Siblings Pt. 3

Siblings pt. 3

word count: 60,230

Fandom: Stranger Things Pairing: Robin Buckley + Steve Harrington x Female!Harrington!Reader Pronouns: She/Her Relationship: Romantic/Familial Occupation: University Student Ability: N/A

Keys:

[F/N]: Female Name [L/N]: Last Name [N/N]: Nickname [H/C]: Hair Color [E/C]: Eye Color

Warnings: child abuse, character death, violence, vulgar language, alcohol.

“Siblings” pt. 1, pt. 2

this part is going to be dedicated to my friend’s friend @puresass​​.

the unknown guy’s name from hellfire will be nathan, he looks like a nathan to me.

the harrington couple’s name will be richard and lauren harrington. those seem like the most basic bitch names I could think of.

there was a part in here where I just didn’t give a shit and I feel like y’all will be able to pinpoint where.

there’s bound to be a lot of mistakes in here but I a) can’t be fucked fixing and b) I can’t be fucked fixing.

the endings a little anticlimactic and not what I would have wanted but I can’t be fucked and it’s too long so I just needed to put a stop to it. maybe i’ll change it or I won’t, I’ll see how i feel.

that is all.

image

Steve felt numb.

He couldn’t believe that this was actually happening.

He couldn’t believe that he was attending his sisters and boyfriends funeral. The last time he attended a funeral was the year prior for Barb, and even then he still hasn’t fully gotten over the guilt of what happened to her to the point he can’t even go swimming in his own goddamn pool. Staring at his reflection, he caressed his face that was still recovering from the onslaught his sister and the Russians did to him, but his heart hastened at the sight of his eyes in his reflection. Tears gathered in his eyes quicker than he realised, a sob escaping his trembling lips that he had to cover his mouth and quickly look away before he broke down before arriving at the actual funeral. Peering one last time at the mirror he looked away immediately when all he saw was her staring right back at him, but not his sweet and beautiful sister that he grew up with, but the monster who’s complexion was comparable to that of a sheet of paper, veins as black as tar and a dead expression that glared at him from behind.

Dustin enters the room to check up on Steve, he was taking longer then the allotted time Steve had given him, to find him collapsed on the ground unable to quell the tears and broken cries for his sister. Dustin was quick to rush to Steve’s side, wrapping his arms around his shoulders and letting the older man cry into his shoulder. Dustin didn’t quite understand what Steve was going through, he himself hasn’t met [F/N] like the others did, whether it may be the flayed version of her or not, but he understood that their relationship ran deep. He remembered the rare few times Steve did mention his sister, and when he did, Dustin would have to listen to Steve’s rambling about how cool his older sister was and how she did absolutely everything in her power to ensure he was happy. There wasn’t a bad thing he could say about his sister, everything about her was just praise after praise.

Jonathan was the one to get Steve to calm down, completely understanding exactly what Steve was going through. Before it was him that lost Will, when he FIRST lost Will to the upside down and when the police found his “body” in the quarry. It was gut wrenching to see Steve, who never let anyone see that they got to him, unable to control the tears running down his cheeks or the violent shaking his body was suffering through. But unlike him, [F/N] was really gone, they all saw her dead body along side Billy’s, neither one of them were walking that one off. They weren’t recovering from that wound like they did with others, they were really gone and they weren’t coming back. Robin wasn’t doing so good either. Arriving at the burial, they noted how exhausted she looked with dried tear tracks staining her cheeks. Upon seeing each other, a new wave of anguish washed over them as tears threatened to spill, but they managed to pull themselves together and used each other for support and comfort. Nancy didn’t really know Robin all to well but she offered her comfort, placing a hand on her shoulder and gently squeezing it while Dustin stood at Steve’s side and rubbed circles into his back. It took them everything not to collapse to their knees when they finally lowered the caskets into their craves, Max herself wasn’t doing so great as she stood with her mother with El at her side and watched as Billy’s casket disappeared under the earth. Steve couldn’t stand being there any longer than he had to be, the moment both caskets were buried he didn’t hesitate to turn tail and return to his car where he spent the next couple of minutes balling his eyes out because he just couldn’t believe this was happening.

He didn’t want to believe the fact that he was now outliving his sister, he was now an only child. He pressed a hand to his mouth when a sob rippled out of his throat, pressing the heels of his hands against his forehead while gritting his teeth. God, what the hell was he going to tell their— his parents that she was dead? How the hell were the going to react? He already tried calling for them, others tried notifying the Harrington couple that their eldest child and only daughter had died in the Starcourt fire along side thirty other people, counting Billy Hargrove who was known as her lover and Police Chief Hopper, dubbed a hero for rescuing the surviving few that managed to escape. [F/N] herself hasn’t really spoken or seen their parents in a long time, only tolerating their mere existence for the sake of Steve but the moment she was free of school and their hold, she ditched Hawkins without a moments hesitation. She only came back for Steve, it was always for Steve. Maybe if he hadn’t stuck around because he couldn’t get into a good college out of Hawkins, maybe [F/N] wouldn’t have returned to bum fuck nowhere just to see him. Goddammit, it was always his fault!

She became the disappointment of the family for him.

She laid down her crown for him.

She became the local freak for him.

She died for him, and maybe that might not be true, but he was never going to forget that look of absolute pain she had in her eyes when she realised what she had done. He finally had her back, he was finally in her arms safe and though she was bawling her eyes out because she had hurt him, it was his [F/N]. That was his big sister that adored him with all her heart, but it was exactly what Jonathan said, her love for him is both her weakness and her strength. She loved him too much that she threw her last chance away just to get back at the monster that ruined her life, in doing so she died in the arms of her supposed lover.

Billy, oh poor sweet Billy. Not a single day goes by where knowing what exactly was going on in Hawkins, the guilt of not telling the blonde the details will continue to eat at him until the day he reaches his limit. Things were finally going good for both him and Billy, they finally pushed the events of the year prior to the side and started getting along, but dating? Gosh, Steve wasn’t so sure when he fell in love with Billy exactly, but it felt ethical. He was helping Billy work on himself, helping him think of ways to mend his relationship with Max. He was Billy’s safe haven away from the horrors of his father, that sick bastard that didn’t hesitate to sell all his shit, divorce Susan and abandoned the Mayfield family to flee Hawkins. Maybe he was already planning it from how fast he reacted to the news of his deceased son, but that didn’t matter, Billy was trying and that’s all that matters. He was trying, he was trying to be better, but none of it matters anymore because he’s gone.

“I-I’m not ready…” he mumbles under his breath, sniffling to himself as he tries wiping the tears away but were replaced by more. He lets out a groan, looking over at the passenger seat, his mind began playing with memories of her “I-I’m not ready, [F/N].” she lurched forward when Steve abruptly stepped on the brake, glancing over at her brother, she saw that panicked expression on his face that reminded her of the time she tried teaching him how to ride a bike. Right now she was teaching him how to drive a car after he passes his learners, though perhaps it wasn’t a good idea to teach him in her mustang.

“Well,” she takes a breath, grip so violent on the handle above her while her other was placed on his knee that she would occasionally squeeze “not everyone is ready to drive. You’ve got plenty of time to get the hang of it, I promise.” he lets out a sigh, head bumping against the wheel.

“But Tommy said he understood on his first go.” she scoffed, rolling her eyes.

“That virgin? Psh, please. Pretty sure he flunked the first time trying for his learners.” that made a smile crack onto his cheeks but that didn’t stop his nervousness, she lets out a sigh “… I couldn’t go to mum and dad to help teach me to drive, and though I was better off teaching myself, guess who I went to for help?”

“Who?” she was already grinning before she answered him.

“Munson.” now she bursts into laughter when he whipped his head so fast she was surprised he didn’t break his neck “Oh, come on now! I was desperate, and though it was a mistake in itself, he did make it more fun to learn. But in the end it was his uncle that taught me, he’s such a gentlemen. Love the guy to bits.” now they burst out into laughter, [F/N] smiled brightly when that managed to calm him down and he didn’t look as nervous as he did.

“Well, I needed that.” she huffs.

“Hey, when you get comfortable enough to drive, I might even let you take my baby out for a drive.” his face lights up.

“Really? You’ll let me drive your mustang?” she rolls her eyes, pushing his head by the cheek to look back out towards the road ahead of him.

“Don’t get your hopes high, first learn how to pull out of the driveway then we’ll talk.” in the end [F/N] did let him take her mustang out for a spin but was quickly banned from driving it again when they blew past Hopper and [F/N] was fined for letting a learner drive and over the speed limit, they never spoke about it ever again. Just the memory of him together with [F/N] made him happy but the bitter thought that she wasn’t around anymore just made every happy memory of her sour now.

*knock knock*

“Hey, dude.” Steve lets out a gasp at the soft knocking on his window, thinking it was maybe Nancy or Robin, he hurriedly wipes his tears away before looking over but was surprised to see who it was.

“Munson?” Eddie gives him a nervous smile followed by a wave, he then gestures with his hand to roll down the window and so he does “What are you— what are you doing here?” Eddie couldn’t help but frown at the state the former “King” Steve Harrington was in, he couldn’t believe it. From that cocky little shit that went humble after newbie from cali, who’s also dead, overthrew him, he didn’t know who was in front of him. Maybe this was [F/N]’s crybaby brother that she gave up everything for, he takes a breath as he rubs his neck.

“[F/N] was my friend, man, there’s no way I’d miss her funeral.” Eddie pulled away briefly to look over at his uncle, to which he was gesturing to the small box that Steve failed to notice until now “Um, I know we’ve never really talked or nothing but… I think she’d want you to have this.” he then hands Steve the box, shoving his hands into his pockets the moment Steve takes it from him. He wants to tug against the suit and tie Wayne forced him into, saying he should at least look a little appropriate for [F/N] and Billy’s funeral, he at least let him wear his ripped jeans if he wore the tie. A reasonable bargain.

“What is this?”

“Open it, and you might find out.” Steve couldn’t help but scoff at his words but heeded them, taking the lId off before freezing up at what he saw. Eddie swallowed thickly, not expecting this kind of reaction so he leaned over to see his expression and his heart dropped when he saw the tears running down his cheeks again. Steve’s trembling hand reached into the box and he pulled out one of the many polaroids that filled the box, the one he had in his hands was of her with Eddie and his frie— their friends laughing together in what he could make out was the hideout. FUCKING KILLED IT, was what was written at the bottom of the photo “Hey man, I’m sorry if that didn’t help or anything— she always mentioned you, you know? She loved talking about you with any chance she got to bring you up to the point it got annoying, but she loved you. Thought you might have wanted to know that.” he raised his hand to caress his arm then looked back towards Steve to see that he was looking up at him with those tear filled eyes. God, he felt his own tears threatening to fall cause looking down at Steve just reminded him of [F/N]. Why the hell did the two of them have to look so alike? He had to same exact heartbroken look on his face the day she and Eddie first became friends, when she begged for him to help fix her relationship with Steve even if it meant destroying her reputation.

“I-I— thank you, Munson…! You’ve no idea what this m-means to me.” Eddie glanced at Steve and saw him looking through the other the other photos, and though he still had tears running down his face, he had a bittersweet smile on his face “She looks so happy in m-most of these.” he muttered softly, he remembered how his sister hated taking photos, especially if it was for their parents. She made it her personal mission to frown or look as miserable as she could in each family photo, so seeing a genuine smile on her face really meant something to him.

“She was always happy around us, called us the family she wished she had.” Eddie cursed under his breath when he noticed Steve flinch “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—” Steve shakes his head.

“No, no, I understand where you’re coming from.” he wipes away the tears and some of the snot, sniffling to himself then looked up at Eddie with those red doe eyes, glassy with new tears threatening to fall at any moment “She was the sister I took for granted, and now that she’s gone… I don’t know what to do with myself.” Eddie takes a breath, taking a step back and pinching the bridge of his nose to calm himself down, when he looks back at Steve he places his hands on his hips and gave him the same look he did with [F/N] whenever she was feeling depressed.

“Listen, Harrington.” Steve looks up at him “Your sister and I were close, as I’d like to say, she was my platonic soulmate. She’s told me things that I am more than willing to take to the grave, but I think she would want you to know what great lengths she went to just for the sake of your happiness over her own. So now that she’s gone, I hope you don’t let her efforts die in vain. She would want you to live your life to the fullest even if she’s gone, if not, we both know that she’d kick your ass.” this caused the both of them to laugh softly, Steve looked up at Eddie with a newfound fondness, feeling grateful for his words.

“Thanks for that, I really needed that.” his thumb caressed against a different polaroid, one where she looked drunk and was hanging off of some big guy with short curly hair, though the both of them were laughing happily while Gareth looked confused in the background, at the bottom was captioned with [F/N] + NATHAN HAVING A BLAST w/ GARETH “I’m glad she at least had one friend that understood her; that was there for her when nobody else was on her side. I wish I had that.” Eddie frowned softly.

“No offence dude, but you did have that.” he scratches at his cheek, trying to hide the guilty look on his face but he was struggling “She was always there for you, even when you thought she wasn’t. There wasn’t a single time that she was against you.” Steve swallowed a lump down his throat, feeling a pang of guilt in his heart for every instance he thought [F/N] hated his existence as much as he hated her, but that hate was one sided.

“I really took her for granted.” Eddie presses his lips together and slowly nodded his head.

“Yeah…” his eyes perked up when he saw a small group huddle up, there he saw his friends looked as disheveled and upset as he was standing beside his uncle “H-Hey, I’ve got to go now. But if you ever need to talk, or want to hear some funny stories of how dumb your sister was in high school, you know where to find me?” he offered, not really expecting Steve to take him up on that offer, but he nodded his head.

“I’d actually like that a lot. She hasn’t told me much of what happened in high school, saying it all went by like a blur.” Eddie stuttered over his next words, waving his hands around before rubbing the back of his neck.

“O-Oh, yeah, totally! Then I guess, see you around?” Steve nods his head and waved his hand goodbye, Eddie returns the gesture before jogging back over to his uncle and friends. Steve watched them for a bit, watching the one he knows as Gareth fail to keep his tears under control because the moment Eddie was in front of him he broke down crying, and soon a chain reaction broke out through the lot of them and they were all crying together. He inhales shakily through his nose, he sets the box of polaroid photos on his passenger seat then digs through his pocket, upon finding what he was looking for he pulls it out and grimaces at the sight of Billy’s signature necklace hanging through his fingers. Max was kind enough to give him at least one piece of Billy with him, it wasn’t his ring but this was more than enough to give him some closure. Putting it on, he clutches onto it tightly, his knuckles turning white from how harsh his grip was, before raising it up to press his lips against it.

“I’m sorry we didn’t have enough time, Billy. I’m so sorry.” he lowers it until it sits against his chest, he pats the space over his heart and takes another deep breath, this time to calm the new wave of tears that threatened to fall. Another knock on his window has him turning his attention towards the glass, his eyes lit up slightly at the sight of Robin knocking gently on the glass of the passenger side “Robin…” he called out weakly, she gives him a strained smile before opening his door and taking a seat, moving the box onto the floor.

“Hey…” she greeted in return, the two of them sat in silence. It was comfortable, just the two of them together, simply acknowledging each other’s existence. Robin flinched slightly when she felt something brush against her arm, sparing him a look, she saw that he offered his hand for her to take. Her bottom lip trembled softly but she took his hand nonetheless, giving it a tight squeeze before hunching forward, burying her face into the palm of her hand as her shoulders shook when she started to cry again. Steve, this time, inhaled sharply to stop himself from crying once more. If he knew his sister, and he’d like to think that he did, then she wouldn’t want him crying over her death as much as he was right now “What do we do now, Steve?” Robin asks through her tears, looking at him in a desperate plea.

“… move on, I guess.” Robin knew that was the answer, but god forbid she wished there was another one, where this wasn’t happening to begin with. She wanted Steve to take her to their place and there she’ll find Billy and [F/N] soaking it up in the pool complaining about how hot it is. Maybe her heart wouldn’t ache as much as it did if she never met [F/N] to begin with, maybe she’d feel better if she didn’t get to know Harrington at all. But how could she think that because now every time she looks at Steve she at least sees a part of [F/N] in him, or maybe that’s the reason she’s coming to hate looking at him. They share the same sad little look, resembling that of a kicked puppy begging for attention. “Is that all we can do…?” she muttered softly.

“What else is there to do?” she couldn’t think of anything, he gently squeezes her hand “Do you want to come over?” she nods her head.

“Yeah.” they spent the rest of the day sitting silently in his room, neither one of them had the heart to go into her room because they knew they wouldn’t be able to control themselves from having another meltdown. Robin’s eyes lingered over to Steve and saw that his hand was fiddling with Billy’s necklace, glancing down at herself, her bottom lip started trembling when she remembered she was wearing [F/N]’s jacket despite the intense heat of the summer “Steve, can I take something of [F/N]’s?” “You’ve already got two of her jackets, what more would you want?” Steve then noticed where her gaze was fixed and so he let out a soft sigh but nodded nonetheless, this is where the two of them found themselves standing painfully in the middle of [F/N]’s room. Honestly, Steve didn’t know what to do with her room anymore. The day she moved out and left for university their parents wanted to throw all her stuff out, saying that she was no longer welcome in their house ever again, but Steve was adamant on keeping her stuff there and prided himself on managing to convince them, but now he wanted nothing to do with any of her stuff. Everywhere he looked was just a reminder of what he had done to cause them to drift apart in the first place.

“I’ll be quick, I don’t want to be in here any more than you do.” Steve watches from the door as Robin looks around [F/N]’s room, looking for something specific. He almost felt like it was a preach of [F/N]’s privacy seeing Robin open draws and nearly throw things around in search for whatever she was looking for, she finally stopped at [F/N]’s bedside table, opening up the top draw and pausing in her search. Robin sniffled softly as she pulled out a cassette tape, she smiled sadly as she flipped it around and saw what was labeled on it “for my song bird”. “Song bird?” she hadn’t realised Steve was behind her until he spoke, though she wasn’t startled by his sudden appearance, she just nodded softly as she looked down at it.

“She called me her song bird whenever I tried singing, and though I thought my voice was terrible, she told me she loved it.” her thumb caressed the cassette as she stared at it fondly “She told me she was working on it, even if she already made a tone of mixtapes for me, she told me that this one had songs that told me how much she loved me. I don’t know if it’s finished or not, but I thought I’d take it, finished or not.” she thought back to that memory fondly, she was sitting in [F/N]’s room listening to a different mixtape she made for her, glancing over at the girl occasionally from where she laid.

”What’s got you thinking so hard, [F/N]?” Robin questioned, seeing the way her forehead creased as she stared down at the piece of paper intently. She could always tell when her [F/N] was in deep thought, from the way she was bouncing her leg along with the cigarette that hung from her lips. She always did try not to smoke around Robin, saying how she thought smoking was gross, so she tried to hoard off her addiction but when her mind got too much for her she’d have a cancer stick on her lips, a window was open so the room wouldn’t get too overwhelming for her though.

“Thought of a new mixtape for you, song bird.” Robin blushes softly at the nickname, she always loved the sweet pet names she thought for her revolving around her name “I think this one will be my best one yet.”

“Really? I don’t know about that, I think the last one you made for me was your best one.” Robin giggles to herself as she thought about it, [F/N] labelled that one “rage” that the two of them would play at full blast whenever either one of them was feeling like letting loose because of how shitty Hawkins was.

“Say all you want, but I believe you’re really going to like this one.” she says, pointing the pencil in her hand towards her “Each song is going to represent just how much I love you.” she blinked at that declaration.

“How much you love me?” she nods her, making a little “mm hmm” noise as she took the cigarette from her lips and taps the ash onto her ashtray “How much more can you love me?” [F/N] chuckles affectionately.

“I don’t think I’ve ever felt the way I do with any other girl I’ve been with, Robin. You’re very special to me and I just want you to know that.” she looks down at the sheet of paper with jotted down love songs and blushed softly “I really want you to know that you have a special place in my heart… though you do come second to Steve.” Robin’s face fell the second Steve was mentioned, [F/N] snicked and quickly pocketed her list of songs just as Robin jumped to her feet.

“I don’t want to be second to Steve!” [F/N] puts out her cigarette just a second before she was tackled out of her chair to the ground, she burst out into laughter as Robin sat above her, holding her down by the shoulders as she laughed “Why can’t I be your first place?” [F/N] fondly rolled her eyes, hands lingering onto her thighs whilst turning her head to kiss the hands on her shoulders.

“The moment we’re married you’ll be my first place, my sweet. The day you become my wife will be the day I’ll put you before anyone, but until that day, Steve will forever be my first place.” Robin pouts but that didn’t settle the pink flush rising to her cheeks, she scoffed and rubbed her thumbs into her shoulders.

“You’re saying that as if I’ll say yes.” this earned her a chuckle.

“So you won’t marry me?”

“I didn’t say that…” the two of them were thrown into a fit of giggles, Robin collapsing onto [F/N] in the process of it all. A fond smile worked its way onto her face as she reminisces about that night, each time Robin brought up the mixtape, asking when will she be able to listen to it, [F/N] would give an excuse saying how she needed to add a few more songs to it before she’d consider it done, but Robin knew she’d be nervous to give it to her “I wonder what songs she chose.” she muttered softly, placing the cassette into her pocket as she stood to her feet.

“Think she picked cheesy love songs?” Robin snickers at the thought.

“As funny as that thought is, you and I both know she would choose songs with meaning behind them.” the two of them now stand in silence just staring at each other, Robin was the first to break. She throws her arms around Steve and starts sobbing into his shoulder, Steve just stands there motionless for awhile as Robin cried into his shoulder before finally raising his hands to wrap around her torso. Steve offered for her to stay the night if she needed it but she couldn’t handle the thought of being in that house, and though she felt awful that she was going to be leaving Steve all alone in that empty house, she just couldn’t bear the thought of it. She left with an apology with her parents where she now her room clutching the cassette tape, she was nervous after all. This was probably the last gift she was ever going to receive from [F/N] and she didn’t want to use it recklessly. When she couldn’t handle sitting in silence anymore she finally sat up and grabbed her cassette player, taking out [F/N]’s other mixtape for her and replacing it with the new one before putting on her headphones.

’[F/N] and Steve have drastically different taste in music, but I can totally imagine hearing her listen to George Mic—’ her thoughts were caught off guard when she heard the track of an old classic, her eyes started to water at the sound of “So This Is Love” sung by Ilene Woods beginning to play. Robin’s parents peek into her room and their hearts broke at the sight of Robin, openly crying as she held her cassette player close to her chest as classical love songs played one after the other. Robin couldn’t believe she forgot how in love [F/N] was when it came down to classics and orchestra type songs, having seen her punk/alt girlfriend blast music like Led Zeppelin and Ozzy Osborne more than sitting down to appreciate classics like Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata or even Claude Debussy’s Claire de Lune. The first time she caught her listening to an old classical was when [F/N] had quite a hard time that day and needed to settle and relax and classical music always seemed to calm her down.

”I don’t know, honestly. It’s something about the melody that feels so… euphoric. Maybe one day you’ll feel the same type of love I do for the old classics, huh?” Robin gasped when the tape ended drastically, her trembling lips let out a sob when she came to the realisation.

She didn’t get to finish it.

Steve wasn’t doing any better. He found himself situated in his room, sitting on the floor with the box of polaroids Eddie had given him and was looking through each and every one of them. Each one looked better than the last, her smile getting bigger and bigger whenever she was with her group of friends she called family. In the background he was playing a tape that he and [F/N] grew fond of together when they were young children, “Go Your Own Way” by Fleetwood Mac was adored by [F/N] despite its meaning but both herself and Steve loved the way it sounded to their ears. He was planning on sharing this with Robin but he probably will on a later date, right now, he just wanted to be alone to reminicent on the good old days by himself.

“I wish I told you what was going on, [F/N]…” he murmured to himself, finding a polaroid of [F/N] by herself this time, she looked the calmest in this one compared to the rest but she still had that genuine smile on her face. MOVIE NIGHT was captioned at the bottom, ah, so that explains the bowl of popcorn that sat in her lap “Maybe if I warned you beforehand, none of this would be happening in the first place. Maybe then you and Billy would still be here, alive and breathing.” he shakily spares a glance towards his mirror but quickly turned away when he saw her once more, whats even worse, he saw Billy standing beside her. Everything was just getting so much harder.

[time skip: a few days later]

His parents coming home was unexpected. He was in the middle of cleaning his room when the front door to the house was unlocked and opened, voices filling the usually cold and empty house. How were they going to react knowing that their daughter was dead? How are they going to react at the sight of Steve’s still healing face? What about how he was involved with the fire that went down at the Starcourt Mall and that he was unemployed? His thoughts were brought to a hold when his door opened, glancing over, he winced at the sight of his mother. Both himself and [F/N] took most of their physical traits from their mother, from the skin tone to the shade of hair to the eyes and moles covering their bodies, so staring at his mother that mirrored his sister almost made it hard to look at her.

“Oh, Steven, you’re home. Good, your father and I need some help bringing our luggage in from the car. Be a dear and give us a hand.” he felt his body twitch, what? How is that the first thing she says to his face? Weren’t they told that their eldest daughter was dead? “Steven? Why haven’t you move yet? I asked for your help, did I not?” she was taken aback when a look of anger flashed across his face.

“Mum, did you not hear the news on [F/N]?” an immediate reaction came from his mother, she let out a sigh as she rolled her eyes.

“What? Did she flunk univesity? I had a feeling she would, she didn’t come crawling back here did she? Your father is going to be upset if he sees her, he’s already irritated that you still haven’t cleaned out her room like you were supposed to.” his hand balled up into a tight fist, weren’t they told that she was dead? Is that why they didn’t come rushing home? Is this why it took them fucking days to get back?!

“Did no one tell you?”

“Tell me what?” she blinked in surprise when tears, whether it be of anger or grief, began to swell in his eyes as he stared down at his mother.

“[F/N] died, mum. We had her funeral a couple days ago.” now she wasn’t expecting Steve to say that, she blinked in confusion as she thought back to what happened a few days ago. She did remember both her’s and Richard’s phones blowing up, people they didn’t know calling them in regards of what happened to their children and what happened while they weren’t in Hawkins. They brushed it off their shoulders, thinking the two of them just simply got into trouble, but looking at Steve’s bruise face and heartbroken expression gave her a different impression.

“She’s— no, she’s not.” Lauren shakes her head “I refuse to believe that your sister is dead, okay? There’s no way that girl could have possibly died, alright? If she’s anything from how I remember her is stubborn. If anything, she’s probably doing it for the attention. You know how much she bathed in the light of everyone’s attention, so that’s probably just it—”

“Mum! I fucking SAW her die!” Lauren flinched back at Steve raising his voice “Why the HELL would she kill herself for attention, mum?! That’s the most self-centred thing you could ever think of when she was the most selfless person to have ever existed! She died and I saw it happen, she died and there was nothing I could do to save her! She was suffering and I didn’t even notice!” Steve was going to fall into a rant but swallowed back his next words when his father walked into his room, standing behind his mother with that disappointed expression that never seemed to change.

“Why are you yelling at your mother, Steven? Much less swearing at her.” Steve let out a shuddered breath, raising his arm to wipe away the tears.

“[F/N] is dead and neither of you knew about it.” Richard’s face surprisingly showed a sign of surprise before quickly disappearing when he shook his head, he then let out a sigh as he crossed his arms.

“Is that all?” Steve flinched back “I don’t see why you’re making such a big deal over that girl being dead.” Lauren wore a saddened face, reaching up to grab at her husband’s forearm.

“Richard…” she murmured softly, Steve adverted his eyes when his father glared at him.

“B-But, she was your daughter. Don’t you care that she died at all?” Richard scoffed.

“That girl hasn’t been my daughter for years, Steven. When are you going to accept that she is no longer a Harrington? I guess her death was the final nail in the coffin, but physically and metaphorically.” Steve’s shoulders slumped as he stared at both of his parents, both unsympathetic that their daughter was dead and their son was grieving over her “Now stop this foolish behaviour at once, Steven. We have more important matters to attend to.” with that. Steve was left in his room alone once more but this time he was feeling a different sort of emotion for the parents that emotionally and physically neglected him… resentment. He didn’t understand why their— his parents came to hate [F/N] the way they do now, he just didn’t understand. Just [F/N] rebelling against them and basically flunking school until her last semester wasn’t a good enough answer for him anymore. Did he really not pay enough attention to his sister? Did he really not know how much she was suffering all because… all because of him? He needed answer, and he knew just the man that had them.

“Eddie Munson!” he shouts at the top of his lungs, Eddie, feeling a sense of deja vu, opened the door to his trailer and raised a brow at the sight of Steve. He felt a pang in his heart when he saw Steve standing at the foot of the stairs leading into the trailer, it hurt because it reminded him of how his and [F/N]’s friendship first began.

“Harrington?” Eddie mutters questionably, about the ask what he was doing there in the first place but caught himself “You here to learn a few things about your sister?” Steve swallowed thickly, he couldn’t find the right words so he just let his head fall, hands behind his back as he sheepishly nodded his head. Two completely different personalities, he thought to himself. With a sigh, he took a step back and gestured with his arm just Steve to enter his humble abode, Steve now found himself sitting on the couch a little nervously while Eddie took his uncle’s favorite chair. Steve looked around the trailer, awing at the impressive collection of mugs.

“Um… nice place?” Eddie huffed softly.

“Well, [F/N] loved the trailer. She didn’t care that it was small, it was less suffocating compared to the literal mansion you Harrington’s got yourselves. She hated the simplicity of it all. Wayne always tried to clean up because he thought it didn’t suit a young lady like her, but she always told him that the trailer was perfect.” Eddie hadn’t realised he was rambling in a bad way because when he looked at Steve he saw the brunette had a guilty yet knowing look on his face “Oh, sorry.” Steve shook his head.

“No, no. I-I get it.” he laughed nervously as he rubbed his hands together, looking up at the ceiling to stop the tears from forming in his eyes “She complained that even with the two of us in the house, the silence felt overwhelming to her. I guess that’s why she was always out and away from the house, even more so having her music on at full blast. It was a comfort, she said.” Eddie nods his head.

“Therapeutic.” Steve laugh so weakly.

“Yeah, that’s what she would say whenever I would complain about her music.” Steve and Eddie soon found themselves sitting in silence, whether it be awkward or comfortable, they didn’t know. Steve sniffled to himself, inhaling deeply as he brought his hands to his face then dragging them down “I didn’t notice a lot of the problems she was suffering, did I?” Eddie pulled a face, that was enough to get Steve to close his eyes and the guilt that was in his stomach started to bubble.

“Dude, there was so much wrong with your sister I was surprised she was able to function properly.” he collapses into the chair, running a hand through his hair then waved his hand around “So, what exactly would you like to learn about your sister? Her first time at a rave? How about the time I let her play my sweetheart and she broke one of the strings for shredding to hard?” Steve felt his hands start to get sweaty, his head hanging in front of his head once more.

“… how badly did our parents treat her?” Eddie felt like the air was knocked out of him, his eyes now staring at Steve in disbelief.

“Come on now, you should know how bad it was.” the pain in Steve’s eyes said otherwise, he let out a breath as he turned away, rubbing the back of his neck nervously “I told you there a few things she told me that I was more than willing to take the grave, right?” Steve nods his head.

“Right.”

“That happens to be one of them.” Steve goes to detest, saying that he should know why their relationship turned into the dumpster fire it is now but Eddie just refused to meet his eyes “She told me if you were to ever learn you’d blame yourself, Steve. She didn’t want you to feel the guilt of it all, so as her best friend, I’m not going to touch that subject. I’lll answer all your other questions, but not that sensitive topic. But if that’s all you want to talk about, then I’m going to have to ask you to leave. Talking about her hurts my heart too, man.” Steve bit his lip, Eddie watches him close, watches as all sorts of emotions pooled in his eyes.

“… [F/N] mentioned how you two would get into the dumbest shit when you two attended high school together, could you tell me a few of the shenanigans the two of you got into?” Eddie couldn’t help but snort softly, raising his hand to cover the lower half of his face as he thought back to his— their high school days. Where to begin. Steve watched Eddie closely, he watched as his hand slowly dragged down his face before he cupped his own face and leaned into his palm, slowly a smile worked its way onto his face as he thought back to one memory.

“This… was back during our second year of high school.”

”Suck in your gut, Eddie!”

“What gut? Are you calling me fat?”

“Yes! This was your idea, so shut up and suck in that gut!” when you put Eddie and [F/N] in a room together, or if they’re together regardless, they tend to share one single brain cell between each other. It was just like any typical day at Hawkins High where you could find the troublesome duo for once not doing anything too chaotic, they were just causally chatting about anything that came to mind, Eddie himself rambling about his new campaign idea and a few lyrics he managed to add to the song he was writing with [F/N] listening closely to each and every one of his words. Their conversation came to a halt at the sound of shouting and struggling, leaning forward, they see the jocks shoving a poor nerd into his locker and left him in there. The two stare at the poor fellow before turning to look at each other, the same brain cell that they share sparking as they shared the same thought. Eddie, who was now in his locker while [F/N] was pushing at the locker door with everything she had, were being complete idiots.

“Push harder!” [F/N] scoffed at him, pushing herself up so she wasn’t leaning against the locker door anymore, cracking her knuckles then rolling her sleeves above her elbows. She sucked in a breath then proceeded to shoulder the locker to close, when she noticed that it moved she moved so that her back was pressed against it and went back to pushing. She lets out a grunt when she suddenly fell from the lack of pressure, when she fell to the ground she heard a click and laughed when the locker finally closed.

“Haha! It worked!” she quickly rises to her feet and looks at Eddie through the gaps on the door, he too had a big grin on his face “You cozy in there, Eddie?” they both laugh.

“Nope, I’m cramped as shit! Get me out of here.” she rolled her eyes, she grabbed the handle and pulled but her face scrunched up in confusion when it didn’t open “[F/N], that’s not funny, hurry up and open it already.” now she grabbed onto the handle with both hands and started yanking at the door for it to open but it still wouldn’t budge.

“Um… I think I busted the latch.” they stare at each other in silence, moments later [F/N] is now desperately trying to open the locker door but everything she tried wasn’t working “Goddamn, this shit ain’t budging!”

“Try harder!”

“I am!” [F/N] let out an exhausted breath when she tried pulling with everything she had, she then knocks on it “Dang… I guess you’re stuck in there for the foreseeable future, it was nice knowing you.” she then proceeded to turn on her heel as she started walking away, this caused Eddie to cry out for her.

“Hey, wait! Don’t go! [F/N], please! Don’t leave me in here, I’ll die!” she rolled her eyes at his overreaction, she placed her hands on her hips as she thought of different ways to get Eddie out of his current predicament, when a thought did come to mind she lit up.

“Oh, I’ve got an idea. Stay right there, I’ll be right back.” he let out a sigh as she rushed off to do whatever she needed to do, slumping back in what little space he had in that cramped locker.

“Sure, it’s not like I can go anywhere.” [F/N] had gone off to her car to grab a crowbar from her boot to get him out, they were then given detention for damaging school property. Eddie laughs fondly at the memory going so far as to throwing his head back and running a through his hair, his laughter grew louder when Steve joined in. He could think of other stories he, [F/N] and Hellfire had gotten into from their high school days. How [F/N] jumped out of a window because she saw a five dollar bill laying on the ground, or maybe how she and Jeff convinced Gareth that Eddie wouldn’t mind that he sat in his precious throne… he did very much mind, or maybe the time when they performed at the Hideout and Nathan got a little too drunk and proceeded to jump off the stage to go crowd surfacing but instead landed on the ground with a loud thud.

Those were the days he missed.

“Haa… when your sister left, god, it felt like a piece of me left with her.” he felt the tears begin to sting in his eyes, he looks up whilst inhaling deeply to stop the tears from shedding “I honestly didn’t think my relationship with her would become something so deep, but I’m so glad we became the greatest of friends in the end. I am going to cherish the moments I had with her.” Steve stared blankly at Eddie after he spoke those words, he then looks down at the ground once more.

“Cherish the moments, huh?” he mutters softly.

Nightly chats soon became a daily routine between the two of them, each sharing a new story they had about [F/N]. Steve told Eddie how [F/N] allowed him to drive her mustang, to which Eddie was jealous that [F/N] let anyone beside her behind the wheel of her precious car. Eddie told Steve about how whenever the both of them shared a class he would often cheat off of her, they got in trouble because Eddie wrote down her name when it asked for his name. Soon topics changed from [F/N] to Billy, he knew what happened with Billy back in ‘84 and was surprised that Billy lived to tell the tale when she came back to Hawkins to visit Steve, though Steve did tell him that the two of them got into a scuffle until they got along and became pretty good friends. He met Billy a handful of times when the blonde would come buy weed off him, sometimes they’d chat about their favourite song from any metal bands they collectively listen to. Hargrove was a pretty chill dude under all anger and leather, sometimes he’d see that rare genuine smile that he couldn’t help but associate with [F/N]. Those two were so alike he couldn’t help but feel worried for him whenever he had to go home, if he could call that situation he lived in a home.

Soon the stories of Billy and [F/N] changed to normal conversations between Eddie and Steve. Eddie learnt that Steve now worked at Hawkins’ Family Video with his best friend Robin Buckley, Steve learnt that Eddie was writing a new song to perform live at the Hideout with the rest of Corroded Coffin and so on so forth. Sometimes the two of them would share a blunt and sit on top of Eddie’s trailer, chatting about the dumbest of things as they watched the clouds pass by or how the stars shun brightly in the dark sky. Tonight was one of those nights, Eddie glanced over at where Steve was laying and his face softened when the dark circles under his eyes have eased up so now that they were barely noticeable, at least they were making some progress. His brow perked up slightly when a strand of Steve’s hair fell down and was now laying in front of his eyes and without thinking her reached forward, this caught Steve’s attention so he looked over at Eddie and froze up a little when Eddie tucked his hair behind his ear. The two of them wordlessly stared at each other and upon realising what he had done he quickly pulled his hand back, muttering short apologises as he held his hand to his chest.

“I-I’m sorry if I… made you uncomfortable.” Steve blinked at Eddie then turned away, a sudden wave of heat flushing to his face as he tucked the same strand of hair behind his ear, Eddie watched this and felt butterflies in his stomach when he saw the tips of his ears turn a shade of red.

“It’s fine.” wow Steve, no wonder Mike thinks you’re lame.

Similar instances occurred after that.

It started off as small compliments. Steve spiced up his hair by a little? Eddie is the first to notice and tells him that he looks nice. Eddie leaves a jaw dropping cliffhanger at the end of one of his D&D campaigns? Steve applauds him for his excellent story telling and tells him he’d make a great book if he put himself to the challenge. Steve asks him if the outfit he was wearing looked good on him? Eddie is now one of his best hype men (other than robin, of course) and he thrives off the fact that he his face turned a bright pink because of it. Eddie performs a song for Steve that he thinks is lacking something? Steve in return encourages Eddie that it’s perfect and he too thrives off the fact that he made him as flustered as he did and that he pulled his hair over his face. Steve’s happiness was contagious because when he came into work Robin immediately noticed his happy mood, telling by the bright smile on his face and that joyous aura radiating out of his body.

“What’s got you so happy? You cheating on me?” she joked, she raised a brow when it looked like he wasn’t really paying attention to what she was saying.

“Huh?” he mumbled in response, she furrowed his brows and looked at him closely “Oh, yeah.” she pursed her lips at that.

“So you are cheating on me?” it took him a second to realise what she was saying, she snickered softly when he whipped his head back to look at her to the point she laughed at the face he was making.

“What? No, no! There’s no one that can replace you, Robin!” she hums with a nod, crossing her arms and leaning to the side so that her hip was resting against the counter “Come on, Robin! Do you really believe I know anyone else that could replace you?” she hums.

“Well, I haven’t felt this sort of happiness like that ever since…” she quickly cut herself off before she could finish her sentence, he himself flinched softly at the remembrance of Billy. Would it be wrong if he moved on from Billy? His shoulders slumped as he thought about Billy and yet he couldn’t help but chuckle softly when he noticed a resemblance between the two of them, three if he counted his sister. He seemed to have a distinguished taste if he really thought about it, his face now drops into the palm of his hands while letting out a groan “You good?”

“… would it be wrong if I found someone else?” Robin’s eyes widened softly at that, Steve managed to find someone else? She hummed softly at the information and leaned backwards, crossing her arms and looking up in thought.

“Well… I don’t think so, no. Just like [F/N], I think he would have wanted you to move on. And as awful as this sounds, there’s no point in waiting for someone if they aren’t coming back.” she reaches forward, grabbing him by the bicep and giving it a light squeeze “It’s okay to move on, Steve.” she says that and her heart can’t help but cling onto that last bit of love she had for [F/N], her eyes lingering to where she left her bag and inside was the same mixtape she’d been listening to on repeat.

“She’s been so hung up ever since that funeral.”

“Well, what do you expect? Her apparent girlfriend died right in front of her, I think I’d be just a distraught as she is if that were you.” Robin closed her eyes at the sound of her parents discussing how depressed she had gotten, still not being able to move on from [F/N[. She had noticed recently that Steve was getting better with each passing day and to say that she wasn’t jealous, that’d be a lie. Steve had someone he could talk to about what happened, all she had was Steve and the times she needed him he was too busy with that other person. She let out a sigh, curling deeper into her blankets and tried so hard to forget about [F/N]; tried to replace her with someone new she could fall in love with and treat her right. But who could that be if not [F/N]? She was the type of girl she dreamed of and now that dream has ended, her heart stilled when the mixtape ended as quickly as it began. A single tear ran down her face when she closed her eyes, sitting in silence for a couple seconds in hopes that something else will play, that this wasn’t the last song, but of course nothing would play. She let out a shuddered breath while wiping away a her tears, raising her other hand to reach for the cassette player but before she could start from the beginning she heard a voice.

“Jesus fucking christ, how do I even use this shit?” she let out a gasp, body sitting up abruptly at the sound of her voice. Was that [F/N]’s voice she was hearing? She pressed the headphones closer to her ears, waiting for something else and she felt her heart beat faster when she heard her laughter “Um, I think I’ve gotten the hang of this…? Yeah, no I don’t. Um— shit.” more laughter followed after that, Robin quickly reached for the cassette player and held it close to her chest.

“[F/N]…” she whispered out, oh how she missed her voice. How she longed to hear her voice, and now she’s got it right here. She never knew there was more to this cassette because she would always replay it before the last song ended.

“Hi Robin, if you’re listening to this then you’ve finally made it to the end of this mixtape. Um, I’m still learning how to use this thing and I’m probably gonna have to cut some of this shit… somehow, whatever!” she sniffles softly, hearing [F/N] shuffle through something then pick something up “Uh, I haven’t done something like this in a long time and I might be a little rusty, but bear with me. This is my little gift to you, songbird.” her eyes widened softly when she heard the swipe of her fingers running along guitar strings, she can play the guitar? Soon she heard the guitar begin to play “I don’t want to set the world on fire” but the moment she heard [F/N] start singing her heart was already on cloud nine, she could sing as well? Robin was slowly coming to realize that she didn’t really know much about [F/N], not really. [F/N] probably knew about her to the point she could right a three page essay about her favourite ice cream flavor and why it’s her favourite, but her? She barely knew anything outside of the fact that she hated her family and that she loved Steve, she was only now coming to realize how little she knew about the one she loved.

“Oh, [F/N]… I’m so sorry.” she muttered softly, falling back onto her pillows and letting her mind drift off at the sound of [F/N]’s voice.

“I’ve lost all ambition, for worldly acclaim. I just want to be the one you loved~” I want to love you as well, Robin thought, imaging that [F/N] was there. She was sitting at the edge of her bed, playing the guitar while singing to her, singing her to sleep to stupid little love song. Robin dreaded the moment [F/N] reached the end of the song and instead of replaying it to the beginning so she could hear it again, she was going to listen to it to the end this time “Haa, how did you like that songbird? Didn’t expect I could sing, could you? It’s not something I’ve done for a long time, but I thought it’d work wonders on you. I love you, Robin. I hope you enjoy this gift from me.” she was then met with silence once more and those tears she was holding back came flooding out, she was beginning to hate the silence. She screwed her eyes shut and shook her head to rid the memory and looked back at Steve who stared back at her, who then closed his eyes, thinking of each passing interaction he’s had with Eddie that’s made him feel giddy like he was still in high school. The times when Eddie would grab him by the shoulder to keep himself together after hearing the most ridiculous joke Steve had ever told, or the few times there fingers would touch when passing a blunt between each other, or maybe the time where he would just watch the way Eddie’s eyes would sparkle whenever he spoke about his music or D&D or his favourite bands or— Robin blinked when his face turned red.

“Oh.” he mutters, and now he finds himself sitting in the Munson trailer with Eddie sitting across from him. The brunette was talking about something but Steve’s mind was blanking out and the only thing he was paying attention to were his lips, he suddenly came to a realisation when his eyes snapped up and his lips pulled into a straight line “Oh.” this caught Eddie’s attention, the older one of the two chuckling softly at the face Steve was making.

“What’s the matter, Stevie?” his smile grew when Steve raised his hand, placing it on his neck and squeezing it.

“N-Nothing, just thinking is all.” he raised a brow.

“Really?” he nods, pursing his lips.

“Uh huh, totally!” he hums, where has that Harrington charm gone? He remembered his time when he and Steve attended at the same time and the halls were filled with how good Steve was with his words, always making girls swoon and sink to their knees. The man before him was anything like the rumours detailed, he would have mistaken Steve for one of the many girls he flirted with by how his eyes averted away from his while Eddie himself never tore his eyes off him.

“Eddie, I swear to god if you don’t tear your damn eyes away from my brother I’m gonna use this fork and tear them right out of your goddamn eye sockets.” Gareth and Jeff cringe at the threat while Nathan takes the fork away from her when he saw that her hands were reaching for it, the others doing the same with their own forks “I thought you said you couldn’t stand my brother with how much of a, and I quote, “a prissy little jock boy he is”. And for you information, he’s a great jock.” without her fork she grabbed a handful of the mac and cheese she was eating and stuffed it into her mouth, Nathan cringing once more at the sight of the cheese dripping from her fingers.

“That’s disgusting, [F/N].” he complains and hands her a napkin, to which she takes and wipes her hands “And she’s right, Eddie. It’s not that we’re making fun of you, we’re judging you. I mean, it’s kind of pathetic.” Eddie let out a groan, his pale skin flushed red.

“I know.” he grumbles under his breath, slapping a hand onto his face and dragging it down “[F/N]! Tell me something that’ll immediately kill my interest!” her eyes rolled backwards and they looked up at the ceiling for a couple seconds before landing on him once more.

“He thinks D&D is a nerd game and doesn’t understand why I like it.” she pursed her lips at that, squinting her eyes in confusion while also shrugging her shoulders. Gareth scoffed and smacked her arm, to which she snickered that it was a pretty lame reason “Um, uh, eh… he thinks you could do better with your hair?” Jeff rolled his eyes.

“We all think that way, [F/N].”

“It is the truth, and though I’m not as much of a hair fanatic as my brother, you disgust me with the fact that you use that three in one crap.” they all then give him judgemental looks, he gasps at them and give him an offended look.

“I thought we were… friends!” he cried out, they all just continue to stare at him in silence. He pouts at the memory, his hands subconsciously reaching up to grab some of his hair and play with it. Eddie hated to admit it but back in high school, he too, couldn’t help but swoon for that Harrington charm. That cocky little grin, that perfect skin, his luscious brown locks and those sparkling brown eyes. He was just perfect but there was no way to confirm that he would ever look at a man the same way he looked at a woman and [F/N] wasn’t going to out her brother even if he did swing that way and Eddie asked, she probably would have killed him for even considering asking her “You know, I just thought of another memory of your sister.” Steve’s brows perked up, his flustered face cooling down.

“Another story time?” Eddie snickered at that, yup, any story they could think of was now declared as story time.

“Yeah, but it’s kind of a… bad one?” Steve’s face scrunched up at that “Please don’t be mad at her, she was honestly trying to do it for your own good.” now this really had Steve’s attention.

“What did she do?” he inhaled sharply.

“So, you think you’re good enough to be my brother’s girlfriend?” Eddie and the rest of Hellfire were shaking their heads in slight disappointment at [F/N]’s actions, going and threatening another one of Steve’s “girlfriend’s” all because she didn’t like them. [F/N] and Steve had only just recently fixed their broken relationship and Steve thought it would be a good idea to introduce his sister to his latest girlfriend. [F/N] was only just doing what was best for Steve, honestly, so she tried to give the girl some time to be that so called “loving and caring” girlfriend that Steve had told her all about, but [F/N] could never see that. All she could see was some girl that was only with Steve for the popularity, for the financial gain with being with a Harrington and possibly gain the favor and protection of his sister “You’ve done nothing to prove that you’re a good match for Steve.” [F/N] had backed the poor girl behind the school, looming over and making sure the girl knew that the truth was the only thing that could get her out of that situation.

“P-Prove myself…?” she stuttered out, looking around to find a way out of her current predicament “Didn’t Steve tell you how much he l-loves me?” she shrieks when [F/N] glared at her.

“Him telling me that he loves you doesn’t mean that I trust that you’ll love my brother the way he loves you.” the girl is trembling when [F/N] raises her hand to twirl her finger around a strand of her hair, humming softly as she plays with her in between her thumb and index finger “My brother showers you with love and affection, but also in extravagant gifts because that’s his way of showing love. Giving. He gives, and gives, and gives. But there are only the rare few people that give him something in return, and not once have I seen you return the favor. Whether that be in gifts or love, you’ve given him nothing.”

“T-Then— Then what do I have to do to p-prove it?” she lets out a small cry when [F/N] grabs a fistful of her hair and yanks her up, tears swelling in her eyes when her smile dropped at she was full on staring death in the eyes.

“The fact you have to ask tells me exactly what you’re up to.” her other hand grabs her by her cheeks and she gives it a squeeze “If I ever find out that you’re only with my brother because of his looks and wealth and not because you genuinely love him, I’ll make sure that your heart is not the only thing that gets broken. Do you understand me?” she loosened her grip on her and watched as she weakly nodded, [F/N] was satisfied with that and let her go, chuckling evilly to herself when she didn’t hesitate to get the hell out of there. Eddie approached her and watched as she pulled out a cigarette and let it, letting out a long drag then watched the smoke disappear.

“You know your brother isn’t going to be happy that you’ve been interfering with his relationships like this, [F/N].” she nodded her head.

“Yeah, but I rather he be single than in a one sided relationship.” she inhales sharply “He’ll thank me later for this, and I’m sure he’ll find that perfect someone someday.” Eddie eyes her.

“And if he doesn’t?” for a brief second he saw a frown appear on her face, but it disappeared as quickly as it appeared because she was smiling confidently at him.

“I’m sure he will. I mean, who can resist that Harrington charm?” Eddie snickers at that and looks at Steve’s face, he could understand why he looked hurt right then and there. Each time [F/N] gave those girls her version of a “shovel talk” it would always end with them ending things with Steve, and of course she felt and immense amount of guilt because those relationships with those girls barely lasted a month because of her interference, but it was better for him to know that those girls never really wanted to be with him for his love.

“You must be angry with her, maybe even me for never stopping her.” Eddie thought Steve was foolish to never notice that those girls were only using him, but maybe being deprived of love he couldn’t help but cling to the next best thing and he refused to believe that it wasn’t true love; what a hopeless romantic “I’ll understand if you’ll need a bit.” Steve does, his opens his mouth to say something but shuts it and looks away from Eddie to collect his thoughts.

“… I always knew she was doing something.” he started, lacing his fingers together and squeezing his hand “Whenever I mentioned her at all, my exes would all freak out. The ones that stuck around for longer than a month looked like they were ready to have a melt down the moment we were in a room with her, I never knew what she was doing but I always had a suspicion she did something.” it was true, she always had that soft smile on Steve’s face whenever he was around, but the moment he was gone, her face turned cold and she would stare his ex down as if they were the filth of the earth.

“I’m sorry you had to go through all that.” he waved his hand to dismiss Eddie.

“Eh, sure I’m a little upset, but in the end she was right.” Eddie nods.

“All those girls were not good for you man, the only one I knew she didn’t give a warning to was Wheeler.” Eddie missed the way Steve froze, flinching at the mention of the one that got away. [F/N] did spare her after she learnt that her friend, Barbara Holland, had disappeared on their property and she knew that that girl was going through it so she let her be, unbeknownst to Eddie, the year she came to visit she got possessed by a monster and nearly killed her “You still looking for a girl? You can freely date them now without your sister scaring them off.” he inhales sharply, wrapping his arms around his torso and leaning backwards.

“Well, there is someone that’s caught my eye.” Eddie lights up at that, a small tinge of jealously bubbling in his stomach.

“Ooo, really~ pray tell.” Steve clears his through, rubbing his hand up and down his bicep.

“Well, I’ve been seeing them frequently and they’ve helped me a lot. They’ve become someone I can really rely on, someone other than my friend. I look forward to each time we’re going to meet and dread the moment I have to leave, seeing them has become the new highlight of my life and I hope that it never ends. Because of them… they’ve helped me come out of a very dark place, even without them knowing it.” he looks up at Eddie, chuckling softly when he was pouting and giving him a confused look “They’re really cute, actually.” Eddie’s pout deepened.

“Cute?” he nods.

“Mm hmm, whenever they’re concentrating they tend to stick their tongue out without realising, and when they’re confused they tend to pout and tilt their head, almost like a puppy. They’ve got the prettiest long, curly brown hair with matching eyes. They tend to be loud and assertive but I know that they’re actually really soft and quite reserved, and they’ve always got a way to make me laugh.” he takes a breath and leans back into the sofa “I’d like to say something but I’m afraid I might scare them off, whether it be because of who I used to be or the fact that I might want something more with them than just a one time fling. You get what I mean?” Eddie’s clenches his jaw and flexes his hand when he realised he balled them into a tight fist.

“If you’ve been daydreaming about them this much, then I’m more surprised that this person hasn’t seen the signs. They’re quite blind if I say so myself.” Steve couldn’t help but squint his eyes at him, uh huh “If you really like them as much as you say, then you should go for it. It’s never stopped you before, so what’s stopping you now? Just go up to them, look them in the eyes, and ask them to be yours.” the two of them sit in silence and Steve can hear the way his heart was beating wildly in his chest, was he really going to do this? Will Eddie take him seriously? Eddie raises a brow when Steve stands to his feet and approaches him, taking a seat beside him and proceeded to look him in the eyes.

“Eddie, will you be mine?” Eddie blinks at him for a couple seconds until he smiles, nodding his head and giving him a thumbs up.

“Yeah, man, exactly like that!” Steve looks away and deadpans, what was he even expecting? “I’m sure they’re going to swoon, man.” Steve shakes his head and takes Eddie’s hand, startling the poor man.

“No, Eddie! I’m asking you if you’ll be mine! You, I want you!” he curses and looks away “Okay, look. Things have been so tough for me ever since my sister and Billy, and I know things have been tough on you since the two of you were really close, but you pushed your feelings aside just to comfort me. I noticed the way you would get sad each time either one of us mentioned [F/N] name and I would try my best to comfort you the best I could, and yet you still chose my feelings over your own. Eddie, it probably would have taken me a lot longer to accept my sister’s death than I would have liked, so I will never take for granted what you have done just for my sake. But the more we hung out, the more time I spent with you I realised the conversations about my sister and even Billy had been becoming less frequent, a-and I was getting to learn more about you. I started to like learning about you and being with you, I liked the stories you told me about you and your friends, about your nerd game and your band practices. I liked being with you, and how I felt like I can just be me without being worried that you’ll judge me. Eddie, you’re a very selfless person and I admire that about you. You’re caring, and sweet, and very charismatic and you’re… amazing. I really like that about you, I really like… you.”

Steve was beginning to think that this was a mistake, Eddie was just staring at him wide eyed and he hated the fact that he just couldn’t read the emotions he was making. Surprise? Disgust? Rejection? Dread began to fill his heart that he might have jumped the gun, spilling his heart out the way he did was probably not the best idea and Eddie probably might not even swing that way, let alone want to be in a relationship with his best friends brother. He stuttered out an apology and tried to pull away but realised that Eddie was holding his wrist in a rather tight grip, he looked down at where he was holding him then back at his face, blinking in surprise when Eddie’s face turned bright red to the point he’d compare it to a tomato.

“M-Me?” he stuttered out “You like… me?” Steve swallows thickly then slowly nods, his cheeks turning rosy. Eddie stares at him again then looks away, he then looks at their hands and slowly laces their fingers together.

“E-Eddie?” he closes his eyes, his hand squeezing Steve’s hand tightly.

“I liked you back in high school, Steve.” this caught him by surprise “Hah, you could say I couldn’t resist your charm. I told your sister, obviously, and she proceeded to verbally abuse me for a good week, along with the rest of our friends. I tried to get over you, tried to convince myself that my attraction towards you wasn’t going to last and that I was pathetic for falling in love with a guy that would never love me back. Hoo boy, was I wrong! Every time I thought I was over you it would come right back each time I saw you and each time I saw that you had your new toy with you, I would be happy when [F/N] scared them off because then I wouldn’t have to be jealous. Never in a million years would I have thought that you’d return those feelings, if [F/N] were here I’d tell her to eat it. I’d say I’m happy she’s not around because at least I don’t get her infamous shovel talk, but to shove it in her face that you chose me would totally be worth it.” Steve couldn’t help but burst out into laughter at that, even Eddie was laughing along to the point the two of them were leaning against each other.

“You’re totally right about that.”

“Of course I am.” the two of them then fall into a comfortable silence, both eyes staring at their hands that continued to stay connected. Steve pursed his lips and turn his attention back towards Eddie’s face, letting his thumb caress Eddie’s hand.

“Um, I like you, Eddie Munson.” he snorts at the confession.

“Yeah, thanks, like I didn’t realize that after that whole confession.” Steve smacks his shoulder, Eddie snickers “Hey! Haha, I like you too, Steve Harrington.” Steve nods his head, a dopey smile on his face.

“Does that make us… boyfriends?” he mutters softly, his hand subconsciously reaching up to grab the pendant around his neck and thumb at it. Eddie goes to answer but he eyes the pendant in between Steve’s fingers, he narrows his eyes at the jewellery and they widened softly in recognition.

“Is that… Hargrove’s?” he was taken aback at the question, looking down at what he was doing then dropping his hand to his side “Steve, were you and Hargrove… an item?” just that subtle detail had Eddie realize that they was much more to Steve and Billy’s relationship. He found it odd that [F/N] let Billy off the hook for what he did to Steve, he found it more odd that [F/N] let the rumours fly around that she and Billy were an item instead of killing the person who started those rumours, but now he understood it. It was a cover for her brother, for he was the one that was actually in love with the california boy, he felt his heart hurt more for Steve when he realised that Steve not only lost his sister but also his boyfriend on that tragic night. Steve looked like he was in the middle of spiralling now, taking his hand back from Eddie and clutching the pendant in both hands, his knuckles turning white from how tightly he was gripping it.

“I— I-I—” he blinks back the tears when he saw Eddie raise his hands up, he hovers them out in front of him and Steve just watches him closely.

“Steve, can I touch you?” he continued to stare at him, a good few seconds past and Steve slowly nods his head. Eddie’s hands settle down on Steve’s shoulders, they slowly glide down to his biceps, to his forearms then finally resting on his wrists. He’s patiently tapping against his enclosed hands as his thumbs rub into his wrist, when Steve finally manages to compose himself and loosen his grip Eddie slips his hands back into Steve’s and squeezes them reassuringly “So… you and Hargrove, huh?” he nods softly.

“Uh huh.” he answers “He really was a good guy, he just didn’t get his chance to show the world. He died a hero that night, so at least he did something right at the very end.” Eddie clears his throat at that, readjusting where he was sitting.

“Um… you were there, right? On the night they died?” Steve looks at Eddie, already knowing where he was going.

“… he saved us, both him and [F/N]. They saved us, and look where that got them.” Eddie knew that there was more to this story, more to unpack about that night, but he knew not to push it while Steve was this far gone “I will always regret that night, because in the end it was my fault.” Eddie shakes his head.

“You don’t know that, Steve.”

“But I do.” Steve closes his eyes shut, trying not to remember their screams of pain when they were killed by the Mind Flayer. He tried to shut out the way the two of them died in each others arms, tried not to think of their lifeless bodies haunting him or their flayed versions glaring at him each time he looked at his reflection. He was slipping further and further away and when everything was beginning to overwhelm him he felt something press against his cheek, opening his eyes, he saw that it was Eddie kissing him on the cheek to calm him down.

“Steve.” he says firmly, favouring to look him in the eyes instead of the way his face flushed “Whatever you’re going through, whatever you can’t tell me, I’ll be by your side through it all. You don’t need to be alone for this.” Steve wordlessly stared at him then felt himself melt at the sight of Eddie’s eyes, a feeling of warmth bubbling in his stomach that he felt himself lean forward to rest his forehead against his.

“Eddie…” he murmurs, he closes his eyes and hums softly “Thank you.” he gets a hum back, chuckling softly when Eddie nuzzles his forehead against his own.

“No problem, boyfriend.”

Steve felt bad for keeping their relationship only to themselves, he wished he could tell Robin but for Eddie’s comfort he decided that it would be best if they kept it on the down low. Their days now consisted on cuddling in bed or couch, a few quick pecks here and there or the occasional sweet kiss when either was feeling confident enough. Eddie was still quite new to this type of relationship, Steve being his first offical boyfriend that wasn’t a one time fling, so Steve understood that they were going to take things slow, but he wouldn’t take it any other way. He felt special that he was the first to treat Eddie with so much love though it times it did make his heart ache because he felt like he was with Billy all over again, and as shitty as that sounds, it was still taking some time to accept that Billy was never going to come back. Eddie himself noticed at times Steve’s mind would wonder off at times, especially when Steve would run his hands through his hair and would stop to turn away, because in his mins he was picturing Billy all over again. Steve would always apologise whenever he reacted like that, feeling guilty that he still hadn’t gotten over it, he was scolded by Eddie for thinking like that.

“Hey, Eddie.” Steve says, laying on his back with his legs over Eddie’s back “You’re starting school again in a couple months, yeah?” he questions, to which Eddie let out long groan and let his face fall onto his bed.

“Don’t remind me.” he replies, voice muffled under the blankets.

“Heh, well, do you remember those kids I told you about?” Eddie lets out a grunt “Well, a few of them actually play your little Doofuses and Dorks game.” he snickers softly when Eddie pushed himself up immediately, turning to face Steve with an excited look on his face.

“First of all, it’s Dungeons and Dragons, second of all, go on.”

5t“Well, they’re entering high school and I was wondering if, I don’t know, you watched over them? I’m sure they’re going to feel a little nervous and maybe left out, and I’d really appreciate it if you could keep an eye on them. It would really mean a lot to me.” Steve hums when Eddie shimmied over to where Steve was laying, crawling on top of him through his parted legs before letting his body drop on top of him.

“I’d be more than happy to oblige, Stevie. Anything to keep you at ease, mama bear.” Steve let out a chuckle when Eddie booped his nose, Steve readjusted himself when he felt Eddie slide his arms from under his body until his hands were resting at the back of his head, Steve all but purrs when he feels Eddie’s fingers thread through his hair “But don’t you think your kids are going to question why I’m approaching them? I’m still pretty notorious around in school, won’t they get scared?” he almost laughed at that, those kids have been through so much worse that he shouldn’t feel at eased that they won’t get scared if they meet Eddie, but it’s the truth.

“Please, the moment they learn they can still play that D&D game while in high school, they’ll get over their initial fear of you and worship the ground you walk on.”

“Oh, so like that Dustin kid does with you?”

“Heh, you flatter me.” they share a kiss, both smiling into the kiss “Thank you Eddie.”

“No problem.”

[time skip: late in march]

Eight months have past since the Starcourt Mall had burnt down along with the death of his sister and boyfriend, and though he was still mourning the loss of them both, he had definitely gotten better over time. He’s got his best friend at his side and his new boyfriend that he completely adores, so Steve would like to think that he drew the lucky end of the straw even after everything he lost. Eddie also kept his promise to Steve, the moment Dustin, Mike, Lucas and Max had entered high school he made his presence known and welcomed them warmly to Hellfire, and though the same couldn’t be said for Max, the other three joined with open arms. Steve loved hearing stories from both his kids and boyfriend, Dustin telling him with great enthusiasm that they joined a Dungeons and Dragons club, or Eddie telling him how he was right and that Dustin, or rather Mike, was literally breathing in every word he spoke. Robin was another case, since school was back, Robin had to go back to school while he manned Family Video after dropping her off at school, and she found a new girl to crush over ever since they lost [F/N]. This girl, her name was Vickie and she was in band alongside Robin so she had a lot of time to spend with her, so now their conversations were filled with Vickie, Vickie, Vickie! He almost missed the conversations when it was just about [F/N] because at least he could understand.

“It is seven in the morning, we have the stupid pep rally, and I woke up looking like a corpse.” Robin complains, Steve scoffs softly and looks over at her, seeing her pull her face back as she looks at her reflection through the rear view mirror.

“You’re worried about a pep rally? Expect me to believe that?”

“Yeah, so?” he narrows his eyes on her.

“We both know what this is all about. Not buying that, this is about Vickie.” she whips her head towards him.

“Absolutely not.”

“It is, and you know what else?”

“I don’t care—”

“You gotta stop pretending to be someone else when you’re around her. You just gotta be yourself.” now it was Robin’s turn to eye Steve down.

“You’re literally quoting me to me. You do realize that, right?” he shrugs his shoulders.

“Well, maybe you need to listen to yourself. Ever think about that? I listened. Look at me, boom! Back in business.” she scoffs at him.

“It’s not the same thing, okay?”

“Well—” she shakes her head, cutting him off before he could explain himself. “Look, your ask out a girl and she says no. Big deal, nothing happens. Maybe your ego’s a little bruised.” he makes an offended look but they both know that he wasn’t really offended “I ask out the wrong girl, and bam, I’m a town pariah.” Steve nods at that last part but shakes his head.

“I’d buy that, expect Vickie is definitely not the wrong girl.” Robin sighs.

“Yeah, but we don’t know that Steve, do we?”

“She returned Fast Times paused at fifty-three minutes, five seconds. You know who pauses Fast Times at fifty-three minutes, five seconds?” she shakes her head “People who like boobies!” she cringes at him.

“Ew! Gross, stop! Don’t say boobies.”

“Boobies!” he repeats “Not a big deal, okay? I like boobies, you like boobies. If my sister has taught me anything about stuff like this, I can definitely tell that Vickie likes boobies. My gaydar goes off around her, I’m telling you.” she shakes her head at him, closing her eyes when she hears him say boobies again. After dropping Robin off at school and waving her goodbye he peels off and heads to Family Video, tapping away at the counter in boredom as customers cane in and out, browsing here and there and the occasional few renting out movies for the weekend. He makes yet another successful purchase when the phone goes off, so he waves the customer goodbye before proceeding to pick up the phone “This is Family Video, Steve spe—” he pulled a face when he was cut off.

“Steve!” he pursed his lips at who was on the other line, narrowing his eyes on the phone.

“Oh, it’s just you. What do you want, Dustin? Aren’t you at school right now?” he questions as he leans back to look at the time, squinting his eyes at what the clock said.

“Never mind about that, Steve. I need a favor.” he rolls his eyes, so demanding “So Lucas just pulled out of Eddie’s campaign, it’s the Cult of Vecna and it’s like the finale and everything! It’s gonna be great, and we need a sub because—” Steve cuts him off.

“Because Lucas has his game tonight? Yeah, not gonna happen. I already promise him I’d be there for him.” Dustin lets out a groan.

“Come on, Steve! You and I both know that you’re just going on a date with some girl that doesn’t like you as much as you think, so just move your date this one time!” Steve scoffs, feeling a little offended at the accusation.

“What, to hang out with you and play that little nerd game I told you I’d would never play? Uh, yeah, I’ll pass.”

“You’re just jealous cause I have another older male friend.” jokes on him, he’s actually dating said older male friend.

“Ew, ugh, whatever.” his eyes perked up at the sound of the door opening, a group of people entering the store “Oh, I got some customers. Call you back, bye.” he laughs to himself when he hangs up the phone, knowing full well that he can’t call him back because he’s at school. Hours go by and finds himself at said basketball game, smiling brightly when he sees Lucas and waves his hand when they make eye contact, Lucas’ frown disappeared slightly when he spotted Steve and he returned the gesture. The game went on without a hitch, silently mouthing towards Robin to talk to her about the game while also mocking her previous crush, Tammy Thompson and how he was right that she was just a tone deaf muppet. Though, watching the game play out he couldn’t help but think about his time when he played and sitting out in the bleachers was [F/N]. Their parents never came to their games and though she herself hated being there she was always there to support him throughout his games, even at the ones he never wanted her to be at; she was always there. So here he was, in place of his sister, to support Lucas as he wins Hawkins their first win against their rivalling team. Is this how his sister felt when she watched Steve making the winning basket on all his games? That feeling of adrenaline pumping through his body as the feeling of how proud he was filling his heart while he cheered with the crowd, the only disappointment he felt was how the others weren’t there for Lucas to witness this astonishing victory.

“That was amazing, Lucas!”

“You did great out there!”

“Way to go, Lucas!” it would be an understatement if Lucas didn’t feel overwhelmed, that giant smile stretched across his face as the feeling of winning the game continued to play throughout his mind. Everyone was congratulating him and he was giving his thanks, however, his eyes drifted over to where he heard laughter. His smile died immediately at the sight of his friends laughing together and chatting about the campaign he bailed out on, what stung more was that his sister was walking with them with a proud look on her face. His mood deflated at the sight and before he could begin to sulk he felt himself get pulled into a hug, looking up at how it was his eyes widened.

“Steve?” he questions, Steve had a big smile on his face as he hugged Lucas tight.

“Well done, Lucas! I’m so proud of you!” he exclaimed loudly, when he pulls him back he shakes him lightly “You did great out there, kid, you’re going to be the next star player.” Lucas felt his lips begin to tremble while his eyes started water, Steve hums softly and pats his shoulder.

“Really?” he nods.

“Uh huh, you’ve got serious potential.” Lucas smiles softly, letting his head fall and rest against his chest, Steve smiled and caressed the back of his head to comfort him. Looking up, his eyes met with Eddie who was staring at the both of them. He gave a wave and winked at him, his smile grew soft when Eddie giggled and waved back before getting into his van. Eddie told him after he got off of work that he had a deal to make before coming over to Steve’s so they could hang out, saying that the famous Queen Chrissy Cunningham had wanted to purchase something strong from him. And so that’s where Steve was waiting hours for Eddie to appear, waiting for Eddie to come into his arms and ramble about how epic his grand finale was. He waited, and waited, and waited, but Eddie never came. He felt like a fool for how long he stayed up waiting for him, he felt like a moron for thinking that he’d call him to say that he couldn’t make it. Did he think that Eddie could be getting high off his mind with Chrissy Cunningham? Maybe. Was his heart crushed at the thought that he was getting high off his mind with Chrissy Cunningham…? Perhaps, but— Eddie wouldn’t do that, maybe he smoked a little and got tired after his campaign and went to sleep, forgetting to call Steve that he couldn’t make it. He’ll visit Eddie tomorrow and ask for an explanation, yeah, that’s what he’ll do. Maybe he’s just overreacting and Eddie has a plausible reason as to why he couldn’t come over, yeah, he’s gonna sleep this off and feel better in the morning when he goes see Eddie.

This was not what he was expecting to see in the morning.

His blood ran cold when the news came on and airing on it was that someone was murdered, but the location? The trailer park right in front of Eddie’s house. His heart dropped into his stomach at the possibility that it could be Eddie, that the reason he didn’t come around last night was that he and Chrissy were murdered by some psychopath. That thought replaced his anxiety with guilt that if he wasn’t so hung up about Eddie and called him, maybe even stormed over to his place to see what was taking him so long, maybe he wouldn’t be watching the news that his boyfriend was dead.

“Hey, Steve!” his attention tore away from the T.V at the breathless call of his name, turning towards the door to see Dustin and Max entering the store.

“You see this?” he started, trying to play off the fact that he was freaking out.

“How many phones do you have?” he frowned when he was ignored.

“Someone was murdered.” he continued.

“How many phones do you have?” Dustin repeats, he scoffs slightly and turns to look at Robin.

“Two, why?”

“Technically three, if you count Keith’s.” Dustin and Max nod to the answer.

“Yeah, three works.” Steve and Robin pull a face when Dustin proceeded to pull his backpack off.

“Wait, what are you doing?” they were taken aback when he threw his bag over the counter, the two backing away in surprise and shouting at him “What are you—” “My pile!” he then jumps over the counter himself, kicking another pile of tapes onto the ground.

“No, no, no! My tapes! Dude.” Steve deflates at the chaos that ensued “What are you doing, man?”

“Setting up base of operations here.” “Base of operations? Get off.”

“I need it.”

“For what?”

“Eddie’s friends’ phone numbers.” his eyes widened at that, he then shakes his head to help Robin pick up the things that were knocked down because of Dustin jumping over the counter.

“Seriously, you guys, maybe on a Monday you can play around, but it’s Saturday. It’s our busiest day.” Robin explained, but was ignored by them both.

“Robin, I empathise, but this cannot wait.”

“Oh my god.”

“Calling Eddie’s friends is an emergency?”

“Correct!”

“Want me to strangle him or you?” Robin chuckled.

“We could take turns.” the two of them smile at that, Dustin sighed and turned towards Max.

“Could you fill them in while I do this?”

“Fill us in on what?” Steve felt that same guilt start to bubble in his stomach when he learnt that the murder in the Munson household could possible be linked to the Upside Down, and at that thought he couldn’t help but think back to Billy and [F/N]. Because he didn’t tell them what was actually going on in Hawkins the two of them wound up getting possessed by the Mind Flayer then proceeded to commit several murders then died themselves the moment they broke free. If the same thing was happening to Eddie he really wasn’t going to forgive himself for keeping this secret from him, he was going to die if Eddie got caught up in all this and he got hurt because he never spoke up about it. It was going to be his fault all over again that someone he loved got hurt.

“Dustin, get your shit, we’re going.” the three of them look up at Steve as if he was crazy.

“What? Why?” they watch as he takes off his work vest, throwing it away in favor of his jacket “Where are we going?”

“To find Eddie. I know where he’ll be.” Dustin stares at him in disbelief, nearly ignoring his order but paused when he saw that Robin was doing the same thing.

“How? Steve! You don’t even know him. Steve!” he just ignored Dustin’s comments as he ushered them out of the store, closing the door behind them and flipping the “OPEN” sign to closed before jumping into his car and peeling out of the parking lot. He was anxiously tapping his fingers against the wheel, his mind thinking back to the one time both he and Eddie got high off their mind and how Eddie mentioned Reefer Rick’s place. A nice little house by the lake all the way out of prying eyes, a place perfect for Eddie to go into hiding, all he could do was hope that that was where Eddie went. Pulling up to the house the sun had long gone down, Steve was the last to hope out of the car and watched as the trio approach the house but he ushered them towards the shed at the back quietly, opening the door and peeking in to try and spot where Eddie could be.

“Eddie?” Dustin whispered out as the others searched the room, not noticing how Steve was approaching the boat that was covered by a large tarp “It’s Dustin, are you here? Eddie?” he called out again, Steve should have spoke out to let Eddie know that he was there. It was foolish of him not to at least reassure Eddie that he was there because the moment he touched the tarp he was suddenly being shoved back until his back hit the wall and a broken glass bottle was pressed against his throat. He could see it, that look of absolute terror in his tear filled eyes. [F/N] flashed in his mind, the moment she broke free from the Mind Flayer and how absolutely distraught she was after realising what she had done to him, that same look could be seen in Eddie’s but it was just slightly different.

“Eddie.” he spoke out softly, not tearing his eyes away from how much Eddie’s body was trembling, or how he still hadn’t recognized who exactly was in front of him just yet “It’s me, Eddie. It’s Steve, I’m here.” he whispered out, the moment Eddie started breathing properly he let out a gasp and dropped the broken bottle.

“Steve?” he whispered out, his arms enclosed on his body, his shoulders shaking from each deep breath he took.

“Eddie, can I touch you?” the moment Eddie helped Steve calm down from his near mental break down came rushing back to him, his hands coming up to hover over Eddie’s shoulders. He waited for Eddie to respond to him and when he was given that moment his hands settled down on his shoulders, they slowly glide down to his biceps, to his forearms then finally resting on his wrists. Eddie let out a soft whimper at the feeling of Steve’s touch, still not opening his arms but leaning forward to let his forehead rest against his chest “I’m here, baby. I’m here, and whatever happened isn’t going to happen to you. I know you didn’t kill Chrissy, I’ll believe whatever you say because I know you didn’t do anything.” Eddie finally broke down into tears, his arms dropping from where they were and quickly wrapping around Steve’s neck.

“Jesus, Steve. I-I— I didn’t hurt you, did I? God, I’m sorry I just— everything happened so fast.” he started, his tears beginning to soak into Steve’s shoulder “H-Her body just lifted in the air a-and her body just started to break, her bones man— I’m NEVER going to get that sound out of my head. I-I couldn’t help her, man, I couldn’t wake her up! I fucking left her and ran because I—” Eddie whimpered when he felt Steve’s hands cup his cheeks, his thumbs wiping away his tears and she shushed him.

“You were scared, I get it. I’d be scared if I was in your place, too.” he was scared, each time he was thrown into any situation regarding the Upside Down and he was still terrified “And as shitty as this sounds, I’m just so glad that you’re okay. I’m so happy that you’re safe, Eddie.” he gently pulls Eddie back so he could let their foreheads rest against each other, Eddie’s hands slipping from around his neck to hang around Steve’s wrists.

“Steve…” they were clearly in their own little world of comfort, only then just realising that there were others in the room when they heard someone clear their throat.

“Um, I’d hate to interrupt… whatever is going on right now, but— what is going on?!” Steve winced when he heard Dustin shouting, Eddie flinched and curled up on himself.

“Dustin, cool it.” he said sharply but was ignored.

“No, wait, Steve! How long have you known Eddie? How long have you been this close with him? Is this why you haven’t gone on any dates as of recently?” he holds his tongue when Steve gave him a glare.

“Dustin, I said cool it.” he repeats and this time Dustin listens, he makes sure Eddie was calm before turning to look at Dustin “Since the funeral, a couple months and… yes?” he spares Robin a look and she was just as surprised, maybe a little betrayed that he never told her, but surprised nonetheless.

“Is this the guy, Steve? Is this the guy that leaves you awestruck all the time?” Eddie couldn’t help but snicker.

“I leave you awestruck?”

“Now’s not the time.” Eddie pursed his lips and nodded, raising his hand to wipe away any lingering tears.

“Are you going to explain what’s going on between you two? I highly doubt you coddling Eddie like that is because he’s your former drug dealer.” Steve was really nervous, he never told anyone outside of his sister and Robin, and Eddie found out on his own, that he was dating Billy. He hadn’t really registered his sexuality until his sister explained that it was possible for him to like both women and men, and though he really wanted to tell Dustin for a long time he was still really scared how he would react.

“Steve, you can tell him. I’m sure he’ll be understanding.” Steve looks at Eddie, swallowing thickly, but nodded.

“Well, Dustin… Eddie, uh— he’s my, boyfriend.” Dustin stared up, he narrowed his eyes on him then shook his head.

“But you’re not gay.” he deadpans.

“Yeah, I’m bisexual. Meaning I like both guys and girls.” he narrows his eyes even more, looking between him and Robin.

“But what about Robin?”

“Strictly platonic, dude. Don’t like her like that.” Dustin shakes his head once more, pointing between the two of them.

“But— you and Eddie?” Steve rolls his eyes.

“Oh my god— yes, me and Eddie! Please tell me you don’t have a problem with us, or I swear we’re gonna have problems.” Dustin raises his hands, now shaking his head for a different reason.

“No, no! It’s just that… I looked up to you two as brothers, you know? So know I’m gonna have to rethink that or else it’s gonna look really weird in my brain.” Eddie laughs at that, feeling a little better now that he wasn’t freaking out after everything that occurred. He then looks back at Steve and found it odd how relaxed he was, even after he explained how ridiculous of a scenario he had to suffer through. Steve believed him and didn’t think he was making it up, even he didn’t believe himself… no, no way.

“Steve.” this soft whisper almost fell to deaf ears but Steve just barely managed to hear him, looking down at Eddie and saw that terrified look on his face “What’s going on… is this what happened to [F/N] and Billy?” at the mention of their names they all flinched, Eddie noticed this reaction from all of them and his eyes widened even more, no way. He glanced back at Steve and saw he had a pained expression on his face, his hand reaching up to caress Billy’s pendant while Robin lifted her hand to cover his lips, even Max looked away.

“Eddie, I—”

“I-Is this what you couldn’t tell me? That this shit— this shit is what killed them? They didn’t actually die in a fire, did they? Oh shit, and you had to witness that happen to your sister?!” he couldn’t imagine Steve had to watch both his sister and boyfriend get broken down like that, Steve shook his head once more.

“No, no. What you had to go through, it wasn’t what she suffered through. If I’m being honest, theirs was a little crueler.” Steve didn’t want to have to recall this memory, he wanted to forget all about it but his boyfriend was asking what really happened “Their body’s were possessed by a monster and they had to do some really… gruesome things, and when they broke free they were killed by the same monster.” he toned it down by a lot, not really knowing how Eddie would react to [F/N] and Billy being the actual culprits to all the people that died last year. The other three in the room noticed as well and decided it would be best not to tell Eddie either, for his own sanity.

“Oh…” he muttered softly “I see why you could never bring that shit up in a conversation.” he nods.

“Yeah, not a real good conversation started.” trying to lighten the mood worked a little, he appreciated it, but he was still freaked out “Okay, um, I know you have a shit tone of questions Eddie, but I think we should go to my house. I don’t think anyone would come looking for you there, and if we were able to find you here then I don’t think it would take long for others to find you either.” Eddie felt this heart drop into his stomach at the thought of others coming so he nodded.

“Y-Yeah, good idea.” he nods.

“Dustin call the others and tell them to meet at my house, ASAP.” Dustin nods and pulls out his walkie talkie, he didn’t know who’d be awake to get the message but he’ll have to relay it again in the morning. Driving all the way back to the Harrington household Steve was holding Eddie’s hand, squeezing it every now and then each time he felt it tremble within his hold. They were going to be okay, he thought, everything was going to be okay because Steve was here and he believed him. Everything was going to be just fine.

Everything was not fine.

If Eddie’s week was already shit it just got fucking worse because he was literally staring death in the eyes, or maybe it was the back of his head because he was being pressed against his stomach while someone was holding him down by his hair while their foot was against his back. He’d find it kinky any other day but currently he was in an alternate dimension of Hawkins where everything is out to kill them and said thing above he was going to kill him, so yeah, his week is going pretty shit. As Steve predicted someone did end up going to the lake house to try and find Eddie, but someone died and blamed said death of Eddie despite the fact that he wasn’t even there. They also learned that Vecna targeted Max and he almost got her but thanks to Robin and Nancy’s little investigation on Victor Creel they learnt that music is the key to fight off Vecna’s control, or something like that. They now found themselves at the at Lovers Lake, the children staying at the foot of the lake while he and the other three sat in the dingy little boat followed the direction Dustin’s crazy little compass was taking them, stopping directly in the middle of the lake.

“Uh, Dustin, your compass has gone from wonky to wonky with a capital “aah”!” while the others continued to watch the needle go bonkers Steve was pulling his shoes and socks off.

“Steve, what are you doing?”

“Somebody’s gotta go down and check this out. Unless one of you three can top being a Hawkins High swim co-captain and a certified lifeguard for three years, then… it’s gotta be me. No complaints, alright?” Eddie furrowed his brows as Steve stands up, not liking that his boyfriend was going down there towards potential danger.

“I’m complaining. I don’t want you to go down there.” he murmurs softly, Steve hums softly as he tugged his shirt over his head, smirking softly when he noticed the way Eddie was ogling at his chest, Eddie shakes his head and takes the little plastic bag out of his pocket and grabbing the flashlight from out of her hands, almost glaring at her when he noticed that she too was ogling at Steve. He flinched when he heard someone clear their throat so he turned and saw that it was Robin, who was just blatantly staring at him. He chose to ignore her and continued what he was doing, putting the flashlight in the bag then handing it over to Steve “Hey, good luck.”

“Thanks.” he let out a grunt when Steve chucked his sweater at him, pursing his lips when Steve winked at him before finally diving into the water. He inhaled deeply and watched the water, waiting patiently but anxiously for Steve to resurface, he didn’t tale his eyes off the water until Robin tapped his shoulder.

“Huh, yeah?” she pursed her lips as she looked him up and down.

“Steve never told me about…” she then gestured with her eyes towards Nancy, who too was looking towards the water as they waited for Steve, but he understood what she meant “Steve tells me everything, so I was a little upset that I finally learnt about it when we found you.” he swallows thickly.

“So, does that mean you know about—”

“Billy? Yeah.” he nod his head, the two settle in silence for a bit “I may not be [F/N], and I may not be as scary as she is, but I’ll have you know this Munson. He’s already gotten his heart broken so many times and his last lover broke it to the point I didn’t think he could pick up the pieces, but you managed to do that and fix it. But if I hear that you smashed it beyond repair, the one who is going to be wanted for murder isn’t going to be you.” he swallowed thickly at the threatening tone in her voice, it only reminded him more of [F/N].

“R-Right, right. No broken hearts, got it.” she only narrowed her eyes on him but was satisfied with her work, only for the three of them to let out startled shouts when Steve broke through the surface of the water unexpectedly.

“I found it!”

“You found it?”

“I found it. Yeah, I found it.” Steve pants as he swings over to the boat, grabbing onto it with one hand while the other swipes along his face “It’s pretty wild. It’s more like a snack size gate than the mama gate, but still, it was pretty damn big.” he let out a grunt when he felt himself get pulled, all three of their heads whipping towards him when he bobbed down and yanked the boat. They’re all shouting when Steve was pulled under, Nancy and Robin were talking amongst each other to decide what they should do while Eddie was freaking out. He just watched his boyfriend get dragged down to the bottom of the lake where he could potentially die, he could practically hear his heart beating in his chest at the possibility that he could be dead. He didn’t know where he got the sudden confidence because he pushed pass the two bickering girls to jump into the water and after his boyfriend. He’ll complain about being wet later, right now he needs to make sure that Steve is okay and alive, he couldn’t stand the thought of losing Steve as well.

If he didn’t know that this was Hawkins then he’d believed he was in hell, perhaps this was hell and it was in Hawkins all along. He shook his head and pulled himself out of the crack like gate and looked frantically for Steve only to find him when he heard his cries for help, his eyes widened in fear at the sight of him being held down by these bat like monsters as they ate at his body. That sudden confidence still hadn’t worn off and he was charging over to him, grabbing an oar in the process as he got closer. He kicks the one eating away at his stomach off first then bats it away with the oar, he swings at the other one on his stomach then zones in on the one holding him down by the throat, evidently choking him, and starts doing a number on it before one of the bats attach itself to his back. The girls finally made their appearance and came to their aid, beating the bat off of Eddie’s back while Steve manages to loosen the hold of the one around his neck before repeatedly bashing it to the ground then pressing his foot to its back and ripping it apart, spitting out blood from his mouth while panting from exhaustion.

“Steve…” Eddie muttered out, quickly rushing to Steve to help him “Oh my god, are you alright?” he questions, his hands reaching up to cup his face, Steve let out a tired laugh and let his face fall into Eddie’s palms, raising another hand to touch his.

“Honestly no, but thanks for coming to my rescue.” Eddie giggled softly, their moment would be cute if not for the fact that they almost died, seeing that Steve was okay everything was finally setting in and Eddie cursed out.

“Jesus H. Christ!” he then throws the broken oar to the ground after doing a little stamping tantrum, Steve found it quite cute. Nancy then came over and looked over the wounds he got from the bats eating him, Robin winced at the sight of them.

“Well, they took about a pound of flesh.” Steve said “But other than that, yeah, never better.” his voice was hoarse from the bat that was strangling him, he coughs a little and spits more blood out from his mouth.

“Uh, do you guys think these bats have, like, rabies? It’s just that rabies are, like, my number one greatest fear. And I think we should get you to a doctor soon because once symptoms set in, it’s too late. You’re already dead.” both Nancy and Steve deadpan at her words, Eddie just looking at her in confusion. They flinch and turn their attention back towards the gate when they heard chittering noises, a new group of bats appeared and were guarding the gate to block their attempts from getting to it.

“Alright, there’s not that many.” he muttered softly as the others huddle around him “We can take them, right?” their heads then look up when they heard more chittering noises, this time a swarm of bats were coming their ways but they jump when they hear a roar in the distance coming from where the bats were. It wasn’t close but it sounded like it was getting closer, they weren’t going to take their chances against the swarm or the incoming monster. Nancy pants from behind Steve and looks around, her gaze settling on the woods.

“The woods, come on!” with that they all take off running towards the woods, they later find themselves at skull rock huddled together and hiding as the bats fly over them. With the coast clear Robin steps out from under the rock and looks around, Nancy follows behind her while Eddie stays beside Steve in case he still needed help, to which he did because the moment he stood up he collapsed against the boulder.

“Oh sh… shit.” Eddie is immediately at his side, wincing softly when Steve clutches at his sides “I’m… I’m fine, I swear.” Eddie shakes his head as he helps Steve sit back down, his hands hovering over his body.

“You’re not, sweetheart, stop acting like you are. You’re losing blood.” he looked at his person and saw that he didn’t have anything to bind his wound, he then looks over at Nancy and saw the shirt she was wearing had ruffles at the end of it so he snaps his fingers in her direction “Wheeler, gimme that. It sounds weird, but your shirt. Gimme it.” she looks down at it and nods.

“Good thinking.” he nods, watching her start tearing it off.

“I know.” while he waited for her to finish Robin knelt down to talk to Steve.

“Okay, so the good news is that i’m pretty sure wooziness is not a symptom of rabies. But if you start having hallucinations and muscle spasms or you start feeling aggressive, like you wanna punch me, let me know.” he settles a glare at her.

“Robin.”

“Yeah.” “I kinda wanna punch you.” she smiles.

“Sense of humours still intact. That’s a good sign.” he gives her a look and she finally backs off, he then turns his attention back to Eddie. Nancy was able to tear it all off and so she handed it to him, he then looks back at Steve and he wiggles his finger to get Steve to come close.

“Okay.” he starts, kneeling closer and holding the fabric to his wound “You ready?” Steve swallows thickly as he had his hands hovering above his head.

“Just do it.” they both suck in a breath as Eddie pressed it against his wound, Steve winces and stifled a groan, his hands now pressing against the back of his head while Eddie wraps the torn fabric around his stomach. Eddie mutters a soft apology as Steve throws his head back, his eyes squeezed shut as he tried to distract himself from the pain and the fact that Eddie was just so close to him right that moment. He wraps it around as much as the fabric would allow him before tightening it, looking back up at Steve to watch his reaction each time he tightened it.

“Too tight?” he mutters.

“No, that’s good.” he nod.

“Good.” Steve relaxes back against the boulder and watched Eddie tie a knot, nodding to himself when he was satisfied with it. Eddie glanced back at the girls and saw that they were looking around the area so with them distracted he gave Steve a quick peck on the lips, Steve looked at him a little bewildered and saw him look away bashfully “That should do it, Harrington.” Steve smiles softly.

“Thanks, Munson.” the two of them look at each other and snicker softly, Eddie pats Steve on the shoulder and leaves him when Nancy came along to look over him once more. Eddie looks around before deciding to scale a different boulder and once at the top he looked around, grimacing at the sight of everything looking so grim and dead.

“So uh, this place is like Hawkins, but with monsters and nasty shit?”

“Pretty much.” he pulls a face, looking down when he decided to get down.

“Wait, watch out for the vines. It’s all a hive mind.”

“It’s all a what?” he asked as he looked to Steve.

“All the creepy crawlies around here. They’re, like, one of something. Step on a vine, you’re stepping on a bat, you’re stepping on Vecna.” Eddie shakes his head at that.

“Shit.” he mutters as he now has to watch his step as he carefully makes his way back down, Robin then chimes in.

“But everything from our world is still here, right? Except people?” Nancy nods.

“As far as I understand it, yeah.”

“So. theoretically, we could go to the police station and steal guns and grenades and whatever we need to blow up those bat things that are guarding the gate.” Steve scoffs.

“I highly doubt the Hawkins PD has grenades, Robin. But guns, yeah, sure.” Nancy purses her lips.

“Well, we don’t have to go all the way downtown for guns.” they all look at her “I have guns in my bedroom.” Eddie makes a face as he stares at Nancy.

“You, Nancy Wheeler, have guns, plural, in your bedroom.” Robin’s face lights up.

“Full of surprises, isn’t she?”

“A russian makarov and a revolver.” Steve scoffs softly at the mention of the revolver.

“Yeah, you almost shot me with that one.” she looked up at him with a smirk.

“You almost deserved it.” Eddie’s face scrunched up at the tone she used, he then proceeded to take off his battle vest and chuck it and Steve’s face, who let out a grunt.

“For your modesty, dude.” he raised a brow at Eddie’s direction and if it weren’t for how dark it was he could have sworn he saw Eddie’s ears turn red, their heads all snap up when they heard that roar again in the distance followed by a small earthquake. Steve grabs Nancy while Robin stumbles into Eddie, both men do their best to cover their partners as they wait for the earthquake to settle. They sit in silence for a couple seconds until they hear the bats along with that roar again but this time it was closer “So guns seem like a pretty good idea to me.” Robin nods against Eddie.

“Yeah, me too.” they all quickly stand to their feet and start walking, though the moment they were a distance away from Skull Rock something arrived. It stared at the small stain of blood on the boulder and inhaled the scent of it, a growl rippling through its throat before training its eyes on the footprints left in the dirt.  Steve lagged behind the other three but quickly hurriedly to watch Eddie’s pace, jogging up to him so that they were walking side by side.

“Hey, Eddie, thanks again for coming down to save me.” Eddie only smiled, pumping his shoulder against his.

“I’d say it was no problem but I was scared shitless, and there was no way I was going to leave you down there.” he shakes his head, a sad look appearing on his face “I couldn’t lose you when you were right there.” Steve’s shoulders slumped at that, now pumping his shoulder against his.

“Eddie—” he shakes his head.

“Nope. Outside of D&D, I am no hero. I sense danger and I just turn heel and run. Or, at least that’s what I’ve learned about myself this week.” he inhales sharply “Your sister was so different. She was always full of confidence, but she acted like a stray dog. She didn’t start unnecessary fights unless she got cornered or we were threatened, and when she did, god she was so vicious. Besides, if she were here, I think she’d kill me if I left her brother for dead.” Steve snorted at that.

“Yeah, you’re probably right.”

“No, I know I’m right.” the two were now giggling “Anyways, that was a real Ozzy move back there.” Steve raised a brow.

“Ozzy? Like that Osborne guy you listen to?” Eddie nods his head, face lighting up that Steve remembered.

“Uh huh. He bit a bats head off on stage, it was a real metal move man.” his face brightened when Steve’s flushed up a little, he lifted his hand to gently caress his bicep and winced softly at the torn skin on the entirety of his back and the back of his arms “We really should get you to a doctor after we’re out, that could leave so serious damage.” he shrugged his shoulders.

“Eh, from the year to year beating I get I kind of got used to it.” Eddie winced at that, shaking his head at that.

“No, sweetheart. Just, no.” Steve pouts, he quickly glanced at the girls and saw they were a good distance away from them so he leaned for to give Eddie a quick peck on the lips. He immediately turned away and started speed walking away, giggling softly to himself when he heard Eddie let out a shout of protest then proceed to chase after him. He was waiting for Eddie to grab him from behind, wrapping his arms around his waist and pull him back to smother him in his own barrage of kissed, but that never came. His heart started beating in his chest when it was silent so he turned around and his eyes widened in shock when he didn’t see Eddie behind him, frantically he looked around for him and his gasped when he saw that he was being dragged away.

“Eddie!” he cries out, catching the attention of Nancy and Robin, who turned around and saw that he was running off to where Eddie was being dragged off to. Eddie tried to grab at something— anything to stop himself from getting dragged further and further away but he couldn’t grab the vines unless he wanted to gain the attention of all the creatures in this Upside Down hell or the main monster himself, Vecna. When the thing finally stopped he turned around and kicked it off of him, the thing letting out a whine at the action, he then gasped at what he was staring at. He’d probably mistaken it for a dog if not for its head, it was flower like by the way it opened but inside were rows upon rows of teeth that were stained with blood. He really didn’t want to stick around to be its next meal so he kicked it away when it got close again then turned around so he could push himself onto his feet but let out a grunt when he was kicked in his stomach. Eddie fell back down onto his stomach and grovelled in pain, not being able to handle the growing pain the blow to the stomach gave him, he then let out a grunt when he was grabbed by his hair and was kicked in his back to keep him down.

“U-Urgh… please…” he whimpered around, feeling the tears swelling in his eyes. He really didn’t want to die, not just because he wanted to live, but because now he couldn’t stand the thought of dying and leaving Steve. That man has already lost everything and he couldn’t lose him either, he let out a cry when whatever was holding him by the hair tightened their grip, their heel digging deeper into his back.

“Eddie!” he winched when he heard Steve’s voice, but knowing that his sweetheart was going to come to his rescue made this a little bit better. However, the thing above him flinched at the call and froze up, he then gasped when something slammed beside his head. Peeking to the side his eyes were met with his reflection through the blade of a blood stained axe. The hand that was holding him down loosened its grip and instead was gently caressing his head, the hand then slipped off from behind his head and instead moved his head so that he was able to look over his shoulder. He peeked through his eyelids and was met with those eyes that he had fell in love with, but this thing that was above him wasn’t his Steve, it was—

“Eddie…?” the voice whispered out, the axe was soon abandoned and the figure grabbed him by his shoulders and turned him around so he was now laying on his back. He grabbed at the wrists that was holding him and looked up at the figure, this thing was staring down at him with such intense eyes and he was trying to register as to why it wasn’t killing him. He felt it tug at its hand so he let go and watched as it grabbed at the thing covering its mouth and tug it off, his eyes widened at the face that he was staring up at.

“No… no way.” the tears that began to sting in his eyes appeared but this time for a different reason, his hand reaching up to caress at the face above him.

“Heh, hi Eddie.” Steve was running full speed to where Eddie was dragged off, the tears running down his face at the thought of losing him. His mind flashed back to Billy and [F/N], being helped down by Jonathan and Nancy only to find his lover and sister dead in each others arms. He couldn’t go through this again, not again. His heart wasn’t going to handle another intense heartbreak again, if he lost Eddie then he didn’t know if he was going to pick himself back up like last time; he didn’t know if he could find someone else to glue his heart back together. His blurry eyes widened when he heard the sound of laughter, laughter? Why was he hearing laughter? What could possibly be so funny that he could hear laughter? He finally approached the clearing where Eddie was an his was taken aback at what he was seeing because before his eyes he saw Eddie laughing while twirling someone around, who was also laughing “Eddie, you knucklehead! When’d you get so strong? You were never able to lift me up so easily before!” Eddie just snickered, pulling whoever it was close and squeezing them tight.

“I don’t know, had someone a little heavier than you to lift is all.” they let out a sigh and let their body drape along his body, their head resting against his while his buried into the crook of their neck. When he finally put them down and pulled away they felt his presence and turned to look in his direction, though Steve never met Eddie’s gaze, he was staring directly into the eyes he once remembered were cold and dead.

“Steve…” Nancy and Robin finally caught up to Steve, looking up at him and were confused as to why he looked like he saw a ghost. They finally look over at what he was staring at and froze at who was standing beside Eddie, said person lost that smile they had on their face and it morphed into one of absolute dread. Steve’s eyes, that were already full of tears, felt a new wave of tears run down his face.

“W-What are you doing here…” he stuttered out, dropping the flashlight to the ground and taking a step forward “[F/N]!”

[eight months earlier]

*GASP*

She awoke in a great amount of pain, her entire torso feeling like it was ripped apart before being put back together but in an incredibly shit man. She pushed herself so that she was no longer laying on her back and instead grovelled in pain on her side, coughing up the little spurts of blood that were still pooling up in her mouth. When she finally managed to collect herself she pushed herself up so that she was sitting up straight but now she was taking in her surroundings, she was back in that same hell she and Billy first experienced when that thing— she slapped a hand over her mouth but couldn’t stop herself from throwing up whatever was left in her stomach, her body shaking from the aftershocks of everything. When she was finally able to push herself onto her feet she clutched her arms against her stomach, looking around at what was supposed to be the starcourt mall but it was nowhere to be seen. It was nothing more than a barren land as if it was never built in the first place, damn, not even her car was there. She looked back down at the ground and grimaced at the sight of the axe she used to kill so many people, stained red with the blood of all her victims. She glared down at it and inhaled deeply, kneeling down to grab it and take it with her on her walk home, just in case.

Walking through this literal hell wasn’t exactly ideal in her books, so maybe her car was left at the storage unit where it previously was before she came home and when she made it downtown she was distraught that it wasn’t there either. She was really coming to regret ever coming back to Hawkins, swearing to herself that possibly in her next life she was going to live a different life and never ever step foot in this shitty little town if it still existed. Walking home she thought back to her twenty years of being alive and tried to think of any possible reason as to why she was suffering such a fate, why the fuck was god punishing her so much when she tried so hard to survive? To live? Was it so wrong that she was alive that god still hadn’t put her out of her misery and instead was punishing her further by putting her back in the hell that raised her? She was already exhausted by the time she got home so instead she just pushed open the door to the house she hated since she was young and shuddered at how grotesque it looked, everything was covered in vines and grime, dust partials in the air that she was surprised she hasn’t gotten poisoned by it from how much she was inhaling. She chose to ignore her house’s new interior and just walked up to her room, collapsing onto her bed and just crying silently now that her mind was finally quiet.

“Steve… Robin…” her lips trembled as the last memory she had of either of them was when she was beating them to the point of death, her heart started to ache in her chest as she buried her face into her pillow “I’m so sorry…”

[F/N] Harrington did not believe in god, she did not believe that there was a place that souls moved onto like heaven or hell. She didn’t believe in the nonsense that was written in the bible because that shit could have been edited throughout history to fit the belief of the white man. She wouldn’t believe in god until it was too late and right now, she was almost starting to believe that there was an even greater being out there. She didn’t know whether or not she was dead or alive, she didn’t know what to believe, but all she knew was that she wasn’t going to give Steve or Robin a proper apology for what she had put them through. She wasn’t going to be able to apologise to Nancy or Jonathan for almost killing them all because that monster took away her rationality and really let her express her true psychotic personality. She knew she was mentally unwell, she knew that she wasn’t truly sane in her mind, but that monster pushed her to her limit that she couldn’t control herself. She was a mess and what she had become she was only proving her parents right, that she was just a monster they couldn’t tame. Whatever that thing had done to her, it hadn’t fully disappeared.

As the days rolled by while she was stuck in the remains of Hawkins, she noticed that the things regenerative powers hadn’t disappeared because each time she got hurt her wounds simply healed. Her body was still ridiculously durable and strong to the point she could lift things that were usually too heavy for her body, and though she spent a couple days in her room tending to her torso that was healing much slower in comparison to the rest of her smaller wounds, she kept her guard up in fear of other monsters appearing. If that goop monster came from this world and she and Billy helped built a body in their world, then the real body must be somewhere in this version of Hawkins along with other monsters that can and will kill her. The day she was able to leave the house she explored Hawkins on what her body could handle, Hawkins really was nothing but a barren wasteland, as if this was what the world was going to become when it ends. She didn’t want to think about it, but was this what that monster was trying to achieve while she and Billy were under its influence? A chill ran down her spine at the thought of that thing unleashing hell upon earth, and if it weren’t for that kill and those children, it would have gotten what it wanted and it would have been both hers and Billy’s fault. This was all their fault, all because they didn’t go home.

She let out a gasp when she heard a snarl, whipping her head in the direction she heard it coming from. Her body froze up at the sight of a monster with a large, hulking body that easily towered over her, what terrified her was its flower-like head that had rows upon rows of teeth on each of its “petals” while at the centre of its face was a gaping hole that she could only guess was its mouth. Sure that thing that took control of her body was terrifying on its own and she had a burst of adrenaline that allowed her to swallow that fear and fight it, but she didn’t have that confidence right that very moment. She felt like she was that little girl that was afraid of her father and mother when they raised their voices, her body freezing up and refusing to listen, it felt like that thing was inside her all over again and wasn’t letting her move. It snarled as it got closer to her, she let out a whimper as she fell to the ground. She couldn’t stop her body from shaking when it leaned forward, she shuddered when she felt it breathe on her face, breathing in what she believed was her scent. When she thought it was going to kill her it let out a grunt of sorts before pulling away and stalking off, she continued to sit in that spot, her body continuing to shake in fear as realisation began to sink in. That thing didn’t recognise her as its next meal. but simply as a monster like itself. Has she really lost her humanity and become a monster like that thing intended? She slowly pulled her knees to her chest, hugging them closely as tears ran down her face.

She really was a monster.

To say she became colder would be an understatement, she didn’t know exactly how long she’s been in this hell but it was long enough that she was no longer holding back against this monster. She was no longer hiding whenever she came across them, wielding her now signature axe and swinging it at anything that breathed. Killing things almost became as easy as breathing but it really did fuck her up even more, because all she could think of is when she killed those poor people back at Hawkins. Man, she could really go for a cigarette right about now but she didn’t want to put anything from this place in her mouth if she even found one. Strolling through downtown as she tried to find something to preoccupy herself she came across one of those monsters and thought, why the hell not? Killing a few of them brought some sort of sick entertainment that she was satisfied with for the next couple minutes but she flinched when she heard a noise, turning around she didn’t see anything until she felt something on her foot so she looked down and saw a… slug? She was quick to flick it off but knelt down to inspect it closely, poking at it to see its reaction but recoiled when it gurgled at her. If she really looked at it she’d mistaken it for those dog-looking fuckers.

