#you know what my mall in my town should do something like this fr. like girlie they got nothing there. just make it a hub for something fun

[free-pool-trash]

happiness - peter maximoff

yay a new peter fic <3 i was feeling a little unmotivated for a few days (since our boy wasn’t in episode 8 at all :/) but im back 😎 although im back in school so i might be on and off for a while 😩✋🏻

!!!it’s not a songfic those lyrics at the start are just my inspo!!!

word count: 5k <3 😳

warnings: maybe swearing but i dont think so i cant remember, peter being sad, angst, but mostly fluff, WandaVision spoilers maybe??? I pretty much made up this plot so idk, endgame spoilers, reader was an avenger, kissing but it’s not graphic😽 probably some mistakes yk how it is

feedback is appreciated <3

tagging: @enchantedcruelsummer (should i make a peter maximoff taglist? let me know and I’ll do it)

masterlist

haunted by the look in my eyes that would’ve loved you for a lifetime

leave it all behind

& there is happiness

Loneliness had always been something that plagued him. That and a plethora of other negative emotions.

There wasn’t a day that went by where Peter Maximoff wasn’t made to feel like a loser. Admittedly, he’d never held himself to a high standard, he grew up thinking that he’d never fit in anywhere and eventually that thought mutated into a lifestyle as he began isolating himself from the world around him, either far too good or heartbreakingly not enough to be a part of that crowd.

He liked spending time with himself. Nobody else knew him the way he knew him, and still, he found nothing but an overwhelming hollow space where his deepest most important hopes, aspirations, dreams and self discoveries should have resided.

Peter had always put this feeling of exile down to the fact that he was a mutant, it was the most likely explanation, right?

It was only when he’d decided to join the X-Men that he finally came to the conclusion that maybe the rest of the world wasn’t the problem, nor was his mutation the problem, but that he himself was the problem. For even in a school full of people exactly like him he was still the same loser that he was in his mother’s basement.

And he was under no illusions that that was exactly what his teammates saw in him; nothing. No potential. Just a space holder to bring the numbers up.

Super speed was incredible. That’s how Peter acknowledged jobs well done, he praised his speed but never himself. He just saved Charles and Erik from a room full of armed guards? No that wasn’t him, that was simply his speed. He saved an entire mansion full of people from a potentially fatal explosion? Nothing special, Kurt probably could’ve done the same.

Forget all of the good deeds and saved lives because the bottom line of it all, to him at least, was that all he was good for was cheeky one liners and hopeless kleptomania.

His life took a turn for the worse when he found himself being mind controlled in an alternate universe. And even then, he was playing the part of someone that wasn’t him, the thought humbled him, reconnected him to his roots and reintroduced him to his life long philosophy that he’d never be anything more than a social pariah. Not even an alternate reality could accept him for who he was. There wasn’t a warm welcome and despite not knowing what was going on, the definition of “imposter” or the weirder, “recast”, still shot to kill.

He settled on the notion that he was an inter dimensional waste of space. At least in WestView he could be blissfully ignorant, let the real him be drowned mercilessly in favour of being an integral part of someone’s life- to feel important, even if it wasn’t real.

When WestView fell apart he was completely lost. In every sense of the word. In a new world with no way home and as it turned out, nobody was looking for him. Although he didn’t expect anyone to care, it still stung that nobody did. He always hoped that one day Erik would step up as a father figure for him, this; getting kidnapped and smuggled into a different dimension, seemed like the perfect moment for that epic father son moment, but it wouldn’t surprise Peter if his father has yet to notice his disappearance.

But then, seemingly out of nowhere, he came into contact with a beacon of hope. A guiding star that might possibly lead him to an existence consisting of something other than misery and self loathing.

It offered him a choice; return to being the self proclaimed loser he was known as or start fresh as someone new and mysterious, with first impressions yet to be made and conclusions about him yet to be drawn. Peter had known himself to be rash in the past, when it came to making decisions he had the tendency to act impulsively, never putting too much thought into how his decisions would affect his life in the long term. The choice before him now is no different, he knew exactly what he wanted going forward, however selfish the choice may have been, the second he realised it was an option his heart was set on it.

That previously mentioned beacon of hope arrived to him in the form of a girl, in the form of you. An ex-avenger and close friend of Wanda’s, you were hired by S.W.O.R.D to help them clean up the more ‘sensitive’ fallout that the fall of WestView brought about. Obviously, they were sticking you- the only other avenger with magik- on babysitting and rehabilitation rather than letting you go after your best friend who had gone completely off the rails. Having said that though, you didn’t want anyone else handling him.

You hadn’t watched WandaVision, nor were you even aware that any of it was going on until it had reached a boiling point and you got a call from Monica Rambeau, she’d begged you to come and wait on the edge of town while she went in and act as her eyes on the outside along with Jimmy Woo.

That’s where you stayed until the hex broke down.

As soon as the barrier came down the base you manned was overrun by an armada of terribly confused and distressed citizens, Monica and Wanda were not among them but in their places stumbled in Darcy and the man playing the role of Pietro.

Jimmy appointed himself to Darcy, who in all honesty seemed relatively unscathed by the situation while you made a beeline for the dirty blonde charading as your former, dead teammate.

Peter was, to put it simply, completely enthralled by you as soon as you’d strolled over to him and in the moment he’d put his almost magnetic attraction to you down to the fact that you were the first friendly face he’d seen upon breaking free of Agatha’s possession.

But one thing in particular struck him; you’d asked him his name. You hadn’t immediately assumed him to be some knock off Pietro, as everyone else had. You acknowledged that he had his own personal identity and despite how often he caught himself hating the person he was, he found that when it was torn away from him that he wanted it back. The simple question you posed gave him the opportunity to regain his identity.

“Peter. My name is Peter.” He answered you, almost unsure of himself and you found your interest in the man piqued even further.

He remembered with perfect clarity the way you’d offered him a grin, tilted your hand, extended your hand and said, “Well it’s nice to meet you, Peter. Come on, I’ll be your babysitter for the next while.” There was something about the way you’d laughed after saying the words and the slight, yet unmistakable, glint of mischief in your eyes that had him captivated from the get go.

With you came a whirlwind of new emotions. After only a few weeks of knowing you, Peter noticed he wasn’t as lonely as he had been back home. He didn’t hate himself half as much either, he wasn’t entirely free of self deprovative tendencies and maybe he never would be, but undoubtedly, he likes himself more in this world than he ever had in his last. He thanked you and your determination to make him “a functioning member of society” for that.

It didn’t feel belittling, the way you helped him. You hadn’t dragged him to your favourite mall every weekend just to taunt him about how he couldn’t stop himself from stealing something. Even the very first time, when he’d sped away from you and returned within a second adoring a pair of freshly stolen sunglasses. Your only reaction had been to laugh and casually place your hands on both sides of his face.

“At least remember to take the tag off next time, speedy.” You’d muttered, subtly pulling the tacky stickers off the arms of his shades. No, you weren’t dragging him sight seeing or forcing him to help you go clothes shopping because you thought he was a loser who needed reforming you were doing it because you were a true friend who wanted him to succeed.

