sound of Sam’s bare feet slapping against his wood floor grew louder.

“So we all made it, right?” he asked to the room.

“Jake didn’t,” Josh replied. Jake could hear the beam in Josh’s voice.

“No way,” Sam sounded incredulous.

“Mmrph,” Jake droned from the couch.

“Someone’s paying for all of our drinks tonight,” Josh added.

“The only drink I’m having the rest of tonight is some Pepto Bismol,” Sam replied. “I don’t know why I agreed to do that.”

“That was pretty stupid,” Danny agreed. “I wonder how many times he says ‘Roxanne’ in that song. Wait, I’m gonna look it up.”

“I think it was a tremendous demonstration of determination, strength, and wit,” Josh announced. “A fine evening activity for us all, and an educational one as well. I feel so well-informed about who can handle their booze and who really, really can’t.”

From the couch, with his head still buried in the cushions, Jake lifted a middle finger in Josh’s direction. He was met with Josh’s jovial laugh.

“Twenty-six times,” Danny said to the room. “He sings ‘Roxanne’ twenty-six fucking times. And in three minutes too.”

“Jake,” Sam called to his brother, “that has got to be the stupidest thing you’ve ever made us do.” He thought on his words. “And that’s saying a lot,” he added.

Jake heard footsteps come closer to him and then felt Josh’s warm hand on his shoulder.

“I gotta say, little bro,” his brother cooed down to him, “it’s nice to finally be the one that doesn’t feel like shit.”

Jake could only manage to lift his head for a second to glare at his brother.

#greta van fleet #gvf #gvf fanfiction #jake kiszka #josh kiszka #sam kiszka #danny wagner #fanfic #Spotify

21 notes · View notes