She lurched backwards when it started jumping towards her, letting out all these noises as it started to follow her when she backed away. Choosing to ignore it she stood up and quickly left, grimacing when it followed her out and continued to follow her no matter the distance. When she thought she lost it she was laying in the front yard of someone’s house but pulled a face when she could just feel it breathing, turning her head to look at it in defeat, if it was an actual dog she could just see its tail wagging while sticking its tongue out for winning this game of tag. Finally, she opens her hand out to this little thing and raised a brow when it happily jumped onto her hand and settled in nicely on her palm. She was never allowed pets, her father was allergic and her mother didn’t want fur getting stuck to anything in the house, not like she was ever around to clean it up herself. Her thumbs gingerly caresses the side of its face and her cold heart couldn’t help but melt a little when it purred softly at the small gesture of affection, hmm. She grinned to herself when a couple weeks later and she had herself three mutated dogs running around her feet yipping happily together, she’d probably get herself more but I think three is more than enough to quell her loneliness. They made things much more fun down in this hell, hunting down the adult versions of her babies was a team thing now and feeding them the carcasses of each of their hunts was more than enough of a reward for them other than her praise.

“Ah, you really are adorable.” she cooed softly, caressing the first little slug that followed her around like a duckling imprinting on the first thing it sees. She chuckled softly and fed it a leg and it ate away at it without question, she smiled and pats its body. She was currently wandering aimlessly around the woods that surrounded the Harrington property as she let her three babies chase each other, going deeper and deeper into the woods to the point she was pretty sure she was getting closer to the Byers residence. She hadn’t really realised how close they were to their home along with the Hawkins Lab, she was going to call her puppies back when they caught the whiff of something and started running in that direction. Thinking it was another one of those monsters she bared her axe and jogged after them but made sure she lagged behind so she could get the jump on the bastard, she paused when she saw them snarling up at something and possibly waiting for her to give them the order to attack. Her hand grips onto the tree as she walks past it to see what exactly has them stuck in place, but her heart suddenly stops at what, or who, exactly she was staring at.

“[F/N]…?” it, or he, muttered out in disbelief. She drops the axe and it lands beside her with a thud, her eyes shaking in shock at who exactly she was staring at. Her lips trembled as tears began to sting in her eyes, she sniffled to herself and instead of saying anything she brought her hands up to cradle her stomach once more as she fell to her knees. She sobbed in silence but didn’t flinch when he approached her, kneeling down and wrapping his arms around her, pulling her into a comforting hug.

“Billy…!” she wailed out, now throwing her arms around his shoulders so she could pull him close, the both of them now clinging to each other in fear that this wasn’t real; that one of them was going to disappear. How the two of them avoided each other for these past couple of months, neither of them will know. How the two of them weren’t found together when they woke up in this hell? That’ll be a question left for another day because right now the two of them just needed each other, like how they only had each other when under that fuckers control. Billy found himself in a similar situation to [F/N]’s when he woke up and instead of going to the Harrington’s he went to his home but it was completely different from when he was last there, it was as if it wasn’t his home and someone else’s. He set up camp in a different house because he couldn’t handle the thought of being in the house that gave him nightmares, hunting down those monster freaks and even adopting his own little mutated dogs, two of them. The two of them now found themselves back in the Harrington household, Billy being somewhat impressed with how much she reinforced it, and the two of them stayed huddled together in front of the fireplace.

“Hey.” she let out a tired hum, holding her side of the blanket that was draped over them while continuing to watch the fire burn “Your parent’s are pretty shit.” she snorted softly.

“Yeah, yours are pretty shitty as well.” he laughed weakly at her, the two of them we surprised they hadn’t found each other sooner, because now that they were together they could feel everything the other could feel; hear whatever the other thought. When the monster took over their body they were more connected to each other compared to the others under its control, so they could hear and feel and experience the other could, but the connection tended to get weaker the further the other was. But since the two of them were always together they only found peace in each other because that’s when things were the most quiet, but it was also where they could each find themselves in each other’s memories. [F/N] tended to relish in the warmth of the California beach while Billy enjoyed seeing the pure joy on Stevie’s little face, the two of them found comfort in each other’s happiest memories, but they also felt each other’s worst. [F/N] knew Billy’s shitbag for a father was a piece of shit, but watching that garbage of a human being beat his mother to the point she abandoned poor Billy and turned his attention to him, was devastating. Billy in turn watched [F/N]’s childhood where she was nothing more than a doll for her parents to play the game of life with to only later throw away when she became outdated, the two of them really were too much alike.

“Hey.” she hums again. letting him know that she was listening “… why’d you really come back for me?” she finally tore her eyes away from the fire and looked up at Billy, who was already looking down at her.

“What?”

“As cute as that answer was, I know that wasn’t all of it. Why didn’t you leave me behind? Everyone else did, I was nothing more than a lost cause and you probably wouldn’t have gone through what you had if you just left me.” his lip trembled when he saw her look away, he does the same but flinched softly when she let her body fall against his with her head resting on his shoulder.

“I never opened my heart to anyone except for the select few, and I must admit that the idea of leaving you did cross my mind, but I couldn’t do that to you. I already left my brother and my friends, I could have left you as I left them, but I wasn’t going to do that again. I made up my mind when we became friends that I wasn’t going to abandon someone again, I wasn’t going to be a coward all because I was scared.” she closed her eyes “And look where that got us, huh? Maybe I should have been selfish, but I wasn’t going to be able to live with the guilt if I did leave you there. I love you, dude.” she looked up at him with her eyes and saw his eyes tearing up, she hummed softly when he let his head full and rest on top of hers.

“I love you too, nerd.” she rolled her eyes but leaned closer into his body, using her other hand to find his and when she did they laced their fingers together and basked in each others presence “What do you think Steve is up to?” she closed her eyes, oh, Steve.

“Probably finding his replacement boyfriend.” she snorted softly when Billy let out an offended gasp, she laughs when he shoved her to the ground “Ah hah! You know I’m just kidding, Billy.” he rolled his eyes, grabbing the blanket and draping it around his body.

“Your thoughts say otherwise.” she scoffed, wrapping her arms around her torso and leaning against his body “… do you really think he’d look for someone else?” she frowns softly, she then inhaled deeply and looked up at the ceiling.

“Well, we’re dead, Billy. Why would they wait for someone who isn’t coming back?” Billy flinched at that, she closed her eyes and brought her hand up to caress his forearm “I think it’d be best for them to move on if they found someone else that could love them, rather than clinging to us.” Billy sighed softly at that.

“I guess.” his body tensed up when he felt her start shaking, peering down at her, he saw tears quickly gathering in her eyes. His body relaxed sadly when he could feel the great amount of guilt and sadness she was suffering through, knowing exactly what she did and now that they were dead she could do nothing to atone for what she had done. He lifted his arm and she was quick to huddle to his side, crying into the crook of his neck when his arm came down and draped itself over her body.

Now that the two of them had each other it made things easier in hell for them, they weren’t alone anymore. Billy decided it was better to hang around at the Harrington home better than his makeshift base, their house was much bigger than what he had, though the two of them decided it would be best if they avoided the pool after what [F/N] found in there. They were also happy that their dogs got along swimmingly, it would have been sad if they didn’t. Now since hunting those monsters was nothing more than a sport to them they turned it into a game; a competition to see who could kill the most and the winner had bragging rights for the day. One thing the two of them had noticed when exploring Hawkins was that they couldn’t LEAVE Hawkins, if they strayed too far somehow they’d be brought right back to the entrance of Hawkins as if they hadn’t just walked from the opposite direction, it was very odd the first time it happened. Billy now found himself sitting on the hood of a car as he stared up at something that was perched on a lamp post, it was another monster, but one that he didn’t recognize.

This thing was new.

“Oi, [F/N].” he called, not taking his eyes off the new creature while leaning backwards in her direction. He furrowed his brows when she didn’t answer but he felt a wave of sadness wash over him, finally breaking eye contact with the creature, he looked at her and saw she had a pained expression on her face when she woke up from her nap “Are you alright?” he asked, she slowly opened her eyes and a single tear ran down her cheek. She stared up at the sky above them and her face turned bitter when she raised her hand, swiping the tear away in one swoop.

“Yeah, I just had a nice dream.” she sniffles then turns her attention from the sky to Billy “What’s up?” he simply points so she follows and furrows her brows at the thing that’s been watching them, she furrows her brows in confusion.

“Is that thing new?” she tilts her head.

“Maybe, I’ve never seen it before.” it screeches at them “Looks like a mutated bat.” she murmurs, Billy nods.

“I agree. Think it’s hostile?” they wait for a bit but came to regret it when a hoard of those things appeared and were charging towards them, they didn’t hesitate to hightail it out of there at full speed, yeah, those things were definitely hostile. Those bats were new, the mutated dogs and monsters tended to ignore their existence on the fact that they were basically the same as them and would only fight them when they struck first, other than that they were merely coexisting when each other. On the other hand, these bats acted on a kill on sight mindset but they tended to attack as a pact, never alone. Those bats acted like some sort of surveillance because whenever they were out and about at least one of those fuckers was watching them wherever they went, it was troublesome when either of them split just a tiny bit of blood, because those fuckers would come hurdling towards them like a moth to a flame.

“Annoying bastards.” [F/N] growled out, lifting her hand and gently patting a few of her dogs “Where the hell did they come from?” Billy shrugged, wiping the blood of one of those monsters off his face.

“Don’t know, don’t care. All we know is where their little hive is.” at the mention of that they look over where they saw the whole swarm of those bats surrounding a house “Do you recognize that house, [F/N]?” she hummed to herself, rubbing her chin.

“Um… I think that’s the murder house.” Billy raised a brow “Oh, um, a married couple with their two children moved into the house. Everything was fine and dandy until one day the father brutally murdered his wife and daughter but spared his son, it was pretty gruesome. Reports said that he broke the bones of each of their limbs, dislodged their jaws and even gouged their eyes out. It’s been left abandoned ever since because people didn’t want to live in the house where a family was brutally murdered.” Billy winced, caressing his jaw.

“Yikes.” she nod her head.

“Uh huh.” her gaze hardened softly at the sight of the bats and house “But I’d guess that that incident wasn’t exactly a murder.” a bead of sweat rolled down the side of their faces at the thought.

“If you’re right about that, how come all this shit is happening now? Didn’t that happen a long time ago? Why would a ghost kill a family, take a break, then come back again? Would that mean it’s killing people again?” she shrugs her shoulders.

“Just a thought.”

“Your thoughts are unsettling sometimes.” she winks at him.

Not even a couple weeks later the two of them, who were sleeping soundly in the safety and comfort of each others arms, wake up abruptly when they felt a surge of power. Their eyes simply snap open as they break into a cold sweat, a chill running down their spine at what they were feeling. [F/N] pulled herself towards Billy, burying herself into his chest as her hands gripped onto the back of his shirt, fear beginning to take over her body. His arms tightened around her while his hand moved up her back and gently held the back of her neck, his thumb caressing her neck in an effort to comfort her. They weren’t the only ones that felt this new power because even their dogs were acting off but they didn’t stray far from their masters, instead they huddled around them to barricade them from what was to come. Neither of them got much sleep that night, not only because of that but because not too long after that happened an earthquake shook the entirety of Hawkins and they weren’t too sure if another would go off. The next couple of days the earthquakes kept happening and that surge of power that shook them to their core happened approximately three more times that had them on edge, they were now being extra careful in what they were doing.

“Hmm? Aren’t the bats acting a little differently than usual?” Billy pants at what she says, blood dripping from his knuckles as he wipes some of the blood that splattered onto his face with his sleeve and looked over at what she meant. They watched as a group of bats left the swarm surrounding the haunted house and flew over to what they believed was Lovers Lake, they look at each other “Wanna go check it out?” he clicks his tongue in thought, leaning back with his hands on his hips.

“Um… yeah, why not. It’s not like we’ve got anything better to do.” she grins, clapping her hands.

“Wonderful.” she then whistles, this catches the attention of the dogs to which they all whip their heads over to her, she then points in the direction the bats went and all five of them went running without question. The two of them are quick to follow and they find themselves at a dried up version of Lovers Lake, [F/N] places her hand on a tree and steps forward to see what was there a saw something flee from the lake into the woods but her attention tore away from them and to what the bats were guarding “What is that?” she muttered to herself, Billy comes up from behind her while placing a hand on her shoulder.

“They’re guarding something, a hole?” she tries to get a closer look but they’re too far away to get anything clear “I’m gonna go check it out, you go chase after the things the bats chased off.” she raised a brow.

“You sure?” he nod.

“Yeah, it’s nothing I can’t handle without these bad boys.” his dogs yip happily at his feet, she chuckles softly and pats her own puppies.

“Alright then, don’t take too long.” her dogs brought her to Skull Rock and they were sniffing at a specific spot beneath the giant boulder, [F/N] approached it and furrowed her brows at the sight. Blood? It was red, her eyes then looked at the ground and saw a barrage of footprints in the mud, who the hell…? She shook her head and swiped some of the blood onto her fingers then brought them towards her favourite baby, it sniffed the blood and let out a growl “Go get ‘em.” all three of them let out a snarl before running off to chase after whatever it was, she bounces her axe on her shoulder as she takes her time to catch up with her puppies. Her brows perked up when she heard shouting followed by a struggle, hmph, they must have gotten someone because over the struggling she heard other voices shouting after the one that was being dragged away. She stepped into the clearing where her three puppies were, she felt anger bubble in her chest when she saw the struggling fool kick at her baby to keep it away twice, now that won’t do. She didn’t hesitate to kick them in the stomach to wind them, but that wasn’t enough to satisfy her current anger, so she kicked them in the back to keep them down then reached down to grab them by the hair and yank them up but still keeping her foot pressed into their back so they couldn’t get up.

“U-Urgh… please…” begging? Pathetic. She readjusted her hold on her axe and raised it above her head, one clean swing should be more than enough to decapitate this foo—

“Eddie!” her eyes widened at the call, quickly redirecting the axe so it missed their head and lodged itself into the ground, her head whipping in the direction that call came from. Eddie? Did they just say Eddie? Her trembling hand let go of their hair as she lifted her foot of their back, she then gently caresses the back of their head before pushing it so she could get a look at their face, her gaze softened when does sweet doe eyes looked back at her.

“Eddie…?” she whispered out, almost not believing that it was true. She was quick to grab him by the shoulders and turn him around so that he was laying on his back, his hands quickly slapped onto her wrists as her fingers started to dig into her shoulders. She saw his eyes flicker while trying to recognize who exactly was above him but couldn’t put a name to her face, she then realised she was still wearing the bandana over her mouth so she quickly tore it off so Eddie could see her face. There… there she saw recognition finally click in his head as he stared up at her, she smiled softly when his hands reached up towards her face, gently caressing her cheek with tears forming in his eyes.

“No… no way.” she giggled sadly, raising her own hand to rest against his.

“Heh, hi Eddie.” he was quick to sit up and bring her into a hug, burying his face into the crook of her neck as he held her tight, she was quick to throw her arms around him and tug him just as tight. She let out a whoa when he suddenly stood to his feet, bringing her up with him, then squealed when he started twirling her around. She’s laughing to her hearts content as she pulls herself closer to Eddie as he continued to spin her around, him grinning the entire time he does this “Eddie, you knucklehead! When’d you get so strong? You were never able to lift me up so easily before!” Eddie just snickered, pulling her close and squeezing her tight.

“I don’t know, had someone a little heavier than you to lift is all.” she let out a sigh and let her body drape along his body, her head resting against his while his buried into the crook of her neck. He finally puts her down but their continued to hold each others hands, she opens her mouth to say something but felt like she was being stared at so she turned her head at where she felt it but soon felt the color in her already pale skin drain.

“Steve…” she whispered under her breath, the dread on her face got worse when she saw Nancy fucking Wheeler and her sweet songbird Robin appear behind him and share the same look of shock and disbelief at the sight of her.

“W-What are you doing here…” Steve stuttered out as tears started rolling down his cheeks, dropping the flashlight he had to the ground and taking a step forward “[F/N]!” Eddie looked down at [F/N] and his eyes widened at the emotion he saw on her face, that look of absolute fear as she stared at her brother. He’s never seen [F/N] wear such an expression on her face, she was the embodiment of confidence, of pride… no, no. He remembers a time when she had this look of fear, this look of vulnerability.

“[F/—” he’s not able to finish his sentence when she takes her hands back from Eddie, taking a step back when Steve took a step towards her. She felt herself start to hyperventilate when Steve kept getting closer and closer to her the more she kept trying to distance herself from him, she looked down at her hands and in her mind she saw Steve’s blood on her trembling hands, looking back at him she saw the damage she did to him when she was under that fuckers control. She saw the monster she had become when she laid her hands on her brother that tried to save her from her insanity, her vision started to get hazy but her eyes snapped up when she felt him reach for her. In her mind she saw it was Steve reaching for her to stop, to stop beating him when he only tried to help.

“Don— Don’t touch me!” she screamed, smacking his hand away before he could touch. She lets out a gasp as she stared at the heartbroken look on his face, she grits her teeth at the sight of him and knew that she couldn’t bear to look at him anymore so she screwed her eyes shut, turned around and started running away. Goddammit, she was running away again. Was all she could do was run away when she was scared? Where had that adrenaline gone when she fought monsters?

“P-Please, [F/N]! Don’t leave! Don’t go away, please!” dammit, she really was pathetic. She just couldn’t muster up that courage to face her brother again, he was probably crying again and it was all her damned fault. When she thought she was far enough she leaned against a tree, hunching over and throwing up the contents that were in her stomach. She felt her stomach start to churn the moment her eyes settled on Steve and Robin, all the memories of what she did to them coming back at her full throttle. She hadn’t realized she pushed all of that into the back of her mind until she saw them again, she let out a whimper when she pulled herself up, crying as she clung to the tree.

“B-Billy…” she whimpered out, lifting her hand to wipe at her eyes “I need you, Billy.” her head shot up when she heard screaming, that sounded like Wheeler? Was it her babies? Were they attacking the group for her reaction? She raises her fingers to her lips to call them back but paused when she saw that they were with her, if that were the case, then what was that girl screaming abou— her eyes widened when she realized just where exactly they were. They were basically in the monsters hunting ground and with all the noise they were making, it was bound to attract a few of them.

Shit.

Steve felt like his heart was ripped out of his chest, chewed up, spat out then stomped on all at once. The anguish he was feeling felt like he had just watched [F/N] die in front of him all over again, like he was at her funeral all over again and that he was reliving the worst moments of his entire life. He cried out for her, like all the other times he did, and when he did, she would always come rushing to his side to comfort him and tell him she was going to be right by his side until he was better. But she didn’t do it this time, he cried for her when she ran away but she didn’t even bother to turn around to see that he needed her. She ran away, she left him, she left him behind like she did when she left him alone in Hawkins. He was in a dire moment when she left for university, her last year was the year when Will went missing and he first got roped into the Upside Down and he fought the Demogorgon after getting his shit rocked by Jonathan. He wanted her to tell him it was alright, that he was okay and that his big sister was going to make sure he wasn’t going to be alone, but she ignored him in favor of studying so she could pass that year and graduate so she could get the fuck out of Hawkins. They had only just rekindled their relationship and she was leaving him all because she was done with Hawkins, all because she couldn’t put up with it anymore.

“[F/N]…” he whimpered out, falling to his knees and clutching onto Eddie’s battle vest. His forehead was pressed against the ground as he sobbed out his heart, his nails beginning to dig into the skin of his hands “Please, don’t go…” Eddie fell to his knees, placing a hand on Steve’s shoulder to calm him down.

“Stevie, babe…” he whispered softly, Steve shook his head as his shoulders continued to tremble.

“If she’s here…” he whispered, his hands now coming up to grip at the pendant dangling around his neck “does that mean BIlly’s here too?” this caused Eddie to flinch, Billy? What are the odds that that blonde is here as well? Would that mean that Steve would want to get back with Billy then? Is he going to break up with him so that he could get back with him? Eddie didn’t want to think that Steve would do such a thing, but he could tell that he still had feelings for the blonde.

“Steve—”

“Steve!” his head snapped up when Nancy screamed his name, his eyes widened at the sight of a Demogorgon appearing out of nowhere. Those demodogs that were here with [F/N] followed after her when she ran away, he looked down at himself and cursed when he realized that the demogorgon was probably there because it could smell his blood. His guess was right because it completely ignored Eddie and came straight towards him, he tried to stand to his feet but his knees where numb from how long he was kneeling down so it was quick to grab him by the throat and lift him up into the air.

“Steve!”

“Steve!” the demogorgon swats them away easily as its grip on Steve tightened, he grabbed onto the demogorgons wrist and flailed in the air to try and get away but his efforts were futile. This one was much bigger than the one he fought back at the Byers house and he didn’t have his signature nailed bat with him to kill it. There was the axe [F/N] left behind but it was nowhere to be see— nowhere to be seen? He gasps when he was suddenly dropped to the ground with a thud, he jumps when something fell into his lap and he saw that it was the demongorgons arm that was cut off. He looked up and tears gathered in his eyes again when he was met with [F/N]’s back, she came running back to see that one of those monsters was holding her sweet little brother up and was getting ready to eat his head in one bite. She noticed that her axe was still lodged in the ground so she didn’t hesitate to rip it out and cut the monsters arm off in one swift swing. Now she was standing face to face with the monster, a dark sneer on her face as she gripped onto her axe that was dripping with its blood.

“You hurt my brother.” she growled out, feeling the veins in from her veins to her forearm along with her neck and the corner of her eyes turn black when her anger started boiling “NO ONE hurts my brother.” she doesn’t flinch when it roared in her face, she in turn roared right back before lifting her leg to kick it in the torso and send it flying backwards. She raises her hand to her lips and blows into them, a sharp whistle calling her three puppies who snarled at the monster that was slowing picking itself up as she twirled her axe around as if it were a bat.

“[F-F/N]…?” Steve whispered out from behind her, hoping— begging that she’d turn around so he could see her face, but she continued to ignore him.

“Billy!” she screams as she charges towards the monster, raising her axe just as Billy finally caught up to her and grabbed the monster by its legs to lift it up, when it started to fall she swung her axe back then swung it forward to swiftly cut its head right off its neck. Both its body and head fell to the ground with a thud and the two just stared at its fallen corpse, watching its black blood pour out of its body and soak into the ground beneath it. She raises her eyes and saw that Billy was staring at the group behind them, he turned his attention towards her and noticed that she was refusing to turn around and just kept her head down, he sighed softly and approached her.

“You okay?” he whispered softly, grabbing her by the forearms and gently rubbing his thumbs into her arms. He tilted his head when he saw that she didn’t want to look at him, he tugs at her and that gains her attention “We talked about this, [F/N].” she sighed, still not looking at him but looking to the side.

“Yeah, but I didn’t expect to actually see them.” his face saddened when she finally looked up at him, tears brimming in her eyes “I’m terrified to face him, Billy. I— I don’t think I can do it.” the axe falls from her hands when he pulled her into a hug, she quickly wraps her arms around him and falls into his embrace.

“Baby steps, [F/N], baby steps.” she nods her head, letting out a shaky breath. Billy raised his head and saw the group slowly approaching them, he loosened his hold on [F/N] but her fingers tug into the leather of the jacket he was wearing “It’s alright, it’s okay.” he whispered softly, though she was still shaking, she nodded her head and loosened her grip.

“B-Billy, is that really you?” Steve croaked out, he reaches his hand out but flinched back when [F/N] let Billy go and instead of standing beside him she actually hid behind him but made sure she was still holding his hand to calm herself “[F-F/N]…?”

“What are you doing here, Harrington?” Billy spoke, this caused them all to look at him “Why the hell are you here in this hellhole?” Billy’s eyes trailed down and widened softly at the sight of his pendant dangling from his neck, his thumb subconsciously rubbing against his ring.

“I-Isn’t that what I’m supposed to be asking?” Billy cocked his head in confusion.

“What do you mean? Aren’t you guys dead like us? Why would a saint like you be in hell?” Robin and Nancy look at each other.

“Billy,” Nancy starts, taking a step forward and placing a hand on Steve’s shoulder “we’re not dead.”

“Then?” she swallows thickly.

“This… might be a lot to take in—” he scoffs.

“[F/N] and I had a monster forced into our bodies, we killed a whole bunch of people and said people melted to form a body for the fucker that possessed us. I think we can handle whatever the fuck you’re talking about, Wheeler.” she takes a breath.

“If we’re here, and you’re here as well, then you’re not dead.” this caused them both to jolt up, what? “This place is an alternate dimension of Hawkins, we don’t fully understand it, but it’s a different world compared to our home. This place is called the Upside Down, and if you two were here this whole time, that means you two never died in the first place. You two are still alive.” she felt a bead of sweat form on her cheek at the blank stare she was getting from Billy, his face scrunches up at the information as he feels [F/N]’s grip on his hand tighten.

“What?” she muttered out, now peaking out from behind Billy and staring Nancy dead in her eyes “What the fuck do you mean we’re alive?” Nancy stumbles back at the dark look in [F/N]’s eyes, and though it wasn’t particularly aimed at her because [F/N] couldn’t control herself, she couldn’t help but swallow thickly as she tried to put her thoughts into words.

“U-Um, what I mean is— I don’t know, and I don’t know how it’s possible, but you guys aren’t dead. You’re alive and you’ve been stuck in the Upside Down this entire time.” anger slowly started building up inside of [F/N].

“Why are we alive?” she muttered, turning away to look down at her hands and her mind flashed once again to see blood staining her hands “Why the fuck do we get to live after everything we did? Why do I get to walk away while everyone that died by my hands didn’t get that second chance?” she soon started to feel an aching pain in her chest and the sides of her stomach, her nails tug into the fabric of the clothes she wore as her mind started to relive the moment that monster tore her body apart because of her betrayal.

“[F/N]—” Eddie speaks, not being able to stand watching his friend in so much pain.

“No! I don’t understand why we’re getting to walk away from this!” she always had a harder time accepting what she did, Billy had a hard time as well but [F/N] knew that her mind was much more twisted in comparison to Billy, that’s why that monster always sent her out to kill people while Billy was left to kidnap people. Her arm wraps around her stomach as she slaps a hand over her mouth, her body threatening to vomit out whatever was left in her stomach but she was able to swallow it down and instead drool and saliva dribbles out of her mouth “Why are we to be spared after all the pain we but those poor people through?” Billy gently places a hand on her back, rubbing circles into her back to comfort her and try to calm her breathing down.

“I know it’s hard, [F/N], but it wasn’t your fault.” Nancy says, [F/N] couldn’t help but scoff at her words.

“Wasn’t our fault? You don’t get it, Wheeler. I always knew deep down I was fucking crazy, that thing just intensified that craziness to the point I lost my rationality. Death was going to be my atonement for what I had done, what I did to you two.” she spared Steve and Robin a look but quickly tore her eyes away before she could look at them for too long.

“.… I forgive you.” she raised her head and looked over at Steve, who never tore his eyes away from her “I forgave you long ago, [F/N]. I wish you’d stop blaming yourself for what happened to me, because it wasn’t you.” she grits her teeth at that, shaking her head.

“B-But it— you don’t understand.”

“[F/N], please, we know it wasn’t your fault.” Robin speaks next, begging for [F/N] to look at them with something that wasn’t just anguish “We know what you did was to keep us safe, but we need you to know that you’ve been forgiven.” Billy knew she was having a difficult time to believe anything they were saying, still so deep in denial that it was going to take a lot for her to forgive herself, so he went back to shielding her from the others and left a comforting hand on her back.

“Alright, fine, we’re alive and shit, but that still doesn’t explain how you four ended up here.” Nancy was the one to answer again, being the more levelled headed out of the three and most knowledgeable by standards.

“Well, a crack of sorts that acts as a gate from this world to ours is open and we came through one.” Billy immediately pulls a face at the information.

“Wait, wait a minute. Are you telling me that there was a way to get the fuck out of this shithole this whole time?”

“Well, yes and no. Is there a way to make these gates? Yes. Is there a way for you to make them? No. It would have been impossible for you to get out of here without a different force from opening one.” [F/N] could feel Billy’s frustration so she looked up at him and saw he inhaled sharply before letting his body fall to the ground, his back landing with a thud.

“Billy, for fuck sakes.” she curses out as she kneels down, placing her hand on his chest while their puppies hovered over him.

“You’re telling me there was a way out of here this whole time?” he repeats, she rolls her eyes.

“Not for us to figure out, no.” she pats his chest twice then looks up at the group.

“So where were y’all heading before I sent my babies out to get you?” she looks at Eddie with an apologetic look “Real sorry about that, by the way. Can’t help but be cautious over anything new when in this hellhole.” Eddie raises his hands while shaking his head, nervously eyeing the one demodog that was growling at him as it stuck to [F/N]’s side.

“We were heading to the Wheelers place.” she raised a brow at the destination, she whistled sharply when she heard her baby growling a little louder while grabbing him by the chained collar around his neck to keep him from pouncing again “Nancy here said that she’s got a couple guns in her room.” [F/N] scrunched her face up in confusion then let out a snort, standing to her feet and dusting her pants off.

“You, Nancy Wheeler, have guns, plural, in your bedroom.” Eddie’s face lights up as he points at her.

“That’s exactly what I said.” though it was a little weak, a smile similar to his stretched across her face.

“And this is why we’re best friends.” they both giggle to themselves then high five each other.

“What about us?” she glanced down at Billy, scoffing slightly with a roll of her eyes when she saw him pouting up at her “I thought WE were best friends.” she gently kicks him from where he was laying.

“We’re trauma besties.”

“I can get behind that.” she shakes her head and looks around at their general location, they were still a good few miles from the Wheeler residence and they already look exhausted.

“Were you guys planning on walking?” Steve shrugged.

“Well, what other option do we have?” Billy, who was now up and on his feet, glanced down at [F/N], who in turn looked up at him, and smirked at each other.

“We know a much quicker way.” obviously they were a little nervous at the suggestion, Billy let out a sigh at their reluctance “Well, would you rather walk and risk another encounter with one of those fuckers?” they all glance down at the dead demogorgon, shuddering in disgust at the sight of the demodogs eating at its corpse.

“It better be worth the detour.” Nancy murmured softly, [F/N] chuckled.

“It’ll definitely be worth it, little miss Wheeler.” both she and Billy bring their fingers to their lips and let out a sharp whistle, their demodogs were quick to react and waited for their command. Billy gestured with his head for his dogs to go in the direction he came from while [F/N] snapped her fingers and hers surrounded them “Shall we?” they flinch a little when they see [F/N] lean down to pick up her fallen axe and throw it over her shoulder before they started walking away, they only started to follow when one of her puppies gave them a little nudge from behind. Eddie glanced at Steve and saw that he was staring intensely at Billy and [F/N]’s back, because in his mind, the two of them looked exactly the way they did when they died. Sure they looked a little worse for wear, covered in dirt and grime from being stuck in the Upside Down for the past eight months, but other than the fact that they’re wearing the same torn clothes they were left in covered in some gear they found around in this wasteland, their appearance didn’t seem to have changed that much. [F/N]’s hair might have grown maybe a few inches as well as Billy’s who also started growing a bit of a stubble, but it wasn’t much. It was as if they hadn’t even aged.

“Steve…” he muttered softly, reaching to grab his hand and softly rub his thumb over his knuckles “Are you okay?” he sniffled softly.

“Yeah… yeah, I’m good. I just never thought I’d be given a chance to see them again.” his other hand then reached up to cradle the pendant around his neck, Eddie’s eyes saddened a little at the way he saw Steve was staring at Billy. He then turned his attention towards Billy and [F/N] himself, the two of them were walking shoulder to shoulder in silence as they led the way to wherever they were taking them, Steve let out a noise when Eddie let go of his hand and sauntered over towards the two “E-Eddie?” the two let out a grunt when Eddie practically shoved himself in between the two of them.

“Munson? What the hell?” [F/N] lets out an oh when she felt him link his arms with hers, Billy scowled when he blocked his view of [F/N].

“[F/N], I am quite hurt that you didn’t come visit me when you came around last year. I heard rumours that you were back, so color me surprised when both uncle Wayne and I didn’t even get to see you. Even the boys were sad that you didn’t pop in to say hello.” she smiled sadly at that, gently patting her hand on top of his.

“Eddie… I did some real unspeakable things last year.” his eyes saddened when that same look of terror washed over her face, her eyes fluttered shut as a pained expression appeared “That thing made me kill so many people, man. I-If that thing made me hurt you as well… I-I don’t think I’d be here talking to you. I owe you for everything you’ve done for me Eddie, really.” he gives her a smile at that.

“That means a lot to me, [F/N]. Still a little hurt that you didn’t even come by the say hello, you were still around for quite a long time.” she shrugged softly.

“I was distracted, alright.” he raised a brow.

“With what?” at the mention of that she glanced back towards Robin, who perked up when she saw [F/N]’s gaze. She quickly looked away but her eyes landed on Steve, she gritted her teeth at the sight of the marking along his neck and the small blood spot on the makeshift bandage along his stomach. However her eyes caught onto the battle vest that she for sure knew Steve didn’t own, she then glanced back towards Eddie then back at Steve before settling her gaze on Eddie… Steve flinched when she whipped her head back towards him and stared intensely at him.

“Eddie, lend me your vest, yeah?” [F/N], who was soaked because she got doused in alcohol by a few drunk patrons at the Hideout, asked as she took off both her jacket and her shirt because the smell of alcohol was clinging to both items of clothing and so she was shamelessly left in her bra. At least the other boys were gentlemen because they stood around her to block the eyes of others to gaze upon her half naked body, she herself was quite calm despite the predicament she was in.

“No can do, sweetheart.” she scrunched her face up in confusion, twisting her shirt and gagging at the sight of booze that dripped out of her shirt “This is my prized possession, I can’t just hand it out.” she scoffed at him.

“So you’d rather I flaunt around in just my bra?”

“Yeah.” she let out an offended gasp at his audacity, Gareth was kind enough to take off his flannel and hand it to her. She gave him a thankful look as she put it on but rolled up the sleeves and left a couple buttons undone because it was in the middle of summer and though it was night time it was still pretty hot “Don’t you know the importance of a battle vest, [F/N]?”

“I honestly don’t care.” she was promptly ignored.

“Letting someone wear your battle vest is like claiming them as yours, you know. It’s like when jocks let their girlfriends wear their varsity jackets, to let others know that they’re taken. It’s just the metal head way of claiming what is theirs.” the four of them just stare at Eddie.

“… if you didn’t want me to wear it you could’ve just said so.”

“I bet he’s saying that because he believes he’s going to hitch himself a lover or something.”

“Oh, how sad.” they all laugh at that, causing Eddie to glare at them.

“Alright, fine! Sure, yeah, the only reason you’ll ever see someone else wearing it is because they’re my boyfriend, alright! Just you wait!” Steve felt a bead of sweat roll down his face the longer she stare at him, going a little pale when he saw her smile sweetly at her, though the grip on the axe gave away how pissed she actually was. Billy felt the rise in anger coming from [F/N] so he peeked down at her and raised a brow when she turned her gaze towards the man in between the two of them.

“Eddie.” she spoke softly, he hummed softly when he felt her raise her hand and cup his cheek, leaning into her soft and delicate touch “Do you remember when I told you that someday Steve would find that perfect someone someday?” when she spoke those words Eddie immediately understood what she was doing.

“H-Huh?” her fingers dig into his cheeks as she grabs him by the face and lifts him up off the ground, whether that be by her own physical strength or with the aid of the Mind Flayers left over power, we’ll never know.

“I didn’t mean you, you son of a bitch!” Steve and the others were clearly freaking out because they couldn’t tell if [F/N] was under the control of the Mind Flayer again but since Billy wasn’t reacting like that then it slightly calmed them down… slightly “I love you Eddie, I really do, but what makes you think you’re good enough to be my brother’s boyfriend?” to think Eddie would be at the end of her hand like this, she never thought she’d see the day.

“C-Come on, [F/N], let’s talk about this!” her gaze hardened, her grip tightening and would likely leave bruises.

“No, we’re doing this now! You should have realized that just because you’re my best friend, it wouldn’t keep you safe the moment I learnt that you were his boyfriend! And you two got hooked up while I was in the grave? That’s cold. So tell me, Munson,” his hands grip onto her wrist tightly when she pulled him close to stare him closely in the eyes “what makes you think you’re good enough to be my brother’s boyfriend?” she repeats.

“… he was really sad, [F/N].” he noticed the way her tough resolve break a little, her eyes softening just briefly before hardening again “He looked just like you when you first came to me, there was no way I was going to leave him alone with how vulnerable he was. If he really was like his sister, I didn’t want to take the risk of leaving him alone with all his bad thoughts. I helped pick up the broken pieces of his heart and put them back together, and without me realising it, he was doing the same thing for me. I hadn’t realized just how much losing you hurt me as well, [F/N].” he noticed that it was working because she was slowly losing her grip on his face and lowering him down “I love him, really. I’m in love with your brother and you and I both know that these attractions began far before your funeral. I promise you, [F/N], that unlike all those other girls that you scared off, my love for him in genuine.” she had finally put him down and was giving him a sad look.

“Eddie…”

“i know all you ever wanted was the best for Steve, and I swear I’ll do the best I can to give it to him.” [F/N] sighed softly and gave him a meaningful look, she however made a face.

“Don’t.” she suddenly spoke, her gave her a confused look as he slowly turned around to look at Billy, paling at the dark look on his face “Don’t, Billy. Don’t!” she pushes Eddie away when Billy was getting ready to swing.

“You’re dead, Munson!”

“Fucking run Eddie!” he didn’t need to be told again and so he hightailed it out of there in the direction they were going, she grabbed Billy by the arm when he was going to run after him and before she could even get a word out he pushed her to the ground and ran after Eddie “Ah! Did you just shove me?!” she screamed but was ignored, this pissed her off even more before she chased after them with a shout. So running away really was Eddie’s thing because he was using every bit of stamina he had left to run away from the extremely pissed off Billy that was out to kill him, he took a brief peek behind him and picked up the pace when he saw that Billy was gaining some ground behind the two of them.

“I just wanna talk, Munson!” he shouts.

“Nah uh! No thanks, don’t really feel like dying to the hands of Steve’s ex!”

“Ex?!”

“I’m sorry!”

“Just stop talking at this point, Eddie!” he let out a shriek at the sound of [F/N]’s voice that was slowly catching up to them, Eddie made it to a clearing and stood on the spot because he didn’t know where to go so he turned around and let out a scream when Billy was going to grab him. He jumps to the side when Billy was tackled by [F/N] and the two of them go tumbling to the ground, [F/N] coming up on top with Billy laying beneath her and fighting to get her off “You gotta stop, Billy!” she was pushing his hands away when he tried shoving her off.

“No! He’s a dead man!”

“You’re being dramatic!”

“I’m not being dramatic!” they both just scream at each other at this point with [F/N] holding Billy by the shoulders to keep him pinned to the ground while Billy is holding her wrists.

“We talked about this, Billy!” she shouts and this causes him to waver, she takes a breath “We talked about this.” she repeats and immediately his eyes start to water.

“B-But—” she shakes her head.

“We both know that this was bound to happen. It’s for the best.” he grits his teeth because he knew that she was right, when the ladies and Steve caught up to them Billy had calmed down enough to not attack Eddie when he was back and on his feet “Good, y’all caught up. We’re here.” she then gestured to what was behind her and they were shocked to see what it was.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” [F/N] just grinned. That familiar roar that scared the lot echoed throughout the Upside Down once more but this time they knew where it was coming from, and that was from the engine of [F/N]’s prized mustang. [F/N] explained that instead of it being at the Starcourt Mall, that doesn’t exist there, or in the storage unit she left it in, it was sitting right at home inside the garage where she usually left it. It was an older version of her usual modded mustang that she upgraded throughout the years. She told them that this was their way of getting around Hawkins instead of walking because the monsters, Demogorgons and demodogs from what they call it, would stay away because of the roar the engine gave off, and their “demodogs” would either be sitting in the back or following alongside her car, like they were doing right now.

“Stop it.” the group sitting in the backseat sat in silence when they heard [F/N] speak, glancing up, they noticed that Billy was peeking back towards them, though he was glaring at Eddie. Whenever she caught him looking back at them she would scold him and he would stop but eventually would go back to looking at him, she rolled her eyes as she tightened her grip on the stirring wheel, shifting gears and pressing harder into the gas. The group then notice her raise her hand then strike it across Billy’s face, what took them back was when both their heads flew in the same direction she hit him.

“What the hell!” she scoffed, bringing her hand to caress her stringing cheek.

“I told you to stop it, Billy.” he scoffed at her as he caressed his cheek that was turning red, she perks up when she saw Eddie raise his hand.

“Um, hate to ask, but what the hell was that?” she hummed.

“Oh, why we both reacted when only I hit him.” she shrugged softly as she looked ahead of them “Ever since that thing welcomed itself into our bodies, we began to feel each other’s pain but also thoughts. Now we know exactly what the other is thinking, and you gotta stop thinking about plotting his murder.” Eddie flinched when Billy glared at him through the rear view mirror.

“I will…” she rolled her eyes.

“But since we were the first, we were especially close with each other. That’s why we stuck together, it’s what kept us from seriously losing our minds.” Nancy perked up at that.

“The hive mind.” this caused Billy and [F/N] to glance at her “The Mind Flayer, the thing that possessed you two, shared a mind with everything in the Upside Down. From the monsters to the vines, you hit one of them you get all of them. It happened to Will as well, he acted as a spy for it back in ‘84.” Billy couldn’t help but shudder.

“Damn, poor kid.” [F/N] nods her head.

“Yeah, it was so painful when that thing was there.” she felt her hands tremble, shaking her head to rid the thoughts of that thing invading her mind all over again “Would not like that to happen again. Besides all that shit, what’s been happening since we’ve been dead? Especially with you, Eddie. You look like hell.” he let out a groan.

“I’m wanted for murder.” the car falls silent until Billy and [F/N] burst out into laughter to the point they were shedding tears, they only stop when they realized that they were the only ones laughing.

“W-Wait a minute, you’re serious?” they share a look “Seriously? Dude, you’re like the biggest softie I know, if anyone would be wanted for murder, it’d be me. And this would be before I actually did kill a bunch of people.” he let out a sigh.

“Yeah, I was dealing with a girl back at the trailer when Vecna, the guy behind all this voodoo shit, killed her. I ran away because I didn’t know what the fuck was going on.” [F/N] let out a sad sigh, reaching back to pat his knee.

“It’ll be alright… hopefully.”

“Thanks.” she let out a breath, looking back at the empty roads.

“Damn, maybe you can ask Hopper to let out off with a slap on the wrist.” [F/N] and Billy notice them flinch, she let out a sigh “Well, shit, what the fuck is wrong with him. Don’t tell me he’s dead.” she closed her eyes with a sigh, already knowing that their silence confirmed the fact that he is, in fact, dead.

“I don’t believe that.” Billy says, leaning back into the leather seats “If we’re not dead, then surely he’s alive as well. We survived getting our intestines ripped out of our chest, surely whatever killed him didn’t actually kill him and he’s just somewhere else.” Nancy goes to rebuttal his theory but paused when he did have a point.

“If, your theory is correct, would that mean he’s here as well?” [F/N] shook her head.

“If he was we probably would have found him already, we’ve searched the entirety of this shithole and even our babies haven’t found anything. Besides, with those bats on constant surveillance, there’s no way we wouldn’t have noticed them swarming his ass.”

“Maybe he was kidnapped by the Russians.” Robin snapped her fingers.

“Yeah, he did go down into the Russian base.” Eddie, Billy and [F/N] look at them.

“Excuse me, what? Russians?” Steve and Robin share a look and decided that yeah, maybe they shouldn’t mention the fact that they were tortured by Russians before [F/N] beat the ever living shit out of them “Hey, hey now! You can’t just say something and not finish yourself.” they shake their heads.

“Sorry, we’re already living through traumatic events. We’re not reliving another one.”

“What?” [F/N] didn’t even want to think about it anymore, her head perked up at the sight of the familiar road so she lifted her foot off the gas but proceeded to show off by drifting into the curb and parking the car flawlessly with a screech of her tires. She laughed a little manically at the screaming coming from her backseat while Billy just laughed, already used to her reckless driving now that she didn’t need to follow the road code and could basically do whatever the hell she wanted “And we have arrived at our destination, as promised.”

“T-Thanks.” she winked at them through the rear view mirror, she hops out of the car but leans against it as she waits for the four of them to stumble out so she could follow behind them. She closes the door behind Nancy and pushes herself up to follow but a wave of anxiety bubbled from inside her stomach so she lagged behind while the others went ahead, leaning her head back to peak inside the passenger side and saw Billy hunched over and trying to control his breathing.  Billy was anxiously bouncing his leg, nervously grasping his hands together and occasionally squeezing them to ground him, he didn’t even flinch when [F/N] opened his door and knelt down.

“Hey… are you okay?” he let out a shuddering breath.

“Being here… I don’t like being here.” her frown deepens, already seeing the memories of each time Karen Wheeler had harassed him. His thoughts went straight back to 84′, the night his father threatened him in front of that Susan woman to find that Maxine girl. When arriving at the Wheeler residence, Karen couldn’t even control herself and made it obvious that she was staring at Billy with such a lustful gaze and wouldn’t even give Billy a clue as to where his stepsister was until he gave her what she wanted. From then on she continued her antics, getting close to him, touching him and trying to get the two of them alone, going so far as to try and sleep with him but he always declined her advances “I just— I can’t— I don’t…” she shook her head, placing a hand on his knee and rocking it a bit.

“We don’t have to go inside, we can simply sit out here and wait for them to be done. They’ll be in and out.” he slowly nods his head.

“R-Right, in and out.” he let out a shaky laugh when his demodog came into view, whining softly while caressing its body against his in a way to comfort him “Yeah I’m alright, you dope. Don’t have to worry about me.” she smiles softly at him, standing to her feet and leaning against the side of her car once more “… do you really believe there’s a way out of here?”

“There goddamn better be, I need a shower.” he snorts.

“Yeah, this place has fucked up my curls.” she laughs “But seriously, [F/N], do you think we can actually get out of here?”

“Honestly, I really hope so… think my parents are gonna use my death as clout?” he nod.

“One hundred percent.” she nods with a purse of her lips “They’re grade a assholes.”

“Yup.” what [F/N] thought was going to be an in and out situation turned out to be much longer because she found herself laying on the ground staring up at the lightning, dark clouds, the passing demobats, more lightning and even more clouds as they waited for them to be done with whatever side quest they were on. She only sat up when she heard rushing footsteps from inside the house until they came barging out, kicking the door open as they rushed towards them.

“Jesus, what took you so long?” Billy complained, she was slowly getting up but Eddie pulled her to her feet and pushed her to the drivers seat.

“What’s the rush? Why are you pushing me?!”

“Dustin believes he’s found a way out of here!” he shouts, she stared at him in confusion “Oh, um, Dustin? He’s one of Steve’s children, and maybe one of mine. Anyways, this kid that’s been in this kind of shit longer than I have thinks he knows a way out of here and if you want out of here then lets get a move on!” she nod her head and his words but continues to lean against her car.

“That’s fascinating and all, but we can’t go anywhere if I don’t know where we’re going.”

“My trailer! Take us to my trailer!” she was even more confused but listened nonetheless, she cocks her the moment she slips into the car seat and the demodogs understood, letting out barks and ran ahead so she could follow after them. She was going a moderate speed as she drove to Eddie’s trailer, glaring back at them when they told her to drive faster but warned them that at the speed they were going it was quiet enough to not get the bats on their case She really didn’t want to have to deal with those fuckers, they were annoying as is and she and Billy would have a tough time fighting against them while having to protect the other four.

“So what exactly is at your trailer?” Billy questions when [F/N] pulls up to the trailer park, screeching directly in front of Eddie’s trailer, the two of them sputtering a little when the four in the back quickly hop out “Or don’t tell me, that’s fine as well.” [F/N] just shook her head when they step out, leaning against her car again to watch them rush to his doorstep.

“You’re not gonna tell us what’s here?” Eddie rushes back over to her, grabbing her by the hands and tugging her to come with them.

“I told you, [F/N]. There’s a way out of here.” Eddie saw the look of hesitance on her face as she looked at Billy.

“Eddie… I-I, I don’t know.” he’s quick to hold both her hands in his, rubbing him thumb along the top of her knuckles.

“I don’t want you to hate yourself even more than you already do, [F/N]. I understand that you’re conflicted whether or not you should stay here to repent your sins or some shit, but I want to you and Billy too to come with us.” he gives her a tug “Come on, man. I know you don’t want to stay here when there’s a way out.” she stared at him, Eddie chuckling when he saw her eyes tear up.

“O… Okay.” Eddie thinks she’s going to follow but stopped when he saw her throw herself onto her prized mustang, crying a little as she hugged the hood of the car “I’ll miss you, my baby! My totally rad apocalyptic mustang!” she cried out, Billy in turn started patting their demodogs and giving them a sad look.

“It was nice while it lasted, but this is probably for the best.” Eddie pouts softly when he saw them cuddling their pets, giving each one a hug before having a group hug “I’d say see you later, but I hope that day never comes.” [F/N] nod her head, standing to her feet and approaching Eddie.

“Honestly, same. Unless they can survive in our world, let’s hope we never have to come back here again.” they fist bump, Eddie was the last to enter the trailer to make sure the two didn’t run off while he wasn’t looking, there they found Steve, Nancy and Robin were staring up at a hole in the ceiling that certainly wasn’t there before, though he shuddered softly as he stared up at it.

“This is where Chrissy died.” he muttered softly, [F/N] looked at him but reached over to take his hand, pausing when she noticed Steve doing the same thing. She stared for a couple seconds before deciding to leave it be, she’ll let him have this moment to help calm him down “Like, right where she died.” they all flinch a little when they noticed that there was something moving inside the fissure.

“I think there’s something in there.” they were a little startled when [F/N] and Billy made sure to get in between them, [F/N] raising her axe to get ready to swing at whatever comes through that crack in the ceiling. Something seemed to be poking through it from the other side, causing it to dip down.

“What the hell is that?” they continue to stare at whatever was causing it to move before jumping backwards with a yelp when the fissure burst, Steve grabbed Billy and [F/N] when they didn’t move but was shaken off by them who weren’t startled in the slightest. Billy was the one to take a step first before [F/N] followed suite and eventually the others did the same, he peeked his head under the opening then his eyes widened at what he saw on the other side, [F/N] gave him a questioning look before doing the same, only to have the same reaction.

“Well shit.” she muttered, the other four take a peek but have a different reaction from the other two, letting out breaths of relief at the sight of Eddie’s trailer, along side Dustin, Lucas, Erica and Max, to which Max was staring intently at her brother that was supposed to be dead.

“Hi there.” Dustin greets with a laugh followed by a wave, Steve mirrors it and gives a little wave.

“Hi.” Dustin continues to laugh before shuffling away with Erica, leaving Lucas and Max to stare at the four along with Billy and [F/N], to which they couldn’t believe they were actually seeing them.

“Billy…” Max murmured under her breath.

“And [F/N]…” she crossed her arms and looked away, Billy let out a breath and did the same, Eddie and Steve were quick to comfort them. Max didn’t stay there for long and left to help Dustin and Erica with whatever they were doing, Lucas doing the same thing because he couldn’t look at the two who caused him the most pain, both mentally and physically. In their world, Dustin was getting to work with making a makeshift rope with some sheets while Lucas and Max were hauling Eddie’s mattress out from his room, pushing it over so it was directly under the fissure. They all narrow their eyes at the different stains on the mattress, Eddie squirming a little.

“Those stains are, uh…” Robin is already giving him a look when he looked at her, he quickly look away “I dunno what those stains are.”

“Mm.” [F/N] is giving him a look, crossing her arms.

“Whore.” she murmured, he whips his head to glare at her but she’s ignoring him to look at Steve, who was avoiding her gaze and caressing his bicep “We’re gonna talk about this later, trust me.”

“I’d rather not.”

“Don’t test me.” she kicks him, they’d get into a scuffle if it weren’t for Billy getting in between them and stopping them, she lets out a huff and looks away. Dustin and Erica collect the rope they made and bring it over to the fissure, everyone watching in anticipation for what Dustin was going to pull of.

“Not quite sure how these physics work, but, uh… here goes nothing.” the group take a step back when he tosses an end through and it lands in front of them, they look back up at him and see he was still holding his end before slowly letting go and the rope dangled perfectly in between both worlds “Huh, abracadabra.”

“Holy shit.”

“Alright, pull on it! See if it holds!” Robin looks at Steve and he gestures for her to give it a go, so she grabs it and gives it a nice couple tugs, the rope holds still.

“This is the craziest shit I’ve ever seen in my life. And I’ve seen some crazy shit.” Erica says, she looks down when she sees Dustin raise his hand so she high fives it.

“So… who’s first?” [F/N] raises her hand.

“Me! I want to get the fuck out of here, no offence.” Eddie chuckles softly and takes a step back.

“By all means, ladies first.” she shoves him back and he laughs a little, the children on the other side back up when she throws her axe through first then climbs through rather effortlessly, she was a little startled that when she entered through the real world the natural law of physics started up again and she was falling through but managed to flip her body around and land on the mattress with a thud. Lucas and Max take a step back when she stands up straight, grabbing Dustin and Erica to pull them back to moment she stands at her full height. They didn’t know exactly how it was possible that she was alive and back and standing right in front of them, covering in dirt and blood while wearing clothes that’s seen better days, but they didn’t want to take any chances that she could possible kill the—

“Oh my god, I never thought I’d be so happy to see your trailer, Eddie! Still a massive pigsty, as usual. I’m sure you’re making Wayne do all the work while you laze around.”

“Hey…! I do some work to help out.” she rolled her eyes.

“Sure, sure.” she then turned her gaze to look down at Dustin, swaying side to side then putting her hands on her hips, if Dustin didn’t know any better he’d think it was Steve in front of him because of the iconic pose she was doing “So you’re the infamous Henderson that I’ve heard so much about, from both my brother and Eddie.” he clears his throat, standing up straight while [F/N] stood rather relaxed.

“R-Really? Why’d they— ahem, what did they say about me?” she chuckled, lifting one of her hands and reaching towards them. She didn’t react when Lucas and Max flinched, going so far as to grabbing Dustin and tugging him back but he tore his arms free from them, letting out a gasp when she grabbed him by his cap and started pushing and pulling his head back and forward.

“Said you’re a real piece of work, a pain in their ass, really.” she laughs with a shrug of her shoulders after pushing him backwards lightly, though the shirt he was wearing certainly caught his eye “Hellfire, huh? That club still going on? I’m surprised the teachers allowed it to continue.” Dustin stared up at her in wander, straighten his cap out when it sat awkwardly on his head.

“You know Hellfire?” she nod her head, grinning at him and pointing her thumb at her chest.

“Uh huh! I’m an honorary member, kiddo! One of the few originals, beside Eddie and Gare-bear. Oh, I miss Gare-bear.” she wipes away a non-existing tear and saunters over to the trailers kitchen, pushing past the group of children and leaving Dustin to gawk at her.

“You were apart of Hellfire?! You played D&D!” she nods her head, glancing over at the wall and smiling when she saw the photo that Wayne probably framed.

“Yeah, I’ve been friends with the Hellfire boys since high school.” she then gestures to the photo and Dustin was quick to look at each, taking it off from where it was hanging to get a closer look. There he saw Eddie, Gareth, Jeff and Nathan smiling and grinning like idiots and in the middle of them was [F/N] with her arms around Jeff and Gareth’s shoulders, all five of them wearing the Hellfire shirts and it looked like they were in the drama room “I think that was the day we had our very first D&D campaign, was pretty shit because Eddie was still a newbie at DMing, but he got better.” Dustin nods his head.

“Yeah, he’s really great.” she smiles at Dustin, such an innocent smile that she was glad she didn’t seem him the year prior, that was because Lucas and Max were staring at her in fear; waiting for her to snap and reach to kill them. She clears her throat and looks down at her axe, picking it up but throwing it on the counter then approaching the fridge.

“Eddie, I’m raiding your fridge! I’m hungry as shit!”

“Wha— no!” she ignored him, letting out a squeal when she saw that it at least had food in it when she opened it.

“Yo! Billy! Get your ass in here, man! There’s beer!” she laughed when she heard shuffling from the other end, she grabs a couple and cracks open one to down it in less then a couple seconds. She was in the midst of chugging down a second one when Billy falls through the fissure, she grins and makes her way back over to him, setting her beer down and offering a hand to him “Welcome to the land of the living.” he chuckles, taking her hand.

“It’s great to be back.” she let out a grunt when helping him to his feet, well, that was until he wrapped his arms under hers and hoisted her up into a hug. She looked down at him but smiled and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, hugging him tightly and shedding a couple tears, when he put her down her hands slid down to rest against his cheeks “We’re alive.” she nod her head.

“We are…” they only pull away when they realise Robin was coming out next, she and Billy were eating Eddie’s food when Robin falls through and was laughing after experiencing such a disorienting feeling.

“That was fun.” she giggled out, taking Dustin’s hand to help her to her feet. Robin looked over at [F/N] when she felt her gaze on her but the other quickly looked away, going back to chugging down what seemed to be her fourth beer “[F/N], I—” she shakes her head.

“C-Can we talk about this later?” she asked, she closed her hand and let it drop to her side.

“Okay, but we will talk about it later, right?” her eyes dart to hers a couple times but she made sure to keep them down as she nods her head.

“Yeah.” she spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. Their heads whip over back towards the mattress when Eddie falls through, just as disoriented as who also laughed when he took Dustin’s hand.

“That… was fun. Shit.” when he was on his feet his attention quickly moved to Billy and [F/N], who were still eating his food and drinking his beer, [F/N] gave him a cheeky grin “Stop eating my food, man! Some of it is Wayne’s, come on!” they just ignored him and continued to eat.

“You try living off of shit in the hellhole and not eat like a starved man when there’s actual food presented to you. Your basic diet is beer, chips and Wayne’s famous pork chops.” she then flipped him the bird and drank her beer, Robin ignores their squabbling in favor for Steve and Nancy who still haven’t left the Upside Down.

“What’s taking them so long?” Robin muttered, Billy’s head perked up at that as he left [F/N] to defend herself against Eddie, who was trying to steal his food back from her, and took a spot beside Robin to look back into the Upside to see Nancy standing idle. A chill suddenly ran down his and [F/N]’s spine, this caused both their heads to look back towards the fissure.

“Nancy?” Steve murmurs softly, approaching Nancy when she didn’t answer him “Hey! Hey! Stay with me, Nancy! Hey!” his shouting is what caught all of their attention, the rest of them approaching the fissure to see what was going on “Nancy, wake up!” Max swallows thickly.

“Vecna.” Billy and [F/N] look at each other.

“Who?” they whisper, soon they’re left in the living room while the others rushed to Eddie’s room to do who knows what “What’s going on? What’s happening?” [F/N] questions them as she enters Eddie’s room, leaving Billy with Erica to watch Steve and Nancy, who was now cradling her face and gently shaking her to try and wake her up.

“Vecna— he’s— we can’t explain! Just find something!” Dustin thrusts a box of Eddie’s tapes into her hands and she nearly drops it but manages to catch it, she looks at them and saw they were grabbing random tapes, Erica then comes running down the hall to shout at them.

“Steve says you need to hurry!”

“Yeah, no shit!” Dustin screams as he and Lucas are looking through another pile of tapes.

“We’re trying, we can’t find anything!”

“What is all this shit?!” she then scoffs and sets the box down, kneeling down to start searching as well.

“What are you even looking for?” she asks, Robin then starts fumbling with a bunch of tapes in her hands and drops a few of them.

“Madonna, Blondie, Bowie, Beatles? Music! We need music!” Eddie was quick to grab one of the tapes she still had in her hand, glaring at her.

“This. Is. Music!” [F/N] just shakes her head, giving up knowing that they weren’t going to find anything that Nancy liked within the Munson residence, knowing that neither Wayne nor Eddie listened to any of the trending pop songs that everybody normal liked.

“Well we might as well give up, Eddie doesn’t listen to that shit! And I highly doubt little miss Wheeler listens to Iron Maiden.” she drops the tapes on the ground, grabbing Eddie and shaking him “We’re fucked! Why can’t your taste be more diverse, Eddie?!”

“Shut up!” they soon resort into arguing because they had nothing, absolutely nothing to help Nancy through this possession thing and they were running out of time. That feeling she and Billy felt was intense, it was as if that Mind Flayer fucker was back and she was feeling nauseous again, cutting her argument off with Eddie to control her breathing so she didn’t end up throwing up again “Whoa, whoa, [F/N]! Are you okay?” she shakes her head, leaning against the wall to calm the throbbing headache exploding within her brain.

“Y-Yeah, yeah, I’m good. Just need a minute.” Billy was having the same reaction but not as bad as hers, he was just caressing his forehead and keeping his eye on Nancy and Steve. The moment the headache went away they knew that Nancy was free from whatever hold that Vec-bitch had on her because she gasped and fell backwards, but Steve was quick to catch her.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. It’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay.” Nancy was gasping, trying to catch her breath as Steve caressed her face to comfort her, pushing her hair out of her face “It’s okay, I’m here. I’m right here.”

[time skip: in the morning]

“He showed me… things that haven’t happened yet. The most awful things.” the group now found themselves huddled in Max’s house that was across from Eddie’s trailer, listening to Nancy as she recounted what Vecna had shown her when he had her under his control “I saw… a dark cloud spreading over Hawkins. Downtown on fire. Dead soldiers. And this… giant creature with… a gaping mouth. And this creature wasn’t alone. There were so many monsters. An army. And they were coming into Hawkins. Into our neighbourhoods. Our homes. And then he… he showed me my mum. And Holly. Mike. And they… they were all…” she lets out a shaky breath, [F/N] was watching her talk before looking away and letting her head fall against the wall.

“That… Mind Flayer, was it? It would show Billy and me things to keep us in line, to keep us under its control. It would show us things to scare us, Wheeler, to make sure we didn’t defy it. So, what I’m saying is, this Vecna guy, he’s just trying to scare you.” Billy nods his head, caressing her leg from where he was sitting on the floor.

“Right, I mean… he only showed us things that could possibly happen, but it didn’t, because none of it was real. They were only possibilities.” she shakes her head.

“Not yet. But there… there was something else. He showed me gates. Four gates. Spreading across Hawkins. And these gates, they looked like the one outside of Eddie’s trailer, but… they didn’t stop growing. And this wasn’t the Upside Down Hawkins. This was our Hawkins. Our home.” Billy and [F/N] share a look, what she was talking about, they had seen that future. They had seen it when they were building the Mind Flayers its body for it to move from the Upside Down to their world, and it really wasn’t a pretty picture.

“Four chimes.” Max suddenly spoke, causing them to look at her this time “Vecna’s clock. It always chimes four times. Four exactly.”

“I heard them too.”

“He’s been telling us his plan this whole time.”

“Four kills. Four gates. End of the world.”

“If that’s true… he’s only one kill away.” Eddie was quick to panic, burying his face into the palms of his hands.

“Oh, jesus christ, jesus christ.”

“Try ‘em again. Try ‘em again.” Billy and [F/N] are zoning out when Max walks over to the landline to dial a number, a chill runs down their spines and they sense somewhat of a presence. They look over at Max and were a little startled to see that same little girl the Mind Flayer tasked them to kill, [F/N] opened her mouth to say something but that girl, El if she remembered correctly, seemed to have noticed they were both looking at her and quickly raised her finger to her lips to shush them both. They narrow their eyes on her but do so, shutting their mouths as she continued to watch them before finally disappearing.

“Did you see her as well?” she whispered to Billy, who nodded and continued to look in the spot where she was previously.

“Uh huh.”

“But the others didn’t see her?”

“Uh huh.” he then bats her leg lightly “Must be because she visited us that one time.” she nods her head, humming softly.

“We have to go back in there. Back to the Upside Down.” this immediately got everyone’s attention, protesting because the thought of going back in there was crazy.

“Whoa, no, no, no. What?”

“Nope. Nope.”

“Wheeler, think this through.” [F/N] spoke after pushing herself off the wall.

“What is there to think through?”

“Y’all barely lasted a couple hours inside the Upside Down. What makes you think you can last long enough to get to Vec-bitch to kill him?” Steve nods his head, standing to his feet and approaching Nancy.

“She’s right, we barely made it out of there.”

“Yeah, because we weren’t prepared. But this time, we will be. We’ll get weapons and protection. We’ll go through the gate, we’ll find his lair, and we’ll kill him. We even have Billy and [F/N] to help us, the most experienced inside the Upsi—” Billy interrupts her, holding his hand out to cut her off.

“Are you crazy? We just got out of there after, how long has it been?” [F/N] mouthed out eight months to him “Eight months? Eight months! We’ve been STUCK in there for eight months and you really expect us to waltz straight back in there? You’re crazy, Wheeler. You can count us OUT.” Steve sighed at the thought of the two most experienced sitting this out, but he couldn’t help but nod his head to agree with what Billy said, maybe feeling a little relieved that they’ll be as far away from this war as possible.

“Yeah, or he’ll kill us. The only reason you survived is because he wanted you to. He’s not scared of us, maybe those two, sure! But not us.”

“And for a good reason.” Robin speaks, standing up from where she was sitting on the ground “We were wrong about Vecna. Henry. One. Sorry, what are we calling him now?”

“One.” Lucas and Dustin say.

“Vecna.” Erica says.

“Henry.” Nancy says . “A bitch.” Billy and [F/N] say, Robin just shook her head at the two of them.

“Right. We’ve learned something new about Vecna/Henry/One.” the two pout when she didn’t include their name “He’s a number like Eleven, only a sick, evil, male, child murdering version of her with really bad skin. But my… my point is, he’s super powerful. Could turn us inside out with a snap of his fingers. It’s not a fair fight.” at the mention of that, [F/N] looked down in thought.

“Then why fight fair?” she murmured, eyes trailing off to the side when she could feel that gaze again “If what you said is true, that he’s similar to the Eleven girl, then doesn’t he have the same powers as her? Didn’t she have that power where she could leave her body and some shit to visit people, it’s what she did to Billy and me when we were… flayed? Wouldn’t that give us the upper hand? You know Eleven’s strengths, but you also know her weakness.” Dustin seemed to understand where she was coming from.

“She’s right. When El remote travels, she goes into this sort of trance like state. I bet the same is true of Vecna.” Lucas nods.

“That would explain what he was going in that attic.”

“Exactly. When he attacks his next victim, I’ll bet you he’s back in that attic, physical body defenceless.” Steve shook his head, gesturing to his neck as he spoke.

“Defenceless? What about the army of bats?”

“True. We’ll have to find a way past them. Distract them somehow.” Eddie raises his hand.

“Didn’t [F/N] and Billy mention something about how they’re attracted to noise? We could use that to our advantage.” Dustin snaps his fingers.

“Good idea. And once they’re gone, he doesn’t stand a chance. It’ll be like slaying sleeping Dracula in his coffin.”

“That all sounds good in theory, but there is no pattern to Vecna’s killings. Not one that I can decipher. We don’t know when he’s going to attack next.” [F/N] raised a hand.

“We don’t know if this is much to contribute, but we can feel when he’s going to attack.” Max shook her head.

“That’s not enough, but… we do, we do know. when he’s going to attack. I don’t know about you two, but I can still feel him. I’m still marked. Cursed. I ditch Kate Bush, I draw his focus back to me.” Billy looked around the room when he saw they were all protesting the idea of Max giving herself up just to be a distraction.

“Max. You can’t. He’ll kill you.”

“I survived before… I can survive again. I just need to keep him busy long enough so that you guys can get into that attic. Then you can chop his head off. Stab him in the heart. Blow him up with explosive Dustin cooks up. I honestly don’t care how you put this asshole in his grave. Just… whatever it is… whatever you do… try not to miss.” no one speaks up.

“Are you seriously going to let her do this?” Billy questions “You’re seriously going to let that fucker into her mind just so she can distract him? Are you out of your damn minds?!” [F/N] shakes her head, grabbing him by the arm.

“Billy, not now.” he quickly shakes her hand off him.

“What will happen if you miss your chance? What happens in that measly little split second that you’re late and he’s got her? What will happen then?” Nancy shakes her head.

“We won’t let that happen.”

“Yeah, but you can’t guarantee that! There’s still a chance that something could go wrong and she’ll be killed! Or even worse, mutilated and she’ll end up suffering far worse than we did.”

“Billy stop it.” Nancy couldn’t help but scoff a little as she stared at Billy.

“I don’t see why you’re worrying, Billy.” she crosses her arms, not wavering when he glared at her “Do you think just because you died and survived you’ll get your chance to be her brother again? Even before you were flayed, you did a lot of unspeakable things.”

“Nancy!”

“It’s the truth.” she takes a step forward, looking up at Billy as his glare hardened on her while his hands balled into tight fists “You don’t get to be her brother after everything you’ve done. You don’t get to be worried when we know you didn’t care in the first place.” [F/N] sucked in a breath when she could just feel Billy’s anger boil over, she rushed over and hooked her arm around his to stop him from evidently punching Nancy across the face, pulling him back when he started fighting against her.

“Fuck you, Wheeler!” he shouts “You don’t what I had to put up with to keep her safe! You don’t know what I had to do to keep my dad from laying his hands on her!” [F/N] yanked him back.

“That’s enough!” she pushes him back then points to the door “Cool yourself, Billy.” he stared at her for a couple seconds before storming out of the room, nearly kicking the door off its hinges from the amount of brute strength he put into it. With him gone, she started to feel uncomfortable surrounded by them all, with the people she hurt, the people she scared and the strangers. She raises a hand to caress her forehead, feeling a headache forming from the shared anger and frustration from Billy “You stepped over a line, Wheeler.”

“I-I— I just—” she shook her head.

“You don’t know what went on in that house, not a damn thing.” she looks at Max “He cares, he really does. It might take you some time for you to accept it, but he worries for you. Just like what any other older sibling would do.” she spared a glance at Steve but then quickly averted her gaze, grabbing her axe that was leaning against the wall and leaving to go check up on Billy, leaving the others to settle in that tense and awkward air. She sat down on a nearby law chair and watched Billy tear up and trash pile, only coming over to her to grab her axe and proceed to axe at anything and everything he laid his eyes on. After what felt like ten minutes he finally begrudgingly returned back to her side, dragging the axe behind him and then sitting on the ground by her legs.

“Have you calmed down now, you big baby?” he scoffs at her, tossing the axe in front of them.

“I don’t like the way she talked about me like that.” she let out a hum.

“She had a point, Billy.” he turned his glare to her but she raised her hand before he could get another word in “But that doesn’t necessarily make her right either. Your father was a mean piece of work, and with how stubborn that Maxine girl is, you knew that the moment she crossed your father he’d turn his attention from you to her. So you made sure that he never took that attention away from you, you made sure she made no faults. That’s why you threatened her friends, especially that Lucas boy, and why you were so mad at my brother that you beat the shit out of him.” he grimaced at that.

“[F/N], I’m sor—” she shakes her head.

“He lied to you, you had every right to be mad, but just let me finish.” she takes a deep breath, leaning back into the lawn chair and stretching her legs out a bit “You scared her, man. You threatened her to keep her in line, and though it was out of the betterment of your heart, she didn’t know that. We both know your father pitted the two of you against each other so you’ll both feel isolated within your own home. You were angry at both her and your father, even that Susan woman because everything was against you. They can’t trust your words, Billy, and even that one moment where you saved that girl, I’m sure it’s not enough to redeem a whole year’s worth of torment.” she stared down at him as he silently listened to her words, he then hikes his knees up to his chest but let his body lean against the chair.

“I’m… I’m trying.” she nods, reaching down to gently pet his head.

“I know you are, I feel you. But the others don’t, so it’ll be harder for them to accept that you’ve changed for the better. Steve and possibly Robin are probably the only ones that will understand, but the others will take time.” she lets out a shaky breath, looking up at the clear skies that she hadn’t realized how much she missed “I of all people should know that shit like this… it takes time.” she raised a brow when he went silent.

“… I could really go for a drive right now.” she closed her eyes, going for a drive meant that he needed to clear his mind, it helped clear his mind; helped him think. She scanned the area for something until her eyes settled on it, he let out a grunt when she abruptly stood up and started walking away, kicking the axe up as she went. He sat by and watched as she approached a car, a beat-up 1970 Chevrolet Monte Carlo Convertible, but drivable. He raised a brow when he saw her jump into the car and tears open the underside of the steering column, exposing the many wires for her to play around with. Billy was finally by her side and saw her cut a couple wires to expose the conductors from the cable jackets, striking two specific ones together a couple times until the car roared to life, some smoke spitting out of the exhaustion pipe, but it was on nonetheless “You, [F/N] Harrington, know how to hot wire a car?” she winked at him, making sure to wrap the two different conductors together to keep the car alive.

“Uh huh, a jack of all trades and a master of none.” she raises her hands to grab the steering wheel but stopped when she saw the eager look on his face, she let out a chuckle “You can drive.” she smiled when she felt his excitement.

“Finally. You never let me drive your car.” she let out a laugh, jumping over the centre console to get into the passenger seat as he tosses the axe into the back seat and then jumps into the driver's seat.

“You can go get fucked.” he laughs with her, he switches the gear to drive but didn’t even pull out when she sat up “Oh, wait a second!” he watches her search around the car for something, watching her manage to find a crumpled up piece of paper and a marker that looked like it was at the verge of dying. She writes something down then jumps out to slap it on the door before rushing back, jumping back into the passenger seat “Now they should know where we’ll be.”

“And where are we going?” she gives him a grin.

“I wanna see our gravestones.”

[with the party]

“Check this out. The War Zone.” Eddie says, slapping down the newspaper onto a table and pointing at a specific section, the others leaning over to get a look at it “I’ve been there once. It’s huge. They’ve got everything you need, for, uh… well, killing things, basically.” Robin scoffed lightly, leaning in closer to look at the ad.

“You think fake Rambo has enough guns there?” she narrowed her eyes at it, pointing at it “Is that a grenade? I mean, how is any of this legal?”

“Well, lucky for us it is, so… this… this place is just far outside of Hawkins. As long as we steer clear of main roads, we oughta be able to avoid cops and, uh, angry hicks.” Erica rolled her eyes.

“If we’re trying to avoid angry hicks, maybe we shouldn’t go to some store called the War Zone.” Nancy shook her head.

“Normally, I’d agree, but we need the weapons. So I think it’s worth the risk.” Lucas nods.

“Me too.” Dustin shook his head, letting out a sigh.

“But is it worth the time? It’ll take all day to bike there and back.”

“Who said anything about bikes?” Steve cocked a brow, scoffing slightly with a smirk at Eddie’s words.

“What? You got another car I don’t know about?” Steve questioned, Eddie rose up to Steve’s level with a smirk of his own, tilting his head to the side when he saw his doe eyed boyfriend give him such a baby face.

“It’s not exactly a car, Steve. It’s not exactly mine, but, uh… it’ll do.”

“Um, I’d hate to interrupt.” Max suddenly spoke up from where she was standing away from the others, they all turn to her and saw she was peeking outside “But it’s been far too long since Billy and [F/N] left, and I can’t see them outside anymore.” Steve stood up straight.

“What?” he’s quick to go around the table and to where Max was, throwing open the blinds, jaw dropping when he saw no sign of his ex and sister. He then draws back and opens the front door, whipping his head around to find any trace of the two but saw neither, his eyes then caught the piece of paper attached to the door so he tore it off to see what it was, groaning at what he saw “They’re gone!” he shouts, Robin was by his side the moment he said that.

“Gone? Where could they have gone?” he sighed, handing her the note, to which she read it and immediately recognized it as [F/N]’s handwriting.

“They’ve gone to the cemetery to look at their graves.” Nancy slaps a palm on her forehead.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” she then looks at Eddie, who was laughing because that was so like [F/N] “Eddie, we’re gonna need whatever vehicle you’ve got in mind and we need it now.” he nods.

“Got it.”

[with [f/n] and billy]

“Ooo, score! There’s booze in the back!” Billy chuckled as he looked through the rear view mirror to see [F/N] hanging over her seat to search through the backseat, finding said booze and turning back over to show him “Ooo, it’s gin. Somebody has taste.” she’s quick to take the cap off and take a long swig from the bottle, Billy eyes her from how long she was chugging it before she finally pulled it away from her lips with a gasp.

“Struggling alcoholic, I see.” she chuckles, voice a little hoarse from the sting of alcohol that she hasn’t drank in over eight months.

“Recovering, actually. Went to rehab once for how bad it got.”

“You’re horrible.” she raises the bottle.

“I am.” when he pulls to a stop light she offers the bottle him, jiggling it slightly when she saw the look of hesitance on his face “Come on now, I know you want some.” he scoffed at her as he looked back towards the road.

“You know it’s illegal to drink and drive?” she rolled her eyes.

“You know it’s illegal to murder people?” her gives her a look as she gives him one back, she heard him mutter fuck it before taking the bottle and gulping it down, she snickers and starts looking through other compartments for anything else. He lowered the bottle when he heard her squeal, sparing her a glance when he saw her pull out a pack of cigarettes “I’m in heaven.” they were red marlboro cigarettes, she was quick to pop one out of the pack and light it with a lighter that was conveniently hiding in the glove compartment.

“Hey, don’t hold out.” she settles one of his lips and lights it, the two of them exhaling the smoke then letting out a deep and satisfying sigh “That… that definitely hits the spot.”

“It really does.” they were taking the long way to get to the cemetery, while they were [F/N] was taking in the scenery, head resting on her arms on the door. Her mind would flashback to the Upside Down each time they passed a significant part of Hawkins, and all she could think of is how if they let that Vecna bitch have his way, the Upside Down will become their reality. They were stopped at another stoplight and [F/N] was looking ahead this time, bobbing her head as Motley Crüe blared through the shitty speakers the car had. Though it didn’t take them long to reach the cemetery because now they were standing over their graves, wow “Damn, I wish I had a camera.” Billy shakes his head.

“Why?”

“Because I’m standing over my fucking grave?” she then kicks at the stone “If we’re here, then the fuck did they bury?” he shrugs, taking another puff from the cigarette.

“Don’t know, don’t care.” he watches her lower down to her knees, placing her hand on her headstone.

HERE LIES [F/N] HARRINGTON. BELOVED FRIEND, SISTER AND DAUGHTER. 07/12/65 - 04/07/85

“Daughter, huh?” she scoffed, taking the cigarette from her lips and putting it out directly on DAUGHTER “I haven’t been their daughter in years.” Billy could feel her disdain where he stood, that anger that dwindled away seeming to resurface just at the mere thought of her parents. She didn’t move when he placed his hand on her shoulder, giving it a light squeeze.

“Steve deserves to know.” she closed her eyes at that, turning her face to the side at the thought.

“He doesn’t need to know.” he let out a sigh “Y-You don’t get it, Billy. You don’t know Steve like I do, a-and I know he’s going to take it the wrong way and end up blaming himself.”

“So you’re going to let him live on, not knowing the reason as to why his parents disowned their daughter in the first place with only Eddie and I knowing why?” he squeezes her shoulder once more “He deserves to know.” he repeats.

“It’ll do more harm than good.” he let out a sigh.

“… Steve is tougher than you think, [F/N]. You’ve clung too hard onto the Steve you think is so fragile, further damaging him. Whether or not you tell him, I think it would be best for the both of you if you tell him the truth.” with that he backed away and let her contemplate her options, she let out a sigh and let a hand drag down her face. She watches from the corner of her eye as Billy approached his grave and stopped directly in front of it, she raised a brow when she saw him kneel down and pick something up.

“What are you doing?” she turned her body towards him and saw he had a letter in his hands addressed to him, she crawled over to him and draped herself over his body to read the contents with him, her eyes following the words as he read them aloud.

“Dear Billy, I don't even know if you can hear this. Two years ago, I would've said "that's ridiculous, impossible." But that was before I found out about alternate dimensions and monsters, so I'm just going to stop assuming that I know anything. So much has happened since you left. Your dad was a total mess. He and my mum started getting into fights. Bad fights. I don't think he could stand being here without you. So he left. And he didn't leave mom much. She's taken an extra job, and we moved to that lovely trailer park off Kerley. Basically, ever since you left, everything's been a total disaster. And the worst part is, I can't tell anyone why you're gone. I can't tell them that you saved El's life. That you saved my life. I play that moment back in my head all the time. And sometimes I imagine myself running to you, pulling you away. I imagine that if I had, that you would still be here. And everything would be right again. I imagine that we could've become friends. Good friends, like a real brother and sister. And I know that's stupid. You hated me. I hated you. But I thought that maybe we could try again. But that's not what happened. I just stood there and I watched. For a while, I tried to be happy. Normal. But I think that maybe a part of me died that day too. And I haven't told anyone this. I just can't. But I had to tell you. Before it's too late. If you can even hear this, and I really hope that you can. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry, Billy. Love, your shitty little sister, Max.”

[F/N] scoffed a little when she read the part where Billy’s father was apparently “a total mess”, saying how “he couldn’t stand being here without him”, what a load of bullshit. Other than that, it was pretty heartfelt and genuine, especially the part where she wished the two of them could be like real brother and sister. Her eyes drifted to look at his face and saw that his bottom lip was trembling, eyes becoming glassy once more at the possibility of him and Max rekindling their relationship. She pats his back in a comforting manner as she stands to her feet, hand pressed to her mouth as she rubs her fingertips into her cheeks. Maybe… maybe she should—

*HONK*

*HONK*

“Hmm?” she raised her head while Billy turn his head to the right, there the two of them saw some RV honking its horn “Is it honking at us?” she murmured as she looked around for any other residents but saw no one, her eyes widened when she saw her brother stick his head out of the window and waving his arm.

“Come on, you two! We’ve got shit to do!” they stare incredulously at him.

“… did you steal an RV, Harrington?!” Billy shouts.

“No, I just— I’m just driving it!”

“So it’s stolen?” he deadpans when [F/N] starts slow clapping “I knew you had it in you, a true Harrington.” Billy slaps her leg.

“So your parents have stolen a car before?” she purses her lips.

“You’d be surprised.” Dustin pops his head out from around the RV, waving his arm rather erratically.

“Come on! We got to get going before the roads get busy!” they just stare for a couple seconds before shrugging their shoulders, Billy wipes his arm under his nose when [F/N] offers her hand to him. He stares at it then up at her before chuckling softly and taking her hand, they share a hug before letting go and walking over to the RV “You guys are taking forever, hurry up!”

“You’ve got quite the attitude for a child.” [F/N] says to him when she and Billy finally approach the RV “We could hurt you at any given moment.” he laughed, crossing him arms.

“You wouldn’t knowing that you’d upset Steve and Eddie.” this definitely startled the two of them, he smirked knowingly at them before hoping back into the RV.

“I wanna strangle him.”

“Wanna take turns?” she chuckles, the air immediately tensed the moment she stepped into the RV but she didn’t settle into the back yet, popping her head into the drivers seats and looked at Eddie, who say in the passengers seat “So where are we heading?” Eddie grinned, eyes glancing backwards when he saw Billy come in and take a seat on the floor.

“We’re heading to the War Zone.” she cocked a brow.

“The War Zone? Hah! I haven’t been there in ages.” this caused several heads to turn but she just ignored them.

“You’ve been to the War Zone? Why?” Nancy asked.

“If it makes you feel better, it wasn’t when I was flayed.” at that she turned on her heel so he back was facing Billy, who opened up his arms when she started falling backwards while taking another swig from the bottle of gin. She let out a long sigh at the feeling of the alcohol burning in her throat once more, offering the bottle to Billy who didn’t hesitate to drink it.

“How did you guys even get here? I highly doubt you walked.” Erica asked.

“Hot wired a car.” this turned even more heads.

“You know how to hot wire a car? How?” she offers a hand to Eddie, who chuckled nervously.

“I’m friends with Eddie Munson, was bound to learn some useful skills if I hung around him.” she then leaned back deeper into Billy’s chest, humming softly when she felt him wrap his arms around her waist to keep her close “I also know how to pickpocket, use slight of hand, gamble, pick locks, steal gas. A whole lot of illegal stuff, basically. Oh! I also know how to tend bar, and some other shit.” they all stare at her in disbelief, if Billy hadn’t seen all the crimes she’s committed when they shared a mind he too would have been just as shocked.

“You’re related to that, Steve?” she snickered softly at that “Your sister seems awesome!”

“I literally tried to kill your friends and my brother the year prior, and yet you think me doing illegal shit is cool?” he nods.

“I didn’t get to meet you last year, not this version of you or even the flayed you. I don’t really have an opinion on you except for how much Steve loved you.” the soft smirk on her face dropped at the mention of that, her eyes looking up to see that Steve peeked back at her before quickly looking away, she too averted her eyes.

“Right.”

[at the war zone]

“I’m hungry.” [F/N] suddenly spoke, Eddie, Lucas, Dustin and Billy who were left in the RV while the others went into the War Zone to buy whatever they needed, turn their heads to look at her, watching as she laid on her back and tossed the now empty bottle of gin up and down “Do you think they’ll bring back food?” Lucas sighed at the compliant.

“I highly doubt the War Zone has food.” she let out a dramatic groan, this caused Eddie to roll his eyes.

“Why are you so hungry? You weren’t satisfied with what you ate back at my trailer?” she scoffed.

“You try going eight months with eating nothing but whatever we could salvage.” Dustin raised his hand.

“On that note, what exactly did you guys eat?” both Billy and [F/N] paused, their faces turning pale then a shade of green as they tried not to remember what exactly they had to eat in order to not die of starvation, Lucas and Dustin wince when they see [F/N] turn away and try not to throw up.

“You really don’t wanna know.” they decided to leave it at that, a few more minutes go by when [F/N] lets out a sigh as she stood to her feet.

“Fuck it, I’ll just go myself.” Dustin was quick to stand in her way “What are you doing?” he shakes his head, she chuckled softly when she saw him place his hands on his hips, perhaps he was trying to imitate Steve when he was putting his foot down.

“Sorry, Steve and Nancy told me to keep you and Billy in check while they were gone. I can’t let you leave my sight.” she hummed softly, placing her own hands on her knees and lowering down to meet his eyes.

“You are so adorable.” they stare at each other for a couple seconds until [F/N] pushes his hat down so it blocked his view, he let out a cry when his vision was block and she took that as he chance to push him to the side and leave the RV with Billy by her side. She didn’t have to turn around to know that Dustin wasn’t too far behind them, the RV door being thrown open when he rushed out to chase after them “See? We’re still within your sight, are we not?” he let out a tired huff, grabbing her arm.

“Well, you need to stay within five meters of me.” she rolled her eyes.

“Sure, kid.” he let out another cry when Billy shoved his hat down again to cover his eyes, the two of them laughing as they walked ahead of him when Dustin stopped to fix his hat.

“Five meters!” Dustin was in between them, holding them by their forearms to ensure they didn’t go too far “How exactly are you going to buy food when you don’t have money?” Billy nods.

“I, too, would love to know.” she chuckled, her eyes already zoning in on a poor chap.

“Then I guess you two weren’t listening.” she pats Dustin’s arm to let her go and he reluctantly did so, watching her lace her fingers together then crack them “Watch and learn.” they watch as she walks by the man she was eyeing before but purposefully walked into him, Dustin was startled to see her face immediately change into one that was apologetic.

“Oh my—”

“Oh, I am so—” they’re both laughing as they stare at each other, he’s holding her by her biceps while her hands were resting against his chest “I’m sorry, I didn’t see you.” she then places her other hand on her chest, giving him an understanding look.

“Oh, no, it’s not your fault. I’ve been feeling a little under the weather as of lately, felt a little dizzy and accidentally walked into you. Terribly sorry about that.” he gives her a reassuring look, his hands dropping from her biceps to his sides.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but I can see why.” she looks down at herself and huffed slightly with a laugh “You look like you’ve been through hell.” she gives him a look.

“You could say that again.” they exchange a few more words until he finally walks off, she immediately drops the facade as the two of them approach them “Well that was exhausting.” Dustin taps her arm.

“What was all that about?” she grins at him and pulls out a wallet, causing him to gasp at the sight.

“I told you, mama can pickpocket. It’s all about the slight of hand.” Dustin was now staring up at her in awe but she chose to ignore it and approach a very convenient convenient store, opening the wallet and snooping through it, chucking out anything unnecessary, scoffing a little what she saw his license then whistled at hefty amount of cash “Hello gorgeous.” she then throws the wallet over her shoulder without a care in the world.

“Wish I could do that. I used to just threaten people to give me money.” she rolled her eyes at Billy, slapping the back of her hand into his chest.

“That’s so classic high school bully, dude.” Dustin was laughing as he grabbed her arm again.

“You gotta teach me how to do that.” she laughs.

“I think my brother would kill me if I taught you something like that.” he shrugs his shoulders.

“He doesn’t need to know.” she hummed softly, ruffling his head with a smile.

“And I’m beginning to like you, Henderson.” her smile grew when he smiled at her, teeth and all, she can see why Steve and Eddie liked this kid so much. When they enter the store Dustin told them that they should still feel wary despite there only being a few people in the store, they were still legally deceased so it would be rather awkward if someone from Hawkins was there and recognized them “Get whatever you want kid, we’re going to do something very dangerous so you should fuel up.”

“Energy for the journey.” she chuckles.

“Sure, whatever floats your boat.” despite him being the one to set the five meter rule he didn’t hesitate to leave her side to get “whatever he wanted”, felt like she was the one keeping an eye on him.

“Think they’ve got beer?” she scoffed at the question.

“We’re in america, I believe they do.”

“Just asking.” she just shook her head and pats his shoulder, Dustin was more or less just getting junk food than proper food, not like they had to time to actually prepare the food. He glanced over at where [F/N] and Billy were and saw they were where the drinks were, he let out a sigh with a shake of his head when he saw [F/N] pull a drink out and crack it open then drink it. He really didn’t know much about [F/N] other than the stories Steve had told him about, nearly talking his ear off about the countless tales [F/N] Harrington ventured on. He didn’t know whether or not he was lucky that he didn’t get to meet her the year prior, the one that traumatised them all to the point they couldn’t even look at her without a hint of fear or sadness, Erica was rather neutral but mad because she did hit her brother, but he had a positive feeling about her. To him, she was the overprotective yet doting older sister that was funny and cool, she was a literal mixture of both Steve and Eddie; the female version of Steve with the personality of Eddie.

“I hope she and Steve make up.” he mutters to himself, he returns to [F/N]’s side and she looks down at him, letting out a chuckle when she saw his arms were full of junk food.

“Is that all you want?” she raises a brow when she saw him look up in thought, she let out a gasp when he abruptly dropped everything into the basket she grabbed and rushed off.

“There’s one more thing I want!” she rolled her eyes when he just disappeared, Billy shakes his head.

“I don’t see what Steve and Munson likes about that kid.” she shrugs her shoulders.

“The kid brother they never got?” they decide to leave it at that, Dustin was looking for something in particular and yet he was having a hard finding it, his hands were on his hips as he looked back and forth for it until his face lit up when he finally found it. He reaches to grab it but was suddenly yanked back by the scruff of his shirt, thinking it was Billy telling him to hurry up, he was ready to lash out but froze when he saw that it was none other than one of Jason Carver’s lackies.

“Henderson.” his hands immediately fly up and grip onto the wrist that was holding him in place, nearly fumbling with his footing when he was being manhandled “It took a lot of time and trouble finding you.” he let out a nervous laugh, sweat beginning to bleed down the side of his face.

“O-Oh yeah? What for? I don’t remember doing anything to piss you guys off.”

“Right, right, but you’re friends with that Freak, aren’t you?” he swallowed thickly at those words, he takes a quick glance towards the counter and saw that [F/N] was completely oblivious to the harassment while Billy was nowhere to be seen, typical “Your other friend Sinclair ditched us as well to protect that murderer; to protect you.”

“Eddie’s not a murderer!” he let out a grunt when he he was pressed against the aisle roughly.

“Oh yeah? Then how come he was the last with Chrissy, and in the morning she was dead in his trailer?” Dustin couldn’t say it, he couldn’t tell this egotistical jock that Eddie wasn’t the one that killed Chrissy but that it was some supernatural force that killed her in order to open the four gates of hell. If he were to say that, he would be labeled as crazy along with him jumping to conclusions that Eddie was in fact a satanist like everyone in this shitty town made him out to be “Huh? Got nothing else to say? You were so quick to come to his defence, and now you’ve got nothing to say.”

“B-Because… because—”

“Because what?!” the jock was yanked back, letting Dustin go out of surprise from the violent treatment. He glares back at the individual but froze at the sight of who was in front of him.

“Because Munson is too much of a loser to kill anyone.” Billy grinned maliciously as the jock trembled a little, his tongue peek past his lips to glide along the ends of his teeth “If it was anyone, it’d be that mentally unstable boyfriend of hers.”

“H-Hargrove? You’re dead.” Billy raised a brow at that, now beginning to sneer at him.

“Dead? Is that supposed to be a threat?” he yanks him forward and glares straight into his eyes “Do I look dead to you, dumb bitch? What part about me looks dead?” he shakes him a little and he sputters, his hands flying up to grab at Billy’s shoulders to try and rip himself free from his frighteningly strong grip. His mind went back to the rumours about how he beat Steve Harrington black and blue, the evidence all over his bloodied and bruised face when he was ballsy enough to show it the next school day. Billy Hargrove was a psycho, someone that wasn’t to be missed with no matter who you were.

“Billy…” Dustin muttered out softly, not really expecting Billy to come to his rescue, not after how he was ready to beat the ever living shit out of Lucas and instead did that to Steve. [F/N] was in the midst of paying for everything but paused when she remembered Dustin still hadn’t something he wanted, she let out a groan and turned her head to search for him only to see Billy manhandling some guy.

“Goddammit.” she murmured to herself, she goes to shout at him but stopped when she saw Dustin’s tousled shirt but what angered her was when this stranger freed himself and roughly shoved at Dustin, oh, that was it. She looked around the store until her eyes settled on a part of the convenient store that served fresh, hot coffee… that’ll do “You didn’t see anything.” she casually says, grabbing the cashier by their own collar gently to slip the entire wod of cash into their breast pocket, giving it a light tap before turning on her heel and heading over to the coffee pot. The cashier watched in confusion as she grabbed a coffee pot that was full to the brim of hot, scalding coffee, nodding to herself when she confirmed that it was indeed at a dangerous temperature before making her way over to the arguing boys. None of them noticed her approaching them until she grabbed the jock by his shoulder and spun them around, they didn’t expect her to throw the hot, scalding liquid into his face. He screamed in pain, hands flying up to his face in an effort to quell the burning sensation in his face but was suddenly kicked onto his back then someone climbed on top of him. Dustin shivered a little as he watched start to beat his face in with the coffee pot, not even flinching when he clawed at her to pull her off or how he cried out for her to stop.

[F/N] was the real psychopath.

She finally stopped when he was no longer moving and laid limp on the floor, usually when she did this type of beating she’d be breathless and left panting, but she had barely broken a sweat. Perhaps the eight months of hunting demodogs and demogorgons had improved her stamina a little, she looked at the pot hanging loosely by her fingers and saw blood staining the glass, she just let out a huff and tossed it to the side as she stood to her feet. Billy just shook his head at the helpless pile on the floor, kicking at his unconscious body while [F/N] turned her attention to Dustin. She didn’t miss the way he flinched a little upon her gaze but that was to be expected, however, she merely reached forward to fix up his collar and shirt, straightening it out then dusting his shoulders off. His eyes widened softly when she gave him a gentle smile, her hands now resting on his shoulders.

“Are you alright, Dustin?”

“U-Um, yeah. Billy actually helped me out.” said man let out a scoff, kicking her gently in the shin.

“Yeah, there was no need for you to go that far.” she rolled her eyes, now standing up straight then gesturing to the bastard she beat cold.

“Oh, please! He laid his hands on the kid, the last thing I need is Steve breathing down my neck because we let someone put their hands on his kid.” she shakes her head, she then messes with Dustin’s head before finally going over to their neglected groceries “Sorry for taking so long.” the cashier shook their head.

“N-No, it’s fine.” she smiles, Billy grabs the bags as she waves her hand.

“Remember what I said?” they nod their head.

“I didn’t see anything.” she winks.

“Good.” she gives their cheek a little tap before finally leaving, grabbing Dustin by his wrist and walking out of the store. Dustin spared her a look and saw her pull out a cigarette and goes to light it but noticed that Dustin winced “Sorry, do you not like the smell of cigarettes?” he gives a little nod.

“Yeah, the smell is kind of overwhelming.” she gave him an apologetic look and took the cigarette from her lips “Thanks.” she gave him a kind smile.

“No, I should have known not smoke around a child.” he scoffs.

“I’m fifteen years old.” she laughed.

“Yeah, still legally a child.” Billy laughs when he saw the way Dustin pouts, she gently pats his shoulder as they make their way back to the RV, Dustin now relaxed and casually talking with [F/N[ and even Billy. Meanwhile, the gang that went into the War Zone were quick to rush out when Nancy accidentally came across Jason Carver. Eddie and Lucas’ head shot up when the door open and instead of seeing [F/N], Dustin and Billy enter it was instead the others, oh no, this wasn’t gonna be good.

“What happened?”

“We gotta go.” they all come rushing in, Eddie was startled when Steve threw his battle vest into his lap before rushing into the drivers seat and everyone else filled into the back of the RV.

“Your old friends are here.” Robin comments as she passes Lucas, Eddie’s face dropped at that and quickly tried to hide himself.

“Shit!”

“Let’s go! Let’s go!”

“I’m going! I’m going! Sit down!” Nancy settles in the back but takes a quick mental roll check as she scans the RV for everyone but fell short; they were missing three people.

“Wait, where are Dustin, Billy and [F/N]?” this caused the others to look around, her eyes settled onto Lucas and Eddie and saw how they just wanted to shrink in on themselves and disappear “Eddie, where are they? They were supposed to be here waiting with you while we were in the War Zone.” he gives a nervous laugh, raising his hands and shrugging his shoulders.

“Well, you see—” he quickly looks away when she glares at him “They were hungry.”

“Oh my god.”

“They’re unbelievable.”

“I told Dustin to get an eye on them.”

“Well technically he is… he went with them.” they all collectively let out a groan, Steve unbuckles his belt because he knew that he was the one that had to go get them, Robin and Erica follow after him and left Nancy to scold Eddie and Lucas for letting them leave in the first place. They turn the corner and they see [F/N] talking with, goddammit, Jason Carver of all people. They were quick to pick up pace when they noticed the way she was holding him by the arm though they broke out into a sprint when they saw her shove him down and start beating the shit out of him. And what brought us to this predicament? Well—

“Hargrove?” Dustin and [F/N] turn their heads, the former paled at the sight of the head jock while [F/N] merely raised a brow in confusion, who was this guy? She looked at Billy and saw how he immediately got irritated the moment he set his eyes on him, she looked him up and down and saw that he was wearing a similar outfit to the same poor sap she just beat down and left in the store “You’re… alive.” Billy let out a laugh.

“Yeah, what great observations, Carver.” [F/N] placed her hand on Dustin’s shoulder when she noticed he was getting nervous, she then leans down.

“Who is this guy?”

“U-Um, he’s Jason Carver.” she raised a brow, that still didn’t answer her question “Oh, right, you probably weren’t around when he started high school. He’s the captain of the basketball team, he was Chrissy boyfriend and he harassed Eddie and the rest of us a couple times during school.” that definitely caught her attention, harassed? She remembered when she was still apart of Hellfire no one dared touch them because they knew how unhinged she was, she literally bit someone’s ear off because they called Jeff racial slurs.

“Harassed? So bullied?” he nods, now she was even more confused “Why the hell would they bully Eddie? Didn’t he graduate?” Dustin pulls a face.

“Well—”

“Henderson.” Dustin froze up when Jason turned his attention from Billy to him, Billy felt a little offended when Jason ignored him in favor of getting to Dustin. [F/N] was still behind him and watched to see what this guy was going to do, she was taken aback when she saw Jason quickly grab Dustin by his collar and yank him forward “You. You’re the one who’s always hanging around Munson, where is he?”

“I-I—”

“Hey!” Billy was quick to yank Jason away while [F/N] grabbed Dustin and pulled him back, pushing him behind her as they got in front of Dustin, the discarded bags of food laid behind them as they glare at Jason “I don’t know who the fuck you are, but you’ve got some nerve.” she turns her back to him to straighten his shirt out again, sighing sadly when he was scared again.

“Get out of my way, I need to find Munson. He’s going to kill someone again and sacrifice them to his satanic cult.” she couldn’t help but look back at him like he was crazy, scratch that, he probably was crazy.

“What?” was all she could say, Billy just shook his head.

“He’s religious.” she rolled her eyes.

“God, not another one.” she’s had to handle and talk with so many different religious people that it was ridiculous, saying how she was straying from the path of god for even being friends with the wayward, trailer trash freak known as Eddie Munson “If I believe anyone was going to kill anyone, I would think it was you.”

“I am.” they blink at his statement “I am going to kill Eddie Munson.” Dustin peeks his head out from behind [F/N].

“We won’t let you!” [F/N] felt a chill run down her spine at the look in Jason’s eyes.

“And how are you going to stop me?” he reaches for Dustin again but this time [F/N] grabbed him by the wrist, he growled at her and tried yanking his hand free from her hold but she only tightened her grip “And who the hell are you? What relationship do you have with Munson and Henderson that you’re protecting them? Why would you protect that murderer?!” she glared down at him, her gaze cold.

“Eddie Munson is my best friend, and Henderson?” she hummed softly then glanced back at Dustin “Hey, kid, does my brother see you as his brother?” Dustin didn’t understand the question entirely but he thought hard before slowly nodding his head.

“Y-Yeah, I’d like to think so.” she hummed again, her shoulders giving a little shrug.

“Well, then I guess that makes you my little brother then.” Billy’s brows quirked up at the statement before letting out a chuckle he knew was she meant, Jason tried ripping his arm free again but let out a cry when she twisted his arm in a way it shouldn’t go while pulling her other arm up “And nobody hurts my little brother.” she shoves him back and he fell back into his car, he starts to get back up but she smashed his nose in with her knee, promptly breaking it. The other jock that was just watching finally got up and decided to help Jason when [F/N] grabbed him by the tufts of his hair and repeatedly slammed his head against his car before smashing it against the concrete ground, jesus, is this really what she did what someone made fun of Steve. Dustin let out a whistle at how absolutely mental both [F/N] and Billy were, how glad he was that they were on their side.

“[F/N]!” Dustin whips his head to the side and grimaces when he saw Steve, Robin and Erica rushing over “Dustin, we’ve got to go!” Erica grabs Dustin’s arm to tug him back while Steve and Robin approach [F/N].

“You okay, nerd?” he nods.

“Yeah, they made sure I didn’t get hurt.”

“Well, you better hope Wheeler doesn’t tear you a new one.” he winced at the thought of getting yelled at by Nancy. [F/N] heard her name but chose to ignore it, forgetting how exhilarating beating the shit out of someone was and reviling in the feeling. She finally did stop when Steve told her that it was enough, she let out a huff and looked at the blonde who was hanging loosely within her hold.

“If you really want to do your girlfriend a favor, instead of chasing after an innocent man maybe you should just go kill yourself and go see her in the afterlife. Though, you probably won’t find her where you’re heading.” she lets his body drop to the floor and stands up, laughing when Billy hands her the jacket he stole from the other motionless jock so they could wipe their hands of their blood.

“Did you really have to go and say that? It was pretty morbid.” she laughs, throwing the jacket to the ground and going so far as to walking on it.

“Please, I could have said something far worse. Besides, if that Chrissy Cunningham is anything like you described her as, revenge is probably the last thing she would want her boyfriend doing.” she spares Steve and Robin a glance but ultimately ignores them, walking past them to pat Dustin on the shoulder “Shall we go? We took up a little bit too much time.” he scoffed and smacked her off, to which she let out a laugh.

“Yeah, no thanks to you! Now I’m gonna get in trouble.” Billy shrugs, leaning down to pick up the discarded bags of food.

“And whose fault is that? Stop being such a target, loser.” Dustin shoves at Billy when he messes with his head walking past him, [F/N] laughed and they’re walking back to the RV as if nothing happened, leaving Steve, Robin and Erica speechless. Dustin was indeed scolded by Nancy, so were Billy and [F/N] but they didn’t really care, they just stared at her with amused expressions and just ate in her face. The gang now found themselves out in the fields out of sight, preparing themselves for the battle they were about to fight. Eddie and Dustin were nailing nails into rubbish bin lids, Steve and Robin were making molotovs, Max was beside Nancy as she was sawing a Winchester Model 1200 so that the barrel was shorter and Erica and Lucas were making spears, meanwhile, Billy and [F/N] were sitting on a hill away from the others and thinking about their options “So what are you doing after all this?” Billy asked, she scoffed at the question.

“Well, I’m definitely getting the fuck out of dodge! There’s nothing left for me here, why bother stay.” she sighed when he gave her a knowing look.

“Nothing?”

“You know what I mean.” Billy noticed her eyes were settling on Steve and Robin once again, a feeling of regret and guilt rising to her chest once again the longer she stared “It’ll be better for the both of them and myself if I just stayed as far away as possible.” he hummed.

“But is that really what you want, [F/N]?” she doesn’t answer him, he huffed and pulls out the letter Max wrote him, his thumbs caressing the paper lightly “Well, I’m going to apologise to Max. I’ve been meaning to do that since we got out but couldn’t really find the right moment to pull her aside and do it. It’s the least I could do.” she, however, remained silent. Ever since they visited the cemetery and he found that letter, he could feel [F/N]’s doubts on whether or not she should keep a relationship with Steve and Robin or whether to just remain a bystander within their story despite how much they want her to be involved in their lives. He could tell that she was struggling to reveal the truth to Steve, that being her biggest concern.

“That’s… good for you.” she finally spoke, he hummed with a nod before both their heads snapped over to where Eddie and Dustin were when they heard laughter. [F/N] chuckled when she saw that it was just Dustin and Eddie roughhousing, reminded her of the time when she would just randomly tackle Eddie in the middle of school, him doing the same thing when she was in the middle of a conversation with someone and he would come running down the hall and tackle her to the ground. She hadn’t realized how long she was watching them until she noticed that Billy was no longer by her side, she was quick to look over to where Max was and saw he was making his way over to her and Nancy. Nancy noticed his approach and jumped to her feet to keep Max and him separated, she was talking to him but she could feel that he was calm throughout the entire exchange, and when she was finished talking he just pulled out the letter and waved it a little to get Max’s attention. She pushed Nancy to the side so she could grab the letter from Billy’s hands but he pulled it back and out of her reach, they shared a couple words from simple banter, to shouting, to crying then to promises. At the end of their conversation Billy goes in for a hug but she stopped him and instead grabbed his other hand to give it a shake, Billy had a look of understanding and instead just nodded his head and shook her hand with a smile “Fuck.”