The pair of you seemed like two peas in a pod. Which to be fair, you were. Peter Maximoff intrigued you in every sense of the word. He was new, quite literally other worldly, he was kind, he was funny, he was perfectly mischievous and completely wonderful.

What caught your eye the most was the way he held himself, as if he wasn’t entirely comfortable in his own skin. It became apparent to you that he lacked confidence with the phrases he usually tacked onto the ends of his sentences. When you’d invite him to hang out in the beginning his response would always be something along the lines of, “Sure. If you want me to.” But the excitable puppy dog eyes told you that he was dying for someone to want him to tag along some place.

There was a certain understanding between you. You were both more than accustomed with the harrowing feeling of being alone and even though you’d never exactly voiced those thoughts with each other, you couldn’t deny that his was a spirit kindred to your own and he felt it too.

Since the Avengers has disbanded, one of your best friends, Natasha, was dead and your other best friend, Wanda, was gone completely off the rails and the people chasing her wouldn’t let you anywhere near her or even attempt to help pull her out of her darkness. You were being kept as a wildcard in case they needed her taken down. Peter was no stranger to the feeling of being cast aside and so he quickly responded to your frustrations, and in doing so, forced himself out of his comfort zone to be there for you. To his complete shock though, you’d been so appreciative of his efforts.

You never failed to thank him for the little things he did for you, always complimenting his mutation when he’d use it and giving him the recognition he never received at home. The friendship he formed with you was so… two sided, again, something he wasn’t accustomed to before. It didn’t involve him giving everything he had to offer and receiving nothing in return, you matched his energy meticulously and never left him hanging.

In a series of firsts, he didn’t wonder whether or not you genuinely liked him, never feeling the need or want to question it as you’d left him with no reason to doubt.

As he walked around the mall with you now, his mind brought his attention back to the question you’d asked him rather casually a few nights ago. You were both lounging on your couch, watching some ridiculous reality show (a favourite of yours and Peter’s) when you’d turned your head to look at him, a thoughtful look on your face. “Do you think when S.W.O.R.D figures the technology out to crack into other realities, you’ll go back to yours?”

The question had taken him aback for a second, in all honesty, he hadn’t thought about going home, not when he was with you at least and considering he’d become your roommate about three weeks after he got out of WestView, the thought of returning to his old life had barely crossed his mind.

Being an ex-Avenger you were fairly well off, you lived alone in a two bedroom apartment in New York that you’d bought to be closer to Stark tower. Peter had nowhere to go and aside from having a spare room to offer you’d also been sort of lost in the current of the busy city with everyone you once loved in the area either dead, on the run or busy elsewhere.

While the question hadn’t crossed Peter’s mind, it had crossed yours on several occasions. He’d been staying with you for six months and the moment you realised that he was becoming one of the most important people in your life, the thought of him leaving you too weighed on your mind but at the end of the day you wanted him to feel happy. He deserved to feel happy and if going back to his reality brought him that happiness then you’d support him.

“Dunno,” he’d replied, turning to face you, chucking a handful of popcorn at you when you looked incredulous at his response, “To be honest I haven’t really thought about it, m’way too busy babysitting you anyway.” He joked, effortlessly dodging the few pieces of popcorn you attempted to throw at him.

For the last few nights, the question haunted him, but it wasn’t just the question that was bothering him. You were at the forefront of his mind as he replayed the past six months of his life which also happened to be the best six months of his life. WestView put him through hell but coming out the other side of it and meeting you felt like heaven.

He weighed up the pros and cons of returning to his native timeline. The cons: he’d have to leave you behind, he’d go back to being the loser who nobody took seriously, his talents would be downplayed and disregarded and he’d inevitably end up revisiting his lifestyle of solitude. Then there was the pros: he’d get to reunite with his pac man machine. He couldn’t manage to think up anything else.

If he stayed he’d have everything he ever wanted and needed. You’d be there and he knew you always would be, besides he couldn’t leave you knowing that you needed him. If he left who would wake you up when you had night terrors about the catastrophe that your reality was still recovering from? There would be nobody there to comfort you when you woke up from the nightmares, reliving the deaths of Natasha, Tony or Vision and the experience of being snapped out of existence? If he wasn’t there to make you laugh when you were about to cry then who would be? In his heart of hearts he knew you had a huge support system at your disposal, he’d met most of them. Even though he was well aware that Sam visited you as often as he could, that Bucky wrote you letters on a monthly basis and sometimes tagged along with Sam on his visits, that Stephen Strange appeared in your apartment whenever the urge struck him, that the literal god of thunder invited you out for beer whenever he was visiting Earth, that the little spider-kid, also named Peter, swung by your apartment at least once a week to tell you all about school and his good deeds. Despite knowing all of this and knowing all of these people loved you dearly, Peter wanted to be your main source of support, he didn’t want to be someone who came and went, who’d love you then leave you. He wanted to be with you through anything and everything and the feeling that you’d love him for a lifetime had him satisfied with the decision he was about to make.

If leaving his old life meant he could stay here, with you, and experience happiness for more than a fleeting moment then he’d simply; leave it all behind.

“I’ve been thinking about what you asked me the other night.” He spoke through a mouthful of curly fries. You were sitting in the food court of the mall when he decided to let you in on his desire to stay with you indefinitely.

You raised your eyebrow, “You? Putting thought into an answer? Peter, I think I’m starting to become a bad influence on you.” You told him teasingly, taking a long sip of your drink as he rolled his eyes humorously.

“You’re a terrible influence which is exactly why I’ve decided to stay here and put you on the straight and narrow.” The glee you felt at his statement was undeniable, your eyes lit up and your lips curled upwards.

“You’re staying? Really staying?” Your smile was contagious, Peter’s face now painted with a wide grin as he nodded his head.

In a moment of weakness he frantically added, “Y’know only if you want me to though. If you don’t that’s completely cool.” He rushed through the words, feeling more embarrassed when the fond look on your face never faded.

“Of course I want you to stay. You mean a lot to me.” You reassured him, a gentle smile on your lips as you reached across the metal table, intertwining your fingers with his.

Peter squeezed your hand gratefully, holding it in his grasp securely and allowing his smile to return to his face, “I know. You mean a lot to me too.” It was somewhat of an understatement, he was starting to understand that you didn’t just mean a lot, but that you meant everything.

His resolution lifted a huge weight off your shoulders that you wouldn’t be losing yet another best friend. You were glad he’d be with you when everything blew over with Wanda, the two of them definitely had the potential to develop a beautiful sibling relationship and they both deserved that. Of course, Peter would never replace Pietro and having known them both it was obvious just how different the two men were, the only thing they had in common being their powers and last name. Still, he and Wanda would still be able to work on it. He didn’t hate her after WestView and you knew Wanda well enough to know that she was kind hearted and she’d be more than willing to give him a chance. When she eventually comes back to her senses, that it.