“Honestly, this feels like a perfect time for that little pull of the rug because…” from a conversation that started with Steve talking about that guy that was kissing Robin’s crush to the possible end of the world, Steve and Robin sat together and spoke about both their troubles in romance and Vecna “in the face of the world ending, the stakes of my love life feel spectacularly low.”

“Yeah, I mean, I get you there, but… I still have hope.”

“Not everything has a happy ending.”

“Yeah, yeah, believe me, I know.” at that he spares Billy and [F/N] a glance, noting how Billy was now casually standing next to Max while watching Nancy testing out her new shotgun with a shortened barrel, he turned away to find [F/N] but narrowed his eyes when she was in the last spot he saw her in “Where did she—”

“Steve?” his head snaps up when he saw [F/N] standing right in front of him, he swallowed thickly as he stared right at her “C-Can we… can we talk? Just the two of us?” he noticed the way she tried to keep her eyes on him but she couldn’t keep it up for long because she quickly averts her eyes away, he spares Robin a look but she nods and gestures for him to go.

“Y-Yeah, sure!” maybe he was a little bit too enthusiastic but he didn’t care, it was her coming to him to talk instead of the other way around. Robin let out a sigh when [F/N] led him away from the others so they could speak privately, feeling a little bitter that she was talking to him first, but she could wait. [F/N] promised they would talk, so she was going to wait. Billy felt nervousness so he looked towards [F/N] and a faint smile graced his lips when he saw that [F/N] was finally going to talk to Steve, good for her.

“Why are you smiling, Billy?” he raised a brow as he looked down at Max, he let out a chuckle and messed with her head.

“None of your business, shitbird.” Steve now found himself standing across from [F/N], he nervously rubbed at his forearm as she stood with her back to him. He didn’t know what was going on in her mind as she stood with her hands to her hips while her foot tapped on the ground, he knew that she was nervous, that he could tell. She was so confident, and arrogant, and crazy like her usual self but now… now she wasn’t the sister he was so used to seeing. This was the fragile part of his sister that he rarely got to see, only on the very rare occasions did he see his sister’s mask slip from her face and the true [F/N] Harrington would show itself.

“[F/N], before you say anything, I just… I just want to say that I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I didn’t notice how much you were struggling when we were kids. How badly mum and dad treated you after you threw everything away, I’m sorry I did nothing to help you. I don’t get— I don’t get why you stayed behind or why you came back.” he let out a sigh, bringing a hand to drag down his face “I don’t— I don’t get why you did it for me when I told you I hated you. You stuck around for so long despite how much I hated you when we were young, I was delusional and selfish that I didn’t understand. I know there’s something that you’re not telling me, something that Eddie knows and he swore he’d never tell me because of how bad it wa—” he was cut off when she was suddenly on him pulling him into a tight hug, he could feel his body begin to tremble when her hands slipped up his body to wrap an arm around his shoulder while the other was soothingly threading through his fingers. It was something she used to do when they were kids and he was scared of being alone, it was something she used to calm him down from nightmares.

“I should be the one apologising, Steve.” she spoke, she was fighting down every urge in her body to not let him go so soon while also trying not to tremble with him in her hold “I was so scared of you knowing the truth, that you’d take it the wrong way and that you’d hate yourself for what happened. But Billy told me that you deserved to know that truth… that you should know the truth.” Steve sniffled then quickly brought his arms up to wrap around her and keep her close, not knowing how long this embrace was going to last so he was going to milk it for everything that it was worth.

“N-No, I get it. It’s fine, I jus—” she shakes her head and let him go, giving him a smile when he whined at the loss.

“No, Steve. You should know.” she turns away again, bringing her arms up to hug herself “You should know what drove me away.”

[the hideout, 1983]

“Once had a love and it was a gas~” it was late at night and it was Corroded Coffin’s live performance at the Hideout, what made that night so significant was because [F/N] had agreed to sing for them that night. Since she worked at the Hideout just to get some extra cash here and there, she was always there to watch their performances and though they weren’t as popular as they wished they were, they were still pretty great. [F/N] wasn’t an official member because they were Corroded Coffin long before they met her and she didn’t want to feel like she was stepping in to steal one of their spots, mostly because she was pretty musically talented all thanks to her mother’s insistence. But tonight was different, Eddie had lost his voice and the other boys were pretty tone deaf when it came to singing so since they knew [F/N], who was pretty well gifted in singing, they begged her to take the spot as their lead vocalist to sing for them. She obviously declined the invitation because a) she hasn’t sung properly in years, and b) they were out of their damn minds, she hasn’t sung in years! They were begging; pleading to get her to agree so when they finally did get her to agree she wanted to be the one to choose which song, if not, they can go get fucked “It soon turned out, I had a heart of glass~” and what better song than “Heart of Glass” by Blondie. They obviously refused because they didn’t want to sing some pop song but that was the only way she’d agree, so when they relented she taught them to play it differently so the patrons of the Hideout didn’t entirely hate them.

“Wow, I didn’t think I was going to like a Blondie song, but they’re pretty good.”

“Yeah, and the vocalist sounds great.” he raises his glass, gaining [F/N]’s attention “Hey! You should sing for those guys more often! You’re great!” she gives him a grin, [F/N] was quickly drawing in a crowd and Eddie couldn’t help but admit that this was the best crowd they’ve had in a long time. [F/N] was having a great time, not remembering the last time she’s felt this exhilarated.

“Riding high on love's true bluish light~” the mic stand stood in between her legs and with each time she sung out “whoa”, her body went lower and lower until her knees were touching the ground while her head was thrown back, mic stand in between her legs as she continued to sing with the mic in her hands “Once had a love and it was a gas. Soon turned out, to be a pain in the ass~” [F/N] was laughing the moment the song was over, panting wildly as she was helped to her feet by Jeff and Nathan, having to be held up by them after losing the feeling in her legs after being on her knees for too long.

“That was fantastic, [F/N]!” Gareth cheered from backstage, she laughed at his enthusiasm from where she was sitting “You should preform for us more often! We basically got a full house!” at the mention Eddie was peeking from behind the curtains, face bright and sweaty.

“You know that this is temporary, Gare-bear.” she thanked one of the waitress’, a friend of hers, when they brought them a round of beers for their great performance “This was a one time thing only since Eddie lost his voice, don’t expect me to relent next time.” as she’s saying this Eddie was grabbing one of the beers but it was taken from him and replaced with a glass of water with a slice of lemon on the rim of the glass, he glared at her and she gave a stern one back.

“But come on, [F/N]! They loved you, don’t you miss performing?” Jeff asked, she made a face.

“Eehhh… maybe.” she answered truthfully, bringing the beer to her lips and taking a sip “But this is your thing, Corroded Coffin? I wouldn’t want to step in on something made and started by the four of you.” they watch Eddie move his hands a little wildly to try and mime what he was saying, luckily for them, they speak Eddie quite fluently so they understood what he was saying.

“Eddie’s right. You’re not coming in uninvited, we’re asking you to join us. You’re a jack of all trades, like if one of us is down, you can take over while we recover. A perfect backup.”

“Y’all are insufferable, you know that right?” they laughed when she walked off, saying she was going outside to get some fresh air or to smoke, she couldn’t remember. She past many drunken patrons but each one of them gave here their compliments on her performance, to which she thanked them with a laugh and smile before finally managing to squeeze her way outside. [F/N] was leaning against a wall outside the Hideout, smoking a cigarette while bobbing her head to the muffled sound of the music inside, today was great. Waking up and not seeing her parents, to her and Steve actually having a good conversation, to now where she actually enjoyed herself singing in front of a crowd. Maybe, just maybe, today will end on a great no—

“[F/N]!” damn, she spoke too soon. The shout of her name startled her, lurching off the wall and coughing up to smoke she had just inhaled into her mouth while also dropping her cigarette. She fans the smoke away while coughing into her fist to see who could have shouted her name, only for her heart to drop into her stomach to see that familiar White 1976 Buick Regal Turbo (this honestly seems like a car he would own)… that was her father’s car.

“D-Dad!” what was he doing in Hawkins? What was he doing on this part of town? He wouldn’t be caught dead here, how did he know that she was there when he basically neglected her entire existence? The only person that could have any clue on where she was would be— ah, goddammit, Steve. She really didn’t want to be alone anywhere near her father, the last time the two of them even acknowledge each other was when they were literally screaming at each other for something she couldn’t remember, probably something about her failing grades or some shit. She saw her father step out of the car along side her mother, but instead of striding up to her like her husband she remained by the car “W-What are you— what are you doing here, dad?”

“I think we both know why I’m here, [F/N].” she hadn’t been afraid of her father in years, he was nothing more than a joke in her eyes, but there was something in his eyes that frightened her that very moment. He stood before her, looming over her as he glared down at her while she struggled to keep her eyes on him, just the haunting look in his eyes made her nervous.

“I-I— I don’t—” she was startled when he grabbed her wrist and started tugging her towards his car “What are you— dad! Stop!” she tries tugging herself free but the grip he had on her was tight and definitely going to leave a bruise. Lauren frowned at the rough treatment but it had to be done, their daughter just wasn’t listening to them anymore and she needed to be taught that the consequences of her actions have finally caught up with her.

“Richard, is this really necessary?” she asked, he only scoffed at his wife’s thoughtless question. 

“If we don’t punish her accordingly, she’s never going to learn.” punishment? What the hell were they planning on doing to her? She was roughly thrown to the ground a few meters away from her mother, wincing when the rough concrete scraped at her hands and arms from the rough landing, she turns her head to look up at her father until her head was thrown in the opposite direction. Why, you ask? Well, that was because Richard Harrington struck his daughter across the face. Lauren flinched when she saw the red mark blossom on that side of her cheek and she could even feel the sting, her own hand subconscious lifting up to caress at her cheek. [F/N] was in disbelief that he father had actually struck her because he didn’t dare do it again when she stormed out of the house and the first person she saw the moment she stepped out of the Harrington household was Jim Hopper himself, and though he could easily have thought that it was just [F/N] picked another fight at school or some random person off the street, the look in her eye said otherwise.

“D-Dad—” she let out a gasp when he grabbed her by her hair and yanked her up, her hands flew up to grab him by his wrists to try and lessen the pain but there was just so much she could do.

“You’ve embarrassed me enough, [F/N]. I feel embarrassed having to be in this part of town just to come find you.” this time he punched her in the face, leaving her to grovel on the ground when he let go of her hair. She tries to push herself up but was only to be kicked down again, he scoffed as he watched his daughter grovel, pathetic “What did I do to have you as my daughter?” Lauren gave [F/N] a pitied look.

“R-RIchard, please—”

“Be quiet, Lauren!” she flinched back, [F/N] looked up at her mother in hopes that she would at least get her father to calm down but her heart dropped into her stomach when she looked away. Ah, so that’s how it is, huh? She grits her teeth when he grabbed her by the shoulder and turned her around so that she was on her back, grabbing her by the collar of her shirt before proceeding to beat her face in. Sure, she’s taken beatings from people at the Hideout and the few random strangers looking for a fight, but her father was by no means a weak man. He was big and if he really put his mind to it, he could beat you in a fight. Lauren was struggling to keep her composure each time Richard struck her face, her hands balling into fists each time his fist connected with her face, she let out a breath when Richard stopped for a second to catch his breath “I really didn’t want to have to come to this, [F/N], but you left me no choice.” [F/N] let out a groan when he pulled back to shake his hands, her blood splattered over the concrete floor.

“Don’t you think you’re being a little… drastic? That Sheriff is going to question why she looks like… that in the morning.” Richard scoffed, rolling his eyes.

“This is all because she can’t control herself, Lauren.” [F/N] manages to weakly lift her hand up to caress her face, let out a whimper at the amount of pain she was suffering through, she then weakly pushes herself onto her stomach tries to drag herself away to create of distance “Because of her, Steven is beginning to act rebellious! He’s starting to ignore us just like she did, and who knows how long till he stops caring! His grades are beginning to fall and he’ll end up just as much of a failure as our daughter who will never amount to anything! Because of her, Steven is started to act up towards us that he even told us to think of her!” [F/N] paused at what he said, Steve did… what? She knew that he was probably doing it out of the kindness of his heart, but because Steve stood up to their parents— to their father, he was taking his anger out on her? God, these were the times she wished Steve would just stay out of her business. She didn’t need his help for something as useless as mercy from their father, this never would happened if he just kept his goddamn mouth shut!

“Where did we go wrong?” 

“It doesn’t matter. I’ll just make sure she doesn’t get any future ideas.” her heart dropped into her stomach when she realised he turned his attention back to her, but she wasn’t going to take it anymore, not this time. The moment she felt him grab her by the shoulder she let out a grunt elbowed him hard in the nose, causing him to cry out in pain when she managed to break his nose, Lauren was quick to his side as [F/N] pushed herself so that she wasn’t on her stomach anymore and pushed herself away “You little brat!” she was panting wildly as she stared up at her parents in fear, but slowly, it turned into a burning hatred. She weakly pushes herself onto her feet, swaying a little after the continuous blows to the face, but manages to stand tall and glare at her father.

“You’re pathetic, mum.” she sneered out, spitting out the blood that pooled up in her mouth and wiping away the blood dripping from her nose “Fuck you too, dad. You’re an asshole and you’re both terrible parents.” she stared at them for a couple seconds before finally turning her back to them and walking back towards the Hideout, she didn’t bother giving them the satisfaction of looking at them when her father shouted at her.

“I’m no father of yours, [F/N]! From this day going forward, you’re no longer my daughter! You’ll never become anything without the Harrington name! You’re nothing!” she scoffed. “I was never your daughter to begin with.” she grits her teeth when she was left alone in the car park when she heard the tyres from her father— no, from Richard’s car screech when they pulled out and drove off. Her bottom lip trembled but she refused to cry, refused to give them the satisfaction that they got to her, so she held her head up and—

“[F/N]…?” her eyes widened when they met with Eddie’s, a look of absolute horror on his face. Did he… did he see all of that? His words fell to deaf ears because she was looking everywhere but at his face, her eyes started to blur with tears while her arms brought her hands to her face in an attempt to hide the damage Richard did but there was nothing she could do when Eddie grabbed her by her wrists and tried to pull them away so he could get a look at what he did to her “[F/N], oh my god, I’m so sorry I did— I heard you shouting and then I saw— I’m sorry I didn’t step in! I’m sorry!” he winced at the sound of how hoarse his voice was but he had to speak, he had to apologise that he couldn’t help her. He watched as that terrified look on her face melted away and was replaced with one of deep sadness, she let out a whimper until it turned into full on sobbing. Eddie pulled her into a hug and she cried into his chest, her arms weakly wrapping around him. He didn’t care if her blood mixed with her tears were smearing on his t-shirt, he could always get a new one, just right now he knew he needed to comfort his best friend.

“I-I don’t know what I did… I don’t know what I did to deserve this, Eddie.” he shook his head.

“You didn’t deserve this, [F/N], not at all. They just weren’t made to be parents, they didn’t know how to value you and your brother. Don’t even think for a second you deserved to be beaten like this.” she let out a cry and pulled herself closer to him, her fingers digging into the fabric of his shirt “You’re better than what they say you are, you are perfect and you are amazing.” she whined into his chest, when she finally pulled away she wiped at her face but winced at the pain.

“H-How much— how much exactly did you hear?” he frowned at her.

“Everything.” she grimaced and looked away, he tilted his head to get a look at her face “You gonna tell Ste—” a panicked look immediately appeared on her face.

“No! No, you can NOT tell Steve, you can’t!” she pressed a hand to her mouth “We only just fixed the damage of our relationship, if I tell him that it was because of what he said to them then he might not forgive himself, he might never look at me the same.” “But—” she shook her head.

“Eddie, promise me that you’ll NEVER tell him. I’ll take this to the grave if I have to, but he can never know about this from anyone but me.” he knew by that that she was NEVER going to tell him, but that desperate look in her swollen eyes got him to nod his head, albeit reluctantly.

“Alright, fine. I promise.” she softly nod her head.

“Good… good.” he catches her when she starts to sway again, he finally takes that as a sign to bring her back inside to help tend to the wounds he knew how to aid.

[present time]

“M-Me…? It was me?” the moment she finished her story Steve was staring at her in shock, he remembered that day. He remembered that day when their parents gave them their surprise visits, how their father complained about their useless daughter and how he couldn’t wait for the day she moved out so he didn’t have to house filth like her, though he shouldn’t have his expectations high for the one that was probably going to fail. Steve remembered how he finally raised his voice to their father, yelling at him that he shouldn’t talk about [F/N] like that when she used to be their pride and joy until they noticed how she had no more value to them and that they only had him because their first born was a mere daughter, something insignificant to them. He remembered how their parents left and soon as they returned and in the morning he was shocked to see [F/N] beaten and bruised at school, everyone thought that she had gotten into a fight at the Hideout because that was usually the reason as to why she’d ever look like that, even he thought that was the case “D-Dad, he— he did that to you?” she meekly nodded her head.

“I thought… I thought he was going to kill me, honestly.” she felt tears in her eyes “I was so scared, Steve. And I was angry because— because I just— fuck! I hate him, I hate him so much, Steve! And I hate mum because she went to him when I fought back! She didn’t even try to help me, and so I hate her for not trying! And I hated you, Steve! Because of you my life fell apart because I loved you, I loved my baby brother that hated me! I don’t know why I tried, but I knew if I gave up I’d just be letting them win! I just— I just wanted what we had before everything went to shit. I just wanted us to be siblings.” her face fell into her hands and she started to cry, wrapping her arms around herself and cried in front of Steve. She felt Steve approach her and instead of pulling her into a hug he just simply placed her hand on her shoulder.

“I… I’m glad you told me, [F/N]. I can tell that this is the first time you have been honest about your feelings.” he gave her a nervous laugh, looking away while scratching his cheek “I was a real asshole, I don’t know why you stuck around when you did. I don’t know why you loved me when you had every right to hate me, so in every twisted way, I’m glad you at least hated me.” she stared at him weirdly before bursting out into laughter.

“You’re weird, Steve.” soon he’s laughing with her after her claim, now they’re staring at each other breathless with silence falling over them. She flinched lightly when he raised his arms as an indication for a hug, she stared for a couple seconds but sighed and hugged him, and this time… this time she was able to relax into it, the two of them smiling brightly in their embrace. She let her head rest on his shoulder, her head leaning against the side of his head while her eyes closed. Her eyes opened and there she saw Billy staring at her with a warm smile, his hand lifting up to give her a thumbs up then turned his attention back to Max “I’m sorry, Steve.” he nod his head.

“And I’m sorry too, [F/N].” they stand there a couple seconds longer before letting each other go “Will you talk to Robin? I think she really needs it.” [F/N] takes a deep breath, closing her eyes and pinching her nose.

“Steve, taking to her might be a little harder for me.” her hand moved to her cover her mouth “I cheated on her, man, and she saw me doing it. Then I left her alone after breaking up with her and threatening her.” he placed a hand on her shoulder.

“And as much as I hate you for it, you and I both know you did it to protect her from the Mind Flayer.” she closed her eyes.

“But… you didn’t see the look in her eyes. I really am… our father’s child.”

“There’s no need for you to stoop so low just to insult yourself, [F/N].”

“But it’s true, isn’t it? I’m so much like him that it’s almost scary.”

“Then be better than him, because unlike him, you actually apologise.” he watched for a couple seconds when she finally nodded her head.

“What about you?” he raised a brow “You gonna talk with Billy about sort of relationship you’re going to have after all this? He still loves you, man.” she raised a brow when he let out a sigh, rubbing at his neck.

“I-I don’t know, I love Eddie, but Billy…” he shook his head, she pats his arm.

“Talk to him— them, talk to them both and see what to do from this point forward. If I’m talking to her, then you’ve got to talk to him. You’ve been dodging him as much as I’ve been dodging her. It’s only fair.” 

“… alright, fine.” she smiles, they both go off in opposite directions and [F/N] found herself taking Steve’s seat beside Robin. She was startled when she took a seat beside her, to which she thought it was Steve at first, so imagine her surprise when she turned to ask how his conversation went with [F/N], only to see her herself in his spot.

“[F/N]…” she muttered out softly, [F/N] still didn’t look at her and just looked up at the sky, her eyes closing as she felt the sun shining down on her.

“I missed the sun.” she spoke “Spent eight months in the dark with nothing but dark clouds and red lightning, We couldn’t even tell how many days went by because we had no sun to show if a day went by, not even clocks worked. I’d honestly rather not help with this suicide mission, I’d honestly rather just lounge around and bask in the sun, feels more productive if I’m being honest.” Robin nodded her head.

“I agree.” [F/N] hears Robin shuffle around for a couple seconds before settling down, she heard something rattle and only turned to face her when she spoke her name “[F/N], I have something of yours.” she looked down at her hands and her eyes widened when she saw what it was.

“That— I wasn’t finished with that!” it was the mixtape that she made her, she tries to take it but Robin pulls it out of her reach before she could take it “Robin, I—”

“I got pretty depressed, [F/N].” her eyes widened slightly at that “Maybe I would have gotten Vecna’ed if it weren’t for your mixtape, I didn’t know you sang at the very end because I would constantly replay it just because it was the last gift I got from you. It was the only thing I had left of your voice, and I’d be lying if I didn’t crave more. Man, I haven’t even told Steve about it.” [F/N] dropped her hand to her side.

“I-I’m… I’m sorry.” she takes a deep breath “I didn’t want to do what I had done, Robin. Believe me, I didn’t. I did everything to divert its attention on others so it wouldn’t target you and Steve, but that once instance you saw us in that alleyway and you were within arms reach… it made me want to strangle you and watch as the color would drain out of you.” Robin looked down and saw how one of her hands closed into a tight first, her other hand clamping down on her wrist “I couldn’t let it take you away, so I did the only thing I could think of to drive you away… even if it meant I’d lose you forever. I’m [F/N] Harrington, the one who lost everything.”

“I’ve forgiven you, but I can’t lie and say I didn’t hate you. I thought you loved me, that the rumours that the eldest daughter of the Harrington couple was a heartbreaker wasn’t true. You clearly loved me more than all those other flings, but that instance broke me, because you made me feel like all those other girls she tossed aside. I thought of was different from those other girls, that we were simply meant to be and you were my dream come true. I want us to work, I want us to be together… but I don’t know.” 

“Why would you want to be with me again?” she asked “I… I heard yours and Steve’s conversation before I took him away. You’ve clearly met someone else, Robin, don’t you want to try and work it out with them first before giving me a second chance?” she let out a sigh.

“I don’t think it’d work out with her, I saw her at the War Zone kissing her boyfriend.”

“Oh.” wow, what a way to rub salt into the wound. 

“Besides, I don’t even know if she swings that way to begin with, so I can’t take any real chances.” she nod her head and neither one of them know how to continue the conversation so they settle in silence once more, [F/N] flinched when she felt Robin’s hands bump against hers, she looked over and saw her offering her hand “It will take a long time for the both of us to love each other the way we did before, so before that, how’s about we settle with being friends again?” [F/N] looked down at her hand then at her face, Robin saw the way her hand hesitated to take hers, it flinching back when it lightly touched hers before finally settling down into the palm of her hand. Robin closed her hand around her and gave her a tearful smile, she could feel [F/N]’s hand tremble within hers so she squeezed her hand reassuringly. 

“Yeah… yeah, I can settle with being friends again.” they’re holdings hands and smiling nervously at each other, yeah, this will do. Robin noticed her flinch once more before turning her head in the direction where Steve, Billy and Eddie were. They watched the inaudible conversation to see that Steve was doing most of the talking, keeping a hand on Billy to keep him calm as he spoke to them both, they could only guess that Steve still had a bit of love left for Billy and unlike [F/N] who did break up with Robin, Steve and Billy’s relationship statue was a little unknown. In the end it was Steve pulling Billy into a hug then Eddie joining them with a big smile, Eddie felt eyes on him and saw it was [F/N] staring. She gave a questionable thumbs up but her face brightened when Eddie smiled and gave her a confident thumbs up, she grins and nods her head “Aw, it looks like they worked things out… hopefully.”

“Hopefully?”

“Remember how I said Billy and I feel the same thing?” she nods her head “I still feel a tiny bit of anger inside of Billy, though that’s probably just the possessive side of him and how he just wants Steve to himself. Unfortunately for him, he’s going to share now. I told him it would happen.”

“Would you be angry if I moved on?” she shook her head.

“I would have preferred it, because at least you would have found happiness with someone else instead of clinging to me who could no longer give it to you.” they enjoyed the rest of the time they had left together, still holding hands until Nancy called out to them that it was time. They first dropped Lucas, Erica, Max and Billy off at the Creel house, though [F/N] was a little hesitant to let Billy go because they haven’t been apart since they found each other in the Upside Down. She called him lucky that he didn’t have to go back in there, but he reasoned that someone had to keep an eye on his stupid little sister, so why not him? The others in the RV immediately noticed [F/N]’s change in character, how she settled herself in the back and was gripping her axe pretty slightly that could hear the wood begin to snap from the constant pressure they were sure she was going to snap it in half but was calmed down when Eddie moved from his spot beside Steve to comfort his friend.

“You doing alright?” she let out a shaky breath, her grip loosening for a second before going tight again.

“No.” she spoke, her voice strained “Throughout everything that happened with us, we were always together. I was losing my mind when I was in the Upside Down all alone, and now I’m going in there again without him. I’m anxious, Eddie.” she growled softly when he smacked her in the arm, glaring at him for doing such a thing but her gaze softened when he gave her a confident grin despite the nervousness seen in his eyes.

“But… you’ll have me.” her face softened at his words “And Dustin, but— you get the point, right? You won’t be alone, and you won’t be possessed/brainwashed/flayed. You will be you.” she stared at him then chuckled, dropping her face into her hands and shaking her head lightly.

“Sure, alright. You’ll make do, I suppose.” he gasped, placing a hand on his chest in an offended way.

“Is my presence not enough for the [F/N] Harrington? Why, I never.” she laughed and pushed him, Steve glanced back at the two through the rear view mirror, grinning himself when he saw Eddie wrap an arm around [F/N]’s shoulders and shake her around, at least he managed to calm her down. When he returned his gaze towards the road he let out a shaky breath.

“We’re here.” he announced, the mood immediately shifted and they hastily got ready.

“Okay. I wanna run through it one more time.” Nancy speaks, all eyes on her as she goes through the plan one more time “Phase one.”

“We meet Erica in the playground.” Robin starts “She’ll signal Max, Lucas and Billy when we’re ready.”

“Phase two?”

“Max baits Vecna.” Steve adds “He’ll go after her, which’ll put him in his trance.”

“Phase three?”

“Me, Eddie and [F/N] draw the bats away.” Dustin adds, to which both Eddie grabs places his hand on Dustin’s head to ruffle his head while [F/N] grabbed his shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

“Four.”

“We head into Vecna’s newly bat free laid, and… flambé.” Robin finishes.

“Nobody moves on to the next phase until we’ve all copied. Nobody deviates from the plan, no matter what. Got it?” they all nod their heads and with that they collect their gear and head out to Eddie’s trailer. Steve’s the first to enter the trailer, taking his bag off and tossing it to [F/N] who walked in behind him.

“Be careful.” she warned, he nods his head.

“Thanks. Here goes nothing.” they watch as he climbed through the fissure and when he was inside the Upside Down and gravity did its thing, he managed to flip his body around and land on his feet.

“Copycat.” [F/N] murmured, Robin chuckled.

“What does he want us to do, applaud?” this caused [F/N] to laugh and lightly tap her arm.

“I think it’d inflate his ego.” this caused them all to share a laugh, when Steve disappeared she cracked her neck and through her axe through and followed right after Steve, landing perfectly on her feet inside the Upside Down and giving Steve a smug look just as he came back into the room with another mattress.

“Show off.”

“Says you.” she picks up her axe, throwing it over her shoulder and watched Steve put the mattress under the fissure so the others could have a softer landing. Nancy was next through, Robin going to a knee so Nancy could step onto her thigh and lift herself through. She let out a grunt when she landed on the mattress and when she opened her eyes she was met with both [F/N] and Steve offering her a hand to help her up, letting out a yelp when she was literally thrown to her feet by the both of them. Next to go through was her stuff then Eddie, [F/N] let out a giggle as she hovered over his face with a grin to which he slowly mirrored it when she offered her hand to help him up. Followed him was his stuff then Robin, being helped up by Nancy and Steve and lastly the rest of the stuff and Dustin, who was yanked up by Steve and Eddie “Oh my babies! Mummy’s back!” [F/N] cooed as she kicked the door to Eddie’s trailer open, her arms wide open as she stepped out to greet her babies that waited patiently by her car.

“She’s got demodogs?” Dustin shouted at Steve, watching as [F/N] dropped to her knees to coo and coddle the five demodogs that were chittering and jumping around in excitement, happy to see one of their owners again.

“Yeah, she and Billy trained them better than you could ever.” Dustin let out an offended gasp, [F/N] just shook her head and pulled out some beef jerky and feed them to the demodogs.

“I’m sorry daddy isn’t here, but he wants me to send his love to you.” they whine at that but were happy nonetheless to see her after being separated from her for so long, she goes a few gestures with hands as she stood up then pointed her fingers to where Steve, Nancy and Robin were, they understood and left her side to stand with them “I told them to go with you to help take down Vecna, they should listen to you, Steve. And if they act smart, tell them they’re being bad.” Steve nervously looked down at the demodogs that stared up at him, he wished they had a face so he could tell if they were thinking of eating him “They’re not gonna eat you.”

“I wasn’t thinking that!” she just nodded her head.

“Right.” she shook her head and went over to where Eddie and Dustin were, Steve let out a sigh and turned towards them.

“Hey. If things here start to go south, I mean, at all, you abort. Okay? Draw the attention of the bats. Keep ‘em busy for a minute or two. We’ll take care of Vecna. Don’t try to be cute or be a hero or something, and I’m looking at you, [F/N].” he takes her hands and rubs his thumbs over her knuckles “I-I can’t… I can’t lose you, not again.” she gave him a soft smile.

“Yeah, I promise, I won’t do what I did last time. You’ll come back and I’ll be right here in one piece.” he raises his head and saw she was giving him a big grin, he let out a shaky breath, Eddie smiled himself and placed his hand on Steve’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry. You can be the hero, Steve.” Dustin says from behind him, to which Eddie nods.

“Absolutely. I mean, look at us. We are not heroes.” he nods at Eddie’s words but still hesitates to leave, scared that this was going to be the last time he saw Dustin and Eddie… that this will be the last time he was seeing [F/N]. He let out a breath when [F/N] pulled him into a hug, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and letting him relax into her hold.

“I promise you Steve, we’ll be right here waiting for you.” she feels him nod and though reluctant she let him go, she gives him a nod and gestures for him to go. He slowly nods then finally turns to leave with Nancy and Robin, well, that was until Eddie stepped forward and spoke.

“Hey, Steve?” despite only calling his name, they all turn around and look at Eddie. Steve raised a brow to indicate that he was listening, and though he felt like he was on the spot, he glanced back towards [F/N]. She gave him a look but she could see in his eyes that he was asking for permission to— she stared at him and likely glared at him for even thinking about— oh what the hell, she let out a sigh but nodded. He gave her a grateful smile before surging forward and grabbing Steve by the collar of his jacket, yanking him towards him and pulling him into a kiss. Nancy and Robin respectfully looked away while [F/N] rolled her eyes and lifted her hand to cover Dustin’s eyes. They were panting when they pulled away but chuckled softly together, letting their foreheads rest against each other as they caught their breath “Make him pay.”

“You’ve got it.” Eddie finally lets them leave, he watched him a little longer than he should have because when he turned around he was met with [F/N] glaring at him with her arms crossed.

“What?” she rolled her eyes.

“Make him pay.” she mimicked in her best Eddie voice before scoffing “Real smooth, romeo.” he shoved her.

“Oh, yeah? Like you can do better!” she raised a brow at him, giving him a incredulous expression.

“Please, you reek of virginity. Despite being with Steve for as long as you did, I know you’ve gotten no dick nor ass.” she snickers when his face turned bright red, she ignored his shouting but stopped when she heard panting, looking down only to see one of the demodogs had stayed behind “You— I told you to go help Steve and the others! Go!” it only let out a whine while tilting its head to the side, she let out a sigh as she kneeled down to pet its head “Oh, how could I stay mad at you. Staying by my side till the very end, such devoted loyalty.”

“Shall we get started?” Dustin asked from behind her, she glanced in the direction Steve at them went and let out a sigh.

“Yeah, let’s do this.” the two use bolt cutters to clip away at the wires on the fence while [F/N] effortlessly tears it off herself with her barehands, she glares at the two when they forced her to carry the heavy stuff they needed to barricade Eddie’s trailer. She’s holding Dustin by the scruff of his jacket so he could help Eddie screw sheets of iron over the windows, she gave up helping them and in the end sat on the hood of her car feeding her demogorgon bits of beef jerky while eating some herself.

“You going to help us?!” she looked up at them.

“Nah, you got this.” they groan at her, she got up when she saw they were done and stood beside Dustin.

“Not bad at all.” she hummed.

“Well done, doesn’t look like it’s gonna fall apart.” he glare at her.

“No thanks to you.” Eddie shook his head.

“Now for the fun part.” he spoke and rushes to his room, the other two lagging behind. He came to a stop at the sight of his prized guitar, a gift both herself and Wayne pitched in the moment he desired to own such a beauty “Jesus chr… it’l like… she was destined fo ran alternate dimension. What do you say Henderson, Harrington?” he spoke, slowly approaching his guitar before grabbing it and picking it up from where it was hanging “Are you ready for the most metal concert in the history of the world?”

“That a rhetorical question.” [F/N] chuckled at him.

“Let’s do it.” they’re back outside setting up the rest of the stuff on top of Eddie’s trailer, him leaving the technical stuff to the two smart people but stopped [F/N] so he could talk with her “Hey.” she smiled softly at him.

“Hey. What’s up, dude?” she looked down when she noticed he had something behind his back before revealing it to her, her eyes widened slightly at what she saw “E-Eddie, no. I can’t—” what he was handing her was a microphone he found laying around.

“It’s been years since the last time I’ve heard you sing, [F/N].”

“And you know why I don’t.” he nods softly. 

“Yeah, and I don’t want to overstep, but I’d love to hear you sing… even if it’s for the last time.” he pushes the mic into her hand and walks off, she stares at his retreating form then glares at him.

“Are you guilt tripping me, you son of a bitch?” he didn’t answer her and left her to mull over the option of singing as he played, she was sitting over the edge of the trailer and felt a tug on the end of the mic to see that it was Dustin plugging it in, he gave her a thumbs up and she thought, fuck it, why the hell not?

“She’s in. Move on to phase three.” hearing Robin’s voice through the walkie talkie caused them all to look over at each other, they share a nod and get ready as Dustin brings it to his lips to speak.

“Copy that. Initiating phase three. Let’s hope they hear this.” [F/N] lets out a yawn as she stands to her feet, grabbing at the mic stand and setting up the mic while grabbing at the discarded bottle of alcohol she brought and took a swig from it then throwing it away.

“Don’t worry about that, they’ll hear it for sure.” Dustin plugs in the amp and nods at Eddie, who returns it.

“Chrissy, this is for you.” he rips his pick off his neck and strikes his guitar, the intro to “Master of Puppets” by Metallica beginning to play, both herself and Dustin smile and bob their head to Eddie shredding on the guitar and absolutely having the time of his life but paused for a second to look over at [F/N]. They stare at each other for a couple seconds before she rolled her eyes and looking down at the mic, she let out a sigh before grabbing it and screaming into it.

“Yeeeah!” the shout definitely startled Dustin because he wasn’t expecting it but Eddie grinned, this was the [F/N] he knew and missed. The gang heading into the Creel house heard from where they were Eddie’s guitar but they didn’t expect to hear [F/N]’s voice singing along to Eddie’s playing, Robin and Steve look at each other and smile. [F/N] was grinning, tapping her foot against the ground and head banging to the sound of music in her ears, her mind going back to the time when she wasn’t so afraid of performing, this was something she definitely missed “Master of puppets, I'm pulling your strings~” at the break of the song she lets out a pant and looks over at Eddie, their eyes meet and they start laughing. She steps towards him with the mic and then they’re singing together as if it were old times, not like they were about to get eaten by a flock of deadly demobats.

“Eddie! [F/N]!” they look over at him “We gotta lock down in t-minus thirty seconds!” they nod and keep going.

“Master, master! Just call my name ‘cause I’ll hear you scream~” both her and Eddie then shake their heads, hair flying everywhere when Eddie starts to shred of the guitar as Dustin gives them their countdown and they only stop when Dustin screams out one, the cord of the last note echoing through the now empty Upside Down but then they’re screaming when they realised a lot of the demobats were heading their way. [F/N] immediately drops the mic and grabs Eddie by his arm and shoves him forward, to which he drops his guitar and the both of them are rushing over to grab Dustin and push him back.

“Move! Move! Move!”

“Let’s go!”

“Hurry it up!” she brings her fingers to her lips and whistles sharply, her demodog shooting past the lot of them and waiting by the door.

“Eddie, come on!”

“Hurry!” Dustin was the first in the trailer followed by [F/N] and her demodog, leaving Eddie to close off the fenced gate he and Dustin made before finally jumping into the trailer and closing the door right behind him. [F/N] is panting, trying to catch her breath after just singing and then running away while also checking on her demodog, leaving Dustin and Eddie to geek out after their performance “Dude! Most metal ever!”

“Oh my… oh my god!” she just shook her head, her hand gently petting her baby “Dude, [F/N]! You were great! I’m was so happy to hear your voice again.” she just shrugged her shoulders.

“Eh, it was nothing. You sounded great on your guitar, never lost your touch.” he pulls her onto her feet and hugs her, smiling when he felt her drape herself over his shoulder and lazily hug him back. They both raise a brow when they felt something else so they look over and see that it was Dustin wrapping his arms around the both of them and leaning into their hug, they shake their head and include him. The three of them now found themselves underneath the fissure back to back, slowly moving and watching for anything, any sign of one of the demobats breaking through the barricade as they banged at the walls and screeched. [F/N] furrowed her brows when the screeching stopped, even her demodog snapped its head up when it noticed the lack of noise.

“Hey, dipshits!” Dustin’s sudden screaming startled her and Eddie, causing the two of them to whip their heads towards him “Give up that easy, huh?!” [F/N] slams her hand on top of his head and shakes it while Eddie hisses at him.

“Shh! Is that really necessary?”

“Don’t try and be brave, kid.” they hear clattering and look up, [F/N] grimaced at the realisation “Just great.”

“Shit, shit, shit.”

“They’re on the roof.” they’re following the sound though [F/N] made sure her demodog went ahead of them as they stuck close to Dustin, they were making all sorts of noise on the roof that they all grimaced at the thought of them somehow getting inside. They stop when her demodog was growling at the vent, Dustin paled and look back at them.

“They can’t get in through there, can they?” their eyes widened when one of the bats broke through the vent and snarled at them.

“Oh yes they can! Move!” she shook her head when they both started yelling, she grabbed her demodog and pulled him back to allow Eddie and Dustin to stab at the thing through the vents.

“Die! Die!” it was a little funny watching them jab at the thing while continuously screaming “die” at it, it was amusing “You gonna help us or what?!” she just shrugged.

“You guys look like you’ve got this handled!” it was startling to see how calm she was in this situation, well, what did they expect from someone who survived in the Upside Down for eight months, half of it spent alone while also fighting monsters bigger than herself. She wasn’t scared in the slightest, the only thing that made her nervous was Eddie and Dustin getting hurt. Her eyes then settled on the nailed shields and thought of an idea, she leaves their side and picks one up “Move, move!” they move and she blocks the vent, the nails digging through the ceiling and allowing it to stay in place.

“Good thinking.”

“Thanks.” Dustin’s panting on the floor when a thought comes to mind.

“Are there other vents?” Eddie and [F/N] look at each other.

“Oh, shit!” [F/N] was quick to leave his side and rush to his room with the other three following, when she got to his room a swarm of them burst through the air vent and were quick to fill up the room. She let out a growl and quickly closed the door before any could get any further, she grimaced as she backed away and kept her eyes on it, pushing Eddie back into the living room where her demodog was tugging Dustin back.

“That’s not gonna hold!” he shouts.

“Let’s go! Let’s go!” Eddie looked at [F/N] and saw she still hadn’t moved yet, her grip violent on her axe that he was sure it was going to snap in half. She jumped when he grabbed her by the arm, she looked back towards him and he gently tugged her arm “Let’s go.” he gestured with his head towards Dustin and there they saw the terrified look on his face, she looked back at Eddie and nodded her head.

“Alright.” they let Dustin go through first, her kneeling down and cupping her hands to give him a hand, she didn’t want her demodog getting torn to shreds either so she chucked him through and went to follow. She didn’t bother catching herself this time and instead landed on the mattress, laying on it for a couple seconds before rolling off it and letting out a tired groan “This better be over.” she pushed herself up so she was leaning on her hands, chuckling softly when her demodog rubbed his head against her shoulder.

“Eddie?” she looked up and noticed the way Eddie stopped climbing as he looked back at them then back at the door to his room, some sort of realisation dawned on his face that caused [F/N] to stand to her feet when he moved away from the rope connecting them to the Upside Down.

“What are you doing?” she called out to him, her eyes widening when she saw him grab his spear “Eddie, no!” he then cuts the rope, she reached forward and their half dropped into her hands.

“Eddie! Stop, what are you doing?!” Eddie goes so far as to move the mattress so if they did manage to get through they had nothing to break their fall, he comes back into view and gives them an apologetic look.

“I’m sorry, but I’m buying more time!”

“No!”

“You’re going to get yourself killed! You don’t stand a chance against them alone!” he gave a shrug and turned, her hands were in her hair as she tried to think of anything to get him to stop “Ste… Steve loves you, Eddie!” this was enough to get him to pause, she took that as her chance to keep going “He loves you, Eddie, and I do to. I don’t know what I’m going to tell him if you’re gone… he already lost me and Billy, I don’t want to be there to tell him he lost you too. Please, don’t do this.” Eddie looked up at her.

“Are you saying that to guilt trip me?” the sadness in her voice immediately dropped as she gave him a glare.

“Is it working?”

“Yeah, it almost did.” he turned his back to her and started walking away, laughing softly when he heard her shout at him.

“You motherfucker! I’m gonna break your goddamn legs when I come get your ass! Just you wait, you piece of shit! I’m gonna kick you ass if you walk away, Eddie! Don’t you fucking dare, Eddie!” and with that he was out the door and drawing the demobats away liked he said he would, her hand closed into a tight fist as a deadly look washed over her face.

“[F-F/N]! What are we going to do?” he flinched back when he saw how livid she was.

“I’m going after him, that’s what I’m doing.” she whistles and her demodog was at her feet, he jumps into her arms to which she quickly but as gently as she could chucked him back through into the Upside Down, letting out a breath of relief when he didn’t get hurt too badly because there wasn’t a soft landing to break his fall.

“A-And what about me? What am I supposed to do?” she ignored him to find a chair.

“You’re staying here.” was all she said when she found a chair high enough to help her jump through, she sets it down when Dustin grabbed her arm. “No! I want to help! Let me help you!” his breath hitched in his throat when she turned back towards him, grabbing him by his biceps and shaking him softly.

“YOU are staying right HERE!” she gave him a sad look by the terrified look her gave her, she shook her head and let him go “You have to stay here, because if you get hurt Steve will have my head that I wasn’t able to protect both you and Eddie! We’re supposed to be waiting right here for them… but he just had to go off and save this shitty town that doesn’t deserve him!” she left him with that, turning away to jump onto the chair then pull herself through the fissure, letting out a grunt when she landed on the ground on her side. She dusted herself off and quickly stood to her feet, not sparing Dustin another look despite him calling her name, throwing the door open and grimacing at the sight of the swarm of demobats following after Eddie. Her face relaxed when she saw that her car was still where she left it so she reached into her pocket for her keys, only to pale when she didn’t feel them anywhere so she desperately pats at all the pockets she had and didn’t find them anywhere. Where were they? She always kept them in her pocket, she couldn’t have— she paused when she remembered him pulling her into that hug, that bastard must have taken them then.

“Ah!” the pained scream caused her to whip her head around to see that Dustin have followed her, spraining his ankle in the process from the awkward landing.

“What are you— why did you follow me? I told you to stay back!” she rushes to his side to turn onto his back, he grabbed her by her shoulder and pulled himself up so that they were face to face.

“Like hell I was going to be left behind, you’re taking me with you!” she stared at him, he saw her face twitch as she debated her choices “We don’t have enough time, come on!” she let out a groan.

“Fucking, fine!” when she stood up he expected her to help him up but instead she picked him up and threw him over her shoulder, kicking the door open and whistle again to get her demodog to follow her. She opens the passenger side door and plops him down in the sit, closing the door behind him then going over to the drivers side. Dustin watched as she punched through the underside of her stirring wheel and rip out a couple wires, using her axe to cut through a couple to expose the conductors, striking them a couple times and gritting her teeth when her engine sputtered but didn’t roar “Fucking asshole! Stealing my keys. Making me hot wire my own car. I’m gonna kill him! He’s gonna be revoked of his best friend rights.” she and Dustin let out a cheer when she finally managed to get her car to start, her hand slapping against her console before jumping in.

“Let’s go, let’s go!” she didn’t hesitate to change gears, her foot slamming down on the gas and driving like crazy to where the bats and hopefully still Eddie were. Right now she didn’t care about how much noise she was making, driving cautiously in the Upside Down didn’t matter because she needed to get those fuckers attention so they weren’t swarming Eddie as much, but the roar of her car did little to nothing in comparison to a real meal being presented to them. She slams on the breaks when she finally finds Eddie, her heart dropping into her stomach at the sight of him being held down by those fuckers as they ate away.

“Eddie!” she cried out over his own screams, she grits her teeth and kicks her door open while grabbing her axe. She’s running over as quickly as she could to get to Eddie before it’s too late, her demodog running ahead of her to get to the demobats holding him down. Eddie lets out a gasp at the sight but was astonished when the blade of [F/N]’s bloodied axe comes into view, her veins now black as she let out an animalistic roar at the monsters. She’s killing them easily, the blade of her axe splitting them in two and their blood smearing all over her face and clothes, she goes so far as to picking up his fallen spear and breaking the blade of it off, stabbing at one of the demobats that was holding him down and ripping another in half after grabbing a hold of it “You’re a lucky son of a bitch, you bitch.” he let out a wheeze, coughing up blood but still managing to laugh.

“I knew you’d come...” she scowled at him, leaning down to grab him by the waist and hoist him onto her shoulder. 

“I’m still telling on you.” that was enough to get him to shut up, now she was aimlessly swinging to keep the bats away from her, using her arm to bat them away as well. She ignored the few that attached themselves to the few exposed spots on her body, biting into her flesh and ripping her skin off, but she ignored them and hurried along to get Eddie in her car and safe. Dustin was shouting at her to run, for her to hurry, and alright kid she was trying her damn hardest, but she finally managed and threw him in the back sit but before she could even get in she was suddenly grabbed by her ankle and dragged back.

“[F/N]!” she let out a grunt when they were. really beginning to swarm her, raising her arms so they didn’t get too close to her face. She grabs at the fallen dagger and stabs it through the mouth of one of the bats that was aiming for her face, she would have been in real trouble if her demodog wasn’t there as her sidekick. It fought off the remaining few surrounding her before grabbing her by the back of her jacket and dragged her back to her car before jumping in himself “Y-You’re okay…” Dustin breathed out, arms reaching forward when she got in, bloodied and breathing heavily, but otherwise alright.

“Yeah, but not for long!” the screeching of the bats snapped their heads up, now the two boys in her car were shouting at her to drive, she didn’t need to be told that twice. Losing the bats were easy, they were no match for her mustang, but losing them they couldn’t afford. They still needed to do their job and distract those fuckers long enough for Steve, Nancy and Robin to put that Vecna bitch in the grave so she had to keep a fair distance from those bastards until they were done. So for now her arm reached back to where Eddie was laying and started hitting him “You motherfucker!”

“Ah, hey! I-I’m bleeding back here!” she hits him again. 

“How fucking dare you, Eddie! How dare you put me in that situation! You were going to be killed and I was going to have to be that person to tell him that you were gone! You were going to die for something so… dumb!” her eyes started to get blurry with tears, she sniffled “He told you not be a hero, dammit. Why didn’t you listen?” he stared at the back of her head, his own vision getting blurry from the lack of blood along with his new wounds. 

“Don’t know… wanted to be like you.” she looked at him through the rear view mirror “Strong… brave… confident. You’re amazing, [F/N],” she let out a shuddered laugh.

“I’m anything but that. I’m weak, fragile and scared. I’m angry and broken, and I’m about to shatter if you die so if you die I’m snitching on you.” he laughs weakly.

“You’re snitching regardless.”

“Yes, I am.” at this point she was just driving around aimlessly, those fuckers weren’t getting tired and they certainly weren’t giving up any time soon, persistent bastards. She started to slow only when she noticed they were beginning to fall like flies, she came to a halt when they were all beginning to drop from the sky and die, she let out a tired huff and dropped onto her wheel “They did it…” Dustin hobbles out of the car and let out a relieved smile at the sight of all the bats dying.

“Whoo! They did it! They actually killed Vecna!” he let out a scream when a bat landed on the car, he then noticed that [F/N] was in the backseat and giving Eddie basic aid to try and stop his wounds from bleeding. She rolled her eyes when he started complaining that she was making it hurt, oh yeah? Keep complaining and she’ll make sure it hurts even more “Eddie, you asshole! I’d hit you if you weren’t practically dying right now.”

“Hit him, I’ll patch him up.” Eddie and Dustin share a look, she chuckles when Eddie was left groaning because Dustin managed to kick him in the shin “Well done, now sit still you bitch.” she tightens the makeshift bandages she was using out of her torn shirt and try and stop the bleeding.

“Nnhh, I’m tryin…” she frowned when he was started to slur his words, they needed to get him to a hospital quick or at least get him cleaned up and properly stitched up. She knew a thing or two about fixing wounds and shit, but this was seriously out of her hands.

“C-Can’t you do something?” Dustin asked from beside her, she raised her hands.

“Billy and I got wounds from these bastards many times, but we could easily heal from them. See?” she shows her arm and Dustin noticed that the bite marks from the bats healed over as if there was nothing wrong to begin with “I don’t know how much I can help him other then basic first aid. We NEED to get him to a hospital.” Dustin shakes his head.

“N-No! They’ll arrest him.”

“But he’ll die otherwise. I’m no doctor, but he could die if these wounds aren’t treated.” Dustin looked down at his pained face and frowned, knowing that what she was saying was right “But right now, let’s get you both out of here. Let’s get the others and get the fuck out of here.” he slowly nods.

“Okay…” she nods and helps him back into the car, taking off her jacket and laying underneath Eddie’s head, Eddie taking off his own little shawl to lay it on top of Eddie. [F/N] drives quickly but carefully as to not injure Eddie any further to the Creel house, letting out a breath when it comes into view along with the other three. She comes to a stop right in front of them, her window coming down and giving them a nervous grin.

“Get in bitches, we’re getting out of here.” Steve laughs at the sight of his sister and let out a breath of relief when he saw Dustin in the passenger seat, did he manage to fight Eddie for the seat? He opens the back door and he gasped at the sight of his boyfriend, bloodied and wrapped in makeshift bandages who was barely conscious “Just for the record, it wasn’t my fault.”

“[F/N]!”

“And if you don’t want him to die, I suggest you get in the car so we can get him some real help.”

“[F/N]!”

“Just saying.”

More Posts from Ultimatelytired and Others

3 years ago

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word count: 6453

Fandom: FNAF Security Breach  Pairing: N/A x Female!Reader Pronouns: She/Her  Relationship: N/A Occupation: Mechanic Ability: N/A

Keys:

[F/N]: Female Name  [L/N]: Last Name [N/N]: Nickname [H/C]: Hair Color [E/C]: Eye Color

Warnings: spoilers to those who haven’t seen fnaf sb.

image

"You hired me, a person who majored in Mechanical Engineering, to repair damages around the Pizza Plex and the occasional animatronics when they’re damaged?” [F/N] questioned, hands tucked into the pockets of her overalls as she looked at the people who hired her “I better be getting paid good money for this, because this is not what I signed up for.” one of her few employers laughed, throwing their head back before placing a hand on her shoulder.

“Don’t worry about it. You’ll be getting paid your share, you’ll even get bonus’ for everything you fix around the Pizza Plex.” she raised a brow at that, they smirked when they piqued her interest “Everything involving the job should be in the contract that you signed, but we are also not responsible for any harm that comes your way as you work here, mmkay?” she gave them a look.

“What is that supposed to mean?” she questions, only to be ignored when they walked over to their desk to grab something, she lets out a sigh, head hanging low before looking up and crossing her arms “So all I need is to keep the machines in tip top condition and fix anything that needs a little fixing? That’s it?” they nod their head.

“Oh, and if we need you to do anything else, we’ll call for you.” they let out a small cheer when they managed to find what they were looking for and so they handed it to her “That’s a high leveled security badge, don’t lose it now, because that’s the only thing that gives you access to the entire property.” they explain, she nods her head before proceeding to put it into one of the many pockets within her utility belt.

“Am I mainly going to be stationed within Parts and Service?” they nod their head, grabbing a clipboard and reading through it.

“Uh huh. You’re free to roam around the Pizza Plex, but when you’re needed somewhere or you need to return to Parts and Service, we’ll send you a notification on your Faz Watch.” at the mention of that, [F/N] glanced down at the watch and looked at the many things it had to offer.

“Hmm, cool.” she muttered to herself as she clicked on a few things. 

“What you need to know about each bots and how to fix them should be in Parts and Service, give them a read when you have to the time, okay?” she nods her head “Alright, for now, go introduce yourself to a few of the animatronics and Officer Vanessa.” she looked back at them.

“Officer Vanessa?” they nod.

“Mm, one of the few human security guards.”

“Ah.” she was then promptly pushed out of the office, she rolled her shoulders before glancing down at her Faz Watch once more and walked off in the direction of where the elevators were, she pushes the button to stop at a floor before going on a small venture to find the Green Rooms of the Glamrock Band. She now looks around in confusion when she somehow found herself in the main lobby instead, she lets out a long sigh “Fucking dammit, this map is hard to read.”

“Need a hand?” raising her head, she was met with a woman who looked just as equally tired as she was, she wore a simple uniform of a white dress shirt with black buttons, shoulder pads and a badge on the left side of her shirt, a pair of black jeans and a cap that said SECURITY on it that sat upon her blonde hair that was tied in a ponytail, even her green eyes looked tired “You must be the new mechanic?” she jokingly salutes.

“And you’re Officer Vanessa.” she shrugs her shoulders.

“That’s me.” she offers her a hand and they shake hands “The name’s Vanessa A, you can call me Vanessa, or whatever you want. I work as a Security Guard for the Pizza Plex.” [F/N] does the OK gesture with her hand before placing a hand on her chest.

“[F/N] [L/N], and I work as a mechanic.” Vanessa nods her head before waving her hand to gesture for the other to follow her.

“I can only assume you’re looking for the animatronics, so I’ll help introduce you.” [F/N] grins as she follows her new workmate.

“Thanks a lot, Ness!” she cheers, Vanessa rolls her eyes but secretly smiled at the nickname. [F/N] followed closely behind Vanessa as she led her to where the Glamrock Gang were being held, asking questions here and there about each animatronic and what their functions were “Oh! I heard that bear and chicken were the original ones during the early stages of the franchise, right? Freddy and Chica, right? The other two were... Bonnie and Foxy?” she nods.

“Wow, you still remember that stuff?” she chuckles to herself, rubbing the back of her head.

“Heh, you could say I was a bit of a fan when I was younger, but it’s been so long since I’ve last been here that I’m surprise I still remember.” 

“Then you must be living in a dream that you’re finally working within your favorite franchise.” [F/N] hums at that, a soft smile appearing on her face.

“Right.” Vanessa nods her head and left it at that.

“Welp, here we are.” Vanessa starts, entering the lobby that led to each of the Glamrock’s Green Rooms “Welcome to Rockstar Row. It starts with Freddy Fazbear, Roxanne Wolf, Montgomery Gator then lastly Glamrock Chica.” [F/N] nods her head, looking around in awe at everything within Rockstar Row.

“Radical.” Vanessa narrows her eyes at the woman, did she just-- she shook her head before raising her wrist up so she could press a button on her own Faz Watch, calling the animatronics in the area to come to them.

“If you ever need to find the animatronics or need them to come to you, just push this button on the Faz Watch and they’ll come straight to you.” she was going to question that but paused when she heard loud thumping, things even started to shake, turning her towards the room, she let out a startled shriek when the four animatronics came barreling towards them.

“Holy shit!” she shouts, Vanessa waves her hands.

“You get used to it.” a bead of sweat bled down the side of her face at that.

“Huh?”

“Officer Vanessa.” raising her head, the person who spoke was the iconic Glamrock Freddy, the face of Freddy Fazbear’s Mega Pizza Plex, despite being a machine, he gave the two of them a warm smile “What seems to be the issue if you called us all here?” Vanessa waved her hand before gesturing to [F/N], who stood rather awkwardly beside Vanessa.

“I just need you to meet the new mechanic, introduce yourself newbie.” said woman pouted at that before giving the four animatronics a wave.

“Hey, [F/N] [L/N], at your service. Ready to fix you or upgrade you when the time comes, I’m there when you need me or I’m just hanging around in Parts and Service.” Freddy smiles once more before taking his hat off to her and nodding his head.

“Hello, [F/N]. I am Glamrock Freddy, but you probably already knew that, didn’t you?” Freddy says, voice sounding playful, he then lets out a whoa when he was pushed to the side by Chica, who beamed down at [F/N] with a bright smile.

“I’m Glamrock Chica, so lovely to meet you!” she straightens her posture as she continued to wave her hand towards the newest employee, Roxanne was next, crossing her arms while throwing her hair over her shoulder.

“Roxanne Wolf, and don’t you forget it.” she growls when Monty pulls her back, [F/N] leaning backwards when the alligator leaned in close, a big grin along his face while baring his teeth.

“The name’s Montgomery Gator, and you’ll probably be seeing me a lot.” [F/N] glances over at Vanessa as Freddy grabs Monty by his shoulders and pulls him away from her.

“What does he mean by that?” Roxy answers that question before Vanessa could even open her mouth.

“Because Monty is the most destructive out of us all, especially when he has his temper tantrums.” Monty growls at Roxy, who snickers to herself from behind Chica, who got in between the two of them before Monty could get his hands on her, Freddy was behind Monty and holding him back from doing anything brash, Vanessa just exhales loudly.

“I’d say he’s just overly emotional, but they all are, he’s just more physically violent.” she explains “But he’s actually a really chill guy, just try not to agitate him, okay?” [F/N] gives her a thumbs up.

“Got it.” she bids the four animatronics goodbye, following Vanessa out of Rockstar Row to Parts and Service “Aren’t there a few other animatronics?” the blonde nods her head.

“Mm hmm, the Daycare Attendant that resides in the Daycare, if you couldn’t already guess, and DJ Music Man, or DJMM for short, who’s booth is within the Fazcade. He’s the biggest animatronic within the Pizza Plex, but he’s actually a really nice guy, so don’t mind his size.” she nods her head.

“Mmkay, I’ll take your word for it.” the journey to Parts and Service was a short one, but it was calm as the two walked in silence “I guess this is my stop.” [F/N] murmured to herself as she stopped right in front of the door that was labeled PARTS AND Service, Vanessa looks at her and nods her head.

“I guess so.” she rubs the back of her head before pointing at her Faz Watch “If you ever need anything, you can contact me on the Faz Watch or your walkie talkie, either works.” she salutes her once more.

“Righto, Officer Ness.” Vanessa couldn’t help but chuckle at that, she salutes her back.

“Then I’ll see you around, Mechanic [N/N].” both women laugh before Vanessa finally left to do her duties, [F/N] lets out a deep sigh before entering her new “office” that she’ll probably be forced to confide in majority of her time working there. She pulls a face at the dark room that looked all gloomy and boring, she lets out a groan as he body slumped while she threw her head back.

“What a dumpster fire.”

[a few weeks later]

“The lights have been going off in the Daycare at random times then from their set times?” a few weeks into her new job and she’s already wishing she was in a coma because at least she would get some decent sleep, her sleep schedule had gone and fucked off within the first week of working as the Mega Pizza Plex’s new mechanic, having worked hours without a clear schedule and having to come in whenever they gave her a call. Parts and Service had practically become her second home at this rate, she cleaned the place up and added a few things here and there to make it more lively, at least it didn’t look like she was in an abandoned laboratory.

True to their words, Monty was the animatronic that came into Parts and Service more often compared to the others. Majority of the time his claws or arms would be busted from the time he would lose his temper, sometimes he would overheat and he would short circuit and she would need to cool him down while repairing his claws from the damages done by the constant beating they got whenever he lost his temper. It got to the point that she had to upgrade them herself and add a few extra details to stop Monty from damaging them to the point they wouldn’t be recognizable. But his constant visits meant they had plenty of time to get along and talk about whatever comes to either of their minds, sometimes the gator would bring his guitar just so he could play a couple songs to her and ask for her opinion. In return, [F/N] would bring her record player and old records and have different songs play as she worked on Monty and later ask which song he liked most from each album.

Freddy would come and visit [F/N] just to simply talk and keep her company, [F/N] would take that opportunity to do some weekly check ups and to see if his system was in order, having been told by her higher ups that since he was the face of the entire Pizzeria and one of the most popular animatronics, he needed to be handled with extra care and that she couldn’t fuck up no matter what. Freddy was always in great condition and the most she would do with him was update his system while also giving his shell a good clean, other than that, they two of them would often have nice chats.

Roxy was something, alright. The first time she came into Parts and Service was when an accident happened on her raceway and she had to come and get herself fixed; cleaned up, per say, because she was a total wreck. [F/N] sweat dropped when the wolf was crying oil from her eyes, wailing how she looked like a disaster and that if she didn’t look the best nobody was going to like. This leads to [F/N] giving her eyes an upgrade and practically giving the wolf a complete makeover, she wiped the oil off her forehead with a rag and watched the way Roxy marveled at her look within a mirror. From then on, Roxy wolf visit [F/N] for a preen up and talk about anything that annoyed her that day or just to watch her as [F/N] worked on other things.

Her and Chica was a little funny. Chica reminded [F/N] of one of those fitness instructors from those old T.V shows, and it showed by the way Chica spoke like one of the motivational speakers whenever [F/N] worked, The chicken was also a sweetheart because she would bring [F/N] food and water to keep her steady and hydrated, she scolded the woman when she saw her bring a bottle of alcohol and energy drinks into Parts and Service just to down the bottles, saying that it was to keep her from falling asleep. Chica’s maintenance would be just deep cleaning, she was told that Chica would sometimes glitch out and each from the trash or food in general, cleaning her stomach cavity was a nightmare because it was absolute filthy. She never told the girl, because she thought that it would make her cry, so she keeps that to herself as she works.

Now her relationship with Vanessa, it was a good one. Vanessa leaned towards a quiet and stern personality, while [F/N] was a bit more relaxed and carefree, but they got along quite nicely. [F/N] was already friendly with the woman and knowing how she preferred being in her own personal space, she respected that and would visit her after informing the security guard through their Faz Watch’s. The two of them would have simple and subtle conversations whenever they were together and only when Vanessa has had her wake up call would be when she’s more expressive and less dead inside, it’s quite funny, honestly. Other than that, the rare moments Vanessa would visit [F/N] in Parts and Service would be the blonde woman reveling in the workshop as [F/N] worked on repairs and whatnots in absolute silence just to simple calm herself and leave herself to her thoughts.

Anyways-

“Yeah, apparently the lights have been going off then when they’re scheduled to go off.” Vanessa informed her “Moon has also been leaving the Daycare whenever it happens and has been causing a bit of a ruckus.” this causes [F/N] to raise her head from what she was doing and look over at her.

“Is that the reason why so many of the S.T.A.F.F Bots have been coming to Parts and Service in pieces? I guess it wasn’t Monty after all.” 

“See, I told you it wasn’t me!” she presses her lips to a thin line, glancing down at Monty, who was on the chair within the Protective Cylinder with his chest open and her hands fixing up his wires after they came loose after a performance “Damn, I’d really appreciate it if you’d stop thinking of me as the type to just destroy things on a whim.” he lets out a yelp when [F/N] yanked on his wires.

“Well, maybe if you did stop destroying things and giving me more pointless things to fix, than maybe I would stop thinking that.” he whimpers at that and went back to laying on the chair, she huffs “I got it, I’ll see what’d going on with the power in the Daycare.” Vanessa nods her head to that.

“Good, I’ll inform the higher ups and leave you to it.”

“Thanks, have a good one, Ness.” she nods her head once more before leaving Parts and Service, [F/N] waves her goodbye before glancing down at Monty, who pushed himself up and was resting his weight on his elbows “Thanks to that, you’re off the hook.” he silently cheers.

“Wonderful.” he winces when a dark look shadows over her face, he immediately turned away, shivering on the spot as she leans in close.

“But if I ever find out that one of the Map Bots, Security Bots or S.T.A.F.F Bots were mangled up and it was your fault, I’ll throw your dismembered head into one of the ponds in your golf course.” he whimpers, giving her a shaky thumbs up.

“Got it boss.” she rolls her eyes before chuckling softly, she finished her work and Monty leaves Parts and Service to return to his Green Room within Rockstar Row, she slaps her hands onto her face before grabbing her clipboard and adding something else at the bottom of the already long list.

“Lights within Superstar Daycare.” she adds a full stop at the end of it with a sharp jab before tucking it under her arm and leaving for the Daycare, it was also a perfect time to meet the Daycare Attendant; Sundrop, though maybe she might not be able to meet him because she was needing to be above the ceiling panels of the daycare to check out the wiring and whatnot for the lightning. When she arrived, she attached herself to a harness for safety before crawling into the space and checking out the lights above the daycare, she learned there were other lights within the daycare that were powered by five generators “I guess I’ll check that out after I’m done up here.”

This brings us to Sundrop, it was after hours and he was in the middle of cleaning up the daycare after all the children left the daycare, he was stacking the blocks on top of each other when his sensors managed to catch a sound and slight movement. He raised his head and looked side to side in confusion, trying to detect what his sensors did but he saw nothing, he blinked when something trickled from above him and landed on his nose. With that in mind, he raised his head and noticed that ceiling panels were moving, was someone up there? Unlike Roxy, he didn’t have eyes that allowed him to detect what was through the ceilings panels, but he could tell that it wasn’t simply a rat nor Mini Music Man, maybe he should report this to securi—

“WAH!!” his eyes widened at the sight of the panels giving way and someone falling through the ceiling, his immediate response was opening his arms out to catch them but the harness they strapped themselves to caught them before they could hit the ground so now they were dangling in front of Sundrop.

“Hey there, and sorry, I’m just hanging around.” he pulls a face before bursting out into laughter.

“Oh, I see what you did there! Be— Because you’re hanging from the ceiling.” she giggled softly at the laughter she earned from the animatronic sun, he pats his chest and looked at her once more to notice her open her arms out.

“Think you can give me a hand?” she hums softly when she noticed the sun rays around his head perk up at that, his body did the same thing as he raised his arms up.

“Oh, of course!” she lets out a soft exhale as she dusts herself off, she looks up at the ceiling before letting out a groan. “Fuck.” Sundrop lets out a gasp as he points at her.

“Language!” she rolls her eyes then glanced down at the floor, perking up when she noticed that her clipboard fell with her so she picked it up and clicked her pin, jotting down other stuff onto the list.

“Fix the ceiling in the daycare.” she underlines it then unclicks her pin and put it behind her ear, she then turned her attention to the animatronic and gave him a polite yet tired smile “Hello there, quite the first impression, but my name is [F/N], a mechanic hired by the Pizza Plex.” he stared down at her before the already permanent smile on his face grew.

“Why, hello there new friend! I am Sundrop, the Daycare Attendant!” she nods her head, he bounces around as he watched her look around “May I ask as to what you were doing?”

“Oh, I was informed that the lights in the daycare have been going out then when they’re usually scheduled too. I’ve been tasked to figure out why and possibly fix the problem.” she raised a brow when Sundrop grew nervous, she shrugged her shoulders as she started wandering around the daycare in search for the five generators.

“A-Are we going to get in trouble?” she raised her hand and waved it to dismiss his concern, eyes not leaving her clipboard.

“Unless you’re the one that’s causing it, then I highly doubt it. Don’t worry your pretty little head about it, I’ll fix what’s wrong and be out of your way.” she answered truthfully, this didn’t ease his concern as he started following closely behind her, she pressed her lips together at the feeling that if he could breathe she could feel his breath against her neck. She glanced back at him and watched him lurch backwards, hands raised up before he pressed his fingers together, nervously pressing them together “Look, you’re not in trouble. Nothing bad is going to happen to you if that’s what you’re thinking.”  “Mm, it’s not just that…” he muttered, she raised a brow.

“Then what is it?” he takes a breath then presses his finger to his temple.

“I’m worried about Moon… and what he’ll do to you.” she stared up at him before letting out a laugh, she brought her hand to her mouth as she reached forward and grabbed his wrist, she pulled it down and rubbed her thumb into his metal wrist.

“You don’t need to worry about little ‘ol me, I’m fully aware of what Moon is capable of and I know I’m capable of handling him and looking after myself, but thank you for your concern nonetheless.” she nods her head to him then glanced behind him when she noticed the security desk, so she pats his hand before walking past him and towards the desk. Her back was towards him so she didn’t notice the way Sundrop stared at his hand as she reached for one of the flashlights in the flashlight recharge station, she then looks at the messy desk and pushes away anything unnecessary so she can grab the schedule for when the lights at supposed to turn off.

She turns around once more so she could lean against the desk as she reads through the documents, she sniffles and yawns to herself as she reads through the contents of the documents, mentally noting down when the lights were supposed to turn off and when they’ve been going off when they’re not supposed too. She glances down at the time before looking up with her eyes when the lights turned off, dang, it was at the hourly mark when all the power converts to the charging stations so all the animatronics are supposed to recharge at the recharge stations. She flicks the flashlight on and luminaries her path in search for Sundrop, but there wasn’t any sign of the animatron—

“What’s this? An unexpected guest?” a shiver ran down her spine when she felt something loom over her from behind “The daycare is closed for the day, you are intruding. It is my job to dispose of unwanted intruders.” before he could even get his hands on her, she wiped her body around and slammed the end of the flashlight into his faceplate hard enough that he stumbled to the ground and screwed with his AI, causing it to glitch.

“I know about you, Moon. You’re practically another security guard but more violent.” she knelt down, grabbing him by his long neck and pulling him forward “I am not to be underestimated, alright? Fuck around and find out.” she throws him back and stood to her feet, dusting her shoulder off before looking for the generators scattered across the daycare, meanwhile with Moon, he was still trying to register what just happened.

“She really kicked your butt.” Sun retorted in their shared mind, Moon scowls as he rubs his face.

“Silence, Sun.” he just giggles in the back of their shared head, she was going to reprimand Moondrop once more when she felt him behind her but let him be when he quietly watched her work around the daycare. Moondrop raised a brow when he noticed her sway a little, her body tittering back and forth while her eyes were drooping, only then did he notice the bags under her eyes and how exhausted she looked “When was the last time you had a proper night’s rest?” at that question, she sniffles a little and looked up in thought.

“… mm, when did I start working here?” he gives her a shocked look.

“That’s not healthy.” she shrugs.

“I don’t get paid to sleep, I get paid to work and that’s that.” before she could continue her work, she was turned around by Moon, him kneeling down and raising his finger while tutting it side to side.

“I understand you’re doing your job, but while you’re here in the Daycare and I am here instead of Sun, you will sleep until the lights are turned on. It’s not that long, but getting some sleep is better than getting none.” she stared up at him, glancing to the side as she thought about the offer, then shrugged her shoulders.

“You better wake me up if something bad happens then.” before he could say anything, she drops everything that was in her hands before proceeding to face plant into the ground. Both himself and Sundrop panic and quickly kneel down to pick her up off the ground, he then settles himself into a quiet corner, cradling her in his arms as she fell into a deep sleep that she most definitely needed.

[a week later]

Maintenance in the Daycare was something [F/N] looked forward to now because not only did she get to hang with Sundrop and Moondrop, but because she got to sleep and wake up not wanting to fucking die. Moondrop was a fucking riot to hang with when he didn’t have homicidal thoughts, mostly because the two of them would do shit that would drive Sundrop through the roof. Speaking of which, the sun animatronic scares her in ways that doesn’t frighten her, but the fact that she caught him chugging down a bottle of glitter glue… she had to sprint out of there when the machine chased after her and shouted that it wasn't what it looked like.  “Why are these vents so fucking big?” she muttered to herself, crawling through the space in search for the thing that was making so much rattling whenever the Pizzeria closed. She was told to find it, it was just that the rattling happened around the vents around Parts and Service and it greatly annoyed her so she wanted to investigate it so that the noise would cease, and yet she had no luck in finding it so far.

“Hey, [F/N].” she glances down at her Faz Watch and saw that she was getting a message from Vanessa, so she turns so she was laying on her back and raised the watch closer to her “Where are you right now?”

“Vibing in a vent.”

“Why are you— never mind, DJ Music Man is in need of a check up. Some teens threw food in his mouth and we can’t seem to get it out.” [F/N] closes her eyes, inhaling deeply through her nose as her head drops and hits the vent.

“Is he in his booth?”  “Uh huh.”

“I’ll be there in a couple minutes.”

“Got it.” Vanessa disconnects from the line and so [F/N] lets out a long groan this time, she exhales and pushes herself onto her elbows, and then did she see what was making all that racket in the vents. There she saw a miniature version of DJMM and this version of him was holding a pair of cymbals in his hands,

“Now that’s fucking cute.” she muttered, his teeth made a chittering sound as he patted on his feet, he then waddles over to her and she sets up a bit so he could situate himself in her lap “Hey there, little guy. Mind showing me the way to the bigger version of you through the vents? You seem to know your way around these vents better than I.” he claps his cymbals happily before leaping out of her lap and leading the way, she follows behind closely and when she reaches the end of the vent, he moves to the side to let her remove the screws to the vent. Unfortunately for her, she hadn’t realized where the vent was placed so when she crawled out, she fell and landed awkwardly on her face.

“Not a word.” even though he did not have a voice box like the other animatronics, she could tell that he was laughing. When she collected herself, she extends her arms out towards the vent and this allows him to lean from the opening and into her arms, and with him secure, she makes her way out of the room and towards the area where DJMM resides in “Hey, big man, you awake?!” she shouts, cupping her mouth with her hand to amplify her voice, she hums to herself when the large spider like animatronic peeked his head out of his booth.

“You called?” the sound of various radio channels was heard and DJMM rose up from where he was, she grinned as Mini DJMM sat on her shoulder “What can I do for you?” she playfully rolls her eyes, hands on her hips as she continued to look up at him.

“I believe we both know why I’m here.” he lets out a sigh, leaning down and resting his big body onto the back of his hands.

“Children these days just don’t know discipline, especially the teens.” she nods her head.

“Uh huh, some of them are very vicious.”

“You don’t say.” she huffs, shaking her head.

“Well, let’s not delay this any longer, aight?” he lets out a reluctant sigh but nodded his head, he extends a hand out to her and she didn’t hesitate to hop into the palm of his hand and with that he made his way to a bigger part of the Pizza Plex that was reserved specifically for him when he needed to be cleaned “Oh, while we’re in the topic, I’ve been informed that you have a new upgrade.” he glances down at her.

“Upgrade? Of what sorts?” she hums, removing the clipboard from her hip and so she and Mini Music Man look at the documents, she narrows her eyes at it as she pulls it closer to her face.

“Apparently it’s called… Bouncer Mode?” she hums at that, pursing her lips as Mini Music Man claps his cymbals gently in curiosity “You’re just another form of security basically, escorting guests that aren’t found in the Pizza Plex’s files out or guests that are threatening.” he nods his head.

“So I’m basically extra muscle?” she snaps her fingers.

“Yeah, that sounds about right.” she gently knocks on the palm of his hand and gave him a grin “I can only imagine how frightening seeing you chase after them can be, talk about nightmare fuel.” they each share a laugh, upon reaching the warehouse, music was playing in the background as [F/N] spent the next couple of hours cleaning DJMM up to the point he was squeaky clean, by the end of it, she was laying on the ground, soaking wet and exhausted while DJMM was bouncing up and down that he finally got a wash up after weeks of negligence from management.

“Many thanks, [F/N].” he chuckled softly when she raised a thumbs up towards him, she then peeled herself off the ground, taking her cap off and shaky her head to rid the water infested in her hair.

“Now that that’s over, let’s get you that new upgrade. It shouldn’t take too long, so you should be back in your booth in no time!” he nods his head to her words so here she was, sitting on his shoulder with a laptop on her lap and Mini Music Man in her head, watching her tap away at the keyboard while the information for DJMM flew across the screen.

“It won’t do anything to hinder my current software, right?” she nods her head, eyes not leaving the screen.

“Yeah, don’t worry about that. It won’t activate unless a threat is detected, and since we haven’t been really getting threats in the Pizza Plex lately, it’ll probably be sitting in the back of your head.” he nods his head, upon finishing the final touch up of the upgrade, she pushed the enter button and it was uploaded into DJMM’s software. Both she and Mini Music Man leaned forward and watched as the data was processed and when he came to be, he stood up straight “How do you feel?”

“… the same.” she deadpans, she sighs.

“Well, we’ll never know until someone trespasses onto the property.” she says offhandedly, thanking him as he lowered her towards the ground “I mean, who’s foolish enough to break into a pizzeria?” he shrugged.

“Desperate fans.” she snorts.

“True.” she walks with him back to his booth, dropping Mini Music Man off in the process then left the two with a goodbye, the two doing the same and waving her goodbye. She was now back in Parts and Service, collapsing onto her wheelie chair with a groan, she leans back while running a hand through her hair after removing her cap and starts fanning herself.

‘Management have been stepping up the security around the Pizza Plex lately, going so far as to giving DJMM, who’s usually so gentle and laid back, such a bizarre upgrade. I noticed it immediately and had to tone it down in fear that he might actually hurt someone.’ she exhaled deeply, glancing over at her desk and noticed the few photos of her and the animatronics, Vanessa and even a few children scattered across it and even on the computer ‘I’m getting worried as for what’s to come.’

Headcanon:

it’s an unspoken rule amongst the animatronics that no harm must come to [f/n].

why?

simple.

because she is one of the nicest mechanics, technicians, helper, whatever, that’s worked at the pizza plex in the longest time.

the other employees that has worked in parts and service were so mean in the past and never considered the animatronics feelings and opinions, always brushing it off their shoulders just to finish their work.

not [f/n], oh no.

despite always being tired and a little standoffish, she was always rather welcoming and very friendly, even for the short tempered monty and lethal moon.

moon learned not to mess with her when he realized just how strong she was.

he and sun were coming in for their check up when they witnessed her lifting monty up with pure strength and the alligator was struggling to remove himself from her grip.

what freaked him out was the way monty screamed for help.

anyways-

whenever the animatronics had to come in for their monthly maintenance and other upgrades, [f/n] would always just and make the process as comfortable and atmosphere as welcome as she could.

she knew they were always frightened being in that dark gloomy room, so she always tried to brighten it up and make it as quick as she could.

and for that they were grateful.

her and vanessa get along quite swimmingly as well.

vanessa liked her company because she wasn’t so chatty, but when they did decide to converse, they spoke of topics vanessa knew and was fond of and the blonde enjoyed it.

conversations with the mechanic made her feel sane and whole.

the oddest thing about [f/n] after she started working at the pizza plex and her sleep schedule got pretty shit, she would fall asleep in the oddest of places.

the daycare’s ball pit? yup.

monty golf? uh huh.

roxy’s raceway? totally.

the worst spot? somewhere in the ceiling.

mini music man was the one to discover her, strapped in her harness and practically at the verge of falling of the beam she was laying on.

she was firmly scolded by freddy, chica, djmm, sundrop and vanessa.

moon, monty and roxy were laughing while mini music man was shaky his head.

the map bots startled her when she was still new and didn’t know her way around.

she decked one across the face when it suddenly appeared in front of her, promptly had to fix it before anyone discovered what she did.

she likes the caution bots. they remind her of puppies/dogs.

other than that, she’s the friendly and overworked mechanic that wishes she could get at least a raise for the amount of work management is throwing at her.

… motherfu— 


Tags
6 months ago

Contract pt. 2

word count: 39,011

Fandom: Gravity Falls Pairing: Stanley Pines x Alvah (OC) Pronouns: He/She/They (usually goes be she/her) Relationship: Problematic Occupation: Guardian Ability: Demonic Powers

Since the individual is a resident of the Nightmare Realm, while also being the embodiment of evil from across multiple dimensions, the power they have is almost unlimited. They are capable of traveling to different dimensions throughout the multiverse but when they do step foot in such dimensions their powers become limited unless they are able to form a contract, similar to Bill through his deals, that allows them to have full access to their powers. They are capable of shapeshifting their appearance to blend in with the locals or at least influence the minds of those who set their eyes on them, but if there were anyone to bear witness to their true form, their own minds would destroy itself and drive them into madness.

Keys:

n/a

Warnings:

blood, violence, and spoilers for those who haven't read the book of bill.

"Contract" pt. 1, pt.3

there are bound to be mistakes in here that I a. missed or b. could not be fucked fixing.

Contract Pt. 2

season 2, episode 12. a tale of two stans

Her eyes widened slightly when Ford pulled the gun strapped to his back and aimed it at her, causing her to halt in her tracks and stare at the end of the barrel. She raised her hands and opened her mouth to say something but he had already pulled the trigger and a beam shot out of the gun and shot right through her face, taking out the entirety of the left side of her face.

"Alvah!" Stan shouts, this causes Ford to flinch and slowly lower his gun and stare at the woman in front of him. Her remaining eye slowly moved to look at the giant-sized hole in her face, and instead of the red substance known as blood dripping down her face, there was a black-like tar oozing out and dripping down the side of her body. Her eye looked back towards Ford and the shocked expression slowly twisted into a sadistic grin as maniacal laughter erupted out of her, a black smoke with a red glow burst out of the gaping hole in her face that was full of eyes staring at him. She raised her hand and gestured to the shadow to return inside where it escaped from before hovering her hand over the wound on her face and healing it, the way it healed was odd. Instead of seeing skin weave itself back together, her skin was like a shattered porcelain doll slowly putting itself together piece by piece.

"Is that how you greet an old friend, Stanford?" she asked after the last crack was sealed up, and it was as if she was never broken in the first place.

"Alvah, I... I didn't recognize you." he spoke as he looked her up and down, she did the same thing and sighed.

"That's on me, I suppose. This isn't a form you're accustomed to seeing." they all watched as she approached Ford, placing a hand on his shoulder that slowly glided across to his other shoulder when she moved behind him, soon both of her hands were on his shoulders but when she peeked out they were surprised to see that she-- or rather, HE looked different "This one was more to your liking, was it not?" even his voice made them shudder. Dipper and Mabel take a closer look at Alvah, and their jaws drop when they recognize him, it is him. It was the mystery man from McGucket’s memory that none of them had any recollection of, the man who was the cause of McGucket’s decline in sanity.

"I see you've not grasped the concept of personal space in the years I have been gone." he let out a laugh as he wrapped his arms around Ford's neck, nuzzling his cheek against his more rugged one.

"Nope. But I've missed you, Fordsy~" he cooed out, he snickered and pulled away when Ford aimed the gun at his face again, raising his hands up in surrender "You know those human weapons aren't going to work on me, but it is a pain to fix these bodies. That was the first time it was damaged since I first made it." he let out a huff as he lowered his weapon.

"Then it's a good thing that they can even penetrate a body like yours." he looked towards his brother again, who was staring at the both of them in shock, and grumbled when he felt Alvah's hands caressing his body "What are you doing now?" he let out a grunt when the end of his coat was lifted up a little as his hands glided up and down his torso, squeezing it a little before moving up to his biceps.

"I see you've bulked up a little throughout your travels. You're not that puny little stick that would get blown over by a small gust of wind." Ford sweat dropped when he pulled his hands back, wiping away the imaginary tear running down his face while sniffling a little "I can't help but be a little... proud." he laughed when Ford pushed him away by the face.

"Enough of your needless chatter, devil." Alvah let out a laugh as he lifted himself off the ground, floating in front of Ford with a cheeky grin.

"A devil you summoned to care for your loved ones." Ford let out a sigh at Alvah's childish behavior, seems he hasn't changed a bit. He turned towards the audience staring at them in bewilderment as Alvah hovered close behind him, his head hovering over his shoulder with his long black hair draping itself over his shoulder "I did as our contract stated, Ford. I kept your loved ones, and their loves ones, alive." his eyes zoned in on the poor state they were in and glared at Alvah.

"You were supposed to protect them, Alvah! Protect and keep them out of danger!" now this caused him to scoff as he rolled off of Ford's shoulder, he continued to float in front of him as he snapped his fingers and they all watched as his hand burst into a black and red flame and a scroll formed in his hands that slowly unraveled. In a text they could not understand, except for Ford himself, Alvah pointed to a specific section.

"It says I am to keep your loved ones alive. Not keep them out of danger, nor protect them. As long as they do not die under my watch, I haven't broken our contract." he shrugged his shoulders as Ford took the contract, reading over it to see that it in fact, did say that "Perhaps you should have worded it like that." he lowered the contract and glared up at Alvah, who continued to grin.

"You..." he then sighed.

"But it's also my fault that I got stuck here for thirty years." this caused him to raise a brow, Alvah points to a different section this time "For the time you are not in Gravity Falls, I am to remain here until you return. That was technically to protect your research and whatnot, but I never would have thought to change it when you disappeared." this managed to crack a smirk on his face.

"So you could not return to the Nightmare Realm?" this caused him to scowl.

"No, no I could not."

"Hang on, hang on." they both look to where Stanley spoke up, approaching the two of them with a confused expression "You... you two know each other? And Alvah, you're... a man?" Ford shook his head with a sigh.

"Yes, we know each other. I am the one who assigned him to take care of things in my absence, but I see that he failed to stop you from reactivating the portal." he just shrugged.

"And for me being a man, well, no." they watch as he lowered himself to the ground "I am neither man nor woman, I am not a being that can be identified by something like sex or pronouns. I am an interdimensional being, an embodiment of all that is evil. An amalgamation of evil from across multiple dimensions and parallel worlds. I am... evil itself." he looked even more confused, Ford raised his hand in front of Alvah's face.

"He is quite literally the embodiment of all that is evil, created in the Nightmare Realm that managed to gain a consciousness." he nods.

"In simpler terms, yes. My name wasn't even Alvah, to begin with," he then gestures to the man beside him "Ford is the one who bestowed the name "Alvah" onto me because he didn't want to call me by my title." this caused him to huff, pushing his glasses up a little.

"The Harbinger of Chaos is hardly a name." he shrugged, he winced when he was flicked in the nose.

"You were trying to be sweet when you gave me the name as well, not knowing that the biblical meaning behind "Alvah" means evil." he then chuckled, leaning back and allowing his body to float again while resting his head in his hands "It's the reason I even kept the name." Ford sniffled.

"Wait!" turning their heads, they see Dipper looking up at Alvah in shock while flipping through the pages of the third journal "Harbinger of Chaos? That's you? That was you, Alvah?" Ford's eyes widened at the sight of his journal, along with the fact that there were children present, now that he fully registered it.

"Aw~ you read my chapter. He said some real nice things about me, didn't he?" Dipper gasped when Alvah snapped his fingers and the journal disappeared from his grasp, he read through a couple of lines and snickered softly while showing Ford "With the few details I gave you, I think you captured my likeliness rather nicely." he tried taking the journal from him but this only caused Alvah to laugh and pull it away from Ford's reach.

"Alvah, give it back to me!" he laughed.

"Nuh-uh, it's his now." with that he tossed it back over to Dipper, who just barely caught it "He managed to find it all on his own, I don't think that hiding spot was good enough. A different snot-nosed brat managed to find your second journal as well, so you're not good at hiding things."

"Right." he cleared his throat and dusted himself off, Alvah floated behind him and wrapped his arms around his shoulders "It seems you already know who Alvah is, but allow me to properly introduce him. This is the Harbinger of Chaos, a being I contacted to keep my research safe and those I care about alive." he glared at Alvah, who snickered beside him.

"And you only did it because things went south for you. You never would have formed a contract with me if he didn't--" Ford promptly slapped his hand across his mouth, silencing him.

"They do not need to know the full details." Alvah scoffed and pushed his hands away, his eyes then moved to where Stan stood along with the kids.

"Other than that, he is correct. From the time you all stepped foot in Gravity Falls, I have been watching every little thing you've done. Every. Little. Thing." when he said that he booped them each on the nose "However, I am not allowed to directly interfere with what you do with your daily lives. So with each adventure you've been on, I was just watching in the shadows and making sure you didn't die at the end of the day. Like so." with a snap of his fingers, a burst of smoke formed in front of them that was playing back to each adventure. If they were being honest, it always felt like they were being watched, but seeing it for themselves, made them shudder "At times I had to rush you for you to get to places in time, at others I would manipulate the background to help you."

season 1

for the gnomes, she knew mabel would be walking into a trap to become the gnome queen and hurried dipper along to go save her.

when the "sea monster" was trapped in the cave entrance, she snapped her fingers so when it was thrashing, a particularly large chunk of debris would fall and make it malfunction.

made the sun rise so that the wax figures would melt.

spoke to mabel to get her to hurry along and stop gideon from killing dipper.

couldn't do much but would have stepped in if the ghosts were going to kill dipper, mabel and the other teenagers.

kept an eye on dipper in case the manotaurs or the multi-bear were going to double cross him.

kept her eye on the doubles if they overpowered dipper and would set off the sprinklers if things went south.

their lives weren't particularly in danger but if they got too far from gravity falls she would have chased after them herself.

each time they went back in time she was there to make sure they didn't get stuck in that point of time.

made sure mabel and stan wouldn't fall to their death and would prevent dipper from getting too hurt against rumble.

kept a close eye on the twins when gideon shrunk them down as well as stan if they didn't figure out he was ticklish.

kept her eye on the summerween trickster so he didn't get too close to the kids, almost interfered if soos didn't eat it from the inside.

if they weren't able to apprehend the monster she would have interfered.

no real threat.

just kept a close eye on them.

kept a close eye on the children in case they weren't able to figure out the body swapping.

no real threat.

was there to help them save waddles, but if push turned to shove, she would have interfered.

was the one to keep bill in check and save the children, stan and soos from intentionally losing to bill. 

would have killed that little brat gideon if he did serious damage to the twins.

season 2

was there to protect the children and stan from becoming zombie food.

distracted the shapeshifter when they were in the caves and would have killed it if they didn't manage to capture it in the cryo-pod.

would have set the mini-golf park on fire if those little "golf people" really did hurt the children.

made sure bill didn't do anything "too" bad to dipper when he took his body.

kept her eye on giffany and would have short-circuited the place if things got out of hand.

no real threat.

was the one that got mcgucket moving so he could protect them from getting their mind erased by his memory gun.

kept her eye on the children when they went through globnar.

she and the love god kind of know each other, so she threatened that little cherub to not do anything funny while she was there.

kept her eye on them but couldn't do much with that ghost lingering.

"I now see what you meant by just "keeping them alive", Alvah." he just giggled with a shrug.

"I have seen every possibility, every timeline, every choice, every win, and every failure you have ever chosen. I know the outcome of every scenario, and even today, I knew would be the day Stanley succeeds in finishing the portal to bring Ford back to his original dimension." this revelation slowly caused Stan to look up at him.

"So... did that mean you knew that my brother would be trapped in the first place?" this caused them to look at him, a hint of betrayal in his eyes as he looked towards Alvah "If you were watching that whole time, did that mean you could have helped me save my brother? You could have helped me speed up the process instead of watching me wallow in misery for thirty years as I tried to fix my mistake?!" Alvah, whose face was blank as he stared down at Stan, blinked slowly before a soft but pained smile appeared across his lips.

"Yes, I could have." Stan's face slowly scrunched up in anger as he grabbed a hold of Alvah, pulling him close.

"You did nothing! You could have done something to help me, but you didn't! You said you were on my side... you said..." Alvah exhaled deeply through his nose as he gently took Stan by his wrists and pulled them off him, he lowered his face and gave him a sympathetic look.

"I would have if I could have." he spoke, Stan takes his hands back from Alvah as he refused to look at him "There are events in this timeline that I am not allowed to prevent or speed up. Thirty years ago, your brother was meant to go through that portal, he was meant to be trapped and it was on this day at this time that he was meant to return because of you and your efforts."

"Still, you could have helped me." this caused Alvah to sigh.

"Alright, let me break it down for you." they watch the smoke disappear when he slaps his hands together and then pulls them apart, they watch a blue thread surround the room as he pulls his hands away. He floats off the ground and starts looking through the thread before finding a specific one, he brings himself down and holds it out in front of them "Here is the timeline we are currently in. Here it contains every event that's occurred leading up to today. See how the thread is flowing smoothly? No hiccups or anything. My interferences are minor, and it doesn't cause any damage. Now let's go back thirty years, to the day where all this began." he pulls the thread back and it stops at a park that was glowing bright, he enhances on it, and they see in both awe and shock the exact moment Stan accidentally pushed Ford into the portal.

"Now let's say I did help you on the reconstruction of the portal, say instead, that it took us a couple weeks or months to get it fixed and we bring Ford back. Ta-dah, the day is saved." pulling his hand back a thread branches out from the original one and expands out "Because of this change, a new timeline is created out of the original; a new story is born. So, what happens to the original one?" his hand hovers under the original thread and they flinch when he closed his hand over it, crushing it beneath his palm and severing it completely "It's effectively destroyed and erased like it never existed, meaning everything that's happened so far never-- or rather, it never WILL happen. And even so, I'll get into serious trouble if I were to mess with serious events in the timeline."

"But, like," Alvah makes everything disappear when Mabel spoke, looking all nervous under his gaze "aren't you like a super powerful being? Can't you break the rules? Couldn't you have helped Grunkle Stan save his brother?" this caused him to chuckle, kneeling to Mabel's level so his drastic change in height didn't scare or overwhelm her.

"I find it flattering that you think I'm oh so powerful, I am, and I do tend to bend the rules a little bit, but if I were to break this..." they watch his already pale skin turn paler as fear struck his face, he's now curled up in a ball while clutching his head "I'll get in trouble with... them. It's been thirty years, and I've neglected my duties because I was stuck here, they're gonna yell at me." the sound that escapes him is like a whine like croak.

"Ah hem, uh, who exactly is them?" he points at Dipper, shaking his head.

"Someone you don't wanna know and don't wanna cross. They may seem all nice and mystical, and sure they're an extra-dimensional being that could wipe out my very existence but doesn't because if they do then they're erasing the very aspect of evil and they can't have that because it's just a pain... anyways, they're basically god." he lets out a sigh, pressing his hand against his forehead "So you see, Stanley, I couldn't help you even if I wanted to. The only thing I was allowed to do was... watch." his shoulders slump when Stan refused to look at him.

"So, when you say you're evil..." 

"I am every bad choice you make, every selfish action, every terrible mistake. You could say I'm like that devil on your shoulder telling you to ignore the angel."

"So, you tell us to do bad things?"

"Pft, no. I'm just giving you the option, I'm not telling you to do anything. You're the one who chose it in the end, so that technically makes you a bad person." he then shrugged his shoulders, they then point up at him.

"Then what about old man McGucket? We saw that memory of you two, or the woman you. You two were arguing about something." he then let out a sigh, running a hand through his hair and messing with it.

"I went to see him to say sorry, and what did I get in return for my efforts? I got shot in the face!" he looked at Ford and saw him looking up at him in confusion "It was back when you two were first testing out the portal and he got sucked in by accident, remember how he lost his mind because he saw something that freaked him out?" he nodded his head.

"Yes? It was what convinced me to quit the project." he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Hehe, yeah, well he saw... me." they all stare at him in confusion, not understanding what seeing him mea-- they were taken aback when Ford grabbed him by the arms and started shaking him.

"You mean Fiddleford saw you? He saw the real you?!" Alvah manages to rip himself free from Ford's hold and push him back.

"Yes! But it was completely by accident. We figured you two were getting close to finishing the portal but we didn't realize just how quickly, so imagine my surprise when I was relaxing in the Nightmare Realm and some scrawny little human poked his head through a hole in our dimension." he can almost remember it like it was yesterday, just casually relaxing in the Nightmare Realm because there's basically nothing to do except laze around when a hole opened up. Curiously, they did approach it and concluded that Ford and his little assistant Fiddle-whatshisname had finally managed to successfully finish the portal, but what caught them by surprise was when a head poked through. They recognized the human as Ford's assistant, they tilted their head to the side as they stared at him while the human looked up at them and their face slowly morphed into one of pure terror.

"You... aren't supposed to be here." they spoke, voice disoriented through the chaos that was their body. They sighed softly when the human screamed in fear so they did the only sane thing they could think of, they raised their hand and pushed him right back where he came from, and the hole disappeared just as quickly as it appeared.

"What was that?" looking over they see Bill approach them, his singular eye tinged with curiosity.

"I believe your toy has finally finished his project." this made the triangular figure glow with glee, clapping his hands joyfully as he floated circles around their head "Congratulations, Bill. You're finally getting your doomsday." he let out a laugh as he hovered in front of their face.

"I know, right? I'm gonna go round up the others!" ah, good times, he then shrugs his shoulders.

"He saw my real body and I pushed him out before any more damage could be done, or if he saw anyone else." Ford starts rubbing his temples to ease the forming headache, Mabel raises her hand "Yes?"

"What does having seen your body have anything to do with McGucket going coo-coo?" he opens his mouth to speak but stops when Dipper opens the journal.

"Oh, I know the answer to that. It says here that since their body is made of all the evil throughout countless dimensions, parallel worlds, and alternate universes their body is so corrupted that if anyone were to gaze upon their true form then their minds would slowly descend into madness from all the chaos stored into one being." Alvah snaps his fingers.

"Ding, ding, ding. You are correct." he then sighs again "Because of that and our contract, I went to say sorry but even in a different form Fidds still recognized me and lost his mind. I tried to calm him down but in the end, he made me lose my temper and then I got shot with the memory gun." Ford heard him use the nickname he usually used for Fiddleford, sputtering a little when he used it.

"Fidds?" Alvah laughed.

"Oh, yeah! Ever since you kids helped him jog his memory, he came to me and asked, or more like demanded, I tell him everything he's forgotten. So once a week I'd visit him to help him remember what he's forgotten, we've gotten quite close since then." he winks at Ford, shrugging his shoulders as he floated off the ground again and wrapped his arms around his neck to nuzzle into his cheek once more "Aren't you happy we're getting along? You always scolded me when I made fun of him." he snickers when he started pushing him off again, struggling against Alvah's iron grip.

"Sure, but I'm not happy that he spiraled so deep because of my mistake." Alvah hummed softly.

"Then what are you going to do now?" this caused him to look up at the demonic being, he pulled himself away and smirked at him "Now that you're back, I have completed my end of our contract. But how about we extend it a little longer?" Ford narrowed his eyes on him.

"What do you mean?" Alvah placed a finger on his chin as he looked up in thought.

"Well, since Stanley opened the portal a second time, the connection between this dimension and the Nightmare Realm has gotten stronger. Who knows how long until Bill forces his way through, and the end of the world happens." a look of concern immediately crossed his face, he looks away to think but gasped softly when Alvah was directly right in front of him "Extend our contract, Stanford, and I'll continue to keep you and your family alive. I'll make sure Bill doesn't come into contact with them this time. I'll make sure he won't be able to make deals with them like he did with Dipper. You can leave their well-being to me while you focus on keeping him at bay." his gaze hardened on the man floating in front of him, showing off those pearly whites that could tear him to shreds.

"... the last time I didn't listen to you, I was met with betrayal and nearly lost my mind." Alvah was silenced when Ford glared at him, knowing what he was going to mutter "If we change up the conditions of the contract... then so be it." Alvah's grin returned, this time stretching from ear to ear as he clapped his hands.

"You made a fine choice, Stanford!" snapping his fingers, the contract reappeared before them once more. A red spark of lightning shot out of his finger, and he changed that he was able to come and go from this dimension to the Nightmare Realm whether Ford was in Gravity Falls or not, Ford himself changed up the part where Alvah was to protect his family instead of just keep them alive. They made a few more changes here and there before concluding that they were satisfied with the new contract, Alvah grins as he reads through it "Now, until the defeat of Bill Cipher, I am to protect your family from any potential dangers while making sure you don't make any past mistakes. In return, I have more access to my powers while I am in this dimension, and I can do whatever I want as long as no human gets hurt in the process." Ford reads through it one more time before nodding his head.

"Yes... I am satisfied with the changes to the contract."

"Wonderful!" they watch as both Ford and Alvah lift their thumbs to their mouths before biting into their flesh hard enough to get it to bleed, they hover their open wound over the contract and let a few droplets get on the golden parchment until Alvah snaps his fingers again and the palm of his hand burst into flames. This time a quill appeared, and he used the blood as ink to sign his name then he gave the quill to Ford to do the same, after he finished signing it Alvah felt a surge of power course through his body "Oh, yeah. Now that's what I'm talking about!"

"Just remember to keep up your end of the contract." he only grinned as the contract rolled up and flew into his hand, it disappears when he closed his hand into a fist.

"Wouldn't have it any other way." his hands were then enveloped with a bright yet dark red flame, he stared at the smoldering flame before waving it off and booping Ford on the nose "With that I'll finally take my leave and return to the Nightmare Realm." this caused the others to stare in shock.

"You're leaving?" he laughed softly.

"Yeah, but not forever. I've been away from my real body for thirty years and I need to go and check up on it to see if I'm alright. I might be a little stiff for being away from it for so long." he then crossed his arms with a smile "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you'd miss me." the twins look at each other, still a little intimidated under the gaze of his red eyes, but they did nod a little.

"We'd like to think that you didn't lie to us this entire summer, Alvah. That the woman we've been hanging around didn't just look after us because of a contract, that you genuinely did it out of the kindness of your heart." this comment caused the smile on his face to drop a little, his face twitching as guilt ate at his nonexistent heart.

"I..." he couldn't finish his sentence and instead turned towards Ford, they let out a sigh but then gasped softly when something was thrown at them, Mabel was able to catch it and when they saw what it was their eyes widened "Take a look at that when you're not busy. You might find something worthwhile." it was his memory tube they were searching for that they couldn't find, he winked at them before finally turning away. Ford took a step forward and they watched as Alvah's body went limp, his body falling into Ford's arms before it could fall to the ground. There they watched as his shadow leaked out of him and loomed over them despite being attached to the wall "See you later." it spoke before a burst of laughter rang out through the room and the shadow disappeared.

Elsewhere... 

In the chaotic hell that was the Nightmare Realm, a somewhat surreal unstable void filled with swirling shades of dark purple, red, and yellow almost like a lava lamp. However, the being we're focusing on resides in a different section of the Nightmare Realm. Though the sky was still red they were surrounded by stars as they lay motionless in a body of clouds, that was when their body twitched as they stirred awake. After being in a coma for about thirty years, the Harbinger of Chaos arose rather slowly and weakly from where they had been lying for the past three decades. With a body made of a chaotic tangle of writhing, red tendrils and jagged lines adorned with numerous glowing red eyes that peer out from the dark depths of its flesh, they opened their mouth, and a horrific scream roared out that would deafen the ears of mortal beings... turns out they were just yawning. 

"Mm, it's been a long time." with a voice made up of the screams of all that they have slain, they spoke for the first time, and it almost felt foreign "I need to remember not to make the same mistake twice the next time I form a contract with a different being. I do not want to be stuck in such a predicament ever again." they note to themself, grabbing onto nothing to pull themself up until they were no longer laying in the luscious clouds that was their bed. Since their consciousness had been in that vessel alone, their main body had remained dormant the entire time and gave off the atmosphere like it was dead, but now their power was surging through their body and anyone residing in their section of the Nightmare Realm could feel that they had returned.  

The Harbinger of Chaos, the embodiment of evil throughout entire realities woke up one day and decided that they weren’t just going to be just a meaning, they were going to be alive. Where there is good, there will always be their counterpart that is evil, influencing individuals to do what they believe is the better option. As the devil on their shoulder, as the temptation that led Adam and Eve into biting into god’s sacred fruit, they are tasked with bringing the darkness out of people’s hearts. They do not crave world destruction, they do not want to destroy or take over dimensions, they think that’s just hard labor and a waste of time and effort, they’d rather just let their influence seep into the minds of others so they can destroy their own worlds. 

“My old friend, it has been a long time.” this being of evil perked up at the voice, tilting their head to the side at the sight of such a majestic being “I am a little hurt at the words you spoke.” they let out a chuckle themself. 

“I was only teasing. Besides, I knew you were watching ever since Stanley completed his mission to save his brother. And was I lying? The only reason you haven’t wiped me from existence is because if you do, the very concept of evil would disappear? But wouldn’t that be a good thing? Worlds without evil would be… perfect.” they let out a sigh. 

“But a world without evil would be out of balance. Good and even coexist together for a reason.” a hum is the only response they get. 

“Anyways, what are you doing in the Nightmare Realm? Did you venture across worlds just to visit little ol’ me? I’m flattered, really? It does things to my already inflated ego~” a chuckle leaves them as they float off, the Axolotl following close behind them “Are you worried Bill might pick up a fuss now that I’ve returned from dimension 46'\? He always avoids areas that you’re in.” the ethereal being let out a sigh. 

“I suppose. He was always one to bottle up all his feelings then let it all out at once rather than sharing his thoughts.” this caused them to let out a laugh while snapping their fingers to open windows to other worlds, peering into one they were met with talking frogs “I think it would be better for him to show a different side, don’t you think?” this caused them to roll all their eyes. 