As the months went on, life with you and Peter seemed to only get better. You never stopped laughing, your nightmares died down and Peter had taken on a whole new lease of life. Yourself and Peter were the perfect example of meeting the right person at the right time, you balanced each other out and accentuated the other’s good qualities.

Peter could now say with complete confidence that he was happy and what’s more is that he was finally sure that he was making someone happy.

Up until nearly eleven months of living together your relationship had been purely platonic, save for the constant flirting but flirtation pretty much ran in yours and Peter’s blood. Peter wasn’t going to lie to himself, he’d fallen for you the second you’d peeled the security tags off his stolen sunglasses.

You, on the other hand, had been fighting with yourself because yes, you love Peter but you couldn’t have told him when there was the possibility he’d eventually leave and now so much time has passed and you’ve got such a good thing going you didn’t have it in you to ruin it.

However, all of that changed when your original Maximoff best friend came knocking on your door.

Wanda was on the run. She’d caused an amazing amount of chaos but Stephen Strange and S.W.O.R.D were hot on her trail and now she needed a place to lay low with the twins. She figured there was no place more reliable to go than to the always open arms of her best friend, who conveniently had a divinity for earth magik and could muster up a protective barrier without raising suspicions. And that’s exactly where she found herself; outside your door.

You’d been chasing Peter around the apartment when you heard the knock on the door. Peter was on the opposite end of the kitchen to you, using the bar as a shield from you. “You better get that.”

“Oh you’d like that wouldn’t you?” You glared as you spoke, it was his own fault really. What sort of idiot jumpscares a witch while she’s mid-meditation? He’d frightened you so badly you accidentally blasted a ball of your signature green energy and ruined your favourite couch throw pillow. When you were ready to pounce on the scared speedster the knocks sounded again, more frantic this time.

With one last glare towards Peter you stomped towards the door. Your anger melted away completely when you saw her. Her hood was up and she looked completely exhausted, two small hooded little boys by her side.

“Wanda…” You breathed out, relief flooding your system at the sight of her alive. She didn’t get a chance to speak before your arms were pulling her against you tightly, hugging her as if your life depended on it. Wanda returned in your embrace, allowing herself to relax for the first time in nearly a year, she sniffled against your shoulder, holding back tears as she realised how much she’d truly missed you.

Billy and Tommy watched in confusion as their mother cried into your shoulder. They didn’t know who you were, all their mother had told them was that they were going somewhere safe.

It was the yell of one of the boys that caused you and Wanda to separate, “Uncle P!” With that you felt a familiar rush of air across your leg but instead of Peter appearing one of the kids was gone.

You shared a perplexed look with Wanda, although your confusion was for different reasons.

“Hey hell raisers!” Peter responded, catching the mini speedster who all but threw himself at him barely regaining his balance before the other child had flung himself into the hug.

“Wanda? Those two… are they...?” You started, at a loss for words Wanda cut you off quietly, her tone as disbelieving as yours.

“My children? Yes. Is that…?” You nodded your head numbly, anticipating the end of her question.

“Your fake brother? Yeah.” Quickly, you realised you and a wanted woman catching up with the door wide open wasn’t ideal and you ushered Wanda inside, shutting the door when she walked in.

“Hey.” Peter greeted her simply, as if he hadn’t been used as a meat puppet in her altered reality. It wasn’t in his nature to hold any grudges.

“Hi?” Wanda replied, her voice still twinged with confusion.

“Peter, will you keep an eye on the kids for a bit? Wanda and I have some catching up to do.” You asked him with a nervous laugh, just thankful that Wanda was too tired to argue with your suggestion.

Peter ruffled the boys’ hair and gave you a grin, “Only if you stop trying to kill me.”

You rolled your eyes as you began to lead Wanda into your bedroom, “You’re on probation, jerk.” You called over your shoulder.

Once you were securely in your bedroom, the door locked and sitting comfortably you fixed Wanda with an amused look, “I’d ask you what’s new but I’m not sure I even wanna know.”

Wanda gave you a sad smile while she shook her head, “No, you probably don’t. I will tell you tomorrow, I don’t want to get into it tonight. I’m so tired.” She admitted, her voice overcome with sadness.

“I’ll pump up the air mattress and you and the boys can sleep in here for however long you need. I’d offer you the spare room but that’s where Peter’s been staying and I don’t think empty food containers are the kind of decor you’d be into.” Wanda nodded, squeezing your hand gratefully.

“So his name is Peter?” She asked, curious about the man Agatha had used to trick her in WestView.

You nodded in confirmation, “Yeah. Peter Maximoff, actually.”

Wanda’s brows came to a furrow at that, “Maximoff? So he’s a relation?”

“Yes and no. Peter is from a different reality but he’s still a Maximoff and he’s got super speed. So, and this is just my theory, while you’re not directly related he could still be your brother- if you wanted him to.” You explained, as gently as you could, not trying to push her too far but to nudge the idea in her direction.

Wanda, to your surprise, didn't seem to hate the suggestion, “What is he like?”

A genuine smile made it onto your face then, as you shot into your description of your roommate, “He’s caring, funny, a little bit of a kleptomaniac but he’s working on it. He’s understanding and moronically selfless, moronic in the sense that he doesn’t even realise he’s being selfless. Huge pain in the ass too.” Wanda had a soft smile on her face by the time you’d finished.

“You like him.” Was all she said and you let out a laugh in disbelief, standing up and opening the door.

“Go grab a shower. I’ll have Peter blow up the air mattress while I go introduce myself to my god sons.”

“I thought you’d at least wait until I actually asked you.” Wanda laughed as you walked out of the room.

Things moved fairly quickly after that. As promised you introduced yourself to Billy and Tommy as their god mother, which they seemed more than thrilled about and you assumed that excitement had to do with whatever description of you Peter had given them. Wanda and the twins were all cleaned and fed and had all but collapsed into bed, foregoing the air mattress and huddling together in your double bed instead.

“Where are you sleeping, mother Teresa?” Peter teased as he noticed your eyes drooping where you stood.

“On the couch probably. Or the air mattress.” You mumbled, cutting yourself off with a yawn.

Peter, unimpressed with your options, scoffed, “No way. Come on, you can bunk with me.”

Much like Wanda, you were too tired to argue and you let Peter pull you to his, surprisingly clean, room by the hand.

You both crawled into the bed, lying close together despite the amount of empty space on the mattress.

“How are you feeling about all of this?” Your soft voice broke through the silence and Peter turned his head to look at you.

“About Wanda?” You nodded your head, watching him intently as he rolled onto his side, facing you more comfortably.

Peter shrugged lightly, “I’m feeling ok. Just glad the twins still see me as their cool uncle.” You let out a small laugh at his response.

“Wanda was asking about you. Seemed interested in getting to know the real you.” You informed him, your heartwarming as you watched a hopeful look fall across his face.

A lull settled over the room once again and Peter caught himself staring at you. His eyes drifted over every visible part of you, reminding him of most of the points on his pros list for staying in your universe; your eyes, your lashes, your nose, your lips, you.