“The last time he showed a vulnerable side he got his “heart” broken, remember? It’s the whole reason I was in dimension 46'\ in the first place.” they swipe their hand and peer into another window, now seeing a bunch of magic fly across their vision “If you want him to share his thoughts, you’ve got to force it out of him. The only way I see him talking about his feelings is in Theraprism.” 

“You’re right.” this earned them another laugh, they watched as a dark energy seeped out of the tip of their hand and infested the open windows that surrounded them, corrupting a few individuals before quickly closing the windows “I hope you don’t make too many changes with the Pines family, friend.” 

“You don’t need to worry about that, Axolotl. I’m a tough nut to crack.” this earned them a raised brow, and they shrunk a little under their gaze. 

“Perhaps, but what about that vessel of yours?” 

“What about it?” Axolotl gave them a knowing look, floating around them as they laughed softly. 

“You and I both know what I’m talking about.” they laugh a little more when they see all their eyes look in different directions, avoiding their bright gaze “Oh, I am only teasing. But you’ve been in that vessel for over thirty years. Sure, time works differently on beings with such a long lifespan, but your mind was in that of a human body for so long. You and I both know that things changed, whether for the better or for the worst.” they were met with silence, they peak over their shoulder and saw their gaze was back on the Pines family once again, namely on the Stan twins. 

“It… really complicates things.” 

“What will you do now?” their hand hovered over their view of dimension 46'\, their finger tapping against the image before swiping it away. 

“Fulfill my contract and come right back, I suppose.” 

“I see. Then, I’ll take my leave. I hope to see you well, my friend.” and with that, Axolotl left as silently as they appeared. They floated aimlessly in the chaos that was known as their home and sighed to themselves, this is why they preferred to laze around instead of doing fieldwork, it was always stressful and required too much thinking. They spent most of their time taking care of businesses that had been left unattended due to their absence and watched their influence fill the heads of people who couldn’t make a choice, it was always fun watching people be conflicted in their choices. Time certainly worked differently in the Nightmare Realm and different dimensions because when they looked back to dimension 46’\ the two brothers had left the basement and were staring at each other’s reflection, Ford even had a different change of clothes. 

“Perhaps I should inform them that I might be gone for a while to catch up on my work.” they thought it over before nodding their head and expanding their view on dimension 46’\, their finger circled around the image before allowing some of their consciousness to seep into the dimension before continuing their work. Alvah manifested within the second dimension (as a flat figure within the shadows) and looked around to find himself in the hallway, he travels through the shadows (similar to how giffany traveled through digital screens) until he found himself in the room where Stan and Ford were arguing with each other “I don’t suppose I’m interrupting anything, am I?” they both jump at the sound of his voice, turning in the direction it came from, they found the male version of Alvah in the reflection of the mirror in between them. They both turned their heads to look but found the space empty, so they looked back toward the mirror and saw him pressing his fingers against the glass, showing off the sharp, pearly whites as he looked at them. 

“You’re back, Alvah.” he chuckled softly, pushing himself off the surface of the mirror to cross his arms. 

“Yes, but not for long. I’ve got a lot of work to catch up on, so don’t expect to see me lingering around for a while. It won’t take me long to finish up, but I won’t physically be around to keep an eye on your family. But if you really need me, just say my name and I’ll be there to save the day.” he snickered softly when Ford scoffed, readjusting his glasses. 

“I highly doubt we’ll need you to “save the day”, Alvah. You’ve made it clear that you’re not allowed to directly interfere with events, as you’ve put it.” he chuckled and looked Ford up and down, Stan was a little startled when he saw the end of his brother’s coat lift up to mirror what Alvah was doing in their reflection. He was looking him up and down once more, throwing his coat open to see he swapped out that black sweater for a red one while also messing with his hair “Would you quit it, Alvah?” he demanded and attempted to smack his hands off him through their reflection, it almost looked like he was fighting air, but Alvah just laughed and pulled his hands back. 

“Oh, you know I’m just teasing.” he giggles softly when Ford tugged on his coat and tidied up his hair. 

“If you want to make yourself useful, could you deal with the U.S. government? Stanley here tells me that they know about the portal, I’m just surprised they haven’t kicked down the doors to the shack yet.” this caused Alvah to start laughing, throwing his head back before wiping away a tear and leaning against the mirror with his elbow. 

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about those government officials. They won’t be bothering us again.” they both shudder when they saw him lick his lips “I made sure of that.” Ford glared at him. 

“Alvah! I specifically told you not to harm humans.” he rolled his eyes with a groan. 

“Hey! That was after we signed the updated version of our contract! I did it before then, okay? I also made it look like an accident, so you shouldn’t have to worry about backup coming to check up on things. Oh, and I gathered up all the evidence they managed to secure while they were stalking us.” he snapped his fingers, and a stack of discs and folders appeared behind them on a desk “You’re welcome.” Ford hummed softly as he looked over the documents. 

“Well, this is perfect. Well done, Alvah. I knew I could count on you to handle matters like these.” Alvah bows his head rather dramatically with a smirk “I’ll deal with these; I’ll call you when I need you.” he twiddles his fingers to bid Ford goodbye, this leaves Stan and Alvah alone, to which the demonic being pressed his hands against the glass of the mirror once more to look at Stan, who refused to look at him. 

“Are you mad at me, Stanley?” he asked, tilting his head to the side to try and get a look at his face but with the angle the mirror was facing he couldn’t properly see him “Is it because I didn’t help you with the portal, or because I knew the truth the whole time? Or was it because I knew what exactly you were suffering and did nothing about it?” he continued to watch him through the mirror for any sort of reaction but even then, Stan didn’t give any sort of reaction. Lowering his gaze to his hands, he saw that they were balled up into fists and shaking a little, was it anger or sadness? His fingers tap against the glass a little in thought, thinking of any way to get him to turn around “… do you hate me, Stanley?” Stan flinched at the sound of the voice and that was enough to turn him around, and there he saw the version of Alvah that stood by his side through thick and thin, his Alvah. Looking at him were those sharp green eyes that held a warmth like an early morning day, that kind and beautiful smile that lit up a room, and hair that was as soft as a freshly washed blanket. 

“You…” she tilts her head to the side and watches Stan approach the mirror, finger raised to point at her face “You don’t get to ask those questions, Alvah. From the beginning, you knew who I was, but I didn’t stop to question you. I should have known that someone like you wouldn’t have stuck around for as long as you did out of goodwill. You probably programmed that body of yours to meet my preferred standards, huh?” she tilts her head again, her eyes looking around the room in thought before landing on his again. 

“That is how I construct my vessels, yes. They take up the physical traits that would best suit those who gaze upon it, just like the male version of this vessel. I adorn that appearance because when I was first summoned, I knew how much the female population made Ford uncomfortable. I copied the personality of somebody he once cherished, but I didn’t drop it because it’s quite funny.” she took a step back and opened her arms to gesture to herself “For you, this was the ideal type of woman you have been craving; both in appearance and personality. This body was modeled just for you.” she watched the way his face screwed up but this time he looked like he was in pain, he swallowed thickly while gritting his teeth. 

“Then, did anything… did anything matter to you?” he wasn’t looking at her, so he didn’t notice the way her eyes twitched a little “Did any of what we had… matter to you, at all?” he looked up at her and saw the way she just continued to stare at him, his shoulders slumped, and he turned away to leave. 

“… from the day we first met to today, I have never lied to you.” this caused him to look back at her but noticed that she was no longer in the mirror “Take that as you will, Stanley.” 

season 2, bonus episode. harbinger of chaos 

“So, dudes, Alvah gave you that memory tube that contained the memory old man McGucket erased from way back then?” Soos, who was unconscious the entire time Alvah revealed she wasn’t who she seemed, questioned as he and Wendy followed the twins to where they could watch the memory tube. They hadn’t seen Alvah in a couple of days, Grunkle Ford told them that he, she, they? Whatever, she was so busy in her dimension that she wasn’t going to be around much, and the times she was she was down in the basement helping Ford out with his stuff. It was quite odd in the beginning, mostly because Alvah usually stuck by Stan’s side, but from what they were told, when he first met her, she always stuck by his side and watched him through mirrors or shadows. Anyways, they snuck back into the former base of the Society of the Blind Eye to steal the contraption that allowed them to watch the stolen memories of Gravity Falls and hauled it back to the Mystery Shack “What do you think we’re gonna see?” he asked curiously as they hooked it up in the attic. 

“Do you think we’re gonna see the world's secrets?” Mabel suggests rather excitingly. 

“We don’t know what exactly McGucket put into the memory gun, but I highly doubt it went that far. It would probably be something recent during that time.” Dipper answers, Wendy hums softly. 

“Whatever it is, I’m glad I brought snacks. We can munch on these while we watch.” Dipper laughed softly at Wendy, lightening the mood. Now that they know that Alvah is actually a being of pure evil, he was a little nervous to peek into that mind of hers to see what was going on thirty years ago where it all began. Soos and Mabel rearranged the room a little so they would be more comfortable to watch, so after finally setting it up he inserted the memory tube and took a seat beside Mabel. The screen spurred to life and the dark room was filled with static until it turned black, it stayed like that for a couple minutes and it confused them, was something wrong with it? 

“Hey, dude, did you set it up right?” Dipper scratched his head as he stood up, approaching the screen to see if he had done something wrong. 

“I thought I did, maybe I missed—” he let out a startled shout as he fell backward when a loud crash came from the TV, looking back up at it, they were all startled to see the shadowed figure of Stanford in a mirror, and he looked enraged as his fists banged against the mirror glass. 

“FORD!” he shouted as he continued to bang on the glass, he pushed his face against the glass to get a look at Stanford and he found the young man hunched over his desk. He looked as if he hadn’t slept in days, which was true, now that he had angered Bill Cipher, that triangular bastard had been tormenting the poor human to the point he couldn’t even sleep anymore in fear that his body would be taken advantage of “You’re going to allow yourself to wallow away in this shack? You’re not going to do anything to retaliate against him, and why? Because you’re afraid? You allowed him to take advantage of you despite all my warnings, and now that you lost poor little Fiddlesticks you’ve come to realize that you’ve got no one left. Tell me, what exactly are you going to do now? Have you finally given up, Stanford?” 

“As… as long as I don’t give in, he won’t win.” he glares back at the mirror where Alvah lets out a malicious cackle, his fists continuing to bang against the glass. 

“You think that’s enough to keep him at bay? Do you think that’s enough to keep him from getting what he wants? Unless you dismantle that portal of yours or destroy those journals, he’s going to continue torturing you until he succeeds. You sealed your fate the moment you took his hand, Stanford.” he scoffs, red eyes void of emotion but you can tell that he is giving him an unimpressed expression “You were such a gullible and naïve little thing that just a tiny bit of praise had you dancing in the palm of his hand; had you constructing the very thing that could destroy your universe.” he let out a laugh when Stanford stood to his feet and approached the mirror, slamming his hands against the frame and glaring at his shadow. 

“Mock me all you want, Alvah, but I made the discovery of a lifetime. I was able to create something that could have changed the world; that should have changed the world.” 

“Yeah, in a bad way. And sure, you were able to create it from scratch, but that idea wasn’t yours. You weren’t able to create something without his blueprints, this portal was his idea in the first place, and you were foolish enough to make it for him. To him, you were the perfect little puppet that didn’t even realize his strings were being pulled.” he laughed when Stanford punched the mirror, shattering it to pieces as the shards scattered across the floor beneath his feet, but he still saw his shattered reflection through the shards “If you had just listened to me from the very beginning, none of this would have happened. But why listen to me? As a being made up of an amalgamation of evil, of course, you shouldn’t trust me. Your muse would never lie to you~” he watched Stanford continue to glare down at his reflection before walking off, Alvah chuckled and followed him through the shadows that lingered through the barely lit house “He is never going to quit. He is never going to leave you alone. You will never be safe. You will never get to live a normal life again. You will never be sane. He sees everything no matter where you are. He is always watching.” Stanford stops in front of another mirror and faces Alvah once more, glaring at the shadowed version of himself instead of his own reflection. 

“Then what do you suppose I do? The only other option would be to…” his eyes glance over at a closet that kept his weapons, he hears another chuckle and raises his head to see Alvah leaning against the mirror. 

“You really think a bullet would end this madness? Hardly. You can’t get away from him, not even through death. Unless you can figure out a way to sever the connection between your mind and his control, you’ll never be able to get away.” he thoroughly enjoyed the way Stanford’s face crumbled up in pain “Well, what if I can help weaken it?” this caused him to perk up. 

“What… what do you mean?” he jerked backward when a bright light burst out of the mirror, his face hardened when he saw the same scroll of paper Alvah first introduced to him a few months back when things weren’t so bad “You know I’m not going to agree to that after what happened.” Alvah’s hands rolled along the side of the scroll as he peeked his head out from the side, lowering it a little as his fingers tapped against it. 

“You should know, Fordsy, that my contracts are different from his deals. He always manages to find loopholes through his deals and is generally the one at an advantage, while my contracts are stricter on myself and those who sign them.” he then gestures to the blank canvas “Whatever your demands are, I will match them to either an equal value or lesser. Through my contracts, I don’t need that portal to cross over to this dimension.” 

“If that’s the case, why would I—” Alvah raised his finger to stop him. 

“That’s where the contract comes into play. While I can access this dimension, my powers are much more limited than if it were the real me.” he holds the contract out to him once more “State whatever you want, Stanford. Whether it be keeping you safe from the dangers that linger outside this shack, or something minor like keeping an eye on your family while you stay here, I’ll be forced to do whatever it is. I don’t seek destruction, that’s not my thing.” Stanford stared at him in confusion. 

“But you’re also a being that influences the minds to do atrocious things. Why would you do something so unlike you for me?” he flinched when he was met with a vicious grin. 

“Because taking his toys is so much more enjoyable. When you two broke off, whatever your relationship was, he caused quite a ruckus in the Nightmare Realm that I found unbearable. I’m gonna enjoy the face he’s going to make when he realizes I took the one thing he thought was going to be his until the end of time.” Stanford clenched his hand into a fist as he stared at the blank contract waiting to be filled with his demands, what other options did he have? With the help of this demonic being, he can get Bill out of his mind so he can focus on more important matters, and even if he manages to get into his mind, Alvah is more than powerful enough to get him out “So, what do you say? Wanna sign a contract with me?” 

“… I can state whatever I want, and you’ll have to abide by it, no matter what?” the grin on his face grew wider. 

“Whatever you want, and I’ll do it for you.” Ford’s hand slowly lifted from his side and pressed against the mirror, in an instance, the demands he wanted were being written across the once blank page. A few other spots were filled in and he knew they were for Alvah, while they were allowed to travel between the Nightmare Realm and his dimension, they were to remain in Gravity Falls if he wasn’t there to keep it from being destroyed by the anomalies within this hick town, while in turn they were allowed access to their powers in order for that to happen. The contract turned towards Alvah, and their grin didn’t disappear, instead, he watched as they tore into their thumb to drip what he believed was blood and signed the end of it. Stanford took a step back when the contract came out of the mirror and a quill appeared beside it, Alvah pressed against the mirror and looked at him with anticipation “All you’ve got to do is sign it, and I’ll be at your discretion.” he swallowed thickly as he stared down at the part where he was supposed to sign it. Looking back at the quill he saw it swing side to side for him to take it, so with a deep breath he raised his thumb to his lips and tore into the flesh. He winced in pain but shook it off, hovering his thumb over the page and allowing a few drops of his blood to drip onto the page before taking the quill and signing his name. 

“Now… now what?” he was met with silence when the contract disappeared, leaving him and the shadow of his reflection within the darkness of the room. He stood nervously as those beading red eyes stared right back at him, slowly, he watched his reflection raise his hands and start banging against the mirror. He took a step back when each strike against the glass started getting more and more violent to the point the glass began to crack, when the glass did shatter a black liquid spilled out and poured onto the floor. He watched as the liquid bubbled and sizzled until a hand burst out and slammed against the floorboards, slowly, through the gurgling and groaning noises that emitted from this blob of goo, a figure pushed themself out of the puddle of tar. 

“What a pain…” he flinched at the sound of the voice as the figure stood to its full height, one that was looming over him, and threw their head back, which caused some of the black tar to splatter across the room and some even got on Ford. Their hands ran up their face then threaded through their hair and after wiping away the black tar from their face, he was met with a pale face a bright ruby red eyes with thin slitted irises. The figure before him appeared as a tall, long-limbed, broad-shouldered adult man of indeterminate but reasonably young age, with jet-black hair with his bangs falling slightly over his eyes and strands on the sides of his bangs framing his face though the length seemed to vary because his hair seemed to be part of his shadow while bearing this form. The outfit he wore comprised mainly in a classic Victorian fashion. It includes a white long-sleeved shirt with an intricately knotted red cravat under a black double-breasted suit with red buttons, matching black trousers, and a pair of dark brown leather riding boots, covered by a red, split, and full-length, long coat with ruffles exclusive to the shoulders “I must say, you have quite a sense of fashion, Fordsy~” the man cooed softly, twirling a strand of his black hair around his finger. 

“W-What?” he spread his arms open then gestured to his being. 

“This vessel was created to adorn the appearance my contractor so desires. As I said, I have no face, no sex, no appearance of my own. Whenever someone signs one of my contracts, I take up the appearance that my contractor feels most comfortable.” he then leaned down until his face was inches away from Stanford’s “This appearance was modeled just for you, Fordsy~” he was promptly shoved away, causing him to break out into a fit of laughter. 

“And the personality?” he shrugged. 

“Taken from someone you once cherished.” this caused him to look away, he dusted himself off and bowed his head once more “I am Alvah, the Harbinger of Chaos, and I am at your every beck and call until our contract is fulfilled. How may I be of assistance today?” Stanford stares down at the demonic being he summoned, his eyes full of so many thoughts, before taking the hand that was offered to him. 

“We’ve got a lot of work to do.” 

… 

… 

“So…” the children, Wendy and Soos, stared at the screen with mouths agape after the screen turned back to static, indicating that the memory had finished “McGucket erased the memory of when Alvah and Ford made their contract.” 

“That he did.” they all let out screams of surprise at the sudden voice, looking up, they were met with the female version of Alvah, who was chuckling softly that she managed to scare them “I believe he was going to shoot Fordsy with it, but since I came to his house that fateful day, he used it on me instead.” they all stare up at her in shock before calming themselves down, she then casually leans against the TV as Dipper approaches her. 

“But… if he erased that memory, wouldn’t that mean you should have forgotten what you were meant to do?” she shook her head. 

“Oh, no. You can’t erase a mind so vast. To me, it felt like the moment you walk into a room and forget what you were supposed to do but remember it an instance later when you’ve left that room. If he wanted to completely erase my deal with Ford, he would have had to shoot me with that gun a good hundred times.” she takes the memory tube and tosses it up and down a couple times “That day was one of Ford’s lowest moments, where he didn’t know what to do and had nobody to turn to. Yet, I had not abandoned him. I believe that since he was in such a dire situation, that was the reason he agreed to sign a contract with me. If he were any saner, I don’t believe he would have.” 

“So… how did you and Stanford meet anyways?” Wendy asked “From what we saw, you were confined to mirrors and shadows. What was your relationship with him?” this caused her to laugh. 

“For the second part, I was more like a caretaker or maybe a babysitter?” she shrugged her shoulders while giggling “That man could not look after himself, and after Fidds left him, it was up to me to keep him from doing something that would end up with him not waking up the next morning. It was almost sad.” 

“And the first part?” she raised a brow, Dipper twiddled his thumbs nervously “H-How did you two meet?” she looked up in thought, exhaling deeply through her nose. 

“Well, that’s a long story.” she glanced back over at them, chuckling a little when she saw them looking up at her with anticipation “Well, it all started about… thirty years ago, I believe.” 

Flashback… 

“What do we have here?” the Harbinger of Chaos approached Bill within the Nightmare Realm after his return from a dimension, to which he was peering into said dimension through their windows “You seem to be in a jolly mood, Cipher? May I inquire why?” they hummed softly when Bill let out a boisterous laugh, looking away from what he was looking at to look up at them. 

“Hahaha, I just found the most gullible human ever!” he gestured for them to peer into the window, and there their eyes laid upon a young-looking human man “Get this, I recognized his brilliant but cocky and insecure nature, and I used his near-friendlessness as ideal conditions for manipulation, so I introduced myself to him as a muse who chose one brilliant mind every century to inspire.” they let out a hum as they watched the human man write stuff down in a worn-out journal. 

“So, he’s the next pet to build your portal?” he nods his head. 

“Uh-huh. I showed him the blueprints for the portal, and he said he’d get started on it immediately. Psh, this has got to be one of the easiest suckers I’ve ever got to construct the portal in like, what, centuries?” 

“Possibly longer, but I must agree, this guy seems to be very naïve.” 

“I know, right? At least the other humans I tried to get to build my portal were more skeptical, but this guy is just dancing in the palm of my hand. It won’t be long before I can finally get out of this janky hellhole.” he heard a chuckle and let out an oh, looking back up at them “A very nice hellhole, since you can’t exactly leave.” they just gave a shrug in response. 

“Oh, it’s bearable. And besides, I can technically leave whenever I want, I just have to abandon this body in the process.” he lets out a hum “I’m somewhat curious about him, you wouldn’t mind if pop in and bother him from time to time, do you? He looks fun to make fun of.” Bill laughs. 

“Sure, go ahead. As long as you don’t distract him from completely the portal, I don’t care what you do.” 

And that’s where they found themselves watching Stanford Pines, hidden within the shadows that surrounded the man. They had to admit, he definitely had a brilliant mind from the mass amounts of research he managed to accumulate throughout the six years he resided in the hick town that was Gravity Falls, but he was just so damn stupid. Apparently, he found murals about Bill Cipher hidden within a cave and thought “oh yes, this doesn’t scream demonic entity at all” and managed to summon him, or rather, just caught his attention. As they continued to watch him, before his little assistant arrived, he was rather neglectful of his own well-being and would go days of staying hunched over his desk figuring out equations. 

“You’re quite dumb for a man who proclaims to be a genius.” they laughed to themself when they saw Stanford, who was currently brushing his teeth, spit out what was in his mouth and whip his head around in search of the voice “I’m right here, dumb, dumb. Look up.” he slowly raised his head to look at the mirror, squinting his eyes the longer he stared at his reflection before jerking backward when a grin spread across his lips. His reflection slowly started to laugh until a sort of darkness wrapped around his body and he was staring at a shadowed version of himself, a bead of sweat bled down his face when beading red eyes appeared all over his body and stared at him. 

“W-What…?” his reflection chuckled. 

“For a human who uses such big words to make himself much smarter than he actually is, I feel quite proud that I’ve rendered you speechless.” it felt unsettling to hear his voice even though he did not speak, his relfection’s finger draws circles in the glass “I’ve been watching you for some time, Stanford Pines.” he quickly grabbed his glasses that were sitting on the sink and put them on, staring at the figure in shock and awe. 

“You know my name?” they roll their multiple eyes. 

“Yes, I just said I’ve been watching you. I was bound to pick up your name.” they hum softly when his face flushed up in embarrassment “Anyways, I can’t help but say that I’m impressed that you managed to gain Bill’s favor.” the mention of Bill caused him to perk up, a little smile gracing his lips. 

“Really?” they huffed. 

“Sure. He’s gathered many brilliant minds over the years throughout the multiverse, but I’ve never seen him favor one specific human before. He’s given a lot of his time to you, and as I said, I’m impressed. Humans, in particular, are his least favorite. Still, he seems to put his distaste towards them to the side for you.” their gaze hardened a little when he saw the way his face flushed up, but this time, for a different “… anyways, I was just spying on you to see what all the hype was about. I don’t really see much.” they snickered when they saw how his face fell and looked back at them, his face scrunching up in confusion. 

“What do you mean by that?” they hummed softly, crossing their arms and turning away. 

“I thought you were smart, perhaps you can figure out why I don’t find you as interesting as your little muse does~” they laughed to themself when his face flared up, so they pointed at him as they continued to laugh “Haha, your face looks so funny when you do that! Do it again.” Stanford scoffed and turned around to leave, thinking that whoever this being was could only communicate through mirrors. 

“Hmph, I don’t know what you are, but I’m smarter than you think I am.” 

“Oh, really?” he gasped and saw the way the red eyes appeared on his shadow on the wall “I bet you were thinking I was confined to mirrors and your reflection, but no. I can appear within your shadow as well. Nowhere is safe for you!” throughout the day Stanford had to put up with them making fun of him and teasing him, even when he tried to cancel out the noise with music, they found a way to interfere with the soundwaves so he could hear their voice. They were now back in the Nightmare Realm laughing their head off with Bill Cipher, who was now dealing with the aftermath of what they did to Stanford “He is so fun to mess with!” Bill snorted. 

“I’ve got to thank you, though he’s just complaining, he seems to be leaning on me more. Telling me how this “shadow has been bullying him”, just a little bit of reassurance has him trusting me more and more. Keep it up, would you.” 

“Hah! Like I’d give up making fun of this human! I haven’t been this entertained in years.” 

Over a couple of months when the progress of the portal had just begun, both Bill and them would play their little game with Stanford Pines. Where they would poke fun at him and point out his little mistakes while Bill would reassure him and help him figure out the problem, this led to Stanford trusting Bill more and more and cementing them as the bad guy. Though their power didn’t revolve around the mindscape like Bill’s did, they were still very much able to enter it, and they made the poor mistake of entering Stanford’s mind and witnessing how deep his obsession with Bill ran. Hmm, though they also made fun of that Fiddlestick guy, they were now beginning to prefer him with how… weird, Stanford was. 

“So… Bill tells me you’re known as the, Harbinger of Chaos?” he asked questionably. 

“Ooo, finally curious about me?” they asked within Stanford’s shadow, he had the light cast behind him so they could be “sitting” across from him “I thought you’d never ask any questions about me. Bill tells me you’re not quite fond of me.” he huffed. 

“Of course, because unlike him, you make fun of me.” he saw the way they rolled his eyes, if only this poor sucker knew “But I can’t stop my curiosity. I asked Bill about you, but he told me if I wanted to know more about you it’d be best if I were to ask the source itself.” they leaned back in the seat they were in and shrugged their shoulders. 

“Well, shoot, dumb, dumb. Ask away.” they laughed again when he pouted, calling him dumb dumb always got that reaction out of him so they resorted to calling him that from time to time. 

“Mm, so what Bill has told me, you’re not exactly a… person, per say?” 

“Well, it is hard to put it into words, but let’s just simplify it and say I wasn’t exactly born like you, your friend, or Bill Cipher. I was not created either. I have been around since the beginning of all that was created. I am simply the manifestation of evil throughout countless dimensions; an amalgamation of all that is evil. I AM evil itself, that managed to conjure a consciousness and become the very being that I am today.” they raised their hand and Stanford managed to see their hand glow red “I am every bad choice you make, every selfish action, every terrible mistake. I am the influence that drives you to do bad things.” 

“So, you tell people to do bad things?” they shook their head. 

“No. I don’t tell people to do anything, it’s their fault that they ended up doing something bad, not mine.” he nods his head as he writes down what they said in his journal. 

“Does that mean you’re the very definition of evil?” 

“That it does, but that doesn’t particularly mean that I am evil.” he watches as the glow floats around their hand “My being doesn’t exactly have the concept of “feelings”, you know? I don’t feel like being the bad guy or being the good guy either. I don’t feel joy, anger, sadness, fear; I can replicate those feelings, but I myself can’t exactly feel anything.” 

“Do you feel pain?” 

“Hmm, well, there hasn’t been anything in existence that’s able to harm me. Bill is quite literally the only being that is of equal power to me, but there is a being more powerful than us. You could say that is when I do feel the fear.” Stanford perks up at that, raising his pen a little. 

“Oh! Bill has mentioned such a being before.” they nod. 

“So, he has. He doesn’t like to mention it, but they make him nervous as well. Don’t tell him I told you that, he’ll get fussy. Anyway, there hasn’t been a time where somebody has managed to hurt me, much less leave a mark. I’m more of a neutral being, I don’t care for world domination, and I don’t care enough to save worlds. It’s none of my business; not my circus, not my monkeys.” 

“I see. Bill tells me that his and your powers are somewhat similar.” it takes them a second to understand what he meant before perking up, snapping their fingers in remembrance. 

“Ah, yes! Bill has his “deals” to inhabit his host's minds and “cross over” to your world. Unlike him though, I can appear here whenever I want. I don’t need a gateway like he does. Anyways, while he has his deals, I have my contracts. The terms of the contract are set by both me and my contractor, only when we agree and sign the contract may I physically enter their world. They’re stricter as well, we must abide by the terms and conditions, or else the contract with be null and void. We must follow it to a T, or else the contract with destroy itself, and my physical body will cease to exist and I return back to the Nightmare Realm.” 

“And what about your real body?” 

“It becomes stationed. While I am still able to infect other universes with my chaotic influences, it’s not nearly as effective if I were to do it myself. If I want to control the physical body I created in this dimension, I would have to give up the consciousness in my main body to control that other one. My powers are also limited, so while I can easily erase a planet from existence, my powers would simply be reduced to where I can only decimate a city.” 

“That’s… still very threatening.” they shrug their shoulders. “You mentioned your real body? Each time I’ve seen you, you’ve only taken up my appearance. Are you faceless?” they hum. 

“I am. I am neither man nor woman, I am not a being that can be identified by something like sex or pronouns. I have no face and no physical appearance to call my own. However, if a being lesser than I were to witness my true form, their minds would slowly descend into madness from all the chaos stored into one being.” 

“Can you describe what you look like? 

“Hah, are you going to attempt to sketch me?” he nods. 

“Your chapter won’t be complete without it.” they stared at him for a couple seconds then laughed when he raised his head, waiting for them to say something, they just gently shook their head. 

“Alright, okay. I have a body made up of a chaotic tangle of writhing, red tendrils, and jagged lines adorned with numerous glowing red eyes that peer out from the dark depths of my flesh. That’s all you’re going to get.” this caused Stanford to look up at them, mildly frustrated at the brief description, but he took up the challenge and started sketching with what he was given. They both sat in silence and all that was heard was the repeated strokes of Stanford’s pen sketching across the page, they were quite impressed that he was drawing with a pen instead of a pencil. After what they believed was an hour of Stanford consistently stopping to think and continue to draw, he let out a sigh and dropped his pen to pick up his journal. 

“How does this look?” they lean forward and Stanford watches as their collective eyes shoot open and look at the page, he was startled when his journal was plucked out of his hands by an invisible force but when he looked down, he saw that the journal’s shadow was grabbed by them. Looking back up at them, he saw how they held the journal close so their eyes could take in his sketch “Is it… good?” a soft chuckle left them. 

“Hah… alright, I’m starting to see it.” they lowered the book, and he saw something genuine in their eyes “With the limited information, this is surprisingly the most accurate depiction of me. Well done, Fordsy, you’ve won my praise.” they hummed when he became flustered, of course, he would, he’s never been praised by them before, so it made him feel special. 

“Oh, well, it’s nothing much. I did struggle a bit.” 

“Don’t humble yourself, Fordsy.” they turned the book around so he could see his sketch “Not once, in the trillions of years I’ve been alive, has anyone made a sketch as accurate as you have. Nobody can look at the real me without their minds declining into madness, and lesser beings aren’t skilled enough to draw a sketch this good with the lack of details. This is most likely the first and last sketch of me. Be proud, Stanford.” they huffed softly at the soft hue of pink appearing on his cheeks as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. 

“Thanks.” he gasped softly when his journal was tossed back into his hands. 

“Don’t expect to hear more praise from me for a while, that’s Bill’s job.” Stanford chuckled, feeling more at ease with the being that was harbored within his shadow. 

“Sure…” their eyes stared curiously at him when his face scrunched up in thought “I hate to be rude, but is there anything else I can address you by? The Harbinger of Chaos is a bit of a mouthful, and I don’t exactly want to call you chaos or evil, so…” this got a laugh out of them. 

“I don’t have a name. Not even Bill calls me anything. I just… exist.” Ford blinked at them, his face softening a little. 

“Can I… give you a name?” 

“What am I? A pet?” they laughed when he raised his hands and shook them. 

“No, no! It just… it just makes it easier to address you? Yeah, that’s it!” they sat there staring at him as he tried to defend himself, but they just scoffed, leaning into their seat as they crossed their arms. 

“Alright, Einstein, give me a name.” this ceased his needless chattering, and they sat in silence once more as he tried thinking of a good name that would best suit them, he mumbled a couple under his breath but he noticed the way their eyes would crease in displeasure at a couple so he kept thinking “If I don’t like it, I’ll skin you alive.” this caused him to start thinking harder. 

“Um, how about—no, no, that doesn’t sound good. Uh, erm… oh!” he snaps his fingers, face as bright as a child on Christmas day “Alvah! How does that sound?” he started to shrink in on himself when they said nothing but stare at him “W-Well, Alvah is a gender-neutral name with Hebrew roots. Translating to “his highness” or “rising,”.” 

“… you do know the biblical meaning to the name “Alvah”, also means evil, right?” this caused him to pause, looking up in thought before crumbling due to the fact he forgot that small detail, he jumped a little when they started to laugh “I like it.” 

“W-Wha— really?” they nod their head. 

“Yes, Alvah. It has a nice ring to it; I like the name, and I like the fact that it correlates to my being. You’ve won my praise again, well done.” Alvah rolled their eyes when Stanford became flustered once more “Don’t let it go to your head, alright.” 

“Heh, I’ll try.” they both share a laugh. 

Alvah didn’t want to admit it, but Stanford was beginning to grow on them, not enough to stop him from completing the portal, but enough that they started to… care, bleh. They never once cared for him when he would wound up falling asleep at his desk how his sleep schedule became worse and worse, or how he would never eat or restock on food, or even have a shower once in a while. Never once they did care about how he neglected his well-being but ever since the day he gave them that name, their perspective on him changed. 

It was one of those days were Stanford decided to continue working on the portal and he fell asleep at his desk, his shadow loomed over him and Alvah’s form slowly took over and looked over his sleeping form. Humans don’t particularly feel great in the morning after sleeping in such an uncomfortable position, and because they can’t exactly touch his physical being, Alvah used different shadows to pick Stanford up using his shadow and carry him to his bed where he could get some hours of comfortable rest. Stanford would always wake up confused when he found himself in his bed, sometimes asking Fiddleford if it was him that moved him to his bed, but his assistant would deny any involvement in such a thing. He thought it was his muse that possessed his body to move him to his bed, so after asking him, he was met with laughter. 

“Oh, that? Alvah, or whatever you named them, is the one that moves you.” this stunned him, Alvah? “I’m surprised too. Sometimes I would catch them in the act, but they just say they’re doing it, so you won’t cause any hiccups when building the portal. Gotta say they’re always one to think ahead. So, stop falling asleep at your desk, alright?” Bill’s eye narrowed on Stanford when he rubbed the back of his neck. 

“R-Right, I’ll try and stop that.” back in the Nightmare Realm, Bill found Alvah peering into a universe with a human and talking dog. 

“I didn’t think you’d begin to care about our little pet human, Alvah.” this caused their hands to jerk back as they turned to look at Bill. 

“Whatever do you mean?” he hummed. 

“You don’t like humans. You find them one of the most repulsive living flesh bags there is, so I don’t understand why you’re beginning to care about this one.” this caused them to huff, snapping their fingers and the window of the universe they were just looking at disappeared and the one of dimension 46’\ appeared so they could watch Stanford and Fiddleford continue their work on the portal. 

“I thought I was doing a good thing for you, Bill. His progress has slowed a little because of him neglecting his body, would you rather his health to decline while he’s in the process of completing his project?” Bill narrowed his eye on them for that, he had noticed the way Stanford’s work had become a little sloppy because of his wanting to please his muse “I’ll stop if that’s what you want.” 

“Hmm, I guess you can continue your babysitting. I wouldn’t want him to mess up when he’s so close.” they laughed as they gently tipped his hat, causing him to reach for it when it fell off “Hey!” 

“If I didn’t know, you sound jealous.” their eyes creased when they saw his yellow body hue a slight red, whether it be of anger or embarrassment, they weren’t going to question him on it. 

“Jealous? Of what? You taking care of him? I can take him to bed as well!” 

“Mm, without hurting him?” Alvah laughed when he glared at him, the last time he possessed his body, he accidentally fell down a flight of stairs, but they were lucky he was only on the middle part of the staircase instead of the very top “Alright, alright. Now go, he looks like he misses you~” they cooed while pointing at Stanford, who was writing a new paragraph in his journal about his muse. 

“Well, duty calls.” they waved him goodbye and went back to doing their job as Bill returned to Stanford, however, even they began to question why they were looking out for the human. They jotted it down to just looking out for the human for Bill, he needed him alive and healthy for his portal to be complete so he could leave this awful place. If he leaves and takes over dimension 46’\, it’ll leave them in the Nightmare Realm all by themself, which they honestly would prefer. They would have their peace and quiet once more and not have to hear Bill’s consistent chatter about world domination, perhaps he’d let Stanford live, he did have a soft spot for that human. Whatever, it’s none of their concern. 

Until it was. 

“Hey, Alvah.” they let out a hum as Stanford sat across from them as they played a game of chess, letting him know that they were listening, they stared at the pieces on the board as they thought of where they should move their rook “You know a lot about, Bill, right?” he noticed the way their hand pause for a second before slowly moving their rook across the board. 

“I do. Why? Are you curious about something, Fordsy?” their eyes look at him curiously. 

“I believe he is… hiding something from me.” they hum again, watching Stanford move his pawn forward “I can trust you, right?” they shrug. 

“Whether you trust me or not, I don’t care.” 

“Let me rephrase it then; have you lied to me at all?” they rolled their fingers on the armrest of the chair before letting it rest there but their finger started drawing circles in the air. 

“I do not lie. I may keep secrets, but I am not prone to lying. I don’t see a point in lying to someone.” 

“Even if it were to hurt their feelings?” 

“I don’t care about people’s feelings. I’ll tell you a bit of the truth, but I won’t tell you the full truth. It isn’t considered lying if I don’t tell you the full story.” he narrowed his eyes at Alvah’s logic, to which they shrugged again as they moved their bishop to take the knight that was previously being protected by the pawn “Now, why do you believe Bill is hiding something from you? Don’t you trust him?” they raised a brow when they saw him hesitate, now this is new. 

“It’s just, well,” he let out a sigh as he moved his other knight to take their bishop “Fiddleford and I are so close to finishing the portal and he’s been acting… different.” they tilt their head to the side. 

“Different? How so?” he laces his fingers together, pursing his lips as he tries to think of the words. 

“Well, he started to question where the origin of the portal had come from. When I told him it was from a close source of mine, he didn’t fully believe me but didn’t stop to question it.” he looked up at Alvah and saw that they were still listening, going so far as to roll their wrist to get him to continue “When I brought it up with Bill, he told me that Fiddleford was merely jealous that I managed to create such a complex machine.” 

“And? Do you believe Bill?” his eyes hardened a little. 

“I want to believe him, but Fiddleford would never think like that. He’s been my intellectual equal since our days in Backupsmore. I don’t believe he’d ever be jealous of me, but I don’t understand why Bill would say such a thing.” 

“How can you be so sure? Things could change over time.” they watch as he moves his rook but in retaliation they move their other bishop across the board, forcing him to use another one of his pieces to shield his king from being claimed “You should always be careful who you place your trust in, Stanford. One might take advantage of your friendliness, and you would never know which one is doing it. They’ll say nice things to weaken your resolve, and the moment you open your arms out to them, they’re stabbing you in the back to get what they want. But what do they have to gain out of it.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“Well, on one hand, Fiddleford dropped everything just to come and help you with this project. He left his wife and child and didn’t even stop to question what he was getting himself involved in, quite the dedication he has for his best friend. On the other hand, we have Bill Cipher. An interdimensional, dream demon who acknowledged your brilliance and chose you out of billions of other humans to be the one to complete his lifelong project. Taking time out of his routine to come visit you, whether it be in reality or within the sanctum of your mind. Both these individuals seem to hold a place in your heart, they are something special to you, and you are struggling to decide which one you should place your trust in.” they moved their rook forward and took out another one of his pieces, which forced him to move his king “So, who do you trust more? The one who was there when you were nothing, or the one who was there when you became something?” they moved their queen across the board and smirked to themself “Checkmate.” his eyes widened as he looked at the board and saw that their pieces cornered his king, he let out a sigh as he collapsed into the back of his seat. 

“I don’t know what to do.” 

“Well, sort your feelings out. Your mind is clouding your judgement, and one day, someone is going to get hurt because of your foolishness. Decide who to trust. But let me tell you one thing.” he swallowed thickly when their tone got dark “Be careful around Bill. He’s not all that he makes himself out to be. He is one too hold a grudge to those who have double crossed him, and though you might be his favorite, don’t expect him to go easy on you.” they started laughing before raising their hands to form a triangle over their left eye “Beware of the beast with just one eye.” Stanford shielded his face when darkness enveloped the room as their laughter rung out before it all disappeared, he swallowed thickly as he looked around in a daze. 

“Beware of the beast with just one eye?” Alvah watches Stanford in the shadows as he mulled over their words, they themself grinned rather mischievously. 

“The seed of doubt has been planted.” they snickered quietly before returning to the Nightmare Realm and waited for the chaos to ensue. 

And so, we’re getting closer to wrapping up this flashback, but also not quite there yet. Alvah already knew that Stanford and Fiddleford have almost completed the construction of the portal, but they hadn’t realized just how close, because whilst they were minding their own business in the Nightmare Realm, relaxing after fulfilling their daily chaotic routine, they were startled when a hole opened up and out of nowhere. Curiously, they did approach it and concluded that they had finally managed to successfully finish the portal, but what caught them by surprise was when a head poked through. Upon closer inspection, they recognized the human as Fiddleford, they tilted their head to the side as they stared at him while he looked up at them and their face slowly morphed into one of pure terror. 

"You... aren't supposed to be here." they spoke, voice disoriented through the chaos that was their body. They sighed softly when he screamed in fear so they did the only sane thing they could think of, they raised their hand and pushed him right back where he came from, and the hole disappeared just as quickly as it appeared. 

"What was that?" looking over they see Bill approach them, his singular eye tinged with curiosity. 

"I believe your toy has finally finished his project." this made the triangular figure glow with glee, clapping his hands joyfully as he floated circles around their head "Congratulations, Bill. You're finally getting your doomsday." he let out a laugh as he hovered in front of their face. 

"I know, right? I'm gonna go round up the others!" they wave him goodbye and can only imagine the look of devastation on Stanford’s face the moment he realizes that everything he had built was all for nothing, that Bill was taking advantage of him the whole time while they themself knew about it all and said nothing about it. It was probably a couple hours later where Alvah was laying in a body of clouds relaxing, they didn’t really feel fatigue or exhaustion like living beings, but it was very relaxing to just longue around and do nothing. Well, that was until they heard something in the distance. One by one their eyes would slowly open and dart around to try and locate the source of the sound but couldn’t find anything, so with a low groan, they pulled themself up to try and find it but jumped when something flew into their face. 

“What the—" suddenly their face started getting wet and when they moved their eyes to look at what it was, they saw that it was Bill “Bill? What happened? What are you—” they let out a grunt as they managed to rip him off their face like a sticker, they held him in front of them and there they saw that he was… crying? 

“Y-You’ll never believe it…” their eyes look at him in confusion. 

“What? What happened? Why are you crying?” he sniffled and moved so that he was sitting within the palm of their hand. 

“Sixer figured out what I was planning after that little mishap with specs, he swore “eternal vengeance” and shut down the portal.” this revelation caused a few of their eyes to widen a little, they didn’t expect that outcome “But it’s not like I was going to let him get hurt, when we were going to ravage his dimension, I was going to let him join our band of freaks. With that sixth finger of his, he would have fit right in!” they nodded their head and laid back down on the clouds. 

“So, what are you going to do now, Bill? That portal is practically finished, all you’ve got to do is switch it back on and you’ll have your apocalypse.” Bill knew he wasn’t able to do anything in the physical realm unless he possessed Stanford’s body, so he looked up at them with a hopeful look in his ey— “I’m not doing it for you.” he let out a huff at their words. 

“Why not?! You’re able to manipulate their dimension however you please! You’ve been watching him so you know how to turn the thing on, so you could just do it for me!” they just shrug. 

“Don’t wanna.” Alvah laughs when he got angry “It’s none of my business whether he abandons you or not. I never said I was on your side, nor was I on his side. I’ll do whatever is most entertaining to me.” they hear his growl under his breath before he floats off their hand. 

“Fine! Don’t help me. But I’m not letting Sixer get away with this.” they shrug and relax into the clouds. 

“Do what you want.” they laugh quietly to themself and watch Bill float away, probably heading to O’Sadley’s, a multidimensional pub in the Rock Bottom Asteroid Belt of the Vicious Spiral Nebula. They wait until they could no longer feel his presence within the Nightmare Realm before appearing within Stanford’s dimension, they’re in his house but they couldn’t find him, so they search outside and found him standing in front of a bonfire with all three of his journals in his hands “Whatcha doin’?” they laughed when he jumped, panicking when he nearly dropped his research into the fire but quickly caught them and held them close to his chest. 

“A-Alvah…?” he looked down and found them inside his shadow, they waved up at him but noticed how his face hardened “Did you know the purpose of the portal?” they titled their head to the side. 

“Yes.” he let out a groan, throwing his head back in frustration “I warned you from the very beginning, Fordsy? You’re quite dumb for a man who proclaims to be a genius. He was playing you from the beginning and I was giving you subtle hints about it, but you weren’t able to pick up on it. This is exactly why I called you dumb, dumb, dumb.” he never did like it when they called him that, but that’s exactly what he was, a complete and utter fool. He can recall the times where they hinted at the fact that Bill was lying to him, it was mostly during the times when he praised Bill, and they would call him a fool for saying such a thing and mock his intelligence.  

“Are you here to stop me?” 

“Stop you from doing what?” 

“From shutting down the portal! Isn’t that why you’re here?” they laughed again. 

“Hah! No. Bill did want me to switch it back on, but I don’t wanna do that. I could care less about what he wants. I wasn’t on his side to begin with, I was just here for the entertainment.” they blow a raspberry as they shrug “But remember what I told you, Stanford. He is not going to go easy on you, you better find a way to keep him out.” he swallowed thickly at their words. 

“Yes, you are right.” 

“I was right from the start. I told you; I don’t lie.” 

“No, no you do not.” 

Alvah watched from within his shadow as he tried figuring out a way to keep Bill out of his lab but allow him in, since he made that deal with Bill that allowed him into his mind, he was worried that when he fell asleep Bill would possess his body and attempt to reactivate the portal. Alvah clearly doesn’t care about the outcome, they stated they’re not on Bill’s side, but they didn’t say they were on his side either. He didn’t know if he could trust their word on it, Alvah wasn’t confined to his mind and could freely travel through shadows and any reflection, so he couldn’t think of a way to keep them at bay like he could with Bill. 

Alvah thought it was quite impressive that Stanford managed to input a retinal scan on the door to his lab, knowing that when Bill was in the possession of any sort of body, the pupils of their host tend to become thinner while their sclera turned a shade of yellow. So, when he did eventually fall asleep and Bill did come into possession of his body, they watched within the shadows how Bill punched the steel door until his knuckles started to tear and bleed, he then resorted to scratching at the door like a caged animal until he split his nails. Bill, when possessing a body, was restricted to the physical capabilities of his host, so they were a little surprised at the strength Stanford had to be able to leave marks on the door. When Bill eventually gave up and returned to the Nightmare Realm, they appeared on the wall where Stanford lay unconscious and stared at the state of the door. Covered in scratch marks and smeared with his blood, if they hadn’t witnessed what happened, they would never have guessed a human man caused that much damage, rather a blood thirsty beast clawing desperately to get inside.  

Stanford woke up in the morning and his hands were in agonizing pain, he thought he would have found himself in front of his lab door but instead he was in his bed once more. Lifting his hands out from under the covers he was surprised to see they were wrapped securely in bandages and on his desk was a bowl that had a hand towel drenched in a mixture of his blood and water, alongside it was a glass of water and what looked like his aspirin. He would have thought that it was Fiddleford that treated his hands, that he had returned after what he had put him through, but beside the glass of water was a tiny note. 

‘you’ve got a bit of cleaning up to do ~ a’ 

“Alvah…” he whispered softly, he looks back down at his hands and noticed that his nails were a little shorter than the last time he checked. He took a breath as he gently rubbed over the bandages; they were on his side. Back in the Nightmare Realm, Alvah ignored the distant crying and screaming and watched Stanford closely, their finger drawing circles through the window to his dimension. 

“Ah, I’ve got too much work cut out for me.” 

Alvah watched as Bill grew desperate while Stanford’s mind slowly descended into insanity, they didn’t know if his desperation was what kept their involvement with Stanford to a minimum, but he had yet to notice how it was them patching up Stanford with everything that geometrical freak was throwing at him. They themself didn’t understand why they got involved with Stanford, they didn’t understand why they were helping him, they kept telling themself that it was just to spite Bill. They didn’t like Bill all too much, that’s why they were on the human’s side. Well, it was quite funny seeing him throw tantrum after tantrum each time Stanford denied him access to his mind. The zombie incident was a mess, it was a little hilarious watching Stanford and Bill converse through sticky notes like the humans do in their educational prisons, the oddest one by far was Bill taping a snake into his journal and how he retaliated? Playing Bill’s favorite song “the world is small ever after for always” by Inkwell, unfortunately it was now replaying within the Nightmare Realm. 

They appear within Stanford’s room but noticed that he was nowhere to be found, they reappear inside his lab and don’t find him in there either. He couldn’t possibly be outside, the season changed to the colder one so there was no way he was outside unless he wanted to be frozen like a popsicle. Roaming the hallways of his barely lit shack, Alvah was struggling to find him, but when they searched upstairs, they noticed that one of his windows leading to the roof was open. It was the early morning, and the sun was up, but it was barely peaking through the thick clouds that blanketed the earth with layers of snow, but outside on the rooftop was Stanford. He was woken from his slumber when he felt a blast of freezing cold air blow through him, his eyes shot open, and it took him a couple seconds to realize that he was outside. His eyes slowly trailed downwards, and he realized that he was on the roof of his shack, his foot hanging off the edge as if he was about to step off. If his body wasn’t already shaking due to the cold, then his body started to tremble at the thought of Bill… he slowly pulled his foot back and inched away from the edge, hugging his body that was turning blue due to hyperthermia. How long had he been out here? He could barely feel his fingers and the snow was seeping into his clothes and melting, nothing feels worse than wet socks. Maybe it was due to him being lost in his thoughts or the sudden gust of wind, but his eyes widened when he lost his footing and started to fall. He clawed desperately at anything to catch himself but due to the layer of snow on his roof he found nothing to grab, a gasp left him he had practically fallen off the roof but was caught in midair by his wrist.  

“How’s it hanging?” looking up, he didn’t see anyone but when he looked forward, he had realized he had fallen in front of the open window where his shadow cast inside and there he saw Alvah had caught him by his shadow “Now what are you doing outside? It’s cold out, isn’t it?” they laugh as they pull him inside, placing him gently on the ground. Their head tilts to the side when they saw him shivering so they closed the window and drag him to where the fireplace was well lit and the song “Sweet Dreams” by Eurythmics was softly playing in the background, they disappear but reappear to drape a blanket over him to help. 

“T-Thank you…” they let out a hum, he looks down at his hands and saw they were wrapped in bandages and his body felt oddly sore, had the shock made him unaware of the pain he was experiencing? 

“Bill knows.” his eyes flicker towards Alvah. 

“He knows? H-He knows what?” 

“… he knows that I’ve been the one helping you.” he jumped to his feet but fell back down when a wave of exhaustion washed over his body, what did Bill do to him? “In the beginning I kind of let him do what he wanted with your body, but he almost took it too far and I had to intervene. Questioned what I was doing so I told him how I was just doing it because it was funny seeing him all angry at the loss of his favorite toy.” 

“What did he do?” they snapped their fingers, and he was suddenly in front of his TV and in their hands was a VHS tape. 

“You’re really not going to like this.” they put the VHS in the player and watched as the TV spurred to life, they watched Stanford’s face closely, and he was completely stunned. He almost didn’t recognize the wild-eyed hermit staring back on the TV; it was him. Or rather, Bill in his body, from the previous night.  

“Welcome back to the puppet hour with Bill! Say hi, kids! Today’s puppet is my old pal Sixer. Sixer’s had a rough day. But his night was rougher, wanna see?” as the TV displayed what exactly happened the night prior, they watched how his face contorted with a range of different emotions; disbelief, shock, anxiousness. On the floor, Bill had graciously littered the floor with polaroids of his adventures with little headings on them. He picked them up slowly but paused when Bill started speaking again, but this time, he heard another voice “What do you think you’re doing?” what he was watching was the moment when Bill was hammering nails into his hand, or, he was planning on hammering nails into his hand. He placed the first nail into the center of his hand but before he could swing the hammer down, his wrist was caught by Alvah grabbing him by Stanford’s shadow. 

“What does it look like I’m doing, Cipher? Interfering~” within the restrictions of Stanford’s physical capabilities, he struggled under Alvah’s hold “It was quite funny watching you mess with his body in the beginning, but come on now, doesn’t he need his hands? How are you going to get him to turn the portal on if you mess up his hands?” they’re laughing at the way Bill struggled to free himself from their grip. 

“So, you’re the reason sixer hasn’t given up yet!” 

“Am I though? Just watching the back-and-forth banter between you two is just so funny! If I didn’t know it, it seems like you need him more than he needs you! I didn’t think you’d be such a clingy, little ex.” Bill manages to throw their hand back, his twisted grin turned into a glare “Oh, but that’s right. You aren’t the one that’s meant to be thrown away, it’s supposed to be the other way around. I just didn’t expect the great and mighty Bill Cipher to be so… desperate.” 

“Clingy…? Desperate?!” they continue to laugh. 

“Am I wrong?” the video of their interaction ends there but he could tell that any time when Bill attempted to harm his body, Alvah interfered and made sure that not a lot of damage was inflicted on his body. Picking up a polaroid, he found one where a dart from a dart board was lodged into his temple, so he raised his hand and felt more bandages “I don’t think you want to watch this part.” this caused him to look back towards the TV, he watched in confusion as Bill limped towards a payphone and… he punched in Stanley’s phone number, h-he wouldn’t. 

“Hey, brother, it’s Sixer. I’m going to take a swim in the frozen lake tomorrow, so if you don’t hear from me, I just want you to know that it’s because I never loved you. Buh-byeeeee!” Stanford felt as if his heart was in his throat, but his eyes closed in relief when he heard the dial tone, the pay phone was out of order. The message hadn’t gotten through, he opened his eyes and saw how Bill turned back to address him “Tsk, tsk, tsk. Look what you made me make you do! Tomorrow’s tape is gonna be much worse. Want the show to end? Go downstairs and work on the portal. Or I’m gonna have to show you what I’m really made of.” Alvah eyes Stanford as the TV screen turned static, his face seemed to be a mixture of emotions again. This time, however, he looked completely livid. He stood to his feet and ripped the VHS tape out and threw it into the fire, watching it turn to cinders before screaming. 

“You have no power here! You’re just in my mind! I can outlast anything you can—” Alvah watches as he halts in all his movements, they let out a sigh when they know that Bill’s power over Stanford must before taking over his mind. They grabbed him by his shadow when he started to sway and placed him back down on his coach, laying him down as his body twitched and trembled due to the chaos going on inside his mind. They loomed over and watched him, his face contorting in pain, his breath becoming heavier as sweat dripped down his face.  

I don’t care. 

This human means nothing to me. 

Their misery is entertainment, that’s all. 

But… 

They lean closer to his face before letting out a sigh, raising their hand over his face and pressing their index finger the center of his forehead, whispering a few words under their breath and his face visibly relaxes. 

"That should be enough... hopefully."  

Stanford felt as if his body was paralyzed.  

Where am I? 

It felt as if his bones were being pulled slowly, slowly out from their sockets. 

It was excruciating. 

I tried to scream, but nothing came out— 

“Think, Sixer. You let me. In. Your. Head. Do you realize what I can do in here if I want? I can flip a switch that makes every neuron burn with pain beyond imagination. I can rewire your optic nerve so that the sky is below you, play a tone that gets louder and louder until you bash your own skull just to make it stop. I can delete memories randomly, just for fun. Maybe I already have. What do you want to remember? Your mother’s face? Your own name? Who are you anyway?” 

“That’s ridiculous! I’m… I’m…” his tried to think of his name but his mind what completely blank, a snap echoed through his head, and it came to him “I’m Stanf—” and he lost his train of thought again when the snap echoed once more. He pressed his hands to his head when he felt his sockets start to strain. Any and all his tendons would pop, his bones would slinter. He fell to his knees, on the verge of emptying what was in his stomach. 

“You’re my property. Don’t forget it. The hillbilly abandoned you, your father won’t want you returning without millions, you have no friends, and if you died out here in the snow, who would even miss you? And let’s not forget about your Alvah. You think they actually care about you? You think just because they’re still around they’re doing it because they like you? Don’t make me laugh. They don’t care about anything, much less a human with little to no value to them. They are one of the most neutral beings throughout the universe who never picks a side, who would watch a universe burn to cinders than lend a hand, who wouldn’t shed a tear or bat an eye at the sound of screaming and anguished cries! They won’t help you; they won’t save you, and they won’t interfere so long as I—Ah!” Stanford let out a gasp when Bill was suddenly blasted away from him, he felt something embracing him and pulled him back as Bill collected himself and came back “Wha—you! What are you doing here?!” he tried to look up at the figure, but a shadowy hand covered his eyes, their arms wrapped protectively around him as a voice spoke. 

“I’ve come to steal your precious little toy, Bill~” they let out a laugh, Stanford shuddered out a breath at the sound of a voice that was made up of what seemed like thousands of screams and cries, possibly even more “You sound like you’re projecting, poor, sweet, little Billy. Are you still mad about what happened all those years ago? Talk about holding a grudge, huh? I was right about that one about you, Bill.” he managed to peek through their hands and saw the way Bill turned a bright shade of red as he got angry, his eye glaring at what he knew was to be Alvah. 

“You… why are you choosing to help him?! You don’t even have a contract with him, and yet you’re going to help him?! You’ve never done that for anyone! You’ve always just sat by and watched things happen! You’ve never interfered! You’ve never done anything!” 

“Who knows, but I do know that watching you like this is just the best thing I’ve seen in over trillions of years!” Stanford was pushed back, and he was met with the overwhelming sight of a dark black and red storm cloud where you could hear disoriented and agonizing screams “If taking Stanford Pines is what’s going to keep this game going on a little longer, than I’m willing to interfere just to see you become less of what you believe you are, Bill Cipher!” 

“I will never forget this!”  

Stanford awoke with a fright, shooting upwards and panting out in exhaustion. Looking down, he found himself sitting on his couch but after looking around he found his living room cleaned up with the polaroids pilled together and placed in a shoebox on his coffee table. He stands up and finds a little note sitting on top of the pile, picking it up, he felt his lip tremble as he read it. 

‘fine, I may care a little ~ a’ 

He didn’t care if Alvah was on his side because they found it amusing when Bill threw a tantrum, or because they found it entertaining to watch him lose his mind, but this goes to show that they were willing to keep Bill at bay for him. He holds the note close to him before turning on his heel, he knows what he has to do now.  

Meanwhile, the residents of the Nightmare Realm hid in the deepest corners of their dimension in order to keep away from the onslaught that was going on. Bill was screaming out in frustration while Alvah laughed their head off, the two of them in an ongoing battle where the Harbinger of Chaos wasn’t taking anything serious while Bill was trying everything in his power to erase them from existence. Two of the Nightmare Realm’s most powerful beings were fighting because one of going through a messy break up while the other was just bored, the Axolotl would be severely disappointed in them.  

… 

… 

“And that’s my past with Stanford.” she ended with a fond smile, thinking back to that day thirty years ago. While she was telling this story, she refrained from dropping Bill’s name or any involvement of him and merely referred to him as “his muse”, Ford would be angry if she told them about his deal with Bill instead of him, so she was going to wait “In the beginning I was just an insufferable guest, he came to like me over the course of the portal’s construction and when Fidds left him and went insane, I became a sort of caretaker to him. With how stubborn he is, I’m probably not going to get a thank you out of him.” she stood there and waited for a response, she looked at them and saw the way they were staring up at her with teary eyes. 

“You… you really cared for Grunkle Ford.” her face twisted into an incredulous one. 

“Care? That’s funny. I cared enough to keep him alive, but I didn’t care enough to keep him out of harms way.” she deadpanned when Mabel wrapped her arms around her legs. 

“You’re not denying that you care.” Alvah scoffed as she scooped up Mabel and placed her back down beside Dipper “Then what about Grunkle Stan? Do you care about him? What’s your past with him? When did you two first meet?” she chuckled softly. 

“Hmm, that’s something you’ve got to ask him about. Ever since my contract with Stanford, I had kept an eye on anyone relating to him. Albeit friends or family, but I kept my eye on Stanley for a long time.” she places a finger to her chin, looking up in thought “My first genuine meeting with Stanley is something I can’t particularly remember, I was always lingering around in the shadows helping every now and then. But I don’t think he’ll want to discuss such a memory, he’s been distant from me since the reveal, which is understandable.” she raised a brow when she saw the determination on Mabel’s face. 

“I will get that backstory, no matter what it takes!” with that the girl rushed off to find Stan, she just shrugged her shoulders with a shake of her head. 

“Did you, though?” she hummed at Soos’ question, he shrunk a little as he twiddled his thumbs “Did you actually care about Mr. Pines? O-Or even us? Was everything you did just an obligation?” they didn’t notice the way her face twitched a little, she let out a breath as she looked towards nothing in particular. 

“Who knows? But whether I care or not does not change the fact that I am here to protect you. You are under my protection, and I will make it so that Bill does not bring you any more harm.” Dipper flinched at the mention of Bill and rubbed his arms, he looked up and jumped slightly where he sat when he saw Alvah kneel down in front of him “And I am so sorry that I stood by and let you make a deal with him, Dipper. I saw you when he took your body, but I wasn’t allowed to do anything.” she could remember that day as if it were yesterday, when she, Wendy and Soos approached Bipper and when Dipper tried to stop them, he flew through her body. She remembered turning around and seeing the distraught look on his face, but she was forced to look away and pretend she didn’t see him, it really did make her feel remorseful. 

“W-Why couldn’t you?” 

“You should know about time anomalies, Dipper. That stupid time baby or whatever would be furious if I were to mess with this timeline even more so than I already have, if I were to have prevented such a thing I would get into even more trouble. My contracts can bend a lot of rules, but messing with the flow of time is a definite no.” she took his hat and ruffled his head “Why do you think I was lot more attentive back then?” he thought back to that day and did remember the pained expression on her face when she and Stan brought him to the hospital. 

“So, you couldn’t directly interfere with what happened over the summer, but you could intervene as long as you didn’t stop us directly?” she nods “Then, could you tell us what’s going to happen next?” she pressed a finger to her lips as she placed his hat back down on his head. 

“I can’t share any spoilers, now, can I?”  

“Alvah!” she let out an oh at the sound of her name being called, they all looked up and saw Ford at the door “I need you down in the lab, could you come and assist me?” she saluted him with a smile. 

“Coming~” he waits for her behind as she looks back down at Dipper, she winks at him and boops his nose “Duty calls. See you later, sweetpea.” they watch as she turned on her heel and walked out with Ford, her appearance changing back into her male version, the one that Ford prefers. He follows closely behind Ford, chatting with him as he speaks about a rift, and as they pass the living room his eyes catch Mabel and Stanley. He lifted his head up and noticed his brother and Alvah walk into the gift shop, the latter laughing softly as Ford spoke, he flinched when Alvah turned and met his gaze. He twiddled his fingers to greet Stan before turning away and going down into the lab with Ford behind him, he let out a sigh as he fell back into his chair. 

“Do you miss her, Grunkle Stan?” he looked down at Mabel before letting out a scoff, crossing his arms and looking away. 

“Miss her? After everything? Pah, I say good riddance! Am I a little upset that she’s hanging around my brother now? Maybe. Am I sad that I no longer talk to her anymore? Kind of… but that doesn’t mean anything! Clearly what we had meant nothing to her!” Mabel looked up at him, a brow quirked upwards as he rambled about everything that happened between them would be forgotten sooner or later. 

“I didn’t want to bring this up with you, Grunkle Stan, but I saw the night you two dance together.” she had to hold back a squeal when he flinched, his face turning bright red at the thought of that night “I saw the way you looked at her, but I also saw the way she looked at you. She told us how she isn’t able to properly feel emotions, but what I saw that night, I can guarantee you that wasn’t fake. She said it herself; she isn’t a liar.” he let out a groan. 

“But she hasn’t be truthful either!” Mabel’s gaze hardened on him. 

“Neither have you.” his shoulders slump, she let out a huff “I understand that you’re upset, but from what I can tell, everything she’s done leading up to this point has been on her own accord. Her helping us and everything, and with whatever you two had going on, I’m sure she did it all for a reason.” he rubbed the back of his neck “But she said she couldn’t quite remember when you two first met? She said she was always lingering around and watching, but her first interaction with you, she can’t really recall it.” he let out a breath as he leaned against the table, looking up in thought. 

“First interaction, first interaction…” her fingers were crossed, repeatedly thinking in her head “please remember, please remember”, he then shoots up and snaps his fingers “Oh, yeah! I totally remember!” she’s quick to take a seat beside him, looking up at him excitedly. 

“Really? What happened?”  

“Well, it was when the Mystery Shack was finally getting some traction.” it was just like any other day at the Mystery Shack, people come in, he lies through his teeth about the attractions in his house while sprinkling jokes in every now and then before scamming those poor suckers out of their money. It was at the end of the day when the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes upon approached him at the counter, he was at a loss for words as she looked at him. She had blonde hair that was the softest tone of blonde that he’d compared to sand on a beautiful sunny day, eyes as green as freshly cut grass that shun like an emerald if the sun hit them just right. Compared to these hicks, she was wearing elegant and formal clothing, so she stood out compared to the rest of the crowd.  

She was like a gem amongst a pile of rocks. 

“Good evening, Mr. Mystery.” she giggled softly as he gawked at her, his eyes blinking rapidly as she spoke to him in a soft voice, she laughed when he pointed at himself with a confused look “Well, yes. Is there anyone else that goes by the title of Mr. Mystery?” he cleared his throat and quickly collected himself, pulling on his collar but unable to cover the flush that spread across his cheeks. 

“I guess not. I am the one and only, Mr. Mystery.” he holds his hand out to her “The name’s Stan Pines, pleasure to meet you.” she takes his hand and shakes it. 

“I am Alvah, it’s lovely to meet you too.” she took her hand back and continued to smile up at Stan, he let out a nervous laugh. 

“Are you new around here? I don’t think I’ve seen you.” 

“I’ve been around here and there, but normally keep to myself. I heard the attraction going around these parts and decided to pay a visit to the “Mystery Shack” everybody was raving about.” she hummed softly as she gently flicked a jar of eyeballs “And I have to say, I see what all the hype is about. You have a very fascinating collection on your hands. Did you hunt them down yourself?” she slowly raised her brow when he pulled on his tie. 

“Ah haha, well. You could say I did, I mean, they’re here now, aren’t they?” 

“I suppose so.” they both noticed how the tourist was beginning to leave so Alvah took that as her cue to leave as well, she twiddled her fingers at him to bid him goodbye and proceeded to walk away but stopped when he called out to her. 

“Hey!” she stopped in her tracks and turned back to him, curious at what he had to say “Will you come again?” she tilts her head to the side. 

“Are you personally asking me to come again? I’m honored.” she giggled when he scoffed, messing with his tie again “I’ll come back every now and then. I’ll go broke if I come back every day with how much you charge.” 

“Y-You can come back any time! Hehe, free of charge…” she hummed softly, twirling a strand of her hair around her finger. 

“Well then, I’ll see you tomorrow, Stan.” she winks at him before walking out the door, unbeknownst to her, he had the derpiest grin on his face as he waved her goodbye. 

“Hehe, you’ve still got it, Stanley.” now he couldn’t help but scowl at the memory “I believe she only did that out of pity. Oh wait, she can’t feel pity, now, can she? She must have saw how pathetic I looked and decided then and there would be when she asserted herself with that appearance, knowing it would ruin me.” Mabel placed a hand on his arm and gave it a light squeeze “I knew… I knew that smile was just too good to be true. She outconned me.” 

“Well… what if she meant it? Didn’t she say that everything she’s done leading up to now, she’s never lied to you.” his resolve softened a little before shaking his head upon realizing what she said. 

“How do you know that? We were alone when she said that.” Mabel let out a nervous laugh. 

“Ah hahaha, were you? I totally wasn’t listening in on your conversation. Nope, not at all.” Stan shook his head and gently ruffled her head. 

“Our first meeting wasn’t anything special. She was just a tourist who claimed to be fascinated by what the Mystery Shack had to offer, but she’s probably seen even grander things than this junk house.” with that his face saddened once more, seemingly missing the bond both he and Alvah had before the cat got out of the bag, he had almost wished she wasn’t who she claimed to be. 

“Do you hate her?” there it was again, this time spoken by his niece.  

“… I don’t know.” Mabel just couldn’t stand for this. She may just be twelve years old, but that’s old enough for her to see what Stan and Alvah had. She saw the way they looked at each other, the way they spoke to each other and how could she forget that tender and intimate moment they shared on that night. This mishap couldn’t be the undoing of their relationship, and she’ll make sure of it “H-Hey, kiddo, where are you going?” he asked when she jumped off the stool and started running towards the vending machine. 

“Just to ask Alvah a couple questions!” he stood to his feet, reaching his hand out to stop her but was too late when she punched in the code to the vending machine and walked down the hallway to Ford’s lab. Back with Alvah, he was currently leaning over Ford’s shoulder as they were discussing their plan to seal a leakage caused by Stanley reactivating the portal once more. 

“So… are you really not going to thank Stanley?” he let out a scoff. 

“Thank him? For what?” 

“Well, for returning you back to your dimension. Surely you must feel some sort of gratitude.” he leans back when Ford turned around, giving Alvah an irritated expression. 

“He was the reason I fell in in the first place. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have had to be in there.” he hums softly. 

“That is true, then how about impressed?” this got a short chuckle out of him. 

“Impressed by what?” 

“Well, how about him teaching himself about quantum physics? Reconstructing the portal with only having a third of the portal’s instructions, completely unaware there were more instructions due to the invisible ink? Building it all by himself while also maintaining a business that was so successful and also looking after his great niece and nephew? He had no help either. Not from McGucket, Bill or even me.” he raised his finger, wagging it side to side in front of Ford’s face “If anything, your brother is goddamn genius. He has my praise.” he laughed when Ford smacked his hand away. 

“You’re giving him too much credit if you’re calling him a genius.” he shrugged and allowed his body to float, leaning backwards and resting his head in his hands. 

“What can I say? For a high school dropout who had no further education for himself, I am very impressed that he managed to reconstruct the portal the way he did. He had almost completed it by the time he got his hands on journal two and three, and it didn’t take him too long to complete it.” he smirked down at Ford, giving him a toothy grin “If that doesn’t make him a genius, then pardon me.” 

“You seem to like Stanley a lot. When we first met, you did nothing but ridicule me.”  

“Hah! Of course, I told you it was because you were stupid enough to fall for Bill’s flattery. The self-proclaimed genius who didn’t even realize he was being played. Unlike you, Stanley is emotionally intellectual. Though he didn’t admit it, he knew there was something wrong with me, always questioned why someone like me would hang around him. Sure, it was the same between you and Bill, but he had you in the palm of his hand in a couple hours. Stanley was a harder nut to crack. He liked the fact that he was getting attention from a beautiful woman, but he was so guarded it took a couple years for him to fully allow me in. Hmm, but I believe we’re back in square one now.” he shrugged his shoulders “He also makes me laugh.” this earned an eyeroll.  

“Yes, yes, because all you care about is whether or not you are entertained.” he snapped his fingers, now leaning forward. 

“Yes, exactly.” 

“Alvah!” both men jump at the loud call, turning around, they see Mabel abruptly enter the room with a determined look on her face. Ford briefly looks up at Alvah and saw him change back into their female appearance, he noticed that they tend to do that around the children and Stan’s employees. 

“What is it, sweetheart?” she answered, continuing to float in the air but this time positioning herself as if she was in a chair with her legs crossed “How may I assist you now?” she let out a yelp when Mabel grabbed her by the ankle and yanked her down. She now sat on her knees as Mabel held her by her collar, staring her in the eyes with a serious look, a bead of sweat bled down the side of her face. 

“How do you feel about Grunkle Stan?” she let out a sigh as she slumped in her hold. 

“This again? Are you ever going to let this go, Mabel?” she allowed the young girl to thrash her around and hang by her grip. 

“How can I?! His feelings are all over the place ever since learning that you were lying who you were all this time.” she muttered under her breath that she didn’t exactly lie if she didn’t tell the full truth, she was kicked by Ford, who promptly looked away when she looked back up at him “It’s up to me to clear up this entire misunderstanding. To help you fully understand your feelings for Grunkle Stan.” she only deadpanned. 

“Good luck with that, kid. This body isn’t exactly designed to comprehend emotions, I don’t even have a personality to call my own.”  

“That’s really sad.” Mabel let her go and she allowed herself to fall to the ground, the young brunette stepped over her and rushed towards Ford, who awkwardly stared down at her in mild curiosity “Grunkle Ford, do you have anything that can project people’s thoughts?” this caused Alvah to look up at Ford, who he himself looked up in thought while rubbing his chin. 

“Do I have something that can project people’s thoughts? Why, that’s very specific. If only I—hah! Of course I do.” he continued to rub his chin as he debated whether it would be a good idea “As much as I’d like to decline the usage of this machinery, I am also more curious as to what you have been up to with my brother the past three decades.” Alvah let out a huff as she pushed herself off the ground and began to float again. 

“And why should I allow you to use this on me? It’s quite dangerous to peer into the mind of the embodiment of chaos. Aren’t you afraid you’ll end up like McGucket?” Mabel let out a laugh. 

“Psh, like you’d let that happen. You like me too much, and besides, I’m adorable! Would you deny this cute face?” Mabel doesn’t wait to answer as she turned back to look up at Ford to ask, or rather plead, to use the device he mentioned. This left him to look up at Alvah and see the way she pouted with a tinge of pink flushing her cheeks, she was trying so hard to deny Mabel’s claims but was ultimately failing. That’s where she found herself sitting on the chair in front of five monitors, sitting particularly in front of a large screen while two smaller ones were to her right and left. If she remembered correctly, Ford dubbed this device as Project Mentem as a defense against Bill, which main functionality was that it could scan one’s mind and bioelectrically encrypt one’s thoughts “So we just put this thingamajig on her head and we can see her thoughts?” Mabel asked as she held the helmet in her hands, Ford nodded as he took it from her and approached Alvah. 

“It’s much more complicated than that, but yes, that’s basically what it does.” she looked up at him and saw he had a cheeky grin on his face, she sneered at him while shaking her head. 

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” he chuckles softly. 

“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. To see the thoughts of an actual deity is something I wouldn’t have imagined. I thank you greatly for this, Mabel. You children have quite the rein on Alvah.” she just shook her head; he placed the helmet on her head then pushed a couple buttons on the control console to which it on. All five screens spurred to life and the room illuminated with a green light, the two wait patiently for something to appear on the screen but were left confused when it remained blank.  

“Is it working?” Mabel asked, his face furrowed in confusion as he pushed a couple buttons. 

“It should be.” she snickered softly. 

“You’re going to have to try and little harder than that. If you want me to think about something specifically, you have to ask~ I can blank out my mind all willy nilly. Either that or I overload your machine. My mind has a vast amount of information.” Ford huffed at her, it was never going to be that easy “Of course not.” she stuck her tongue out at him when he glared at her, she turned her attention to Mabel when she approached her, grabbing her by the legs and looking up at her with a serious expression. 

“Think about your first real encounter with Grunkle Stan.” this sparked something within her mind and the screens behind her displayed her first real encounter with Stanley. Mabel was expecting the same thing Stan told her but was greatly surprised to see something entirely different, both herself and Ford took a step towards the monitors to try and figure out what they were looking at but couldn’t quite place it. 

“The first time I met Stanley was when you wanted me to give him that postcard, Ford.” his eyes widened when he saw Alvah’s male appearance appear on the monitor walking across an empty street to approach a rundown motel, he glared at a pedestrian that bumped into him but ignored them in favor to accomplish the task at hand. He looked at the postcard once more and shook his head at the lack of information on it, in handwriting unbecoming of Stanford that read “PLEASE COME”. He just shrugged his shoulders and walked through the parking lot and towards the various rooms, Mabel let out a soft gasp when she saw Alvah walk past the Stanmobile, so this really was her first meeting with Stan. His hand glides across the many doors until stopping at one in particular, he looks at the mailing address once more before raising his fist and knocking on the door “I have a postcard for Stanley Pines~” he called out as he repeatedly knocked on the door, Alvah had all the time in the world, so he continuously knocked on the door until it swung open. Stanford already knew that this was thirty years into the past but seeing the disgruntled version of his brother was something that caught him off guard, it almost felt like it was yesterday he saw this worn-out version of Stanley. 

“Alright, alright! Don’t you see the mail slot?” Alvah just chuckled as he held the postcard between his two fingers. 

“Sorry, but the sender wanted me to make sure you got your hands on this. Didn’t want this getting lost in the mail.” he holds it out for him to take and as Stanley reaches to take it, he cheekily pulled it back “Make sure not to lose this.” he laughed when it was snatched out of his hands while the shorter man glared at him, he just backed away slightly while raising his hands up. 

“Whatever man.” the door is then slammed shut, Alvah rolled his eyes as he dusted his hands off. 

“Welp, did what I was supposed to do.” with his task done he snapped his fingers and returned to Gravity Falls, the memory ends and they look towards Alvah “My very first impression of Stanley Pines was that of a pathetic human who had hit rock bottom. I was honestly surprised that this was the brother that caused you so much discontent, Ford. This was the so-called man who “ruined your life”, talk about living up to what little his name had other than disappointment.” Alvah was smacked in the leg by Mabel, who glared up at her after hearing what she had to share about Stanley. 

“That isn’t very nice, Alvah.” she shrugged her shoulders. 

“Well, that was me in the beginning, when I was still just Fordsy’s little shadow. After you disappeared into the portal and I was stuck in this hick town, I remained within Stanley’s shadow.” the monitors flicker on once more and they watched as she watched over him, while he worked days and nights to repair the portal and would fall asleep at his desk trying to solve Stanford’s notes. She would appear behind him and instead of returning him upstairs, she would retrieve a pillow and blanket and drape it over him so he would be more comfortable. When the Mystery Shack was slowly building up fame, she would be out influencing people to go pay a visit to the man displaying a world of mystery, and it was on that very day Alvah finally became the woman she was to the Pines Family “My opinion of Stanley changed over time. You could say his devotion to bring you back and to fix his mistake, dedicating his life to save you swayed my feelings about him. There was nothing more to it.”  

“Can you think of the instance you felt something for Grunkle Stan? Something that wasn’t displeasure or just an obligation to look after him? Something that had caught you off guard.” they watched as she furrowed her brows as multiple instances went by, but nothing stood out until she slowly perked up. 

“It was… the year before you two were supposed to have arrived. It was your birthday.” this startled Ford a little “Stanley never celebrated your guy’s birthday, I knew the reason, but he told me it was because he didn’t really have anybody to celebrate it with. I wasn’t around in the beginning because I was doing other stuff, but apparently, he planned a whole party. He spent hours writing up comedy roasts about his employees, but in the end… nobody came.” they look back towards the monitors and are met with Alvah walking down a street where she accidentally bumped into Soos. 

“Miss Alvah!” she smiled at him, waving her hand to greet him. 

“How are you, Soos? Today’s a lovely day for a stroll, is it not?” she raised a brow at the glum look on his face “What’s the matter, big guy?” he let out a sigh as he took his hat off and rubbed the back of his head. 

“Mr. Pines is celebrating his birthday this afternoon, but I won’t be able to make it. My Abuelita needs my help all afternoon and I won’t be able to make it.” that and the fact that he himself didn’t exactly like celebrating his birthday caused her to nod her head “I was hoping you would tell him I said happy birthday. There’s no way you would miss it!” she didn’t even realize it was their birthday that day, but she wasn’t going to tell him that. 

“Of course I will. I’m sure he’ll be saddened without you in attendance, Soos. Give your Abuelita my regards, sweetheart.” she let out an oof when he pulled her into a hug, squeezing her tightly while lifting her off the ground. 

“Thank you so much, Alvah!” he puts her down and rushes off, waving his hand goodbye as he ran off “I’ll make sure to make it up to you!” she kept up her happy face and the moment he disappeared her face relaxed as she looked away. 

“I spent the rest of that afternoon looking for a gift for Stanley. He is quite easy to please, so I found a vintage and expensive wine, but the hard part was finding a cake.” she laughed softly at the memory, the monitors display her at multiple bakeries and pastry stores in search of a cake but for some reason they were all sold out “In the end I had to make the cake myself. It didn’t end… quite well.” the monitors flickered to her attempting to make a cake but instead setting a kitchen on fire with a panicked look on her face, by the time the sun was beginning to fall she had finally made a decent looking and tasting cake after many trials and errors. She found herself in front of his front door and proceeded to knock on it continuously until it was thrown open, she pulled her hand back when he looked ready to shout at whoever was knocking before pausing when he realized who exactly was in front of him. 

“… Alvah?” she let out a soft laugh as she leaned forward to take in his appearance. 

“Haha, what happened to your eyebrow? Did you burn it off?” she questioned as she reached forward and brushed a few of his locks out of his face to get a look at the singed hair, she giggled when he smacked her hand away and turned away to hide it. 

“No! Anyways, what are you doing here?” he sputtered backwards when she lifted something up with a bright smile on her face. 

“It’s your birthday! I came to celebrate with you.” he stares at the rather pretty looking cake as she pulled something out and saw it was a bottle of wine “I would have come earlier but would you believe it? The whole town was out of cake, so I had to make one out of scratch. Let’s just say I’m not particularly good at baking.” she titled her head to the side when she noticed he was just staring at the cake. 

“You made this… for me?” 

“Who else would I make this for?” she pushes him inside and closes the door behind her, he follows her like a lost puppy as she walks into the kitchen and places the cake on the table. He takes a seat as she grabs two glasses out of the cabinet and places one in front of Stan and another where she was going to sit, she uncorks the bottle and pours them both a glass before pulling out a candle and placing it in the center of the cake “Soos wanted to be here as well, but you know how he is around birthdays. And besides, having a simpler birthday is much better than going all out. Saves you a lot of money, doesn’t it?” she finally took a seat at the table and stared at him with a fond look in her eye, leaning against the table with the side of her head resting on her knuckles. 

“You…” she hummed softly. 

“Happy birthday, Stan.” Alvah’s face turned confused when Stan abruptly stood up and walked over to her, she was startled when he pulled her out of the chair and wrapped his broad arms around her, embracing her in a rather bone crushing hug. Her eyes widened as he buried his face within her shoulder, her arms were pinned to her side while her head was over his shoulder, she managed to twist it a little to try and look at him but noticed the way he nuzzled into her shoulder to hide the fact that he was tearing up “S-Stan? Are you—” 

“Thank you, Alvah. I really, really needed this.” Mabel and Ford noticed the way her eyes twitch when Stan tightened his grip on her, she managed to slowly lift her arms up the best she could and gently pat his back. 

“O-Oh, it’s no problem. You know there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you, Stan.” she purposefully didn’t address him as Ford because that would have saddened him and taken his special moment away from him. They stayed like that for a couple seconds until Stan finally let her go but continued to hold her by the arms, she tilted her head to the side to get a look at his face but saw him turn away to hide his tear-stricken eyes “Hah, are you crying?” he frees one of his hands to cover his eyes, wiping at his eyes with the back of his hand. 

“No! I don’t know what you’re talking about!” he flinches when she pulled him forward by the hand that was holding her so she could cup his cheek, he blinks at her and felt her wipe away a few of his tears while smiling softly at him. 

“Come on, tough guy. You don’t have to hide your vulnerability from me, I’m not going to make fun of you.” he huffed at her as she takes her hand back, he sniffles a little and wipes away the remaining tears and gives her a toothy grin. 

“I appreciate this a lot, toots! I’m gonna go find a lighter so I can light this candle! I’ll be back in a sec!” she waves him off and stands in the kitchen alone, Mabel and Ford soon notice the way her smile dropped from her face as she looked down at the wooden floor with a conflicted expression. On the smaller monitors they saw a flurry of words come across the screen, words that had her questioning herself. 

WHAT IS THIS? 

WHY DID I DO THAT? 

WHY DID I DO THIS? 

I DON’T CARE FOR HIM. 

I’M DOING THIS FOR STANFORD. 

THIS MEANS NOTHING TO ME. 

I DON’T ACTUALLY FEEL... 

“In the beginning, I didn’t feel anything.” Alvah spoke as she stared at the monitor when Stan walked back into the kitchen with a lighter in hand and in a chipper mood, she smiled at him and the two sat at the table where he lit the candle and blew it out with a face that reminded her of a child on their birthday “I knew he was going to drink himself into a stupor had I not arrived, but I didn’t expect to feel...” Mabel looked up at her, a curious look in her eyes. 

“What?” her eyes flicker towards the monitor and saw only one word. 

“Pity.” coming from her, it could be condescending, but by the remorseful look on her face as she stared at Stan’s face, they knew that she meant it in a genuine way “He just looked so sad, like a kicked puppy out in the rain. I had watched him at even worser times than that, but for some reason, actually being there made it different.” soon the summer played out for them and Mabel watched every interaction she had with Stan, and she watched intently as the way Alvah’s eyes started to look genuine. 

“Alvah, you...” 

“It was nothing. The personality I adapted was merely to match his own, but...” since the children were always off doing their own thing, they never knew the type of relationship she and Stan actually had. Ford witnessed firsthand the closeness she had with his brother and Mabel concealed her excitement of the hidden lore her great uncle had with this interdimensional being “My mind had been inside a human body for so long that it started acting like it, started feeling like it.” Mabel looked away to look up at Alvah after watching the memory where Alvah and Stan danced at the party where she first met Candy and Grenda. 

“Feeling?” her face scrunched up and instead of just Stan, it showed the children, Soos, Wendy and a few others as she thought of each emotion. 

“Anger. Sadness. Joy. Remorse. Guilt.” the memory of when the children were forced to be sent back home when Gideon had won and they couldn’t do anything about it, how when they did win, she felt an immeasurable amount of guilt inside her because she knew this was going to happen but it was at the cost of the possibly of the children losing that had her mind racing. The next scene had Ford’s eyes widened to the point his eyes were bulging out of his eye sockets while Mabel let out a squeal, that was because it was when Stan had kissed her “L-Love...” 

“You kissed my brother?!” he was shocked to see her face a bright shade of pink, she suddenly sprung to her feet as she placed a hand on her chest. 

“No! He kissed me! And it’s not like I continued to think about that moment! It was just a spur of the moment and Stan probably would have done it to anyone that was next to him! It didn’t mean anything at that moment!” 

"... I didn't, NOT, like it." she looked like a dear caught in headlights when her thoughts were exposing herself "You just... caught me off guard, is all. I wasn't expecting it." 

"Oh? So, are you saying if I were to kiss you again, you wouldn't protest?"  

"Don't push your luck, Stan. Just because I said I liked it; doesn't mean you'll get a taste anytime you want." Alvah refused to look up at Ford from where she was sitting because she knew that man was going to strangle her, however, Mabel was in front of her and started shaking her arm. 

“So you two were in love! That’s so cute!” she let out a scoff, face still flushed with embarrassment from being caught while throwing her hair over her shoulder. 

“Psh, in love? That was the only time--”  

"Stan... Stan, s-stop it!" Mabel was busy staring at Alvah so she didn’t see what memory was playing but Ford was, and to think he’d wish for the day he wasn’t wearing his glasses. Before Mabel could see what was playing Alvah hurriedly lifted the helmet off her head and the monitors switched off, they both look up at her and saw the look of shame on her face. She pushes the helmet into Ford’s hands before slowly kneeling on the floor and curling up into a ball, her hands clutching her head “I wasn’t supposed to get attached... I wasn’t supposed to gain human feelings.” Mabel knelt down and placed her hand on her back, gently rubbing circles into her back to comfort her. 

“But you did, and it looks like it’ll really upset you if Stan started to hate you.” her face scrunches up in confusion. 

“I am hated by millions of people just for simply existing. I am the devil on people’s shoulders who they blame for why their lives have fallen apart. I am so used to being the source of their hatred that I never once cared for the opinions of beings lesser than I am. But... I—I can’t stand the thought of Stan not liking me anymore.” she looked up at Mabel with a sort of desperation in her eyes “I wasn’t supposed to care, but I hate that I do now.” 

“And I’m happy that you care.” Alvah huffed “Now just repeat what you just said now and go say it to Grunkle Stan.” this snapped her out of whatever melt down she was having; she stood to her feet and shook her head. 

“No way! He doesn’t need this now!” Mabel shook her head and took Alvah by her hands. 

“But he does! He looks so lost without you. You two were always together throughout the summer, and not having you by his side is making him upset.” this caused her to start overthinking everything, should I actually tell him how I feel? Should I say sorry? Should I-- 

“Wait a minute, why I am taking the advice of a twelve-year-old?” she suddenly glares at her “I don’t got to listen to you! I am going to deny the fact that I have feelings for this old man and suffer in silence. Yes, that sounds much better.” Mabel face fell. 

“What? No! Are you seriously not going to tell Stan that it was him that caused you to develop human feelings? That it was him that got you to care?” 

“The last thing I need to hear is him gloating that he got an agent of chaos to fall in love with him. And besides, I highly doubt he wants me dating his brother.” at the mention of that, they both look at Ford and saw the way he was shaking his head at the thought “So, we are going to leave what we have just discovered in this very room. I don’t want to hear any of this outside this room. I don’t want to have to talk about the fact that I’ve grown soft. This conversation stays and dies here. Got it?” 

“But--” Alvah gives her a sharp look, Mabel let out a sigh and kicked at the floor “Got it.” she nods. Mabel leaves dejected that Alvah wasn’t going to do anything about this but she was determined to help her confess her feelings to Stan, yes, with a newfound determination, she was going to play cupid once more. Alvah stood in the room with Ford staring at her with an incredulous expression, she turns her attention to him with narrowed eyes. 

“You don’t get to speak. You had a relationship with a triangle.” she holds her hand up to keep him away when his face turned red from embarrassment “Oh, my muse~ I would do anything for you, even if it means the collapse of my mind, body and soul! Ooo, woe is me!” 

“Stop talking!” 

“So poetic, Fordsy!” 

season 2, episode 13. dungeons, dungeons and more dungeons 

after the fiasco that was the reveal of alvah’s true feelings, she had now taken it to the point of avoiding everyone and keeping herself in the basement unless she’s needed.  

that being said, mabel would come bursting into the lab and attempt to drag her upstairs so she could interact with them all, especially with stan. 

she swore never to talk about what happened, but she never said she wouldn’t do anything about it.  

dipper was really confused as to why mabel was more love crazy than usual. 

he felt sorry for the poor sucker his sister had her sights on this time. 

ford found it amusing seeing her act like a deer caught in headlights whenever she spotted stan before he saw her. 

it went so far as to her jumping out a window. 

she fixed it immediately. 

anyways- 

“Alvah... Alvah...!” Dipper shook the empty body that was Alvah until it stirred to life, her eyes blinked to life and looked around before settling on him in confusion. Ford explained to them that her body in this dimension was merely a vessel for her to take control of so whenever she was “sleeping”, it was actually her signing off and returning to her main body. Dipper calling for Alvah warranted her attention and caused her to come back to see what the young boy wanted, she didn’t expect to see him staring at her with a pleading but enthusiastic expression as he held a book in front of her “Alvah? Yes! Um, hey! Do you want to play Dungeons, Dungeons and More Dungeons with me and great uncle Ford? He’s already agreed to play with me and two players is enough but three players would be even better! But you don’t have to play with us, I’m sure you’ve got even more important matters to attend to that I probably pulled you out of. You can totally say no! It’s fine. It’s totally fine. Ah haha, heee...” she stared at him with a rather scrutinizing gaze as she looked between him, the book and Ford standing behind him. 

... 

... 

She now found herself laying on her side with a thirty-eight-sided die in her hand, shaking it within the palm of her hand before tossing it onto the play mat where the other two nerds leaned down close to see what she rolled, she chuckled softly when Dipper cheered that she rolled a high roll while Ford sighed bitterly. Whether it be the fact that within this flesh bag she had grown soft or it was just the children having a way with her, she couldn’t deny Dipper’s plea to play his favorite role-playing game with him and Ford. She was well aware of the concept of Dungeons, Dungeons and More Dungeons after watching Ford and Fiddleford play it during their time building the portal and how it was similar to a different game, but she allowed him to explain it to her in great detail while giving her an already made character for her to play with. 

“Are you sure you’re not cheating, Alvah?” she scoffed, twisting her body so that she was laying on her back with her legs crossed, bouncing her knee every now and then. 

“Maybe you just suck at this game, Ford.” she smirked when she got a snicker out of Dipper, Ford hmphed at her while she stuck her tongue out at him. Dipper was having even more fun because instead of having figurines representing their characters, Alvah was using her powers to bring them to life while also creating a real layout of the story Ford created for their characters to move around. Both Alvah and Ford were magic casters, though Alvah was a sorcerer and he was wizard, while Dipper was a little ranger. Quite the odd party, but Alvah refused to be anything else “What are we up to now?” he hummed softly as he rolled a die between his fingers. 

“Alright, you enter the chamber. Princess Unattainabelle beckons you. But wait, it’s a trap!” she rolled her eyes as Dipper gasps “An illusion cast by Probabilitor the Annoying.” Dipper hands Alvah a couple die for her to roll as he and Ford shake their fists to scramble their own die within their closed fists. 

“You know his weakness, right?” Ford grins at Dipper. 

“Prime statistical anomalies over thirty-seven but not exceeding fifty-one.” the two throw their rolls down first, Dipper taps her shoulder and she throws down her die and allows them to tally up the amount “Yes! Ungh! In your face, cardboard wizard!” the older man hummed softly as he picked up the little cardboard screen meant for the DM to look at the main antagonist. 

“Hmm, the old boy looks a bit different than he did back in my day.” Dipper nodded in agreement. 

“Yeah, they change the art every few years. Thankfully, you missed the period when the creators of the game tried to make it cooler.” this got a chuckle out of Alvah, he shuddered at the memory “Must’ve been dark times, those 90’s.” he spoke as he picked up a red card, even Ford grimaced. 

“Yeesh. Sounds like a good time to be stuck between dimensions.” 

“Great uncle Ford, I’ve been meaning to ask you. Where were you before you came out of that machine, and what have you and Alvah been doing down here? Are you two working on something behind that curtain?” this question caused the two of them to look at each other, she shrugged her shoulders and gestured for him to speak. 

“Dipper, it’s best if you and the family stay away from that subject. Honestly, I’m not sure any of you could handle the real answer.” 

“But-- But I can handle it.” Ford raised his finger to cut him off. 

“Ah-ah. But I can show you a little something I brought back with me.” they watch as he pulled out a little red bag from his pocket and empty the contents out beside him, a few more die spilled out from it but a peculiar black box caught their attention, her eyes widened when he opened it. 

“Is that... an infinity sided die?” she asked, Dipper looked at it in awe as Ford nodded his head as the young boy watched the symbols continuously change. 

“That’s so cool... and impossible.” Ford opened his mouth to explain but let out a soft gasp when the die flew out of the case and into the hands of Alvah, who held it close to her eye while turning it over. 

“I haven’t seen one of these suckers since the last galaxy was formed. I’m pretty sure these things are outlawed in over nine thousand dimensions.” Dipper gasped at that. 

“Why?” 

“Well, take a look at the symbols. Infinite sides mean infinite outcomes. If you rolled it, anything could happen. Your faces could melt into jelly. The world could turn into an egg... or you could just roll an eight. Who knows?” she huffed when Ford snatched it out of her hand and placed it back into the case, closing it before she could take it again. 

“And that's why I have to keep it in this protective cheap plastic case.” she scoffed with a laugh. 

“How safe.” he ignored her. 

“Now, back to the game!” Dipper had a splendid time playing DDMD with Ford and Alvah, she may not have been engaged like they were but at least she put in the effort to play with them and with her powers making it all come to life just felt magical to him. 

“I had so much fun! Thank you so much great uncle Ford, Alvah!” she twiddled her fingers from behind Ford. 

“Perhaps you could make the next one, sweetheart. I just know you’re full of ideas, Dipper.” he lights up. 

“Does that mean you’ll play again?” she gave shrug but nodded her head. 

“Yeah, sure.” she huffed softly when he wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her close, she leaned down to hug him back while patting his back “Perhaps you should go back upstairs. You’ve been down here all day, and surely it takes a lot of time to create a new adventure.” he pulls away from her, snapping his fingers at her. 

“You’re right! I’ve got a lot of thinking to do! Thanks again!” they both wave him goodbye as he ran to the elevator to head back to the shack, the both of them drop their friendly facades and turn back to where the curtain Dipper previously mentioned was. 

“So, you’re really going to keep this between us?” he spoke, his body naturally turning back into his male form “He’s going to figure it out, whether he stumbles down here accidentally again or you tell him yourself.” Ford let out a sigh as he looked over the console, tapping his fingers across the metal surface. 

“Stanley told me to stay away from the children, but so far, it’s been proven difficult because they keep approaching me. Or rather, they keep approaching me since you’re around.” he shrugged.  

“I’ve been looking after those kids the entire summer. I’m surprised they still even want to hang around me.” he said as he laced his fingers and cracked his knuckles above his head ”Anyways, where were we before Dipper interrupted us?” he approached the side of him with a sort of glass case in his hands. 

“Cleaning up my brother’s mess.” 

“Ah, right.” he entered the portal room and it took Ford a second to register what he said. 

“Hey, wait! What do you mean we? You were in the Nightmare Realm, dammit!”  

that entire week mabel and stan were preparing for the duck-tective finale and the day had finally arrived. 

mabel invited grenda to come over and watch it with them, she was more than happy to attend. 

stan, mabel and grenda enter the living room and were shocked to see ford and dipper had taken over the room, it being littered with papers of various equations from their ddmd campaign. 

they were even surprised to see alvah laying behind ford covered in papers herself. 

she was "asleep" after failing a saving throw and her character was killed off so she returned to the nightmare realm to take care of some business as she waited for them to finish but continued to use her powers to bring their game to life.  

they pleaded with them to move their game to a different room so they could watch their show but they were very adamant that they couldn't, saying they were going for a world record. 

stan takes it upon himself to remove a few of the graph papers but ford caught him by the wrist, halting him in his tracks. 

"Move that and pay the price." Ford threatened, his grip on his brother tight to prevent him from reaching any further. 

"Oh, what, fifty magical dwarf dollars?" 

"Don't mock our fantastical monetary system!" 

"I'll mock all I want. It's my TV room." 

"It's my house! You..." Ford takes a breath, sighing to himself as he squeezes the bridge of his nose "Listen, Stanley, did it ever occur to you that if you joined us, you might actually have fun? I mean, Alvah didn't need to but joined for Dipper's sake. I'm sure they'd love it if you played with us as well." Stan's gaze hardened at the mention of her. 

"What? Now you listen to me. As long as I live, I will never--" he snatches the bag of Ford's dice out of his hands, ignoring Dipper shouting at him to wait "Ever. Play your smarty-pants nerd game!" he declares before throwing it to the ground, spilling all the dice out onto the floor including the case that secured the infinity-sided die. Ford and Dipper watch in a panic as the case opens and the die bounces out and lands on a wizard symbol, the dice sparked onto the cover of the DDMD box and they all watch as the characters from the game come to life. 

"Mortals of Dimension 46'\, kneel before me and..." he rolls a couple die and throws them onto the board, leaning down to get a look at what he rolled before grinning menacingly at them "snivel! I am Probabilitor, the greatest wizard in all mathology, give or take an error of 0.4." 

"Uh, is this normal?" Stan questions as they all back away, Mabel and Grenda grabbing Alvah to pull her unconscious body away. 

"Have you come to send us on the quest of a lifetime, because we're the smartest players you've ever met?" 

"You are the smartest players I've ever met. That's why I'm going to eat your brains to gain your intelligence. Especially that one lying there. It's what I do." 

"It's his thing." 

"What?!" Dipper turns and grabs Alvah by her collar, shaking her body back and forth "Alvah! Come back! Come back right now! The game came to life and they're going to eat our brains!" Ford throws his coat back to reveal the gun strapped to his waist, he pulls it out and spins it around his finger before aiming it towards Probabilator. 

"Your math is no match for my gun, you idiot!" 

“Math ray!” Ford grits his teeth when he feels a blast of wind blows past him after shielding his eyes from the bright light that came from the man before him, he thought he was going to be thrown out of the room but was surprised to see a sort of red force field shield them all from the attack. A groan came from behind him so he looked back and saw it was Alvah slowly pulling herself up from the floor while her hand was shining a soft hue of red, Dipper let out a sigh of relief that he managed to get through to her and her body instinctively put up a shield to keep them out of harm's way. 

“I wasn’t even gone for that long, and you guys managed to get yourselves into trouble?” she’s on her feet now ripping off the graph papers they so rudely stuck on her when her body was unoccupied, it was when she took off the one stuck to her face was when she paused and stared at Probabilator when she turned around and started to leave “Good luck, you guys.” they stare at her in shock. As she passes Stan, he caught her by the arm to stop her in her tracks, and though the situation is dire, Mabel doesn’t miss the way Alvah flinches when he turns her around. 

“What do you mean good luck? Didn’t you say you’d keep us out of danger?!” she gave a shrug, face turning a soft pink under his gaze. 

“I did, but didn’t I also tell you I can’t directly interfere with events in time? This so happens to be one of them.” she then points behind her with her thumb “I’ll just be in the background. I’ll make sure you guys don’t die under my watch; I promise.” 

“What?!” 

“You guys are going to have so much fun! Family bonding, yaddy yaddy yah! The whole shebang. I can’t just obliterate him out of existence, that’d be cheating.” she takes her arm back and goes to walk off again but this time Probabilator causes her to freeze. 

“Obliterate? Hah! With that mediocre display of magic? I have a hard time believing that!” Stan watched how her face twitched and how she fought down what he believes was anger and irritation. 

“Mediocre...? Me? My magic is mediocre? Me!” she startled them when she suddenly grabbed Stan and shook him while glaring at him, and while it wasn’t directed at him it still scared him to see the angry side of Alvah “If you think you can get away with calling me mediocre, you’ve got another thing com—no, no.” she let Stan go and approached Probabilator with the intentions of strangling him but managed to rein herself in before she could lay hands on him “No, no, no. You can’t do anything, Alvah. Calm yourself. Be the bigger person and let it go. Yes, that is what you’re supposed to do.” she nods her head and starts walking away. 

“Is she oka--” Dipper cut himself off when she came rushing back in. 

“No, I’m not.” they were taken aback when she punched him square in the face that she probably broke his nose, he fell to the ground with a cry but he also threw his staff in the air, and she caught it and stared at the die at the end of it before turning her gaze down at Probabilator “Here’s a lesson on magic. Though it varies depending on which dimension you’re in, they all circulate around the same thing. Magic is recognized as the use of mana to create phenomena, outside the limits of normal science. The usage of magic has varying degrees, with only the skill, personal power-level, imagination/knowledge, and/or morality to define the borders of the magician's limits.” as she explained, they watched as she started drawing a magic circle in the air that glowed an ominous red “Magic is all about bringing something that didn’t exist into reality, and that is the beauty of magic.” after completing the magic circle she tapped on it and they watched as it glowed so bright before blasting a pillar of fire at their foes, burning them to a cinder. 

“Well...” Dipper spoke, she then started to laugh as she kicked at the box art of Probabilator. 

“Hah! How was that for mediocre, huh? Try using your mathology in the afterlife!” she leans to the side when she notices that she accidentally overdid it with the magic and destroyed the kitchen and left burn marks everywhere “... I’ll fix that.” now they’re outside the shack while Alvah was floating around and fixing it up after what happened during the portal's reactivation, she didn’t have time to fix it earlier but after the mess, she made she finally made time to do it. 

“Mabel, is Miss Alvah a witch?” Grenda asked as she watched Alvah float off the ground after taking a tree that had lodged itself into the roof and replanted it back into the ground, they all kind of forgot that Alvah being a supernatural, interdimensional demonic being was a secret. 

“Well, Grenda, actually--” 

“That’s so awesome! Do you think if I asked, she would teach me how to use magic as well? I wanna be a witch!” they hear a laugh and see that it is Alvah slowly descending from above but continuing to float as she holds the staff over her shoulder. 

“That would be quite difficult, little Grenda. In this dimension, you humans don’t particularly have mana or any other sort of energy that allows you to wield magic. But you do have science, which happens to be the more limited but modernized version of magic.” she chuckled softly when Grenda huffed, kicking at the grass while crossing her arms. 

“That’s not fair!” she pats her head. 

“Life’s not fair, kiddo. Perhaps you should go punch someone, it always brings a smile to my face.” 

“You’re right!” with that Grenda runs off to go punch the nearest person, she chuckled at the young girl before throwing her arms towards the newly fixed Mystery Shack. 

“And there you have it! Good as new!” they all hear a creek so they look up and see the iconic S from the Shack slowly slip off and fall to the ground, she let out a breath as she dropped her arms “I’m not even going to bother.” she looks down when she saw Dipper approach so she lowered herself to the ground and sat herself down on her knees. 

“Thanks for helping us, Alvah.” she smiled softly and gently patted his head “You’re not going to get in trouble, are you? You said that was an event that you weren’t supposed to interfere with.” this caused her to let out a huff. 

“I really wasn’t supposed to do what I just did. I was technically supposed to allow him to kidnap you and Ford, and take you guys into the forest while Mabel and Stan came to your rescue. It was to help your guy’s development and relationship; you guys are trapped within the game and they were going to play it to save you.” this caught them by surprise “Since I’ve already interfered, I don’t think I’ll get in trouble for telling you what was supposed to happen. It was my first offense; I’ll probably be let go with just a warning. So, if you guys see the time police, tell them you never saw me. I don’t want to deal with that stupid Time Baby.” 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, you mean to tell me that we actually played that nerd game? For real?” she nods. 