“What’re you thinking about?” The sound of your tired voice pulled him out of his thoughts and ultimately pushed him to bite the bullet and tell you how he’s feeling. With you curled up beside him, in his bed, fighting sleep just to stay in his company for as long as you could; he knew there would be no better time.

“Just about how happy I am to be here with you.” He answered you honestly, the butterflies in both of your stomachs fluttering in sync at his words.

You trailed a hand under the duvet and onto the bedsheets between your bodies, feeling around until you found his hand and gently intertwined your fingers. “I’m happy you decided to stay.”

“What you’ve all gone through in this timeline sucks- don’t get me wrong-“ Peter started sincerely, scooting closer to you and dropping his head back down on the edge of your pillow, leaving the pair of you practically nose to nose as he went on.

“And I hate that Wanda had to go through so much… but I’m really glad that it led me to you.” Peter swore in that moment, right after the confession left his mouth, that he could die right now and be completely content knowing that you now knew how he felt.

His heart stopped, and he thought that maybe he was about to die, when you gave him the softest, sweetest smile he’d ever been on the receiving end of and whispered, “I feel the same.”

Time moved in slow motion as he felt you moving your intertwined hands towards your lips, your lips pressed gently against the back of Peter’s hand before you brought them to rest against your chest.

It was a fact to say that Peter Maximoff had never felt intimacy quite like this before. But, experiencing it now, with you, led him to wonder how he’d ever survived without it. He wasn’t sure whether it was natural to crave more, especially when the affection you were showing him was so gentle, but he didn’t care as he let the impulsive side of him take over.

Not sparing another word, Peter closed the small distance between your lips and his. His free hand cupped your jaw while yours wasted no time in getting tangled in his silver hair.

His lips moved softly and surprisingly slowly over yours and he savoured the feeling of your hand holding his while your other got lost in his hair, your body pressed up against him, the way your jaw moved against his palm as you reciprocated the movement of his lips and the taste of your lips, promising himself he’d never let the memory slip from his mind for as long as he lived.

With complete clarity, Peter could say he had felt true, genuine happiness and he had no doubt in his mind that there was absolutely nothing Charles, Hank, Scott or anyone else from his original timeline could say to make him leave this happiness behind. Because in the process of forgetting his old life, he couldn’t deny that he has undoubtedly found himself in the position of a man who had so much more to live for.

#peter maximoff #peter maximoff x reader #peter maximoff imagine #wanda maximoff x reader #wandavision x reader #wandavision spoilers #x men x reader #avengers x reader #marvel x reader #mcu #pietro maximoff #pietro maximoff x reader

[catbotbrian-archive]

PLEASE tell us about scenepunk partyghoul

you do not know what you have askd for. i have so many thoughts. you are getting an entire not!fic/fic outline here (also its 4am prepare fr typos this took so long to write my wrists hurt)(also put it under a cut bc it got LONG)

so basically it started with me Hating the pastelxpunk trope and making it Better. that is not important context but i also want it to be known

party is. Obnoxiously scene. they can and will pretend it is still 2007. the world past 2012 does not exist in their eyes. absolute king of kandi bracelets and neons you WILL get a headache from looking at them. they are the reason their school changed the rules about what hairstyles arent allowed and they r proud. did i mention this is sorta hs au. anyway they end up goig 2 a lot of local shows bc when it comes 2 alt music you cannot pick and choose in a relatively small city. reminder they are WILDLY scene they CAN and WILL glow in the dark from the amount of glow sticks they wear

ghoul is PUNK. and i mean he is properly PUNK he has the aesthetic the mindset the music. all r nothin baybe! and also. Doesnt like scene kids. bc headache inducing. he always has a shitton of patches on everything and makes most of them himself r they were gifts and like. hngh i just think he is Neat. patches nd denim jackets and doc martens that are falling apart nearly. so hes from the Big City and jus moved 2 party/kobra/jets town (they r childhood frendz) at the start o summer (YES TIMING IS IMPORTANT U WILL SEE) and is getting in2 the local alt scene.

and at one of these super cool shows he sees party poison fr the first time and is. Woah. theyre BRIGHT. and party is like used 2 ppl staring bc theyre the only super scene kid around but GOD, that guy doesnt seem 2 b staring in the GOOD way bc ghoul is fucking blind but refuses 2 wear glasses and cannot see anything other than Neon Blur (i am projecting here. also thats a cool kj name) but he KNOWS thats a scne kid so hes glaring bc this is a misfits cover band Why Are You Here kinda thing i guess? and partys all “whats up with you, fucker?” bc theyre defensive and impulsive and ghoul flat out punches them (he swears he was aiming fr their shoulder. but he also couldnt see very well. so he hit their face) and they end up getting thrown out fr fighting and they hate each other now.

and then. one day. kobra jet and party are all chillin sewhwere public. and party goes off probably to claires bc theres a sale and they Need more gloves and when they come back That Kid from the show is there???? talking to kobra and jet???? and party is like “kobes wht rh FUCK???????” and koba nd jet r just like. uhm. s this is fun ghoul? the guy? we told you about him? and party is like OU DIDNT SAY HE WAS DOUCHEBAG PUNK GUY!!!!!! and ghoul is like gay panicking bc they can actually See party now and Fuck Theyre Pretty but also PARTY POISON YOUR SIBLING AND TRUSTED FRIEND IS ANNOYING SCENE KID?????????  ANDALSOREALLYCUTEOHDESTROYAHELPME but kobra and jet catch on and are like “nuh uh ur both coo people no fighting when we r around keep ur dumb little spat between urselves” and ghoul nd poison r like “>:( fine >:(” except secretly ghoul is :flushed: :pleading: :flushed:

so we fast forward 2 school starting in september and since i dont fuking understand the american school system, kobra is a year below ghoul&party and jet is a year ahead but somehow ghoul has classes w kobra bc i want them to and it is plot relevant. so ghoul and kobra bcome friends bc obviously they do and ghoul jet nd kobra hang out a lot bc party is Busy With Things i guess?? but like ghoul and party have a class 2gether and even tho they both have 2 tone down the aesthetics fr school they still intentionally annoy each othr in discreet ways

nd they sorta? keep that up? but ghoul and poison both realise “aw fuck, theyre actually. super cool” but both have chroic Cannot Admit My Mistakes disease so they resort to no longer plotting murder but PINING bc “oh noooo they hate meeee how sadddd” but theyre BOTH pining and think the other hates them. so to compensate thy keep doing little flirts in their own ways? party special orders darker kandi beads so they can make ghoul a bracelet that matches their aesthetic but ghoul of course knowns nothing of kandi and just. accepts it. and kobra and jet are like :bonk: bc WHAT THE FUCK???? cause they have baincells sorta kinda. and of course ghoul flirts by handsewing a patch fr party with ALSO special ordered neon thread and party is ALSO oblivious. this happens bc i think it is hilariously adorable that in their own subcultures thy r basically shoving signs saying DATE ME!!!!! I LIKE YOU!!!!!!!!!n each others faces but they dont know enough abt eachother to know that. miscommunicaion and gay pining. mmm yummy.

nd at this point they r Very Close 2gether and ghoul hands party the choker back ad is like ,,,csn you,,, help me put it on,,,? and it is very very charged as ghoul moves their hair out of the way for party to reach up and fasten the hoker and ghoul KNOWS they should TURN AOUND so party can see better and party KNOWS they should move their hands away from the ghouls neck even when theyve fastened it and they BOTH know theyr standing Very Close and partys hands r sota half holding ghouls shoulders nd partially his face and ghoul is just. Staring. and then they both sorta lean in and :)))) kith. and jetndkobra are like THANK FUCKING GOD FINALLY and party nd houl r like WE WERE HAVING A MOMENT also wdym FINALLY i totally couldnt tell they liked me! then they look at eah other like. HOW DID YOU NOT KNOW I LIKED YOU??????? HOW???? I GAVE YOU PATCHES/KANDI BRACELTS THATS BASICALLY A MARRIAGE PROPOSAL and then kith more. :)))) liddol homos

then,,,,,,,, one day the four r at the mall and the tension is THICK bs ghoul has an Extra Special patch they spent ages on and party has a very awesome kandi/chain? choker they spent ages designing and they r both convinced This will b the gift that shows the other how they feel (spoiler alert It Does Not) and jet and kobes r like. right fuk this WE are gonna go. to the food court. or something. somewhere Not Here. and ghoul nd poison r just :heart eyes: yeah sure,,,,,  and they both like,,, shyly reach in2 their bags,,, nd are like :flushed oh? you uh :flushed: u got me smth too? :flushed: bc gay idiots. and party is like OH MY GOD GHOUL THIS IS SO COOL WHERE D YOU GET ALL THESE PATCHES THIS IS LIKE MADE FR ME I LOVE IT andghouls like ,,, i made it,,,,, for you,,,,,,,, uhm,,,,,,, and party gives him the choker nd is like ,,,oh,,, well uh,,,, i also,,,, made this,,,,, for you,,,,,, like you specifically,,,,,,,,

anyway. you were not expecting this. it took almost an hour. its 5am. this was very fun though cant wait for the day (never) that i write this as a real fic

jet and kobra watch every interaction with amusement and horror bc they like. understand what the two are doing. and they both TRY talk 2 party nd ghoul bc party nd ghoul are convinced the other hates them bc theyre fucking idiots.

#lickthatbattery #im sorry if u werent. expecting this. but i needed 2 get my thoughts down #scenepunk au #partyghoul #killjoys #mypost #myfic #long post #edit: made it my pinned im very happy w this i love this au #i know kobra nd jet arent in it much... its partyghoul. if i wrote it fully there would b scenes w them more #danger days #ttlofk #ttlotfk #ages later i noticed two paragraphs are out of order im so sorry oml

[spidxysense]

Back to You | 11

Summary: He broke your heart, but you’d always love him. Two souls that not even the universe could tear apart, even if you wanted it to at times.

Pairing: Tom Holland x Reader x Timothee Chalamet

A/N: Surprise! I got pretty motivated to finish this chapter after seeing that ask LOL. Anyway, hope you guys enjoy this. I feel like even though there were a lot of Tom moments in here, I still feel like Timothee completely stole the show. As usual, leave your comments and asks! I love interacting with you guys! <3

Word count: 3,676

Prologue | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |

Timothee was going on about the rivers in lakes in Italy, you'd cut in and said that Tom would've liked it here as well but despite being part of the conversation, your head was definitely out of it. Between getting inside and walking over to the table, something has happened between the two.

Tom would tell you soon enough. He always did. Tom signs the receipt getting his credit card back as you all get up to leave through the back door.

"Mate, I heard Italy has some pretty fancy shops for clothes and I mean shops, not like malls or anything like that." Haz is focused completely on Timothee.

Timothee laughs nervously, shrugging, “Yeah, I think I could.” He says hesitantly, “Y/N and I have been-”

Tom cuts in quickly, “Shit, I’m so full, that I need to walk it off-”

“Then we can head there by walking.” Timothee snaps instantly.

You clear your throat, “That’s okay. Uh, how about you take Haz to go shopping and I can walk around with Tom and we can go to some bar to digest the day and talk some more?”

Timothee’s shoulders relax a bit but they still seem somewhat tense, he runs a hand through his hair, “Yeah, that sounds fine.”

It definitely didn’t sound fine from the way he said it, but if you were being honest it was time to really get to talk with Tom maybe finally rip off the bandaid and get the closure Troye’s been pushing you to get.

______________________________________________________________

You’re wearing your long black coat, Tom in his tan jacket as you two walk along the sidewalk don’t hear any flashes which is always a good sign that nobody was following you but in this business you could never be too sure.

Tom has his hands in his pockets as you two walk, he looks down at the sidewalk.

“So, how long are you guys staying in town?” You speak up.

He looks over at you, grinning before looking down, “We were gonna stay here for a week but due to… complications, we might leave tomorrow.” He sighs.

You stopped walking, “Was it because of whatever happened before you two got to the table?” You subconsciously start biting the bottom of your lip and pulling off the dried skin.

He blinks a few times, sighing, and reaching over to pull down the skin between your chin and bottom lip, “It’s nothing, okay? It’s fine. I’m just being a big baby. Stop worrying now.”

It goes silent once again, Tom has never deflected you like that, he’s always been straightforward, especially when you started asking questions.

You clear your throat, “I’m actually quite glad we got this time together, Tom. I wanted to talk to you about a few things.”

The pace you two had naturally set was slow but as soon as you finished talking, it got even slower as Tom waited for you to speak.

“We were together for 3 years, Tom.” You thought you could do it but you feel the words slither back into your throat, if this happened, he’d be gone., what the two of you had would be gone.

He sighs, “3 years madly in love.” He wipes something along his eyes, if you knew any better you’d think he was crying, “And I fucked it all up.” 

You stay silent as he continues, “I’m sorry I’m-I- I’m sorry I fucked us up, Y/N. If I could go back, I’d do so many things different, I’d love you how you deserved, I’d never leave you, and we would be so happy together.”

“It’s in the past Tom.”

He runs a hand through his hair, “And now, you’re moving on right?” He smiles sadly and you furrow your eyebrows, just exactly what happened between him and TImothee?

You stay silent so he continues, “I-I thought if I came back here, it would fix things between us. But seeing you here, I can’t tell anymore if you’re truly happy with him or you’d be better off with me.”

You look down feeling the tears stinging your eyes, he couldn’t read you not because you two were different now but because you yourself didn’t even know.

“Maybe you can help me understand, Tom.” He halts, the time suddenly stopping between the two of you, “A walk down memory lane, like a date. No, exactly like a date, just the two of us.”

Tom’s face breaks out in a huge grin, “Y-yeah, I’d like that.”

Were you ready to forgive him? Absolutely, there was too much history and love between the two of you not to, does this mean you two were getting back together? Not exactly. There still existed the Timothee of it all. You had to understand what you wanted, whether it’s to be with Tom or to be with Timothee. This whole time you’ve been with Timothee but this may be the only time you have to spend it with Tom. You grab your phone, sending a quick text to Timothee.