“Yes, you played that “nerd game” to save your brothers, and you actually had fun doing so, and won against his smarts with your dumb luck. If you remove the mathematical and hard-thinking concepts out of DDMD, you will greatly enjoy the game. You put aside your distaste for the game to save both Ford and Dipper, which helped with your guy's relationship, and you guys realize that your bit— I mean, bickering isn’t going to do you any good, blah, blah, blah.” she thanked Dipper when he helped her up while she tossed the staff behind her “So, I’m sorry that I let my ego get the best of me and ruined your adventure. This is why I don’t really get in the way of these things, because it takes the fun and development you guys were supposed to have, out of it.” she hummed softly when Mabel approached her, taking her hand and tugging her forward. 

“And we greatly appreciate your help, Alvah. Is what why you’ve been staying out of things as of lately?” she nodded her head. 

“Uh-huh. You should spend as much time with each other as you possibly can because you don’t know when it’s going to be your last.” Mabel pouted at that, Alvah didn’t realize where the little girl was leading her until it was too late, because the next thing she knew was Mabel grabbing Stan and pulling the two of them together and they fell into each other. 

“Then will you watch the season finale of Duck-tective with us? It wouldn’t be the same without you, and since you played with Dipper and Grunkle Ford, then you’ve just gotta watch it with us!” she swallowed thickly as she slowly looked up at Stan, her face slowly losing its composure with how close they were as she started sputtering out any sort of excuse to decline “Come on, pretty please~ won’t you do it for me?” looking back down at her she saw her infamous puppy dog eyes with her trembling lips, she let out a sigh. 

“Alright, fine.” both she and Stan take a knee when they were yanked down so Mabel could hug them both, they plant a hand onto the ground to stabilize themselves while wrapping another arm around the young girl. 

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” she hugged them a little longer before letting them go and jogging over to Dipper to urge him to join them, Ford was planning on declining the invitation but looked over towards his brother and demon and saw the way the two of them acted like awkward teenagers. It was honestly quite amusing, two people who are known for being outspoken and confident were reduced to nothing but silence, and from what he learned through her memories the two of them were known for flirting with each other and couldn’t keep their hands off each other. She wrapped an arm around herself while her free hand rubbed her face, Stan himself hand one of his hands caressing the back of his neck while the other planted itself on his hip. 

“So...” they startle each other when they spoke at the same time while turning to look at each other, they immediately turn away when their faces were inches apart, she starts playing with her hair as she took a breath while Stan took his hat off “How have you been?” she perked up when he spoke to her, looking up at him, he was dusting his hat off before placing it back on top of his head. 

“Well. Could I assume the same for yourself?” he gave a shrug. 

“Eh, I’ve been better.” she nodded softly, and her mind went back to the conversation she, Ford, and Mabel had in the lab and that feeling of guilt started pooling up in her stomach again, she’s grabbed a fistful of the skirt of her dress and was playing with the bundle rather nervously. 

“Stanley, I... I’m--” he looks down at her, curious as to what she had to say, she looks up at him and he saw this look in her eyes when they locked eyes, she looked like she was going to say something before her body slumped and she instead reached up to fix his fez that was slipping from his head “I’m happy you are faring well.” her hand slips down to his face where it briefly rests upon his cheek before she pulls it away, she holds her hand close to her chest as she walks towards the shack to follow Ford inside where she misses Stan reaching up to place his own hand on the cheek she last touched. 

“Alvah.” upon joining them in watching Duck-tective, she sat on the ground beside Grenda while Stan, Dipper, and Mabel all squeezed onto the small sofa. She found the plot to be a little amusing, that the season finale revealed how the duck protagonist had a secret twin brother, which almost reminded her of someone. She felt a little nudge so she looked up and saw Mabel wiggling her eyebrows at her, she rolled her own eyes and shook her head before looking back at the TV. 

season 2, episode 14. the stanchurian candidate 

alvah is, of course, with stanford when dipper comes down to complain about stan stubbornly refusing to listen to him and mabel about running for mayor. 

while he ranted on and on about the fact, ford looks at alvah to see whether or not his brother actually wins the election. 

she gave a shrug while making a “sort of” gesture. 

she watched in amusement when ford pulled out a necktie that had the capabilities to control the wearer. 

“use it responsibly” he said, like hell they would. 

when it was the day of the election, ford couldn’t seem to find alvah until he looked upstairs and found her watching the election. 

he saw the way she was giggling softly to herself as she watched stan, a soft hue dusted across her cheeks. 

not in love, she says. 

ford ridicules her but he was swiftly punched in the face. 

season 2, episode 15. the last mabelcorn 

Alvah wasn't allowed to join Mabel on her quest for the unicorns because Ford said that "a being as rotten as her would scare them off", or whatever that means. She thinks he's just a sucker that believed that whole pure of heart sham all those years ago, she already knew that was a farce from long ago but thought it was too funny to reveal. She could easily get past those stupid unicorns and either a. take their hair by force or b. compliment their hair and ask for tips, that usually works. Ford told her that he wanted to spend some time alone with Dipper, having already revealed what they were doing in his lab all those nights ago, and Dipper practically pleaded with her to allow him to spend time with his idol. 

So here she was, sitting outside the shack with nothing to do. She watched aimlessly as the little critters that roamed the forest would peek out and approach her curiously before wandering back into the forest where she would reward their curiosity with little peanuts left out by Soos, she had a walnut in her hand so she swiftly crushed it within her palm before outstretching her hand to a squirrel that padded up to her. She watched as it sniffed her hand curiously before eating right out of her palm, it would be so easy to close her hand around its neck and tighten her hold around it. She could do it slowly and watch it struggle within her grasp, clawing at her hand to escape despite knowing its attempts would be futile. Or perhaps she could just crush it like she did with that walnut, how she would feel its neck snap in an instant; quick and painless. She let out an oh when it suddenly scampered away, she flicked the reminisce of the walnut onto the grass and relaxed back on the steps. 

"... I know you're there, Stanley." she hummed softly when she heard a crash from behind her, she waited a couple seconds before the door opened, and out came Stan dusting himself off while clearing his throat "Come to have a chat with me, Stan?" she pats the free space beside her and waits to see whether or not he'd take her up on the offer, he grumbles to himself but plops himself beside her. 

"Why aren't you with brainiac one and two or Mabel? You're usually hanging off his shoulder or keeping Mabel out of trouble." she merely shrugged her shoulders as she plucked another peanut from the bowl and tossed it toward another squirrel. 

"Fordsy wanted to spend some time with Dipper alone to devise a plan against Bill, and Mabel will be just fine. And you didn't hear this from me, but she's gonna punch a unicorn in the nose. It's rather glorious." she giggles softly to herself at what the future has for Mabel, sure her love for unicorns vanishes because they're nothing but a sham, but it sure was a spectacle to witness. 

"What? She punches a unicorn?" this got a laugh out of Stan "Almost tempted to follow them just to watch."  

"She might need comfort when she returns. Because of their little "purest of heart" scheme, they make her a little insecure about how good of a person she is. She might need some reassurance when she gets back, but those other girls keep her from falling too deep." they sit in silence and Stan watches her closely, he stares at her face specifically. Ever since it was revealed that she wasn't all that she seemed to be, whether she was a man or not, she wore a rather cocky grin on her face and carried a haughty attitude, she was just unrecognizable to him. But right now, under the grace of the sun and a calming summer breeze, he was blessed with the Alvah he had grown rather attached to... like he'd ever admit that part out loud, god he hoped she couldn't read minds (she can, in fact, read minds). 

"You're staring." he jumped at her voice, fidgeting from where he sat when her eyes trailed away from the wilderness that surrounded them and onto him, he swallowed thickly and stared deep into those soft, rich green eyes of hers. He was the most socially aware between himself and Stanford and took pride in himself with how well he could read people, he thought he read Alvah well, but there was just something lacking within her eyes "What's on your mind?" 

"Pointdexter refers to you as a devil, so are you like Bill?" 

"By that, are you asking if he and I are the same species?" he gave a kind of gesture. 

"Do you have a shape form like he does?" this question causes her to burst out into a fit of laughter. 

"I'm not a Euclydian, Stan. Their species have been long wiped out like their dimension, no thanks to Bill." she paused when she saw the confused look on his face "They are, er, were a two dimensional species that were only shapes like squares and circles." 

"And triangles?" she nods. 

"Uh-huh. They were incapable of seeing the third dimension, but Bill, he was different. But due to that, he accidentally destroyed Euclydia. He'd say otherwise, but we beings know what happened that day." 

"So you're saying that you were there?" she shrugs. 

"More or less. You're technically not supposed to know this, not even Ford knows this, but I could care less. Bill tells an entirely different story, saying he did it for power, but he only says that because he doesn't want to confront the fact that he erased his species off the face of this universe. He refuses to see that it was his fault." 

"Whoa." she nods, he looks at the ground as he thinks of another question to ask "But you do have many forms, right? This and the one you use for Ford aren't the only ones, are they?" she shakes her head. 

"No, they aren't." Stan then watches as she changes shape into a variety of different people, or rather, species "I have contracts with many people for trillions of years and taken the form of different species. I don't really have a proper identity to call me own." she spoke in different voices and even languages as she changed from a monster with tentacles for a face and even a tall newt with a purple skin tone before finally changing back to Alvah. 

"That sounds sad." 

"It really isn't. The contracts were easy to fulfill and I didn't have to stay in a body for too long. This one, however, is the longest it has existed." she said as she raised her arms to look at her hands "Without me even realizing, it started developing..." he raised a brow as he looked at her hands then back up at her. 

"A consciousness?" she chuckled softly. 

"Feelings." he blinked at her words "Every body I made moved like a machine with simple instruction. Listen to the contractor, fulfill the contractor's wishes, and complete the contract. Simple." 

"But?" she finally looked away from her hands and stared at him, long and hard. 

"I would leave these bodies and return to my own so I wouldn't get... attached. But, I was stuck in this one for so long it-- or I, started to feel. That is impossible, I'm not supposed to feel anything." the longer he stared into her eyes the more he started to see something that once wasn't there "And yet here I am beginning to enjoy the company of a small human family to the point I would do anything to secure their safety; to the point that I don't want you... to hate me." his eyes widened at her words. 

"Alvah." she turns away and wraps her arms tightly around her torso 

"Stanley, I am... sorry, for how I've treated you these past couple of weeks. I'm sorry I've been distant, I'm sorry I've avoided you. It’s just... so hard for me to come to terms with these feelings that are so foreign to me. These feelings are something I can’t control, and no matter how hard I’ve been denying them... they just keep coming back.” he sees how her arms tightened as she spoke “I don’t know if it’s this body or my feelings. I’m supposed to know everything, I’ve seen countless possibilities, millions upon trillions of endings but not one... not one where I--” he blinks when she abruptly cuts herself off. 

“Where you what?” the suspense was killing him, he tilts his head to try and get a look at her face but instead he saw a faint hue on the tips of her ears when she spoke so softly it would’ve been lost to the wind. 

“Where I...” he couldn't quite catch what she said but he saw the way her body suddenly froze, as if the sudden realization of her feelings finally caught up with her. He was startled when she quickly shot up to her feet and turned around, speedwalking to get inside the shack and possibly hide from him “I-I—I need to go! It was swell talking with you again, Stanley! Talk to you later!” she tries to get away but Stan was fast enough to stand to his feet and catch her wrist before she could get too far. 

“No, no! You can’t just stop there! You can’t just leave me hanging there, Alvah!” each time he felt her try to get away he would tug her back, he knew that she was much stronger than him, he knew that she could throw him off but this was a rare moment of Alvah being vulnerable with him so he wasn’t going to lose her when he was so close “You don’t get to spill that all on me and expect me to just sit there! I still... I still care about you! I still think about what we had, about what we did and said to each other and I hoped it wasn’t something you did out of obligation. That what we had meant something to you, the real you! That you actually... care for me. That finally someone chose me, and that since you knew it was me from the very beginning, you actually wanted me.” she stopped fighting him but she didn’t turn to look at him, his grip on her tightened as his face hardened “Won’t you say something, Alvah?!” he tugs at her and forced her to turn around and there... there he saw a sight that will forever be engraved in the back of his mind. The color red had practically covered her entire face as she tried her best to shield it with her forearm but failed, she was looking everywhere but at him and she looked so flustered; so, embarrassed that she looked so adorable in his eyes that it made him forget that the person in front of him was the embodiment of chaos and evil.  

“I... I do care about you, Stanley. I care when I-I shouldn’t be able too.” she moves her arm so her hand could cover the lower half of her face as she looked away “I’ve seen those kids die—I've seen you die so many times. To the monsters that roamed the forest... or by your own hands, and it scares me so much. Is this how you humans feel when you care about something so much that you feel like you’re dying? I don’t know what I’d do with myself if I were to lose you...” his hand slowly reaches for her other wrist and pulls it down so he could look at her clearly, the one that caught her slid up her arm and rested on her cheek where she finally looked at him and he saw so many different emotions swirling in those beautiful eyes of hers. 

Fear, anguish, regret, confusion. 

“Humans are more... complex than machines. We feel things that can spiral out of control if left alone.” his thumb started stroking her cheek in a form of comfort and she melted at the affection, her eyes fluttering close as she leaned into his touch “If what you say is true, then running from it will make you hurt more.” her eyes opened again and he couldn’t tell if the glisten in her eyes were tears or something else. 

“You make my nonexistent heart beat. I... I...” he saw the way that word was stuck in her throat, how she struggled to say it as she hid her face in the palm of his hand. Instead, she blinked when she felt his other hand cup her cheek and slowly turn her towards him once more, the two of them stare at each other until he started leaning in. A weak gasp left her when he pressed his lips against her, unlike the other kisses they’ve shared, this one was so short and faint she’d compare it to a peck. He pulled away and she saw his cheeks were tinted the faintest shade of pink but her face turned even more red, however, it didn’t stop her from wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him into a much needed kiss. He didn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around her waist to pull her close and reciprocate the kiss, they’d pull away briefly to allow him to breath but they’d pull each other right back in for more. Her hands removed themselves from his neck to cradle his face within her hands while his own roamed her body, he manages to catch them when they fall back into the door behind her with his hand slamming against the door frame, when they break away, they rest their foreheads against each other with his hands caressing his face affectionately “Stanford’s gonna kill me.” Stan snorted softly at what she said. 

“Why do you say that?” they move from the door to take a seat on the yellow sofa, all the tension from earlier gone as she cuddled up to Stan’s side, his arm wrapped around her side to keep her close. 

“He has come to realize my infatuation with you and threatens me about getting close. Says he doesn’t want a repeat in history, but I’m insulted that he compares me to Bill and you to him. If I’m being honest, you are much smarter than your brother.” 

“Hah! You’re just saying that because you like me.” she shakes her head, lacing her fingers with his and giving his hand a squeeze. 

“No, I am being very honest. You are much smarter than people give you credit for, Stan. I have watched you ever since you stepped for in Gravity Falls and your actions leading up to your brother’s return have been remarkable. If anything, your brother has much to learn from you. Be proud of your actions.” she quirked a brow when she felt his grip on her hand tighten a little as his body trembled, looking up, she giggled quietly to herself when she saw him covering his eyes with his hand “Stan, are you crying?” he looked away from her. 

“No! I don’t know what you’re talking about!” she hummed and reached to grab at his wrist and pull it away from his face, she gave him a soft expression as she cupped his cheek and wiped away his tears. 

“I told you this before, Stan, you don’t have to hide your vulnerability from me, I’m not going to make fun of you.” with that she kissed his tears away and nuzzled her cheek against his, he laughed softly and returned the gesture to know that it was appreciated “I still don’t fully understand what these feelings are or how I should confront them, but I do know you are something dear to me, as well as those children, and Wendy, and Soos and even Stanford. I’ll do anything to keep you safe, but there are just some things I just can’t prevent from happening in order to do so.” he hummed softly at that. 

“So, there is more to come?” 

“More than you could think.” he let out a grunt when she wrapped her arms around him and buried her face within the crook of his neck, hugging him tightly “So when that day comes, please know that I am so sorry that I had to let it happen.” he opens his mouth to reassure her that he’d forgive her, that it couldn’t possibly be as bad as she’s making it out to be, but seeing how she tightened her grip on him made him think otherwise. 

“Whatever you say, toots.” they decide to go back into the shack in fear that Mabel and her friends would reappear and catch them doing something they definitely didn’t want them to see. Alvah hadn’t realized just how much she missed spending her time with Stan, whether it doing something productive or just simply lazing around doing absolutely nothing but basking in each other’s company. She found herself craving more of Stan then she ever realized, she wanted him to smile at her more, she wanted to be the reason of his laughter, she wanted to be the center of his universe, but she knew deep down that she could never replace the love he had for his family. So, even if she had to be fed breadcrumbs in order to stay in his mind, she wouldn’t mind. 

“Did somebody say unicorn hair?!” both herself and Stan jump at the sound of Mabel’s voice, has it been that long already? She hadn’t even realized how long she and Stan spent together to the point that Mabel had returned from retrieving the unicorn hair, she guessed Dipper now knows that the muse she was talking about long ago was now in fact Bill Cipher and that she and that triangular freak have got ongoing beef. They both leave the room they occupied and make their way to where everyone was huddled in, however, the moment Stan’s eyes caught the glistening shine of gold he was quick to leave her side. 

“MONEY!!” she sweat dropped when he grabbed an armful before breaking down the backdoor as he fled, she sighed but clapped her hands when she entered the room. 

“Well done, Mabel, I knew you could do it.” taking in their disheveled attire, she snickered softly when she saw the unicorn tears and blood that covered the girls followed by scratches and bruises “You did a good job, kiddo. I’m real proud of you.” she praised as she knelt down and gently ruffled her head, she pulled her hand away and saw the way her eyes glistened with tears. 

“Thanks, Alvah, I really needed that.” she winked. 

“Don’t worry about it. Those unicorns don’t know a thing about you, but I know for sure that you’re the greatest little girl there could ever be.” she soft gasp left her when Mabel threw herself into Alvah’s arms, her eyes widened a little at the action as she slowly lifted her arms to wrap around Mabel and embrace her. Her mind went back to what she said to Stan and she immediately felt the guilt pool in her stomach, but she ignored it to nuzzle her cheek against the side of Mabel’s head. 

when stan came back, he and alvah spent a few more quiet hours to catch up on lost time. 

she made sure that mabel was busy with her friends so the young girl wouldn’t catch them doing anything. 

it was when things were getting more intimate when she was suddenly ripped from his grasp and a crash followed close behind.

opening his eyes, he was met with a hole in the wall as well as a loud thud. 

that was due to the fact when dipper and ford put up the protective barrier to bill-proof the shack, ford made a few miscalculations and demon-proofed the house. 

so when the barrier went up she was repealed out of the shack, to which she was on the top floor and fell from a great height.  

dipper was immediately apologetic and ford chuckled when she glared at him to fix it, well, that was until stan popped his head out from where she was thrown out. 

the next hour is spent with her running away from blasts from his gun while stan, dipper and mabel try and stop him. 

season 2, episode 16. roadside attraction  

“You really don’t want me anywhere near your brother, huh?” Alvah, who was in his male form, cooed from where he was floating over Ford, who was currently trying to figure out a way to fix the rift after it was damaged by Dipper when he learned the truth about Ford and Bill and shot him with the memory gun, only for the blast to ricochet off his head. After learning that Alvah and Stan settled the awkward tension they had and were acting flirtatious again, seeing them acting all lovey dovey and not getting enough of each other. He would try to ignore it but knowing what they were doing in just a room across from him had him storming in, no matter what they could be doing, and ripping her away from Stan to confine her in the lab “So overprotective, Fordsy~” he giggles to himself and twirls and strand of his long black hair around his index finger. 

“I do not want to know what kind of tomfoolery you and my brother get up to.” he huffed, crossing his arms. 

“Like you and Bill?” he snickered when he saw Ford stiffen, dropping the pen he had in his hand as he slowly turned red. Whether it be from embarrassment or anger, or perhaps both, he’ll never know. He scoffed when Ford whipped his head over to where he was floating and glared at him with such vigor, if looks could kill, he’d be dead where he stood—er, well, floated “Hit a nerve, did I?” he hummed softly when Ford grabbed him by the ankle to yank him down, making sure they were face to face as when he spoke. 

“How dare you bring that up, Alvah. You know exactly what Bill did to me.”  

“Then you should know better than to compare me to Bill, Stanford.” he opens his mouth to protest but was shushed when Alvah shook him off “I can hear your thoughts without needing to read them, and to say I’m insulted would be an understatement. My adoration for Stanley is completely different from the obsession Bill had for you.” 

“I-It wasn’t an obsession!” 

“I stalked you two for over a year, and he would not shut up about it either. I will go through those journals just to find those receipts; I will do it. I will give you the time and date for each instance, don’t tempt me.” they stare at each other for an intense few minutes until Ford breaks away with a disgruntled sigh, he watches as he returned to where he was before in silence before speaking “... I’m not going to hurt him, if that’s what you’re thinking. I already know what he’s been through. From his upbringing, the ten years he spent alone on the road to the thirty years of bringing you back. I don’t plan on damaging him even further, intentionally, that is.” 

“Intentionally?” Ford waited for an answer but was met with silence, he turned back to look at Alvah to question him but paused when he saw the distraught look on his face “Al--” 

“Let's just say, there’s just something I can’t prevent from happening.” Ford wants to question him on what that means but knows that if it has something to do with the timeline then Alvah will not tell him, despite being an all knowing and powerful being, there seems to be some rules that even he cannot and will not break. He goes to return to work but saw the way Alvah perked up like an internal alarm went off in his head, he raised a brow curiously. 

“Now what?” Alvah lifted his hand up and the shadows beneath him rose out of the ground. 

“Your brother seems to be in need of assistance.” Ford furrowed his brows in concern and got off his seat, standing beside Alvah as the shadows acted as a way to see what was happening. Ford always wondered what Alvah saw whenever she was, as he called it, the Shadow Realm, when they conversed. The image was distorted and hazy but clear enough for them to see what was going on on the other side, and there they saw Stan encased in webbing in some sort of cave. 

“Wasn’t he going on a road trip with the kids?” he nods. 

“He is, but it seems he ran into an arachnimorph. Quite nasty, if I say. If he’s lucky, he didn’t run into a female one.” 

“Why’s that?” 

“They’re more aggressive than the male arachnimorphs. You know, like normal spiders.” the image then shows a tan skinned woman with tan marks over her eyes in the shape of her sunglasses and on her shoulders where straps were present. She had sandy-blonde hair and a brown birth mark on her left shoulder, and though her torso was that of a normal human woman, her lower half was that of a spider “Him and his dumb luck.” 

“Are you going to help him?” he shakes his head. 

“As much as I want to, it’s one of those moments where I can’t.” he nods his head. 

“I see.” he goes to make the image disappear until that woman started getting closer to Stan. 

“You tricked me!” he shouted at her “I’m eighty-percent certain you don’t really love me at all!” this comment caused Alvah to furrow his brows, though he already knew the plot of this adventure, he still was a little jealous that Stan and this spider-woman went out on a date. 

“Ha! Men will fall for anything. You’re so funny. Great story. I love a man with shoulder hair.” 

“You... you didn’t mean it about my shoulder hair?” Ford and Alvah to roll their eyes. 

“Tell me, Stan, before I transformed, who’d you think was in charge? You, with your cheesy lines and fake confidence? I’m the master pick-up artist here. Sorry, toots. This time, you’re getting used for your body, which, to my species, is food. Allow me to slip into something more horrifying.” with that, the arachnimorph pulled its mouth open like that of a body suit and revealed its true form “I wonder what beverage pairs well with a vintage seventy-something-year-old man."  he grits his teeth as he glared at her from where he was hanging. 

“Why I oughta, when my partner gets here, you’ll be sorry!” this caused the arachnimorph to let out a laugh as she got close to him once more. 

“If you already had a partner, why’d you flirt with little ol’ me? Wouldn’t that break their heart if they learned of your infidelity?” he just let out a laugh. 

“Not really. I used my better lines on her and I’ve practically got her wrapped around me finger.” Ford looked up at Alvah and saw the irritated look on his face followed by the soft blush tinting his cheeks, he rolled his eyes knowing that what Stan had said wasn’t too far off from the truth “Besides, unlike her, I didn’t really like you all that much. Just trying to show off to my nephew how professionals work.” she let out a laugh at what he said. 

“Hah! Thanks to you, that boy will probably do more harm than good with your advice. It’d probably be better if he didn’t listen to you, because in the end, look where you ended up.” 

“Sure, but my partner surely won’t leave me hanging and come to my rescue!” the way he emphasized on the surely was meant for him to appear right that moment to save him, Darlene looked around for the appearance of such a partner but no one came “Come on, Alvah! I know you’re watching!” Darlene laughs once more as she got close to his face, he winced and leaned as far away as he possibly could while being confined to the webbing. 

“Sorry, sweetheart, but it looks like you’re all alo—ah!” Stan was startled when a fist appeared from beside his head and punched Darlene in the face, knocking her a few feet away from him, though he gradually calmed down when said fist uncurled and a hand glided across his jaw and caressed his cheek. 

“Hello, beloved. Can’t go a day without causing trouble, huh?” Stan smiled at the sight of Alvah appearing from out of his shadow, her arm around wrapped around his shoulder as she pulled herself close to him so she could rub her cheek against his “I, for one, like your shoulder hair.” he giggled bashfully to himself as he nuzzled his cheek into hers. 

“Aw~ I knew you would.” before she could say anything else she let out a grunt when she was shoved away from him by another figure, Stan was surprised to see Ford appear as well by grabbing Alvah by her face and pushing her away while pointing his gun towards the arachnimorph. 

“That’s enough of that.” she glared at him but scoffed as they both step out of the shadow “This isn’t a good idea, Alvah.” she shrugged as she stood in front of the twins to ensure she was the first target that Darlene woman would go for. 

“As long as I’m not the one to take her down, we should be fine. Now hurry up and free your brother, I’ll keep her back until the kids get here.” 

“Mister Pines!” she chuckled at the sound of Grenda’s voice echoing through the cave. 

“Speak of the devil.” the children came rushing in to save Stan but were greatly surprised at the sight of Alvah and Ford already in the process of saving him “Children, take your uncles and get out of here. I’ll hold her back while you get away.” 

“Miss Alvah! How are you here?” 

“Magic~” she quickly turned her attention back towards Darlene when she came charging at her, she caught the six-legged creature by her hands and dug the soles of her feet into the ground to keep her from pushing her back. She grimaced when the pincers on her face chittered as she leaned close, Alvah winced when she heard the sound of subtle cracking so she glanced over at her arms and saw tiny cracks forming around her elbows “Yeesh, have you ever thought of eating a couple breath mints? You smell as bad as that guy back there.” she said while motioning to Ford with her head. 

“Hey!” Stan snickered. 

“She’s got a point, Sixer.” she leans away again when Darlene let out a chuckle. 

“So, you must be the partner, huh? Did you know that your Stan over there whispered sweet nothings into my ear? He thinks he’s such a smooth talker with his cheap flattery and cheesy one liners.” Alvah rolled her eyes. 

“Well, they worked on me.” she looked away when Darlene gave her an incredulous look. 

“Wait, seriously?” she shrugged her shoulders. 

“What? I’m a sucker for flattery.” she let out a yelp of sorts when she was lifted off the ground then slammed back down into the ground, it didn’t hurt, but she grimaced when she heard more parts of her body start to crack “Hey, hey, now. Let’s be gentle, I’m a fragile little thing.” 

“You also look like a sweet little thing, I wonder what you taste like.” 

“Well, you’ve got to ask Stan if you want to answer to that question.” she winked but let out another grunt when she felt this overweight arachnid push her deeper into the dirty cave floor, she was getting dirt and cobwebs in her clothes and hair, what a pain “I beg, please get your ugly face away from mine. I don’t appreciate it.” Darlene laughs again as leans in close, her pincers wiggling inches away from Alvah’s face. 

“I won’t let any of you get away. You’ll make a perfect addition to my collection.” Alvah scoffed. 

“And I won’t let that happen.” the moment she heard them finally free Stan she hiked her legs up and kicked the overgrown spider off of her, she springs back up to her feet then held up her hand when she noticed them start to approach to help her “No, get out of here! I can’t handle her.” 

“But--” 

“I said go!” though reluctant, the group turn tail and ran out of the cave, leaving Alvah and Darlene alone together “If this were any other situation, I would finish you in an instance, but this ain’t. I’m just gonna give you a hard time.” she winks at the arachnimorph and uses two fingers to gesture for her to come. 

“I'll make you regret not running with the rest of them.” with the others, they were all high tailing it down the moment and towards the skyline, Candy looked back towards the cave entrance that got smaller and smaller as they ran further down the moment. 

“Was it right for us to leave Miss Alvah the way we did? I can’t help but worry for her.” Ford shook his head as he ushered the children to run ahead of him and his brother, occasionally looking back towards the cave in case the arachnimorph did manage to get past Alvah. 

“Oh, no. I believe she would be very cross with us if we didn’t leave. She can handle her own, I promise you that.” 

“Yeah, but you should have seen here when we had to fight against zombies. She looked hot as hell.” Dipper covers his ears at the words that were used, and though Mabel couldn’t help but agree, she did awe a little. 

“Ew.” 

“I don’t need to know that, Stanley.” 

“Zombies?” Candy and Grenda question, though neither got an answer when the sound of shouting came from behind them followed by loud crashes, they didn’t have time to turn around when flying over them was Darlene and Alvah tumbling down the mountain. Alvah was shouting as she punched Darlene in the face each time they were in the air and Darlene would retaliate when she was on top of her, Alvah would sometimes be able to catch her fist and punch her right back across the face but other times she would have to take the hit. Alvah couldn’t really feel pain each time a strike connected but she could feel her body crack more and more against the super strength the arachnimorph species possessed. They both crashed into a tree with Alvah landing on top of her, she continues to land blows on her but Darlene used her legs to kick her off her. She manages to catch herself and rushes towards Darlene and when her fist connects to her face, this time, her left hand all the way up to her forearm completely shatters. 

“Well.” 

“Alvah!” she looks back at the group and saw them stop when they notice her missing limb, she looks back down at her shattered hand then quickly looks back at them and waves them off. 

“I’m fine! Just hurry onto the sky tram! I’ll catch up!” Ford was quick to heed her demand and ushers them all into the tram, having to force Stan on before he could rush off to help her.  

“Hah! So, you’re not a human! Should have figured that one out, Stan seems to have a type.” Alvah shrugged then twirled a strand of her blonde hair. 

“Yeah, seems to me he’s into blondes. At least I was right on that mark, hmm?” Darlene laughs. 

“Well, since you’re down a limb, you won’t be that much of a threat!” with that she was quick to run off and chase after the fleeing group, Alvah scoffed and looks back down at the hole her shattered arm left. 

“That’s where you’re wrong.” Ford looks back and saw Darlene was leaping from tram to tram and gaining on them fast, no thanks to the stupid tram going at the speed of 0.1 miles per hour, however he perked up at the sight of Alvah not too far behind and instead of fixing her arm like she did when he blasted a hole in her face, the same black tar oozed out from the hole the damage did and became her new arm that grew larger with claws instead of hands. He also noticed that she ripped off her other arm so she could have two, so he saw her running along the cable while also using her new arms to swing herself towards them. When Darlene finally caught up to them and started encasing them in her webbing, Alvah swung herself up and kicked Darlene off and onto a different tram that was ahead of them “Is that all you got, freak?!” 

“Are you alright, Alvah?” she leaned back to see Ford peaking his head out of a window “You took quite the damage fighting that arachnimorph.” 

“That’s because this body isn’t meant for fighting, it’s only meant to look good. Besides, this vessel doesn’t seem to be able to contain the updated version of our contract.” she should have known when Ford allowed her more access to her power her body would become more brittle with how old it is “But I'm fine, nonetheless.” a soft gasp left her when a couple pieces of her face chipped off and fell, more black ooze leaking out of her face.  

“What was that, Alvah?”  

“I-It’s nothing!” Darlene lunges for Alvah once more but she swung herself around the cable holding up their tram and kicked Darlene back once more before lowering herself down to get a look at the group through the glass window “Candy!” the little girl jumped at the sound of Alvah’s voice, looking at the older woman, she gasped at the sight of her disheveled state. 

“M-Miss Alvah? Are you alright?” she waves her free hand, her claws digging into the roof of the tram to keep her from falling. 

“Don't worry about me, sweetheart. You’ve got this though, right?” Candy blinked at Alvah’s words, taken aback that she knew that Candy had a plan to deal with Darlene if she hadn’t showed up, so she smiles and nods her head while giving her a thumbs up. 

“Affirmative.” Alvah returns the gesture before hoisting herself back up, one of her arms wraps around the attachment that connects the carriage to the cables above them while the other is pressed against the roof just as Darlene jumps back. 

“Don’t think you can get rid of me that easily.” this earned her a chuckle “What’s so funny?” 

“Well, you don’t seem to realize you’ve walked into my web.” this caused Darlene to look down and noticed how the hand that was pressed against the roof allowed the black ooze to cover the surface and the moment her legs touched it they covered her legs completely to restrict her from moving “Hope you ain’t afraid of water!” she lets out a maniacal laugh when Candy pulled the emergency lever and the latch that connected the carriage to the cable above them released and they fell, they fell directly into the geyser “old reliable” that went off and shot them right back up into the air. They were sent flying down the mountain with Darlene taking the brunt force of crashing into everything while Alvah was running on top of the carriage as it continued to move, she made sure to release Darlene when they made it down and broke through the kiosk at the bottom of the mountain, right underneath the boot of the old statue that came down and crushed her. 

“My only weakness, a giant boot!” she cried out as she struggled to get out from underneath said boot “A giant newspaper or a giant cup would also have been pretty bad.” Stan and Ford managed to break down the carriage door where all occupants came tumbling out after rolling down the mountain. 

“Kid, that was ingenious! How’d you know it would work?” Stan raised as he pulled Candy into a side hug. 

“Useless travel pamphlets.” 

“Stanley.” they all flinch and look back towards Darlene, who transformed back into her human form “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me. You’ll let me out, right?” she spoke while twirling a strand of her hair, batting her eyes to lure him in. 

“What? After all that? Seriously, do I look like an amnesiac?” he shouts as he approached her weakened form. 

“Haha, you’re so funny. Have you ever considered becoming a comedian?” before Stan could answer her, he was pulled back by Ford just as Alvah stood over her with the carriage held above her head. 

“Stan’s already got a supernatural being in his life and that isn’t you, sweetheart.” Alvah ignored her cries and dropped it on top of her, she makes sure her legs stopped twitching and goes to turn around until she caught her reflection in the glass “Well, that was irritating, she broke my face.” she murmured as she brought her hand up to caress her cheek that was missing a couple pieces. 

“Are you alright, Alvah?” she moved her eyes and saw Ford approaching her, she huffed and turned around. 

“I already said I was fine. And again, this body was not meant for fighting, only to look good.” she let out a grunt when he grabbed her by the face, pulling her close so he could examine the damage “And you say I’ve got issues with invading personal space.” she squeaked when he tightened his grip on her face, squeezing her cheeks and yanking her closer to glare into her eyes. 

“At least I don’t do it in every waking moment.” she just shrugged her shoulders, he threw her head back before grabbing at what was left of her arms to look at the ooze that replaced what was missing “Is this your blood?”  

“Close, it’s my “flesh”, more or less.” 

“Not that smoke?” 

“The smokey version of me you see is the power I simply use to invade your head, you know, like that sand man? This goop would be the more accurate term to what my body is made up of, dead flesh.” she pulled a face when he pulled out a vial and scooped some of it up, he dangles it in front of his face and shakes the glass bottle “Really?”  

“The more I learn about you, the better.” she rolled her eyes then paused when she heard someone clear their throat, peering past Ford, she saw that it was Stan sheepishly kicking his feet while rubbing the back of his neck. 

“Oh Stanley, are you okay?” she cooed softly while reaching for him only to recoil back when she remembered the state she was in, but she was taken aback when he reached forward and grabbed her clawed hand “I thought you wouldn’t want to touch these rather grotesque hands of mine.” he laughed. 

“I got acid spit in my face, your arms are the least of my worries.” she giggled softly and used her other hand to covered her face. 

“You sap.” Stan opens his mouth to add something else but felt something rest on his shoulder, he turned his head to see what exactly it was only to let out a startled shout at the sight of a severed hand laying on his shoulder. The others watch in shock when Stan let out a scream and threw the arm in the air but stopped when Alvah burst out into a fit of laughter, she raised her hand and caught the arm then waved it cheekily at them “Thanks for the “hand”. Haha, get it?” she continued to laugh as she let the ooze slither back into the hole it came out of then connected the severed arm in its place, she rolled her arm a couple times then grinned when the cracks fused together smoothly. 

“Fascinating, but wasn’t that the arm that shattered?” 

“It was, but as long as I can find the pieces, I can put myself back together. Like so.” Dipper shrieked when he saw another arm drag itself over to where Alvah was, she picks the arm up abd repeated the same process she did with the first arm “Ta dah, good as new.” she let out an oh when Mabel tugged on the end of her skirt, she kneels down and tilts her head in mild curiosity then blinked when Mabel placed a rainbow band aid over crack and hole on her face. 

“There, now you’re as good as new.” she caressed her cheek and smiled softly. 

“Thank you, Mabel.” she let out a yelp when she was pulled back by Ford, she huffed at the action. 

“Let us return, Alvah.” she rolled her eyes and stood to her feet, snapping her fingers to rid of all the cobwebs and grime that got on her after that distasteful squabble. He raised a brow as he watched her approach him and reach for his hand, she laces her fingers with his as best as she could and pulls him close until they were practically cheek to cheek “What are you--” she ignored him to look back at the group. 

“See you back at the Mystery Shack.” with that she fell backwards and pulled Ford with her, he wasn’t prepared for the sensation that was them falling into their shadows and it felt like they were submerged briefly in a body of water before falling upright back in his lab. She chuckled softly when she felt his grip on her hand tighten significantly but when he came to realize they had returned he immediately let go, he looks back at her and saw Alvah changed back into his male appearance and rubbed his cheek that was bandaged. 

“How long will it take you to repair your face?”  

“It shouldn’t take too long since it’s small.” he hummed softly when he realized Ford was staring at him rather intently “What? Something else on my face?”  

“... you really have changed, Alvah.” his face twitched at Ford’s statement “You never stepped in whenever someone was in trouble, you always watched as if it were the most boring thing you ever had to do. You’ve stated you are a neutral being that’s job was only to spectate and observe, nothing more than that.” his fingers picks at the small band aid on his check while averting his gaze from Ford’s. 

“Why? You prefer if I abandon your family’s safety instead?” 

“No, I’m more curious as to why you would risk yourself getting into trouble to step in when you know you could face dire consequences.” Alvah continues to pick at the band aid as he thought back to his time spending every waking moment with the Pines Family and he couldn’t help but smile rather bitterly. 

“I, too, am very curious.” he then chuckles “I’ve got your brother to blame for half of it, though.” Ford scoffed. 

“I’ll say.” he rolled his eyes. 


Tags
3 years ago

Helper pt. 3

word count: 7262

Fandom: FNAF Security Breach Pairing: Sundrop/Moondrop x Female!Reader Pronouns: She/Her Relationship: Romantic  Occupation: Daycare Helper Ability: Animatronic Moon Jellyfish

The character was modelled after a moon jellyfish, so they are an oceanic type animatronic that mostly resided in the daycare to assist when needed within the pizza plex. The appearance they adorn is that of a tall woman and the animalistic part of her design would be, other than a human-like face, they would have a large bell (the blob of a jellyfish is called a bell or hood) on top of their head that would act as a large hat, and attached to the underside of the bell are the tentacles and stingers. They are not stingers, they help the character locate children and feel for their surroundings. The bell on top of their head also glows in the dark.

Keys:

[F/N]: Female Name  [B/C]: Base Color  [S/C]: Secondary Color  [F/C]: Favorite Color  [E/C]: Eye Color

Warnings: spoilers to those who haven’t seen fnaf sb.

“Helper” pt. 1, pt. 2

image

“[F/N]~” said woman chuckled softly at the sing song voice coming from the child that sat in her lap, hearing the child trail her name off while leaning backwards so they could look up at her. [F/N] hums in response, placing her hand on their back and pushing them up gently so they wouldn’t fall “You’re not exactly… alive, right?” this question caught her off guard, she wasn’t really expecting to hear those words come out of a six year olds mouth, but she nods her head.

“If you mean I’m not exactly a human, then yes.” the child nods their head, looking forward and letting [F/N] brush their hair “Why do you ask? Does me not being a human make you uncomfortable?” she halts in her brushing once more when the child turned around.

“Nah uh! I like you, I like you a whole lot!” they exclaim as they hug her, she pats their back just as they pull themselves off her “It’s just that my mama told me that machines are incapable of falling in love.” [F/N]’s mood dampens a little, her hand caressing the small child’s back.

“Well… I wouldn’t say she’s wrong.” the child now tilts their head to the side in confusion.

“But aren’t you and Mister Sunny in love?” this question caused her to flinch, her internal fans starting up when she started overheating “Mister Moon as well! Sometimes, when you put us to sleep, I see you two acting like how my mama and papa act. I think it’s very romantic~” [F/N] pressed her lips into a thin line, her hand now beginning to fan her face.

“Don’t you know when people are being intimate it’s only right to give them privacy and not peek?” this caused the child to giggle, she then presses her hand onto her forehead, shaking it lightly “Goodness child, I would appreciate it if you would look in the other direction in the future.”

“Hehe, no promises.” [F/N] playfully rolls her eyes under her eyelids before beginning to tickle their stomach, their laughter was enough to get Sundrop’s attention and he came skipping over.

“Hey, hey, hey! How’s my favourite lady? Are you guys having fun over here?” a few of the children that were following Sundrop came over and started playing with [F/N], a few draping themselves over her shoulders and others settling themselves in her lap, the remaining few were playing with her hair and hat.

“We’re just talking, sunbite, ain’t that right?” the child covers their mouth, trying to contain their laughter.  “Must be a good conversation if y’all are laughing this much!” [F/N] noticed that most of the children were distracted amongst themselves, except for the one child that started it all, so she covered their eyes with one of their hands before reaching forward to cup his cheek and turn his face towards her so she could press and kiss to his cheek “Uwah— what was that for?” he asks, pressing his hand to his cheek while flustered.

“Just showing you that I love you.” the moment she dropped her hand from the child’s eyes, they noticed how lovey dovey they were acting again. They were pretty sure that if none of them were there, they would act even more affectionate, telling by how [F/N] held Sundrop’s smaller hand in her own and was gently caressing his knuckles before the both of them lace their fingers together.

“Oh, stop it, starshine. The children are still here…” she just giggles, her head perked up when a notification went off in her head.

“Oh, it seems like it’s nap time.” she starts to laugh when Sundrop pouted “Don’t worry, you’ll be back before you know it. Nap time only lasts an hour or so. And besides, it’s Moony’s turn.” she kisses the backside of her hand, when she lets go, she couldn’t help but blush a little when he pressed his own lips to where she kissed him.

“Alright, let’s round up all the children.”

“They’re not cattle, Sunny.” this caused them both to laugh. Of course there were the few children who didn’t want to settle down for nap time, but after being promised a snack time right after nap time was enough to get them to comply. [F/N] gives Sundrop a kiss on the forehead and coos sweet nothings into his ear to calm himself down, it always did hurt sometimes when the two would switch, but it’s been getting better. She was in the middle of playing a lullaby when the lights turned off and Moon appeared, she didn’t hesitate to welcome him with a kiss, to which he leaned into the affection before the two of them went to work.

Moondrop watched [F/N], watching as she sung beautifully to the sleeping children, he now come to love nap time. Children were a nightmare, especially the rowdy ones and those that just downright refused to sleep because they still had so much energy, but [F/N] made his job so much easier, and he even go to spend time with the animatronic woman that stilled his usually cold mechanical heart. He flinched slightly when he felt a stare so he looked down and saw the same young child smirking slightly at him, wriggling their eyebrows at him when they noticed the way he was staring at her. That child had a pillow thrown at them for that, causing them to laugh but shushed immediately when he leaned down and glared lightly at them.

“Silence child, and go to sleep. I want some time with her, so if you know what’s good for you, you’ll go to sleep and not speak a word.” they nod their head and zip their lips before rolling onto their side and closing their eyes to sleep, he nods his head as he stands up straight “Good.” he keeps his eyes on them for a second longer before skipping over to her.

“Are you done over there, Moony?” she giggles softly when he draped himself over her shoulder, leaning his cheek into hers.

“Yeah, they’re all sleeping soundly. Now it’s our alone time.” she giggles again, face turning a slight shade of red as he takes her hands a pulls her away from the nap area.

“Hehe, what are you doing, moonlight?” he leads her to the centre of the daycare and tells her not to move, he then proceeds to move everything out of the way until everything is clear. He then hurriedly returns to her and when he he reached her, he took a bow, one hand behind his back while the other was outstretched to her.

“Would you do me this honour and sharing a dance with me?” he raised his head and watched as her eyes opened, emotions swirled in those gorgeous galaxy like eyes and it was making him fall in love all over again, she then laughs and takes his hand.

“It would be my pleasure.” her other hand lays in his other hand and soon they were standing close together, however, she tilts her head in confusion when Moondrop was staring up at her “What's the matter?” he frowns slightly.

“… sometimes I forget how tall you are.” she snorts.

“That’s your concern?” she looks down at him and watches as he tries to think of a solution, his face then lights up when he got an idea and he snapped his fingers. He slips from her grip once more, raising a finger to tell her to wait once more and watch, and so she does. She holds her arms together and watched in mild confusion when he called down his cable and clipped it to his back, she slowly raised her head and laughed quietly to herself, covering her mouth with her hand when she understood what he was doing “Really?” he now hovered in front of her, one arm to his back while the other was outstretched to hers once more.

“May I?” she shakes her head but takes his hand.

“You may.” his already permanent smile grew as he held her close, now looking down at her, despite the fact it was the cable that was giving him that advantage. A melody started playing out of him and together the two of them slow danced around the daycare, she was giggling every so often because it was her that was leading them around but he would often twirl her around, what she loved the most was when he dipped her, hand firmly on her back and hand to hold her up and her hair and the strings of her bell hat was hanging beneath her and touching the ground, one leg kicked up as well.

“Have I ever told you how much I love you?” she looks up at him, her galaxy like eyes staring in his void black ones, she then snorts as he pulls her back up and so she let her head rest on his chest, hearing the gears in his body turn as she hummed softly.

“There isn’t a single day that doesn’t go by and I’m not deeply in love with you— with you both.” she looks up at him “I can’t be more happy that I was made to be yours.” he stares down at her before he starts laughing wholeheartedly, dipping her once more but this time he was leaning down, laughing into her neck.

“You have no idea how much this means to Sundrop and I!” she starts laughing with him, arms wrapped around his neck. When he pulled her up, he made sure to hold her tight as he lifted her off the ground and twirled her around and together the two of them danced for the rest of nap time until it was over “I’ll see you again soon, my love.” she giggles, giving him a final smooth until the lights turned back on, and when she pulled away, she as met with Sundrop.

“Hello, sunbite.” he giggles, cupping his cheek and waving his hand.

“Hello~” she rolled her eyes with a chuckle then went back to gathering snacks for the children while Sundrop woke them up, for the rest of the time until closing, [F/N] was monitoring the energy drained children and keeping them entertained with bracelet making while Sundrop was playing around with the more energised children.

“Miss [F/N]! Look at my bracelet.” a young girl cheered, rushing up to the animatronic woman and holding out the bracelet “How does it look?” she carefully takes the bracelet into her larger hands and inspects, the girl looks up at her with a nervous look before a bright smile washed onto her face when [F/N] smiled at her.

“It’s wonderful. You have a natural gift for jewellery making.” she takes the young girls hand and ties the bracelet around her wrist then gently kissed the top of her hand “It would greatly please me if you could teach me.”

“Y-Yes, certainly!” [F/N] already had numerous programs on jewellery making and various other programs, but having children teaching her in exchange was always nice. [F/N] made two friendship bracelets by the time the young girl made her second, the ones she made were themed after Sundrop and Moondrop and she couldn’t help but smile at her accomplishments “Are you going to give those to Mister Sun and Mister Moon?” she nods.

“Indeed, do you think they’ll like it?”  “Of course! They were made by none other than you, Miss [F/N]!” she nods once more, that light flush rising to her cheeks. [F/N] watched her stand to her feet and rush off, she was going to question what she was doing but giggled to herself when the girl grabbed Sundrop by his hand and was dragging him over to where she was sitting “Mister Sun, Mister Sun! Miss [F/N] has something to give you!”

“Something for me? Daw, you shouldn’t have!” she holds her hand out to him and he places his in hers, she then proceeds to tie the sun themed friendship bracelet around his wrist, being careful around about the bells around his wrist as well, but when it was done, he pulled the bracelet close to his face to inspect it.

“What do you think? I made matching ones for you and Moon.” she says, revealing the second one so he could see one that looked similar to his but was themed after Moon “Do you like it?” Sundrop let’s out a squeal of sorts as he stares at it before clapping his hands.

“Absolutely, and I believe Moon will like the one you give him.” she hums at that, holding the one she made for Moondrop in her hand.

“I do hope so.” time flew by so quickly that it was already the end of the day and parents were coming to pick up their young ones, it was Sundrop’s turn to start cleaning while [F/N] was there to monitor the guardians that were there to pick up the children. There have been a few incidences where complete strangers would try and take one of the children, but they never got far with her and Sundrop there to stop them, but that is a story for another time.

“Thank you again for taking good care of our child, we appreciate it.” [F/N] nods her head.

“It is our duty to take care of the children, and besides, he was a dear to have around.” she cooed softly while caressing the young boys cheek with the back of her hand, the boy giggled and leaned into her affection before being pulled away by his mother.

“Yes, well, we must get going now. Come on now.” 

“Aw, but mum! I wanna say bye to Miss [F/N].”

“No buts! Off we go.” he pouts as he’s ushered away but he makes the effort to take a quick glance back towards her to wave her goodbye, she smiled at the gesture and waves goodbye. It was obvious that some parents hated the fact that their children adored both her and Sun/Moon over them at times, telling by how a young child would cling to the both of them begging not stay, but of course, they’re not allowed to keep the children there for long.

“I swear, my son’s birthday was ruined tonight.” she heard a mother complain from afar while handing over another child to their guardian.

“Yeah, I wasn’t there to see the performance, but I heard that Freddy had a malfunction and collapsed during his performance.” her eyes shot open and she turned towards the gossiping mothers.

‘Freddy collapsed?’ she thought, that sounded impossible. Freddy has the most daily maintenance out of all the animatronics because he is the face and star of the Mega Pizza Plex, so she couldn’t accept the fact that he had a simple malfunction during his performance.

“Miss [F/N]?” she lets out a soft gasp then glanced down to see the young boy she was holding in her arms looking up at her in concern “Are you alright?” she blinks owlishly at him before closing her eyes and smiling at him.

“Why I’m alright, thank you for worrying about me.” she says, leaning down to place him on the ground, she grimaced a little when the boy still looked worried but simply gave him a light push on the back to get him to go to his father that was waiting for him “You better get going, we’re closing soon and your father is waiting.” she stands up straight and waves him goodbye and though he was hesitant, he hurried over to his father, holding his hand and waving her goodbye.

“See you again, Miss [F/N]!” she nods and watched them disappear, unbeknownst to herself, the grip on her hands grew tight to the point she could feel herself dent.

“I hope to see your faces soon!” [F/N] exclaimed happily as she waved the last family goodbye, she looked side to side in search for anyone else before turning on her heel and speed walking over to where Sundrop was, who had his back to her as he was at the table that had the equipment for the bracelet making “Sunny, darling! I need a favor of you.” she says, not noticing the way he hid the things on the table when she approached.

“Oh, starshine! What can I do for you?”

“Do you mind holding down the fort for me? I just heard that Freddy isn’t feeling well, and I thought I could check up on him. I hope you don’t mind.” she thought that he would disagree, he never liked them being so apart, so guess how surprised she was with how easily Sundrop agreed with her.

“You're absolutely right, sunbite! You’re such a good friend to worry about your other friends, so go on right ahead and pay that big ole teddy bear a visit just to see if he’s doing alright!” he says, going to so far as to pushing her out.

“A—Are you sure?” she questions, glancing back at him and being mindful of her step as not to tumble over “I’m not being troublesome, am I?” she adds, now out the door and holding it open to look at him, to which he shakes his head.

“Not at all! We got this, so go say hi to Freddy for us!” she pulls her hands back when he quite literally slammed the door in her face, she stares blankly at it for a couple seconds before snapping out of it, leaning backwards in confusion.

“… well, I didn’t expect that.” she stands there a second longer until she turned on her heel and made her way towards Rockstar Row, leaving Sundrop and Moondrop in the daycare.

“I didn’t expect her wanting to leave, but we’ll take her absence as our opportunity to make her a gift.” he cheers as he returns to the table, Moondrop nodded his head within their shared mind.

“There’s not a moment to lose!”

[with [f/n]]

“Look, mummy! Look, it’s the Daycare Assistant!” [F/N] heard a couple of the children call out, to which she greeted a few of the leaving guests before picking up the pace so she could see Freddy without having to see Vanessa. It was strongly advised that they didn’t roam around while the Pizza Plex was in the middle of closing, but she was just a little bit too anxious. She waved at the last child she saw then hopped into the elevator in the Atrium and pressed the floor to take her to Rockstar Row, she crossed her arms and tapped her foot on the ground a little impatiently. Finally the doors opened to the floor she needed and she stepped out, she glanced around and saw a couple Security and Caution Bots, greeting them with a wave before something caught her eye. Glancing over, she briefly saw the door to Freddy’s room open then close.

“How odd.” she muttered but shrugged her shoulders, she’ll see soon enough, she approached his door and it automatically opened as she approached it “Freddy!”

“Aahh!” she rolled her eyes when he screamed, what caught her attention was when she saw him quickly close his chest cavity, he turned around and saw [F/N] and quickly that panicked look disappeared and he raised his hand “Oh! Why hello there, [F/N]! What brings you here? You’re usually helping Sundrop clean up the Daycare at this time.” he fidgeted under her watchful eyes, hands carefully caressing his chest, she then sighed as she shook her head.

“I’m here to see you.” his head perked up.

“Me? What for?” she scoffed, taking a step forward and grabbing him by his forearms.

“I heard you malfunctioned and collapsed during your performance.” his eyes widened.

“How did you know?” she huffs.

“World travels fast amongst complaining parents.” she then shrugs, she sighs and caresses his arm with her thumbs “What I don’t understand is why YOU of all animatronics malfunctioned. Monty I understand, even Roxanne and Chica dearest, but you? Management takes extra care of you, so I’m confused as to why you malfunctioned.” she raised a brow when he slowly slipped out of her grip, his hands now holding her forearms.

“All I can say is that it was a simple slip up on my end, I thank you for your concern, friend, but I must rest.”  he retracts his arms and holds them “I haven’t fully recharged yet, and I feel awfully tired.” her head perks up and soon nods.

“Oh, yes! Forgive me, I’ll leave you to charge! I need to head back to the Daycare, I feel awful for leaving Sunny on his own to clean. You know how children can be, such a pain to clean up after at times.” he nods his head, pumping his fist.

“That must be a hassle, so you better get to it.” she nods, patting his arm and turning to leave but stopped when Freddy called out to her “But before you go… was a child missing from the Daycare any time today?” this caused her to pause, he watched her look up as her AI looked through the data of each child that attended the daycare that day.

“No. I did a thorough headcount and there wasn’t a single head missing.” she approaches him once more “May I ask why?” he noticed her move her eyes from his face and down to his chest cavity, poking it, he immediately raised his hands to cover his chest and turned away.

“No, was just wondering, is all.” she knew he was lying to her, but he must have a reason as to why, so she just let out a deep sigh as she shook her head.

“Alright, I’ll leave you to it.” she gives him a hug, holding tight before letting go and leaving him alone. Unbeknownst to her, he let out a breath of relief as his chest cavity opened up to reveal the missing head he was talking about, the young boy named Gregory that was hiding in his chest cavity the moment she stepped in.

“She’s gone now, superstar.” Gregory lets out a exaggerated sigh.

“Dang, that was a close one!” he exclaims, he rushes over to the window and saw her walking into the elevator doors “Who is she? I think I’ve heard of her, but I’ve never seen her before.” Freddy approached Gregory from behind and glances through the window to see the elevator doors closing just as he approached.

“She is the Daycare Assistant, she helps the Daycare Attendant care for the daycare. She is a wonderful friend, and I believe you would like her a lot, she is very fond of children and cares for them as if they were her own.” Gregory scoffed, throwing his head back as he rolled his eyes.

“If she could even have children, that is.” he waves his hand “She’s still just a machine, so she can’t exactly conceive a child.”

“W-Well, it’s that thought that counts, is it not?” he just shakes his head.

[at the daycare]

“Sunbite, darling?” [F/N] pushes the door to the daycare open and peeked her head inside, she was a little impressed that Sundrop cleaned up the daycare thoroughly while she was gone, but now she was a little concerned because she couldn’t see him “I’m back, Sunny!” she called out once again, her shoulders slumped, however, when she didn’t get an answer. She entered the daycare, placing her hands on her hips and was ready to call out to him again but gasped when he hung from above her, upside down and a wide smile on his face.

“You’re back, starshine! Welcome!” she smiles softly, nodding her head.

“I’m back.” he rights himself but made sure he was still hanging in front of her, hands behind his back as his hands held something “Sunbite?” he giggles softly, legs kicking gently in front of him.

“I have a surprise for you.” he muses, waving his finger around then pointed at her face.

“Aw~ how sweet.”  “Close your eyes…” he trailed off when he realised her eyes were already closed, how she saw without her eyes being open, he’ll never know… but whatever! “Well, um… make sure you can’t see!” she chuckles and covers her eyes with her hands.

“Alright, okay.” she heard him muttering to himself, probably talking with Moondrop, something then jingled in front of her that made her tilt her head.

“You can open your eyes now!” she does so by removing her hands from her face then opening her eyes, and there she saw a necklace Sundrop and Moondrop had made that was themed after her but had sun and moon beads mixed into it as well with her name “Moony and I made this for you, we hope you like it!” she takes it into her hands and inspects it closely, she then laughs softly and holds it closely.

“I love it, you two, I love it very much!” she gives them both a big smile and holds it out to them “Put it on for me?” they didn’t hesitate to swipe it from her, she removes her hat and moves her hair so they wouldn’t have trouble putting it on, and when they did, she grabbed a miniature mirror to look at it. She was made and styled in the Victorian era, so it didn’t match her at all, but she loved it nonetheless “It’s perfect.” Sundrop claps his hands.

“Terrific! We’re glad that you love it.” she continues to admire it before putting the mirror down and offering her hand to them.

“Hows about we call it a night? My battery is finally catching up to me and I desperately need to charge.” Sundrop nods his head.

“Oh, absolutely! We get to cuddle!” she chuckles at that, she wraps her arms around Sundrop’s waist and he lifts them over to their now shared room. She enters first and takes her place by the charging port, when Sundrop enters, he turned into Moondrop because the lights were off and he approached her.

“Can I get my gift?” she giggles.

“Of course.” she takes out the one she made for him and puts it on his other wrist, he marvels at them both before pulling her into a hug and together the three of them look at their matching jewellery “Now we all match.” she nods her head, nuzzling her nose against his head.

“We do.” she sits on her knees and one of the stingers attached to her hat slithered over to the charging port, she pats her lap and Moondrop didn’t hesitate to rest his head on her lap so they could snooze together.

“I’ll see you in the morning?” he smiles, nodding his head.

“Yes, and we’ll see you.” and with that, the moment that stinger plugged into the charging port, her system shut down and she was in charging mode. He takes a deep breath, wrapping his arms around her waist and burying his face plate into her lap, but not without taking one final glance at his and Sundrop’s bracelets. He couldn’t contain his bashful smile as he fell asleep in her lap, neither of the two unaware of the events that were going to take place throughout the night.

[an hour later]

EMERGENCY WAKE UP CALL.

DAYCARE LIGHTS OFF.

BOUNCER MODE… ACTIVATED.

PHYSICAL RESTRAINTS… DEACTIVATED.

[F/N]’s eyes opened, her system booting up at an hour they weren’t supposed too. When she was on recharge mode, it would take several hours for her to reach fully charged mode where she can last a few days without having to enter a charging station. But she had woken up from her slumber way to early, and the only reason that were to happen was when the daycare lights turned off at a time they weren’t supposed to… or if Moondrop was running amok, something like that hasn’t happened in the longest time. Similar to DJMM, Parts and Service installed a Bouncer Mode into her system that would activate when unruly guests make a scene, but it was used to subdue Moondrop when the staff couldn’t handle him.

“Sunny…?” she murmured out first, the stinger that connected itself to the plug disconnecting and returning to her as she slowly stood up and scanned the area for the animatronic “Moony? Where are you?” she closed her hand into a fist and grimaced when she felt her initial strength to take down animatronics like Monty was activated… something must be wrong, that restraint was activated for a reason. She exits their tent and noticed the lights in the daycare were indeed off, she looks at the time and was confused to see that the hourly mark for the power to convert to the charging stations hadn’t hit yet. With that in mind, she stepped out onto the balcony and looked around, only to hear Moon’s sinister chuckle.

“Naughty, naughty~ bad children must be punished.” her eyes immediately flew open as she slammed her hands onto the railing of the balcony, leaning over to see that he was chasing around a little boy who was frantically going through the playground and making a mess to distract him.

“Please! Just leave me alone!” her eyes locked onto the child and scanned him quickly before he disappeared into the playground while Moondrop cleaned up the mess he made.

CHECKING GUEST LIST… UNKNOWN.

CHECKING DAYCARE REGISTER… UNKNOWN.

CHECKING LOST AND FOUND… UNKNOWN.

CALCULATED RESULTS… LOST CHILD.

“Lost child?” she questioned, soon the conversation with Freddy came back to mind when he asked her if she was missing a child. She rolls her fingers along the railing, hearing it tap against the metal, but that child was completely unknown. There was no data of him anywhere, she shakes her head, that doesn’t matter that very moment, Moondrop was acting far more aggressive than he usually is and she was afraid he was going to do something neither of them were going to like. She calls down the cable just as she jumped over the railing, grabbing it and allowing it to lower her to the ground, she was careful to quietly land on the ground, as not to alert Moondrop of her presence.

“Dang it, where are those stupid generators?” Gregory hisses to himself, getting lost in the playground yet again “Why the heck are generators even in a children’s playground? Talk about a hazard.” he freezes up when he heard the bells on Moondrop’s costume jingle, oh god, he was crawling around in the playground as well.

“Where are you? Children aren’t allowed to stay after hours.” he pressed his back against the wall, covering his mouth to quiet his breathing but the beating in his heart beat so loudly it was giving him away “Come out, come out, wherever you are~” oh god did he want to just curl up into a ball and disappear, a small whimper escaped his lips when he saw Moondrop’s fingers appear around the corner of the wall. There was nowhere for him to go, he was trapped and that freak was going to get him. He closed his eyes and was ready for his life to flash before his eyes but they suddenly shot open when Moondrop let out a yelp, he looked over and saw that Moondrop was gone.

“H-Huh?” wiping away the stray tears, he looked around the corner and his eyes widened to see the same animatronic jellyfish that came to Freddy’s room holding Moondrop as if he were a cat.

“Moony? What are you doing playing around in the playground? You know that’s only designed for children, and don’t you remember the last time you went in there?” she giggles fondly at the memory, remembering how his limbs got stuck and he was screeching at her not to look “You know I can’t fit in there, so color me surprised when I had to yank you out of there.” yup, that’s what happened. The moment she saw the opportunity to grab him through one of the openings, she leaned in and pulled him out before he could see the young boy.

“You don’t understand, starshine. There’s a child!” he exclaims, throwing his arms up, to which she rolls her eyes while nodding her head.

“Right…” he sighed when he knew she didn’t believe him “Remember the last time you said that? And when we checked to see what it was it, it was only Roxanne and Montgomery playing tricks on you. Perhaps they’re doing it again.” he pouts as she lowers him down, she giggles to herself when he crossed his arms and started to sulk.

“I’m telling you, there’s a boy running around.” she smiles fondly at him, placing her hands on his shoulders and giving them a light squeeze, her eyes then went over to where Moondrop was and there she saw the boy. He flinched backwards and was going to hide but paused when he saw her jerking her head to her left, her stingers raising up and pointing in the same direction. He was confused at first but looked in the direction and there he saw another generator, she gave him a look of reassurance but quickly looked away when Moondrop looked at her.

“It’s not that I don’t believe you, but the last time we jumped to conclusions… we were barely let off with a warning.” this caused his shoulders to slump, she then turned him towards their room and gestures to it “Why don’t we go back to sleep? Perhaps you’re just anxious to see the children again that your AI is playing tricks with you.” with his back to the boy, Gregory peeked his head out from the play structure and his face lit up when her stingers pointed out all the generators, saving him the trouble of actually finding them.

“Maybe you’re right. The children have only recently started liking me again.” she smacks his arm, moving from time to time to block his view of Gregory as they continued to talk.

“They’ve always liked you, my love, they’re only shy.” she caresses his cheek and kisses his forehead “Now let’s go back and cuddle.” he giggles at that.

“Hehe, I like that idea for mu—” he was cut off when they both heard something fall, turning their heads, there they saw Gregory had accidentally tripped over a chair after he was staring at the two of them acting lovey dovey “So I wasn’t making it up!” he exclaims as starts making his way over to him, Gregory did not hesitate to pick himself up and run over to the other playground to get the last two generators.

“Ah, please! I don’t even want to be here!”

“Moon, what are you doing?!” [F/N] shouts as she chases after Moon, ducking down to avoid hitting a few of the obstacles in her way while Moon easily manoeuvred around them and was getting closer to Gregory “Moon! Stop right this instant!”

“Sorry, sweetheart, but no can do.” Gregory crawled into the playground and Moon was right behind him, [F/N] tried to grab him but she failed when he just slipped out of her reach and she couldn’t crawl in after him. She cursed under his lips, taking a step back and using her enhanced eyes to see through the dark and locate where both Moon and Gregory were in the playground.

“Moondrop, I swear if you hurt that boy you’re never going to hear the end of it from me!” she shouts, she managed to find Gregory and saw that he was backed into a corner after getting one of the two generators and Moon was hot on his tail “I will NEVER forgive you if you do anything to that boy, Moondrop! I swear on it!” this caused Moon to stutter in his movements, momentarily freezing in place, she took that opportunity to rush over to where Gregory was and pull him out of the playground instead.

“Hey! What’s wrong with that guy?!” she shook her head.

“I should be the one asking you that.” she whispered “My Moony doesn’t act like that, much less threaten a child and refuse to listen to me.” Gregory noticed black tears swell in her eyes as she stared at where Moon was before turning away and finding the last generator, however, she was tackled to the ground and evidently dropped Gregory.

“[F/N], dearest, hand over the child while I’m being nice.” she looked back and Moon and saw he was holding her by her waist, she glared at him as she pushed herself on her back.

“When my moonlight is being nice, he doesn’t threaten me!” she shouts and proceeds to kick him off, this time, she was going to keep Moon distracted while Gregory climbed into the playground to get the last generator “Little boy, if you climb in through the slide at the back, you’ll find the last generator!”

“The last in the back? Got it!” he quickly did as she said and followed her directions, her ears perked up when she heard a wire so she looked back and saw Moon connected the cable to his back and was planning on flying over her and after Gregory.

“Oh no you don’t!” she exclaims, kneeling down then jumping up and grabbing him by his waist. The cable wasn’t able to handle the weight and snapped, causing them both to fall to the ground. Moon gets up immediately and tries to get to Gregory once more but couldn’t when [F/N] picking him up, arms wrapping around his arms and his torso, keeping him apprehended “Moon, don’t make me break you.” he lets out a grunt when he felt her tighten her grip, his metal body starting to dent a little.

“I know you can, but I know you won’t. You love me too much to do that.” he feels her loosen her grip so he was going to slip out of her grip but suddenly she tightened her grip once more, making it impossible for him to free himself.

“True, but unfortunately for you, my system is telling me to do everything in my power to stop you from doing something stupid.” he glances back at her and saw that her iris’ were red instead of white “My feelings for you will be suppressed until you are under control.” finally, Gregory managed to get the last generator and the lights were switched back on. You glanced around then took a look at Moon only to see that he switched back to Sundrop, she lets out a sigh of relief and loosen her grip but hugs him instead.

“[F/N]? What are you doing awake? You’re supposed to be asleep.” she shook her head and buried her face into his neck.

“You and Moony were gone so I got worried…” they heard a creek so they turn and see Gregory trying to leave, now this set Sundrop off and stomped over to Gregory, [F/N] following behind him to make sure he didn’t do anything.

“Rule breaker, rule breaker!” he shouts, picking Gregory up and carrying him out of the daycare “You are BANNED from the daycare!” he adds, dropping him on the ground, [F/N] peeks her head out from behind him and waves Gregory goodbye.

“Have a good night, little boy.” she says.

“Security alert, security alert! Woo, woo, woo!” she pulls a face, looking down at him as they both retreat back into the daycare, him slamming the door behind him for good measure.

“Was that necessary?” he stomps his foot, crossing his arms.

“Absolutely!”

Headcanon:

watching him angrily write down BANNED in all caps on a wide white piece of paper was very entertaining.

several BANNED signs.

she couldn’t help but laugh that he seriously banned the boy from the daycare.

he told her not to laugh.

he also asked her to draw “angry eyebrows” and a “frown” on his face to display his anger.

she told him he was being over dramatic.

he told her she needed to take this seriously.

he then proceeded to cry to her that he just wanted to look after the boy but he turned the lights off and brought out moon.

she asked him if there was something wrong with moon because he was acting off.

he went silent.

she decided not to pry.

now, when the lights would go out and moon was lurking about searching for gregory, she would not be too far behind to keep moon under control.

when freddy and gregory were in the elevator and frantically pushing the buttons to get the elevator to close, [f/n] appeared and tackled him to the ground.

this had happened on several occasions, but it was very effective.

when [f/n] found gregory and freddy on their own, gregory, no matter how many times he was saved by her, was still just a little wary of her.

could you blame him? his life is literally on the line and the only one he can trust that moment was freddy.

he calmed down when [f/n] broke down crying about how that wasn’t her moon.

her moon was calm and kind, sure he was stern, but he would never hurt children no matter WHAT they do.

she even showed them the necklace they both made.

freddy let her cry into his shoulder and pat her back to calm her down.

now-

when freddy needed to charge, [f/n] would take over monitoring gregory.

she was a walking nightlight and you could see her from far away, she was also big so he could easily hide behind her.

if he was tired, they would find a place to rest and she would hide him under his bell hat and he would be out like a light.

a thing gregory also noticed was that where she was, none of the security bots would come over to where she was.

she said that the security bots won’t monitor the area where she is because she was more then enough to handle the situation that was happening there.

the same cannot be said for the animatronics.

that didn’t mean she didn’t bodyslam monty when he chased after gregory.

he forever stuck to her side.

[f/n] and freddy: the overprotective parents that will fight you on site if you dare hurt their child.


Tags
2 months ago

Bells

word count: 3975

Fandom: Poppy Playtime Pairing: N/A Pronouns: He/Him Relationship: N/A Occupation: Enforcer Ability: Court Jester

The character takes the appearance of a Victorian-era court jester, while their face is the only thing made of plaster their body consists of poly-blend sateen fabric, and their insides are filled with polyfill, allowing their body to bend and twist however they want, allowing them to get into even the smallest of crevices. They have a removable mask that they can replace with different ones that signify emotions but they're usually wearing the comedy mask, they also have bells on the end of their hat that jingles each time they move.

Keys:

n/a

Warnings: spoilers to chapter 4 and those who haven't played nor seen the game, blood, death and all that shit.

@ghrgrsfdesfrfg recommended this and I was heavily invested in this idea

Bells
Bells
Bells

Playtime Co. is releasing a once-in-a-lifetime toy!

Prepare to be captivated by the Royal Jester, a breathtakingly detailed action figure unlike any other. This stunning collectible stands tall and proud, boasting a regal design that blends the sinister charm of a jester with the power of a king.

The Royal Jester is a collector’s dream – a statement piece that merges art and imagination. This is more than just a toy; it's an artwork, a conversation starter, and a prized addition to any collection of fantasy and gothic figurines. Perfect for fans of dark fantasy, playing cards, or unique character designs!

There are four limited-edition Jesters; the four brothers of each suit.

The Royal Jesters of Spades, Clubs, Hearts and Diamonds!

Which one will you pick?

-

Subject: 1236

Original Procedure: 10/91

Behavior:

Assigned to the Game Station as one of the new games added to the area, Experiment 1236 is much different from his three "brothers". Before he was transferred into the body he inhabits now, he already had severe behavioral issues to the point it would be dangerous to leave him alone with any of the children. Showing signs where he lacked empathy, a disregard for rules, and was prone to random acts of violence.

This behavior transferred over into his new body and had to be confined within the prison where the staff advised we keep him locked up, but I found his behavior rather intriguing. The few staff that monitor him had commented how 1236 likes to play "games" with them, where he hides in the room and only comes out when the staff are fully in the room, that is when he reveals himself and attacks them.

He has still retained his cognitive thinking but his craving for violence is what makes the others reluctant to leave him around any of the children, that is why I suggested we leave 1222, as well as his brothers, to monitor him closely from being alone with any of the children. As long as we keep him well entertained he shouldn't have the need to act out, he wouldn't dare bite at the hand that feeds him.

Conclusion:

So long as he doesn't harm any of the children, have him remain within the Game Station for further monitoring.

I believe Leith Pierre will find some use in him.

Signature: Dr. Harley Sawyer

-

"Hi, kids! Welcome to the Game Station! I'm Stella, and we've got four super-duper fun games to play! These little tests show us just how crazy strong and smart you are! Follow Mommy Long Legs down the stairs, and she'll show you our latest game! See you in a bit!" Mommy giggled to herself as the children ran around her arms and legs, a few even grabbing her by one of her hands to tug her toward the entrance that read "Scavenger," where the four Kings resided.

"Come along now, children. We have four new friends to meet!" They all cheered in excitement—new games were always so thrilling. "Stay close to Mommy now; we don't want any of you getting lost."

"Yes, Mommy!" Unlike the other three games, "Scavenger" took place in a grand theatre that had the children marveling in awe. They all gasped and huddled around Mommy when the lights turned off before, one by one, they switched back on, leading up toward the stage to reveal four beautifully decorated boxes with a symbol on each: a black spade and club, and a red heart and diamond. The children approached the stage eagerly, waiting to see what would happen. They let out startled screams when the lids of the boxes burst open in a flurry of confetti and four figures jumped out of their respective boxes, the curtains behind them opening and a band started playing circus music.

"Guests!"

"We have guests!"

"What a surprise!"

"A pleasant surprise!" All four figures bowed their heads, and when they lifted them, they wore tragedy and comedy masks with different markings. The owners of the club and heart boxes wore the tragedy masks, while the spade and diamond owners wore the comedy masks. Over the mask’s sockets, their respective symbols were painted in either red or black. "Allow us to introduce ourselves, dear children! We are the Royal Court's Four Jesters!"

"I am the Royal Jester of Spades!"

"I am the Royal Jester of Clubs!"

"I am the Royal Jester of Hearts!"

"And I am the Royal Jester of Diamonds!" As they announced their names, they bowed once more, and the children clapped excitedly. The Jester of Spades was about to speak, but the Jester of Diamonds stepped forward and spoke ahead of him. Though Spade was technically the leader of the Jester Brothers, Diamond had a way with words that captivated the children far more. Despite being the "eldest" of the four, Spade's role often faded into the background because of Diamond's influence "We have a game for you, children, that'll put your minds to the test! Are you ready for such a task?"

"We're ready!" The children’s enthusiasm made Diamond laugh. He snapped his fingers, and more lights illuminated the theatre, revealing several boxes scattered throughout.

"This game is simple," he continued as he and his brothers flipped over their own boxes and reached inside to pull out cards.

"Each box has a symbol corresponding to our suits."

"Inside the boxes, you'll find a card with the same suit…"

"Or you'll find a nasty surprise waiting for you," the four jesters said in unison, laughing together.

"When you find four cards of the same suit—"

"You must then find the matching brother."

"We will be hiding in our boxes somewhere in the theatre."

"And the winner is the one who finds all four cards and one of us first!" With that, the jesters slammed the lids on their boxes shut and stepped forward. "Shall this game begin?"

"Yeah!" The children shouted with glee. The jesters tossed their cards into the air, which exploded into a cloud of smoke. When it cleared, both they and their boxes had vanished.

"What are you waiting for, children? Go and find them!" Mommy cheered. The children quickly scattered, heading toward the many boxes. Mommy stayed behind, keeping her eyes on the boxes bearing the diamond suit. She knew the brothers had left out an important detail: they were constantly moving, slipping unseen from box to box, and occasionally stealing cards from the children to keep the game going. Sometimes, they even hid in the wrong suit’s box just to pop out and surprise the children, snatching more cards. But it was the Jester of Diamonds she kept the closest watch on. He was the most unpredictable of them all—no matter how hard she tried to track his movements, he always stayed one step ahead.

Mommy wasn’t allowed to interfere with the games unless a child's life was at stake—but Diamond knew better than to cross that line. He didn’t want this game to end prematurely. When a couple of screams rang out, Mommy tensed—only to sigh in relief when she saw it was one of the "nasty surprises": small marionette dolls modeled after the four brothers, similar to the Mini-Huggies. The dolls would jump out of boxes to scare the children and sometimes snatch a card before retreating. As a few of the brothers popped out of their boxes, there was still no sign of Diamond. He always liked to play the waiting game.

"Mommy, Mommy! Look, I found all four cards!" A child ran up, waving their cards excitedly. Mommy clapped her hands to congratulate them, but froze when she saw they were diamond cards.

"Oh, how wonderful. Now you must find the Royal Jester of Diamonds to win! You better hurry—he’s the trickiest one to find." The child gasped and dashed off to search for the diamond-suited box. The jesters always knew when a child had gathered four cards and would either hide or keep the game going by relocating to a distant box. A sudden scream drew Mommy’s attention. It was the same child, being dragged into one of the boxes. She rushed over and flung the lid open—only to find it completely empty.

Panic gripped her until a chorus of cheers rose from the stage. She turned to see the four brothers emerging from the diamond box, with the Jester of Heart at the bottom holding up Spade and Club. At the top stood Diamond, the victorious child perched on his shoulder.

"And we have a winner!" Diamond announced. "Please, give a round of applause to our lucky champion, who found all four of my cards!"

"Yay, you did it!"

"Good job finding him!"

"That was really hard!" The other children chimed in. Diamond gently set the child on the stage and took the four cards from them. With a swift motion, he transformed the cards into a golden crown. The children gasped as he placed it on his head. "We have a new King of the Court!" The four jesters bowed low before the child.

"Whoa, a king!"

"He's the king!"

"I'm jealous."

"Maybe we can try again another day."

"Ahaha! We’re so glad you liked our game," Heart said, rising.

"But there are still more games to play—"

"Like Musical Memory—"

"And Wack-a-Wuggy—"

"And Statues!" The children giggled excitedly. Mommy called them to follow her to the next game, casting one last wary glance at Diamond as his eyes lingered on her retreating figure.

"You shouldn't keep the rest of our friends waiting!" The four jesters bid the children goodbye, but Heart, Club, and Spade couldn't help but notice how all the children flocked around Diamond the most. It was irritating—no matter how hard they tried to appeal to the children, Diamond's natural charisma always made him the favorite. They just couldn't compete. "Now, children, follow Mommy out so she can lead you to where our friend Bunzo Bunny is waiting for you!" Diamond waved at Mommy, and she quickly ushered the children away, peeling the ones clinging to him off with a gentle touch.

"Mister Diamond is right! We still have three more games to play, so let's move on to Musical Memory!" Mommy’s voice was cheerful, but she could practically feel Diamond's gaze on her back as they walked away. She chose not to comment on it.

"You did it again, Diamond!" Spade's voice hissed with frustration the moment they were alone. It infuriated them that Diamond was so good at masking his true feelings—his unreadable nature only made it worse. Spade growled as Diamond shrugged nonchalantly. "Oh, don’t just shrug your shoulders. You know exactly what you did." Diamond scoffed, his tone laced with mock innocence.

"Please. I do a lot of things. If you want me to take responsibility for whatever's made you angry, you’ll have to be more specific." He took a step forward, and Heart quickly moved between them, stopping Spade from doing anything rash. "Come now, use your big boy words and tell the class what’s upset you." Spade’s hand clenched into a tight fist before he jabbed a finger toward Diamond’s face.

"You know I’m the leader, Diamond! I’m the one who’s supposed to explain the rules when the children enter!" Diamond chuckled, casually swatting Spade’s hand aside.

"Oh? Is that so? But if you’re the leader, why am I the face of the Royal Jester Brothers?" He gestured toward a nearby banner depicting the four of them. Despite their central grouping, Diamond’s colors were more vibrant and bold compared to the others. "I don't mean to step on your toes, brother. I just think you need to be more creative with your words. We’re jesters! We’re meant to wow and amaze the crowd—to entertain and make them laugh! You should work on your approach." Heart nodded thoughtfully.

"He’s right, Spade."

"Wha—"

"He’s got that charm we lack, dude," Club added with a shrug. "We mostly just follow his lead or stick to the script."

"But… I’m not boring, right?" Spade’s voice wavered, Heart and Club exchanged an awkward glance.

"Ehh…" Diamond laughed, the bells on his hat jingling with the motion.

"Don’t fret. You can just leave it to me! Our game has only just opened—there’s a lot of pressure on your shoulders. Let me share that burden with you. You don’t have to worry about capturing the audience—I can handle that. Or if you’d prefer, I can give you some tips on how to really win them over."

"Yeah, he’s been helping us out too," Club added.

"You shouldn’t blame him, Spade," Heart said gently. "The children had fun and loved our performance. Isn’t that what really matters?"

"I… I suppose you’re right." Spade’s frustration deflated, and he sighed.

"It’s fine," Diamond said with a dismissive wave. "You probably just got overwhelmed." The tension dissolved quickly, but as Diamond turned away, his expression beneath the mask twisted into one of quiet disgust. Pathetic. Spade’s need for attention was so disappointing. Diamond genuinely didn’t understand why Spade was so worked up—he thought he was doing him a favor by taking control of the narrative.

"Diamond!" A sharp voice called from below. Diamond’s head perked up, and he peered over the theatre’s upper railing to spot Leith Pierre, Head of Innovation and CEO of Playtime Co. "Get down here. I have a job for you." Diamond’s sinister mask glistened under the spotlight. A job? Intriguing. He leapt over the railing, landing gracefully on the backrest of a chair. Leith grimaced and edged away from the jester’s too-close, too-creepy face.

"How can I help you, Mister Pierre?" Diamond asked, his arms swinging loosely in front of him.

"There are a few… 'rodents' running around who’ve gotten into something they shouldn’t have. I need you to locate and dispose of them. I don’t care how you do it—just make sure they’re no longer a problem. And keep it quiet. We don’t want our guests knowing we have a pest issue." A shiver ran down Leith’s spine as Diamond tilted his head, his mask’s empty sockets somehow conveying an unsettling glee.

"However I want?" Leith cleared his throat, taking another step back.

"Yes, yes. Play with them for all I care—just make sure no one sees."

"You can count on me, sir." Diamond bowed low, his tone dripping with mock formality.

"Right… You’re the only one I trust for this sort of cleanup," Leith muttered.

The Jester Brothers shared some abilities with Mommy Long Legs—though their limbs didn’t stretch quite as far, they could extend their arms a fair distance. Their arms and legs are capable of rapid extension and retraction and can effectively evade harm by contouring their body and bouncing away in a spring-like fashion. With this in mind, Diamond slipped easily into the factory’s ventilation system, crawling through pipes and squeezing into crevices with eerie grace. This was why he behaved, why he didn’t lash out when Spade overstepped. The real fun began when he was set loose.

The thrill of the hunt was irresistible—tracking down the employees no one would miss was his favorite game of all.

This is what happens when you wander where you don’t belong, the man thought when Leith gave him this job after catching him in a restricted area within the Game Station. Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time. As he ventured deeper into the factory, the voices and sounds of the other staff grew distant, their echoes bouncing off the cold, industrial walls. He could practically hear the hum of water through the pipes and the scurrying steps of mice. This was fine—he liked working on his own anyway. All he had to do was fix the burst pipes and be on his merry little way.

When he located the pipes, he quickly got to work, the silence around him becoming a source of comfort compared to the loud screaming of children playing in the Game Station. The thought of children made him think of his own family waiting for him at home. He could still remember the looks on their faces when he told them he was working for Playtime Co. It wasn’t a glamorous job—he didn’t get to interact with the toys or mascots—just a simple engineering role where he fixed whatever was broken. As he continued to work, he began to faintly hear a subtle sound: tapping. He couldn’t quite make out what it was, but he knew it wasn’t water dripping onto the pipes. It sounded more… metallic.

He shook his head, deciding to ignore it in favor of finishing the task at hand, but the feeling of being watched began to creep over him.

The tapping didn’t cease. In fact, it almost seemed like it was playing a sort of beat. If he focused hard enough, he could almost recognize it—it sounded like the music that played when you entered the Jester's Theatre. With that realization, his nerves tightened. He picked up his flashlight, shining it around even though he wasn’t sure what he was looking for.

He swallowed thickly, his mind drifting back to the gossip and rumors his fellow engineers spread just to spook each other—how staff would disappear without a trace when they ventured too deep into the factory. It always started with distant tapping, mimicking the music from the Game Station. Then came the bells. You knew you were in danger when you heard jingling bells—subtle meant you were still safe, but if they were close… that meant whatever was making the sound was near.

No. No, he was just being paranoid. Rumors were just rumors. Right?

He inhaled deeply, trying to calm the rapid beating of his heart, but his breath hitched when the bells started—and they were close. Too close.

Forget this. Mister Pierre can shove it—I’m getting the heck out of here.

In his panic, he left his equipment behind, sprinting back down the hall from which he’d come. The tapping, the bells—what came next? What came nex—

"Hahaha…~"

The laughter.

He’d been spotted.

He risked a glance back and froze. Through the suffocating darkness, a faint glow stared back at him—two points of light, fixed directly on him. Those rumors weren’t rumors after all. Fear surged through him, and without a second thought, he ran.

The laughter grew louder, bouncing off the walls and ringing through the corridors. The noise behind him kept getting closer, no matter how fast he ran. Whatever was chasing him was fast—too fast for it to be human. Was this why people had been disappearing? Was he next? Had Mister Pierre sent him here on purpose, knowing what would happen?

He turned a corner sharply—and collided hard with a pipe.

The impact knocked him to the ground, his vision swimming as pain blossomed across his forehead. Dazed, he pressed a hand to his head, trying to quell the throbbing ache. The sound of bells drew closer, the metallic jingling slow and deliberate.

He didn’t dare look up.

"Awww… what’s the matter?" a sing-song voice cooed from above him. "Did you fall down? Poor little thing." a whimper escaped his lips, his body trembling as he fought to crawl backward.

"P-please… please don’t… I-I didn’t even want to be here… I—"

"Oh, but you are here!" his interrupted gleefully, the bells around on his hat jingling with every movement. "And you’ve been so very rude, sneaking around where you shouldn’t be. Tsk, tsk. What should I do with you?"

"Please… I-I have a family… kids…" his voice cracked, tears spilling down his face. For a moment, there was silence. Then a soft giggle.

"Ohhh, I love it when they beg." The voice was right in front of him now, and he felt a cold hand grasp his chin, forcing his head up. The fallen flashlight managed to reveal the figure above him and there he saw the Jester of Diamonds strung up within the pipes, his limbs curling around them to keep his body suspended "Beg some more. It’s my favorite part." his laughter rung out again as his free arm wrapped around the engineer, caging him within his arm then hoisting off the ground.

"N-No, please! I beg of you, d-don't hurt me..." his mask slowly lifted away, revealing something far more monstrous than any toy should have been. The face beneath the mask was a grotesque parody of a jester’s grin—wide and stretched too far, with jagged, uneven teeth glistening with saliva and fresh blood. Drool dripped from the corners of his mouth, mixing with the crimson that stained his lips. The smell of iron was sharp and suffocating.

The last thing the man saw was that terrible, twisted smile lunging toward him.

Later, the sound of gnawing filled the corridor. Diamond crouched over the broken body, his sharp teeth tearing into flesh with wet, squelching sounds. Blood dripped down his face and hands as he fed with terrifying enthusiasm, his shoulders shaking with occasional giggles of delight. When he finally stood, his grin was wide and satisfied.

"Delicious," he whispered to no one in particular, his voice thick with amusement.

When he left, he made sure to block off the area so no other human employee would stumble upon the "mess" he’d made. Speaking of mess, he glanced down at himself and sighed at the blood soaking his costume. Returning to the theatre through the ventilation shaft, he slinked into the dressing room and breathed a sigh of relief when he found it empty. The company was kind enough to provide different costumes for him and his brothers, and he quickly changed into a fresh one, trashing the bloodied outfit without a second thought.

Humming a cheerful tune, he left the dressing room in search of Mister Pierre.

"Look, look! It's the Jester of Diamonds!"

"Hi Jester! Your game was fun to play!"

"I hope we can play it again!" Diamond waved at the children as he walked through the Game Station toward the train, where he spotted Leith alongside one of the scientists. Wanting to reach them quicker, he used his powerful legs to spring himself over the crowd of children, eliciting gasps and laughter. Stretching his arms out with an exaggerated flourish, he cushioned his fall and landed gracefully right in front of Leith, his bells jingling softly as he straightened up.

"Ah! Just the toy I was hoping to see!" Diamond gives a dramatic bow, but Leith waves his hand to dismiss him. "Enough of the flair—did you do what I asked?" Both he and the scientist notice how some blood dripped out from behind Diamond’s mask. The jester chuckled softly, his tongue peeking out to lick it clean.

"Yes, sir. The rodents have been exterminated—you just need someone to clean up the mess." Leith smiled and clapped his hands.

"Wonderful! I'll be sure to reward you later." Leith said with satisfaction but Diamond shook his head.

"There should be no need, sir. My reward was the fun I had while playing my game of hide and seek."

"Ah hah, right. Well, you can go back to playing with the children. I'll be sure to keep sending you more 'playmates' to keep you entertained." Leith could see the way the jester practically glowed at the prospect of more “games.” Satisfied, Diamond left the two men and returned to his brothers and Mommy, seamlessly slipping back into their playful routine. Leith sighed to himself. "As much as he freaks me out, he's almost as handy as Boxy Boo." Harley Sawyer chuckled.

"Indeed, but he's far more intriguing than 1160. He makes a game out of it, no matter what you ask of him," he said, watching how Diamond played with the children alongside his brothers and Mommy. "What a masterpiece he turned out to be."


Tags
2 years ago

Obvious

word count: 7501

Fandom: Stranger Things Pairing: Will Byers x Male!Reader Pronouns: He/Him Relationship: Romantic Occupation: Student Ability: N/A

Keys:

[M/N]: Male Name [L/N]: Last Name [N/N]: Nickname [H/C]: Hair Color [E/C]: Eye Color

Warnings: bullying, vulgar language, blood

image

“Get him out! Get him out!”

“Strike him!”

“Shoot for a home run!”

“Get the win!”

Being the last batter for a really important baseball game puts a lot on your shoulders, especially when you’re the up and rising star of your team while representing your school. He takes a deep breath, tensing his muscles while tightening his grip on his baseball bat. Himself and the pitcher never broke eye contact, that pitcher was out for blood and he was going to make sure he didn’t give it to him. He licked his lips, taking a deep breath when he saw the pitcher finally get ready to throw the ball. He blocked out all the cheering as he focused on the ball hurdling towards him, when it was finally inches away from him he slammed his foot on the ground and let out a grunt, swinging the bat and upon contact with the ball, he managed to send it flying out of the field. He didn’t fight down the huge grin that stretched across his face when he sent that ball flying, letting out his own cheer as he threw down his bat and ran to each base.

“And there you have it folks, Lenora Hills High have won against their rivalling team for the first time in nearly a decade! And all thanks to their new rising star, [M/N] [L/N] who granted them their winning home run!” by the time he returned back to home base, he was greeted by his team and school huddling around him, grabbing a hold of him and lifting him up.

“That’s our [M/N]!”

“Way to go!”

“You did it, [M/N]!” he just laughed as they threw him up and down before finally letting him down, grabbing their jug of water and pouring it on him. He usually would have yelled at them for doing that but it felt refreshing on his hot and sweaty body, he took his helmet off and threw his head back, running a hand through his sweaty hair but grinned nonetheless and threw his fist into the air. After the game he was met with bustling students and parents congratulating him for getting the winning shot, he smiled and thanked them and was approaching his pick up truck but was stopped by a familiar face.

“H-Hey, [M/N]!” turning to see who it was, he couldn’t help but smile at the sight of one of the Byers siblings “Congrats on the win.” his smile grew at his words, he readjusted the shoulder strap of his duffel bag and approached him.

“Thanks, Will. Did you see my swing? I’ve been putting a lot of effort into my swings as of lately.” the Indiana boy nodded his head, his face lighting up as he waved his hands around.

“Yeah, I was watching from the crowd! It was pretty tense, but I knew you’d get it.” [M/N] chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck bashfully “Um, now that you’re here, I was wondering if you wanted to come to the after party with my lot.” Will tensed up when he saw [M/N] point over to the boys who were jumping into his truck while hooting and hollering.

“Come on dude! Lets get going!” he laughed and waved at them to wait.

“Gimme a sec, alright.” they groan but do, [M/N] then glanced at Will again and give him a hopeful look “So? Will you come?” he inhaled sharply, raising his hand to rub his arm.

“I-I’d love too, but I—”

“Will! We gotta go man, come on!” they both glance over and saw the eldest Byers, Johnathan, waving his brother over while his sister Jane and their friend Argyle sat in the van “Mum wants us home, like, right now.” Will closed his eyes in disappointment as he turned back to look at [M/N], who looked just as disappointed but he chuckled softly.

“Ah, that’s a bit of a shame, but it can’t be helped.” he murmured softly “I guess I’ll see you at school next week?” he asked, Will nodded his head.

“Y-Yeah, totally.” [M/N] smiled and sent the brunette a wink, causing him to fluster. [M/N] found the reaction adorable but latter groaned when he heard his friends shouting at him to hurry up, he waved Will goodbye then finally went back to his truck, chucking his shit at his passenger “See you later, [M/N]!” he exclaimed, this caused the [H/C] boy to grin and wave him goodbye before he turned on his radio and drove off with his friends and himself screaming to the top of their lungs to the music.

“Will.” he jumped at the call of his name, turning around, he saw Johnathan giving him a look “You good?” he nervously nodded his head.

“Y-Yeah, I’m spectacular.” Johnathan nods his head slowly.

“Yeah…”

Will couldn’t explain when his attraction towards [M/N] [L/N] first arose. Maybe it was because he was different in comparison to the other students of Lenora Hills High School. He was apart of the popular crowd, and how could he not be? He was gorgeous, athletic, smart and did I mention nice? It happened when Angela was bullying Eleven, there wasn’t much he could do to stop it because he didn’t have that kind of presence to do anything about it, but that was when [M/N] appeared. He didn’t hesitate to put Angela in her place, giving her a clean smack across the back of her head and sternly telling her not to bully poor little Eleven. Without a doubt, despite the both of them being sophomores, they were already declared to be the next King and Queen of the school.

Anyways, [M/N] just had Will swooning. He always stuck up for him and Eleven, he was always so nice to them and the way he would always send a smile his direction, how could he not fall deeper? But the moment he asked if they could be friends, gosh, he was over the moon. He wished things could’ve worked out with Mike, he wished he had to courage to tell Mike his feelings, but he knew they wouldn’t be reciprocated, Mike already had El and he knew he had to move on. Now his eyes were on the boy that every girl had a crush on, god, he was fucking doomed. He was cursed for crushing on the wrong people, Mike was taken and [M/N] was wanted by everyone. Maybe he was making a mistake for falling in love with the most popular guy in school, maybe he was better off digging himself a hole and burying himself—

“Will!” he jumped, slamming his locker door closed then turning to see [M/N] waving his friends off then jog over to where he was “Hey man, how was your weekend?” Will waved his hand.

“Oh, you know, same old, same old. I wouldn’t say anything exciting happened, but, you know?” he laughed nervously, this caused [M/N] to chuckle softly while running a hand through his hair.

“I get it, it’s still a shame you couldn’t come to the after party, would have loved it if you were there.” ah, there he goes again saying stuff that makes his heart flutter “We couldn’t do anything too chaotic, but we had fun nonetheless. Maybe I should win our next game, then maybe you’ll be able to attend the after party with me.” Will snorts softly, punching his arm.

“Don’t go getting arrogant, [M/N], that’ll cost you the win.”

“Haa, you’re right.” he then leaned back a little so that he was standing on the heels of his feet, a slight flush rising to his cheeks as he rubbed the back of his neck once more “Actually, I was wondering if you were busy this weekend? I was hoping we could, um, hangout?” how badly Will wanted to say yes, this was a chance for him to get closer to [M/N] that wasn’t simply over help with schoolwork and actually hanging out with his crush, but he couldn’t.

“I’m sorry, [M/N], but I can’t.” this caused him to deflate.

“Well, why not?” he gave him a sheepish grin, now rubbing the back of his own neck.

“My friend, from Indiana, he’s coming here to visit my sister and I.” [M/N]’s shoulders relaxed a little, looking up in thought to remember the friend Will was referring to.

“Oh… right, Mike Wheeler, right? I remember you mentioning him in w passing conversation.” he then lets out a huff, kicking his feet like child “Then I guess it’s alright, wouldn’t want your friend feeling lonely while in a completely different state.”

“Right.” [M/N] then let out a grunt when someone elbowing him, he gave them a soft glare when he saw that it was his friends coming to collect him.

“Come on, dude. We’ve got math first, and that’s on the other side of the building. I don’t want to be late because you were too business talking to Byers, let’s go.” he scoffs and kicks them in the back of their leg, this caused them to stumble forward but they managed to catch themself and laugh as they scurried away, he shook his head.

“Well, duty calls. I’ll see you later?” Will nods.

“Yeah, see you later.” [M/N] nods with a grin then runs off to catch up with his friends, when he was finally alone, he let out a deep sigh as he collapsed onto his locker and probably would have slid down it if there weren’t people around him. He silently cursed in the back of his head, if only Mike was coming a week later then maybe he could have the chance to be with [M/N] “Dammit.” [M/N] himself curses under his breath, walking beside his friends to their class.

“Do you think I’m being pushy? Every time I’ve tried to ask him to hang out, he’s always got an excuse.” his friend let out a groan, slapping a hand onto their face and dragging it down.

“Dude, you’re overthinking it. You said his friend is visiting from Hawkins, right? That run down little town out in the middle of the sticks? A friend that he hasn’t seen for about a year?” he nods his head “Then let the guy see him, man. You’re acting like a boyfriend who’s upset that his girlfriend is meeting a childhood friend, who is a boy, after a long time and worried that he’s going to steal your girlfriend.” he immediately grows flustered, the tips of his ears turning red as he smacked his arm.

“I am not.” he sneers, this earned an eye roll.

“Are too, mister drama queen.” [M/N] sighed and continued to walk to math class, rubbing his face when the blush on his face continued to color his cheeks.

The moment [M/N] saw Will Byers, gosh, to him it was like love at first sight. He knew that it was wrong for a boy himself to fall in love with another boy, but his heart would not beat for another. It was during the beginning of their sophomore year and he saw Angela picking on the quiet but sweet girl of Hawkins who had recently moved to Lenora Hills, he quickly disciplined Angela and comforted the new girl, but then his gaze went to the brunette that was her brother. Will Byers, a soul just as sweet and had him melting. He was always on the back of his mind that he couldn’t just ignore anymore, so he asked if they could be friends, he was internally screaming when he said yes. He took every chance he could to be with him, whether that be lying that he needed help with his schoolwork that he had to come over to his house so they could study, he was basically a regular in the Byers household. He was odd and it certainly was creepy, but he just wanted to be as close to Will as he could.

Before he knew it it was already lunch and he was being dragged out of class by his friends, he laughed as they threw him onto his feet and he bounced a little before finding his footing. Being apart of the popular crowd, [M/N] was greeted by many students and he politely greeted them back, not being a fan of being rude to people. Because of this [M/N] was generally liked by both students and teachers, and so here he was sitting at a table with various people fighting to sit with him, but of course his friends always got dibs to sit at his table. He was in the midst of eating his food but his eyes continuously scanned the cafeteria, one of his friends noticed so they let out a sigh and smacked him in the back of the head, this caused him to spit out some of his food and let out a yelp from the pain.

“Dude, what the fuck?” another friend that sat across from him gave him a incredulous expression.

“Yeah dude, what the fuck? He spat his food on me!” he groaned, face scrunching up in disgust at the bits of food on his jacket, causing a few of them to snicker, the one that smacked him rolled his eyes.

“You’re so obvious.” [M/N] cleared his throat, looking at him in confusion.

“What are you talking about?” he scoffed softly, [M/N] raised a brow when he passed him a note, he eyed it before sitting up straight and taking it from his hand. His friend side eyed him and sighed softly when he saw that scared reaction, [M/N] was trembling as a look of panic could be seen in his eyes.

’I know you’ve got a thing for that Byers guy.’

”W-What…?” he could tell that [M/N] was trying not to break down and make a scene so he reached over and grabbed the note, crumbling it up and tucking it into his pocket, this made him look up at him with the same scared expression.

“You’re so obvious.” he repeats “If you thought I, your best friend since we were toddlers, wouldn’t notice, I’d have to kick your ass.” [M/N] glanced around at the others, who surprisingly didn’t notice what was happening between the two of them, and gave him a cautious look.

“You’re not… grossed out?” this caused him to roll his eyes.

“No. I’m more upset over the fact that you thought I wouldn’t accept you, you’re my bro, and I care more about being your best friend than your goddamn preference.” [M/N] would probably start crying if he wasn’t in the middle of the cafeteria, he wipes his eyes with his forearm whilst his friend gently rubbed his back.

“You’re a true bro.” he chuckled.

“I know, and don’t you forget it.” his eyes then lingered up and his lips curved into a smirk at who he saw, so he grabbed [M/N] by the back of his neck and pulled him up “And look who just came walking in~” he cooed, snickering softly when he saw that lovesick gaze [M/N] always had on his face when Will Byers came into view.

“Do you think he’ll sit with us?” he questioned.

“Doubt it.” [M/N] slumps on disappointment “You know he always sits with his sister, doesn’t want her being alone. And if you try and invite her over in hopes of getting him to join us, she’ll be uncomfortable because I’m pretty sure half of the people here have taken part in tormenting her.” he slumps even more.

“You’re right.”

“I know I’m right, I’m always right.”

“You are.” he grumbles under his breath, he then briefly glanced at Will again and lights up when their eyes meet. He happily waved his hand to greet him with a big smile, his smile only growing brighter when Will mirrored his expression and returned the gesture before turning to sit with his sister, [M/N] then sat back down in his seat with a look of content but it dropped when he could feel his friends gaze on him “Stop looking at me like that.”

“You’re gay.” he whispered quietly, he laughed sarcastically before throwing macaroni in his face, causing the others to laugh.

“Thanks for pointing out the obvious, genius.” he winked.

[time skip: roller shaking rink]

If Will wasn’t already having a pretty awful day, it just got worse. He thought he’d be happy to see Mike when he got to California, he thought they’d get to talk like they used to when they were kids still living in Hawkins, but he’s been too busy oogling Eleven to even hold a conversation with him. What makes matters worse is that she’s been lying to him ever since they’ve got there, saying things about being friends with the same people who has been bullying her and going to that roller skating rink to the point she forgot an important detail. It sucked being the third wheel, watching as Mike and El held hands as they skated around while he lingered in the back and watched in dismay as they looked happy while he was forgotten.

’Maybe I was better off taking up [M/N]’s offer to hang out then being stuck being the third wheel.’ he thought to himself, just the thought of the [H/C] boy made him smile but he frowned when he knew that it was already too late and since he was already here he was just going to have to suck it up until six when Jonathan and Argyle came back to pick them up ’At this point I don’t even know why I’m here.’ he grumbled, pinching the bridge of his noise as Mike and El blubbered on about something, not that he was listening, but he was completely unaware of that fact he was being stared at.

“No fucking way…” a voice muttered, he hears a slurp but didn’t pay it any mind as the owner of the obnoxious slurping came to a rolling stop beside him.

“What’s the matter?” ‘twas [M/N] holding two large cups of soda in his hands, he sniffled as he took another huge gulp from his drink while his friend tore his gaze away from the bored Byers to stare up at his friend “Did you see someone, dude?” he rolled his eyes, grabbing [M/N] by the jaw and turning his head in the direction he was staring in.

“Yeah, the guy that rejected you.” he furrowed his brows at that and tried searching to see who he could be talking about before freezing up when he saw Will, he probably would have crushed the drinks in his hands if his friend let him go “His sister is here too, along with some guy with god awful taste in fashion.” at this, they both cringed at what the guy was wearing.

“It must be that Mike Wheeler kid he talks about.” his friend glanced up at him once more, noticing the way he was fidgeting as he stared at Will.

“You gonna go over there and say hello, or are you gonna stay here gawking like a fish?” [M/N] swallowed thickly, his grip on both drinks growing tighter before he let out a sigh and relaxed.

“Nah, he’s with his friend. I think I’d be intruding if I just suddenly went over there. Let’s go, the others are waiting for us.” his friend nodded and was going to leave it at that, they both turned away and planned on skating away but he stopped when he saw that familiar looking blonde making her way over to where the Byers siblings and their friend were.

“Wait.” [M/N] does and looks over at him in confusion “We’ve got trouble.” he hums then glanced back over to see what he was talking about before visibly getting angry at the sight of Angela approaching the three with her goonies following closely behind her.

“Get the boys, I’ll deal with her.” he snarled out and proceeded to skate over to the table.