To: Timmy T

19:35

‘Hey, change of plans. I gotta cancel something kind of important happened, don’t wait up, I’ve got spare keys and I can just take an uber back.’

Not even 2 minutes later you have a reply.

Fr: Timmy T

19:36

‘It’s fine. :)’

Maybe you should have called. But maybe you shouldn’t, maybe hearing Timothee’s voice would completely change your mind.

Tom holds out his hand, waiting for you to take it, “Come on.” He looks excited as he talks nonstop, and you’d be lying if you said you didn’t miss this, “We could go to the bookstore at the corner of the street, and then we could go to some small time art galleries, maybe look for some museums, or maybe we could go to the local library if they’re still open, and we could go walking along my some docks or the beach and then we could go to a cafe or something!”

He barely catches his breath but you’re giggling at him, it was funny how easy you two could turn it back on, being together like this, like no time had passed but in all reality it’s been at least 8 months since the detonation of your relationship.

“We could go to some-ugh I don’t even think they play soccer here.” You laugh, “How about instead of a cafe, we go to a sports bar or something.”

He shakes his head, swinging your intertwined hands together, “No, no way you hate those kinds of places, you like laid back places.”

You smile to yourself, “How about a lounge bar?”

Tom chuckled, “We’re not THAT old, Y/N.”

You laugh with him, “Alright, then let’s go to an old fashioned Dive Bar.”

He stays silent, smiling over at you and nodding, “But first the book store, art gallery, and pier.”

_______________________________________________________________

You walk through the aisles and aisles of books in a tiny antique book store you both had found as Tom looks around as well but he wasn’t fooling anyone, he didn’t go to places like these, not a bookstore, not art galleries, not museums, but he’d always been willing as long as it made you happy.

You grab a book, on art, and walking over to the cashier and paying for the book. You grab the receipt and walk over to a sofa where as per tradition you would read a portion of the book, “This is perfect since we’re going to an art gallery after.” you grin at the approaching Tom.

As you sit there and read, you feel the familiar gaze, Tom’s eyes going soft as he watched your eyes follow the lines on the book and as you turned the page, slowly nodding when you agreed with something written in the book on how impressionism was an art style too sophisticated for its time. This was what Tom loved to do, watch you while you had the time of your life, as your eyes come alive as the minutes go by.

By the time you reached page 20, you stand up, ready to leave and Tom grabs your coat from the coat hanger and holds it open for you as you slide your arms inside.

“I found a spot in town where there are a bunch of local art galleries like maybe three to four, we could go there.” He suggests, “But it’s a 25 minute walk from here, does that sound okay to you?”

Tom takes the book from your hand, holding it for you as you open the door to the outside and the bell dings.

You nod, “That sounds great.” You put your hands in your coat pockets.

You look at the ground while walking, then over at Tom, “So, how much longer are you playing Spiderman?” You smile hopefully.

He grins, but there’s a gleam in his eyes, “I don’t really know, to be honest. A lot of things are happening right now and everything is changing-if I’m being completely honest, I’m at the end of the rope here.” He looks over at you a glaze going over his eyes, “But if things were to happen that would make me end my career as him, it’d be worth it.”

He looks around, a quiet neighborhood where locals probably recognized you but didn’t disturb you two at all except for a few kids who wanted Spiderman’s autograph.

“It’s quiet here.” He points out.

“I know right?” You look around, “It’s peaceful and away from everything else.”

He kicked a pebble off of the sidewalk, “Looks like a place people who want a quiet life could settle down in, huh?”

You blink a few times, “Yeah, well a quiet life would never cut it for you.”

“That’s not true.” He slows his pace, “As long as I’m with you, I’d be happy with what I get, whether that’s glitz and glamor, or a quiet life in a quiet town where nobody knew us.” He lets out a breath, “In fact it sounds amazing, but only if it’s with you.”

You’d thought about it before, for sure you have. Leaving all of this behind, getting married, starting a family with Tom, getting another dog maybe, and having two kids who yo two would love dearly, a white picket fence, a backyard maybe with a pool still very debatable, a grassy area where the kids could play and run around with the dogs, Tom could build them a treehouse where you two could come up in on Tuesdays to have dinner there, but Tom would obviously always be up there having tea parties with your daughter every chance he could.

You shake your head, that was a dream, a fantasy. This was reality, “That sounds amazing.” You smile at what could have been-what could still be.

“Aw, shoot. I was really banking on the library next door to be open.” He pouts.

You roll your eyes, grabbing his hand to pull him along to the gallery next door.

________________________________________________________________

*click*

You laugh, “Tom, that’s the 10th picture you’ve taken of me.”

He looks at the picture with adoration in his eyes, a shot of you catching him mid photograph as you hold you your hand in front of you, your arm outstretched while in the middle of a laugh, “And I’ll treasure it always.” He says as he sets it as his wallpaper and lockscreen.

You hum, “I think there’s a beach around here if we go straight.” you two begin walking and 10 minute later your feet are already sinking in the sand.

“Here.” He kneels down and unbuckles your high heels for you, holding them in his hands, you two walk along the shore, hand in hand, the beach at night wasn’t exactly a view, but you were here with Tom, teasing the idea that maybe you two could get back together.

You suddenly blurt out laughing, “I’m sorry… but I understand why walks on the beach are for sunsets.” 

He squeezes your hand, “Not true, it’s quiet and it’s like the whole world is asleep and it’s just us who exist.” He looks over at you, “I love the beach at night, it makes me feel that much more closer to you.”

He looks down at the shore, getting both of your feet wet, “You know, sometimes I wish I could just end it all- I mean this whole life, just leave and never come back, just disappear, and I’ve never said it out loud, but saying it just now, made me realize how sick I am of hollywood and fucking producers and filming.

“Everyone’s asleep, Tom. Scream out into the void.” You gesture towards the ocean.

He nods, soundlessly, taking a deep breath, “I WISH I COULD LEAVE IT ALL BEHIND AND START A NEW LIFE!” He takes a deep breath, “I WANT A FAMILY! I WANT TO LIVE WITH THE LOVE OF MY LIFE!”

You feel your eyes start to water, as Tom finally gives himself the chance to be honest, and you take a deep breath too, “I JUST WANT TO BE HAPPY!” you take deep breaths as you wipe your eyes, the tears already starting to fall.

He takes your hand, as the two of you leave the beach barefoot and feeling like a heavy weight has been lifted.

His eyes are on the ground as he refuses to look anywhere but, “Do you think you could be happy with me?” 

You nod, “Of course I could be, Tom.” You squeeze his hand.

_______________________________________________________________

The two of you walk through the entrance of a Dive bar, a pretty quiet night with a few locals around, the stage was empty, and it was a little past 1, you two go straight to the bar, knowing Tom liked sitting at the bar, because it made you two that much closer.

“Hi” Tom waves down the bartender, “Could I get a draft beer and some white wine maybe?”

He nods quietly and serves your drinks, but instead of going away, he lingers, looking at the two of you.

“I’m sorry, I know this is your personal time, but aren’t you the Spiderman kid?”

Tom nods enthusiastically, and you admire him. He loved being Spiderman, even if he does complain about it, he loves being Spiderman, being able to be a superhero to kids, and just bringing the role to life.

The bartender turns to you, “And you’re Y/N! Aw man!”

You nod shyly, “Yeah.” You smile, “I didn’t think you’d know me. It’s usually him, who get recognized here.”

He grabs his head, “How could I not recognize you?! I’m a huge fan! I even buy your albums even though CDs are obsolete!”

You giggle at the bartender seeing as he was a pretty big buff guy with arm tattoos, “Well, I’m glad you love my music.”

He nods, “Yeah, completely, I’ve been waiting for your album for a while now, ever since you announced it on Ellen!”

Your face falls,”Well, I’m a bit stuck in this place. Maybe a few songs to go before we can get to editing and rearranging it.” You feel a weight off your heart, scared that maybe nobody would listen to your albums, “You should give me your name, number, and address and I’ll be sure you get one of the first few copies.”

He grabbed a napkin, writing down his details quickly, “Jesus Christ, this is crazy, I never would have thought I’d get to meet you! I’m Sal! I mean, I’ve never been outside of the country and this is a dying bar, as you can see.” He suddenly looks like he got a great idea, “Wait, how about you perform? Maybe bring in a few locals or a few tourists, I used to play your songs, but people started to want live music and nobody really comes here to sing, so maybe you could perform a song off an old album, maybe?” He looks so nervous to even ask you that you can’t help but accept.

You get up off the stool, Tom immediately grabbing your wrist,”Are you sure? Are you good to perform?” You give him a reassuring smile, “I’ll be fine, Tom. He’s a big fan, if I can help him in any way possible, I should do it.”

You plug your phone into the aux cord and approach the mic, “Sal over there, says he’s a big fan of mine, and he asked me to play an old song... “ You look over at Tom, who had his arms crossed, a nervous look on his face, “But how about I play a song nobody has ever heard before, one I wrote about a year ago about the person who was my whole world. This is called Clementine”

Tom’s eyes widen as he sits up straight, trying to get a good listen as Sal takes out his phone to record. You press the play button on your phone for the music to start and you begin singing.

I'd like to tell you that my sky's not blue, it's violent rain

And in my world, the people on the street don't know my name

In my world, I'm seven feet tall

And the boys always call, and the girls do too

Because in my world, I'm constantly, constantly havin' a breakthrough (hmm)

Or a breakdown, or a blackout

Would you make out with me underneath the shelter of the balcony?

'Cause I don't need anyone

I don't need anyone

I just need everyone and then some

 You spot the entrance where more and more people were piling inside, as Tom grasped his hands together tightly, his eyes never leaving you.

 I don't need anyone (I don't need anyone)

I don't need anyone (I don't need anyone)

I just need everyone and then some (I just need everyone and then some)

Wish I could see what it's like to be the blood in my veins

Do the insides of all of my fingers still look the same?

And can you feel it too, when I am touchin' you?

And when my hair stands on ends, it's saluting you

The blush in your cheeks says that you bleed like me

And the 808 beat sends your heart to your feet

Left my shoes in the street so you'd carry me

Through a breakdown

Through a breakdown or a blackout

Would you make out with me on the floor of the mezzanine?

'Cause I don't need anyone

I don't need anyone

I just need everyone and then some

I don't need anyone (I don't need anyone)

I don't need anyone (I don't need anyone)

I just need everyone and then some (I just need everyone and then some)

My face is full of spiderwebs, all tender yellow blue

And still with one eye open, well, all I see is you

I left my daydreams at the gate because I just can't take 'em too

Know my heart still has a suitcase, but I still can't take it through

I don't need anyone (I don't need anyone)

I don't need anyone (I don't need anyone)

I just need everyone and then some

I don't need anyone (I don't need anyone)

I don't need anyone (I don't need anyone)

I just need everyone and then some (I just need everyone and then some)

I don't need anyone

I don't need anyone

I just need everyone and then some

Oh-mmm, oh-mmm (yep)

The bar was pretty full now, couples littered around and a number of people crowded around the bar trying to get their orders, and it hits you like a truck, you can’t breathe and you’re gasping for air but you can’t show all these people this side of you. Tom rushes over to your side, grabbing your hand and pulling you along, you feel slightly better as he brings you to a less crowded part of the bar, “Maybe we should get you home.” He looks around, worried, “I already booked an uber so you could get some rest while we’re on the way home.”

You nod, following after him and telling Sal you’d be sure to visit again before you left Italy.

Getting in the Uber, you rest your head on your shoulder, as you drift off to sleep, Tom’s finger tracing circles on the back of you hand.

_______________________________________________________________

You two were standing in front of the gate, it was like Tom wanted to say something. It was like something changed in that dive bar, what you wanted became a little clearer to you but you had to think about this, you had to prove what you were thinking was right.

You hold Tom’s hands in yours, “Tom, would it be fine if I tell you what I’ve decided tomorrow?” You bit your lip, “I just don’t think making my mind up in the moment is the right thing to do, maybe a good’s night sleep would help me think.”

He nods reassuringly, “Of course, Y/N that’s completely fine. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He leans over, giving you a shy kiss on the lips before backing away, unwilling to turn his back on you while he waits for you to get inside.

_______________________________________________________________

When you get inside, the house is dark, the only light coming from the tv, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before playing on Netflix. You approach the couch to turn off the tv but you’re shocked to find Timothee laying on the couch, popcorn bowl untouched a he snored lightly, you shuffle over to the tv, but he stirs in his sleep.

“Oh, hey you.” He looks deadass tired with his eyes half open but he smiles groggily at you, “Did you just get in?”

You nod silently, “Were you waiting for me?” 

He stays quiet, “Well, what if you lost your keys? How could I expect you to climb over the gate and into the house?”

You smile at him, “That sofa can’t be comfortable to sleep on all night.”

He shrugs, “Well, if I didn’t who else would save you in your time of need?” He scoots over, patting the sofa next to him, “Wanna watch some Peter K with me?”

You feel a comfort in your heart, unknowingly nodding, “Yeah, I’d like that.” This was you being completely honest with Timothee, you think you knew what you wanted but you couldn’t decide on that in the heat of the moment.

You sit next to him, getting comfortable and before you know it, you lean into his shoulder, falling asleep.

#tom holland #tom holland fic #tom holland fanfic #timothee #timothee chalamet #back to you #spidxysense #tom x reader #tom holland x reader #timothee x reader #timothee chalamet x reader

[sending-the-message]

I'm Hiding In A Mall Bathroom With A Fire Axe by molotok_c_518

I come out occasionally for food, but otherwise, I have been hiding in there fr several weeks.

The mall has been empty. No customers, no employees... everyone is outside, somewhere else, and that is what is keeping me mostly safe.

...and it's all thanks to some dumbass redneck who stole an experimental technology, and doomed us all.

I'm not sure if it has spread out beyond the city. For all I know, the National Guard has us quarantined to keep the violence contained. All I know is, I am hiding to keep myself alive and sane.