“[M/N], what are you— you better not hit her!” this caused him to laugh.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” [M/N] wouldn’t publicly punch Angela in the face, without any context he just looks like an asshole, but he’s got a plan to humiliate her without looking like a douchebag… well, he’ll look like a douchebag if it was an accidental regardless. He popped off the cup covers and sped up a little, this was going to hurt a bit, the moment he was close enough he purposefully tripped up, causing the drinks in his hands to spill all over the poor unexpecting soul.

“Oh my god!” she screamed out, feeling the soda drench her completely “What the hell is wrong with you?!” she exclaimed, everyone in attendance to witness what happened were in shock, [M/N] stifled a chuckle as he pulled himself onto his feet while Angela’s friends comforted her.

“Oh man, I am just so sorry, I’m still quite new when it comes to skating.” Jane felt a sense of comfort when she saw [M/N], smiling softly when she felt him place his hand on top of her head and ruffle it around while giving Angela a smug grin when she turned and glared at him “Accidents happen, you know?” his grin grew bigger when she grew agitated while a few of her friends took a step forward.

“Man, you’re such a clutz, [M/N]! Why can’t you be good at skating like you are with baseball!” he let out a soft grunt when his friend appeared behind him, slapping a hand on his back with a laugh, Angela and her friends backed down when [M/N]’s friend group appeared and gave him threatening smiles “Forgive him, he’s still learning.” Angela growled, hand closing into a tight fist before glaring at the both of them.

“This isn’t over.” with that she skated away, [M/N] let out a breath before smacking his friend in the arm.

“Still learning? Dude! Nice one, didn’t you face plant not too long ago?” this caused him to make a face.

“Now let’s not get arrogant here.” [M/N] rolled his eyes, he then looked at the residents of the table and grinned, waving his hand to greet them.

“Hey Jane, hi Will!” he said happily, the Byers siblings returned the greeting with a happy wave of their own, he then glanced over at the ravenette and gave him a confused expression “And hello… Mike, was it?” he gave an awkward wave of his own,  Jane stood to her feet and grabbed his hands while gesturing with her other to Mike.

“Yes, this is Mike! He is my boyfriend.” this caused a few of them to be surprised, a few of his friends whistled.

“Wow, little miss pretty has herself a boyfriend? Never would have guessed.” this earned him a smack behind the head.

“Stop it.” Jane giggled softly, always appreciating it when [M/N] reprimanded his friends from making offhanded comments “Will told me how he was coming down from Indiana, you two must be really happy that he’s here after not seeing him in a long time.” Jane nodded her head, [M/N] glanced at Will and noticed he didn’t look as enthusiastic as his sister.

“Yeah, totally.” [M/N] and his friends noticed Will’s less than thrilled response and glanced at each other, his friends spare each other a glance and nod in unison before one of them wrap an arm around [M/N]’s shoulder and pull him in, causing him to look at them in confusion.

“Well, why don’t we leave the lovebirds alone to catch up?” he suggested then glanced at Will, who flinched when all eyes were on him “Hey Byers, why don’t you join us? Don’t want you being stuck as the third wheel!” Will looked a little hesitant but he didn’t even get a choice when they grabbed him out of the booth and started pushing him away, he couldn’t even stop them even if he could because of the skates.

“Have fun you two!” they exclaimed, [M/N] was confused at to what they were doing and was going to question them but froze up when they pushed both him and Will together and into the skating ring. He glared back at them with a bright red face but it dropped when he saw all of them giving him encouraging looks followed with thumbs up, one of them grinned as they leaned against the barrier and continued to watch [M/N] panic as he held Will from evidently falling over.

“He’s gay, right?” one of them questioned, another nodded.

“Oh, totally! Without a doubt.” they each share a laugh and place bets to see if anything will happen before the day was over, now back to the two, [M/N] was apologising profusely for putting Will on the spot like they did while untangling himself off of the poor boy.

“I’m so sorry, Will! I don’t know what’s wrong with them.” a soft blush settled on his cheeks when Will looked up at him with that oh so cute smile on his face.

“Oh, don’t worry about it. I get where they were coming from, and it did suck a little being the third wheel back there.” [M/N] gasped softly, bringing a hand up to hover over his mouth.

“No.” Will chuckled at the reaction, nodding his head.

“Yeah, while those two were glued together, I just hung in the background.” [M/N] hummed softly before lightly shoving him with his shoulder and skating ahead of them, Will let out a whoa and quickly caught himself before he fell over then glanced over at [M/N] and saw he had a big grin on his face.

“Well, now you have me! Lets have some fucking fun, Byers!” he cheered, holding his hand out for Will to take. He looked hesitant once more but the way [M/N] had an eager look on his face, his eyes practically begging him to take his hand, how could he possibly refuse. He lets out a laugh and took [M/N]’s hand, laughing even louder when he was pulled towards him and together the two of them spun around before skating a few rounds around the ring then leaving and going over to the arcade. Will watched as [M/N] went over to the game where you had to knock clowns over to rack up points, he grabbed the baseball and tossed it up a few times “I may not be as good as our pitcher, but I’d like to think I’m second best.” he comments, this caused Will to jokingly roll his eyes.

“Your arrogance is showing.” he flushed up when [M/N] winked at him.

“Only for you.” at the end of the game he won a lot of tickets, throwing his fist up with a victorious grin. [M/N] continued to win the games, a few times playing some with Will until they were holding too many tickets that it was ridiculous. They both glance at each other before bursting out into laughter and going over to the ticket stand and trading the tickets for prizes, though in the end they couldn’t think of what to get and gave their winnings to the kid behind them and went over to get some food “You know? I didn’t think I was going to see you today, but I’m glad that I did.” he said, grabbing a few fries and throwing them into his mouth.

“I agree, you made my day a little bit better.” [M/N] grinned at that, as the two of them continued to talk he glanced behind Will and his face scrunched up when he saw his friends from afar making those same encouraging looks along with kissy faces, he wanted to kick their asses. He panicked when Will noticed that [M/N] was staring at something so he turned around to see what it was but his friends luckily ducked down before they could notice, when Will turned to look back at [M/N] he just got an innocent smile on his face “Well, um, I’m really glad I got to spend some time with you.”

“Same! At least you weren’t stuck in between your sister and your friend.” Will had a bittersweet expression on his face.

“I know he just got here and that El— I mean, Jane, is his girlfriend… but I’m his best friend. I wish he talked to me just a little bit longer instead of ignoring me, it really hurt.” [M/N] gave him a sympathetic smile.

“I’m sure things will get better, like you said, he’s your best friend! I’m sure things will get better before you know it.” he reassured, this caused Will to smile.

“Thanks, I really appreciate it.” he nods.

“Anytime.” they stare at each other for a little longer then jump when a hand suddenly slammed down on their table, they then glance up at the owner and [M/N] couldn’t help but grimace a little when he saw that it was none other than Mike Wheeler.

“There you are, Will! I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” he then gestured with his hand for him to stand up “I need to talk to you about something, so can we go?” Will pulled a face and looked at [M/N], he looked just as saddened but gestured for him to go.

“Don’t leave the guy waiting! I’ll be right here if you come back.” Will smiled before leaving, the moment Will was out of sight he let out a breath he was holding in and slumped into the seat, not even moments later his friends arrived and took over the booth.

“Well that was a disaster.” one of them said, a few of the other eating the food that was forgotten “You should have seen the way that Indiana guy was staring at you, dude. We were watching for a long time and that guy was giving you a dirty look.” another then dramatically held a hand to his forehead and fell back, one having to catch him before falling onto the ground.

“He must’ve been jealous that he was replaced and couldn’t stand the thought of his friend talking to a much better looking, well dressed, and friendly guy that isn’t him.” [M/N] rolled his eyes, grabbing his drink and taking a long slurp from it “We’re being serious, [M/N]. That guy definitely didn’t like the fact that you were with Byers, man.”

“You should shoot your shot.” this caused [M/N] to glare at the one friend he knew that knew about his sexuality, before he could say anything, he raised his hands and gestured to the lot of them.

“Dude, like I said, you’re so obvious.” he glanced at the others and saw they were all nodding their heads “Why do you think we were encouraging you that whole time, dumbass?” they all laugh when his head fell and thumped against the table.

“We’re your ultimate wingmen, trust us.” their heads shoot up when they all hear shouting, they look over and saw a crowd forming so they scramble to their feet and rush over, and there they saw Angela’s face bleeding due to the fact that Jane had hit her with a skate “Holy shit!” 

“You go Byers!” [M/N] shakes his head.

“Now’s not the time.”  “Sorry.” he shakes his head, he then glanced over at the siblings and saw they both had a panicked look on their faces before rushing away “Well that was anticlimactic, I didn’t expect her to do that.”

“Well what can you do? After all that torment that bitch has put her through, I was wondering how long it was going to take until she finally snapped.” he then claps his hands “Good for her, the wrong way of standing up for herself, but good for her.”

“Stop it.”  [time skip: later at night]

Today was just a fucking disaster. Will collapsed onto his bed and let out an exhausted sigh, if he thought the day couldn’t get any worse, he should probably shut the fuck up at that point. All was going swell when he was with [M/N], he had fun and it felt nice to be included, even more so being so close to the guy that made his stomach do flips. Mike had to ruin the moment but let it slide when he realised that Angela came back for revenge and evidently humiliated El before running off, Mike only coming to find him to help him find El. What made matters worse was when El slammed the roller skate into Angela’s face and it started bleeding profusely, god, he needed a break. He pressed the soles of his hands into his eyes and twisted slightly, dragging his hands down his face then throwing his arms open.

“What a disaster.” he closed his eyes and let his body relax into the bed, growing slightly irritated when he heard a subtle tapping, he lifts himself and glared over at the window. It stopped when he looked over at it so he let his body fall back onto the bed but not even a second passes when the tapping returns so he jumps off his bed and marches over to his window, ready to punch it but froze up when he saw that it was [M/N], who lit up upon sight.

“Will!” his voice was muffled through the glass but he definitely heard it as the boy waved his hand “Hi.” he shook his head with a laugh and opened the window.

“What are you doing here? It’s late.” he holds his hand up in a gesture for him to wait so he does with a slight giggle, watching as he ducked down to get something before shooting up with something in his hand. Will looked at in confusion then let out a sputter of words when [M/N] pushed it into his hands, he chuckled when he saw the excited look on his face “What is this?”

“It’s a gift. It’s for you.” Will furrowed his brows in confusion, a gift? He was going to question him again but [M/N] gestured for him to open it “Go on, open it!” [M/N] reminded him of a child on Christmas Day, so he just shrugged his shoulders and opened the nicely wrapped gift. He raised his brow in confusion at the sight of a box that was close shut by two latches, he looked at [M/N] and saw the eagerness in his eyes as he nodded at him for him to open it, so he did with a shrug. His eyes widened in shock at what he saw was inside, he couldn’t believe it as he lowered the lid to look at [M/N].

“I-Is this…?” he smiled and sheepishly shrugged.

“An oil color box set? Yeah, it took awhile to find this specific one, and it was really expensive as well, but what’s a few weeks allowance can’t do?” Will was at a loss for words, stuttering out a few that he managed to say as tears threatened to spill from his eyes “I remembered you saying that you were looking for one so you could paint while you were out, so I thought I would get you one and save you the trouble.” Will sniffled, raising a hand to rub at his eyes.

“But why? Why did you get this for me?” [M/N] looked at him in confusion, scoffing softly but realised that Will was serious,.

“Dude, Will… it’s your birthday.” Will couldn’t help but gasp softly at that, he completely forgot that it was his birthday, but that also meant that everyone else forgot about his birthday. He got a little bitter at that but what made it better was the fact that [M/N] remembered. A guy that he met in California, a guy that he told the date of his birth once and he remembered, a guy that was so popular that he was sure would forget, but he didn’t. He remembered and he even got him a gift. He then remembered to the start of that week that he tried inviting Will out to hangout, was he inviting him out for his birthday? “I don’t know what’s going on in your life right now, Will, but I hope you know I’m here for you. Happy birthday, Will.” he couldn’t remember what happened, what was going on in his mind for him to react the way he did, but he pushed the gift to the side and grabbed [M/N] by the collar of his shirt and yank him up. [M/N] let out a whoa, hands planting down on the windowsill to stabilise himself then let out a muffled gasp when Will pulled him into a kiss. He stared down at their connected lips in shock then his gaze fell upon Will’s eyes when he pulled away, a look of disbelief as they stared at each other.

… “Oh my god, what have I done?” Will muttered, still holding [M/N] by the collar of his shirt as he looked away, not noticing the lovesick smile that grace his lips as he let him go, letting the boy slump against the windowsill. All sorts of thoughts were circulating through his mind, thinking that he possibly ruined the best friendship he had in California forever and that he was going to lose a friend that meant the world to him and also the love of his life. He hadn’t even noticed [M/N] pull himself up until he was yanked forward, [M/N] having reach forward to grab Will by his cheeks and pull him into another kiss, this time, he was making sure Will felt that the kiss he gave him wasn’t one sided. When they finally pulled away, they stared into each other’s eyes before laughing.

“Will?” said boy let out a gasp and shoved [M/N] back and slammed his window shut, grimacing when he heard a loud thud followed by an oof and grunt but he ignored it as his mother opened the door to his room “Are you okay in here? I heard you pacing.” he gave his mother a reassuring smile, waving his hands to dismiss her.

“Yeah, I’m fine! Don’t worry about it, mum.” she gave Will a soft smile, blowing him a kiss before closing the door when she left. He waited until he couldn’t hear her footsteps anymore before turning around and throwing his window open and peeking out, he giggled to himself when he saw [M/N] wearing the biggest grin on his face as he covered his eyes with his hands “Are you okay?” [M/N] pushed himself up by his hands and gave Will a dopey grin.

“Am I okay? I’m fan-fucking-tastic!” he covered his mouth when Will shushed him for being loud, he quickly stood to his feet and returned to where Will was resting his folding arms on the windowsill and smiled “I can finally tell you that I’m in love with you. Your response?” Will laughs, pressing a hand to his cheek.

“I love you too.” they’re both smiling to the point it hurts, Will throws his arms around [M/N]’s neck and pulls him up into a hug, to which the latter reaches up and wraps an arm around his head as his other arm held the windowsill. When they pull away, [M/N] and Will stare into each other’s eyes once more and share a short and tender kiss, [M/N] winks and Will giggles.  “I’ll see you at school next week?” Will bites his lip, glancing back towards his door then back at [M/N].

“Do you want to stop by tomorrow? I’d love to spend some time with you.” he whispered the last part to himself but it didn’t fall to deaf ears because this earned him another peck on the lips, he looked at [M/N] and saw him grinning as he nodded his head.

“Yeah, I’ll totally stop by tomorrow!” he cheered “I’ll see you tomorrow!” he takes a step back but accidentally trips and falls back, Will leaned forward to see if he was okay but giggled instead when [M/N] shot back up but had a few leaves and twigs in his hair, but he didn’t mind it and waved his hand goodbye,

“Goodnight, [M/N].”

“Goodnight, Will.” he blows him a kiss followed by a wink, to which Will blushed but didn’t hesitate to catch the kiss. The moment Will pulled himself back into his room and close the window [M/N] let out a cheer as he threw his fists in the air, running back to his truck with an extra skip in his step “He said he loved me!” he shouts, he then heard cheering from his truck and saw his friends cheering for his accomplishment.

“Nice one, [M/N]!”

“Another win for you!”

Headcanons:

[m/n] is so in love with will that his friends have to tape his mouth shut if they don’t want to hear him talking about will this, or will that. it gets annoying.

the guys love will, don’t get me wrong, they just hate [m/n] for making the conversation all about his boyfriend. he’s in a relationship, they get it. no need to shove it down their throats with every chance he gets.

[m/n] told will that his friends know that they’re dating.

he was a little on edge to know that will wasn’t, well, straight.

[m/n] reassured him that they were cool, I mean, it was because of them they basically got to have a date back at the roller skating ring.

it made will feel happy to be accepted by a large number a guys.

it makes him even more happy that they’re happy [m/n]’s happy with someone that makes him feel the way he does. they tell will they’ve got his back if he ever needs it.

[m/n] more than once has will wearing his lettermen jacket, regardless of what people say.

will refused to wear it the first few times [m/n] asked him to wear it but was forced to wear it when [m/n] threw it at his face and ran away before will could give it back.

now [m/n] doesn’t get it back unless there’s a game.

totally worth it.

will totally shows up to [m/n] and his teams practices and their games. they all appreciate his attendance and whenever he’s there, they’re all at that a-game.

when [m/n] sees will in the crowd, especially if he’s wearing his jacket, it’s already over for the rivalling team.

he’s all the motivation they need.

will is totally their number one supporter.

jane noticed will has been happier as well, and without asking she already knew it had something to do with [m/n].

she saw the way will would look at [m/n]. he had that look in his eyes that sparkled whenever the boy was in the same room they were in or if he was brought up in a conversation. 

she might have accidentally caught the a few times together when will would sneak him in through the window so they could relax together or will would be sneaking out or back in from wherever [m/n] took him.

they had a sibling agreement to never bring this up.

joyce and jonathan had also noticed that will had being going out more and more.

they’d question him where he was going but fall short when they saw that oh so familiar lettermen jacket along with the sound of a honk.

peering out the window, there they saw their will rushing over to [m/n]’s pickup truck so the two of them can go out on a date. of course they don’t know that, but they’re happy will’s going out more.

will totally has [m/n] model for him when painting.

[m/n] blushed when will called him his muse, muttering the word under his breath more than once.

will always shows him what he’s working on and though [m/n] doesn’t have the best knowledge when it comes to art, he always shares his thoughts with will about what he likes about it.

will appreciated it.

together, the two of them are just so in love.

[m/n] doesn’t waste a second to show how committed he is to this relationship, always showering will in all the love his soul could pour out until he knew that will knew the extent he was willing to go to just to get a point across.

will also wanted to show [m/n] that what he felt for him couldn’t easily be replaced, that the only thing on his mind whenever they were together were the endless thoughts of how deeply in love he was with [m/n].

the two of them made it obvious that they were meant to be.


Tags
3 years ago

Ocean

word count: 4880

Fandom: MCYT Pairing: SBI Family x Brother!Orca!Reader Pronouns: He/Him Relationship: Familial Occupation: Pirate Captain Ability: Orca Hybrid

The character is that of a orca hybrid, allowing them to have traits of a orca. They have abnormal strength and speed with keen senses of hearing and sight, making their eyes and ears almost sensitive to anything. They are also granted with an abnormal height and the gift to shapeshift from a human/normal form to a more monstrous form. Both in and out of their full form, they are granted excellent swimming abilities.

Keys:

[M/N]: Male Name [S/C]: Skin Color [H/C]: Hair Color [E/C]: Eye Color  [U/N]: Username

Warnings: vulgar language, violence.

got this idea after reading this story by @sunflowerdaisybee​ of their SBI x sibling!reader, go check out their story because I liked it very much.

might make a part two, might not.

that is all.

image

“Full bore into the abyss!”

“Are you mad?!”

The captain of the ship that was sailing through a terrible storm let out a wild laugh as thunder boomed and lightning crashed from behind him, his crewmembers were hurrying themselves across the deck to prevent the ship from possibly capsizing from the terrible weather all because their captain was just too damn stubborn to go around the storm and instead went through it. This group of individuals was not your average group of ruffians, this was a group of pirates that was overrun with ocean type hybrids! Not a single one was a human, and the captain of this pirate crew was an orca.

The Killer Whale: [M/N]! This individual was wanted throughout the entire ocean for his countless crimes against the laws of the sea. Piracy, smuggling, arson, murder, impersonating an officer, sailing under false colors, kidnapping, looting, brigandage, pilfering, depravity, depredation, general lawlessness, and those are the few that he can remember. He was the reckless kind that would not hesitate to take matters into his own hands to get the results that he wants or needed, but he was also smart enough to know not to do anything too foolish. His crew was always his number one priority before anything else, he thought of them as another family; one that he had not left behind to live the life he wanted on the ocean.

This man was crazy and he just loved the ocean, it always made him feel free, he wondered if this is how his father felt whenever he would fly in the sky away from the ground. That’s why he loved the thrill of sailing through storms, that thrill of the waves crashing against his beloved ship, it always got his blood pumping whenever the rain poured down on him and that slightly fear of their ship not making it through made it all the more exciting. This man was an orca hybrid, a more than enough reason as to why people dubbed him the Killer Whale, but that’s beside the point. [M/N] was constantly in his full orca form. In his human form, he is about 7″2ft; his half human/half orca is about 8″0ft; his full form is 8″8ft, so this man is already gigantic from the beginning. 

“Hah!” turning towards the crewmate that shouted at him, he gave them a toothy grin as his hold on the wheel tightened so he wouldn’t lose the ship to the ocean waves “You afraid to get wet?” a few other crewmates groan, when he spoke like that, there was no talking sense into their captain. He laughed once more at the state of his crew as soon as they were out of the storm, they were all exhausted from their battle against mother nature and had practically passed out on the deck as soon as they hit clear waters and skies.

“Captain... can we please rest now?” he huffed, running a hand over the smooth skin of his head and nodded.

“Well, alright. We’ve done enough sailing, why don’t you drop the anchor so we can rest up tonight?” he rolled his eyes at the sound of loud cheering “You bunch of sea guppies, we’re all creatures of the sea! What’s there to be afraid of is we do capsize?”

“We lose all the treasure we accumulated over our countless adventures.” this caused [M/N] to pause, looking up in thought before nodding his head.

“Heh, now that’s a good reason, matey.” he laced his fingers together, cracking them over his head as he turned on his heels and started making his way to his quarters, passing by his vice-captain to give him some orders “You’re in charge while I go rest up myself, call me if anything happens.”

“Yes captain.” he clicked his tongue with winking before finally leaving, he let out a sigh while stretching his arms then collapsed onto his chair in front of his desk. He then kicks his feet onto the said desk while popping the cork of a bottle of wine and taking a couple swigs from the alcoholic beverage, he hums to himself as the liquid ran down his throat while some slipped between his lips and ran down his jaw. Licking his lips, he sniffles to himself as he looked around his personal room and smirked to himself, never in a million years would he have thought he would make a name as infamous as his own. 

“I really should pay the old man a visit.” he leans back once more, an arm hanging back as he takes another swig of the wine before pausing while letting out a hum at the sound of a bird.

*CAW*

*CAW*

“Hmm?” pulling his head up, he raised a brow at the sight of a crow landing on his foot “Now what’s a bird-like yourself doing out in the middle of the ocean with nowhere to land for miles?” he lifts his leg slightly and there he saw a letter of sorts strapped to its leg, his face lit up as he moved his leg so that it was closer to towards him so that the crow could perch itself on his hand. He set the bottle of wine down to caress the side of its head, humming softly when it leaned into the affectionate gesture. He soon removed the letter off of its leg and then proceeded to move it so that it was perched on his shoulder, with that, he opened the letter and read through the contents.

"Dear [M/N],

It’s been a long time, hasn't it? I won't take up too much of your time since you're probably very busy, being the captain of an infamous pirate crew, so I'll make this quick.

You left the house at a rather young age so you probably haven't met your brothers. That's right, you have three younger siblings! Adoptive, I know, though one of them actually is my biological son while the other two I picked up just like you.

I thought that if you're near the SMP, you could swing by and I could introduce you to them. I mentioned that they had an elder brother that was a pirate and they were more than excited to meet you. I hope you could meet them as well, but I won't pressure you to stop your adventures to meet them.

I'll see you when I see you.

Yours truly, Philza."

“Hmph, it’s almost as if he’s reading my mind.” he muttered to himself but ultimately felt excited after reading the letter, brothers? Philza picked up more kids and dubbed them his sons, now that was exciting to hear after a few months of no letters. He opens a drawer and drops the letter into the half-full drawer of letters from his father, he closes it then pulls out a blank paper, a quill and some ink to write his response. He reads it over before nodding his head and closing it, sealing it in an envelope then wax sealing it with a symbol of his pirate crew “Make sure this letter gets back to my dad, I’m counting on you.” he snickers softly when the crow salutes before flying off. 

‘Brothers, huh? I wonder what they’re like.’ he thinks back to his childhood with Philza and laughs to himself, he remembered how much of a handful he was for the already old man. He always loved being near the ocean, whether it be because he’s an oceanic hybrid or not, it was always so refreshing to be in the water than out of it. Philza wasn’t that big of a fan because of his wings so to compromise, he would pick him up and fly to a good enough height then drop him from a said height into the water for a big splash. Thinking back to his childhood brought a smile to his lips, he nods his head and stands to his feet and makes his way to the main deck where his crewmembers were casually talking while doing their assigned chores.

“Hear me, men!” he shouts, this caused them all to look over at him, raising a brow when they saw the bright smile on his face “Tomorrow, we set sail for the SMP! I have a certain someone waiting to see his son.” they all share glances at each other after the short announcement.

“We’re heading to land?”

“Then that means...”

“Party time!” he laughs at the conclusion, that was true. Whenever they did visit any island, that would always mean they head to the closest tavern to party for the rest of their stay there and relax until [M/N] decided they leave. He shook his head when they immediately raised the anchor while their navigator took to the wheel so they could head to the SMP ASAP, well, at least they weren’t wasting any time.

[with the sbi family]

“Dear old man,

It sure has been a long time, so imagine my surprise after you blessed me with the news of me having brothers. I’m very excited to meet the boys you have failed to mention in the previous letters, were you planning on surprising me or did you forget?

You must be getting really old if you did forget, and you wonder why I call you old man, old man. That’s beside the point, I’d be more than happy to drop everything just to see you and my new brothers. Don’t ever think that you’re giving me trouble just for a visit, I’ve been meaning to visit you anyways.

I don’t know exactly when I’ll arrive at the SMP, but knowing my crew, they’ll make it a top priority just to get to an island to relax after weeks of being on the ocean waters. We’ll be docked at the same place we always stay at whenever we come to visit.

See you soon.

Your favorite son, [M/N].”

“Pft, bold of him to assume he’s my favorite.” he muttered under his breath after reading the reply from his eldest son, his crow returned from [M/N] with a satisfied look on its face. Philza was excited to see the response and was thrilled when he read that [M/N] was quite literally dropping everything just to meet the brothers he had mentioned in the letter. Speaking of which, he hadn’t meant to mention [M/N] around his three sons, it was an accidental slip of the tongue and the three boys demanded to meet [M/N].

“Was that from the pirate?” Technoblade, the now second eldest who was a piglin hybrid, asked him as he rested his arms on the armrest while his head laid on top of his arms “Did he say he was coming?” Philza chuckled softly as he nodded his head, raising his hand to rest on top of his head.

“It was, and his name is [M/N].”

[M/N]: his eldest son that he accidentally picked up when he was sailing through a storm because god forbid he fly through it. The young orca was a stowaway in a crate of food that was likely abandoned or lost by his own family, so with nowhere to call home, he took the young calf as his own and raised him to the man he is today.

Wilbur: the second and biological son to Philza, a human child that bared more of a resemblance to his mother, the love of Philza’s life Kristin (Samsung Fridge) who’s love for music and theatre. Though he was quiet on certain occasions, the older man adored his son for bringing back the boisterous atmosphere after his eldest son left the home.

Technoblade: the third son, he found this young piglin hybrid alone in the nether with nothing more than the clothes on his back. He was probably the same age as Wilbur, he also thought Wilbur could use a brother since his eldest was gone and Wilbur looked lonely. Making sure that Technoblade wasn’t missing or anything, he brought the young boy home and raised him alongside his other son.

Tommy: his fourth and youngest son was randomly dropped off in front of his home with no letter or any sign left of the boy’s parents, but it was startling how similar this young child shared an appearance like himself. He probably wouldn’t have brought Tommy if it weren’t for the fact that both Wilbur and Technoblade were excited to get a younger sibling, so he thought, why the hell not and closed the door behind him with Tommy in his arms. 

“When is he going to get here, dad?” Wilbur asked, popping his head beside Technoblade.

“He isn’t coming directly to the house, so we’re going to him at the dock.” he let out an oof when Tommy threw himself onto Philza’s lap, a bright look on his face as he stared up at his father.

“So we’re going to see his ship? A real pirate ship?”

“That’s right, if you’re good enough, he might just let you aboard.” he chuckled when all three of them let out cheers of excitement, but himself was just as excited as his sons to see [M/N] again. How long has it been exactly since he last saw [M/N]? Several years, perhaps? He was seven when he first picked him up and he raised him to about seventeen years old before he left, Wilbur was born three years later and he’s currently eight... eleven years? That sounds about right.

“How old is he now, dad?” Wilbur asked.

“Hmm, if I do the math right, he should be about... twenty-eight?” Tommy makes a face.

“Old.” Technoblade and Wilbur snort, Philza just chuckled with a shake of his head and decided to tell them all the stories of the infamous pirate Killer Whale and all his adventures across the sea. When he finally got the letter that [M/N] arrived at the SMP and decided that he and his crew were staying for a couple days up to a week, he informed his youngest three and watching them scurry around to get ready was one of the funniest things to see. 

“Is he as scary as you made him out to be?” Tommy asked.

“Well, I say it’s like a character he has to play. He’s known as a ruthless killer of the sea, but he’s actually quite a big softy. Hah, he would often play with other sea life whenever we would go out swimming and sometimes he would cry at the sight of turtles being harassed by zombies. He gets very embarrassed whenever I bring it up.”

“Will he like us?” Technoblade asks “He’s twenty years older than us, don’t you think he’ll find it odd to have brothers that’s two decades younger than him?” Philza just shook his head.

“Not really. Family is family in his eyes. He told me that his ragtag crew of pirates are the family he couldn’t bring with him when he started his adventure. They range from a variety of different ages, different species, you name it! Whether you’re children or not, he’ll still consider you his brothers.” he was relieved when that was enough to reassure Technoblade, to which the young boy nodded his head as he reached forward to take Philza’s hand, Wilbur noticed this and took his other hand whilst Tommy sat a top the shoulders of their father. 

“Hurry up dad, I really want to meet him!” Tommy shouted, he laughs to himself when he was then being dragged to the docks by Wilbur and Technoblade, who were just as enthusiastic as their youngest brother. They now stood in front of tavern that was bustling with noises that ranged from shouting, screaming and singing...? Can that noise really be considered singing? Philza takes a deep breath and goes to enter but quickly stepped to the side, pulling his sons with him, when a barrel flew through the doors and crashed into the wall behind them. 

...

...

“I’m having second thoughts.” Technoblade says after hearing loud cheering come from inside the tavern after the barrel came flying through the doors.

“Oh, don’t worry about it. I promise, he’ll tone it down when he sees you guys.” he put Tommy down and made sure he was close to his brothers, he takes a deep breath as he approached the doors before finally pushing them open and entering the tavern. Technoblade, Wilbur and Tommy held onto the end of Philza’s haori and they were all blown away that the tavern was filled to the brim of oceanic hybrids that were partying like there was no tomorrow. They paid the family no mind as they continued to sing sea shanties while cheering on the two big hybrids that were drinking ale from barrels.

“Chug, chug, chug, chug!” the crew chanted wildly, one of the two collapsed to the ground, the barrel spilling ale everywhere for they weren’t able to finish it. The latter continued to drink and when he finished he let out a loud breath then slammed the now empty barrel to the ground before letting out a loud cheer, throwing his fist in the air with a wide grin.

“You’re a few years too early to challenge I to a drink off, mate.”

“That’s the captain for you!”

“Him and that bottomless stomach of his!” [M/N] gave a toothy grin, snickering to himself when his vice captain came up to him and wrapped their arm around his shoulder, he goes to continue to drink but was stopped at the call of his name.

“[M/N]!” he turned his head and his eyes widened slightly at the sight of the blonde man, Philza flinched slightly when all eyes were on him and was having second thoughts, he soon let out a grunt when [M/N] came rushing over to him with his arms wide open.

“Dad!” he exclaimed before kneeling down to wrap his arms around Philza and bringing him into a hug, his dorsal fin and fluke wagging as he embraced his father after so long “It’s so nice to finally see you after all these years!” he adds as he pulls away but still had a hold on him, snickering softly when Philza’s feet couldn’t touch the ground.

“It’s good to see you too, [M/N]. I missed you.” [M/N]’s fluke tail continued to wag, a few of [M/N]’s crewmates whistle at the sight.

“Wow, so that’s the man that raised captain [M/N]?”

“He really is a bird hybrid?”

“Is he a crow?”

“I’ve never seen a bird hybrid up close.” the blonde man started patting [M/N] on the shoulder to gain his attention and when he got it, he gave him a nervous smile.

“There’s still a few people I need you to meet.” at that, his face lit up once more and he moved Philza to the side and there he saw the three children that had to be his brothers. The tallest of the three had short pink hair that looked like it was growing with skin that was a lighter shade of pink than his hair, a paper crown sat a top his head as he wore a simple white button up, trousers and boots. The second was a boy with curly brown hair and matching brown eyes, he wore a bright yellow sweater with blue jeans and shoes. The smallest of the three had bright blonde hair that matched his-- their father along with the blue eyes, he wore a simple white shirt with red sleeves, shorts and sho-- wait a damn minute, where are his shoes? “[M/N], these are the brothers I mentioned in the letter. Meet Wilbur, Technoblade and Tommy. Boys, meet [M/N].” said man hurriedly put Philza down and gave the three young children and friendly smile.

“Hello, it’s great to finally meet you three. I hope we can get along.” [M/N] felt a bead of sweat roll down his cheek when the three only stared up at him in silence, then Tommy burst into tears “Wha-- what?” he paled, ignoring the way his crew were laughing as he tried to comfort the crying boy.

“Wow, you made them cry.”

“Some brother you are.”

“So scary.” his crew booked a private room so that Philza can usher the boys in to calm them down, to which the older two stood in the hallway, though, Philza was looking down at [M/N] as he was hunched over in a corner and drawing circles into the ground.

“Am I really that scary?” this question got him a smack across the head.

“You’re literally a killer whale, [M/N]. You’re huge with an intimidating aura surrounding you.” this caused him to continue sulking “If you don’t want to scare them, especially Tommy, why don’t you look like a human?” this caused [M/N] to flinch at the suggestion.

“Human?” he stood up and looked into his reflection through the mirror and pulled a face, placing a hand on his cheek “I don’t remember the last time I adorned the appearance of a human, my whole pirating life revolved around me being an orca.” Philza shrugged as he looked into the mirror with him.

“Well, it’s either that or you live with them fearing you.”

“Now that’s just mean.” he shrugs.

“But you and I both know that it’s true.” [M/N] exhaled through his noses and looked at his reflection once more, dangit. Wilbur and Technoblade were whispering sweet nothings into Tommy’s ear to soothe him, to which he had calmed down from his crying.

“I didn’t expect him to be that big.”

“I didn’t expect Tommy to cry.” Wilbur then looked down at him “Didn’t you say that you were a big man, Tommy?” the five year old only sniffled.

“I am a b-big man!” they all flinch, to which Tommy let out a yelp, when there was a knock at the door. They relaxed when they saw that it was only their father, however, he was briefly talking to someone from behind the door before shuffling inside.

“Come on, don’t be getting shy now.”

“I feel weird.” it was [M/N]’s voice, but it sounded different compared to earlier. Philza waved his hand and so [M/N]’s let out a sigh and finally entered the room, causing the three children to stare in slightly shock at his different appearance. Instead of the body of an orca with legs, [M/N] now looked completely human with pale skin and black markings where an orca’s skin was black. He still had an abnormal height but at least it wasn’t overwhelming like before, he had short messy [H/C] hair with deep [E/C] eyes. The clothes he wore looked a little looser and baggy compared to when he was an orca, I guess that was because his muscles were more apparent when he was an animal. As a human, he also had many tattoos of islands that he must have visited along with a few flowers, feathers and a compass, his ears were pierced as well and he had a black crow feather hanging along the side of his face from his hair “There, you happy?” he said as he looked at his father, placing his hands on his hips while leaning his weight onto his foot.

“Very, you look just as handsome as the day you left.” this comment raise heat to rush to his pale skin, Philza then clapped his hands as he looked at the other three children “Boys, this is [M/N]’s human form, I hope it’s less scary.”

“You’re making me look bad.” [M/N] nervously rubbed the back of his neck as his eyes averted from the three small children, he takes a deep breath before approaching them and kneeling down, making sure he didn’t get too close so they wouldn’t feel uncomfortable “I’m sorry if I’ve made you three nervous, I didn’t mean to. I haven’t exactly interacted with young children in a long time, but I really want to make this work because this is the first time I’ve had brothers this young before. I’ll stay like this to make sure you guys are comfortable around me, how does that sound?” he believed that Wilbur and Technoblade could handle it, but he was more worried about Tommy, the poor boy cried on sight. He waited nervously and eagerly for his response, swallow thickly as the blonde boy peered over the shoulders of his older brothers shielding him from the stranger.

“... did those hurt?” was the first thing Tommy said, [M/N] didn’t understand the question until he noticed where Tommy was looking, he glanced down while raising his hand and saw that he was staring at the few scars along his chest that were peeking from under his shirt.

“Huh? These? Psh, with the adrenaline pumping, it barely hurt. What hurt was getting the damned thing all stitched up.” he then raised his arm “Wanna see the scar I got after getting harpooned?” Philza stood in the background, a happy smile gracing his lips that [M/N] managed to get the boys to settle down and marvel at works of art all over his body along with the scars left behind the countless battles he’s had over the years. It made him happy that, despite the initial introduction, Tommy now sat snug in his lap while Wilbur and Technoblade sat beside him as he pointed at each of his tattoos and the meanings behind them.

‘I’m glad they’re getting along, I guess I was worried for nothing.’ 

Headcanon:

[m/n] spoke with his brother’s for hours, recalling another one of his tales, that he hadn’t realized that the noise from inside the bar had died down whilst his own father was leaning against his back as he fell asleep.

he probably would have moved them to the couch if it weren’t for the fact that even the three young boys had fallen asleep on him.

he was in a predicament.

fuck it-- he might as well just sleep on the floor with them.

the morning was great because he was cuddled up with his brothers along with his father.

it wasn’t so great for his crew because they were all groaning in pain from the hangovers from the excessive drinking.

he threw water of them to wake them up and told them to stop bitching. 

when the three boys were awake, he brought them aboard his ship and showed them around.

them and his crew were more than excited to show the children around, however, they too had to look like humans as to not overwhelm and startle children.

they were rewarded with booze.

when [m/n] had to set sail again, tommy burst into tears once more because he wanted [m/n] to stay.

why couldn’t he stay?

did he not like them?

quite the opposite really.

he was a wanted man, and the longer he stayed in a certain area, the faster the government authorities got to capturing his band of crazies.

wilbur and technoblade were just as upset because they wouldn’t get to see or hear all his epic tales and spend time with his crew.

[m/n], however, promised to visit more often and send letters to hear from them.

he even promised to send or bring them souvenirs from his adventures, giving them something to look forward too.

when asked why he couldn’t just stay longer, his answer was the fact that his story still hadn’t found its ending just yet and was still being told and written. 

the next time he did drop by he had a few new tattoos that signified his brotherhood to them and represented each brother.

a lute for wilbur, a cutlass sword for technoblade, and an infinity sign for tommy.

tommy thought the infinity sign looked dumb.

when told that it was his limitless brotherly love for him, he had second thoughts.

though he tried not to make it blatantly obvious, to which he failed at it, tommy was without a doubt his favorite brother.

he promised the three brothers, that if they were ever to call him in need of his aid, he would not hesitate to drop everything just to come and help them in dire need.

he was their elder brother, and he was going to make up for his absence for not being there for them when they were growing up.


Tags
3 years ago

Helper pt. 2

word count: 6629

Fandom: FNAF Security Breach  Pairing: Sundrop/Moondrop x Female!Reader  Pronouns: She/Her  Relationship: Romantic Occupation: Daycare Helper  Ability: Animatronic Moon Jellyfish

The character was modelled after a moon jellyfish, so they are an oceanic type animatronic that mostly resided in the daycare to assist when needed within the pizza plex. The appearance they adorn is that of a tall woman and the animalistic part of her design would be, other than a human-like face, they would have a large bell (the blob of a jellyfish is called a bell or hood) on top of their head that would act as a large hat, and attached to the underside of the bell are the tentacles and stingers. They are not stingers, they help the character locate children and feel for their surroundings. The bell on top of their head also glows in the dark.

Keys:

[F/N]: Female Name [B/C]: Base Color [S/C]: Secondary Color [F/C]: Favorite Color [E/C]: Eye Color

Warnings: spoilers to those who haven’t seen fnaf sb

“Helper” pt.1, pt. 3

image

“Sunbite, what on earth are you doing?” [F/N] questioned whilst she was in the middle of cleaning up the clutter of toys the children had left behind when their parents and other guardians had picked them up from the daycare, she turned to face him but soon noticed that he was hunched over a table where he was sitting with a group of children for arts and crafts. She raises a brow when she noticed that he didn’t respond so she put the toys away before sauntering over to where he was, looming over him, she saw that he was staring intently at a drawing “Pft, how adorable.” she giggled softly, her speaking from behind him finally snapped him out of his internal dialogue between himself and Moondrop.

“O-Oh, starshine!” she hums softly, raising a hand to cup her chin while her other held her elbow in place. He turned around to face her and quickly hid the drawing behind him, a flustered and embarrassed expression on his face as his sun rays were acting up. Why was he acting in such a disorderly fashion? That was because while he and the children were drawing, another child had drawn him and [F/N] holding hands together while hearts surrounded them both, oh! And the fact that he was about to kiss it but stopped when [F/N] was behind him, his body was now trembling as he leaned back when [F/N] loomed over his body, leaning closer and closer to his face.

“Whatchu’ got there?” she muses, now leaning to her side so she could get a look at the drawing once more, but Sundrop had it pressed against his back so she had no way of seeing it.

“N-No— Nothing! It’s nothing, starshine!” he was growing even more flustered with how close she was, and because of this, the drawing in his hands was getting crumpled up and he was surprised he hadn’t torn it by now. He jolts up from where he was standing when she placed her hand on top of his head, the rays from where her hand was pressed down.

“Well, if it’s nothing, it better be worth you overheating.” at the mention of that, his system alerted him that he was overheating and it was forcing him to shut down so that he could cool down. [F/N] giggles as she watches his body fall limp but before it could hit the ground, she caught him and now cradled him close to her chest. She always enjoyed teasing him, his reactions were so adorable and at the end of it, he would overheat and his system would shut him down and there she would be allowed to coddle and cuddle with him all she wanted. When his system would reboot and he wakes up, he would wake up and find himself laying in [F/N]’s lap as she sits in resting mode. She gently bonks her head against his, her hat rising so her forehead could press against his, and takes him to a quiet corner, not forgetting to take the drawing and add it to the collection of other drawings she loves.

And so here she was, a couple of hours into the night and now she was concerned as to why Sun hadn’t awoken yet. It did take a while for Sun and Moon’s system to reboot itself, but not THIS long. Perhaps his battery was running low, she glances up at where his room was and was contemplating whether or not she should bring him up there. She remembered in the past when she asked about his room, both himself and Moon started freaking out and pleaded with her to never go up there, whether it was with him or not. Though she was programmed to take care of Sundrop and Moondrop, she was also programmed to never disobey an order and break a promise, but she was worried for the Daycare Attendant. The way he charges was different to the other animatronics, she glances at him and his room before letting out a sigh and deciding to just simply go up there.

Unlike Sundrop and Moondrop, she did not have a hook on her back to connect the cable to, so instead, she called it down and wrapped it tightly around her arm. She tugged on it and when she figured it wasn’t going to come loose, she had it lift her off the ground and over to where Sundrop and Moondrop’s shared room was. She held Sundrop close to her as she landed gracefully on the balcony then allowed the cable to slip from her grasp, she approaches the curtain to his room and pushes it back and there she saw the reason as to why he never allowed her to enter his room. Unlike the Glamgang and even DJMM, his room was a complete mess, and not the type where it needed a simple clean. It’s like management hadn’t even thought of giving him a room that suited both him and Moondrop, she’d compare it to a broom closet, but at least a closet is a bit more organised.

She glances down at him before sighing softly and going over to where she believed was his charging station was. After plugging him and knowing that he was charging, she took a look around his room and frowns at how run down it was. The highlight of the room would be the small corner dedicated to drawings made by the children and other little gifts, she takes out the drawing the child drew of her and Sundrop, picking up a thumbtack and pinning it to the wall, adding to the collection of drawings. She didn’t have a room like the other animatronics, she resided in a small tent that was similar to a circus tent that was white and [F/C] and stationed in a corner within the daycare that is off-limits to the children, it was her quiet corner when she’s charging.

“Oh, my sunbite…” she murmurs, grabbing one of the Moondrop toys and squeezing it, giggling sadly when it let out a squeak. An idea soon sparked to her mind so she quickly glanced back at Sundrop, nodding to herself when she saw that he was still shut down, and then proceeded to scan the entire room to get a general estimate of the room then left. She threw the curtains back and jumped off the balcony, grabbing the cable and descending to the ground, landing with a small thud before bolting out of the daycare. She was allowed to leave the daycare but it was heavily implied that she stays within the daycare at all times just to simply monitor Sundrop and Moondrop at all times, but she could give two fucks at the moment.

“[F/N]!” she stops dead in her tracks and though it did not show, annoyance and dread bubbled in her chest at the sound of that obnoxious voice “What are you doing out of the daycare? You know you’re not supposed to leave.” she was modelled to have a permanent soft smile on her face, and so when she couldn’t properly express her true feelings, well, she usually shows it in her actions or the way she speaks.

“Oh, Officer Vanessa, what an unpleasant surprise.” Vanessa deadpans, she wasn’t sure when [F/N] started to dislike her but she wasn’t going to question it, as long as she didn’t do anything she didn’t like, then they were fine “Aren’t you supposed to be monitoring the atrium at this time?”

“That's beside the point, you still haven’t answered me.” the animatronic rolled her eyes beneath her eyelids before leaning down.

“It may be your job to monitor us animatronics and keep us in check from doing anything we’re not supposed to do, but I am not stationed to be in the daycare all night long. I have free roam around the Pizza Plex just like the other animatronics, so don’t come at me as if I’ve done something wrong.” Vanessa grits her teeth at her words, her grip on her flashlight tightened.

“It’s also my job to make sure you don’t wander off too far from where you’re supposed to be stationed.” [F/N] nods her head, already done with her nonsense as she stands up straight.

“Right, okay.” she leans down once more, making sure she was inches away from her face as she wipes her shoulders “Well then, I’ll make sure to get back to my designated area once I’m done with my business. So you pretend you never saw me and I pretend I never saw what you did.” this caused Vanessa to flinch, her body beginning to tremble as [F/N] leaned away.

“Wha— what do you mean by that?” she smirked softly as she reached forward, grabbing her cap and shaking it side to side before pulling it down then walking away from her, sparing her a glance and her gorgeous galaxy like eyes glared at her.

“You know exactly what I mean.” with that, she left the human employee shaking in anxiety, she shook her head and ignored what Vanessa had to say in favour of making her way to Monty Golf. She hums to herself as she listened to the music that played within Monty’s area, hearing alligators bellow and growl, she searched for the alligator but huffed when she couldn’t find “Now where on earth could that boy be.” she questioned, looking side to side but saw nothing.

“Who might you be looking for?” she lets out an oh at a voice, she glances down and saw it was another employee that was stationed to monitor Monty Golf.

“Oh, why hello there.” the security guard let out a nervous chuckle as they stare up at the animatronic woman.

“Hello there [F/N], what brings you here? You’re quite far from the daycare.” she places a hand on her chest.

“I was looking for Montgomery, I must speak with him this very moment.” the security guard nodded their head.

“Ah, I see.” they turn away and point in a direction “He’s over there. He was told to help us clean up the golf balls from the course, especially the ones that were shot off the course.” she nods her head and together with two of the saunter over to where Monty supposedly was, [F/N] pulls a face, hands on her hips as she pushes one out when she saw bubbles in the water, she can only guess where he is.

“Goodness.” the security guard noticed her staring at the water with unease and mild disgust.

“Oh! If you’re worried about the water, the lighting is set up so that the water looks murky and like a swamp. It’s actually very clean, trust me. I’ve fallen into it a few times.” at that, [F/N] raises a hand to her mouth.

“That must’ve been awful.” they nod.

“Yeah, wet socks really suck.” this caused the woman to giggle softly, the security guard let out another oh when [F/N] placed something on their head, when they moved it up they realized she took her bell off her head and placed it on top of theirs. They were going to question what she was doing but was taken aback when she dove into the water, a hidden feature about her design was that she was also water proof because she was a jellyfish, it’s just that she was always in the daycare so she it was never revealed. Anyways, she swam around for a bit until she finally found him at the bottom of the moat, brow raised when she saw him yelling about how there was a bunch of golf balls at the bottom on the first place.

“Damn this blasted kids! Don’t they know they’re not supposed to shoot the blasted golf balls into the water in the first place! Dammit! I hate this!” she rolls her eyes as she swims over to him, he continued to rage, unaware of her walking over to him after her feet touch the ground “I swear, one of these days, I’m just going to grab one of those brats and stra—”

“Montgomery.”

“Aahh!” he lets out a scream of terror at the unexpected voice and whipped his head around to see [F/N] standing behind him, arms crossed and a stern and unimpressed look on her face “What the? How the heck are you down here?!” she rolls her eyes, hands moving down to rest on her hips.

“Clearly I’m waterproof, just like you. I’m a jellyfish, remember?” he rolls his eyes “Anyways, that’s besides the point. I’m here to ask of you for something.” this gained his attention, [F/N] rarely ever asked him of favours, she mostly turned to Freddy or Chica.

“Alright, whatchu need, cher?” she pressed her hands together and points them at him.

“I need you to do me a favor.” he smirks softly, crossing his arms and leaning his weight onto one of his feet.

“You’ve already got my attention, whatchu need of me?” she huffs.

“How long do you think you can distract Sun and possibly Moon?” his brow rose even more.

“The Daycare Attendant?” he questions, she nods her head, he hums as he looks up in thought “Why? I thought it was your job to keep an eye on him? Why would you want me of all people to distract him?” she chuckles softly, moving her hair out of the way when it started falling on her face.

“I need him out of his room as long as possible, he doesn’t want me going in there but when I was in there, I saw the state of his room.” she then holds her waist while her other hand waves it around “I want to renovate it a bit, it’s quite sad management didn’t give him a proper room like the rest of us, so I want to surprise him.” Monty nods his head then points at himself.

“And that’s where I come in?” she grins, snapping her fingers and pointing at him.

“Now you’re catching on, well done.” he hums, feeling proud of himself.

“What do I get out of it?” she shrugs.

“What do you want?” he looks up in thought, she waits patiently then let’s out and oh when she saw his face light up, snapping his fingers then pointing at her.

“No matter what you’re doing, for three months straight, you gotta rough house with me or play golf with me.” what an odd request, she was going to question him but stopped when he added something else “Also, when I argue with the others for a VALID reason, you can’t scold me or lecture me for something I did WRONG.” she pulls a face when she added quotation marks on specific words, she rolls her closed eyes.

“Is that it?”  “For that, you also can’t tell me off whenever I destroy something that isn’t in my room and help me clean shit out of these ponds when I call for you.” she sighs as she looks down, pinching the bridge of her nose “Is that a deal, cher?” he asks, extending his hand out to her to shake, she looks back up at him before shaking her head and taking his extended hand and giving it a firm shake.

“Alright, you better distract him good then.” he retreats his hand and cheers.

“Great, now give me a hand help me clean out the pond.” she sighs once more, head hanging low.

“Got it.” he only grins and together the two of them clean out the pond that was littered with trash, golf balls, moldy golf balls and other junk. The same security guard stood at the new of the pond, playing with [F/N]’s hat and laughing softly at up big it looked on them, they then let out a yelp and jump back when two figures broke through the surface of the water and hauled themselves out of the water “We should enforce a rule that forbids children and others from throwing anything into the ponds.” [F/N] comments, turning on her heater to dry the water off her body while grabbing a few strands of her locks and squeezing the water out.

“I second that, saves us the trouble of fishing them out.” she chuckles at that, letting out a huff when she managed to squeeze out the last of the water in her hair before throwing her hair over her shoulder, evidently smacking Monty in the face “Do you mind?” he snarls, running his own hands through his wet red locks, a soft smirk raises to her lips as she crossed her arms.

“Not really.” before he could even start, she side steps and lets him run into a prop tree, she shakes her head before taking her hat back from the security guard, giving them a kind smile “Thank you for looking after it.” she says, placing her hat back on top of her head.

“It was no problem.” she nods then tips her hat to them.

“Then I’ll see you when I see you.” she waves them goodbye before leaving Monty Golf to return to the daycare, that was until the lights turned off. She sighs to herself, placing her hands on her hips when the power was converted to the charging stations, so now Moon was out and about, if he was fully charged, that is “Alright, sweetheart, where are you?” she was going to track him down until she heard his iconic sinister giggle.

“My starshine, why are you all the way over here?” she giggled to herself when he lowered himself from the ceiling, wrapping his body around her shoulders and leaning his head against hers.

“Hello to you too, moonlight.” she coos, cupping his cheek and returning the affection “It’s good to see you up and about.” he hums at that, letting her walk around for a bit instead of immediately returning to the daycare.

“While we’re on the topic, why weren’t you in the daycare? Both Sunny and I were a little upset when we woke up and didn’t see you.”

“I had business with Monty so I thought I would drop by while you two were resting, I didn’t think I would have been there as long as I was, but I guess that was because he needed my help cleaning out the ponds.” he raised a brow at that.

“Why would he need your help?” she places a finger on her cheek.

“I’m waterproof as well.”

“You’re what?!” she laughs when she could hear both Sun and Moon’s voices clash together “Why didn’t you tell us?” she hums, grabbing a few strands of her hair and twirling them around her finger.

“You never asked, and the opportunity never arose for me to get wet.” she pulls a face when she could tell that he was pouting as he hung off her shoulder, she shook her head as she lifted his head up to press a subtle kiss on his cheek, this was enough to get him to perk up “Stop being so pouty, though it does make you cute.” she giggles softly when she saw him turn red, his already permanent smile on his face stretching wider as he covered his face with his hands.

“Mm… you’re making me lose all my man cred.” she laughs wholeheartedly at that, placing a hand on her chest to settle herself.

“I can’t believe you just said that, the children have been influencing you in a bad way.”

“That I agree with.”

[a few days later]

“And that’s the last of them.” [F/N] hums, waving the last family goodbye before turning around to see Sundrop already cleaning up. She pumps her fists together and glances back at Sundrop, he noticed her gaze and happily waved his hand, she returned the gesture with a softer wave and kind smile. Operation renovation is now a go, she glances over at the door to the daycare and there she saw Monty ready to play his part “Now all that’s left is—”

“[F/N]!” she lets out a shout of surprise at the loud voice, she looks over and sees that it was Chica who threw open the door to the daycare, evidently throwing Monty to the ground since he was in her way “There you are sugar cube, I need your help.” Sundrop was confused as to why Chica needed help from HIS Daycare Assistant and was ready to question her but his mechanical heart dropped when he saw [F/N] smile and give her a thumbs up.

“Right, you needed help with your baking, right?” Chica nods her head, a happy smile on her face.

“That’s right, I hope I’m not being a bother.”

“Nonsense, you asked me in advance, so I must comply.” Sundrop was immediately by her side, wrapping his arms around her waist and sulking into her back.

“But you’re supposed to be helping me in the daycare.” he whined, she smiles softly, pressing a hand to his back and soothingly rubbed his back.

“I know, but I already promised Chica the night before.” she exhales softly when he wasn’t letting up, only tightening his grip on her “… when I come back, I’ll have a surprise ready for you and for the rest of the night I’ll spend it with you and Moon, how does that sound?” this caused a reaction out of him, he unravelled his arms from her so she turned around and knelt down, holding his hands in her own as he looked up at her.

“You promise?” she nods her head.

“I promise.” she boops his nose and he giggles at the action “I’ll be as fast as I can.” his hands reached out to hers when she slipped out of his grip, she pats his head before leaving with Chica in tow. She waves him goodbye and when she closed the door to the daycare, both herself and Chica press their backs to the wall.

“That was close.” Chica says, glancing up at [F/N] “He was reluctant in letting you go.” she shrugs her shoulders, a sheepish smile on her face.

“He loves me, what can you do?” Chica coos at that, cupping her cheeks when she noticed a soft blush rise to her cheeks “Alright, enough on that. You’re up, Monty.” he miraculously appears, saluting her with a grin.

“On it, cher.” she nods.

“Update me on what happens.” he nods once more before the two female animatronics dash away, he runs both hands through his hair then straightens his star sunglasses out.

“Show time.”

[with [f/n] and chica]

“How did you manage to find another way into the Daycare Attendant’s room? I thought that balcony was the only way.” [F/N] waves her hand as the two of them approach a poster.

“I was going through Parts and Service for a couple things when I found a blueprint of the entire facility, and there I found a secret entrance to his room.” Chica nods her head and quietly watches her approach the poster, Chica smiles sadly when she recognised that poster as the one that promoted the various plays Foxy would have… she really missed him “Dang it, it’s not opening.” she grumbles.

“How did you open it before?” she crosses her arms.

“I had to use the Faz Cam and use the flash on various posters of the four on the poster, quite frustrating because it messes with our eyes at the same time.” she pushes at the poster once more before throwing her hands down when it didn’t budge, Chica was going to make a suggestion but pulled her hands back when [F/N] kicked the door down “Hah, that was much easier and less time consuming.”

“… right.” they walk down the long hallway and when they reached the door at the end, [F/N] opened the door and Chica lets out a sad gasp, raising her hands to cover her beak “Oh, sweet pea…” the other animatronic nods her head sadly.

“Now do you understand why I’m doing this?” Chica nods her head.

“You’ve got a heart of gold.”

“If I had a heart.” Chica laughed with a scoff, shoving her forward.

“You know what I mean!” they both laugh until [F/N] ushered Chica out so she can clean, telling the girl to go to the kitchen in case Sun or possibly Moon go and check if they’re really there, she hopes not. She peeks her head out through the curtains and there she saw Monty talking with Sun who looked less enthusiastic then usual. Monty noticed [F/N] from the corner of his eye and signalled her a thumbs up, she gave him a grateful smile then returned the gesture before going back into Sun’s room to clean it up.

“So, Sundrop,” Monty pulls a face when Sundrop blatantly ignored him, his shoulders dropped “what’s up with you and [F/N]? You two are awfully handsy, aren’t cha?” Monty noticed Sundrop freeze up, the items he had in his arms were immediately disregarded and dropped to the floor with a clatter, his head turning around to stare Monty down and his body following suit.

“Oh, [F/N]? She’s a real doll, ain’t she? What’s there not to love about her?!” Monty was soon pulled into an extremely long conversation about [F/N], though he did like her himself in a friendly/motherly way, the way Sundrop talked about her nonstop was making his ears bled.

“Just bring me up in a conversation and I promise you, my sunbite will be talking nonstop.” Monty scoffed, crossing his arms.

“That’s a little narcissistic, don’t you think?” she huffs, shrugging her shoulders.

“I’m just saying, it’s an amazing conversation started with him.” he lets out a silent groan, taking a seat on the ground while slapping a hand onto his face and dragging it down.

‘Dammit, I hate it when she’s right.’ she giggles when she saw the face he was making from where she was, already knowing what he was thinking. She didn’t waste any of them time that was given to her and cleaned up the room to the best of her abilities, questioning why there was a dismantled staff bot in pieces in their room but decided to leave it at that and just throw it down the hallway. She kept all the drawings and stuffed toys in their area along with other items that seemed to have some significant meaning in to Sun. If she had a human nose and eyes, she would have be left in a coughing and sneezing fit from the amount of dust and dirt the room had, it was revolting.

“How could management do this to poor sunny? After everything he’s done as the Daycare Attendant.” she shakes her head and continues to clean his room, when she managed to get it in order, she pulled in the things that she swiped from around the Pizza Plex to decorate his room.

“How long do you think you’re gonna be, cher?” she perks up at the sound of Monty’s voice “Sure, he’s been talking about you for nearly two hours and a half, but I think he’s running out of things to say. Give me something else to talk about with him!” she sighs, she quietly puts down the box in her hand and takes a peek through his curtains once more and saw that Sundrop was running out of things to blabber about her.

“Hmm… talk about glitter glue or the children. He’s quite obsessed with that.” Monty pulls a face.

“The glue or the children?” he looks up at her and sees her wink, he grumbles, she ducks away and Monty looked back at Sundrop when he raised his head “A little birdy told me that you like glitter glue, hah, what color?” he was seriously regretting taking this favor, she just shook her head when she heard Sundrop cheer happily about how good glitter glue taste… wait, taste? She is going to need to sit him down for that. She stands proudly at her almost finished masterpiece, she just needed to add a few little things and she’ll be done. She picked up the box of glow in the dark items and trudges over to the makeshift tent she set up but cursed to herself when her legs got caught in a loose sheet.

“Oh shit!” she shouts before collapsing to the ground, both Monty and Sundrop jolt up at the loud noise.

“What was that?” Sundrop questioned, standing up and looking over at the balcony that led to his room “Is someone… in my room?” Monty noticed the panicked look on his face and the sudden urgency to go check what that was took over his system.

“Oh shit, whatever you did cher, it’s got his attention!”

“Then distract him, you lousy gator!” he growls, he looks for anything that could get his attention and talking to him wasn’t going to do anything anymore, soon enough the memory of [F/N] telling him that Sundrop will drop everything to clean up a mess came to mind. Sundrop was in the middle of calling down the cable when he heard something clatter, turning around, he let out gasp when he saw that it was Monty kicking down the pile of blocks.

“Whoops.”

“Ah! Oh, no! What a mess! Clean up, clean up!” Monty lets out a breath when he noticed that Sundrop rushed over to clean up the mess.

“You better almost be finished, because I don’t know how long I can keep him distract like this.”

“I know, I’m almost done!” she rushes to stand up and clean up the mess she made and put the items she dropped in the places they were supposed to go, meanwhile, Sundrop was growing more and more agitated with the constant mess Monty would make just as he cleaned the last one. A visible tick mark appeared on his forehead when Monty threw a table, the contents that were on said table fell to the ground with a clatter.

“What is your problem, Monty?!” he shouts, in return, he grumbles under his breath when Monty merely shrugged his shoulders.

“Butter fingers.” he pinches the bridge of his nose as he inhales deeply.

“You know what? Forget it, you’re wasting my time.” a panicked look immediately washed onto his face when Sundrop gave up cleaning up the messes and called down the cable once more.

‘Cher hasn’t told me if she was done yet, and I don’t think he’s going to respond to anything I do anymore!’ he tried to tackle him down but fell short when Sundrop was lifted off the ground and now flew over to the balcony that led to his room to investigate the noise “Oh no.” Sundrop grumbles under his breath as he pulls the curtains back to see what could possibly be in his room but his body completely froze up at the sight,

“I wonder how this looks…” he turned his head and there he saw [F/N] leaning side to side to get a good angle of the stuff toy of Moon that was sitting on a little box in a corner dedicated to all the drawings and gifts the both of them had gotten from the children. She then shook her head and grabbed the toy, however, she looked at it longer and even caressed it with the back to her hand “I really do hope you and Sun like what I’ve don—”

“Starshine?”

“Kyaah!!” she screamed in absolute fright, not expecting to hear his voice, and even threw the toy in the air, to which Sundrop caught before it hit the ground. She whipped her head around and she was surprised it didn’t snap off with how brutal it was, when she saw Sundrop her jaw dropped before she looked outside the opening to the balcony “Montgomery! You had one job! One!” from where he was laying, he pushed himself up and gave her a look.

“I did what I could, dammit! And I tried to warn you, but you didn’t listen!” she lets out a sigh, slapping a hand onto her face.

“Lousy gator…” she looked down at Sundrop and saw that he was looking around his newly improved room, she couldn’t really tell if he liked it or not, he was quiet and it was scaring her “Sur… surprise! Well, it’s not really a surprise because you came in before I could finish, but it’s the thought that counts, no? Um, I know you didn’t want me to ever come in here, but I had to when you were on low power and I needed to put you on charge, and when I saw the state of your room I thought I could give it a touch up. I hope you and Moon don’t mind…” she grew even more nervous when he still hadn’t spoken yet, curiously leaning side to side to try and see if a reaction out of hill

“Nnngh…” her eyes opened in shock when she heard a whimper come out of his voice box, she gasps when black tears of oil start leaking out of the cracks of his eyes “You did this… all for us?” she nods her head and that was enough for him to burst out into a crying fit.

“O-Oh, do you not like it? Was it wrong of me to change your room up?” she stumbles back a little when he jumped up and wrapped his arms around her neck, kicking his legs back and forth as he dug his face into her neck.

“How could I not like it? I absolutely love it!” he pulls away as he hands hold his waist to keep him from falling, he sniffles as he gives her a tearful smile “This is one of the loveliest things anyone has ever done for me— for us. We would be fools if we didn’t love what you’ve done.” Sundrop’s brows perk up when he saw her face turn a light shade of red as she started overheating, he giggles softly when he heard her fans whirl to cool her down.

“O-Oh, is that so? Then I’m glad.” he hums and leans into her body once more and she didn’t hesitate to return the affection, she then thrusts a thumbs up through the curtain, Monty notices and returns the gesture. She soon puts him down and shows him what she’s done to his room. Not only did she clean it to the point there wasn’t a speck of dust, she managed to set up some wallpaper that matched both his and Moon’s aesthetic. She set up a tent that was similar to her own in the daycare as his resting place that was filled with pillows, toys and blankets with stars and planets that hung from top of it. She even set up fairy lights around the room and tent, she even made a spot that was dedicated to all the gifts he and Moon got from the children, his face grew red when he noticed the one of him and her surrounded by hearts.

“This is so lovely, thank you, [F/N].” she smiles brightly before lighting up in remembrance.

“I almost forgot!” she exclaims, his face drops slightly when she raised her hand and reached over to the light switch, she noticed his change in mood so she raised her other hand to gently grab his hand “I know you didn’t get to marvel as long as you wanted, but this little feature I added needs the lights to be off, and wouldn’t it be fair for my moonlight to get to have his turn to see his new room, my sunbite?” he pouts but nods nonetheless.

“I guess.” she smiles and presses a kiss to his cheek, this was enough to get him to comply.

“Thank you.” she continued to hold his hand as she flicked the light off, when Moondrop came to be, he looked around in awe at the new room before letting out an oh when [F/N] pulled him forward while pointing upwards “Look up.” he does so and gasps softly when she managed to decorate the ceiling with stars that glowed in the dark.

“Starshine…” he whispers, she leaned down slightly, nuzzling her cheek against his.

“Do you like my surprise?” he chuckles, looking up at her with a bright smile.

“What’s there not to like?” she giggles sheepishly when he wrapped his arms around her neck and proceeds to kiss her, she hums into the kiss as she stumbles back into the tent, her back falling into the plush pillows. He laid on top of her as he pulled away, she hums softly as she brushes his cheek with the back of her knuckles, Moon purrs as he takes her hand into his “We love you, our gorgeous star.”

“And I love you two, my twin jesters.”

Headcanons:

they had to open the daycare a little later than usual because they overslept, but also because sun was looking at everything new in their new room.

sun had practically begged [f/n] to move her tent into their room so they could be roomies, plus he just wanted her to be closer to them.

as promised for his work, for three months, [f/n] complied with all his wishes and practically kicked his ass when it came down to rough housing and monty golf.

she won against him for sun and moon.

they cheered like the wonderful boyfriends they are.

sun and moon try to return the favor by adding trinkets to her side of their room.

she would return to her tent and find drawings of the three of them together, and it would make her day.

sometimes she would find a stuffed toy of an jellyfish.

there were no toys made for her so when she asked where they go it from, they admitted that they asked chica to teach them how to sew.

she cried and hugged the toy close.

the stuffed jellyfish was added to the collection of gifts, placed in between the sun and moon plush toys.

sometimes neither side would sleep in their respective tents.

meaning, moon would pull out the pillows and blankets and place them in between the tents so they could snuggle together.

it always did comfort sun waking up in [f/n]’s arms.

parts and service appreciated the fact that [f/n] was sun and moon’s anchor, especially moon, because now moon spent every night with her instead of wondering around the pizza plex and destroying bots.

the daycare has never been more brighter.


Tags
2 years ago

Siblings pt. 2

word count: 28,395

Fandom: Stranger Things Pairing: Robin Buckley + Steve Harrington x Female!Harrington!Reader Pronouns: She/Her Relationship: Romantic/Familial Occupation: University Student Ability: N/A

Keys:

[F/N]: Female Name [L/N]: Last Name [N/N]: Nickname [H/C]: Hair Color [E/C]: Eye Color

Warnings: flayed reader, angst, violence, blood, vulgar language, murder, character death

“Siblings” pt.1, pt.3

@eddiemunsonsmiddlefingers​ has a map of hawkins and I’m constantly using that to reference where shit is. it’s awfully helpful.

I wasn’t planning on making a part two to this story but I suddenly got an idea from a line I kept repeating in my head and thought “why the hell not” to the point I might make this a story.

so I was going to write the scene where el saw billy’s happiest memory but chose against it, since we all know what it is, I’m not going to bother and just write [f/n]’s.

might eventually make this a story on my wattpad account because I dove too deep into this.

I rushed the ending, it sucks but I needed to finish this to settle my mind.

that is all.

image

“You know? I’d probably find that downright hilarious if not for the fact that you’re dating my brother, Billy.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, really. Plus, that bitch is weird. There’s actually a word in the dictionary for what she’s doing.”

“And what might that be?”

“Grooming.”

[F/N] and Billy were having one of their late night hangouts at the Hideout, sitting at the bar drinking alcohol, not really shit faced yet but they were slowly getting there. Billy was in the midst of telling [F/N] the reoccurring times Karen Wheeler, mother of Nancy and Mike Wheeler, has been opening flirting with Billy. She remembered the first time Billy had told her about this, of course she was weirded out about it but she laughed that this grown ass married woman was flirting with a guy that was about two decades younger than her, basically the same age as her eldest daughter! She would’ve laughed again when he flirted back with her, just to get her off his ass, but now he and her brother were in a relationship. The four of them would never make their relationship public, never. They’ve simply stuck to being friends on the outside, but when they’re alone, they do all things a couple would do. Sometimes when they’re on a double date, people would always mistake Billy and [F/N] as a couple as well as Steve and Robin, mostly because each duo were always seen together. They took advantage of that, so whenever either Billy or Robin came over to the Harrington household, there was never bad air lingering around. So sometimes it would fuck [F/N] off when middle aged women would flirt with a minor, knowing that he was in a committed relationship with her! The people of Hawkins were so fucked in the head.

“Doesn’t she make you uncomfortable, Billy?” she asked out of concern, reaching forward to place a hand on his knee and squeezing it lightly “I won’t bring this up with Steve, but you know in this town, word travels fast. Besides, I don’t want him getting worried and getting the wrong idea.” Billy softly nods his head.

“I know. That pretty boy would probably lose his shit on me first, then go after that Wheeler.” they both look up in thought, trying to imagine the thought of Steve going apeshit on Nancy’s mother, they were almost tempted to tell him just to see it happen to the point that burst out into laughter “He is your brother, so if he’s anything like you, he’ll probably beat the shit out of her!” she throws her head back with a laugh.

“Hah! As much as I agree with that, he respects women now. He’d probably ask me to drag her out by her hair, to which I will gladly do it!” they laugh again before grabbing their drinks and raising it up “To Steve potentially losing his shit on Wheeler’s mum!” they clink drinks before proceeding to down it, when they finish their drinks Billy raised his empty bottle to the bartender.

“Two more, please!” since the two of them drove to the Hideout, and the fact they had things to do early in the morning, they couldn’t get totally hammered so after a few drinks they later stuck to drinking water to sober themselves up then continued chatting or peacefully listening to the music that the Hideout had or the few indie bands that performed that night. After a couple hours of having fun they finally decided to drag themselves out and back to their cars, however, they were both leaning on each other to help each other walk whilst laughing and giggling to themselves. Billy’s laughter echoed throughout the car park as he watched [F/N] collapse to the ground and nearly face plant into the side of her front bumper but managed to catch herself before she gave herself a bleeding nose and possibly a concussion “Will you be alright, Harrington?” she waves her hand to brush him off.

“Please, you’re just as shit faced as I am.” they start laughing again before settling in their cars, [F/N] rolls down her window to let the wind blow through her car after starting her car before briefly pausing when Billy flashed his lights at her, she raised a brow at him then narrowed her eyes when she saw him smirk at her “The fuck are you looking at me like that Hargrove?” his smirk only widens when he revved the engine of his Camaro.

“How’s about a little race? I wanna give my pretty boy a little smooch before going home.” she scoffed, rolling her eyes.

“Gross, I don’t need to know that.” she hummed in thought before raising her finger “I’ll race yah after seeing Robin, alright? We’re passing her house, and I wanna see her if you’re gonna see my brother.” Billy shrugs his shoulder with a laugh, brushing his hair out of his face. 

“Alright, might wanna tell your girlie that you’re gonna lose after I smoke your ass back to your place.” she scoffed.

“Whatever.” they both laugh and finally pull out of the parking lot. Robin was currently laying on her back, head bobbing softly as she listened to the music coming from her headphones playing through her cassette player. [F/N] graciously made her a mixtape of songs that they both liked, she smiled as she remembered that memory fondly. Because of the wealth the Harrington name held, [F/N] would always buy her expensive gifts after hearing the type of lifestyle she had grown up in. As lovely as each gift was, Robin asked her for something sentimental instead of jewellery like necklaces and earrings and rings (though she does appreciate them and wears them on special occasions), Steve told her that [F/N] had been hauled up in her room ever since then and when she came to pick her up, [F/N] presented her the mixtape. She’s probably listened to the entire playlist on repeats so many times that she can remembered ever song in order, but she just can’t help it, she was so in love. 

*TAP*

*TAP*

“Hmm?” she hums out in confusion, just briefly hearing the sound of tapping when the song faded out. She pulled the headphones off her head and looked around in confusion, she got a little angry when she thought that it was her siblings fucking with her but stopped when the tapping was coming from her window. She pushed herself upright and a big smile appeared on her face when she saw [F/N], who was currently looking down and talking to someone before raising her head to look at Robin once more, wobbling back and forward “[F/N]?” she muttered softly in question before stumbling to her feet and rushing to the window, throwing it open to greet her girlfriend, only to wince at the stench of alcohol and cigarettes coming from her breath.

“Robin~” she cooed out with a shout, only to shush herself when Robin raised a finger to her lips while shaking her head so she in turn covered her mouth with her hands “Sorry, sorry, I just missed you.” Robin rolled her eyes.

“We saw each other a couple hours ago.” she giggled to herself when she saw a flash of confusion come across her face before she nodded her head.

“Oh, you’re right… but I wanted to see you again.” Robin shook her head once more with a soft smile, she then realised that there was quite a distance from the ground and her window so she leaned forward whilst looking down and had to slap a hand over her mouth to quiet herself when she saw that [F/N] perched herself on Billy’s shoulders, to which he was just as equally drunk and could barely stand straight “Oh yeah, and Billy is here as well.” he looks up and gives a grin, saluting Robin, to which she returns to gesture.

“Howdy.”  “Hi?” she chuckles and looks back at [F/N], to which she was grinning ear to ear as she leaned forward, closing the small gap between them and pressing a small peck on her lips “What’s with the kiss, [F/N]? Not that I don’t like it.” the slightly drunk girl smiled at her, winking softly.

“Thought I’d drop by and give you a goodnight kiss, why? Don’t want any?” Robin scoffed before reaching forward, grabbing [F/N] by her cheeks and pulling her into a kiss. Robin couldn’t help but let out a groan when she could taste the alcohol and cigarettes against her tongue, she briefly pulled away but was only brought into another kiss when [F/N] grabbed her by the back of her neck to keep her still. By the time they separate [F/N] was grinning ear to ear, Robin flustered up a little when she saw the left over lipstick from her lips smudge across [F/N]’s neck “I’ll see you in the morning, sweets?” Robin giggled, wrapping a strand of her hair around her finger and twirling it around.

“Mm hmm.” Robin and [F/N] were giggling at each other before [F/N] started falling backwards, she let out a startled yelp and looked down at Billy and saw he lost his footing and couldn’t hold her up anymore and was starting to fall backwards, to which she tried to grab Robin’s windowsill to save herself but it slipped right under her grasp and the two of them fell to the ground with a loud thud. Robin gasped and stuck her head out of the window to see if they were alright, shaking her head slightly with a tired smile on her face when she saw the two of them slightly dazed and groaning.

“Nice one, Billy…” she murmured under her breath, grunting softly when he slapped her leg.

“You’re fat.”

“You’re weak.” he scoffs at her before proceeding throw her legs off of him, they then pull themselves to their feet and start retreating back to their cars, [F/N] sparing Robin one last glance followed by a kiss then finally scurried into her car. Robin sighed dreamily when [F/N] waved her goodbye as she and Billy drove off, she closed her eyes then pushed herself back into her room where she collapsed into her bed, smiling like a dork when all she could think of was how lucky she was to finally have someone that loves her. Speaking of which, [F/N] and Billy were gunning it down the streets, they were going to have to deal with the police and Hopper later but they didn’t give a shit as they sped down the empty streets of Hawkins, laughing wildly. They took a slight detour just so their moment of fun could last a little longer, that’s where they found themselves side by side, the both of them trying their best to get ahead of the other.

“We should’ve made a bet, Harrington!” he shouts at her, she scoffs and looks back at him.

“Oh, yeah? Then how about the first one back to my house has to buy us both gas for our cars for three weeks!” he smirks at that.

“Then I hope your wallet can handle the expenses of gas because you’re on!” he lets out a laugh as he shifts gears while putting more pressure on the gas, she grimaced when she saw him get a head of her and was creating some distance. She knew his Camaro was significantly faster in comparison to her Mustang, but that didn’t mean she didn’t have a few tricks up her sleeves to keep up with him. Billy looked into his rear view mirror and saw [F/N] hot on his tail, he licked his lips with a laugh as he turned his attention back to the road ahead of him, he had this in the ba— he lets out a shout when something flew into the windscreen. [F/N] let out a confused noise when she saw Billy swerving around but when she saw that she was still speeding towards him, evidently going to crash into him, she lets out a shout and slammed on the breaks and quickly swerved out of the way before she could hit Billy. She managed to get control of her car as it comes to a halt, she was breathing heavily at what happened before remembering about Billy.

“Oh my god, Billy!” she shouts, jumping out of her car and running over to see if he was alright “Billy! Shit!” she runs over to his car and winced at the state of it, she moves over to the drivers side and opened the door.

“Piece of shit…” she heard him groan out.

“Are you okay, Billy?” he sucked in a breath, pushing himself back into his seat then raised a hand to press against his forehead, wincing when his hand touched his bleeding forehead “Shit, you’re bleeding.” he scoffs at her.

“No shit.” she frowns at him, reaching forward to cup his face and make him look at her. 

“God, I hope you don’t have a concussion.” he smacks her hands off of him then gestures for her to move, she does so but ultimately helps him out of the car.

“Just great, this is just fucking great.” he mutters to himself as he looks at the state of his Camaro, she in turn approached the front of his car and saw the cracked windscreen, she furrowed her brows in confusion and mild disgust when she saw some sort of slime on the windscreen where it was cracked. She reached forward and gently touched it, only to regret it as she shudder at the feeling, she wiped it off against her pants “Fuck, this is going to cost a fucking fortune to repair.” Billy threads his fingers through his hair, at the verge of yanking them out of his scalp but calmed down slightly when [F/N] placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t worry about it, Hargrove. I’ll help pay for it… with my parents money.” he scoffs, shoving her back softly to sit on the hood of his car.

“I don’t think they’ll appreciate the loss of money in their account.” she scoffs right back at him, sitting down beside him and offering him a cigarette, to which he graciously took and let her light it, enjoying the feeling of the nicotine filling his lungs then letting it all out.

“Please, I’ll be lucky if they notice a couple grand is missing.” the two of them start smoking away, she sniffles a little as she let the cigarette hang loosely by her lips “Perhaps this wasn’t a good idea on our part. We’re drunk, possibly high and extremely tired.” Billy rolls his eyes, taking the cigarette from his lips and held it in between his fingers.

“Yeah, but we’re both competitive and like to win.” she pursed her lips.

“True.” they fist bump each other “Anyways, what hit your car? A bird?” he shrugs his shoulders.

“Not sure, was going way too fast to get a glimpse of what it was.” she looked back at where they were previously then looked around at their surroundings, she suddenly felt a chill run down her back as the abandoned steel works factory loomed over them, she swallows thickly then turned back to Billy and gestured to her car.

“How’s about we get the fuck out of here? This place is giving me the heebie jeebies. I’ll be even more generous as to let you stay at our place while someone looks over your car, I personally know a good mechanic that can get your baby whipped back up into shape in no time.” he looked liked he was considering that option, he then winces when she cupped his face once more and looked at his bleeding forehead “But after we take care of this, I don’t want Stevie getting worried about this.” he nods his head.

“Agreed… we’re not telling him about this, right?”

“Are you crazy? Fuck no.” they both stand up but whipped their heads in the direction they heard something shuffle.

“Who’s there?!” Billy shouts, neither get a reply “I said who’s there?!” [F/N] shook her head, noticing that Billy was getting paranoid. Before she could say anything Billy’s feet were suddenly swept out from under him, he all but dropped to the ground before he was being dragged away. He desperately clawed at the ground to stop himself but there just wasn’t anything to cling onto, this continued as he was dragged through the factory and as he was going to be pulled down into the lower level of the factory he managed to grab a hold of the railing of the stairs. He clung onto it desperately, panic coursing throughout his body when he could feel his grip slowly slipping and when it did he expected to be dragged down the staircase but [F/N] caught him.

“I… got you!” she strains out, her grip on him deathly tight as she tried to pull him back but her feet where being dragged forward. She tries to dig the heels of her feet into the ground to keep herself from moving any further, their sweaty hands weren’t helping their predicament because she did lose her hold on his left hand but she quickly grabbed the railing. All this was for naught when something slithered around her ankle and yanked her, she fell to the ground with a thud with Billy on top of her before they were both dragged down the stairs into basement. The moment the two of them came face to face with this weird goopy looking thing they couldn’t help but scream at the top of their lungs as it roared at them, holding each other right as it loomed over them. The next few moments were silent, just the sound of chains swaying in the soft wind followed by quiet rumbling, this moment was interrupted when both Billy and [F/N] managed to pull themselves out of the basement. [F/N] starts pushing Billy and herself away but they both stumble to the ground, pushing themselves back as they spare a glance back at the entrance to the basement and shudder when they hear a roar come from that thing. Billy pulls himself onto his feet first and grabs [F/N] by the back of her jacket to yank her to her feet, she’s holding onto his arm as they’re scrambling out of the factory and rushing to their respective cars. They don’t waste a second to drive the fuck out of there, Billy driving ahead of [F/N] but he pulls to the side when he saw a phone booth, neither of them turn their cars off as they jump out but Billy makes it into the phone booth to make the call while [F/N] stood outside, breathing heavily as she kept looking back towards the direction they came from.

”911, what’s your emergency?” Billy goes to speak but the words got caught in his throat, I mean, how could it not? What the fuck was he supposed to say? Hey, my friend and I got in a car accident because we were drunk then we found this weird fucking monster, send help right away please! The two of them started to panic when the light in the phone booth started flickering as their surroundings changed ”Is someone there? Hello—” the voice cut off when the light completely turned off, Billy hangs up the phone as he walks out of the phone booth. He hears a noise and starts walking towards it, flinching slightly when he felt something so he glanced down and saw [F/N] just as equally terrified as he was holding onto his arm and hand. He places his free hand on her shoulder then the two of them walked towards the fog where they heard footsteps coming towards them.

“What do you want?” Billy manages to croak out, voice shaky and not sounding like his usual self “Hey, I said what do you want?!” he was desperate for an answer but the two of them started to panic again when they saw a group of people coming towards them. Red lightning struck as the group of people came to a halt, instead two people from the crowd came walking towards them and they both equally froze when their vision cleared up and they were staring right back at themselves.

[time skip: the next day]

Steve stood in front of his full body mirror as he does his hair up, something he always does in the morning though it was usually done for naught because of that stupid little hat he has to wear that was apart of the uniform that was just as stupid. He sets his hairspray on his desk, looking at his iconic hair and touching it up for the nth time of that morning before nodding his head when he was satisfied with how it looked. With everything ready he picked up his keys and tucked them into his pocket then walked out of his bedroom with an extra skip on his step in his step, things were finally looking up for him that he couldn’t not be happy. His sister was home for the summer break, he’s actually enjoying work (kind of), he’s made friends with the girl at said work, his sister is dating said girl while he himself has gotten himself into a relationship that first started off rocky but evidently he fell in love with him. He wasn’t expecting to see his sister as he walked past her room, she was always gone in the morning to go pick up Robin, but he halted at her door when he saw the state she was in.

“[F/N]…?” he muttered softly, pushing open her door that was left open just a bit and his eyes widened when he saw her. She was sitting hunched over at the edge of her bed, elbows planted on her knees as her head rested on her interlocked fingers. She was panting heavily while sweating profusely, she looked downright horrible “Oh my god, [F/N]! Are you okay?” he exclaims as he rushed over to her side, kneeling down to try and get a look at her face and saw her face was pale while her [E/C] eyes were dull from their usual shine.

“Steve…” she weakly breathed out, he moved his hands to gently place a hand on her forehead and quickly withdrew it when he felt a burning sensation under his fingertips.

“You’re burning up, [F/N]!” he shouts then proceeds to push her onto her back so that she was lying on her bed but she shook her head, weakly pushing him back so she could get up.

“No, no… I need to get Robin, I promised to get her.” she weakly hits at his chest, letting out a whine when he grabbed her by her wrists to stop her futile attempts to get him off and gently lays her down on the bed.

“I’ll get her, okay? I think she’ll understand why you couldn’t get her if I tell her that you’re sick, alright? You’ll only worry her if you show up as the mess you are right now, besides, I don’t think you can drive in the state you’re in.” she lets out a groan, slapping her hands onto her face and dragging them down “I’ll open the window so it can help you can cool down, if there isn’t anything in the cabinets I’ll grab some shit from the pharmacy on my way back from work. Don’t do anything that’ll make you feel any worse than you already are.” she chuckles weakly, placing a hand on her chest and looking over at Steve.

“Since when were you the one… to look after me?” he just shook his head, he walks into her bathroom then later came out with a wet cloth to wipe away the sweat on her forehead then placed another wet and cold cloth on her forehead to help cool her down.

“Since my sister was the one that got fucked up in my stead.” she scoffed then hummed when she felt Steve cup her cheek, she leaned into his touch but winced when it got too hot for her liking and jerked away, he sighed sadly and retracted his hand from her “I’ll try and get off early so I can take care of you, alright? Don’t do anything to drastic while I’m gone.” she waves her hand.

“No promises…” she pants out as her hand dropped back down onto her chest, he sighs softly then knelt down to press a kiss to her temple then retreated out of her room to leave for work. Hours go by but not a single thing changed, she only felt worse and worse as she tried to calm her breathing down, tried to stop herself from sweating so much, but the summer heat was just becoming to unbearable. She closed her eyes as she tried breathing through her nose, a horrible mistake on her part when the memory of the night before came flooding back. Her fingers dug into her shirt when the flashing images of those rats scattering along the floor reappeared, being held down by some fucking monster as it forced something into her body. Her eyes snapped opened as she let out a scream, shooting up straight as she continued to pant, she takes the cloth off her head and throws it to the ground as she weakly makes her way to her bathroom. She leans her weight into the sink, her hands gripping onto the sink as her head hung loosely in front of her. She managed to lift her head to stare at her reflection, her vision slowly clearing up so she can get a good look at her reflection but then another flashback from last night appeared before her.

”What do you want…?” she managed to whimper out, her usual personality nowhere to be seen as she leaned closer into Billy’s side, who held onto her tightly but neither one of them could tear their eyes away from their doppelgängers.

”To build.” both doppelgängers said in unison, they even sound like them but their voices were slightly disoriented with a deep, echoing feeling to it. Billy and [F/N] manage to tear their eyes away from them to look at each other, nothing but confusion were seen on their faces ”I want you to build.”

“To build what?” Billy asks.

”What you see.” [F/N] shakes her head.

“I-I… I don’t understand.” they both flinch backwards when that same lightning struck and they were suddenly back on the side of the road, [F/N] all but collapses to her knees as she threads her fingers through her hair, her shoulders trembling at the terror the two of them witnessed. Billy was still standing as he looked around for wherever they could have gone, shaking his head.

“I don’t understand!”

“Ah!” she screamed at her reflection before proceeding to punch it, not bothering to remove her fist when the shattered glass fell into the sink and cut her hand. When her breathing calmed down she pulled her fist and let her trembling hand hang by her side, she took deep breaths through her nose before turning her head to the side “I need to talk to Billy…” she muttered softly then quickly left the bathroom, putting on her shoes and grabbing a jacket that had her keys in her pockets. The drive to the Hawkins community pool felt like a nightmare, her windows were all the way down and her AC was blasting to cool down her overheating body, but what freaked her out was when she was stopped at a red light. She perched her arm on the open window as her finger nervously tapped against the stirring wheel, she hissed in pain when she felt like she was being burn so she glanced down at her hand and furrowed her brows when she saw a burn mark forming on the back of her hand, she immediately pulls her arm back into the car. She pulls up to the pool and quickly hops out of her car, not bothering to lock it up and just simply slams the door shut and rushes into the pool. She spots Billy just as disoriented as she is, she didn’t waste any time to whistle to catch his attention, when his head shot up and looked for her, he managed to spot her waving her hand.

“[F/N]…?” he mumbles in confusion, he pushes himself up when he saw her waving him over, mouthing that they needed to talk. He all but jumps out of his seat and rushes over to her as fast as he could, stumbling with his footing but he managed to reach her in the end, grabbing her by her wrist and dragging her into the changing rooms, the showers specifically “What are you doing here?” she takes a shaky breath, holding her arms and digging her fingers into her jacket.

“Are we not going to talk about last night?” she asked, she inhales sharply as she runs her hands over her face “Have you been seeing things? Hearing things? I feel like I’m losing my mind…” she croaks out, she lets out a yelp when he grabbed her wrist again to look at the burn on her hand.

“What happened here?” her eyes trailed down his arm and noticed a similar looking burn on his elbow, they both started feeling hot again, [F/N] tears her jacket off but that isn’t enough and so Billy shoves her into the shower and turns on the cold water. They both silently soak in the water but start to get distracted when the pain in their burns starts aching, they’re both reaching for their wounds and grimace when they could hear something moving beneath their skin, the moment their hands grazed against the wound a flash of a monster appeared in their heads followed by high pitched screeching. They both fall to the ground, clutching their heads in agonising pain, pressing their heads into the tiled walls to try and lessen the pain but nothing was working, they were yelling in pain but it soon came to a halt when they heard a voice.

“Billy…?” [F/N] couldn’t recognise it, the two of them managed to push themselves back to lean against the wall behind them as they watched the girl kneel down in front of them “Billy. Take me to him.” they both stare at her in confusion.

“What?” they mutter.

“I said are you hurt?” she then looked in between the both of them as they continued to stare at her “What’s going on? I heard screaming. Should I call an ambulance?” she asked out of genuine concern, she then slowly backed away when she noticed the look of pain and confusion disappear and was replaced with one of malice. She lets out a scream when [F/N] shoots towards her, her hand slamming against her mouth to muffle her screams of terror whilst her other hand held both her wrists in an iron grip.

“I’m so sorry about this.” she whispers, she then pulls her up then slammed the back of her head against the ground to knock her unconscious. Both herself and Billy stand up and stare down at the unconscious girl then looked at each other and nodded.

[time skip: starcourt mall, scoops ahoy]

Robin felt a little deflated that entire day, first she wasn’t able to see [F/N] and Steve was the one to pick her up in her stead. She was confused when the younger Harrington pulled up to her house and so she obviously asked where her girlfriend was, the answer she got was a worried looking Steve telling her how awful [F/N] was and that she was very sick to the point she could barely move. Sure, she was worried for her girlfriend and completely understood why she couldn’t come get her, but she just couldn’t understand how she got sick. Last night she looked completely fine, only being a little tipsy but other than that, she was fine. Robin now found herself serving free samples to some little girl that was slowly getting on her last nerve, ready to pop a nerve, but then the sight of [H/C] hair her eyes.

“[F/N]?” she mumbled under her breath, wasn’t she supposed to be lying down in her bed at home? She shook her head and turned towards the window into the back room, throwing it open to get Steve and his little friend Dustin’s attention “Hey, Harrington! Man the counter, will you? I need to go check something out!” she shouts, choosing to ignore his shouts of protest as she abandons the counter and rushes out of the store, pushing past people to check if who she saw was actually her girlfriend. Her face lights up when she heard her familiar laughter so she turned the corner and was going to greet her but froze up at what she saw, there she saw [F/N] talking with some guy as he openly flirted and joked with and she was laughing at it.

“That is the dumbest pick up line I’ve ever heard, you dork.” he scoffs, bumping his shoulder against hers.

“But it made you smile, didn’t it?” she then shoved him back, not being able to hide the big smile on her face.

“Barely.” her heart dropped into her stomach when she saw [F/N] grab the guy by the collar of his jacket and pull him back, the two of them stumbling out of view. Robin grits her teeth and rushes over to where the two disappeared, she rounded the corner but was left flabbergasted when she saw neither of them, they just simply vanished. Maybe she was just seeing things, maybe she was just desperate to see [F/N] that she conjured her up, but why the hell was she shamelessly flirting with some random fucker? The end of the night came sooner than later, from seeing her girlfriend with some guy to helping her brother and some random child with a Russian translation, she was currently sitting in Steve’s passenger seat as he drove them to his house.

“Is she really sick?” Steve let out a dramatic sigh, rolling his eyes.

“Yes! How many times do I have to tell you, Robin? What you saw was definitely not [F/N]. For one, she’d never flirt with a guy. Two, she’d never let a guy flirt with her, because she’d either fight them or throw up.” that option made her chuckle, that sounded like her “My sister isn’t the type of person to cheat, okay? She actually beat that into me, so I highly doubt she would ever do something so frivolous.” Robin sighed, the back of her head hitting the car seat.

“I know… I think I’m just getting paranoid.” she jolts in her seat when Steve placed his hand on her shoulder, she looked at him and saw him giving her a reassuring look.

“Robin, if my sister does anything and says anything hurtful to you, you’ll tell me right?” he inhales through his nose and looks back towards the road “She doesn’t do or say things without meaning it. When she said she was in love with you, she meant it. When she said she wanted to be with me, she meant it. So if she somehow says she doesn’t want to be with you anymore… she’ll say it to you straight and she won’t do it behind your back, she isn’t like that. She isn’t one for hiding her feelings and she isn’t afraid to voice her opinions, rarely have I ever seen her bottle up her emotions. I don’t see any reason why she would ever go behind your back, but if she does anything to you that just doesn’t seem right, tell me. I’ll make sure to talk to her, so don’t worry about anything, alright?” she couldn’t help but get a little teary eyed, Steve smiled softly when Robin tearfully nodded her head.

“Alright, thank you.”

“No problem.” Steve then lets out a laugh when he pulled up to their house, gesturing to the driveway “Look at that, Robin! Her car is here.” Robin shrugs, sure, but it doesn’t cross out the possibility that she still left the house. Entering the Harrington household, Steve flips on the hallway lights and shuffles out of his shoes, letting out a slight grunt when Robin shoved past him to rush up the stairs to get to [F/N]. Steve told her that her condition was horrible, that she was sweating profusely and couldn’t stop her body from trembling, going so far as she couldn’t control her breathing. She needed to see this for herself, she needed to see how sick her girlfriend was to calm her mind of the image of her perfectly healthy girlfriend that she saw at the mall with some gu—

“S-Stevie…? Is that you?” Robin jerked backwards a little shocked after throwing the door open, there in the dark room with the hallway light to illuminate the room, was her girlfriend laying on her back whilst clutching her chest, looking just as terrible as Steve described “Stevie…?” she called out once more, she nearly tripped over her feet when she finally managed to move.

“N-No, [F/N], it’s me.” she saw [F/N] perk up at the sound of her voice and so turned her head towards her, smiling weakly when her eyes set on girlfriend.

“Robin…” she cooed, Robin smiled softly and knelt down, placing a hand on her forehead and let her thumb caress her skin “You’re here… why?” they hear Steve clear his throat, he decides not to turn on the light as he took a spot on the other side of Robin, standing over his sick sister who smiled at him.

“She wanted to see you, asking me after our shift to bring her here to check up on you.” Steve decided it would be for the best to keep Robin’s actual intentions a secret from his sister, it was the better option because that reason made [F/N] smile at the both of them.

“Y’all are saps…” she mumbled out, she then reached for Robin and gently tapped her shoulder “I’m sorry I couldn’t pick you up this morning, I feel so awful for leaving you hanging like that.” Robin shook her head, taking her hand into here and squeezing.

“No, no, it’s fine. I’m just glad that your brother came and got me, would have sucked if I have to bike instead.” they both giggle at that, Steve smiled at his sister and her girlfriend, not understanding where Robin ever got the misunderstanding of [F/N] ever betraying her in the worst way. He then pulled a face when he realised why and swore in his head to never voice that stupid thought of his, he reached forward and placed his hand on [F/N]’s cheek and she leaned into his subtle touch.

“Your fever seems to have calmed down a little, did you take some tylenol?” she nods softly.

“Mm, I found some in my cabinet.”

“Alright, that’s good.” Steve has Robin help him with taking care of [F/N] to the best of their abilities, staying with her until she was drifting off to sleep, and when she finally did he pulled her out of the room and closed the door behind them “See? What did I tell you? She never left the house, Robin.” she nods her head, holding her arms.

“I know, I know. I just can’t help but feel insecure, you know? She’s totally out of my league, and yet she wants to be in a relationship with me! A nobody, a weirdo that’s apart of band and is employed in an ice cream shop.” Steve scoffs at that, placing his hands on his hips.

“That’s exactly what she likes about you, Robin. She finds it cool that you can play instruments.” she rolled her eyes bashfully, spinning one of her rings around with her thumb.

“Stop it.” Robin takes on last peek at [F/N] before finally leaving with Steve so he can take her home, it didn’t take long for the younger Harrington to return home nor did it take long for him to fall into a deep sleep. The moment silence fell upon the Harrington household [F/N] eyes shot open and she no longer looked sick anymore, she sat up and threw the covers off her body to reveal the clothes she was wearing were never changed. She shuffles out of her bed and walks over to her locked bathroom, pushing the door open to find the same boy Robin saw her with submerged in cold icy water. [F/N] did indeed see Robin in the corner of her eye when she was at the Starcourt Mall, that was the reason why she pulled that boy into empty hallway but she pulled him into an empty room before Robin could see them and proceeded to choke him out with little to no effort. 

She now found herself back at the abandoned steel works factory, exiting her car, she lifted her head to see Billy was there as well. Neither said a word to the other, just silently moving to the trunks of their cars and opening them up, finding their tied up victims unconscious, Billy lifts Heather into his arms while [F/N] throws the guy over her shoulder and the two of them walk side by side back down into the basement where it all started. Settling the two down, they hover over their unconscious bodies that slowly started regaining consciousness. Of course the two of them were unaware of the situation they were, blinking their eyes as they looked around in confusion, their eyes met and they were both confused when they saw their mouths were duck taped shut while their hands and feet were bound. Panic started to arise as they tried to free themselves, Heather letting out whimpers as she tried to shake free while the guy was screaming under the tape, they were both silenced when Billy grabbed Heather by her shoulders while [F/N] grabbed the other guy by his face and held his jaw in a tight hold.

“Don’t be afraid.” they said in an emotionless tone, both victims ceased their muffled cries and movements “It’ll all be over soon. Just stay very still.” they then remove the tape from their mouths before finally pulling away and stepping back, standing together as the same monster that did something to them crawled out of the shadows towards its latest victims, snarling at them as they screamed in terror. 

Billy and [F/N] could do nothing but watch.

[time skip: two days later]

The two of them continued to collect more and more victims for the monster to turn into mindless zombies, sometimes almost getting caught by their respective siblings, but they always managed to play it off. [F/N] remembered bringing a girl home she met in the middle of town, she recognised her as an old classmate friend and said how she wanted to reconnect. The girl was helpless against the mind controlled girl, struggling under her iron grip as she ties her hands up but was interrupted when the front door to the house was opened and in came walking Steve. He enters the kitchen and there he found his now healthy sister by the counter with an innocent smile on her face, waving her hand to greet him on his return home.  “Anything interesting happen today, [F/N]?” she only shrugged her shoulders.

“Same old, same old.” he was satisfied with the answer and ventures upstairs to his room, unaware of the whimpering girl under the counter wanting to cry out for him to save her from his crazy sister but could only whimper silently when [F/N]’s fingers dug into the meat of her face whenever she felt her struggle. She was now hauling her down into the basement of the factory, she hummed softly when she saw Billy and Heather already down there with two victims of their own “You’ve been busy, huh?” she mused, Billy glanced up at her and saw the girl over her shoulder.

“So have you.” 

[F/N] now found herself sane and sitting in her car, inhaling and exhaling softly as she watched the unknowing people walk by her, not knowing that she was picking out her latest few victims to bring to the monster. A pinch of her sanity was clinging to the back of her mind, she was already losing her mind because she could do nothing but watch her body go around kidnapping people and offering them up to this monster to do who knows what. She takes a deep breath, running her fingers through her hair before her eyes settled on a group of girls, she remembered one of them as a girl she hooked up with a few times while they were still in high school, this could be an easy catch because the other girl still had some lingering feelings for her. She rolls her neck, ready to do what she’s been doing for the past few days but her body suddenly fought against it. There were two fights going on in her mind right now, one was sweet talking this one time fling into bringing her and her friends back home to have some fun, possibly get them wasted out of their minds then bring them back to the factory, but the other was against it. This last piece of her sanity was fighting against that, she didn’t want to flirt with this girl, she didn’t want to tell her words that were rightfully reserved for her girlfriend. She lets out a groan, aching pain throbbing in her head as she tried taking control of her mind but ultimately lost when the pain became to unbearable.

“Don’t make this harder for you than it already is…” she muttered to herself, her voice not sounding like her own. Flicking down her sunglasses, she pulls at the collar of her jacket before finally opening the door to her car just as the girls were walking past her car. This obviously caught their attention, they were already checking out the ridiculously nice car but the moment [F/N] stepped out of the car the girl she hooked up with couldn’t help but freeze up when she saw her long time crush. [F/N] pretended to pay them no mind, throwing her car door shut and locked it, walking past the group of girls and as she walked further away, she stopped when the girl called out to her.

“H-Hey, [F/N]!” her friends snickered at how shaky her voice was as she stuttered over her words, she cursed at them but straightened up when [F/N] turned her head over her shoulder to look at the group.

“Yes?” she swallowed thickly, taking a step forward as she clutched onto the straps of her hand bag.

“D-Do you— do you remember me, by any chance?” her face flushed up when she tilted her head down, her sunglasses slipping down the bridge of her nose so she could see past the tinted lenses and at the girl in question “We were in the same chemistry class? We sat together and did a few projects together?” she was really hoping that [F/N] would remember, she took a step forward as she turned around fully, raising her hand to grab the frames of her glasses and pulled them down as she looked her up and down.

“Chemistry…?” she muttered to herself, looking up in thought then smirked down at her “Right, you’re— you’re Veronica, right? Veronica Gibbons?” her face lights up immensely because [F/N] Harrington remembered her, she actually remembered her! She enthusiastically nodded her head, reaching forward to grab her hand.

“Yes! I’m so happy you remember me.” her friends were giggling from behind her, knowing just how big of a crush she had on the female Harrington, also remembering how much she cried when she left Hawkins to study in a different state, but now she’s back as she has a chance to be with her. She then tilted her head when [F/N] pouted softly, taking off her glasses then biting the end of one of the frames.

“Actually, I’m still having a little trouble remembering, think you can help jog my memory up?” the group of girls giggled at the suggestion, Veronica turned back towards them and saw them gushing at her and giving her the thumbs up, gesturing for her to shoot her shot with [F/N].

“S-Sure.” 

Robin felt like she accomplished a mission. You could really do a lot with just twenty bucks, she exits the post office and stuffed the entire layout of the Starcourt Mall into her bag and jogs over to where she parked her bike, only slowing in pace when she heard soft giggling. Turning to see what the laughter was all about, she saw a group of girls gushing about how lucky their friend was, she thought nothing of it until the name “Harrington” left their lips. She then glanced over at the parked Mustang and immediately recognised it as [F/N]’s car, she then noticed that they kept glancing back towards the little alleyway and her insecurities started getting the best of her again. The name “Veronica Gibbons” left their loose lips and more thoughts started circulating in her head, she remembered that girl. She was definitely one of the best looking students during her year at Hawkins High School, she was that iconic popular girl that did cheerleading, was beautiful, smart and was wanted by the entirety of the male population. But there was a rumour that she was into girls, that she was into the particular Harrington that was untouchable, a heartbreaker who’s heart would never beat for anyone but her brother.

She didn’t hesitate to drop her bag on the ground and rush over to the alleyway, turning the corner and her heart stopped when she saw it. Veronica was pushing [F/N] back against the wall, her hands tightly gripping onto [F/N]’s biceps as she pressed her lips against her own. [F/N] didn’t bother reciprocating the loveless kiss, just let the shorter one of the two take the lead as she desperately kissed her. She tried not to think about it, she tried so hard not to think how awful she feels for playing with this girls feelings just because she couldn’t control her own body, she didn’t want to think about how much this was going to hurt Robin, but what she doesn’t know won’t hurt her. Veronica pulled away and gave [F/N] a sheepish smile, flushing up when she noticed that her lipstick smeared onto her lips, she turns away to avoid her intense gaze but a gasp left her lips when she noticed a figure at the end of the alleyway.

“[F/N]…?” her heart dropped into her stomach, visible fear in her eyes that were hidden under the tinted lenses of her sunglasses. Robin gritted her teeth when she saw Veronica pushed herself off of [F/N], clearing her throat and fixing herself up, excusing herself from the heartbroken Robin as she tearfully gazed at [F/N], who had yet to acknowledge her existence “[F/N], please… tell me that what I saw didn’t really happen.” [F/N] just let out a sigh, crossing her arms and leaned against the brick wall behind her, finally sparing Robin a glance that just wasn’t kind.