Let's back up, though. It's important that the world understand that I didn't do this to destroy us all. I did this to save lives, which makes this all the more tragic.

About 15 years ago, my sister died. Cancer... more specifically, an inoperable brain. We watched as she wasted away, in agony, while doctors tried first to save her life, then save her self, then "make her comfortable." It was like living in a horror movie.

It killed my father; the stress ruined his health, and he died of a heart attack while eating a bagel in his car. My mother took up drinking to cope with the double tragedy, and to this day she spends every waking moment in an alcoholic stupor.

I decided that I would dedicate my life to making sure this stopped happening.

I wasn't very good at biology, but I got good, and combined it with my abilities as a programmer. I threw myself into studying nanotechnology, and puzzling out how I would program nanobots (robots built on a microscopic scale) for complex surgery. I gathered like-minded individuals, and basically infected them with my vision of a troop of 'bots carrying out the kinds of life-saving surgery that was generally deemed too invasive and destructive to perform.

We set up shop on the campus of our local campus of the state university. After painstakingly applying for grants and donations to fund this research (which was hard, as no one wanted to put "real" surgeons out of work), we managed to get the money and time to begin.

It took 10 years, and numerous dead ends (examples: metal didn't work, and tended to degrade and poison the patient; ceramic was too dense to work properly, or so my materials guys said) to finally strike on the perfect solution:

We took a microorganism, and programmed it at the DNA level (creating a compiler that translated my proprietary language to "the machine language of the cells" took months) to repair damaged and infected tissue. A host of them was injected into the bloodstream, and they sought out tumors, nerve damage, torn intestinal sections, etc. The host would swarm these anomalies, and repair them by "eating" the non-viable tissue, replicating more of itself from the protein contained in it, then stimulating the natural regenerative properties of the body to replace the damaged tissue. If anomalies cropped up again (like cancerous tissue), it would sense them, "eat" a bit deeper until the cancer was gone, and try again. Once it stopped sensing cancer, and the area had healed, it would wait a set period of time (usually 8 hours), then "die" and be flushed from the body.

Testing, failing, recoding the DNA in the "meatbots" (as we affectinately referred to them), testing again... years passed, and we finally got consistent successful trials in rats.

In fact, we got miraculous results from rats: We were literally raising them from the dead.

We discovered it by accident, when we were trying to find the optimal time to inject after subjects were poisoned. Several of our test rats had ingested ricin, as a way of finding if the meatbots would save them (it worked). The ones we injected last had died... but then they popped back to life.

It was scary, actually.

The moral ramifications were immediately obvious to us: a world without death would rapidly become overpopulated, and the means to restrict access (by pricing the treatments higher, by restricting production, etc.) would get decried as unethical, or even tyrannical.

We decided, as a group, never to mention this side effect to anyone outside the organization. We instructed everyone to stay quiet about it, and if it did leak, we would terminate the employee and deny everything.

Since we had successful tests, we chose to move on the primate trials. It required a massive recoding of the meatbot programming, as they were set for rodent physiology and anatomy, and regrowing our stock.

As a result, an error crept in: The "killswitch" that was built into the original 'bots got commented out. They didn't become inert and get flushed; instead, they replicated using the "ambient" protein in the blood, and invaded the rest of the body.

I caught the error after one of our monkeys (test subject P1-1) started eating itself to replenish the protein in its blood stream. The wounds bled meatbots. I deleted that recording after we all agreed that no one should watch the poor thing destroy itself.

As I was frantically restoring the killswitch to the rest of the meatbot stock and making sure there were no repeats, our security chief discovered an anomaly in the security logs.

We had a security guard who was stalking a scientist in another department of the science facilities on campus. Somehow, his key card was still left active, and was used to access the "Lazarus Room" where we kept the meatbots. They were sort of clever, in that they put some protein mix into the storage tank to try and cover the depleted 'bots... but didn't think that we kept track of that protein.

It took us several weeks to find the culprit: A Kentucky-born guard named Bobby called in sick for an entire week, and then just stopped calling.

Our chief got together several of his guys to check up on him. An hour later...

"Hey, Dr. {Smith}, this is Chief Red. We need you here. Now. Something went horribly wrong."

"'Something', Chief?" I asked. "Be specific."

"Not on an open line. And definitely not if you have eaten." With that, he hung up.

The address was 15 minutes away. I took the time to stop at Taco Bell and have a burrito, because there was no way it could be as bad as he said.

It wasn't.

It was much, much worse.

The house itself was a tiny two-bedroom bungalow on the outskirts of the city. It was a bit beaten up around the edges, but you could tell it was well-cared for in better times.

Inside, in the living room, were the guard and his wife. They had been zip-tied back-to-back, with their arms tightly tied to their sides.

Those arms were chewed to shreds. Our meatbots were oozing from the gashes, which were rapidly healing themselves.

The two were struggling to get out of their bonds, and were trying to bite into anyone getting near them. "Hungry," the wife moaned. "We're so hungry..."

There was a spoiled-meat smell permeating the air, the result of hundreds of empty containers and plastic wrappings from grpund beef, fast food, and raw beef, as well as shreds of meat and flesh that were strewn along the floors and stuck to the walls.

One of the guards was limping. Bobby had taken a chunk out of his calf when he wandered too close, and the resulting wound was being bandaged by his buddy.

I really regretted that burrito.

Just when I thought it had gotten as bad as it could possibly get, though... it got worse.

See, they had also tried to eat several local animals. Those that had escaped had picked up meatbots, and had spread them to other animals.

Some of those animals had attacked humans. Those humans had picked up meatbots.

Within a week of discovering Bobby and his wife, we had an entire section of town infected with meatbots, which drove them to try and eat as much meat as they could get to feed the replication.

Within a month, no one in town was left unaffected. People ran through the streets trying to eat each other, or any animal they could get their hands on. Wounds would close immediately as chunks were torn from flesh, or gunshot wounds were inflicted.

Headshots? Healed in hours.

The only thing I saw that stopped them from coming back was full immolation. The poor fucker I saw do this screamed and laughed at the same time as he burned away to ash... and it was a close thing, as he was healing almost as fast as he was burning away.

I tried to cure some of them. I injected Bobby and his wife with the new meatbots, with the killswitch reinstated. The old 'bots ate them.

I ended up burning them both away. It was better than Bobby deserved, in my opinion, and I felt horrible about his wife... but she looked at me and thanked me was I poured kerosene over them both and lit the match.

...and so here I hide. I've seen Dawn of the Dead, and I locked the doors to the mall like the protagonists of every version of the movie did. I hide in the bathrooms, where I can hear the slightest whisper of sound in the doorways and be ready to defend myself.

I have stepped out on the roof, and watched an orgy of self-cannibalism play out in a parking lot before a horde of the infected moved on.

Hunger has overtaken logic and compassion. All that drives human and animal alike is the need to eat, and to feed the dreadful miracles that keep them whole.

People have semi-jokingly feared the Zombie Apocalypse. This is much, much worse.

#reddit #nosleep #scary #story