“What’s there to talk about?” Robin’s hand clenched into a tight fist, whoever this person was, it wasn’t her [F/N]. Her loving and sweet [F/N] who’d give her the world, who would fight the world just to see her happy, whoever this imposter was, she hated their guts for what they’ve done with her girlfriend. She marches over to her and stood in front of her, glaring up at her with a tearful gaze and saw that [F/N] had an indifferent expression on her face, like she didn’t care that she just got caught “You seem upset, little birdie.” she cooed out, Robin nearly keened at the nickname, any other time she would turn red, but right now she was filled with anger and anguish.

“Is this just a joke, [F/N]? Are you not going to acknowledge the fact that I just caught you kissing another girl, or the fact that you let that girl kiss you despite already being in a relationship with me?! Is she another relative of yours you and Steve forgot to bring up? If that’s the case, that’s really fucking weird.” Robin turns away, running a hand through her hair than back at her “I thought you loved me, [F/N]. I thought you said you wanted to be with me, but as of lately, I feel like you’ve become an entirely different person. Ever since that night, I haven’t seen a trace of the girl that said she was in love with me. What the fuck has happened to you, [F/N]!” Robin continued to rant and rave at the betrayal and [F/N] just took it, because another war was raging on in her head.

Take her.

Not her.

Bring her.

Ignore her.

Kill her. 

Spare her.

[F/N]’s fingers clawed at the wall behind her, her nails digging into the bricks to the point they were being crushed under her hold. Her teeth were biting down so hard on her lips to the point they were bleeding, she was trying to distract herself from the grotesque thought of bringing one of the few people that she loves to that fucking thing. She was trying so hard the past two days to avoid Steve and Robin, she was trying so hard to limit her time with those two because if she was with them for more than a couple minutes then she would lose all control of her body and she would hurt them. That was the last thing that she wanted, she didn’t want to hurt them, she didn’t want them to die all because she made one stupid decision. She said nothing as Robin continued to question what their relationship has come to after two days of her acting off, she wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around Robin and tell her everything, tell her that everything is going to be okay and that kiss with Veronica whatever meant nothing to her. But she knew the moment her arms were around her, there was no letting go of her, and not for a good reason either. She wanted to do something to keep Robin away, give her a reason to avoid her, to never see her again.

“You’re making me think that everything about our relationship was for nothing!” she shouts, tears now running down her face, oh how she wanted to wipe those tears away but she didn’t want to touch her with the hands that have been the cause of people losing their minds and possibly their lives “Was there absolutely nothing, nothing special about our relationship?” Robin stood their panting in front of [F/N], the girl silently looking down at her.

“… are you done?” she flinched back at the harsh words.

“Wha—”

“Was anything in our relationship special? Wow, you were really deep in that delusional fantasy of yours, huh? Well, let me tell you something, Buckley.” she harshly jabs her finger into Robin’s chest, causing her to stagger backwards as each jab got harsher and harsher at each step she took “Your love for me was nice, it was, but it’s gotten boring. There’s nothing about you that excites me anymore, so yeah, maybe our relationship was for nothing.”

“[F-F/N]…” she lets out a whimper when her back was no pressed against the opposite wall, [F/N] looming over her with a dark look on her face.

“There is no us, not anymore. I don’t need you.” [F/N] makes sure to grab her by the jaw, lifting her up off the ground as she glared down at her “You mean nothing to me.” Robin lets out a whimper when she felt her nails digging into her skin, she spares her a glance through her teary eyes and when she looked into [F/N]’s eyes, there was no warmth but dull and empty eyes staring right back at her. She let out a gasp when [F/N] dropped her, letting her collapse to the ground and grovel at her feet. She turned on her heel and started walking away, ignoring how much she wanted to stop and apologise to Robin, how this isn’t what she wanted but this was the hill she was going to die on if it meant that Robin was safe from her ”And Buckley, don’t even think about telling Stevie about this, not that he’ll even be on your side in the first place. I’m his sister, he loves me, and you? You’re nothing but a coworker he has to put up with.” she didn’t even bother looking back at Robin when she finally left the alleyway, leaving Robin to wallow up with a broken heart as she cried out in anguish.

“[F/N]?” she let out a hum, turning towards Veronica who now sat in her passenger seat while her friends were excitingly sitting in the back “Are you alright?”  “Why wouldn’t I be, sweetheart?” she flushed at the pet name, she points at her face.

“You’re crying…” her eyes widened softly at that, glancing down at her face to see a single tear running down her cheek, she chuckles softly at that and wipes it away with her thumb.

“Just a little dust that got in my eye, nothing to worry about.”

Hours go by and night has enveloped Hawkins, to which [F/N] was currently loading the drunk, unconscious and tied up girls into her car once more. Getting them completely intoxicated took no trouble whatsoever, they were more than happy to get wasted with the more popular Harrington. [F/N] herself was drinking away her sorrows after breaking up with Robin, wanting nothing more then to numb the pain and forget that look of pain and betrayal on Robin’s face, but it’ll forever be burned into the back of her mind. She lets out an exhausted sigh after loading the last of the girls into the backseat, rolling her shoulders after walking back and forward from the house and her car repeatedly. Steve had yet to return from Scoops Ahoy despite how late into the night it was becoming so she was taking his absence as an opportunity to get everything done. Driving to the factory wasn’t as eventful, driving legally to avoid unwanted attention so she doesn’t get pulled over, when she reached the basement she was quite surprised to see the state Billy was in.

“Fuck happened to you?” she questions, quietly offering up the girls to the monster then returned to his side with a rag and some water “You look like you got the shit beaten out of you.” he looked up at her, letting her clean up the blood and sweat “That girl, was it her?” he nods.

“Yeah. It was her.” she nods softly, taking his hand and wiping away the blood on his knuckles “She knows now. She knows about me. She could’ve killed me.” she nods again, she puts the rag down and gently pats his hand.

“Yes, but not us. Not us.” they then glance at the crowd of people they’ve either managed to kidnap altogether or were infected by the rats that were controlled by the monster “There’s no way she’ll know that there are more of us. She could barely handle you, so what makes her think she can handle all of us?”

“You’re right.”  “I know. Our time is nearly upon us, so we needn’t worry until then.”

[the next day, with the party]

The party along with Jonathan and Nancy were all hunkered down in the Wheeler household in the basement, each discussing what had happened the following night and their latest discoveries. The children told the two young adults how the Mind Flayer had returned and that Billy Hargrove was under its control, in return they told the party how an old woman, Mrs Driscoll, was found eating fertiliser and was acting crazy. Nancy then deducted how that since the attack last night along with their sauna test happened at the same time, the possibility of the Mind Flayer flaying more than just Billy.

“Billy was doing something to her, but there was someone else as well.” they all look at El when she spoke up, she looks at Max “There was another girl, but she looked more worried for him.” she closed her eyes to remember seeing Billy, she remembered seeing that girl who looked terrified as she called out for Billy.

“Another girl? What did she look like?” Max urged, maybe if they find this girl she could help them find Billy and maybe even the Mind Flayer.

“Um, she was tall, maybe about Billy’s height. She had [H/C] hair, [E/C] eyes and a few beauty marks on her neck and face.” she closed her eyes to remember any other features that stood out to her “Her eyes, though, her eyes reminded me a lot of Steve’s.” this subtle feature caught Nancy’s attention, her face lighting up in remembrance, this caused the others to look at her when she started snapping her fingers.

“W-Wait— Wait right there.” the others watch as Nancy rushed out of the basement, questioning what she was planning on grabbing, and when she returned she had a handful of polaroids and a few articles “El, is the girl you’re describing… her?” El leans forward to see Nancy was looking through the photos before pushing a certain article towards her, she ignores the headline as her eyes zone in on the picture. They she saw the girl she saw through her vision but this time she had a giant grin on her face, a bit of a crazed expression on her face as she stuck her tongue out while one of her hands was doing the rock on devil horns.

“Y-Yes, yes! That’s who I saw,” Nancy and Jonathan share a look of disbelief “W-Who is she?”  “That’s Steve’s sister! That’s [F/N] Harrington!” this caused the lot of them to lurch forward and look all the pictures of said Harrington “I remember her being back in town, but to think that she and Billy were actually friends.” she muttered under her breath, Max was looking at a picture had in his hands and her eyes widened when she too recognised her face.

“Holy shit.” Max says, now they look at her when they saw her pick up a different photo, this time it was of a polaroid of the girl at a party, sitting on a couch with her legs over the arm rest as she was chugging down an entire bottle of vodka “That’s Billy’s girlfriend.” now Nancy and Jonathan were in even more shock.

“Fucking, what?!” Max nods her head.

“I’ve seen her around the house a couple times, and whenever she’s around he’s a lot more happier. I remember hearing a girls laughter from his room and when I came in to see what it was…” she shudders at the memory, shaking her head “It wasn’t particularly a fun sight.” the certain memory she’s remembering back to was when she, Steve and Robin snuck into Billy’s room through his window with some weed and alcohol they were planning on sharing with each other. None of them had realised Max was home until they heard her calling Billy’s name followed by her footsteps, Robin and Steve were quick to hide away and when [F/N] attempted to jump out the window, she instead tripped over her own feet and landed on top to Billy, that was when Max walked into the room and misunderstood the entire situation. All the residents of the Hargrove/Mayfield household are one hundred percent convinced that the two are in a relationship, this fact was rather beneficial for the both of them.

“I heard rumours going around that Billy was dating [F/N], but I never believed them.” Jonathan admits “But it makes it all the more believable that the two of them were together.”  “Then do you think she’s flayed? Like Billy?” Nancy takes a breath.

“There’s only one way to find out.” they now find themselves driving to the Harrington household, all feeling concerned and anxious. Nancy was the most worried because she’s witnessed firsthand what the older Harrington was capable of, she was already crazy as is and would only tone it down when her younger brother was in the picture. She loved her brother to bits that the moment someone looked at him wrong she didn’t hesitate to beat their asses with a chair, she remembered how she got arrested for nearly beating a kid near death because they threatened to kill her brother. They reap what they sow, no? Pulling up to the house, Jonathan and Nancy recognise the car that’s in the driveway, it was [F/N]’s infamous Mustang that could rival Billy’s Camaro when it came down to public disturbance.

“Is there anything about her that we should be careful about?” Jonathan looks up in thought as they approach the front door.

“Um, if you thought Billy was bad… I’d say she’s worse.” they pale at that, she’s worse than Billy? “But if you get on her good side, she’s actually a pretty decent person, nice even.” Nancy nods her head, agreeing with what he’s saying. The two now stood in front of the two, both equally hesitating to knock because they share an equal fear of the female Harrington, Nancy was the one to take a deep breath and knock on the door. They waited for a while for the door to open, awkwardly looking around to pass the time, they hear stumbling footsteps and a few things getting knocked over before the door was open. Nancy and Jonathan reel backwards when the smell of alcohol hit their faces, there in front of them was the sight of a depressed and intoxicated [F/N] that was leaning against the doorframe to keep herself from falling to the ground while in one of her hands was a bottle of tequila. 

This is not what the party were expecting.

“Who the fff… phuck are you?” [F/N] slurred out, clearly not in the right state of mind and very much drunk.

“Is that you… [F/N]?” Nancy asked, very much unsure that the girl in front of her was the Harrington that she knew. [F/N] was one to get drunk at the oddest times of the day, but it looked like she had been crying, and she does not shed tears for anything or just about anyone. [F/N] giggled drunkenly, swaying softly before lifting the bottle of tequila and taking a long swig from it, letting out a satisfied breath as the alcohol burned her throat.

“Yeah? What’s it to you?” [F/N] was going to ignore the bothersome people who came knocking at her door while she was trying to wallow up in sadness, ready to just outright slam the door in their faces but paused when in her drunken eyes she could just make out who exactly the girl is “W-Who are you?” she stuttered out, Nancy swallows thickly, patting her dress to smooth it out.

“Um, it’s me, Nancy Wheeler?” [F/N]’s blood starts to run cold, sobering up just at the mention of the name “I dated your brother a while ago, and we’ve met a couple times when we weren’t dating?” the silence scared them, maybe it was because [F/N]’s drunken state disappeared as she stared Nancy dead in the eyes and wouldn’t break eye contact no matter how many times Nancy looked away or turned her head away, [F/N] just continued to stare at her. Soon, a soft smile appeared on her face as she chuckled softly, she then leaned down to put the bottle of tequila on the ground then reached forward to grab Nancy by the sides of her head. The others watch in confusion as [F/N] gently caressed her face but it changed when she leaned her head back then slammed her forehead right into the bridge of Nancy’s nose hard enough to break it. She let go of her head and let her fall back onto the ground, not really caring as the girl cried out in pain and clutched onto her nose, she then leans back down to pick up her tequila as the children and Jonathan surround Nancy.

“Oh my god, Nancy!” Mike shouts as he falls to his knees, comforting his sister as she tried to stop her bleeding nose “What is wrong with you?!” he shouts up at [F/N], who once again threw her head back as she downed another swig from her bottle, completely ignoring him.

“I don’t like you, Wheeler.” she sneers out, taking a step forward and glaring down at the girl “I know what my brother did to you and Byers over there back in 83′, as his older sister I apologise, but what you did to him last year? He told me everything, how the girl he wanted to be with said everything between them was bullshit, then went and ran straight into the arms of the guy she told him not to worry about. You should’ve thought twice before showing your face to me, Wheeler, because now you’re on my number one hit list.” she makes the “I’m watching you” gesture with her fingers then turned around to go back into her house, only stopping when Jonathan used his foot to keep the door from closing properly.

“Wait, [F/N]!” she glared at him “We really need to talk to you.” she scoffs, throwing her head back.

“About what?”

“About Billy.” she was in the middle of taking another long swig from her bottle but froze up at the mention of Billy, slowly lowering the bottle to look at the older Byers “We really need to talk about him, and we’d appreciate it if you could tell us everything you know about him that’s happened in the past couple of days.” she stared at the lot of them being letting out a sigh, that’s where they found themselves in [F/N]’s kitchen as her drunken rage turned into a sob fest.

“You know?! I feel like he’s been acting different as of lately, and— and that he’s been distancing himself! I feel like he’s become a completely different person!” she cried from where she was seated, the others all sat across from her as her body moved dramatically “Then he broke up with me, saying how it was for the best! What the fuck does that mean?! Why does breaking up with me the best for us?! I still wanted to be friends, but I couldn’t even have that either! So here I am, drinking myself into a stupor!” she shouts and goes to drink again but let out a whine when nothing came out, pulling it away from her lips and tipping the bottle only for a few droplets to come pouring out. The others all glance at each other and watch as she moved to a wine cabinet to grab a bottle of expensive looking wine.

“She’s totally not flayed, right?” Lucas questioned, Mike shook his head.

“Not a chance.” they all wince when she trips into the wine cabinet, no chance.

“Hey, where can I get some ice?” Jonathan asked, [F/N] looked back towards him before shakily pointing at the fridge.

“Should be some in the freezer, Byers. Help yourself out.” Jonathan nods and goes to get some but Mike was already on his feet to grab it himself, wanting to soothe his sister’s pain, at least Max and El stopped the bleeding. He’s in front of the fridge and about to open the freezer but stopped when he saw a picture hanging on the fridge, taking a closer look, his eyes widened at what he saw. There he saw [F/N], Steve, Billy and that cashier that works with Steve, Robin Buckley if he remembered correctly, standing together with wide smiles and looking happy “Mike, the ice!”

“Oh, right, sorry!” he opens the freezer and grabbed the ice tray, handing it to Jonathan, and closed the freezer door but continued to look at the picture just as [F/N] came over “When did you take this?” she let out a confused noise and leaned forward to see what he was looking at, they all watch as she froze up once again, her hand lifting up from her side to look at the photo. It was during the time when they were at the fair, Steve wanted to take a photo and there was no saying no to Steve. [F/N], Robin, Steve and Billy, in that order, stood together and took a round of different photos and each kept one, right below it with the caption “night of 85′ where it started”. She closed her eyes as a bitter look crossed her face, nothing will be the same ever again and that memory of the four of them happy together will be one of her fondest memories.

“It… doesn’t matter.” she lets out, grabbing the corner of the picture she yanks it off the fridge and tucks it into her pocket “A-Anyways, what’s this about Billy? What’s he done that’s caused you lot to come to me?” El was the one to speak, reaching forward to hold [F/N]’s hand.

“We would like to know if… if you’ve been with him in the past few days, if by chance you’ve been feeling strange.” she stares down at her hand in confusion, she doesn’t pull her hand back though and just simply squeezes it.

“Well, if drinking before five counts as weird, then not particularly, no.” they all sigh at that, she pulls her hand away and crossed her arms, humming to herself whilst looking up in thought “Um, he and that Heather Holloway have been acting weird together. He doesn’t usually hang out with that girl, but the way he talked about her was weird. He even dressed modestly when planning on having dinner with her parents, and that man usually dresses like a complete whore.” they look at her weirdly as she snaps her fingers, she lets out a grunt as she popped the cork off the wine bottle and proceeded to pour herself glass.

“Heather Holloway?” [F/N] nods her head, head falling backwards as she brings the glass to her lips and drinks the wine “Alright, anything else?” she begrudgingly looked off to the side, thinking of anything else that came to mind.

“Uh, he told me he had been planning on visiting this old lady in the hospital? Does that mean anything to you?” she noticed them all visibly flinch, sharing knowing looks with each other “Telling by the looks on your faces, I guess that was helpful?” she questioned, her face scrunched up when Nancy nodded her head in her direction.

“Very!” she bit her tongue and shrunk back when [F/N] glared at her, El grabbed [F/N]’s hand once more and shook it lightly.

“Billy is in trouble, and what you’ve told us has helped our chances on finding him and helping him.” El’s face lifted up when she noticed the way [F/N]’s face softened up at that, she pursed her lips as she averted her eyes from the girl.

“I hope he hasn’t gotten himself into anything too dangerous.” they all hated how that wasn’t the case, with everything they got out of the drunk yet slightly sobering up Harrington, they left just as quickly as they arrived. Will was the last out the door but he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, his hand immediately slaps onto his neck and he turned around to see [F/N] following them out so she can shut the door behind them. She felt his gaze so she looked down at him to see what he wanted, the chill went away when her drunken eyes looked him up and down “What?” he nervously shook his head.

“N-Nothing.” she narrowed her eyes on him but evidently shrugged her shoulders, the moment they were at their car she slammed the door shut, not waiting for them to pull out of the driveway.

“Will, are you alright?” Mike asked, his hand reaching over to gently grab his hand, Will looked up at Mike and gave him a nervous smile as he nodded his head.

“Y-Yeah, I’m good.” [F/N] stood in her empty kitchen, wine glass in her hand as she tapped her finger against the marble countertop. If she played her roll well enough, the group will probably go and investigate the Holloway household then make their way to the hospital to check on poor old Mrs Driscoll, she was now rolling her fingers against the counter.

“Well, why not give them a surprise for snooping in things they shouldn’t go poking their heads in?” she laughs to herself, downing the rest of wine in her glass before proceeding to round a few other flayed people to come help her.

[later at night]

The party arrive at the hospital when the sun was down and it was late into the night, they quickly rush out of the car and towards the hospitals entrance, completely unaware of the Ford Mustang that was parked not to far away from where they were. Per hospital visits, only two people were allowed to visit a patient at a time so Nancy and Jonathan went ahead while the others lingered around the waiting room. The two walk down the hallway to get to Dorris Driscoll’s room in silence, but to be honest, it was a little too quire despite it being a hospital. They hadn’t seen a single nurse or doctor since they arrived at the floor, it was rather unusual but they shrugged it off with that it wasn’t that busy of a night. Entering the room, they were met with the sight of Mrs Driscoll nowhere to be seen while the flowers Nancy brought and placed into a vase were knocked over.

“Where is she?” Jonathan asks as they scan the room, Nancy shakes her head.

“I don’t know.” she answers as she rushes towards the fallen vase, Jonathan following right behind her.

“Are you sure this is the right room?”

“Yeah.” they both then look up when the lights started flicking on and off, footsteps were heard from the hallway until a figure appeared at the door, the two turned around just as the figure spoke.

“She’s gone home.” there they see Tom Holloway, appearance looking disheveled as his hands and end of his button up were covered in blood “We were hoping you might come back.” the two start backing away when Tom enters the room and starts approaching them slowly, Jonathan raises his arm in front of Nancy to keep her behind him as they inched further and further away from Tom.

“Who’s blood is that?” Tom doesn’t answer him as he gets closer to them.

“Tom, whatever you’ve done, it’s not you. He’s making you do this.” now that they were practically within arms length from Tom, Jonathan didn’t take any chances and grabbed the vase, smashing it into the side of Tom’s head. The older man fell into the wall giving Jonathan and Nancy a chance to flee out of the room, they didn’t get far when another flayed appeared down the hall with a wound exactly where Jonathan hit Tom with the vase.

“Owie.” he feigns the pain as he caressed where his temple was bleeding but it healed, black veins bulging out from his temple as he started walking towards them.

“Go, go, go!” Jonathan shouts, pushing Nancy towards the staircase in an attempt to escape the two flayed men. The two of them are racing down the stairs, they aren’t really aware what floor they’re on but they don’t want to take any chances as they’re running down the hall, going further and further they see the dead bodies of the hospital workers, at least they now knew whose blood that was “This way, this way!” he shouts as he pulls Nancy down a part of the hospital that had construction being done, the two men that were chasing them weren’t even running and were just simply walking at a steady pace.

“You haven’t got them yet?” Bruce glanced over to see [F/N] on a chair, body hunched over with her elbows resting on her knees. Beneath her foot was a nurse whimpering, crying silently as [F/N] pressed the heel of her shoe into her head and slowly applied more pressure as the nurse squirmed to get free “How hard is it to grab those two idiots?” she questioned.

“Just playing a little game of cat and mouse, that’s all.” she chuckled cruelly, shaking her head.

“Get them before they cause us more trouble. That girl isn’t here to assist them, so one of you should be enough to handle them both, alright?” he nods his head and rushed off to go find Nancy and Jonathan, not like that would be hard. She finally turned her attention to the crying nurse who looked up at her, eyes pleading with her to let her go “It’s a shame that you weren’t able to see the world he was going to create, but I guess it’s better for you not to stay and find out.” [F/N] then reached over to the axe that was resting against the wall, both her hands and the blade drenched in blood of the various victims that were claimed that night. She now aimlessly walked the hospital halls, whistling a random tune as she felt the flayed Bruce find the two and so she made her way over to where they were, Bruce was chasing after Nancy as she screamed for help while Tom was making his way over to where Jonathan was.

Find them.

Kill them.

Erase them.

Annihilate them.

“They’re working on it.” she murmurs under her breath, getting closer and closer to where Tom was with Jonathan, he was playing with his food. She shook her head, maybe it was wrong to bring those two along with her and she probably should have brought two other peo— she suddenly let out a grunt, her head being thrown back as she stumbled into the wall. She brought a hand to her mouth and saw black blood bleeding from her mouth, she drops the axe when she felt another impact smash her across the face and she finally fell to the ground. She was growling under her breath, panting as she starts pushing herself up but fell back when another smash to the head was delivered to Bruce while Jonathan stabbed Tom in the neck. The shared pain they felt sucked and had [F/N] grovelling on the floor, both hands slapped around her neck as black bleed bled from her face and neck, her veins then started bumping black as they started turning visible “You worthless… imbeciles!” she roared out, the Mind Flayer gifted her and Billy more power since they were the first to turn into his mindless zombies, so their regenerative abilities were superb in comparison to the rest. While Bruce and Tom lay motionless on the floor she picked herself back up, rolling her neck and hearing it crack under the pressure, she leans down to pick the fallen axe up and dragged it behind her to find the two causing them so many problems. 

She was greatly irritated, gripping onto the axe with so much force that the wood started to crack under her hold. Those two had one simple job to do and they failed horrendously to the point that their bodies turned into goop, she heard the sound of panting so she looked over and saw a doctor she thought she had killed, dragging himself along the floor to get to safety. The moment he heard footsteps he thought he was saved so he turned to see his saviour but his face fell at the sight of an enraged [F/N], dragging her axe behind her and leaving a trail of blood behind her. The doctor let out a cry as he tried crawling away again but was stopped when she stomped on his back, she brings the axe above her head and swing it down, landing a clean hit into the back of his skull and killing him. Blood splattered onto her face as she didn’t bother wiping it off, just simply yanked the axe out of his head and continued on with her journey. She was walking down the hall when she saw the goop of what was Tom and Bruce form into the monster, a miniature version of the Mind Flayer.

“Now look what you’ve done with yourself.” she speaks, walking out from the hallway as her body was drenched in a mixture of black and red blood, she then turned her head and a wicked smile spread across her face at the sight of Jonathan “There you are~” she cooed, now standing beside the Mind Flayer as she stared Jonathan down while the monster stared at Nancy.

“[F-F/N]…?” they both stutter out, she giggled to herself, throwing the axe over her shoulder and bounced it lightly.

“The one and only.” she winks at Jonathan then turns towards the monster, lifting the axe up to point at it “You had one job, right? One! And you failed it, immensely. All you had to do was kill them, and you couldn’t even do something so simple to the point you’ve gone and turn yourself into that. Good job, really, good job.” she shook her head in disappointment as the monster lets out a whine, knowing that the original Mind Flayer favours her and Billy over the rest.

“[F/N], w-what have you done?” Nancy whispers out as she looked the older Harrington up and down seeing she was covered in blood that just wasn’t hers as her veins were pumping with black blood “You were flayed? For how long?!” she cries out, she just shrugs.

“Does it matter? You’ll be dead anyways.” she looks back up at the monster and whistles, pointing with her thumb towards Nancy “Get her, I’ll deal with the other one. You won’t have trouble with this, will you?” she chuckles when it lets out a roar and starts charging towards her, she in turn starts marching over to where Jonathan is.

“Shit.”

“Nancy! Run!” she immediately backs into the door to the staircase but let out a panicked cry when sandbags were keeping the door from opening fully, Jonathan starts to panic as well because the monster was quickly closing the distance between the two of them and [F/N] was also getting closer to him. When Nancy manages to break through the door and run away he felt a sense of relief but it didn’t last when [F/N] was on him, he grabs one of the IV poles to defend himself but lets out a grunt when she kicked him in the chest, he evidently falls to the ground because of this.

“I’m really going to enjoy this, I never really liked you anyway, creep.” she lets out a grunt as she tries slamming the axe down on him but he managed to roll away just in time. He’s pushing himself back to get away from [F/N] as she leisurely strides after him, dragging the bloodied axe behind her in an almost taunting way “I don’t even need to do much to influence this body into wanting to kill you, it’s already rather homicidal and her hatred for you and that other girl is pretty deep.” Jonathan manages to push himself onto his feet and starts running away from her but in a way that he was chasing after the monster and Nancy.

“Is this because I beat her brother up and Nancy broke up with him?!” she only shrugs, easily matching his pace as she chased after him.

“Probably, but she was already crazy even before that, I’ve just pushed aside her rationality.” she swings at him again but he ducks out of the way, wincing when the axe made contact with the wall and a crack formed under the impact “Her love for her brother is both her weakness and her strength. She’d do anything for him; anything.” she’s swinging at him left and right, him narrowly dodging out of the way when he’s finally at the hallway where he sees the miniature Mind Flayer at a door that he believes Nancy has locked herself in.

“No, Nancy!” this was his shortcoming when he froze up, watching as the monster lost its physical form to turn back into a state of goop so it could slip under the cracks of the door. He was kicked in the back and fell onto his stomach, he pushes himself onto his back but let out a grunt of pain when she hit him with the butt of the axe, causing him to fall limp onto his back and daze him.

“No more running, little Jonathan. You’re making my job harder than it needs to be, so just sit still,” she starts, raising the axe over her head and smiling crazily down at him “and let me kill you.” she laughs wickedly and finally swings the axe down, having a clean shot to kill Jonathan but the axe is stopped inches away from his face. He gasped, eyes widen in shock as he stared up at the blade while [F/N] in turn was confused, letting out a strained grunt as she tried pushing it down but it wasn’t budging.

“Jonathan!” the two of them whip their heads around and see the party down the hall, El’s hand stretched out a stopping the blade from meeting Jonathan’s face. They all flinch back at the vicious look in [F/N]’s eyes, god, she looked exactly like Billy during the sauna test. El didn’t waste any time as she raised her hand, this motion caused the axe in her hands to move away from Jonathan, and because she was still holding the axe in her hands, El used it to send [F/N] flying back and pin her to the wall with it pressed against her throat, just like Billy.

“Holy shit, she was flayed the whole time!” Lucas shouts as they all rush towards Jonathan to help him up, they all spare [F/N] a glance and saw she was growling at them, letting out a animalistic roar as she pushes against the axe that was keeping her at bay, El in turn was putting more power into keeping [F/N] still “Does that mean she lured us here?!”

“It doesn’t matter now!” Mike shouts, they all shudder when [F/N] starts giggling maniacally “Why the hell are you laughing?!”

“You dumbasses a-are… are exactly where I want you.” Mike shakes his head.

“Really? But aren’t you the one being pinned to the wall right now?” she continues to laugh, her head rolling backwards and resting against the wall behind her. The dark blood pumping through her veins become more visible as she lets out another roar, finally managing to push El’s hold off of her and throw the axe towards them, they all duck out as the way just as she lands on the ground with a heavy thud.

“Jeez, way to go dickwad.” Max sneers at him, [F/N] wipes away the blood dripping down her nose as she leaned down to pick up the fallen axe. She throws her head back, running a hand through her hair as she laughs again, El is panting as she ignores the blood running down her nose.

“What’s so funny?” blood is running down her face and she can’t tell whether it’s hers or not, but she doesn’t care as she looks down at the children, she throws her axe over her shoulders and motions with her eyes to the room behind them.

“Aren’t you forgetting about someone?” at the mention of that they heard a scream, they all turn their heads towards the door and [F/N] laughs once more “I know a fight I can’t win when I see one, so here’s how this is going to go. You lot have two options. Option one, I run away and you lot are given the chance to save Nancy from meeting her inevitable end because you choose to save her instead of chase after me. Or option two, you give up on little Miss Nancy to chase after little ol’ me, this gives you the chance to learn things about where the monster is and what he’s planning on doing, but this also means that Wheeler meets her end. So what’s it gonna be? Are you going to be the hero that saves the damsel in distress, or the hero that sacrifices her to save the world?” she doesn’t wait for them to answer as she’s already running in the opposite direction, El raises her arm to stop her but flinched when she heard Nancy’s cry for help.

“El, leave her! Please, you’ve got to save Nancy! You’ve got to save my sister!” Mike cries out, tears swelling in his eyes when Nancy’s screams got louder, he then desperately tugs on her arm “Please, El! Please!” El’s eyes were still on [F/N]’s retreating figure, growling softly under her breath when she saw the light smirk on her face before she turned the corner and disappeared. [F/N] was pouting softly as she exits the hospital, spinning the axe around her wrists, and was slightly disappointed she couldn’t kill Jonathan or that Nancy. Oh well, there was still plenty of time to get them next ti— she jumped up in surprise when the monster was thrown out of the room and landed right beside her, she looked up from where it fell and saw the lot peering outside the window, she then gives them a two fingered salute before rushing over to her car and driving away as the monster turns itself into goop once more to escape through the sewers.

“… so which one of us is telling Steve?” Lucas murmurs, they all pale at that. Back with [F/N], she finally reaches the factory, letting out a groan as she walks down the stairs to the basement, hand on her neck while rolling her neck as the axe rested on her shoulder.

“You look like hell.” she scoffs at Billy, wiping the blood on her face with the back of her hand.

“I feel like hell. I couldn’t get shit done because the two idiots I brought with me were of no help whatsoever.” the goop that escaped from the hospital the appears, slithering towards the original to merge with it, it grows in size as the two stare up at it.

“It’s time.”

[time skip: the next day]

El sat in front of the TV that was playing nothing but static, a blindfold over her eyes to help her focus on finding where the Mind Flayer could possibly be while the others sat back and watched her overexert herself. She was panting as she tried so hard to keep pushing herself but in the end she couldn’t anymore and ripped the blindfold off her eyes, she now found herself in the kitchen getting a glass of water, gulping it down until the glass was completely empty. The others were discussing what they should do, they could possibly go and find [F/N] but they didn’t want to take the chance on fighting the newly psychopath and she probably wasn’t going to be home, the other option was Billy who definitely was home but him being there was just a trap waiting for them. El set her empty glass on the kitchen counter and let her eyes wander under until they landed on a box of lucky charms, staring at the rainbow, she got bitter flashbacks of her mother but then an idea struck in her head that she went back to the ground.

“It’s too risky.”

“Yeah, and unnecessary. Killing the flayed won’t stop the Mind Flayer. We have to find out where it’s spreading from. We have to find the source.”

“Billy and [F/N] know it.” they all turn to El when she entered the room “They’ve both been there, to the source. She even said that if we went after her and caught her, we could’ve learned where the Mind Flayer was.” Mike shook his head.

“Yeah, but—”

“It’s a trap, I know. We can’t go to Billy or [F/N], but I think there’s another way. A way for me to see where they’ve been.” she’s sat in front of the TV once more with a blindfold over her eyes, concentrating on the static noise coming from the TV. She takes a deep breath and concentrates until she finds herself in the void and in the distance she can see something. As she gets closer she finds herself staring down at Billy and [F/N] sitting beside each other on what she assumes is Billy’s bed, [F/N] had her eyes closed as she rested her head on his shoulder and Billy himself was sitting up straight while staring into nothing. The one thing the two of them were doing was holding each other’s hand, occasionally squeezing, as her other arm was wrapped around her waist as his other hand rested on his knee. El now stood in front of the two, who weren’t completely unaware that she was there, but they both had a feeling that someone was there. El lets out a shaky breath as she reaches down, grabbing both of their free hands “Billy… [F/N]. I want to see. I want to see what happened.” Billy raises his head and [F/N] opens her eyes, El could see the tears in their eyes as they stared up at her, she lets out a gasp when the hands she was holding let go of hers and instead held a tight grip on her forearm. She tries to break free but neither one of them were letting go, their hold on her only tightened as she fought against them but when they did let go of her, she falls back but their memories of everything they’ve done flashed in her head. From [F/N] and Billy killing people, from them kidnapping people, from them hurting people, from the Mind Flayer infecting the two of them, from the very beginning when Billy crashed and [F/N] rushing to come to his aid.

El let out a grunt when she fell onto the concrete sidewalk, she groans as she rubs the back of her head and slowly pushed herself up so her hands were holding her up, she looked around and saw that she was on some random street that she couldn’t recognise but the sun was up and there weren’t many people around, it was practically empty. She finally pulls herself onto her feet and starts walking around, maybe trying to find someone or something she can recognise. She lets out a gasp when she heard laughter so she goes to turn around and see what it was but paused when a young child, a little girl, ran past her laughing to her hearts content. Looking her up and down, she wore a [F/C] sweater and shorts while her hair was tied up with a hair tie that had small little ladybugs on it, the girl laughed again before turning around and waving her hand in the direction El was standing in.

“Stevie, come on! You’re so slow.” El gasps softly and when she turns around she sees the child version of Steve Harrington, he looked to be about ten years of age, pushing a bike where the girl was standing “Didn’t you ask me to teach you how to ride a bike?” Steve pants as he walks past El and towards his older sister.

“You’re not the one pushing the bike [F/N].” he complains, she just rolls her eyes.

“Stop being such a big baby, dingus.” he pouts, El follows them and finds that they’re in some neighbourhood in Hawkins that has smooth terrain for Steve to ride his bike. El smiled softly seeing [F/N] tease Steve while he in turn was crying at her to stop, she did eventually stop when she saw his eyes start getting misty and started pushing his bike. It was quite sweet watching the older Harrington treated her brother rather delicately, he seemed like such a crybaby when he was a kid.

“I-I’m having second thoughts, [F/N].” Steve said to her, his voice barely above a whisper. He was currently on the bike, his hands clutching onto the handles as his feet rested on the pedals, [F/N] stood beside him while holding the back because she knew that he didn’t have the balance to hold himself. She exhaled through her nose, looking him up and down.

“Well, we can always do this another time, not everybody can get it on their first try.” she tries reassuring him but noticed that he still looked upset over the matter, her eyes looked down in thought before she reached over and placed her hand on top of his “Hey, Steve, I’ll be right beside you, alright? I’ll always be with you every step of the way, I promise you that.” Steve sniffles at that, looking down at his sister with teary eyes.

“R-Really?” she nods, a big smile on her face.

“Really, I’ll always be there for you.” seeing her smile made one just as big spread across his lips, he then nods as he looked ahead of them.

“Okay, I can do this.” and as [F/N] promised, she was right beside him to help keep him balanced as he pedalled down the sidewalk, but the moment she noticed that he was doing on his own was when she pulled her arms back and instead ran beside him.

“You’re doing it, Stevie! Look at you go!” she cheered, he took a quick glance at her and saw that he really was doing it on his own, a big smile broke onto his face as he went on. When [F/N] could no longer keep up with him, she stopped running at his pace and let out an exhausted breath as she hunched forward to catch her breath. El approached the young [F/N], looking at her face and there she saw the look of pure love as she watched her brother go, she saw that she completely adored her brother to no ends. El remembered Nancy mentioning how [F/N] would do about anything for her younger brother, it didn’t what it was, it’s just that she would go to great lengths for him. [F/N] gasped and this caused El to stop looking at her and instead back at Steve, who winced when she saw the wheel get caught in something, causing him to fly off the bike “Steve!” she shouts out and immediately rushes to his side, to which he was bawling his eyes out as his knees were bleeding and hands were scrapped.

“It hurts, [F/N]! It hurts so much!” he cries out, [F/N] drops to her knees as she looked him up and down, trying to figure out what to do as he continued sobbing. She then tries to calm him down but it just doesn’t seem to work, nothing she was doing was working and he only seemed to be getting worse, so she starts to cry with Steve. El found it a little funny that the two siblings were crying, Steve because he was hurt and [F/N] because Steve was crying. She never would have imagined that the drunk, depressed and psychotic [F/N] she met the day prior was the same caring little girl she watched before her. When [F/N] did manage to calm down, not enough to stop crying, she picked Steve up and carried him on his back and ran to the closets house, abandoning the bike in favor of someone helping her brother. The person she chose was quite startled to find two crying children at her door step, awkwardly question what was wrong but managed to understand what happened through all the snot and tears [F/N] blubbered out.

[you can skip past this, this is basically her past that I accidentally started to write and I couldn’t fucking stop]

[F/N]’s happiest memory was anything that involved Steve, she was the eldest Harrington child of the Harrington couple. The two of them never wanted a daughter and expected their first child to be a son, but when they got [F/N] instead they didn’t hesitate to have sex again just to conceive another child in hopes of getting a son, and their hopes came true when Steve was born. [F/N] noticed at a young age how her parents favoured Steve over her every time, it didn’t matter what it was, it was always him before her, but she never did care about that, because her parents were just assholes and her baby brother didn’t do anything to deserve the anger she had for their parents to be directed at him. There was just something different between the two of them when they started getting older, they were joined at the hip when they were children but the moment they were in middle school, it was a different story. [F/N] naturally entered middle school before him and she already earned herself a title, the up and rising star of Hawkins Middle School that would surely become the Queen of Hawkins High when she graduates middle school. She was beautiful, a Harrington genetic gift, naturally smart and athletic, very kind and charismatic that she was the person everyone wanted to be with.

So her achievements greatly overshadowed Steve’s to the point that their parents attention moved from him to her, at first she was happy that she got their validation, but noticing how her and Steve were drifting apart and his admiration towards her turned green with envy, she started second guessing all the popularity she gained. It got worse for Steve when he started middle school, he was known as the “other Harrington” that just couldn’t match up to his sister, he was just constantly in her shadow no matter where he went. Constantly being compared to her was like a nightmare to him, he was struggling to finish an English essay? [F/N] would have easily gotten it done in half the time it took him to write a single sentence. He managed to score a three pointer in basketball during P.E? How about winning against Hawkins Middle School’s rivalling team with the most points they’ve seen in years. He didn’t want to be known as the younger brother of [F/N] Harrington, he wanted people to know him as Steve Harrington, but that was never going to happen as long as people knew that he was her brother. [F/N] obviously noticed the treatment her sweet little brother was going through, she tried so hard to talk to him or get people to stop with their bullshit, but that made Steve angrier, he didn’t want her pity.

“Steve, why won’t you talk to me anymore? Please, I just want to make things between us better, like what it used to be when we were children!” she pleads out to him, she flinched back when he slammed his hands down on his desk, whipping his head around to glare at her.

“You want to make things right? Alright, maybe stop being better at everything! Maybe stop being the topic of every conversation people have when they come to talk to me! Maybe just stop being the reason my life is ruined!” he pushes his chair back with his legs as he approaches her “Stop being smart! Stop being pretty! Stop people the centre of attention!” she lets out a grunt when he shoved her back, her stumbling out his room as he reached for the door “Maybe just stop being my sister altogether!” he finished and slammed the door in her face, she continued to stand where he left her as she stared at his door, she let out choked up noises as tears glistened in her eyes before finally sniffling and walking away.  That was definitely the last time the two of them properly spoke with each other and no matter how many times she tried to work things out, how hard she tried to make things better, he just never gave her the time of day to hear her out. Her graduation from middle school to high school was probably her worst day because Steve didn’t even want to be there and only came because their parents would be more disappointed in him if he didn’t come to support his sister, and for him it was probably a great day because it meant that he didn’t have to see his sister the following year at all. If she didn’t do anything soon she was possibly going to lose Steve, so staring at her reflection she stared at herself and couldn’t help but hate she was looking at. She never felt like she was looking at herself, just looking at the person her parents made her out to be without her ever being able to properly find herself. She wanted to change, she wanted to be different from the person she saw in the reflection, and there was just one person that could possibly help her.

“Eddie Munson!” she screamed at the top of lungs at the trailer park, she knew the bastard was home, telling how the lights in his trailer were on. Eddie “the Freak” Munson was her polar opposite in middle school and a boy who was in the same year as she was. She remembered first seeing him during their middle school’s talent show with how him and his band “Corroded Coffin” performed heavy metal, it was very loud and a little disorganised, but it was pretty good in her opinion. She met Eddie on a few occasions but each time weren’t really pleasant, mostly because he spoke to her as if she didn’t know how the world worked since she was a privileged little girl that got everything she wanted. She didn’t know what hurt more, the fact that he isn’t entirely wrong or that it was him that woke her up. Eddie opened the door to the trailer and was surprised to see [F/N] standing there, so with his usual cocky attitude, he crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe.

“Well what do we have here? What can this jester do for her majesty, [F/N] “the Queen” Harrington?” he cooed, [F/N] didn’t bother to say anything and just went straight to the point.

“I need your help.”

“And what can little ol’ me do for you?”

“I need you to make me look like you.” now he was a little thrown off at the request, the one and only girl that everybody loves and has everything at the palm of her hand, was asking for his help in making her… look like him? She noticed that he was confused so she raised her hand, she goes to speak but a chill ran up her spine when a burst of wind blew through her body “Can I come in? I’m fucking freezing.” her swearing was even more startling, [F/N] was prim and proper and wasn’t know for using such vulgar language, and yet here she was.

“O-Oh, yeah, of course.” and that’s where Eddie found himself holding a box of tissues for [F/N] as she told him everything that happened during her year in middle school, bawling her eyes out as she told him that her worst fear was possibly coming true “So, let me get this straight… you want me, to make you look like me so that your parents and possibly others start viewing in a different way and that people will start liking your brother?” she sniffles, nodding her head.

“Yeah, that’s pretty much it.” he sucks in a breath, running a hand through his growing hair after growing through his buzz cut.

“I don’t know if I find that endearing that you came to me for help or insulting that you came to me for help.” she gave him an apologetic look “But I see where you’re coming from, female Harrington. You don’t want people to see you in a positive light and if they hate you enough they’ll draw their attention towards the better Harrington.” she nods her head.

“That’s exactly what I want.” he lets out a startled yelp when she grabbed his hand, holding it in between her own and gave him a desperate look “I’ll do anything to drift the attention away from me and give it to him, I won’t care how people view me as long as they stop making my brother feel even worse than he already feels. I want to be there beside him instead of on the sidelines.” he inhales sharply, this really wasn’t what he was expecting to happen on a Saturday night.

“Well… alright.” she lights up, a big smile on her face “But I want no complaining from you, alright? The moment you start doubting anything I do, I’m gonna give up on you,” she nods her head at the terns he set.

“Of course, totally!” she stands up, still holding his hand, and shakes it rather vigorously “If this works, I owe you big time, Munson.”

And being a man of his word, on the first day of her high school year, the soft and kind [F/N] was nowhere to be seen. Instead Hawkins High was met with the new and improved Harrington that wore leather or denim and had several piercings that were definitely not done by a professional, she even wore dark make up instead of the light or natural one. To say everyone was shocked would be an understatement, everyone was in disbelief when she pulled up to school in such attire but it was the fact that she was with Eddie Munson of all people! They were laughing about and talking as if they have been best friends since they were children, even his group of friends were in on the deal of making her less popular so she wasn’t seen without being with Eddie and his group of freaks. Her entire personality was a total flip as well, from the well spoken and polite young lady turned to a rude and vulgar woman who’s attitude was the worst that people couldn’t stand being with her. The teachers couldn’t believe what they were seeing either, she was once a straight A student but now she was barely passing with D+ and C-’s.

She learnt everything from Eddie, and she was always grateful for him because she actually felt free. Being with him and his group of friends was so relaxing because she didn’t have to worry about how she looked and how she acted anymore, she could actually properly be herself. Listening to heavy metal and screaming at the top of her lungs, smoking weed and laying on the floor of his trailer, letting him ramble on and on about some fantasy game called D&D, she didn’t care, it felt nice to actually have real friends instead of those people leeching off of her. But that didn’t matter, well it did, but what really mattered was the fact that it was working. People didn’t want to be associated with the former Queen who now hung around with the freaks and because she was barely pulling her weight in school and was constantly failing, her parents were absolutely livid with her.

“What has gotten into you, [F/N]? You were never like this leading up to this year! It’s all because you’ve been hanging around that Munson boy! He’s not a good influence on you!” she just rolled his eyes as her mother shouts all sorts of nonsense at her, both her mother and father have cornered her and sat her down to have a proper talk with her.

“Not only that, but you’re failing every single one of your classes! You’re barely getting marks above F’s, and at this rate, you’re not even going to pass at the end of your senior year! You’re sullying the Harrington name, [F/N]! I thought we raised you better than this.” she scoffs this time, leaning back into the sofa as she crossed her arms.

“Well I’m sorry for not being mummy and daddy’s perfect little princess anymore, but if you’re not going to accept the me I am today, then why the fuck should I pull my weight anymore? Besides, you still have your perfect little golden child Stevie to take my place if I ever go too far.” she snickers to herself when they continued to yell at her, telling her to that this rebellious act of hers better come to an end or she will face consequences, to which she just laughed in their faces before shoving past them and out the front door where Eddie was waiting for her with his shitty van.

“Dude, we could hear the shouting all the way from out here!” Gareth exclaims, throwing open the back doors for her to jump in, to which she laughed as she took Jeff’s hand as he helped her in “They sounded really angry, you alright?” she just shrugged.

“Honestly I could give less of a shit at what they’re saying, but it’s definitely working, I can just feel them ready to disown me and label me as the family disappointment, I’m just waiting for it now.” Eddie laughs from the drivers seat, glancing back at her.

“You’re crazy.” she winks with a click of her tongue.

“I have you to thank.” they all laugh as he drives to the Quarry.

Steve was completely baffled when people started treating him differently. For some reason he was now known as the better Harrington, the one that didn’t stray from the path of righteousness, or whatever the hell that meant, but it felt good that every topic wasn’t about his sister anymore. Well, when his sister was brought up, it was to tell him how awful it was to now be related to the psycho apart of Eddie Munson’s group of friends. When Steve first saw [F/N]’s transformation and change of behaviour, he didn’t believe it until he saw the way she now argued with everything their parents said. She never used to fight back against them, she would usually just nod and agree with anything they said, but not anymore. Now their parents were looking at him again, telling him they expected great things from him, how he was the new light of the Harrington family and that he was better than his good for nothing sister. As for [F/N], she was happy to see that her brother was finally getting that popularity he deserved and it didn’t matter that she had hell to pay for such a cost, all that mattered to her was that Steve wasn’t bitter having to go to school anymore.

She didn’t care that people insulted her.

She didn’t care that her parents hated her.

If Steve was happy, that’s all that mattered.

Sitting on the hood of her car, [F/N] had blood running down her nose and a bruise forming on the side of her cheek, knuckles torn and bloodied as her clothes were a little disheveled. The bruise on her cheek was given to her during an altercation with her father once again, this time he couldn’t stand her attitude and backhanded her clean across the face hard enough to give her a nose bleed. She didn’t see an ounce of regret on his face and not even her mother did anything to stop anything from escalating, she couldn’t take staying in that house any longer and just left without another word. Her knuckles bleeding were from her brutally punching a brick wall until she physically couldn’t close her knuckles anymore and just tired herself out until she sat on the hood of her car while smoking a cigarette to calm herself down.

“… fuck.” she muttered under her breath, she was totally going to Eddie’s trailer to get high and drunk to the point she couldn’t remember who the fuck she was. When she finally decided she was done, she hopped off the hood of her car and snuffed out her cigarette, getting to ready to jump into her car but paused when she heard her name.

“[F/N]!” she was confused when she saw Steve rushing over to her, she was confused as to why he was there.

“Steve?” she called out, she really didn’t want to deal with him right now be decided to stick it out to see what he had to say “What do you want? Don’t you have basketball practice going on right now?” he scoffed, shaking his head as he looked her up and down, wincing when he saw her bloodied knuckles.

“I don’t give a shit about that.” he reaches for her hand but flinched back when pulled her hand back.

“Why are you here? Don’t you have better things to do than deal with me?” he swallows the saliva in his throat, not liking the tired look in his sisters eyes.

“I-I’m here because I’m worried about you, I just— I don’t understand why you’re acting like this, [F/N]. You’re nothing like the way you were in middle school, what happened to her? Why did you suddenly change? Why are you so different now, [F/N]? I just don’t understand.” he shakes his head as he remembered back to the year prior when his sister first changed, the once quiet house was now filled with arguing and shouting matches between her and their parents to the point that Steve couldn’t handle it “Why are you like this, [F/N]! You had everything and then suddenly you threw it all away because of what? What?! Why did you do it?! What was it?!” Steve didn’t understand why he was yelling at his sister, he usually wouldn’t raise his voice like this and especially not when his sister was bleeding because of their father, but he just needed to quell his curiosity as to why his sister would do such a thi—

“I did it for you, Steve!” she shouts, he was taken aback, what? “I threw away everything for you! The popularity! The attention! Mum and dad’s respect, everything! I gave up everything because I saw how my popularity was affecting you! I couldn’t stand the thought that my brother was feeling the way he was in middle school all because people couldn’t see past me whenever they were with you. I hated the fact that we aren’t as close as we were when we were children, so I thought, if I act differently to what people are used to, then maybe people will start liking Steve Harrington instead of his older sister. And look at that, it worked! It actually worked, because people fucking hate me now and they adore you! You’re the Harrington that isn’t a fuck up!” [F/N] hadn’t realised she started crying until she felt the tears running down her face instead of blood, she pulls back and quickly wiped away the tears, grunting out in pain when she clenched her fists.

“B-But… why? Why would you do that?” Steve stuttered out, not believing she would do something like that, she just rolled her eyes before throwing her arms open at him.

“You said it yourself, Steve! I asked what I had to do to make things right, and you listed everything off! I had to stop being better at everything, I had to stop being the topic of every conversation, I had to stop being smart, I had to stop being pretty, I had to stop being the centre of attention! I did everything! I did everything you asked! Now all that’s left is to stop being your sister!” god, the fact that she remembered everything while he didn’t had Steve start tearing up, she had to tear her eyes away from him to stop her urges to comfort him, she takes a breath and jabs her finger into his chest “I gave you what you wanted, so I hope you’re satisfied with what you’re given. I’m only waiting for mum and dad to fulfil you’re last request and maybe then you’re ruined life will be magically fixed.”

“[F-F/N], I’m sorry— I didn’t—” she raised her hands, rubbing her sleeve under her nose.

“Save it.” she sniffles as she turns her back “Go home, Steve. I’ll stay out of your life as long as you want. Wouldn’t want to ruin the perfect life you’ve accumulated since I’ve fallen from my grace.” with that she leaves Steve standing all alone, feeling even more worse when she finally saw those tears run down his face.

That… that was her worst memory that she regrets.

She regrets shouting at him.

She regrets making him cry.

She regrets that she hurt him and left him alone.

[yeah, that’s all I’ll write for her backstory. I definitely had more to write, but it’s gotten too long and I want to get back to the main plot]

El tears off the blindfold, panting heavily after finally leaving the memories of Billy and [F/N] when she found the location of where the Mind Flayer was located. She looks around to see no one in sight, she was all alone in the cabin despite hearing their voices not to long ago.

“Mike?” she calls out but got no answer, she repeatedly called out his name again but was left unanswered until another voice spoke up.

“He can’t hear you.” turning her head, she gasps when she sees Billy emerge from out of one of the rooms “You shouldn’t have looked for me. Because now I see you. We can all see you. You… let us in. And now… you are going to have to let us stay.” as the Mind Flayer speaks through Billy, he’s slowly approaching El as she backs away from him in tears, she’s gasps when someone was right behind her.

“Don’t you see?” looking over her shoulder she saw that it was [F/N] with that same psychotic grin on her face, leaning over the couch El backed herself into but quickly pushed herself off to get away from her “We’ve been building it… for you. All this time, we’ve been building it. All that work, all that pain… all of it, for you.” the two of them now stood together, eyes misty as they held each other’s hand.

“And now it’s time. Time to end it. We are going to end you. And when you are gone, we are going to end your friends. And then we are going to end… everyone.” they speak in unison and before they could do anything, El screams at the top of her lungs as she throws her hand out towards them, sending them flying back to where they came from, and so the two of them woke up exactly where El found them in Billy’s room. [F/N] had a sad look on her face as she lifted herself off of Billy’s shoulder, neither one of them said a word as they sat in silence and squeezed each other’s hand.

“This sucks.”

[starcourt mall]

It all happened so fast. One moment they’re being attacked at Hopper’s cabin, next thing they know they’re hiding out at the Starcourt Mall because Billy had somehow managed to find them and was waiting out for them in his busted up Camaro. [F/N] was nowhere in sight and they didn’t know what terrified them the most, the fact that she was just lurking around waiting for them or that Billy was ready to run them over without a second thought. Hiding in the mall didn’t go as well as they thought, because the next thing they knew was that the Mind Flayer was right on top of them and broke through the skylight, landing right where they were and was now in search for El. The group consisting of Nancy, Johnathan, Lucas and Will somehow managed to escape and were hurriedly trying to replace their stolen ignition cable, their hearts beginning to race at the sound of Billy’s engine revving.

“Shit!”

“Get the car started, go!” Nancy cocks her gun as Jonathan jumps into the drivers seat to start the car, Nancy raises the gun and aims it towards Billy. She doesn’t back down when he starts driving towards her, she narrows her eyes as she starts firing at him, the others are panicking as she’s shooting at his already shattered windscreen that’s doing little to no damage as he continues to get closer and closer to her. The moment her gun ran out of ammunition was when she started to panic, she looks between the gun and Billy before ducking down and curling up against the car despite knowing that was going to do little to nothing to suppress the pain of getting smashed against the car but was surprised when Steve, in a different car, rammed right into the side of Billy’s Camaro. Both he and Robin grunt out in pain at the impact but were both pretty much okay, Robin looked up at Steve and saw that he had a panicked look on his face due to the fact that his boyfriend almost killed his ex and in order to stop him from doing that he crashed a car into him.

“Steve, are you alright?” she asks him, he’s panting as he continued to stare at Billy’s unconscious body laying limp in his car.

“Ask me tomorrow.” their gaze then goes upwards when they heard snarling, Robin gasps in shock to see the disgusting fleshy monster dubbed as the Mind Flayer on top of the Starcourt Mall, they whip their heads around when they heard the honk of the other car pull up beside them.

“Get in!” the Mind Flayer was quick to give chase but paused when a new pair of headlights flashed on, it decided she could take care of them. Johnathan thinks they’re in the clear, the Mind Flayer isn’t in sight as they’re driving away but he wasn’t taking any chances as he continued to high tail it away from the mall. He spares a glance back at Will and saw he was gently caressing the back of his neck, he was close, and he just wasn’t showing himself.  “What the hell was that thing back there?!” Robin shouts, pointing out the car in the direction they just fled.

“I’m guessing that was the Mind Flayer, and that was the body made of the flesh of various dead people?” Steve sums up as he looks at the other four, to which they all nod their heads to confirm what he said “Great, I can’t wait to get back home and explain to my sister why I was gone and why my face is beaten up. Hopefully she doesn’t go on a murder spree upon seeing my face.” the four of them wincing didn’t go unnoticed, even Robin flinched hearing the mention of his sister.

“Um… about that, actually…” Lucas starts, rubbing the back of his neck “Your sister, uh— she’s kind of um, like…” Lucas peeks back at Steve and felt a chill run down his spine, Steve was wearing an expression that he normally never wore. His expression was a mixture of concern and slight anger, concern for the safety and well-being on his older sister and anger that something has happened to his sister while he was trapped in an elevator then tortured by Russians.

“What’s wrong with my sister?” Nancy licks her lips, not really sure where to begin on the matter of his older sister.

“Steve, your sister…” she sighs, running a hand through her hair “Your sister, kind of…” Steve was getting more irritated over the fact that they weren’t telling him, he grits his teeth as he glared at them.

“What’s wrong with my sister?!” he shouts this time in hopes it’ll get them to spit it out, Will lets out a shuddered breath when he felt a tingle in his neck, he glances backwards and saw a flash of someone’s high beams hit them. They all turn around to see what it was and the roar of a car engine slowly gaining on them made their hearts drop into their stomachs when they recognised the car, Steve and Robin look out through the back window and their eyes widened when they saw the familiar license plate “[F/N]…?” he manages to mutter out then let out a grunt when the car rear ended them.

“Shit! Jonathan!” he curses under his breath as he changes gear to create some distance between them and her but their car was nothing in comparison to her mustang because she caught up to them easily, each time she made sure to rear end them. When she noticed nothing was happening she pulled back a little just so she was now driving beside them, they all turn to look at her but Steve and Robin were the most shocked because they haven’t seen her like this. Deranged looking, eyes bloodshot and teary as her body was sweating uncontrollably while her veins were pumping black ooze throughout her entire body.

“You wanna know what’s wrong with her?!” Lucas shouts, letting out a scream when [F/N] drives the side of her car into theirs “She’s been flayed by the Mind Flayer and this entire week she’s been kidnapping people and offering them to the Mind Flayer, and not too long ago she killed a bunch of people at the hospital and nearly killed Nancy and Jonathan! There, now you know!” Will smacks Lucas for the way he said it, gesturing to Steve and saw how the boy looked confused and scared. What confused them was that Robin shared the same expression, Lucas said that she was under that things control for about a week, so does that mean…

“Wait, you’re telling me that the whole reason she’s been acting different— that she’s acting like that, is because that monster we saw before brainwashed her?!” Will nods his head, she slumps back in the back as she recalls how [F/N] was acting when she broke up with her. She knew that there was something wrong with her but she just couldn’t pin just what was wrong, her eyes had lost their usual shine and she was avoiding eye contact with her, refusing to. It felt like she was talking to someone entirely different, and all that was true, that person from before was not her girlfriend but an imposter in her body. Robin looks at Steve and saw his eyes never left [F/N], she had a crazy smile on her face as she stared Jonathan down “Steve…” she mumbles.

“What did it do to you, [F/N]?” he’s only ever seen that look on her face maybe once or twice, and that was when she was getting some sick pleasure out of beating the shit out of a few high school kids that picked on him, she was crazy like that, but she made sure not to make that face again whenever he was present because it was a little unsettling “That’s… that’s not my sister, that’s not [F/N]. Is this— is this also happening to Billy?” they nod.

“They were together when it happened.” that just made things worse, it must have happened just after they left Robin’s. Was that why [F/N] was sick that morning? Oh my god, it was happening right under their noses and neither of them noticed. Jonathan steadies the car again when [F/N] rams hers into them again but let out a confused noise when she suddenly stopped, he glances over at her and saw she was looking ahead of them. He watched in confusion when she drove ahead of them then turned around but stopped in the middle of the road, Jonathan slams on the breaks to stop them from going any further and there the two of them are staring each other down.

“Jonathan…” Nancy mutters, not a single one of them breaking eye contact with [F/N], Jonathan takes a breath as he grips the stirring wheel, swallowing thickly every time he hears [F/N] rev her engines as her car jerks forward. [F/N] was no longer in control, no matter how hard she was trying to fight the Mind Flayer for control it was no use and she was locked inside her own body as she watched it move on its on accord. A dark grin was adorn on her face, watching closely to what Jonathan was going to do next. Was he going to back up and continue this game of cat and mouse? Was he going to play a game of chicken instead? Both options sounded fun to her, but she decided it was going to be her to choose for him because she pushes the handbrake down and slams on the gas and exhilarates forward “Jonathan!”

“I know!” he fumbles with the gear but switches it to drive and starts driving towards her as well, he had a plan in his head to swerve out of the way just at the nick of them, but he failed to inform the others as he kept getting closer and closer. Steve looked between Jonathan and sister and he couldn’t calm down, he could only think of how bad the collision will have on [F/N]. He was always like this, worrying for his sister than for his own well-being, just like her worrying for Steve rather than herself. Like brother like sister. Neither one of them were slowing down to the point [F/N] was laughing hysterically, changing gears to go fast enough to kill them and quite possibly herself. Well, if she hurt herself it didn’t matter, the Mind Flayer can heal her body no matter how severely injured her body gets.

“Jonathan, what are you doing?!” Will shouts at his brother.

“Relax, I know what I’m doi—” he was cut off when Steve pulls himself out from the back, reaching past Will and Lucas for the handbrake “Steve— what are you doing?!”

“I’m sorry, Jonathan! But you’d honestly do the same.” he pulls the brake up and the car instantly starts to drift, Jonathan tries to regain control while Nancy smacks Steve’s hands off the handbrake but they were too late when [F/N]’s mustang hit the side of their car, luckily. They spin off the road while [F/N] came to a stop in the middle of the road, she didn’t expect that outcome but she was happy that it was in her favor, she guesses Steve doesn’t want to hurt her either. Such a loving little brother.

“I didn’t think things were gonna be this easy, honestly. Even Billy’s having a hard time.” she snickers softly and looks in the rear view mirror, pouting softly when she noticed a small cut on her forehead that was bleeding a little. With a shrug, she swipes her thumb over it and grins when it healed up instantly. Kicking her door open, she steps out then leaned in to grab the axe sitting in her passenger seat and doesn’t bother turning her car off as she starts approaching the other car, throwing the axe over her shoulder and continuously bounced it while whistling a song. Jonathan lets out a groan, clutching his forehead after his head took the force of the airbags that deployed, he really was going to kill Steve later for this, but he couldn’t help but understand what Steve was going through. Not too long ago it was his brother that was under the Mind Flayer’s control and now it’s Steve’s sister that didn’t even know this shit was going on in the first place, oh the irony. He whips his head around when he heard Nancy let out a scream, they all look over to see that it was [F/N] “Yoohoo~ open the door.”

“Fuck no!” Nancy promptly locks the door to emphasise her point but [F/N] just rolled her eyes, pulling her fist back then punching through the door then proceeded the tear it off. Nancy doesn’t hesitate to push herself away from [F/N] just as she leans into the car, her eyes scanning through the many occupants inside but she let out a sigh when she didn’t see the one they were after.

“She’s not here.” she muttered under her breath, probably informing the Mind Flayer that El was still at the mall and not with the others that fled. She was going to leave it at that, the Mind Flayer was calling her back, but those feelings for what Nancy fucking Wheeler did to her brother started to resurface, and that’s where she found herself grabbing Wheeler by her hair and dragging her out of the car.

“Nancy!”

“Nancy, no!” Nancy cries out in pain from the roots of her hair being violently tugged on, the pain gets worse when [F/N] slams the side of her face onto the hood of the car and holds her there.

“[F/N], please… don’t do this. You don’t want to do this.” [F/N] lets out a hum, looking up in thought before nodding her head.

“No, no, that’s where you’re wrong. You have absolutely no idea how much I want to do this; how much I really want to kill you with my own hands.” Nancy starts to tremble, tears swelling up in her eyes when [F/N] raises her free hand that was holding the axe, seeing the dried blood splatter all over the blade and some on the shaft “I’ll pay your little brother a visit after I’m done with you, I’m sure he’ll be happy seeing your decapitated head mounted on a stick.” before she could bring the axe down she’s being pulled back by Jonathan and Steve, Nancy falls to the ground as Robin goes around and tries to pry the axe out of her hands.

“[F/N], please… stop this! This isn’t like you to go this far!” Steve pleads. Steve knew his sister was strong, but right now was just plain ridiculous, it was taking both himself and Jonathan putting their entire weight to keep her from moving but even that wasn’t enough. She lets out an animalistic growl as she lets go off the axe and letting Robin stumble backwards, she throws Steve off next and hunches forward to lift Jonathan off the ground as she grabs his arms that were wrapped around her neck and proceeds to throw him over her, this also causes him to tear her jacket off but she could care less about it. She sets her sights on Robin and doesn’t hesitate to punch her across the face, Steve goes to stand up to reprimand [F/N] again but let out a grunt when she kicked him down and grabbed the axe that she managed to catch. His breath gets caught in his throat as he watched [F/N] swing the axe over her shoulder and it comes down as quickly as it was raised, he wants to raise his arms to shield his face but what can that do? With tears in his eyes, he looks up at his sister with pleading eyes and there— there he saw a flash of color return to her eyes, a flash of regret and confusion when they met his. He saw a glimpse of his sister inside those eyes that were fighting back against the Mind Flayer, but he knew she couldn’t hold it for long but he was grateful for the time given because she redirected the blade aiming for his face into the side of the car. He flinches at the impact, watching as the car rocked back and forth before finally settling down. His sister is now panting above him, staring down at him with a slightly less hostile expression, but he knew she wasn’t herself yet, her eyes were still in a dazed state while her veins were still black “[F/N]…” he whimpers out, all he wants is his sister back.

“S-Stevie…?” she croaks out, he gasps at her voice whispering out to him but soon her face twists in pain. She pulls away, pressing the heels of her hands into her forehead to fight against the aching pain the Mind Flayer was inflicting on her, fighting for dominance within her head and it managed to win because now she was fleeing the scene and back to her car. She did hesitate to leave, her eyes glancing back at the others that were slowly picking themselves off the floor, but she shook her head before driving back to the Starcourt mall.  “Welp, that hurt,..” Robin groaned out, holding her cheek as some blood pulled up in her mouth “I can’t believe she hit me.”

“She… she didn’t mean it.” Steve muttered, hand over his chest. 

“But I don’t understand.” Robin says rather bitterly “Why didn’t she kill you? She was clearly going to do it, but she stopped at the last second.” Jonathan let out a groan as he pushed himself onto his feet, his hand clutching tightly onto the jacket he tore off her body before he was thrown off.

“Back at the hospital, the Mind Flayer said… it said that Steve was both her weakness and her strength. She got more violent with Nancy and I because of what happened in 83, but once she saw Steve it settled, even if it was for a brief moment.” Steve continued to lay on the ground, his hand instinctively reached up to caress his cheek as memory flashed in his mind. He was remembering back to a time where [F/N] punched him across the face because he was basically screaming at her to punch him, he didn’t expect her to actual do it because she swore that she’d never hurt him, but she did.

“W-Why— why’d you hit me?” he whimpered out, tears being to swell in his eyes as he cradled his swelling check, to which she just sighed while rolling her eyes and placing her hands on her hips.

“You told me to, and besides, you were acting like a shit so you definitely deserved it.” his lip trembled and a small sob escaped his lips, she rolls her eyes again and smacks him in the shoulder “I hope you know that this goes for show that I’ll practically do anything for you, Stevie. But this will be the first and only time I’ll hurt you like this, mmkay? You’ve been acting a little entitled these past few weeks and you needed a little wake up call. Your arrogance will be your undoing one of these days, so don’t let it go to your head. I won’t be around to wake you up next time.” he sniffles, raising his hands to wipe away the falling tears.

“I promise, as long as you promise not to hit me like that again.” she chuckles softly, wiping away his tears.

“I promise. From today, I’ll never hurt you like that ever again, not even if you deserve it.” she starts to laugh when she ruffled his hair and he cried out in horror, screaming at her that she ruined his hair, she just continued to laugh as she ran away from him whilst he screamed bloody murder.

“[F/N]…” he starts tearing up but held them back when a hand was offered to him, he saw that it was Robin wearing [F/N]’s discarded jacket.

“Get up, Harrington. We’re gonna save your sister, and when we do, I’m gonna give her a proper ass whoppin!” driving back to the Starcourt mall they sat in silence, Jonathan breaking all the road laws as he sped down road in the car that was hanging onto its life by a thread. Steve raised his eyes from where he sat and saw Robin digging her face into the fabric of [F/N]’s jacket, he noticed that she was thinking about something because she had a look on her face that was debating whether or not she should speak or not “… she broke up with me.” this caused his body to straighten up, even the others in the car peeked back to listen in on the conversation, rude.

“What do you mean she broke up with you? W-Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” she let out a sigh, blinking back the tears that were slowly swelling up in her eyes.

“I guess it was because of that Mind Flayer, or whatever the fuck that thing is. I think she was in the middle of choosing that things latest meal, because I caught her in an alleyway letting a girl kiss her. It was when I went to go look for the blueprints.” Steve gasps softly at that, so that’s why she looked so dejected when she came back “I couldn’t recognise her, she stared at me with these cold, dead eyes and the way she spoke to me… I felt so scared being there. I wish I knew, I wish I knew she was going through that and then maybe I could’ve helped her. Maybe I wouldn’t have felt so angry at her that she broke up with me, left me in that alleyway all alone— and for what? To protect me? So she wouldn’t have to hurt me ever more than she did by breaking my heart? She even threatened me if I told you, saying you wouldn’t believe me because I’m nothing but your coworker while she’s your sister.” she sniffles to herself, wiping away the tears that fell from her eyes, she spared Steve a look but flinched a little. He now wore a very livid expression, Robin became a really close friend to Steve after he and his sister got together and they became closed after their encounter with the Russian soldiers under the mall, so hearing how his flayed sister threatened and broke up with her pissed him off.

“If you don’t kick her ass, I’ll kick it for you. But first, we’ve got to find her and Billy and free them from the control of the Mind Flayer. Whether you forgive her or not, that’s up to you, but she’s still my sister.”  “What about Billy?”  “I hope he can forgive me for totalling his camaro.” they stare at each other and laugh weakly, Robin now rested her forward on his shoulder and let her hands dip into the pockets but she hummed in confusion when she felt something. Pulling it out, her breath hitched when she pulled out the photo of the four of them at the fair. Steve felt her body tremble so he looked down and he himself flinched at the photo, seeing that photo almost felt like yesterday. Steve wished he could go back to the time where the other three were clueless about the Upside Down; clueless about the true horrors of Hawkins and that he was the only one who knew the truth. Where his sister was madly in love with his friend, where his boyfriend was in the safety of his arms, where none of this was happening on the first place and that the four of them were having their weekly sleepover at the Harrington household.

Man, what a distant memory.

[starcourt mall]

[F/N] arrives right on time, finding Billy pushing himself off of El just as the Mind Flayer descends from the skylight. El was regaining her consciousness as the blur of the monster slowly registered in her mind, [F/N] wordlessly stands beside Billy and reached over to take his hand into hers. He doesn’t spare her a glance and neither does she, and though they were still under the influence of the monster in front of them, the two of them squeezed each others hand to let each other know that they were still in there. The Mind Flayer is paying the two of them no mind, slowly approaching the small child to devour her, rid the last obstacle in its way, when something blew up in its face. Billy and [F/N] cry out in pain at the blow, sharing the pain with the Mind Flayer, blow after blow Billy and [F/N] grovel to their knees in pain as the Mind Flayer roared at the intruders. [F/N] peeked through his hands and saw the lot she nearly killed had followed quickly after her, how she never noticed them was beyond her, but she was going to finish what she started.

Deal with them.

Finish the job.

Make no mistakes.

“Shut up…” she growled out, managing to push herself onto her feet and towards the escalator to where their unwanted guests were, leaving Billy to watch over El. Of course none of them were expecting to see [F/N] on them, they were all to preoccupied laying waste to the Mind Flayer to notice that she was there. Lucas was the first to suffer at her mercy, the others heard his cry for help and immediately turned to see where he was, watching in shock when they saw [F/N] turn him around and strike him across the face that he fell to the ground after spitting out blood from his mouth,

“Lucas!” next was Will, who was unfortunate to be within arms length because she did not hesitate to raise the axe and hit him with the butt if the axe and knock him unconscious “Will!” Jonathan screams out and was ready to drop everything to help his brother but was stopped when Nancy grabbed his arm, pulling him back and shaking her head.

“No, no! Jonathan, I understand what you’re going through, but no! She will kill your the moment you’re within her grasp, she’s not letting us go this time.” he shakes his head.

“I don’t care! I need to get Will!” he cries out and rips his arm free from Nancy’s hold but stopped when he saw Steve and Robin already rushing over to stop [F/N] from going any further with the children, Nancy grabs his arm again and tugs at it to get his attention.

“Steve and Robin will deal with her, we’ll keep the Mind Flayer distracted, alright? Steve won’t let anything happen to your brother.” speaking of which, the Mind Flayer’s anger was beginning to mix in with her own, anger for the previous host that managed to slip through its grasp. Placing her foot on Will’s chest, she raises the axe up to slam it down but was once again stopped when it was smacked out of her hands, she growls at the perpetrator and saw that it was Robin, who had her hands out in front of her to keep some distance between her and [F/N].

“[F/N], baby, please… it’s me, it’s Robin.” she pleads, she flinches and takes a step back when [F/N] pushed herself off of Will but kicked his unconscious body away to approach Robin “Whatever this thing has done to you; has made you do, I want you to know that this isn’t your fault, none of it is. You’re just as innocent as the next person is, and I want you to know that I… I forgive you. Everything you said in the alleyway, I know you didn’t mean any of it. I want you to know that I still love you, through everything that’s happened, I love you.” Robin felt hopeful when she saw [F/N]’s hardened gaze soften, maybe she was caught up in her delusions of freeing her mind that she reached for her hand, that was her mistake because her hand quickly grabbed a hold of Robin to keep her from moving and with her other hand sucker punched her straight in the gut so hard that she spat out saliva. She didn’t let when Robin gasped out of breath, collapsing to her knees as she hunched over and clutched her stomach.

“I care not for your words, they mean nothing to me. Didn’t I already tell you that?” Robin lets out a sob at her cold words, wishing nothing more than to feel the warmth she once had only for her, but she could only cry out in pain when [F/N] twisted her arm “You’ve lost your chance of staying away, so I hope you’re prepared for the consequences.”

“Hey!” turning her head, she was taken aback when Steve came rushing over and slammed the bottom of a fire extinguisher into her face. She let out a gasp at the sudden blow, letting Robin go as her head was thrown back after the impact, she then raised her hand to cradle her throbbing nose as Steve’s arm dropped due to the weight of the extinguisher “You need to stop this madness, [F/N], I beg of you. I need you back, I need my big sister back!” he takes a step back when she growled at him but her face screwed up in pain once more, a mixture from getting hit with a fire extinguisher, the fireworks the Mind Flayer was getting hit with, but also [F/N] fighting for dominance over her mind once more.

He’s lying to you.

He doesn’t need you.

You don’t need him.

“Please, let’s just go home. With Robin and Billy, we’ll go home and watch movies like we used to. Talk about how much we hate our parents, how much we hate Hawkins and how we’ll leave as soon as Robin and Billy graduate. We’ll be together, like we always have. Just you, and me.” [F/N) groans out in pain, shaking her head as she slapped her hands against her forehead to quell all the madness that was going on “Just come back to me, my big sister.” Steve takes a step forward, reaching for her but gasped when she punched him in the face.

“Shut up!” she screamed at him, she struggled to stay standing whilst clutching her throbbing head.

Destroy him.

Annihilate him.

Murder him.

Kill him.

Steve couldn’t remember what happened next, first he was struggling to keep himself standing, the next thing he knew he was barely clinging to consciousness as he laid on his back while he suffered continuous blows to his face. [F/N] was currently on top of him, screaming at the top of her lungs as she punched him left and right, holding nothing back as she delivered blow after blow. At this right she was definitely going to kill him, but she just couldn’t stop herself, this time not pulling her punches and putting all her strength into each one. She saw him weakly reach out to her but she merely smacked his hand away then grab him by the collars of his shirt to pull him forward, reeling her head back to slam her forehead into the bridge of his nose. Blood gurgled in his throat and he was questioning why he was still conscious, wishing nothing more then for this continuous chain of pain to end, but he knew his sister was in a lot more pain. Weakly opening his eyes, he saw the pain in her eyes as she unwillingly hurt her sweet little brother that used to cry at the drop of a hat, so he reached for her once more when she held him up by his shirt as her other hand was pulled back.

“We… we were kids.” she furrowed her brows in confusion, what nonsense was he spouting out now? “We were k-kids and you were tea— teaching me to ride my bike. I wouldn’t stop crying, and you were making f-fun of me. You promised you’d be with me every… every step of the way. You never broke that promise, [F/N]; never. Even when you were gone, you made sure to write letters. Even when I s-said I hated you, you were still there.” his trembling hand managed to reach her face, gently cupping her cheek and caressing it with his thumb, her face softened and she leaned into the touch, a single tear running down her cheek “I love you, [F/N]…” his hand finally dropped to his side just as [F/N] took a deep breath, closing her eyes to reminiscent on every good memory she had of Steve, slowly but surely the black veins disappeared and the voice that screamed in her head grew silent. She blinked her eyes a few times in confusion, leaning backwards and looking around to see where exactly she was before finally looking down, and there her eyes widened in horror.

“Steve… Steve!” she screams at the top of her lungs, the tears swelling in her eyes falling freely down her cheeks. She hurriedly jumps off of him and lifts his weakened body into her lap, cradling his body into her arms while rocking back and forward “No, no, no, no, no! I didn’t mean to hurt you, I-I’m so sorry! I tried— I tried so hard to keep myself away from you, to stop myself from hurting you, but I’ve gone and broken my promise to you! I’m sorry, I’m sorry…!” she kept apologising over and over, but she just felt sick to her stomach. She couldn’t look at herself anymore, she couldn’t even look at her hands knowing that she was beating her brother that she swore she’d never hurt anymore. It hurt even more knowing that she hurt the love of her life, breaking her heart to keep her safe but then she hurt her when she was trying to save her from the monster that plagued her mind.

“[F/N]…” she gasped, looking down at her brother and saw that he was reaching for her again, she doesn’t hesitate to take his hand into hers and caress it, nuzzling the side of her face into it “You’re back…?” she chuckles weakly, nodding her head as she smiled weakly at him.

“Yes… yes, it’s me. It’s your big sister, who loves you very much.” he smiles at her but it breaks her heart seeing him looking up at her, face beaten and bleeding as his eyes were barely able to open “Will you ever forgive me?” he chuckles, closing his eyes and feeling his body relax under hers.

“What a foolish question, I’ll always f-forgive you…” she hunches over his body, her own trembling as her tears fell onto his body. A sob leaves her lips but her attention was torn off his body when she heard a loud roar, recognising it, she turned her head towards it and it widened at the sight of the Mind Flayer, her gaze soon hardened in rage at the mere sight of it. This fucking piece of shit was the cause of it all, for her and Billy hurting people, kidnapping people, killing people… her breaking up with Robin, and her hurting both Robin and Steve. She’ll never forgive it, she’ll never forget what it’s done to her and Billy, all because they were foolish enough to not go home and stayed out longer. Steve let out a confused noise when his head was lifted off of her lap, he watched as she picked up the fallen axe and at first he was worried she was back under the control of the Mind Flayer, but her gaze was trained on the Mind Flayer instead of anyone else “[F-F/N]…?” she breaks out into a running start then proceeds to step onto the railing and over it, raising the axe over her head then swings it down on the Mind Flayer.

“[F/N]?!” Billy, who was also free from the Mind Flayer’s control, shouts in surprise. Billy was holding one of the tentacles back that was aiming to kill El, pushing it back with everything he head, when [F/N] jumped off from the upper levels screaming and swinging the axe into the Mind Flayer’s body.

“You fucking piece of shit!” she yells, ripping the blade out of its gooey flesh then swung it down again “You made me hurt my brother! You made me break up with my girlfriend! You made me hurt so many people, and all for what?! Because you couldn’t make your own body?! You rat sack son of a bitch!” [F/N] knew what she was doing was stupid, that what she was doing was going to get her killed, but she really couldn’t care at all. She wanted to pay for what she’s done, why should she get off scot free? She wanted punishment, retribution for her actions “The only ending you’ll get is with your death!” she knew her actions would lead to her downfall, that what she was doing was meaningless, because the Mind Flayer easily threw her off and she landed on the ground with a thud. The next thing she knew was that one of the many tentacles surrounding the monster pierced her body, she slowly looked down and coughed up blood seeing the many teeth sink into her chest.

“Billy!” she hears a scream, turning her head, she sees that Billy has been met with the same fate. Pain runs throughout her body when several more of that things tentacles pierce through her body until it finally let her go, her body collapsing for she had no more strength left to keep her up. This was it, she was going to die alone knowing that she hurt her brother and her girlfriend— her ex? She didn’t know, all she knew was that she was going to die without making it up to the two people she loved the most, especially now that she was leaving her little brother alone. She coughs up more blood as she turns her head, noticing that Billy was still kicking so with what little strength she still had, she pushed herself onto her stomach and started dragging herself over to where he was laying. Finally reaching him, she pushes herself up then collapsed onto him, he looked down at her and saw she was crying.

“I won’t let you… die alone.” she muttered weakly, reaching her hand to rest on his cheek “I won’t leave you alone.” in turn for this final act of gentle affection, he raises his own hand to take her hand into his and the two of them stare into each other’s eyes.

“Why didn’t you leave me…?” he asked her, questioning what sanity she had for going back and saving him. She wouldn’t have had to suffer everything if she just abandoned him, he was used to it anyways, but she just gave him the best smile she could muster.

“Because… I wanted to see yours and Stevie’s wedding.” he stared at her but it did manage to crack a smile onto his face, and that was enough for the both of them.

“You’re stupid.”

“Maybe I am.” Steve was being helped down to the lower levels by Nancy and Jonathan, Robin following closely behind as the immense pain in her stomach still hadn’t settled, and Steve couldn’t properly walk on his own after the continuous blows he took to the face and head. They finally made it to the ground level and Steve looks over to see where Max was, crying in El’s arms, he looks where she was collapsed and his heart immediately dropped into his stomach at what he saw.

“No… no, no, no!” he cries out, Robin follows his gaze and herself saw both Billy and [F/N]’s motionless bodies that continued to bleed out “[F/N]! Billy! Please, god, no!” Steve thrashed in Nancy and Jonathan’s hood until they finally let him go, he fell to his knees but he scrambled to his feet and rushed over to their bodies. His hands trembled over their bodies, the tears in his eyes falling onto them “Please, no. Not like this, please. You can’t leave me, you can’t leave me alone…! You promised to be by my side, you promised!” his trembling hands reached to cup their faces and his face fell when they felt cold under his touch, god, this was really happening. Robin fell to her knees by his side, shaking her head at the sight of [F/N]’s lifeless body, she couldn’t believe that this was actually happening. She doesn’t hesitate to throw her arms around Steve’s body, squeezing him tightly and the two of them cried together knowing that they both lost somebody they loved.

But at least the two that did die, died in each other’s arms smiling.


Tags
3 years ago

Mechanical

word count: 4923

Fandom: FNAF Security Breach Pairing: N/A Pronouns: He/Him Relationship: Platonic Occupation: Drummer/Mechanic Ability: Animatronic Octopus

The character was modeled after a blue ringed octopus, so they are a oceanic type animatronic with an oceanic themed area within the pizza plex. The appearance they adorn is that of a human like face while their hair is their eight tentacles that are also capable of extending out to three meters long and a special function that allows them to stick to walls but also pick things up. The rings of the blue ringed octopus are seen on their body and act as speakers for music to play but for their voice to be louder.

Keys: [M/N]: Male Name [B/C]: Base Color [S/C]: Secondary Color [F/C]: Favorite Color [E/C]: Eye Color

Warnings: spoilers to those who haven’t watched fnaf sb.

might make various drabbles to this involving this reader.

that is all.

image

[M/N] the Octopus; that is what they called him. Quite a boring name in comparison to the spectacular Glamrock Freddy or even Montgomery Gator, but it was the literal definition of his model. Unlike the other animatronics, he was a unique octopus type animatronic with eight tentacles for hair that were capable of doing any task. His model had dozens of mechanical software uploaded into his AI so that if anything were to be broken or malfunctioning, he would be the go to guy to fix anything back into prestige condition. He was well liked by the few human staff that were employed to the Freddy Fazbear Mega Pizza Plex and many children adored him, not as much as they loved Freddy of course, but at least he was well liked. 

He was also the main drummer of Freddy’s band, I mean, of course he was. There was Freddy, the main vocalist, Roxanne Wolf who played the Keytar, Chica who played as the main Guitarist and Montgomery Gator who played the Bass. A band was never complete without the Drummer who provided the beat to their songs, and [M/N] was the master when it came down to making any beat to whatever song Freddy sang. He was a fan favorite to the audience too, second to Freddy of course who was the main star and face to Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria, because of his unique model design. His body was a shade of [B/C] while the rings around his body were [F/C], the underside of his palms and tentacles were [S/C] as he his model was shirtless while he had painted on colorful 80′s track pants, green and pink nail polish along with peach to pink shield sunglasses that hid his [E/C] eyes.

Today was any other day at the Pizza Plex, fix anything that needed fixing before the Pizzeria opened, greet the staff that arrive, greet the young children and adults who decided to spend a day at his area of the Mega Pizza Plex, which was a oceanic themed area were the children were able to swim but also observe and learn about oceanic creatures through digital reality or holograms that swam about in the air above them. When the time came for him to return to his room to prepare for tonight’s show, he spoke through his built in mic and his voice transmitted through his built in speakers to signal the children and others that Freddy’s show was going to begin. 

“You ready, Freddy?” [M/N] spoke, spinning his drumsticks around his fingers as he looked Freddy up and down “Tonight’s the big show.” the main star for that night let out a chuckle as his hand came down to pat [M/N] on the back, giving his friend a soft smile.

“Of course friend, tonight will be like every other night. Perfect.” [M/N] deadpanned when Roxanne shoved past them, pressing her fingers into the keys of her keytar.

“Of course it will be perfect since I will be there.”

“Right, try not to mess up, Roxy.” Freddy let out a sigh as Roxanne glared up at [M/N], said machine let out his own snarl as his tentacles raise up slightly and curled up in a way they were ready to punch her.

“Please stop this, we can’t afford another quarrel before a show again.” [M/N] scoffs, crossing his arms as his robotic tentacles lowered to the ground.

“She starts it.”

“I do not!” Chica and Monty arrived behind stage and were as annoyed as Freddy when the two started bickering once more, [M/N] being more monotone and stern while Roxy was more vocal and aggressive. Freddy sighs before looking at Monty, he clears his throat to gain the alligators attention and when he succeeded, he nudged his head in the direct the two were, said machine let out a groan before going over to them. [M/N] lets out a grunt when he felt one of his tentacles be grabbed and yanked back, the same with Roxy but with her tail.

“Stop acting like idiots and get your acts together.” he growls at the both of them, [M/N] snatches his tentacle back as he straightens the top of his hair/tentacles out.

“I’m only stating the truth.” before Roxy could fire anything back, Chica grabbed her by the biceps and pulled her back.

“Whoa there girl, calm yourself.” 

“Freddy!” they all turn their heads and see one of the workers approaching them “You’re about to go on in five minutes.” he gives the worker a bright smile along with a thumbs up.

“Thank you for the heads up.” they nod their head before walking away, he claps his paws before looking at the other four “It’s party time.” to [M/N], everything was going as it should be. The performance was great, the children and even the adults were loving the show. A warm smile graced his mechanical lips as he watched Freddy perform to his utmost best, stealing the show with little to no effort and making the crowd roar for more. There shouldn’t have been any problems, everything was flawless, that was until he noticed Freddy’s movements sputter and twitch before freezing up. He was still drumming when his AI caught something, his eyes looked over at Freddy and a red outline covered his body and there he saw multiple issues erupting from his body. He couldn’t do anything as he watched sparks fly out of his body before he eventually collapsed to the ground, Chica was the first to approach him as the crowd gasped in shock.

“Freddy!” [M/N] shouts out in concern, standing up from where he was as he rushed over to him, he raised his head when he saw looks of confusion cross the faces of the people in the crowd before communicating with the main crew “Lower the stage and get us out of here.” he said through his communicator.

”We’re already on it.” the crowd was left in confusion as to why the show ended so strangely and early but the animatronic could careless, he was more concerned as to why Freddy had such a malfunction despite the condition he was in. [M/N] used his tentacles to pick Freddy up and brought him to Parts and Services while the other three returned to their rooms, his eyes were in the midst of doing a full body scan while his tentacles were doing other check ups on his body and fixing any damage that happened to him when he collapsed when the night guard entered the room.

“What happened out there?!” she shouts, he turned to face her with an equally confused look on his face.

“I don’t know, he was in tip top condition the last time I did an examination. I don’t know what caused his system to crash and for him to shut down the way he did.” he answers before returning his eyes down to continue examining his body.

“Well tonight was a disaster!” she lets out a groan, taking her cap off to tousle with her hair “I’ve been told that he needs to be put on reduced power, they said that it is a safety precaution so that something like what happened on stage won’t happen again.” he nods his head.

“If that is the correct action, then I will do so, Officer Vanessa.” she huffs as she watches him do his magic from outside the protective cylinder, watching as he pushed buttons, disconnecting and reconnecting wires before finishing and exiting out of the cylinder “I have finished, his power should deplete each time he is moving around for too long and he should shut down if he doesn’t power up in a recharge station.” she nods her head.

“Good, take him back to his room then go back to your own, got it?” 

“Got it.” she nods once more before leaving Parts and Services, he rubs his face as he stared down at the main face of the Fazebear Industry before shaking his head and picking him up once more to return him to his room. He places Freddy in the charging station within his room, staring at his resting face through the window of the station before turning and leaving for his own room. He used his tentacles to as a seat as Freddy’s diagnostics displayed themselves within [M/N]’s eyes, he was looking through all the data to see what was wrong with his friend and caused him to shut down in the middle of a show. He was perplexed as to how it happened because he was completely fine before the show, he showed no signs of a malfunction or anything of the sort, so he just didn’t understand as to why it happened. 

His eyes perked up slightly when something popped up in the corner of his eye, he waved his hand to dismiss the other things as he enhanced the anomaly. He was watching through the perspective of what Freddy saw through his eyes and there his face dawned a look of horror when he noticed that Freddy detected a threat within the crowd, but that wasn’t the threat that caused him to react the way he did, it was the fact that someone was trying to hack through Freddy’s AI, which was supposed to be impossible. He himself, along with the other three, were made so that it was not possible for anyone to hack through their system, but someone managed to get past their firewall.

“This is bad. This is very, very bad! I need to tell Vane--” he was cut off when he started to glitch out, his own AI was strong enough to resist the intruders hack but forced his system to shut down for it to be possible. His heavy body collapsed to the ground but as his vision started to fade, he saw the door from Parts and Services that led to his room opened up and someone come walking out, or more like hope out.

“Now, now. We can’t have our fun be spoiled before it even begins, now can we?” there, he saw a woman wearing a bunny outfit but the most disturbing part about it was the way the mask was made to look. A creepy smile stitched onto it as its eyes were a deep shade of red with dotted eyes, the woman beneath the mask giggled “Nighty night, octoman.”

WARNING!

ALERT!

DANGER DETECTED!

SYSTEMS SHUTTING DOWN...

[time skip: nearing 3:00AM]

[STARTING UP]

REBOOT...

LOADING OS...

SYSTEM INITIALIZATION... CHECKING EXOSKELETON... OK INITIALIZING SENSORS... OK INITIALIZING AI ENGINE... OK MEMORY STATUS... OK

ALL SYSTEMS... OK

ENTERING SAFE MODE

[M/N]’s systems started turning on, his eyes blinking before a light emitting from them to indicate that he was functional and operating once more. When his optical sensors were in working order, he looked side to side and was left in confusion when he saw that he was somewhere in Parts and Services, what confused him even more was the fact that it was nearly 3:00AM. He was sure that the last time he glanced at the time was when it was nearly midnight, his system had shut down for nearly three hours? Something like that would only happen when someone was trying to hack his mainframe, he was a very valuable animatronic due to the fact that he had the blueprints to the entire restaurant downloaded to his database along with the other animatronics, including ways to improve their AI’s and whatnots, so the fact that his system had forcibly shut down meant that someone was messing around with the animatronics mainframe.

“This isn’t good.” he whispered to himself, pushing himself to his feet as he scanned the area before speed walking down the hall “This is bad. This is really, really bad. I need to inform Officer Vanessa right away.” he was startled to see the amount of security bots roaming the halls, even more grossed out when he saw a couple endoskeletons were moving. Whatever happened in the past few hours must be due to the hacker who managed to bypass his firewalls and force him to shut down. He paused, however, when his eyes detected movement that wasn’t that of the security bots nor the endoskeletons, using his eyes to scan the entire hallway, he was surprised to see the information of a young child pop up.

What on earth was a child doing down in Parts and Service? Much less at three in the morning, why are they still at the pizzeria? He shook his head as he approached where the child was, he was being mindful of his steps because he didn’t want to frighten the already terrified young boy. He soon noticed that the boy was surrounded by multiple endoskeletons and a security bot was approaching him fast, he didn’t know what would happen if he were to get caught so he used his tentacles and moved them so they were attached to the ceiling above him, lifting his body off the ground and keeping him out of sight from the other bots. The young boy, Gregory, was taking deep breaths as he was trying to time each time the security bot would circle back to where he was hiding while also trying to keep an eye on the endoskeletons.

’This sucks. I just need to get back to where Freddy is and I can get the heck out of this spooky place.’ he shuddered when he had to briefly look away from the endoskeletons to see where the security bots were and when he glanced back, they moved a couple inches towards him ’Just one more time, then I can--’ his thoughts were cut off when he felt something grab him from above before yanking him up, he tries to let out a cry but was stopped when a hand was pressed to his mouth. Looking up, he was startled to see the face of [M/N] the Octopus holding him within his arms as his tentacle like hair held him above the ground and out of sight.

“What on earth is going on?” he muttered to himself, eyes locked onto the endoskeletons that were now frozen in place after loosing sight of the child. [M/N] let out a sigh before glancing down at the boy, he flinched when he noticed the terrified look on his face as he gripped onto [M/N]’s wrist tightly, tears threatening to fall down his face “Oh, no. Oh, no, no, no. Please don’t cry, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to frighten you.” he said, voice hushed yet a bit loud from the panic of making the child tear up, he immediately took his hand away from his mouth as he held the boy in both arms, on wrapped under him while his other hand was pressed against his back.

“P-Please... I don’t want to die.” he whimpered out, [M/N] gasped once more as the tentacles that weren’t holding him up came forward to gently wipe away his tears.

“No, no! I’m not going to kill you. We animatronics are not programmed to harm a guest, much less a young child.” he reassured, he frowned when that didn’t calm him down. He looked around and once he spotted a room his tentacles moved so that he was by the door, they lowered him to the ground so he could enter it. Gregory looked up at [M/N] and noticed that he sat on the ground and had a soft melody play from out of his speakers, it was quiet enough that it wouldn’t attract attention from any wandering bots and soothing enough to calm his nerves “Have you calmed down now?” Gregory couldn’t help but giggle softly when he noticed that [M/N]’s tentacles rose up and acted as snakes, looking at him and waiting for a response.

“Y-Yeah, yeah I have.” [M/N] nods and gently rubs his back.

“I’m glad, but kid, what are you doing here so late? Where are your parents?” he noticed the boy flinch before shaking his parents.

“It doesn’t matter, I’m locked in here till 6:00AM and everything here is out to get me.” [M/N] raised an arm and pressed it against his metal chest plate.

“I’m not, I’m here to help you.” [M/N] noticed that the boy was skeptical, but he wasn’t completely wary of [M/N], he did save him the hassle of getting past the endoskeletons and security bots and he hadn’t killed him yet, just like Freddy “You might already know who I am, but I’m [M/N] the Octopus. Can I know your name?” he was still a little nervous, he sniffles as he wipes his face.

“My name is... Gregory.” [M/N] smiles softly as he nods his head.

“Gregory, what a wonderful name.” [M/N] nods his head once more before standing to his feet, continuing on holding Gregory in his arms “I don’t understand what’s going on, but I’ll make sure to get you wherever you need to go and make sure no harm comes your way. I promise you.” Gregory hesitantly nods his head, raising his arms to wrap around his neck.

“Okay, I trust you.”

“Good, good! Okay then, let’s go.” [M/N] offers him one last smile before turning towards the door, he peeks his head outside and noticed a couple endoskeletons down the hall that led to the main part of the Parts and Service area where the animatronics would be repaired or upgraded, he glanced down and noticed that that was the way that he needed to go, so he proceeded. Gregory let out a whoa when [M/N]’s tentacles lifted him off the ground once more and so they both avoided the unwanted attention, sure [M/N]’s body was pretty large and broad, but he was able to swerve around the bots easily but also pull Gregory close to his chest and his tentacles would pull him up so that his back was pressed against the ceiling when bots got a little to close to them.

“You make travelling much easier.” Gregory muttered, watching as [M/N] easily cut down the distance in comparison to Freddy “It’s much better than walking, honestly.” this caused the aquatic animatronic to chuckle.

“Is that so?” Gregory nods.

“Yeah. Freddy usually has me hide in his chest cavity, it’s pretty convenient, but this is much better.” this caused [M/N] to briefly sputter in his movements, he then looked down at him in confusion.

“He has you what?” he narrows his eyes when Gregory falls silent, glancing away and looking at everything but [M/N]’s eyes “Freddy is the last thing I would expect would do something so irresponsible, that compartment is only meant for oversized birthday cakes and piñatas. I’m surprised a young child can fit in there.”

“Well, I’m small.” [M/N] shook his head, one of his tentacles reaching down and poking at the side of his stomach.

“A little TOO small, for my liking.” Gregory only let out a nervous chuckle before falling silent, they soon travelled in a comfortable silence, avoiding all the bots roaming the halls before finally making it to their destination, but [M/N] was shocked once more at the sight “Freddy? Freddy!” he shouts out, he gently tosses Gregory up and has one of his tentacles wrap around the boy and hold him up as he rushed towards the protective cylinder.

“[M/N]? Is that you?” [M/N] gasped, hands pressed against the glass and saw that Freddy’s head was disconnected from his neck and the only thing keeping him from being decommissioned were the wires “Oh, thank heavens. I was wondering what happened to you, friend.” [M/N] shook his head.

“What happened to me doesn’t matter, what happened to you while I was shut down? And why the heck is there a kid here so late at night?” Freddy managed to move his eyes and let out a breath of relief at the sight of Gregory being held safely in one of [M/N]’s tentacles.

“Gregory! I am so glad that you are here, and alive!” 

“You’re ignoring my question, Freddy.” the bear let out a chuckle.

“I will gladly answer you, but I would most appreciate it if you would reattach my head.” [M/N] sighs once more, setting Gregory down before going over to the console and pressing buttons.

“Right.” Gregory knew that [M/N] was designed to fix anything that’s been broken, but it was still very cool to watch him continue to talk with Freddy, not even glancing down at the console as his fingers danced across screen ”The only thing that I know is that someone was trying to hack my mainframe, which caused my system to shut down. We must Vanessa of the intruder immediately.” he let out a grunt when Gregory grabbed one of his tentacles and yanked him backwards.

“No! We can’t tell her anything!” he sputters as he looked down at her.

“Why not? I assure you, she most definitely will help us.” he shakes his head once more.

“No! I don’t trust her, she’s out to get me like everyone else.” [M/N] sputtered when Gregory looked up at him, puppy dog eyes glistening with tears as his lip trembled “Please, don’t tell her.” Freddy looked over and saw [M/N]’s body trembling before he let out a deep exhale, shoulders slumping forward.

“Well, alright. I’ll trust your intuition, child.” Gregory gave him a tearful smile before jumping forward and embracing his leg, this caused both animatronics to smile fondly at Gregory. Said boy continued to hug his leg, one of his tentacles pressed against his back and soothingly rubbing it as [M/N] continued to work on Freddy. His tentacles held Gregory close as [M/N] entered the protective cylinder, making mistakes was not in his programming, but now he really must not make a mistake with Gregory at his side and the young boy refusing to leave his side out of fear.

“I don’t quite feel like myself, [M/N].”

“You’re fine.” [M/N] starts, pressing at the flashing buttons in the correct sequence when they lit up, allow them to reconnect the wires to Freddy’s head, he then takes a step back for the testing console to approach him to run diagnostics “I’ll have you feeling better in no time.” 

“I’m glad.” once he was finished running diagnostics, he exited the protective cylinder and looked over the console that was outside of the cylinder.

“Okay, buddy. How’s about you finish it off?” [M/N] offered, holding Gregory up so he could see the console screen.

“Um, it looks a little complicated.” he shook his head.

“No, the last bit is easy, I promise.” Gregory looks at the screen and true to his word, the last part was easy, all he had to do was press >[Finish Upgrade], and it’ll be done. [M/N] gave him a sheepish look when he noticed the child glance up at him, Gregory just shook his head before pressing enter.

“There’s so much tech stuff in here.” Gregory started, looking around in slight awe when [M/N] put him down in favor of entering the protective cylinder once more to help Freddy out “Is there anything I could use to stop the other bots?” the two animatronics look up in thought.

“Bright lights in the eyes cause us to briefly malfunction. I suppose a Fazerblaster or a Faz Cam could work.” [M/N] suggested, examining Freddy once more, to which the other kept reassuring that he was fine.

“Where do I get one?” Freddy was the first to answer.

“You can win a Fazerblaster in Fazer Blast. Faz Cams are often confiscated in Monty Golf, but you will need a party pass to open one of those attractions. Chica normally gives them out for birthdays. Check her green room in Rockstar Row, you can find one there.” Freddy explained, [M/N] then perked up as he pointed towards the back of the room.

“Use one of the service elevators at the back of the room. They go up to Rockstar Row. It looks like they are all out of order except for Roxy’s.” the two follow the young boy over to the back and watch as he looked at the doors.

“Hey Freddy, [M/N]! Check this out. Chica has some sort of special voice box, Roxy has new eyes, and Monty was given better claws. We have to get you those, Freddy! We could upgrade you!” [M/N] was slightly intrigued by the idea, but it was a little disturbing because in order to get those parts... Freddy seemed to have been reading his mind, because the way he answer.

“Gregory, those parts belong to my friends. I would never hurt them.”

“I would.” [M/N] said rather nonchalantly, this earned him a smack from Freddy and a laugh from Gregory, who then pouted.

“All night long, all they’ve done is try to hurt me.” he then crosses his arms, mumbling under his breath “They get what they deserve.” [M/N] takes a step backwards, watching Gregory climb into Freddy’s chest cavity before they both entered the elevator.

“You are not joining us, [M/N]?” the octopus shook his head.

“No, I will remain here so I can figure out a way to stop whoever is messing with the AI’s and the system, but if you call for me on your Faz Watch, I will not hesitate to come running to your aid. I will be there when you need me.” Freddy nods his head.

“I will see you when I see you, friend.” [M/N] nods and turns to leave but stopped when Freddy’s chest cavity opened up, he saw Gregory peek his head out before extended his close fist in his direction, this caused the bot to chuckle before kneeling down and bumping his fist.

“Stay safe, little guy.”

“You too.” 

Headcanons:

as stated multiple times, [m/n] was designed to fix any malfunctions that happened to any of the attractions or to the other animatronics and bots, so his model had special eyes that allowed him to scan anything and immediately find errors along with all the information.

and since he was a oceanic type animatronics, he was also water proof because his area had a mini water park and allowed young children to swim. 

he acts as the life guard as well as a swimming instructor to help any of the children who were keen on learning how to swim. he was an excellent swimmer and was fast/strong enough to swim up the water slides.

anyways-

[m/n]’s role towards gregory would be similar to that of a kind older brother or responsible uncle; he’ll leave the father figure for freddy.

[m/n] stays in parts and services to look for any clues as to why what was happening was happening in the first place.

when gregory calls for him, he would drop everything he’s doing and unlike freddy, he’s inconspicuous when he comes to gregory’s aid because he clings to the walls before lowering down to pick him and bring him out of harms way.

sometimes he frightens the leaving daylights out of gregory because he’s so quite in his movements the young boy doesn’t even hear him.

[m/n] and freddy make it a competition to go help gregory when he calls for either of them.

now then, back to the story plot;

when gregory comes back to parts and services with intentions to upgrade freddy with the parts he took from chica, roxy and monty, [m/n] will feel that unease resurface when he has to be the one to put the pieces onto freddy.

sure he didn’t see eye to eye with the other animatronics, but it was kind of hard that his friends were in pieces were wandering the pizzeria in absolute despair.

so, [m/n] brings it upon himself to leave parts and services to round up chica, roxy and monty and bring them back in order to fix them up and get rid of the thing that was corrupting their system and return them back to normal.

now, if [m/n]’s system was corrupted, he would be a mostly roaming around his own area or parts and services were he would try to find ways to prevent gregory from progressing further by hacking the system himself and lock doors.

his boss fight would be gregory using various consoles to hack and control [m/n]’s tentacles to eventually either pin him to the walls and have something crash into him or have them crush him to decommission him.

the broken down version of him would be his head at the verge of snapping off his body as his tentacles were used for mobility, since from his neck down, nothing was working.


Tags
5 months ago

Contract pt. 3

word count: 23,441

Fandom: Gravity Falls Pairing: Stanley Pines x Alvah (OC) Pronouns: He/She/They (usually goes be she/her) Relationship: Romantic Occupation: Guardian Ability: Demonic Powers

Since the individual is a resident of the Nightmare Realm, while also being the embodiment of evil from across multiple dimensions, the power they have is almost unlimited. They are capable of traveling to different dimensions throughout the multiverse but when they do step foot in such dimensions their powers become limited unless they are able to form a contract, similar to Bill through his deals, that allows them to have full access to their powers. They are capable of shapeshifting their appearance to blend in with the locals or at least influence the minds of those who set their eyes on them, but if there were anyone to bear witness to their true form, their own minds would destroy itself and drive them into madness.

Keys:

n/a

Warnings:

blood, violence, and spoilers for those who haven't read the book of bill.

"Contract" pt. 1, pt. 2

I believe you can pinpoint where exactly I stopped giving a shit about what the hell I was writing. I just wanted/needed to finish this part.

I now had to make this three parts because I met the word limit again.

Contract Pt. 3

season 2, episode 17. dipper and mabel vs. the future 

alvah doesn’t really appear much in this episode, only to decline dipper’s offer to join him and ford’s adventure to look for an adhesive to seal the crack on the rift. 

she does warn ford that this was a situation that she really couldn’t interfere in and that if they were in trouble she wouldn’t be there. 

he took her warning to heart and was extra cautious with his and dipper’s safety. 

they don’t let that show and she bids dipper goodbye and to have fun, despite knowing the day’s outcome. 

soos was out with mabel in search for a location for the twin’s birthday party since stan rejected the idea of it being held at the mystery shack, no thanks to the undead crashing the last party. 

stan was ecstatic to know that it was just going to be just him and alvah alone in the mystery shack now that everyone was gone to do their own thing. 

he searched for her but was stumped when he found no trace of her. 

not in the mystery shack. 

not outside on the sofa. 

nor downstairs in the lab. 

he couldn’t find her anywhere.  

he had yet to search the rooftop when he came across mabel sulking in their shared bedroom. 

“Hey, everything alright, pumpkin?” he asks as he enters the room, she let out a sigh as she pushed herself up onto her knees but continued to look through her scrap book of every moment she managed to capture during their stay at Gravity Falls. 

“I just can’t believe the summer’s almost over.” as she spoke Stan entered the room and took a seat beside her “And now that I know how awful high school is going to be, I’m in no hurry to start that train wreck.” he gives her a sympathetic look as he wraps a comforting arm around her shoulder. 

“Ah, nobody likes getting older. But just because you’re growing up doesn’t mean you have to grow up, you know? I mean, look at me. I’m pushing seventy, and I still eat ice cream for dinner. 

“But I don’t want to say goodbye to Gravity Falls.” she says as she leans against Stan. 

“Hey, at least whatever happens after this summer, you’ll still have your brother along with you through thick and thin. Not everyone can say that, you know.” he ruffles her head as his eyes look towards her scrap book, he flips through a couple pages but his face scrunches up in confusion when he noticed something “How come there are no photos of Alvah in here? I thought you would be loaded with pictures with her.” Mabel let out a nervous laugh. 

“Well, about that. Before we knew that Alvah was actually an interdimensional being, Dipper noticed that whenever I tried taking photos of her or he tried recording her, she would decline. I thought she was just camera shy and tried taking photos of her whenever she wasn’t looking, but...” she trailed off and pulled out a small box from under her bed, it revealed to be polaroid photos of Alvah, or rather, attempted photos of her “Whenever Dipper or I tried to take a photo of her, something would either fly into the frame or the camera would freak out. We did manage to get one, but it’s kind of scary looking.” she rifles through the box before pulling out the picture and showing him, and boy did it not disappoint. It was taken in the gift shop where Alvah was talking to him, though her figure was distorted and mangled that he would never have guessed that it was her in the photo if Mabel hadn’t told him. 

“I see what you mean.” he looks through a couple more and some either capture her back or the side of her body but her face was just never in the frame, it was always covered. 

“Alvah told us that since her body wasn’t entirely real, the lenses of a camera would be one of the few things that would be able to capture her real body. I asked how we were able to see her on the T.V before but she explained that since it was through a memory we were seeing the perceived image of what that person saw.” 

“That sounds... very complicated.” Mabel nods. 

“Very.” he looks through a couple more until he managed to find one where you could just briefly see her face, or rather, just the crease of her lips pulling up into a smile so when Mabel wasn’t looking, he pocketed the photo. 

“While we’re on the topic, have you seen Alvah?” she caressed her chin. 

“Hmm, if I remember correctly, the last time I saw her, she was heading towards the roof.” 

“Thanks sweetheart.” he ruffles her head again before leaving her be, hopefully when Dipper gets back he can lighten her mood. Going to where Mabel tipped him off, he perked up immediately when he had finally found Alvah but stopped when he realized the lost look in her eyes. He tilts his head to the side as he gets a good look at her, she looked distant and uncertain about something as she stared into nothing in particular “You good there, toots?” he raised a brow when she jolted up from where she was sat, well that’s a first, she always seemed to know when he was lingering and had never startled her once, whatever was on her mind must really be preoccupying her head for her to jump. 

“O-Oh, Stanley. I didn’t see you there.” he cleared his throat as he walked over to where she was and took a seat beside her. 

“I noticed. What’s on your mind?” her face was always so calm and collected, composed and put together, but now... he didn’t know how to describe it, but he’d compare it back to the time she was at her most vulnerable moment “Is something wrong?” he asked as his hand reached to touch her face, she watched as his fingers uncurled and gingerly caressed her face before his palm cupped her cheek and let it rest there where she leaned into his rough but careful hand. 

“I’m just... upset, is all.” he thumbs at her cheek bones as she lifted her hand up to place on top of his “Those kids are going home in a matter of weeks and I can’t help but admit that I’m going to miss them.” he smiled softly at her concern. 

“Aw, don’t be like that. Unlike Ford and I, I’m pretty sure you can visit those kids whenever you like. As long as your contract holds, you’ll stay in our dimension for as long as you want.” it was now his turn to look a little lost, his hand dropping down to his lap while averting his eyes from her and down at the ground below them “At least you’ll have a home to stay in, Ford expects me to be gone at the end of the summer.” she frowns at his words, remembering back to their argument about how Ford wanted his house back after the children were gone. She hummed softly and reached for his face, turning it so he could look at her once more. 

“Your brother is as stubborn as an ox, but with my charismatic personality and absolute annoying nature, I am sure I can convince him to keep you around by insisting that I need you.” 

“Pft, what could you need me for?” she hummed softly. 

“Oh, but a lot of things. Other than Ford, you are the most entertaining human man I’ve ever had the blessing to have met.” she lifts her other hand so that she was now holding his face, she leans forward and lets her forehead rest against his “It will be so boring without you and this silly little Mystery Shack, it’s what gives Gravity Falls its charm. It just wouldn’t be the same without you, Mister Mystery.” he giggles to himself when she pulls away. 

“Aw, shucks. You sure know how to make a guy blush.” she rubs her nose against his and chuckled. 

“If I have to brainwash your brother to keep you here, I’ll do it. I won’t let you go so easily, Stan.” 

“Haha, I don’t know if that’s you or the devil you speaking.” she gives a shrug. 

“What strokes your ego more?” 

“I think we both know the answer to that question.” Alvah laughs and graces him with a kiss on the forehead, he giggles once more before standing to his feet and offering a hand to her “You seem to be in a better mood, why don’t you give me a hand by helping me put up some more signs.” she scoffed as she took his hand. 

“That better not be the reason you came looking me. We have a small heart to heart and the next thing you ask for is free labor? Hah, you’re starting to sound like Ford.” he shoves her back with a laugh. 

“Don’t say that, that’s the last thing I want to hear.” he continues to laugh as he starts making his way back inside the shack but fails to see the way her face dropped, the same bitter look washing over as the worst has yet to come and there was nothing she could do to stop it “You coming?” 

“O-Oh, yes. I’m right behind you.” with a sullen look she followed closely behind him, reaching for his hand and holding it rather tightly. She takes one last look at the Mystery Shack before screwing her eyes shut and stepping into the woods where they were going to be far from what was going to happen, and it was when Stan started rambling on about the kid's birthday where that feeling of guilt started overwhelming her “Stan.” she spoke weakly, arms full from holding several handmade signs, as she stood behind Stan while he hammered one to a tree. 

“What’s up, Alvah?” her fingers dig into the wooden signs as she pulled them close to her chest. 

“Will you forgive me for what is to come?” he snorts. 

“What a ridiculous question, there isn’t anything that would warrant me not to forgive you.” 

“... I hope that that is the truth, so know that I am so sorry about this.” he turns around to see what would cause her to apologize but let out a shout when his hat was pulled off his head, looking back he saw that it was that goat eating at the fez of his hat.  

“Okay, that’s it goat! It’s time I threw you off this property for good!” he hears a shuddered breath from behind him followed by a clatter, turning around he was confused when he didn’t see where Alvah was until he looked down and his his eyes widened in shock when he saw she had collapsed to the ground and laid motionless, he shouts her name as he kneels down to look her over until he felt a shadow cast over them. He looks back and his eyes widened in disbelief to see that the goat had grown to a height that shot past the trees, he doesn’t think twice and picks Alvah up and runs back to the Mystery Shack “Please, please Alvah! Don’t let this be what you’re apologizing for, because I don’t know if I can forgive you for this.” 

season 2, episode 18. xpcveaopfoxso 

stan is unable to wake alvah. 

he is also unable to contact her. 

so she isn’t really in this episode. 

season 2, episode 19. escape from reality 

doesn’t appear in this episode. 

season 2, episode 20. take back the falls 

“Yaaaah!!” Dipper, Mabel, Soos and Wendy kick open the door to the Mystery Shack arming themselves with anything they could find after hearing noise come from within while letting out a battle cry to intimidate the intruder, however, they were blissfully surprised to see not an enemy but rather “Wait... Grunkle Stan!” the children cry out in relief as they quickly run up to him, his eyes widened when he realized who it was and threw down his bat and fell to his knees. 

“Kids!” he shouts as he opened his arms, he let out a laugh when they dove into his arms and cried as he held them securely in his arms “I can’t believe it! I thought I lost you two!” he let out a grunt when Soos is at his side and pulling him into a hug. 

“Mister Pines! It’s really you! I’ve been hugging strangers to practice for this moment.” he says, Wendy then throws herself forward and slams into Stan to join their hug. 

“We missed you, you old codger!” he lets out a laugh at them. 

“I’ve missed you knuckleheads, too. It’s good to have you back.” he slowly releases the children and Dipper finally takes in the unusual group that’s huddled inside the Mystery Shack, from normal civilians to the mythical creatures that resided in the woods. 

“So... what’s everyone doing here?” he lets out a soft gasp when some liliputtians run past him, Mabel nods her head. 

“Yeah, there’s like monsters and gnomes... and is Pacifica wearing a potato sack?” she scoffed at Mabel. 

“Hey! Even in a sack I still look better than you!” this earned an eyeroll. 

“It’s... it’s a long story.” the Multi-Bear spoke but then another voice spoke, startled, they see the vents open and the head of wave Larry King spoke up. 

“Hey, is anyone gonna feed me? Larry King’s disembodied wax head wants num-nums.” 

“We’re trying to ration our food, remember?” Grenda spoke then shuddered when he started chewing on her hair “Uhh... it’s happening again.” the Multi-Bear was quick to close the vents to stop him, one of the manitaurs look at through the open window and gasped when he saw an eye-bat in the distance. 

“Hey, everyone! Eye-bat!” everyone gasps. 

“Evasive maneuvers!” Stan is quick to stand to his feet and slam the door shut then turn back to the children and lead them away from the windows. 

“Shhh, keep it down.” with that all the refugees shuffle into positions to keep out of sight. 

“Hit the lights!” outside, they spot an eye-bat turn to a scampering raccoon and turn it into stone before flying off with it back to Bill’s giant pyramid beneath the rift leading to the Nightmare Realm. Stan lights a match within a different room, illuminating the shack and revealing what was left of the towns people sitting around. 

“Welcome to what’s left of normal around here. Home base.” the newcomers look around the shack and spot several beings they’ve encountered throughout their summer at Gravity Falls, from the gnomes to the boy band Sev’ral Timez, Dipper let out a shout when he saw a previous enemy. 

“Ah! Rumble McSkirmish?” 

“Do not be afraid. Weirdmageddon has taught me, there are some battles that I cannot win. I am now Humble McSkirmish.” a digital –50 despair pops up next to Rumble, they ignore that and look to Stan. 

“Grunkle Stan, how’d this all happen?” he let out a sigh as he thinks back to when it all began. 

“So I was hammering signs out back when the sky started vomiting nightmares. I listen to a lot of AM radio so I knew what this meant: the end of the world. What I didn’t expect was what happened next. Turns out whatever you and my brother did to the shack with your unicorn voodoo made the crazy place invincible to the weirdness.” Dipper snaps his fingers. 

“Of course, the unicorn spell. That’s why this is the only place Bill’s magic can’t touch.” Stan nods then gestures to McGucket. 

“That’s when possum breath over here shows up leading a bunch of injured stragglers through the forest. They needed a place to stay and since the mayor got captured, I elected myself de facto chief. The plan’s to stay in here and eat brown meat until we run out, then I vote we eat the gnomes.” the leader of the gnomes glares up at Stan. 

“Hey! I’m short, not deaf!” 

“Shh! Shh! Stress will make you chewy.” 

“Grunkle Stan, we can’t all just hide inside the shack. There’s a town in need of saving. Me and Ford tried to do it, but he got captured by Bill.” Stan scoffed as he grabbed one of the cans of brown meat and popped it open. 

“Serves that jerk right. My brother’s had some stupid plans, but going up against an all-powerful space demon was his worst one yet. Trust me, we have everything we need right here. It’s not the Ritz but at least monsters inside now how to massage. You know shiatsu?” he asked the Multi-Bear. 

“Yes, I’ve taken classes.” Dipper gave him an incredulous look. 

“So you’re really just gonna let Bill win?” 

“Look, kiddo. We got a good deal here. Besides, I’m sure whatever the rest of the townsfolk are, they’re fine.” he slams his hand down and accidentally hit the remote to the TV and it turned on to the news broadcasted by Shandra Jimenez. 

“This is Shandra Jimenez reporting live from the insides of Bill’s castle. Here for the first time are images of what’s happened to the captured townsfolk. Viewers are advised to look away if they don’t want to see their friends turn into a twisted throne of human agony.” many of the residents within the shack gasped when they recognized a few people that were turned to stone and forced to act as a throne for Bill. 

“Mum and dad?” 

“My family!” 

“Deputy Durland!” the camera then turns back to Shandra. 

“Is there no one who will save the people of this town? I’m Shandra Jimenez and I’m being turned into stone by a flying eyeball.” the TV then turns to static, causing everyone to gasp in shock 

“Oh, no. My parents are bad but even they don’t deserve to be turned to stone.” Sheriff Blubs drops down to a knee as he cries out in despair. 

“Curse you, Bill! Why must you take everything we love?” he then rips his shirt open and continues to cry, Mabel huffed and climbs on top of the Multi-Bear. 

“Guys, don’t you see? Our friends need us, but we can only save them if we fight back.” Dipper nods as he takes his place beside her. 

“Mabel is right. Bill wants us to run and hide. He wants us to think he’s invincible. But Ford told me before he was captured that he knows Bill's secret weakness.” the refugees perk up at the mention of a weakness. 

“Weakness?” 

“Now, if we band together, if we combine all our strength, our smarts, and... whatever Toby has...” 

“Various rashes!” he was promptly ignored. 

“... then we just might be able to rescue Ford, learn Bill's weakness, and save Gravity Falls.” a rally of cheers erupts from the crowd which satisfies both Mabel and Dipper, he scans the crowd and frowns when he doesn’t spot the person he was looking for “Hey, where’s Alvah? She would be a great asset in taking down Bill.” they look towards Stan, knowing that he was the last one with her, and they saw the way his demeanor changed just at the mention of her name. 

“Alvah, she...” he raised his arm and gesture a corner of the room, a few refugees move out of the way and there they saw laying on the sofa was Alvah’s body, the children were quick to rush to her side and look her over as Stan approached “She’s been out cold since this all started and no matter what I did I couldn’t wake her up. I’ve tried calling out to her, tapping on mirrors and even the shadows but my voice just doesn’t seem to reach her. It’s like she’s been cut off from our dimension or something.”  

“Bill! He must have done something to severe her contact with us!” 

“Or maybe he’s weakened it! She always answered to you, Dipper. Maybe you can get through to her.” Stan scoffed, crossing his arms at the thought that Alvah would answer to Dipper and not him at such a dire moment. 

“Don’t bother. I’ve tried everything, so it’s no use.” 

“But she’s got a softer spot for the kids, Mister Pines. Let them try.” it would hurt if she answered to Dipper and not him but he wasn’t going to stop them from bringing back one of their biggest trump cards, so he nodded his head “Alright, go ahead Dipper.” 

“Thanks, we’re just gonna need that mirror in your room.” the gnomes rush away and grab the giant full body mirror from out of Stan’s room and place it near Alvah’s body “Great uncle Ford told me that her way of communicating with us, before she got a physical body, was either through mirrors or shadows. But it was also the way she saw and heard everything, it was how she kept an eye on him and even us throughout the summer. Maybe when you tried contacting her, you were doing it where she couldn’t hear or see you, Grunkle Stan. Maybe if we try with a mirror close to her body, we can get through to her.” he looks towards Mabel and saw that she was standing near the mirror, she grinned at her brother and gave him a thumbs up. 

“Ready when you are, bro-bro.” he takes a breath as he lightly taps at her face. 

“Come on, Alvah. Come back to us, we really, really need you this time. I don’t know whether or not this is one of those events you can’t interfere with us, but surely you can give us a little help like you did with that spider lady. There’s just no way you would sit back and watch us struggle against Bill, you care too much about us.” Mabel lets out a laugh as she stared at her reflection, hoping to see Alvah appear beside her. 

“Yeah! You wouldn’t let anything happen to this cute little face, now would you?” they wait breathlessly for anything and frown when there was nothing, Dipper sucked in a breath before wrapping his arms around her as best as he could, laying his head on her shoulder and frowning when he felt just how cold she was. 

“Please, there’s no way we can do this without you. We need your help, or else we’re going to be in so much trouble. Please, please come back and help save Gravity Falls. You said it yourself, you may be the embodiment of evil but even you aren’t that evil to just sit back and watch us die.” his arms tighten around her as he nuzzles his face into her shoulder “Please don’t prove Bill right.” 

... 

... 

“Finally!!” everyone all let out a scream at the sudden shout, looking towards the mirror, Mabel had fell back when Alvah had abruptly appeared, slamming her fists against the glass with an enraged look on her face “That little one eyed, triangular, three-sided, orphaned freak! I swear to Axolotl when I get my slimly little hands on him, I’m gonna rip his out eye!” 

“Alvah!” her face immediately softened when she saw Dipper and Mabel rush towards the mirror, not missing the fact she saw Dipper hugging her empty vessel, she lowers herself down to their level and let out a sigh of relief. 

“You kids are alright. A little worse for wear, but you’re alive. I’ve been so worried, and Mabel...” she presses her hand against the glass, a look of guilt swirling in her eyes as Mabel lifts her own hand to press against hers “Please don’t blame yourself for what happened. You just wanted more time with your brother and you made a desperate but genuinely sincere decision, but you’re only just a child. If anyone else were in your shoes, they would’ve done the same. As for me, I...” Dipper had a knowing look as he watched her avert her gaze from them. 

“You knew. You knew this was going to happen that day, that was why you avoided us. Because you couldn’t watch us do it.” she took a breath as she looked back at him. 

“I couldn’t. I have watched dimensions burn, civilizations collapse, mortal beings die. But I couldn’t... I couldn’t watch this one, because I started to care about a stupid little family that lives in it. As selfish as it was, I turned a blind eye... a look where it got me.” they all flinch when her eyes turned red as she started banging on the glass again “Now that he’s brought the Nightmare Realm into your dimension, he’s kicked me out of my vessel and weakened my connection with it. I’ve been trying for hours to get back to you guys.” this caused them to look at each other in confusion. 

“Hours? Alvah, it’s been a few days since Weirdmageddon has started.” 

“Days? But that’s...” they see the way her eyes dart from side to side as she was trying to understand what they were saying, had it really been that long? Was she that desperate to get back to them she hadn’t realized just how much time had passed? “G-Give me a sec, I’ll be right back.” they watch as she walked out of frame as if she was going to walk out of the side of the mirror, a few refugees looked at each other in concern as they waited anxiously for her to return. 

“What could she mean by hours? Does time work differently or something from where she’s from?” Pacifica asked “More importantly, how was she in the mirror when her body’s right there?” Mabel let out a nervous laugh as she rubbed the back of her neck. 

“Would it freak you out if we tell you that she’s similar to Bill?”  

“What?!” everyone exclaimed, McGucket let out a laugh. 

“I told y’all she ain’t what she seemed! But nobody listened to me!” 

“Okay I’m back!” her abrupt reappearances were going to give someone a hard attack, the look on her face seemed to be one that was a mixture of panic and weak hope “So, there’s good news and bad news. The bad news is that the Time Baby is dead, and time is now quite literally dead and or under the control of Bill himself. So while you guys were trapped here and experienced a couple days, no time has passed at all within Gravity Falls. As for me, only a couple hours have gone by.” that honestly felt like a slap to the face, while they were suffering under the hand of Bill Cipher, no time had passed at all, as if it were just one sick nightmare. 

“A-And the good news?” 

“The Time Baby is dead! So there’s nobody to stop me from telling you guys from what’s going to happen, if him or the time police were still lingering around, I wouldn’t be telling you guys this but since they were erased off the face of this timeline there’s nobody here to stop me.” she kneels down to Dipper and Mabel’s height with a serious look on her face “I’ve told you this before, you two. I have seen you win, but I have also seen you fail. There are countless alternate timelines where you two don’t even make it to today, and I have seen you die a limitless number of deaths that I... now what I am going to tell you is going to lead to the ending of this event.” they nod their heads. 

“What is it?” she takes a deep breath as she raised one finger. 

“There are two endings to this and I don’t know which one it is. There is one ending where you two get so close, so, so close to defeating Bill but... you get turned to stone and added to Bill’s collection on his throne.” they swallow thickly at that possibility but light up when she raised her other finger “But there is another ending where you two get to see your thirteenth birthday, one where we’re all there to watch you blow out the candles.” Mabel glows at that possibility. 

“How do we get that ending?” this is where they see her give them a conflicted expression. 

“I-I don’t know.” Stan scoffed from behind the children. 

“I thought you said you could tell us.” she shook her head. 

“N-No, I genuinely don’t know how. I see the outcome of the future, not the execution.” she pulls a face when she notices that not everyone understood what exactly she meant, she sighed “I can see what leads up to certain parts of the future, but I can’t exactly pinpoint crucial parts that leads to the wanted ending. Does that sound better?” she let out a defeated breath when a rally of ohs sounded off, if it weren’t for the fact she’s seen the future she would think they were as good as dead. 

“And what about my brother?” she perked up at Stan’s question “How is Ford?” she winces a little. 

“Well... he’s seen better days.” she looked down at Dipper when she noticed the guilty look on his face “He’s alive, but only because Bill needs something from him.” 

“What could he need from brainiac?” she opens the palm of her hand and the mirror creates a perfect replica that was Gravity Falls, but they come to notice a sort of dome that surrounds their little home. 

“There is a natural law of weirdness magnetism of the town that is containing Bill's weirdness, and an equation can disable the barrier, to which Ford and myself know. So even if I hadn’t been trapped here due to my minor mistake in our contract, I wouldn’t have been able to leave thanks to that barrier.” Mabel raised her hand. 

“But you were able to leave that one time to meet Grunkle Stan to give him that postcard!” she avoids eye contact with Stan at the mention of that day. 

“My contracts are powerful enough to bend certain rules, but they can’t break them. I am a primordial being, but even we few have laws we must follow if we don’t want to suffer the consequences from higher beings. That is why I’m a neutral being, but now my morals have tipped a bit.” she shrugs then gives them an apologetic look “I can’t do much while I’m like this, and I apologize for that. But if you can get him underneath that rift, I can handle the rest.” 

“How do you expect us to do that?” she chuckled and gestured to McGucket. 

“Well, you’ve got the greatest inventor here with you.” Alvah and McGucket stare each other down, an unspoken tension between the two of them “Don’t expect to hear another compliment out of me, Fidds.” he huffed at her. 

“I’ll get another one when I see pigs fly.” they ignore the little oink that comes out of Waddles “But she’s right. I think I figured out a way to fight Bill and rescue Ford, but we’re all gonna have to work together.” he snaps his fingers and a gnome puts his glasses on him, everyone huddles around McGucket as he begins to explain his plan to take down Bill but Stan lingered around the mirror. 

“Are you mad at me, Stan?” it was happening all over again, right after Ford came back and it was revealed that Alvah knew everything from the start. It was like their whole relationship went right back down to square one, and Alvah hated that now that she understood where her feelings lie, it hurt her chest seeing Stan so distressed “I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you, or warn you, or keep those kids out of danger, but if I did... I would have put them in more danger. There are so many rules that I just can’t risk breaking.” he scowled as he crossed his arms. 

“I thought I could read you well, I thought I could understand you, but you’re still a giant mystery to me. To you, it might have been a couple hours, but these past few days were grueling. I had no clue where those kids were, where my brother was and you weren’t responding no matter how many times I called out for you. And yet, all it took were those kids and you came running back. Maybe I should be relieved that you’ll always look out for Dipper and Mabel, but it still hurts that even with our relationship I’ll just be an afterthought.” she’s shaking her head as she pressed herself against the glass. 

“N-No, no. Stan, that’s not it. I-I—I care for you just as much as those kids, it was just a coincidence that I came back when Dipper was calling for me. You have no idea how distraught I was when I was forcefully ripped out of my vessel.” as she said, only mere hours passed when Weirdmageddon began and she can still remember the feeling of seeing herself be torn right out of her body and sent back to the Nightmare Realm. Unlike Bill and his Henchmaniacs, she was forbidden by the Axolotl from entering dimensions in her true form because the residents of said dimensions would either end up like McGucket or merely die within her presence; her body would be like a nuclear and or atomic bomb went off within the confined town of Gravity Falls. So when she woke up in her real body and saw the rift had opened a gateway between the Nightmare Realm and their dimension, she knew she wouldn’t be able to do a thing to help them or stop Bill. She tried opening up her windows to try and see them but no matter what she was unable to see them, she was unable to hear them, Bill had completely cut her off from them. 

“You say that but you can’t even tell me that you love me.” her eyes widened softly, knowing that all Stan wants is to be loved, whether it be her love or his family “You tell me that you care about me, you’ve told me that you liked me... but I just want to know that after all this, is that if you really love me.” he saw the way her throat bobbled as she swallowed, hesitation swirling in those eyes of hers again. 

“I... I-I--” her face dropped when he let out a sigh and turned away from her. 

“That’s what I thought.” she watched in dismay when he walked away to leave her on her own, knowing that she wouldn’t follow after him. Her hands pressed against the glass, her palms pushing against the one thing that kept her away from him and slumped against it when he disappeared from her view. 

“... Shmebulock.” her face hardened at the unwanted voice, eyes glaring down at the small gnome that was shaking his head disappointedly. Mabel let out a shout of surprise when said gnome flew passed her and into the wall, turning around, she saw Alvah crossing her arms as she wore an irritated look. 

“What would you know?” 

alvah watched them practically tear the mystery shack apart to build mcgucket’s latest project. 

it was a little funny to watch stan try and stop them but he was ignored. 

she gave what little assistance she could by holding things up with her limited power or creating miniature versions of mcgucket’s designs. 

she started laughing when soos made him watch anime and he was seriously taking notes. 

she wasn’t very pleased when mabel instructed the gnomes to guard her body. 

scratch that-- 

they were carrying the sofa she was on and moving it around whenever it was in the way while also guarding the mirror. 

she was never going to live this down. 

“You moping, you big baby?” Stan jumped before relaxing with a huff, looking down to see Alvah’s reflection in a tiny broken shard. Despite the teasing tone he could hear in her voice he saw the look of genuine concern in her eyes, he leaned down and picked up the small shard, and held her in his hand “You upset that nobody is listening to you?” 

“Yeah, because everybody is risking their skin for a guy who doesn’t have an ounce of gratitude. I saved his butt and yet I still didn’t get a thank you out of him. Everyone is treating him like a hero despite him being the reason this even happened in the first place.” she let out a sigh. 

“Unlike Dipper and Mabel, who know that they can always rely on each other even at the worst of times, Ford seems to be unable to recognize that he has someone he can rely on as well.” whether it be him she was referring, he wouldn’t know, but he’ll take what he can get “He fails to see that the “trust no one” stance that he’s believed in for so long is what’s holding him back. Because he doesn’t trust anyone, other than me because he knows that I can’t and will not lie to him, he’s creating an even bigger problem than the one that’s already in his lap.” Stan lets out an exasperated sigh at her words as he throws his head back. 

“See! You get it! Because of his lack in trust, he’s gotten us into this whole mess!” she hummed softly. 

“Sure, but you are the same.” 

“What?” 

“Stanley, your stubbornness has gotten not only you but those kids in a lot of trouble. Your unwillingness to accept their help has done you more harm than good, and even now, your constant rejection will be your undoing.” she rolled her eyes when he glared at her. 

“Oh, yeah? Well, what about you, little Miss Perfect? You’ve got all this power and haven’t done anything to keep us out of danger! Those kids have been in so much danger that could have been prevented if you had done your job and protected them! Even now, you’re doing nothing but watching us all put our lives in danger.” 

“I am an observer, Stanley. It is my job to observe dimensions, not interfere.” he let out a scoff and tossed the shard on the ground and away from him “You may not trust me anymore, but I’ll tell you this. I have been alive for over trillions of years, I have seen countless universes, dimensions, and timelines be destroyed, and not once have I felt the feeling I have now. Now that I have nothing stopping me from interfering directly, I’m going to make sure that one-eyed defect understands why he shouldn’t claim he’s a god.” he couldn’t stop the shiver that ran down his spine at the venom laced in her voice, he always did forget that the person he was conversing with was a demon herself. 

“Grunkle Stan!” he lifted his head up to see Dipper and Mabel coming to check on him, he looks back down at the shard and saw nothing but his reflection. 

‘I’m almost nervous about tomorrow now. I can only imagine what she’s going to do.’ he thought as he looked out towards the rift, what the hell does she mean she’s going to handle the rest? 

... 

... 

“You know, if it weren’t for the fact that I’ve seen the future, I would not be the least bit intimidated by this thing.” she let out an offended gasp when McGucket kicked at her ankle, in retaliation she smacked his hat off his head, they continue to banter until Soos had to carry McGucket away when he was threatening to shoot the mirror, she merely stuck her tongue out at him “I’m being honest, the only thing keeping you lot alive is the unicorn barrier.” she jumped when Mabel slapped a sticker onto the mirror that read "I can and I will" on it. 

"Don't be such a wet blanket, Alvah! We worked really hard on this." she huffed softly. 

"Just saying." she must say, Fiddleford never ceased to impress her. They never would have made it this far if it weren’t for him, maybe if he never took up Ford’s offer on that fateful day, he would have become something so much more than the town’s looney. The Shacktron, dubbed by Soos himself, composed that of the Mystery Shack as the main body with the shack’s totem pole attached, while its waist area houses the remains of the portal. On its back, the head and neck of the Gobblewonker robot rises, acting as its tail. Its left arm contains preserved tyrannosaurus rex with its free head as a hand, and its right arm contains a three fingers clasper with Manly Dan’s logging truck as a forearm. 

“Alvah!” she raised a brow when Dipper called her name “Where is Bill right now?” she looked out through the window and peered through the Fearamid to see Bill torturing Ford, they watch her point at a specific spot on the Fearamid. 

“If you punch through that wall right there, you’ll find him exactly where you want him.” they nod their heads and reel back the left arm of the Shacktron and punch it straight through where she instructed, she snickers before bursting out into a fit of laughter at the sight of Bill’s shocked face. 

“What?! I just fixed that door!” they pull the dinosaur head back and Bill, alongside Ford and his Henchmaniacs, are greeted to the sight that was the Shacktron. 

“It’s the Shacktron, dude!” Soos called out from outside as he held a flag that said “take back the falls” with Larry King’s head on top of it. 

“They made the house into a robot. Fascinating!” she hardened her gaze onto Bill as he sent out his Henchmaniacs, who grew into a size that matched that of the Shacktron. 

“This was a bad idea.” Stan said as he stood in the back. 

“Have some faith, Stanley.” 

“If it weren’t for you knowing the future, I would have abandoned ship a long time ago.” she chuckled softly at him. 

“No you wouldn’t have.” he huffed at her, they all look at to Soos who now held a megaphone. 

“Uh, hey, dudes. Is this thing on? Test?” they all wince when the feedback screeches “Heh, uh, I just wanted you monster dudes to hand over Ford or we’ll have to, like, fight and junk. Heh, hey, you’re a little cutie.” Alvah stifled a laugh at Soos’ comment to Paci-Fire, the fact he even said that was hilarious. 

“I have butchered millions on countless moons.” Soos recoils at the sound of his voice. 

“Whoa. I liked you better before you talked. Real... real bringdown, this guy.” 

“Attack!” Pyronica shouts and the Henchmaniacs start charging towards the Shacktron, Soos panics and is quick to retreat back into the shack. 

“Alright, dudes!” Dipper nods his head. 

“Everyone! Like we planned! Three, two, one. Go!” Candy and Grenda, who were operating the arms, punch Paci-Fire and Kryptos away while Waddles pulls down a lever, which causes the Shacktron to shoot the Henchmaniacs away. 

“Hahaha! Good pig.” Mabel praised, to which he let out a squeal. A flock of eyebats start surrounding the shack and McGucket was quick to react, operating the Gobblewonker head on the top of the Shacktron, grabbing an eyebat in its mouth. 

“Get em, Gobblewonker!” Rumble and Wendy were also out on top of the shack and attacking the bats. 

“Hya! Hya!” Wendy spots an eyebat trying to fly away but she jumped off the roof and caught it in her fall. 

“Oh, no, you don’t!” she pulls at its wings and redirects its eye to shoot at 8 Balls head, evidently turning him to stone, she then quickly jumps back onto the shack before it could fly away. Alvah was at awe at their teamwork, making quick work of the Henchmaniacs despite them being nothing but powerless mortals, perhaps Bill and his lackies could learn from them. She looks through the window again and notices Kanthar charging towards them but before he could ram the shack back she snapped her fingers and the Shacktron disappeared before reappearing behind Kanthar, the others were a little disoriented and looked at her in surprise. 

“I'm not all that powerless while I’m in this state. Now take him down!” 

“Right! Everybody! Maximum power!” Mabel shouts and Sev’ral Times starts running on a treadmill to power up the shack. 

“And... now!" Dipper turns a wheel and the Shacktron grabs at Zanthar and throws him away, Alvah starts laughing again when Teeth ran by screaming as his body was on fire. She gasped softly when Stan fell back into the mirror, she peeked over his shoulder and looked at his face. 

“When are you going to take care of it?!” 

“I told you. I need Bill under the rift for it to work, not his Henchmaniacs. Trust me, I can keep him distracted for as long as you need him if you can get him under it. Taunt him, ridicule him! Just get him out of the Fearamid!” he turns back to shout at her but paused when she disappeared back into the mirror and he was met with his reflection once more, he couldn’t help but grow nervous now with their greatest asset had left. Though Stan seemed to be the only one out of loop, as everyone wasn’t the least bit bothered with her presence disappearing just as Bill floated out of the Fearamid. 

“Let’s get this over with.” as Bill floats towards the Shacktron, he raises his fist as it grows in size and slams it down onto them. However, when he raises his fist up he saw that the shack was perfectly fine “What the? No! No! No! No! No!” he grows multiple arms out of his body and strikes at the shack once more but growls when there was no damage inflicted. 

“Hey, Bill!” he glared at Dipper through the window when he saw that confident look on his face, the boy then points past him and up towards the rift above them “I’d watch my head if I were you!” 

“Watch my head?” he was startled when the Shacktron was pulled back by an invisible force but then he noticed a shadow cast over him, before he could react he was suddenly crushed by a giant fist that continued to rain blows on him that got harder with each strike. The group within the Mystery Shack watched as a giant arm forced its way through the rift in the sky to punch Bill into the ground with incredible vigour. In reality, it was the real body of Alvah that managed to push only her arm through far enough that she could strike him down. The visual is rather hilarious because in the Nightmare Realm it just looked like she was sticking her arm through a hole, she cursed to herself when he slipped out from under her fist and floated a distance away “You have got to be kidding me! I thought I cut off all your access to this dimension!” the children’s eyes were quickly shielded when she showed Bill a not so friendly gesture, hundreds of eyes then opened all over her forearm that darted around in search for them until settling on the Shacktron. If it weren’t for the fact, when Stan was sulking away from the group, that she had told them how exactly she was going to help them they would have panicked at the giant arm that slowly reached out towards them. Soos, who was instructed by Alvah, stood outside the shack with her vessel in his arms as her giant hand hovered a few inches from him. 

“Wow, dude, you’re a very big monster.” her hand extended out to him and her finger gingerly caressed his cheek, he giggled softly at the affection “Hehe, thanks.” he let out an oh when she turned her hand and opened her palm out to him, he understood and placed her vessel within her palm and her hand gently closed around her body before finally pulling back. They all watch as her thumb gently caressed at her vessel’s cheek like she was handling a porcelain doll, what they didn’t expect was for her hand to enclose around her body and crushed it. 

“Wha-- What is she doing?” a few of them questioned then gasped when she opened her hand and let her body drop before retreating back into the rift. 

“That was a cheap move, Harbinger of Chaos!” the humans and even the Henchmaniacs shudder at the sound of deep and ominous chuckle that echoed in their heads, a shadow casted over the Shacktron and they were met with what they believed was the true body of the Harbinger of Chaos. Their body was made of swirling, smoky tendrils, with countless red and white eyes embedded throughout their body, giving it an unsettling and chaotic appearance. The eyes vary in size and are placed randomly across their limbs, creating a sense of horror and unease. 

“Says the guy who had to kick me out of my vessel in order to have more of an advantage on these poor mortal beings, Billy~” he slowly started turning red at the nickname, he grew even more frustrated when they turned their back to him to look back at the Shacktron “Leave him and his lackies to me, I'll make sure they don't get in your way."

...

...

"You Pines brothers are freaks." McGucket spoke through the silence that caught many off guard, those who understood look towards Stan, who was currently gawking at what Alvah truly looked like “That ain't even the full scale of what that monster is, and they’re in a sort of state where they ain’t messing with y’all’s noggins like they did mine.” 

“Indeed. You always were the smart one between you and Ford.” they turn back towards Bill and make sure they stood protectively in front of the Shacktron when the Henchmaniacs formed a line behind Bill “Ah, doesn’t this remind you of something Billy? Where we fought over sweet little Fordsy after your little temper tantrum! Hah, it was so funny seeing you have a meltdown like you did before.” they laugh when he stamps his foot. 

“And you’re doing it again! You’re choosing mortal beings over your duty! You’re stepping in when you aren’t supposed too! You’re interfering with this timeline when you weren’t even supposed to exist! I just don’t understand why you chose to intervene when you’ve watched millions die and cry out for salvation!” his hands ball into fists as he glared at them “I just don’t understand what makes Sixer and these humans so different that it broke you!” they let out a laugh. 

“That answer is quite simple, actually.” each and every one of their eyes stare smugly at him “I just simply don’t like you. Besides, watching you act like this is all the more fun.”  

“Get them!” Bill looked back at his Henchmaniacs and saw the way they hesitated to charge forward “What are you waiting for?! It’s just one being!” 

“You seem to forget, Billy.” they coo softly, he Shacktron took a step back as the humans sweat a little when Alvah spread open their wings and slowly lifted themself off the ground “The Nightmare Realm was mine to watch over before you showed up. And don’t think just because you took over it was because I was intimidated by you, I just didn’t want the responsibility. I am a lazy being, and this is the most work I have ever done since I first opened my eyes.” they laughed at Bill’s frustration. 

“Get them!” swallowing down their initial nervousness, the Henchmaniacs begin to charge forward but a blur that was Alvah flew past them and grabbed Bill, slamming him down and dragging him across the rubble that was once Gravity Falls. The Henchmaniacs deem Alvah more of a threat than the Shacktron so they are quick to abandon them to aid Bill, now that their attention was on Alvah and away from them it was their chance to get into the Fearamid and save Ford. Alvah was currently beating Bill into the ground and evading any attacks by himself and his Henchmaniacs thanks to the millions of eyes that covered their body, taking them on was next to nothing. Compared to Bill, who relied heavily on his magic and mental attacks, and though they were a lazy combatant, they were very much a heavy hitter. Bill manages to blast Alvah off of him but they caught themself in the air and recovered quickly, he was quick to move because they nose dive towards him and leave a crater in his wake “Don’t just stand there and watch, surround them!” 

“But boss, they’re scary!” he was quick to glare at Keyhole for making such a comment. 

“I’ll show you something even scarier if you don’t do anything useful!” Alvah looks back towards the Shacktron and let out a breath of relief when they saw the group responsible for rescuing Ford advance into the Fearamid, now it was their job to keep Bill distracted for as long as they could hold him.  

as promised, alvah held off bill and his henchmaniacs as best as they could. 

sometimes they would leave the henchmaniacs to the shacktron since they proved they were more than capable of standing on their own. 

bill would sometimes get too close to leaving and heading back to the fearamid but they would pull him right back and make sure he never left their sight. 

they went so far as to ripping his eye right out of his socket, knowing that it would take him some time to regenerate it. 

both themself and bill knew that the body they had constructed was on limited time and they didn’t know how long they had before it started falling apart. 

but they were going to do whatever they could to keep bill from winning. 

“The one time you decide to interfere with my business it is to stand against me. You were there alongside Frills when my dimension went up in flames. I saw the way those eyes of yours held nothing but indifference, that you have seen and heard countless others lose their lives like that of a boring soap opera. And I also know that the various versions of you, the alternative realities where the Pines Family lost, and you did as you were told! You sat back and watched, but why in this the reality where you’re deciding to do something different?!” Alvah stared boredly at Bill as he started ranting again “Why couldn’t you have done something on that fateful day?! Why couldn’t you interfere like you’ve done now?!” they simply roll their eyes. 

“You’re still holding onto that grudge, Bill? Sheesh, Time Baby and I told Axolotl that we shouldn’t have kept you around. You may be a being like us now, but you were still just a simple mortal that was fortunate enough to be born with a powerful defect. A freak amongst his peers that saw beyond the second dimension, and due to the fact you wanted to prove that what you were seeing wasn’t your imagination, you took matters into your own pitiful little hands and ended up destroying them in the process. That is not my fault, I may have implanted the idea in that empty head of yours but I didn’t tell you to do it.” they let out a snort “Your unwillingness to take responsibility of your actions is what has led you done this path of destruction. I guess you’re the new big overgrown baby now that the Time Baby is gone. Gonna cry about it?” 

“Alvah!” it was their mistake to take their eyes off of Bill, that millisecond they broke their concentration at the cry for help coming from Candy and Grenda, Mabel’s friends— her children. Bill took it to his advantage and blasted a hole through their chest, knocking them back and giving him the chance to finally return to the Fearamid. They push themself up and stare down at the hole that would have sealed up by now but a look of dread takes over when they noticed that it was regenerating, they’ve already spent too much time and their power was beginning to fade.  

But now they were left with two options. 

The Henchmaniacs have come to realize that only the shack itself is protected by the unicorn spell and not the limbs, so they exploited that weakness and began to tear the Shacktron apart. They were hesitating whether to abandon the Shacktron to stop Bill or to abandon Bill to shake the defenseless humans against the Henchmaniacs, oh for the simpler times where they didn’t care. Why did they have to care?  

“Alvah!” they gasped softly when they heard the tiny voice of Candy again, looking over to the fallen Shacktron, she saw little Candy giving her a thumbs up “We will be a-okay! Go save Mabel and the others!” Grenda grinned, though it was a little weak she could see the determined look in her eyes. 

“We got this handled! Go kick that ugly triangle’s butt!” to think it would be those kids that decided for them, and though they hesitated, they turned their back on them and hurriedly flew up towards the Fearamid. They don’t slow down and fly faster until they shoot through the hole in the Fearamid and crash into Bill, sending them both into the wall opposite to where the humans below were. 

“Whoa!” 

“What was that?!” they all jump when a giant weight dropped onto the ground until a shadow loomed over them, and above them was Alvah holding their arms in front of them to protect them from Bill “Alvah! Are you alright?!” Ford’s eyes widened and he looked up at the being that stood above them. 

“Alvah? Is that you?” a weak chuckle rings through his head. 

“It is. Do I look as cool as I described myself?” he couldn’t answer when Alvah tanks another blast shot their way by Bill. 

“You just don’t know when to quit, do you?!” Alvah holds a hand to their face as they raises their head and they all notice that they’re looking a little worse for wear, their wounds weren't regenerating and pieces of their body are beginning to drip off their body “You’re falling apart and you know it, just get out of my way and maybe I won’t erase you when I’m done with this dimension.” they let out a weak laugh as they looked at Bill like he was the dumbest being in all the worlds that existed, their arm dropping to their side and half of their face slowly melting off. 

“I’d rather go to Theraprism then let you have your way with these mortal beings.” they lowered themself down towards Stanford and let out a tired breath “I apologize for failing you, Stanford. I couldn’t keep your family safe, I couldn’t keep them out of danger.” 

“I-It’s okay, Alvah.” they shook their head. 

“It’s not. If it weren’t for the fact that the Time Baby is dead, I wouldn’t be here right now. Bill did us both a favor by erasing him from existence and allowing me to make this right.” they then reach down to gently caress Ford’s cheek in an effort to apologize “Let me try and make this right, old friend.” he blinked up at them when he heard the sound of genuine remorse through their thoughts, when they pulled their hand back he nodded softly. 

“Alright.” Stan perked up gently when he saw them briefly turn their head in his direction but before they could say anything Bill just clapped his hands. 

“Blah, blah, blah. Enough with the sentimental moments, lets rumble!” the humans beneath them cover their heads when Alvah lunged over them and tackled Bill to the ground, and while the two of them were fighting once more, everyone looked towards Stan who stubbornly refused to take Ford’s hand and step into Bill’s Zodiac. 

“Come on, Stanley! Alvah has Bill distracted and where we need him, you’re the only one left.” Stan scoffed, crossing his arms as he rolled his eyes. 

“You realize this is a bunch of hogwash, right? You really think some caveman graffiti is gonna stop that monster?” a rally of groans come from the others. 

“Dang it, old man! Now’s not the time!” Gideon shouts. 

“Come on!” 

“What are you doing? You’re gonna ruin this!”  

“I’ve never held hands this long and I am very uncomfortable.” he raised his hands to defend himself from the onslaught of shouting coming from them. 

“Whoa. Hey, I’m not the enemy here, people. Don’t forget who literally created the end of the world.” Ford let out a sigh. 

“I’m sorry, Stanley. I know. Just help me fix it, please.” Stan stared at him. 

“Fine. Just do one thing. Say thank you.” Ford was taken aback by the request. 

“What?” 

“I spent thirty years trying to bring you back into this dimension and you still haven’t thanked me! You want me to shake your hand? Say thank you.” Ford, almost as stubborn as Stan, looked like he was going to refuse but a loud thud caught his attention. He looked up and flinched when he saw Bill had Alvah pinned down but their head was turned in their direction and all of their eyes were glaring at him. 

“Just say thank you, Ford! It ain’t that hard!” they kick Bill off of them then punch him back, Bill is shooting energy blasts and them as they crawl along the walls like a spider before jumping forward and kicking Bill in the eye. 

“Fine. Thank you.” Stan let out a huff and finally took his and Soos’ hand, completing the circuit and glowing alongside them. 

“Now, see. Between me and him, I’m not always the bad twin.” 

“Between him and me.” the silence is almost deafening as Dipper and Wendy share a look of shock “Grammar, Stanley.” Stan looks like he was trying to hold it in, trying not to ruin it all because of one stupid little comment, but it just gets to him that he lets go of Soos’ hand and strikes Ford across the face. 

“I’ll grammar Stanley you! You stuck up son of a gun! I mean, come on!” Ford is quick to recover and punch Stan. 

“Don’t jeopardize this, you idiot! Everything’s on the line!” Dipper and Mabel leave their spots to pull Stan and Ford back, pleading with them to stop fighting and to just hold hands. A scream ringing through their heads makes them jump in fight and they look over to see Bill had pinned Alvah to the wall this time after punching a fist through their chest and ripping out their vessel. 

“Let go of me, you geometrical freak!” she shouts as she punches at his fist with what little strength she had left, the body she constructed falling apart into nothing but a puddle of flesh and goo, she’s thrashing in his hold before turning her attention towards Stan and Ford with an angered expression “Are you two serious?! Grammar Stanley. What the hell is wrong with you, Stanford?! You just couldn’t shut your mouth for just one second?! And Stanley! As frustrating as that is why couldn’t you just had held it in long enough to take Bill down?!” she lets out a groan, holding her head in her hands as her body starts to malfunction and struggle to maintain a form. 

“You’ve always acted all high and mighty in that big body of yours, so how does it feel to finally be the small one?” her hand digs into his as she glared up at him. 

“How does it feel that despite how big you are you’ve still got the mentality of a baby?” she stuck her tongue out at him with a hmph only to let out of grunt when he started crushing her within his fist “See? Throwing a temper tantrum. You should be put on time out.” 

“Will you shut up?!” she rolled her eyes, he then finally turns his back down towards the panicking humans “This is just too perfect! Didn’t you brainiacs know the zodiac doesn’t work if you don’t all hold hands? And what’s better, you’ve brought every threat to my power together in one easy to destroy circle!” he snaps his fingers and burns the circle to a crisp. 

“Oh, no!” Pacifica lets out a shriek when her hair was caught on fire. 

“Ah! My hair!” Robbie, too, lets out a shout when his hair was on fire. 

“Ah! My hair also!” Bill snaps his fingers again and restrains both Stan and Ford. 

“You guys wanna see what happens to your friends when you can’t get along?” 

“Hey! You give them back!” McGucket hollers. 

“You’ve gone too far, Cipher!” 

“Yeah! We’re not scared of you!” Wendy shouts as she pulls out her axe, McGucket doing the same with his banjo, though Bill just laughs at their display of confidence. 

“Oh, but you should be.” with a snap of his fingers, everyone except for Dipper, Mabel, Stan and Ford stiffens in unison and make a brief choking noise. Their eyes glow yellow and roll into the back of their and their mouths hang open as they are lifted into the air, Alvah turned her head away at the fate in store for them “You know, this castle could really use some decorations!” he turned them into tapestries with images of them screaming in front of their symbols then hung them up on the walls “Looks like it’s too late for you friends, Stanford.” Dipper and Mabel let out screams when a cage suddenly encases them. 

“Ah! Kids!” both herself and Stan shout, she then let out a soft gasp when Bill pulled her closed to his eye. 

“And you, you’re at your limit now.” they all look up to where he was holding her and saw the way she couldn’t hold up her form perfectly, now she was a fix of both her male and female forms “Do you have any last words, Alvah?” she looks down at the Pines family and saw the distressed looks on their faces as they stared up at her, and despite all that, she gave them a weak yet reassuring smile. 

“I regret nothing.” she spoke, her voice tinged with her masculine one “Thanks to Stanford and that error in our contract I spent thirty years developing something I never knew I would have wanted. From the empty void within me, I have come to love the Pines family to the point I would have destroyed this timeline to keep them safe. Maybe in an alternate reality I did, or perhaps if I came to terms with my feelings much earlier, then I might have done it.” Bill cringed at her words. 

“Ew, feelings.” she let out a laugh. 

“I know, right? But I wouldn’t change the fact that I love those kids and their great uncles for a second.” she then looked back towards the Pines family one last time “Remember what I told you? There are two endings to this story right now! Figure out how to get to the one where you guys win!” she let out a grunt when his grip on her body tightened, her body beginning to crack and shatter under the pressure. 

“And that’s enough out of you.” he raises his hand to throw her to the ground but he saw the way her head perked up as something came to mind that caused her to start laughing, he was taken aback when she looked at him with a smug expression “What’s so funny?” 

“You... will be defeated by the person you least expect.” her face crumbled and a piece of her true face peeked out from within her broken body “You will soon realize you messed with the wrong family, Bill Cipher.” he didn’t like the way she laughed at him so he finally threw her down onto the ground, their eyes widened when Bill lifted his foot up and intended to finish her off by crushing her under the weight of his foot. 

“Stanley.” he flinched at the sound of her voice, he looked at the others and saw that they didn’t react so he turned over to her and saw her looking at him with a weak smile “Knock his lights out for me.” he closed his eyes as he turned away when Bill brought his foot down on her body. 

“Alvah!” they all cried out and watch as Bill raised his foot and saw he had completely shattered her into millions of pieces, but they could only hope that if they won that she’ll be able to find all her pieces to come back to them. 

thanks to alvah, they knew that there was a possibility that they could win against bill. 

but due to the fact that alvah didn’t know how they won, it was up to them to fill in the blanks to get the ending they want. 

dipper and mabel manage to escape the cage bill trapped them in by mabel spraying paint in bill’s eye. 

stan and ford are temporarily freed from their restraints only to be trapped in the same cage as bill chases after dipper and mabel in his nightmare form, leaving the pines brothers some time to reflect and formulate a plan to take down bill. 

it was only when bill returns that they put their plan into action. 

“Alright, Ford. Time’s up. I’ve got the kids. I think I’m gonna kill one of ‘em now just for the heck of it!” as Bill holds the two up to his eye, his pupil change into their symbol each time he spoke “Eenie... meenie... minee... you!!” he holds his hand up and prepares to end Mabel by snapping his fingers, only for Ford to shout to cut him off. 

“Wait! I surrender.” Bill let out a satisfied huff. 

“Good choice.” he drops the twins and slowly approaches Ford. 

“Don’t do it, Ford! It’ll destroy the universe.” 

“It’s the only way.” Bill lets out an evil laugh. 

“Oh, even when you’re about to die, you Pines twins just can’t get along.” he drops the cage and ties Stan up, leaving Ford standing and unrestraint. 

“My only condition is that you let me brother and the kids go!” Bill narrowed his eye on him but complied. 

“Fine.” Dipper shakes his head. 

“No, Grunkle Ford! Don’t trust him!” Bill just lets out another laugh as he ignored the desperate cries from the children. 

“It’s a deal!” Bill takes Ford’s extended hand and enters the mental realm within his mind, petrifying his physical form as he laughs evilly “Oh, I’m here. I’m finally here! Look at this place: a perfect, calm, orderly void. Gotta hand it to ya, Ford. You really know how to clear your mi--” Bill cuts himself off after opening the only door within what he believed was Ford’s mind, only instead to find Stan laying comfortably in his chair in the Mystery Shack’s living room as he played with a paddleball. When Stan saw Bill he winked at the dream demon while pointing a  finger gun at him as he clicked his tongue “WHAT?!” 

“Heh heh! Do a pretty good impression of my brother, don’t I? Switch clothes and no one can tell us apart. Welcome to my mind. Surprised you didn’t recognize it.” 

“WHAT?! The deals off!” the door behind Bill slams shut and starts to burn with a blue flame “What the—no, no, no, no!” 

“Oh, yeah. You’re going down, Bill. You’re getting’ erased.” Stan spoke as he pointed at his head “Memory gun. Pretty clever, huh?” Bill looks up at Stan with a panicked expression. 

“Y-You idiot! Don’t you realize you’re destroying your own mind too?!” he gave a shrug. 

“Eh. It’s not like I was using this space for much anyway.” 

“LET ME OUTTA HERE! LET ME OUT!” Bill attempts to use his powers, only to realize too late that they are now being negated thanks to the memory gun’s influence “Gah! Why isn’t this working?!” Bill’s own mind began to race as he tried desperately to take control of the situation only to remember the words Alvah last spoke to him. 

“You... will be defeated by the person you least expect.” at the time he didn’t want to believe it, he didn’t want to believe that he would be defeated but he never would have thought that he would be defeated by the hands that was Stanley Pines. The lesser twin that was an eyesore, the one that was cast away and forgotten like a toy at the bottom of a toy chest. He didn’t want to admit that because he didn’t heed her warning that he would meet his fate at the hands of the one favored by chaos. 

“Hey, look at me. Turn around and look at me, you one eyed demon!” Bill turns around and shrunk back when he saw the way Stan was glaring down at him “You’re a real wise guy, but you made one fatal mistake—you messed with my family.” Bill shakes his head as he tried everything he could to reason with Stan. 

“You’re making a mistake! I’ll give you anything! Money! Fame! Riches! Infinite power, your own galaxy! PLEASE!” Bill looks down at his hands and similar to Alvah, his body began to lose control of his body and started to succumb to the memory gun’s influence “NO! What’s happening to me?! !Nruter yam I taht rewop tneicna eht ekovni I !nrub ot emoc sah emit ym, L-T-O-L-O-X-A.” his body went through my different forms as he spoke in reverse but when he finally managed to maintain the blackened version of his normal form, he reached a hand out to the human that brought him to his demise “STAAANNLLEEEEY!!” he pulls his fist back and punched Bill in the eye and shattered his body, Stan pants softly as he listened to Bill’s scream fade into the back of what was left of his mind before turning to pick up a picture of him with Dipper, Mabel and Waddles. 

“Heh. Guess I was good for something after all.” before he felt the flames engulf him he felt something in his pocket, he pulls it out and saw that it was the same picture he pocketed off of Mabel but it was different. Before he couldn’t see it but now he had a clear picture of Alvah smiling at him in the photo, and there he almost wished his mind wouldn’t be erased because he was going to miss the feeling that was falling in love with the one person who had loved him for him, even if she never was able to tell him.  

Outside of Stan’s mind, those who were turned into the tapestries were freed and dropped to the floor. Outside the Fearamid, the rift sucks all of the Henchmaniacs and demons released into Gravity Falls, returning them to the Nightmare Realm from whence they came. The Fearamid is deconstructed and pulled into the rift, once gone, a wave washed over the town, resorting it to its pre-weirdmageddon state. Elsewhere, the forest is shown with a bird landing on Bill’s physical form, now permanently petrified and covered in moss and vegetation. Stan is found in a different part of the forest sitting motionless on his knees, it isn’t until Ford, Dipper and Mabel find him that he opens his eyes. 

“Oh, my gosh! Grunkle Stan, you did it!” Mabel cheers as she runs up to him and placed his fez on his head, a little lopsided but on nonetheless. 

“Oh, uh, hey there... kiddo. What’s your name?” he asked rather confused, hands on her shoulders to push her back. 

“Eheh, Grunkle Stan?” he lets out a weak laugh as he looked around. 

“Who are you talkin’ to?” 

“C-Come on. It’s me. It’s me, Grunkle Stan!” Dipper had to pull Mabel back when she started growing desperate due to Stan’s inability to remember who was in front of him “Grunkle Stan, it’s me!” Ford placed a hand on Mabel’s shoulder when Dipper pulled her back to where he stood. 

“We had to erase his mind to defeat Bill. It’s all gone. Stan has no idea, but he did it. He saved the world. He saved me.” when he approached Stan, his brother continued to look around in confusion before looking up at him with a lost look in his eyes “You’re our hero, Stanley.” he spoke as he fell to his knees before throwing his arms around Stan’s shoulders, pulling him into a much needed hug and cried softly in his shoulder. Mabel collapses to her knees and cries into her hands, Dipper puts his hand on her shoulder and cries as well. In an effort to try and restore his memories, Stan is being led by Dipper towards what was left of the Mystery Shack with Mabel, Ford and now Soos following closely behind. They walk up to the door and Dipper attempts to open the door but has to throw himself against the door to break it down, he pulls himself back up and leads Stan into the living room that was as in an even worse state then when they had to fight zombies, but it didn’t seem to bother Stan at all. 

“Hey, this is a real nice place you got here.” 

“It’s your place, Grunkle Stan.” 

“Don’t you remember? Not even a little?” he shakes his head as he takes a seat in the recliner. 

“Nope. But this chair hugs my butt like it remembers. Ah.” he relaxes into the seat then looks back at the others standing before him, who are looking back at him sadly “Hey, why the long faces? You guys look like it’s someone’s funeral. Who’s that big guy crying in the corner?” Soos lets out a sob and turns away. 

“We saved the world, but what’s the point? Grunkle Stan’s not himself anymore.” 

“There’s gotta be something we can do to jog his memory.” Mabel says as she looks around for anything that could help but Ford shakes his head. 

“There isn’t. I’m sorry. Stan’s gone.” 

“I know my Grunkle is in there somewhere. There’s gotta be something around here that can help bring him back.” she then finally notices her scrapbook laying on the ground so she quickly grabs it and rushes over to Stan’s side, throwing the book into his lap and opening it “This’ll work! This has to work! Here’s the first day we came to Gravity Falls, Grunkle Stan. And here’s a macaroni interpretation of my emotions!” she then flips the page and Dipper points at the one where they went fishing. 

“That time we went fishing? That Summerween we spent together? Don’t you remember anything?” Stan gives an apologetic shake of his head. 

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what this is or who you are or--” he let out a startled shout when Waddles jumped into his lap “Gah! Quit it, Waddles! I’m trying to remember my life story!” this comment caused them all to look up at him in surprise. 

“What did you say?” he lets out a grunt and stood to his feet and attempts to get Waddles off of him as the little pig licks at his face. 

“I said get Waddles off of me.” Ford gasps. 

“It’s working! Keep reading.” 

“Skip to my page! He needs to remember our boss-employee relationship.” Stan scoffed as he sat back down in his recliner. 

“Hey, just cause I have amnesia, don’t go tryin’ to give yourself a raise, Soos.” 

“It’s happening! Keep going!” Mabel nods and flips through a few more pages. 

“Okay, okay. Day two. Grunkle Stan smells weird but we’re starting to bond. He told us a lot about being a business man in the ‘80’s and seemed happy when we pretended to listen. He also gave me a grappling hook which everyone is impressed by. And in more important news, I met some neighborhood hotties.” this comment caused them all to laugh as they continued to go through the entire scrapbook, but as they reached the end Dipper slowly came to a realization. 

“But what about Alvah?” this caused them all to stiffen, he and Mabel share a look of concern as Stan looked between them in confusion “We don’t have any photos of her.” 

“And the ones we do have don’t show her face. We can’t jog his memory like this.” she then let out a soft gasp as she looked up at Ford “We can use your thingamajig from before! We saw her memories, so if we strap ourselves to it we might be able to...” Ford gave her a guilty look. 

“Unfortunately, my dear, that device was destroyed after a certain... incident.” Dipper, too, looks guilty. 

“But he can’t forget her! She made him so happy! They fell in love and made each other happy! We barely know anything that’s happened between them from the thirty years they spent together or even throughout the summer. This can’t be the end of their relationship when it had only just begun!” Stan watched them talk as he tried to picture a face to the name Alvah, he tried to think of anything that came to mind when he thought of her. 

“Alvah...” he spoke softly under his breath and tried to remember how he felt about this person that was nothing but a faceless image in his head. 

“I’M HERE!!” they all jump at the loud screaming followed by a crash, looking up in surprise and shock, Alvah came sliding through the front door and crashed into the wall. She pulled herself out and they looked closely at her appearance, since Bill had destroyed her body, it took her so long to piece herself back together and was still missing a couple pieces “I’m here, I’m here! I’m sorry I took so long, but I’m back!” she adds then made a face when her arm fell off, she was quick to reach down and reattach it. 

“Alvah! You’re okay!” Dipper and Mabel exclaim and rush over to her, she opened her arms as she dropped to her knees and let them run into her embrace. She pulls them in close and run her fingers through their hair while nuzzling close to them, her resolve weak for them as they clung to her “We were so worried about you. We were so scared.” 

“But you did it, and I just knew you kids would be able to win in the end. I’m so sorry that you guys had to go through all that, I’m sorry I couldn’t stop it from happening. If only I cared enough to stop it from happening all together.” she said as she pulled back to wipe away their years “How will you ever forgive me?” Mabel sniffled softly. 

“We already forgave you. You stood by us against Bill to the very end.” Dipper nodded his head as he readjusted his hat. 

“You did everything you could just for us, despite so many odds stacked against you. You had so much on the line just by being there, but you did it anyways.” her gaze weakened when they hug her again, squeezing so tight as if she was going to disappear “We couldn’t not forgive you.” she let out a breath of relief as she hugged them back. 

“I’m glad.” they pull away to allow her to stand and so she lifts her gaze to the man who stood to his feet at her arrival, Stan took a step back when this beautiful woman beamed at the sight of him and rushed towards him. He let out a whoa when she threw herself at him, letting out a cheer as she wrapped her arms around his neck and so he caught her by the waist and unintentionally twirled her around as she pulled herself close to him “Oh, you old bastard, you did it! I can’t believe you actually did it, Stanley!” she was squeezing him so tight he was sure she was trying to crack his back, Ford had to gently squeeze her shoulder to get her to loosen her grip and when she did her hands slide onto his face where she cradled his face. He stared into those bright green eyes of hers that shun like that of a freshly cut emerald and a smile that was bright enough to put the stars to shame, however, he grabbed her by her wrists and gently pulled them away from his face and he saw the way the light in her eyes dimmed “S-Stanley?” he let out a nervous chuckle as he took a step back and pulled away. 

“Sorry, even if my memory is slowly coming back to me, I think I’d remember if I knew a gorgeous babe like yourself.” they all saw the way her face twitched as Stan spoke, her smile slowly dropping the longer he spoke “I appreciate the gesture, but take a guy out to dinner before throwing yourself at me.” her arms dropped to her side as she stared at him. 

“W-What? What are you saying, Stan? Don’t you know who I am?” Ford takes a step forward and gently grabs her by her bicep. 

“We had to erase his mind to defeat Bill.” her eyes widened at Ford’s words “Mabel has figured out a way to jog his memory of us, and it’s working slowly but... we don’t know if the same could be said about his memory of you.” Mabel then jumped in and grabbed her hand, tugging on it gently as she spoke. 

“But we will stop at nothing to get him to remember you! The special connection you two had is too good to be erased!” Stan briefly looked away from her when Dipper took his hand and gave it a squeeze. 

“You two never spoke about what kind of relationship you had, but we could all tell that it was something deep and meaningful. We didn’t need to be told to know that you two were in love.” this caused them all to look back at Alvah but were taken aback when they saw that she was crying, she was crying as she stared at Stan with a lost look in her eyes “A-Alvah?” she slowly looked down to see tears dripping down her face, her lips trembling at the realization that she had lost something she never knew she wanted. 

“This... this isn’t fair. You can’t forget about me, Stanley. Y-You can’t possibly forget what we had. I’ve only come to accept these feelings and now you don’t even understand what that means for me!” she spoke weakly as her hands fly to her chest where she’s grasping tightly at her blouse “I can’t even help you remember me! There are no photos of us together, I can’t even force you to remember because it’ll only damage your mind even further! I can’t do anything to salvage what we had!” she couldn’t describe how much it hurt for him to stare at her like she was just some stranger, because to him, she was just a stranger. 

“H-Hey, I’m sorry, I really am... but I’m real flattered that something like you liked a guy like me.” he said softly as he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, she whipped her head up and shook it side to side. 

“Liked? That isn’t even the word I’d use to describe what I feel for you. I am a being unable to feel anything! I shouldn’t even feel this aching pain in my chest, the feeling of a broken heart. You made me feel things that had me questioning my entire existence. The way you looked at me had me feeling special, I want to be the reason you smile and the cause for your laughter. I want you to know that I chose you when nobody else did, I want you to know that I want all of your love and nothing else!” she looked down at her hands and felt a wave of anguish take over her, her hands then dig into her scalp “I couldn’t even tell you in the end, I couldn’t even say it to your face when you asked me. I couldn’t even tell you that I loved you.” his eyes widened in disbelief. 

“Y-You what?” her palms dig into her forehead as she shakes her head. 

“I fell in love with you and it took a damn twelve year old girl to get me to realize it! I couldn’t even tell you when you asked and it hurt so much when you looked at me as if I never did! And now it doesn’t matter anymore! I don’t even know why you loved me after everything I did, and I don’t even know if you forgive me for allowing all this to happen! Do you hate me, Stanley? Are you angry with me?” she finally falls to her knees, her hands clutched to her chest as she pressed her head into the floorboards at his feet “I love you my dear, and I loved our time here. I beg you not forget me, as selfish as it sounds, I just want you to love me like you did this summer.” Stan looked down at the woman who was crying at his feet and he didn’t know how to feel, this beautiful woman had just spilt her heart out to him and begged for him to remember her. So he tries, he closes his eyes and thinks about her name and waits to see what his mind would conjure up. His mind seemed to be struggling but thinking about her seemed to make him feel happy, a feeling blossomed in his chest as if his heart seemed to remember her. Slowly, ever so slowly, the figure in his head began to take shape during his happiest moments. 

“Why are you looking at me like that?” the woman spoke with a tease in her tone, they seemed to be outside the Mystery Shack with the sun shining down on her perfectly that it seemed to make her glow. 

“Well, how am I looking at you?” she giggled. 

“As if I hung the stars.” he hummed softly as his hand reached for her, she doesn’t move and allows his hand to brush her luscious blonde hair over her shoulder and gently cups her cheek, to which she leans into his touch “You’re a very adorable human, Stan.” he huffed at her words. 

“Adorable? That’s how I’d describe you.” she laughs softly and places her hand on top of his. 

“Well, I can be whatever you want me to be, I am made for you.” his thumb gingerly rubs against her cheek as he thought over her words carefully, he then gave a little shrug as he spoke. 

“I just want you to be mine.” this had stunned her into silence as she stared at him, he burst out into laughter when she covered her face with her hand and pushed him away when she turned bright red at his words. 

“That was real smooth.” he throws his head back with a laugh when he grabbed her other hand and pulled her back, kissing the back of her hand and slowly up her arm where he ended with his lips pressing against her cheek “Stop it, Stanley. You know I’m ticklish.” he’s now nuzzling his cheek against hers, the feeling of love slowly overwhelming his mind as he shared this tender moment with this beautiful woman who had chosen him over the millions of others that existed in this rather small reality. 

“How’d I ever get so lucky?” she smiled softly and turned to look back at him. 

“I could say the same thing.” her hand caresses his cheek before pulling him in the share a kiss “I adore you, Stan.” he smiled. 

“That means a lot to me, Alvah.” 

He blinked softly when the figure in front of him revealed to him was the same woman who brought him endless joy, the same woman who had been with him at the lowest moments on his journey to fix his mistake that took thirty years in the making. The same woman who knew who he was but stayed by his side through thick and thin, who comforted him when everybody else wouldn’t even bat him an eye. A woman who reminded him of the sandy beach of New Jersey when the sun was at its peak and made the sand shine like gold, or like that of a forest when the day was just right. This was a woman that made him feel like he won the lottery and the prize wasn’t even money, but something even more valuable that he wished he had when he was a kid. 

Love and affection. 

Joy and attention.  

Slowly he started to remember the moments they shared together throughout the summer. From their day out on the lake to the laughter they shared at Dipper’s expense, to the time they fought zombies and the moment she sang to him as they danced. They never really labeled what their relationship was, but now he knew that what they had was a genuine connection; that they two were in love with each other and he didn’t want to forget that. She was still crying at his feet when he knelt down in front of her, placing a hand on her shoulder while trying to get her to look up at him. She seemed to have lost all her strength because he easily lifted her head up and it laid weakly within his hands, a whimper left her lips when his thumbs started wiping away her tears and continued to do so when more would replace them. 

“Alvah.” he spoke softly, her eyes shimmered with tears and gave them a glossy effect “Come on, toots, there isn’t a need for you to cry for me.” her eyes widened softly after hearing him call her that, a feeling of hope washing away the anguish in her chest. 

“What?” he smirked at her. 

“If all it took was forgetting to get you to profess your love for me, I should have faked dementia a long time ago.” a gasped left her lips when she saw the look of love in his eyes, the same look he would give her when it was just the two of them together “I may not remember everything, but how could I forget that it was you that made me feel like the luckiest guy in the world?” 

“Stan!” she practically tackled him into the ground and clung to him so tight, burying herself into his shoulder and crying softly when this time he wrapped his arms around her and held her close “You didn’t forget me, right? You remember me now, right? Please tell me that you remember me.” he turns his face into her hair as his hands rubs up and down her back to comfort her.  

“It's not all there yet, but yeah, I remember you sweetheart.” she let out a sigh of relief and practically melted in his arms, he let out an oh when she pushed herself up so that she was hovering over him before leaning down to capture his lips. He sighed into the kiss and wrapped his arms around her to pull her close, before anything else could happen they heard a cough, they were still practically kissing when they looked over and saw Ford covering Dipper and Mabel’s eyes while Soos was trying his hardest to fight down a smile.  

“As heartwarming as this is, please remember that there are children present.” she pushed herself back but continued to lay on top of Stan. 

“Sorry.”  

“Not sorry.” she stared at Stan but laughed nonetheless, his chest rumbling as he laughed. Mabel lets out a squeal and quickly rushes over to where the two of them laid and jumped on top of them, soon followed by Dipper and unfortunately Soos, who had practically bellyflopped onto them. Ford chuckled as he stood above them but beamed down at them when, despite the discomfort then added weight gave them, they welcomed the children with laughter and bright faces. 

“Stanley.” he flinched when he heard her voice in his head, he doesn’t look when he felt her hand slide down his arm and intertwine their fingers together “I love you.” he hummed softly and gave her hand a squeeze. 

‘Love you too, doll face.’ she giggles softly and turned her face into his neck.

...

...

“Good morning, Gravity Falls. It’s another beautiful day, but every day is beautiful now that the... unpleasantness is over.” a broadcast goes off all throughout Gravity Falls after the end of Weirdmageddon where the townsfolk are recovering after such a disaster “In other news, the Northwest family has gone broke. After pledging his allegiance to Bill and then placing all his savings in weirdness bonds, Preston Northwest had to sell his mansion to preserve his family fortune.” cut to the Northwest couple crying as some workers hang a “for sale” banner on the gate. 

“You’re only going to have one pony now.” a horrified look washed over Pacifica’s face. 

“But fortunes have also turned for local maniac, Fiddleford McGucket, who, after regaining his sanity, has made millions overnight submitting his patents to the US Government.” to which Fiddleford announces that he’ll buy the Northwest mansion now that it was on sale “In other good news, town hero, Stanley Pines, has fully recovered his memory and will be throwing a party to celebrate his niece and nephew’s thirteen birthday and final day in town. But other than that, I can safely say our beloved Gravity Falls is back to normal. And now, Bodacious T, with the news.” we’re now brought to the Mystery Shack all fixed up decorated with balloons and all sorts to celebrate the twin's birthday with everyone from town, including the few fairy tale creatures, in attendance singing them happy birthday. 

“I can’t believe you all got together just to throw a party for us.” Mabel gushed at the crowd of people as she and Dipper stood in front of a cake, behind them were Stan, Ford and Alvah smiling down at their excitement along with Soos and Wendy. 

“After all the Pines family has done for the town, it’s the least we could do. You’ve helped everyone here.” Tyler spoke, this rallied a few cheers from the townsfolk. 

“Thanks to y’all savin’ us, I learned to open my heart to kindness. No more evil doin’. From now on, I’m gonna try to be Li’l Gideon, regular ol’ kid.” Gideon said, though the lingering presence of his prison inmates said otherwise, Soos then peered over the twin’s shoulders and ushered them towards the cake. 

“Dude! Make a wish, dawg.” 

“You know, on my first day here, if you had asked me what I wanted, I would have said “adventure, mystery, true friends”. But looking here at all of you, I realize that every wish came true.” he chuckles to himself “I have everything I wanted.” he let out a whoa when his hat was shoved down and covered his eyes, looking back, he saw that it was Alvah grinning cheekily at him and he couldn’t help but mirror her expression. 

“If I had only one wish it would be to shrink all of you with a shrink ray and bring you home with us in my pocket. But since that’s impossible... is that impossible?” she asked while leaning back towards Ford, he waves his hand up and down with a shrug, looking up at Alvah, she chuckled and did the same thing “Since that’s probably impossible, my only wish is for everyone to sign my scrapbook. I’ll never forget you guys. Wait.” she pulls out the memory gun and sets it on the floor then smashes it to pieces “Now I’ll never forget you guys.” with that she and Dipper blow out the candles, Wendy then pulls them into a hug. 

“I now officially declare you technically teenagers. Welcome to angst and acne forever.” in the crowd, Tambry, Robbie, Lee, Nate and Thompson start chanting “one of us”, this earned laughter from everyone, Blubs and Durland in turn fire off a cannon. 

“So, how do you feel?” Soos asked. 

“Samey, but differenty.” 

“Hey, you two. When are you going to open your presents already?” Pacifica asked as she raised her hand that was covered in tape “I broke a nail wrapping them.” Dipper and Mabel laugh, Alvah watches as the two grab a gift then looked backwards when she noticed Ford taking a step back. Stan claps his hands and goes to approach them but stopped when Alvah placed a hand on his chest, he smiles at her and goes to question what she was doing but stopped when she pushed him back. 

“I think your brother wants to have a word with you.” he looks at her confused and looks to where Ford was, she and Ford share a look until she winks at him and pushes Stan towards him “I think it’s something you’d like to hear, so don’t keep him waiting. I’ll watch the kids.” before he could say anything he let out a squeak when she gave his behind a little smack then skipped away. 

“Alvah!” she only laughs as she rushed away. The children smiled at the sight of Alvah and excitedly show her the gifts they received, however, she glanced back when she noticed Soos linger over to where the Pines’ brothers were talking and overheard a part that made him gasp. It wasn’t long until they came back and Stan gave her a warning glare for her previous action, she only smirked at him and threatened to do it again but stopped when he raised a glass Pitt cola bottle and tapped against it to get everyone’s attention. 

“Everyone, I have an announcement to make. Me and my, heh, nerdy bro over here have some catchin’ up to do. We’re gonna be away for a while. That’s why I’m shutting down the Mystery Shack for good.” this caused the crowd to gasp and murmur amongst each other, that was until Soos rushed towards Stan. 

“You shut down your mouth for good! I’m sorry Mister Pineses. It’s just that this shack is the most magical place on Earth. Sure, the attractions are all fake, but dreams aren’t fake!” he then holds up the Fiji mermaid taxidermy “Like this mermaid. It’s not just a dead fish butt sewn to a monkey carcass. It’s a marvelous creature that make sus believe that anything is possible. You shut down this shack, and you shut down our dreams!” he then takes off his hat “At least... my dreams.” the crowd aws at Soos’ words, Stan sighs to himself.  

“I’m sorry, Soos. It’s just, there’s no one around to run it. At least, there wouldn’t be if I hadn’t just found the perfect replacement.” he then takes his fez off and placed it on top of Soos’ head “Ladies and gentleman, the Mystery Shack is under new management.” the crowd let out cheers that not only the Mystery Shack gets to remain open, but that it was passed onto someone who rightfully deserved it. 

“You... you mean it, Mr. Mystery?” 

“You’re Mr. Mystery now, Soos. Try not to burn the place down.” Alvah placed her hand on Soos’ arm as she appeared beside him. 

“Who else would be able to take up the mantel if not you, Soos? It was bound to be yours if Stan were to give it to anyone, you deserve it.” Soos’ teared up at their words and doesn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around them, the two look at each other but smiled and hug him back. Thinking back to the time Soos had first met Stan and Alvah it brought a smile to his face so wide that it almost hurt, with the absence of his father he had been craving that approval of a father figure and it was almost fate that he happened to stumble upon a screwdriver that belonged to the Mystery Shack and where he would meet the two people he would call his parental figures. He wasn’t really looking for a maternal figure since he already had his abuelita but Alvah was always hanging around Stan and she had this charm that had drawn him in, so he had grown to crave her love and affection as well as her validation ever since she first ruffled his head. So as he looked up at the two that he held in his arms who smiled happily down at him, he shed a tear as they lovingly embraced him. The party raged on with laughter and endless chatter filling the air, Alvah is conversing with Ford when Tyler shouts for everyone to get together for a group photo. She, out of instinct, starts backing away when everyone got together in front of the Mystery Shack until Stan called out for her. 

“What are you doing, toots? Get over here!” they all looked at her expectantly but she raised her hands, shaking her head side to side. 

“No, no. You know I can’t take photos, Stan. I don’t want to ruin it, just take the photo without me.” Dipper and Mabel look at each other then rush over to her, Dipper has one of her hands while Mabel grabs at her dress and they start tugging her over “Children, please. I’ll be fine sitting this one out.” they shake their head. 

“We’ve got no pictures of you, Alvah. We want one photo of all the people we love together, even if you’re nothing but static.”  

“You’ll do this for us, right?” everyone waiting saw them look up at her with puppy dog eyes, eyes welling up with tears for effect and eventually she did cave “You’ll never say no to us.” she hangs her head as they pull her back over to where Stan and Ford were. 

“Unfortunately, yes.” Stan peers down at Alvah and saw her nervously tugging at her dress, worried that she was going to ruin the photo, she gasped softly when Stan takes her hands into his while wrapping an arm around her shoulder and pulling her into his chest “Stan, what are you--” 

“Come on doll, enough with the long face.” the hand holding hers moved to tilt her head up towards him “Chin up, and give us that award winning smile.” she stared at him until a giggle slipped past her lips, Ford then placed his hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze. 

“If it makes you feel better, I’m not quite that photogenic myself.” she scoffed softly and joking shoved Ford back. 

“You’re a dork, Ford. You have the most unnecessarily serious photos ever. Don’t think Mabel hasn’t shown me.” he coughs into his hand as he turns away, quickly readjusting his glasses when they slipped down his nose. 

“That is quite irrelevant.” she shakes her head, she herself helps readjust Stan’s tie and glasses while he worked on fixing his fez as Toby sets up the camera. He let out an oh when it was lifted out of his hands and glanced over to see Alvah using her power to hold it up, she rolled her eyes when he smiles gratefully at her and rushed over to stand with the rest of the group. 

“Okay everyone, say Gravity Falls!” Mabel cheers. 

“Gravity Falls!” the snap of her fingers has the camera going off and taking their photo, Mabel is already running over to take a look at the polaroid and hurriedly shakes at it to see the results. Dipper is by her side just as she let out a gasp, her eyes widened in shock as she looked at the developed photo, he opens his mouth to question her but she’s already thrusting the photo in his face “Dipper, Dipper! Look!”  

“What is it?” he pushes her arm back so he could see what has her all frazzled until he saw it. There, as clear as day, was Alvah smiling right back at him instead of a disoriented figure composed of static. She had her arm linked with Stan’s while her hand rested against his bicep, a soft blush hued her cheeks as a bright smiled graced her lips, eyes shining as if it were her birthday “Alvah! Alvah! Come look!” she raised a brow at Dipper’s insistence, taking her hands back from Stan’s as the young twins run up to her. 

“What is it? Don’t tell me I blinked.” this earned a couple chuckles from the others, Dipper turns the photo towards her and her eyes widened when she was met with her smiling face, she gently takes the photo from his hands and tears up a little. It was a sort of curse that anything with a lense were capable of capturing her true form and would corrupt the photo, but there she was, smiling as if she wasn’t some sort of monster underneath it all “I can take a guess who’s responsible for this.” she spoke softly, now internally grateful to the Axolotl for granting her such a gift. 

“Wow, look at you~” Stan cooed as he took the polaroid from her hands “I didn’t think you could smile that wide.” she presses her hands to her cheeks that were creased as she continued to smile. 

“I’m struggling to stop, I’m just so happy right now.” Ford quickly plucks the photo from Stan’s hands when he reached for her waist, pulling her close and pressing soft kisses to her cheek, to which she laughed at the open display of affection but didn’t stop him “Stanley!” 

“Mabel, pumpkin!” she was currently awing at them while Dipper looked away “Think you can take so more photos of us? I’d like to have some of us together, and I think they’ll make a great addition to your scrapbook.” she already has the camera in her hands, a determined look that made everyone laugh. 

“On it.” the rest of the day is spent with everyone taking photos with Alvah now that she was granted with the blessing of her true form not interfering with the camera, Mabel’s favorite was one she took of Stan and her dancing and he had dipped her. She had thrown her head back with her laughter filling the air, eyes closed while Stan held her by the waist and stared at her as if she was his reason to breathe. She had made sure to capture of photo of them all, that being her, Dipper, Stan, Ford, Soos, Wendy and Alvah to finish off her scrapbook and she couldn’t think of a more perfect photo of her family. Later into the afternoon, the children, Stan, Ford, Alvah, Soos, Wendy and Waddles were at the bus stop waiting for their bus to come pick them up. 

“Do you really have to go? There’s still so much we haven’t done together.” Candy said sadly. 

“Summer’s over, Candy. It’s time for us to grow up.” 

“But not too much.” 

“Aaah! I hate my dumb heart for making me feel things!” she then proceeds to punch herself “Cut! It! Out! Heart!”  

“Hey, can you punch my heart, too.” Candy raises her hand. 

“No, mine! Punch my feelings away!” Alvah places a hand on Grenda’s shoulder as she gives the three of them an understanding look. 

“Been there, kiddo. But it gets better.” she pats her head softly then pulls her hand back when Mabel pulls Candy and Grenda into a hug. 

“Candy, Grenda, thank you for being my people. You’ll always be my best friends.” she pulls back and looks up at Stan “Grunkle Stan, thanks for wearing my goodbye sweater.” Stan lets out a cough as he rubs the back of his neck. 

“Ah, it’s cold out. I had to.” 

“What? But it’s like eighty-something degrees out today.” Stan and Ford are quick to glare at Soos.  

“Can it, Soos!” the children laugh, Alvah giggles softly as she leans in close to Stan’s ear. 

“I always knew you were a sweetheart, Stan. And I must say, you look real good in pink.” she snickers softly, she leans in closer when he flushed pink “See? Pink suits you well.” she’s laughing now when Stan pushed her away. 

“Stop, not now.” they look back towards the kids and saw Wendy kneel towards Dipper. 

“Hey, you mean a lot to me, man.” he fist bumps Wendy with a smile. 

“You, too.” she laughs and takes his hat off his hat, before he could do anything she took her own hat off and placed it on top of his head while putting his one on her head. 

“Something to remember me by.” she then hands a letter to Dipper “Oh, and this. Read it the next time you miss Gravity Falls.” he takes the letter just as a bus pulls up behind them. 

“Last bus leaving Gravity Falls. All aboard.” 

“I guess we've said goodbye to everyone except... Waddles.” Mabel sadly looks towards her little companion with a pained expression “I... I don’t know how to explain this but... mum and dad won’t let me bring a pig home to California so, you have to stay here!” she tries to leave but Waddles pulls at her skirt, she lets out a weak cry as she tried pushing him away “Come on. Come on! I have to go. I’m... I’m sorry, Waddles.” Stan, Ford and Alvah share a look until Stan broke. 

“Argh! You know what? Forget it! I lived with this pig all summer, now your parents are gonna have to!” he grabs Waddles and sets him down in front of the door so that driver could see him “Hey, bus guy! This pig is comin’ with the kids!” the driver narrowed his eyes on Stan and points towards a sign. 

“Now, hold on a second. Bringing animals aboard a moving vehicle is strictly prohibited--” he cut himself off when he saw Stan pull out his brass knuckles while Ford moves his coat back to reveal his gun strapped to his hip, but in between them was Alvah smiling sweetly at the driver, only then to reveal her grotesque form underneath her welcoming smile “WAH!! W-Welcome aboard! You can sit in the front row, pig.” the two men put their weapons away while Alvah returns back to her normal form, patting Waddles on the head as the pig hobbles into the bus as Stan kneels down towards the children. 

“Kids, you knuckleheads were nothin’ but a nuisance and I’m glad to be rid of ya.” the twins laugh and quickly hug him. 

“We’ll miss you too, Grunkle Stan.” she peers over his shoulder from when she stood, her face softened when she saw the way his eyes glistened with tears when they pulled away from him. She expects them to head towards the bus but was startled when they rushed towards her, she let out an oof when they wrapped their arms around her waist and hugged her “We’re going to miss you too, Alvah.” her hands trembled softly before finally settling on their backs, she then falls to her knees and pulled them close. 

“I’ll miss you more.” she spoke softly, her hands rubbing up and down their backs while nuzzling her cheek against theirs “I’ll always be watching over you guys, so know that you’ll never be alone.” she lets a couple tears fall when they pull away from her and sniffled softly when they waved their hands goodbye, Ford helps her to her feet and she could help but cry softly when the twins finally enter the bus and take a seat at the very back. They’re all waving the kids goodbye and even chase after the bus when it finally drives off, Stan, Ford and Alvah lag behind when the children continue to wave the bus off as it finally leaves Gravity Falls. 

“So Alvah, what are you planning on doing now?” they look back towards her and saw she had a pained look on her face as she looked down at her hands, Stan reaches for her out of concern “Alvah?” his eyes widened when she threw herself at Ford, wrapping her arms around him and hugging him tight, this caused Ford to look down at her in confusion when her fingers dig into his coat. 

“A-Alvah? What’s the matter?” 

“This is the end of the line, old friend.” 

“What?” she pulls herself off of him and snaps her fingers, her hand burst into a black and red flame and a scroll formed in her hands that unraveled and revealed their contract.  

“Now that Bill has been defeated... I have no reason to stick around anymore.” Stan’s eyes widened at her words. 

“W-What does that mean? Are you leaving? Is that it?” she gives Stan an apologetic look as she nodded. 

“I didn’t want to say it in front of the kids. I didn’t want to bring the mood down, but yes. I should have disappeared the moment you defeated Bill, but I’ve been fighting against it until the children had left. It’s only a matter of time until this body disappears.” she then looks back towards Ford “You bastard, I’ve had the most fun in centuries thanks to that mistake in our contract. And though we barely spent any proper quality time together, I have enjoyed your company very much. I’d like to consider you a good friend, Stanford Pines. It has been lovely knowing you.” she then proceeds to hug him again and this time he hugged her back and they shared a genuine tender moment. 

“And it is an honor to be considered your friend.” she hums softly then pulls away, patting his arm gently then turning back towards Stan. 

“A-And what about us? I wanted to know if you’d sail the world with us. I’d get to create new memories with the two most important people of my life! You can’t just leave, Alvah! M-Maybe I can create a contract with you so that you have to stick around!” Ford shakes his head and places a hand on his shoulder. 

“Unfortunately, that’s not how they work. She is not allowed to accept a contract where the conditions are at the bare minimum; she is forbidden from simply existing in a dimension.”  

“So... is that it, then? We’ve barely even started our relationship and you’re already leaving.” she shakes her head and takes his hands into hers, she tilts her head so she could look at his face when he hung his head. 

“I may not be around physically, but like I told those kids, I’ll always be watching. Whether it be in the shadows or your reflection, I will always be there. Nothing is stopping me from visiting when you call my name. Now that Bill and the Time Baby are gone, I have more responsibilities to take care of, but you will be my top priority. I’ll even visit you when you fall asleep.” he frowned and pulled her towards him, resting his forehead against her. 

“But it isn’t the same.”  

“I know, but there is so much I can get away with.” she’s rubbing her forehead against his when she felt him squeeze her hands “I may not be with you but know this, Stanley. You will be the only version I will ever love.” 

“What does that mean?” 

“I have access to many different versions of you, but when you perish, my love will perish with you. I will never choose to love another version of you because I chose you, this you. I will love and only love you.” her eyes glistened with tears at the thought “I wouldn’t be able to love a different version of you because I will know that it just won’t be you.” she shakes her head when a couple tears trickle down her cheek, he lifts his hand up and wipes them away then cups her cheek. 

“I’ve really got you wrapped around my finger, don’t I?” she let out a weak laugh and lets her face rest in his palm, he gently rubs her cheek with his thumb to comfort her “I don’t know how long I’ll be able to handle this long distance relationship, but I’ll find a way to get you a physical body again. I want to be able to hold you, to kiss you, to love you. Not in a dream, but with the real you.” she chuckled softly and turned her head to press her lips against his palm. 

“I don’t think you’d wanna kiss the real me. The taste of rotting flesh isn’t quite nice.” he laughed at that. 

“Sure, but you looked cool beating up Bill in your real form.” they share a kiss and Ford allows them to have their moment when he noticed the flame the contract was engulfed in started reducing it to cinders, because of this her body begins to crumble and she’s unable to maintain her form for much longer. Stan feels this and looks down at her body that’s beginning to fall apart so he wraps his arms around her to trap her in a bear hug, holding onto her for as long as he could before she was gone “I love you, Alvah.” she let out a weak laugh as she gently pats his back. 

“I love you too, Stanley.” she spoke and just as the contract was reduced to ashes her body finally collapsed and shattered at his feet, the arms once holding her like a delicate porcelain doll now wrapped around his body for he had nothing to hold onto anymore. He fell to his knees as tears began rolling down his cheeks at the loss of Alvah, he only just started remembering everything they’ve been through and now that she’s gone, he was afraid he was going to forget her again. He didn’t want to forget her, he didn’t want-- “Stop crying you big dope.” he gasped softly at the voice and looked around to find it only to see nothing. 

“A-Alvah? Where...” 

“Look down.” he looked through his blurry eyes at his shadows, having to readjust his glasses to see that his shadow now consisted of hundreds of red eyes “You’re acting as if I died, Stanley. I just lost my physical body, remember?” he stared down at his shadow for a few seconds before wiping away his tears. 

“I-I knew that!” they chuckled softly and Stan felt, though subtle and weak, their hand gently wipes at his face. 

“You’re such a sweetheart, Stanley. And if that invitation is still on the table, I would love to join you guys on your trip around the world.” Ford chuckles and helps Stan to his feet as they both look down at Alvah, who was now sharing both of their shadows with a cheeky grin spread across their face. 

“Well, the more the merrier.” Stan grins as he wraps his arm around Ford’s shoulder and pulled him close. 

“This is all I could ever ask for. My brother and the love of my life with me as we finally accomplish our childhood dream. It took nearly forty years in the making with so many obstacles in the way, but we’re finally here to do it. I am going to hang onto this win for as long as I have it.” Ford and Alvah smile at him. 

“Stanley, you deserve the world.” 

“I, for one, agree with them. And we are more than willing to give it to you.” 

If you’ve ever taken a road trip through the Pacific Northwest, you’ve probably seen a bumper sticker for a place called Gravity Falls. It’s not on any maps, and most people have never heard of it. Some people think it’s a myth. But if you’re curious, don’t wait. Take a trip. Find it. It’s out there somewhere in the woods.

Waiting. 

season 2, bonus episode. visiting hours

The Axolotl, the great and almighty being who watches over the cosmos, found themself entering the Nightmare Realm in search of the Harbinger of Chaos who now went by Alvah. This equally mighty being was found lying comfortably on their side in a body of cosmic clouds as they watched fondly through a window that revealed the human Stanley Pines who was sleeping soundly, their finger swirling circles around the window as they hummed a song to lull him to sleep. 

“And then I go and spoil it all by saying something stupid like I love you~” their finger tapped softly on the image of Stan, knowing that they are incapable of touching him without a vessel to inhabit “I love yo--” 

“Alvah.” 

“Ah!” the window disappears as Alvah lurches back in shock, startled by the sudden appearance of the Axolotl “Wha-- What are you doing here, Frills? I wasn’t expecting you.” they are quick to relax back into the clouds as Axolotl floats around them in mild amusement . 

“That human really does have you wrapped around their finger.” Alvah let out a huff and their words, raising their hand and see a sort of thread twirled around their finger “I must thank the human, Stanley Pines, for instilling love and humanity into you. It has changed you for the better.” this earned them a chuckle. 

“I suppose, but it hurts that I can only watch from a distance. I wish to care for him, to hold him, to love him. I miss giving him my love.” they sigh fondly at the memories they hold of their time with him, their hands sliding up their arms as they reminiscence about his arms around them as he spoke sweet nothings into their ear, their arms then drop to their side and they looked above them at the Axolotl who continued to eye them curiously “But enough about that, what brings you around these parts? Sure, I’ve been slacking a bit but I haven’t completely neglected my duties. You’ve given me more responsibilities now that Time Baby is out of commission.” Axolotl hummed softly. 

“I wish for you to join me for a bit, my friend.” their millions of eyes look towards them rather intrigued. 

“Join you? For what?” 

“There is somebody I would like for us to visit. It would please me if you were to share a couple words with them, if possible.” Alvah pulls themself up so they aren’t lying down anymore, even more, intrigued as to who the Axolotl would like them to meet "Of course, it is completely up to you whether or not you would like to join me." Alvah just shrugged their shoulders.

"It's not like I was doing anything else. Sure, I'll join you." they pulled themselves up, so now they're floating beside Axolotl, waiting for them to take them to their destination "Is it someone I know?" they hummed softly.

"Mayhaps." they don't question them and follow them blindly until they ended up in a place that had Alvah's metaphorical heart drop into their stomach, within the neutral zone of Dimension #5150 and outside of time, they were now floating in front of the Theraprism.

...

...

"D-Did I do something wrong, Axolotl?" Alvah asks, their eyes filled with panic and a few of them darting around for any sort of exit "I apologize if I have upset you in a-any way." a laugh escaped their cosmic lips at Alvah's worry, shaking their head, they gesture towards the rehabilitation centre.

"Do not fret, friend. I am not having you admitted here." a breath of relief leaves them "I told you, we are merely visiting someone." they said and floated towards the entrance, leaving Alvah to ponder alone in the empty void of space.

"... who the heck do I know is in Theraprism?" they said to no one in particular but followed closely behind, taking the Axolotl by the hand as they led them through the facility. They go through the proper procedures to be allowed into the Theraprism and are seated in the waiting room as they prepare for whoever they were planning on visiting, Alvah did get a couple odd looks from a few other people who were visiting but paid them no mind "Have they been recently admitted in?" Axolotl hummed.

"For you, yes. But since this is a timeless zone, he has been here for quite some time. He is very stubborn." Alvah whistled to themself.

"Poor sucker."

"Poor "sucker" indeed."

"Axolotl and Alvah, he is ready for you now." they let out a grunt at the way the receptionist said their name but ignored it since they were practically in a high-security prison, they didn't want anything pinned to their clean and flawless record. Despite being an entity renowned for influencing others to do evil stuff, Alvah was actually a law-abiding citizen throughout the cosmos and followed the law meticulously. They enter the room of a long corridor lined with a series of identical white visitation booths, each booth is enclosed by white wood and glass, offering a view into a barred cell beyond. They are led by one of the staff to a booth and as they pass each inmate Alvah recognizes a few of them, they do a double take when they see The Beast in one of the booths and when that mangy mutt made eye contact with them they made the "I'm watching you" gesture to it before catching up to Axolotl, they still haven't forgotten nor forgiven what they did to Mabel.

"So, Frills, who have you brought to come bother me-- oh, no." Alvah raises a brow at the familiar voice, not truly believing their ears, so when they peeked over the booth that was blocking their view, their eyes widened in disbelief "You have got to be kidding me." Alvah burst out into hysterical laughter at the sight of Bill Cipher wearing an orange prism uniform and looking absolutely horrible, he had a terrible bag under his bloodshot eye with a static-like crack that stretched across his triangular body. His eye twitched in irritation as they continued to laugh at him, the Axolotl watched them walk up and down the corridor as they filled the room with laughter. Everyone in the room looked at them in confusion but they paid them no mind, they began to calm down but the moment they laid eyes on him again they started laughing again.

"Are you done, Alvah?" they took a breath they try and quell their laughter as they looked up at Axolotl.

"Oh, yeah, yeah. I'm done." they said but when they looked at Bill once again a snort escaped their lips "Nope, no I'm not!" Bill let out an exasperated sigh when they disappeared down the corridor and looked up at Axolotl.

"When you said you were going to bring someone to talk with me, I didn't expect you to bring them! They're the last person I want to talk with!" he intends to stand up but the few prism guards push him back down into his seat, he scoffs and smacks their hands off of him just as Alvah comes back into view.

"Phew! Okay, now I'm calm." Axolotl gestures for them to take the only seat provided and so they do, lounging on it as their millions of eyes stare at him rather mockingly "Well, well, well. Look at how the mighty have fallen, hmm? I never would have thought you would invoke the right of the Axolotl to save your prideful butt. I guess my sweet Stanley being the one to bring you down really poked a hole in your universal-sized ego, didn't it?" they stick out their tongue as they shrug their shoulders when he pointed an accusatory finger at them.

"I don't want to talk to them! They're going to do nothing but make fun of me the entire time! And that might set back my recovery, and I'm sure you don't want that, do you?" this comment made Axolotl give Alvah a knowing look, to which they huffed.

"Alright, I'll hold back on the mockery. Why exactly did you want me of all beings to have a talk with him? You know he doesn't particularly like me after the downfall of Euclydia, he holds a grudge like no other." Axolotl places a hand on their shoulder as they look between them and Bill, who is glaring daggers at the both of them.

"Because while you two were having your squabble during his Weirdmageddon, you managed to point out a few of his flaws a few of the therapists have yet to notice."

"What? Like his unwillingness to accept responsibility? Or the fact that he's so stubborn to change that he's going to continue down this cycle of self-destruction? It's honestly so obvious to everyone but himself. He's got a straight path down to recovery but he's going to take so many turns that he'll eventually wind back up at the beginning." Bill slams his hands against the counter and glares at them with pure hatred.

"I'll have you know, I'm making great progress!" they roll their eyes and lean back against their chair.

"You're probably just telling yourself that so you don't fall into madness with how long you're going to be stuck in here. They're trying to show you what you've lost, Bill." this made him scoff.

"And what exactly did I lose?" this made them smirk.

"Everything I gained." Bill looked at them confused "You had his devotion, his attention, his adoration, his love, and I just know you craved it like no other. All you had to do was change your approach and you wouldn't have scared him away. There have been alternate realities where he joined you, or where you gave up your goal to dominate their dimension in favor of being by his side. But you didn't choose that ending, and look where you are now."

"You... you don't know that." they scoffed.

"Don't I? I know more than you want to believe, Cipher. Now let's go back to what I gained from your downfall. The Nightmare Realm is now back under my control, I have gained more power now that your influence is gone, Stanford and I are now the greatest of friends, Stanley and I are madly in love with each other and I gained something I never would have ever thought I would have wanted." Bill noticed the way something appeared in their hands, their eyes staring fondly at a small polaroid of her vessel smiling happily alongside the Pines family, Soos and Wendy "A family and acceptance. Something you desperately want, but will never have. Since, you know, you're the last of your species and your Henchmaniacs abandoned you." they're laughing again when Bill turned red and punched at the glass that separated the two of them, he was quickly reprimanded again by the guards while Axolotl scolded Alvah.

"I don't need anything like that, Alvah! Love is for the weak! And Sixer? Why would I want all of that? I had that fool dancing in the palm of my hand, it was so easy that I could do it again! I didn't need his attention, his devotion, or his love! All I need is power, and once I get out of this hellhole, you'll be my first target!" they stared at him now with indifference in their eyes.

"I never said that it was Ford." his breath hitched "So, he's still on your mind? I was right though, wasn't I? You needed him more than he ever needed you. It's why you're so obsessed with him! You miss him and all that he was willing to do for you, but he does not miss you. He is happier now that you are out of his life and out of his mind. They are all better off without you. You will be nothing but a nightmare to them; a forgotten memory locked away and buried within the deepest parts of their mind. And I will make sure of that." Bill hated the way they were looking at him, their millions of eyes were staring down at him with destain and pity, he didn't want their pity. It enraged him that they were right; they were right because they gained so much while he lost everything and was locked up in maximum security with idiots who were looking to change. He hated that everything they said was right, but he didn't want to admit it, he didn't want to believe they were right.

"I'll prove you wrong, Alvah. I'll get out of here and prove you and everyone else in this dump wrong! I can change, haha! I can change just like everyone else, you'll see!" their gaze was still scrutinizing, still so condescending, but the eyes on their head closed as they gave an insincere smile.

"Well that's the point, Bill. You're meant to change for your own good, not to spite everyone else. I'm sure you'll be able to conquer this final trial in order to reach redemption, and I'll be sure to be there every step of the way."

"What? What does that--"

"Now that I know that you're here, I can't leave you here alone. I'll be sure to visit you every now and then, and I'm sure you'd love nothing more than updates on the Pines family and various other residents of Gravity Falls." with that they stood to their feet, the back of their legs pushing the chair back and it scraping against the white tiled floor, they don't fail to miss the panicked look on his face as he stood up on his chair.

"Y-You're not leaving yet, are you? We still have so much to talk about, I haven't even told you what I've been doing in Theraprism!" they just shrug their shoulders.

"You can tell me on my next visit." they don't wait for Bill's response as they walk away, his tiny and powerless hands banging against the glass as he calls out for them to come back. Axolotl follows after them as they float out of the prism, eyeing them curiously.

"So, are you going to keep to your word and continue to visit him?" a laugh escapes their lips.

"Of course. I want to see them break him."

"Fix him, my friend." they roll their eyes.

"Sure. But... he won't be able to contact the Pines family, would he? I'm worried he'll manage to reach them somehow, and I don't want their progress going down the drain because he is obsessed with them." Axolotl lets out a soft chuckle.

"They are much stronger than you think, Alvah." they nod.

"I know, I know. I just can't help but worry."

"I am glad you have found something to care for, my friend. It makes me feel overjoyed." they couldn't help but smile at that "Now that you know that Bill is in fact, alive, you must swear that you won't tell the residents of dimension 46'\ until I say that it is okay." they shrugged their shoulders.

"I figured, but I swear I won't. I don't want them freaking out, especially Stan and Ford. They believe they've completely erased Bill from existence, and they've been riding that high for a long time."

"Thank you, Alvah. And do please tell me when you're going to visit Bill, I would like to join you to see his progress."

"Of course, my friend. Until then."


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