Also, the idea of brown following moat around like an eager puppy brightened my day
Thank you so much š š«
Sorry I was gone so long but hopefully more writing soonāØ
Please accept this amnesia baby duck Brown as my apology šš„ŗ
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
Donāt know when Ties will be updating because Iām currently in a love mostly hate relationship with it, but Iām determined not to abandon itšŖ so Iām trying to find way to make myself like it until thenāØ
Hence why Amnesia baby duck Brown
š
Chap 2 is already on the way & I know what Iām doing for 3 š
Plush lil extras for later
But Iām trying to shorten chaps so I donāt end up hating it š so that why the chaps are shorter than my othersāØ
So I had this idea, what if one of the recoms who died in the first attack didnāt die? Letās say Brown, but he was still injured and ended up being left behind.
Then he got amnesia and forgot everything, even who he was only to be captured and taken back to high camp. (Blind folded)
Theyāre all set to interrogate him when he wakes up only to realise he know nothing. Like āWho are you? Who am I? Whatās my name?ā Kind of nothing.
And the scientists have no idea what to do with him, because now they canāt use him for info but they canāt just let him go.
Cue Moāat stepping in to see if he can change, to see if he can help the people instead of being a threat.
Then we just have Moāat trying to help this hopelessly clueless adult at being a Naāvi as he just follows her around like a lost duckling whoās just so eager to help, to please.
Exp:
*Moāat working and making medicine*
*curious Brown poking at stuff*
Moāat: donāt touch that
Brown, nervous: why is it poisonous?
Moāat: no, but itās very unhelpful
Of course sheās kind of like the tired but amused Mother/Grandmother figure who becomes very fond of him as he gets better and doing things.
But thereās still the worry of what could happen when he gets his memories back.
Anyway thatās whatās been floating in my headāØ
Summary: Billy gets a phone call about his younger brother Vance. Max sees Billy on the phone, she knows somethingās up but she just canāt figure out what.
Tw: implied child abuse, mentioned kidnapping. Itās a Stranger Things & Black Phone crossover. You know what youāre in for.
āGet Billy to take you, might as well make himself usefulā Neil said from where he sat at the table, not bothering to look up from his news paper.
Max rolled her eyes as she turned away. She didnāt want to ask Billy. That was the point. Heād be an ass about it, he always was and she just didnāt want to deal with it today.
But she really really wanted to go to the arcade.
Max sighed as she headed towards Billyās room, dragging her feet against the carpet to try and delay the inevitable confrontation.
āI canāt talk right now, my dadās homeā Max heard Billyās voice through the slightly open door and rolled her eyes. She only just noticed the land line stretching into his room from its place on the wall, he was probably talking to a girl and didnāt want someone overhearing.
āLisa, I canāt understand youā Billy groaned, Max could see him pinch the bridge of his nose as she pushed his door further open.
So it was a girl. Great. Just great.
āCalm down, just tell me what happened or I have to goā Billy huffed, obviously wanting the call to end. Max almost wondered what was about, totally not because she cared or anything, she was just..bored, yeah bored. Maybe the dumbass had got a girl pregnant. Would serve him right. Itād suck for the girl though. Just as Max was about to loudly voice her thought, Billy demeanour changed sharply.
His back snapped upright, his muscles tensed and a frown she hadnāt seen before began to form on his face.
āMissing? What do you mean missing?ā Was that panic? No. It couldnāt be, that would mean Billy would have to care about something other than himself. She was probably imagining it.
āLisa! What happened!?ā Billyās hand fisted tightly in his hair, Max winced at the sight of it but Billy didnāt seem to react.
āFrom the start!ā Billy demanded, his voice higher than she was used too.
Billy wiped his mouth as he listened to the reply, his breathing was slow and heavy. Max could swear she heard his breath tremble.
āFour months!? You waited four months to tell me he was missing!?ā Billy yelled, the panic in his voice was undeniable now.
Who was missing? Max couldnāt help as her frown deepened.
āOf course you should have told me! Why the hell did you wait that long!?ā Billyās voice was strangled as his hand buried itself in his hair again, tugging harshly at his blonde curls as Max watched silently from the doorway.
āFuck Neil! Fuck that too! You shouldnāt have waited a week! Let alone- no! I donāt care! Are they still looking? Do they- really- when was- are there any leadsā Billy released his hair, only to bite down on his nails.
Max had never seen him do that before.
Ever.
āHe wouldnāt leave that behind. If heād run away he would have taken it! He would have called me- yes Iām sure! He knows I would have-ā Billy cut himself off, his breathing ragged. Max could see his knuckles were white.
āIām sure Lisaā Billyās voice was hard, completely confident in his answer.
āDid they check the forest?ā¦..the river?ā Billyās voice was suddenly quiet. Max almost felt sick to her stomach when she realised what he meant.
She refused to acknowledge her quiet sigh of relief she let out just moments after Billyās own.
āWhatās their other option then?ā Billy asked impatiently.
āTell me! It was supposed to be safe! What couldāve fucking happ-!?ā Billy demanded, his voice bordering on frantic.
āGrabber?ā Max frowned as she mouthed the word to herself, watching the way Billyās face contorted as he said the word. What the hell was a grabber?
āKidn- shit. He wouldnāt have gone easy. We both know that. He wouldāve-ā Billyās breathing sped up.
Wait what? No. She was just misunderstanding. It wouldnāt be that.
āIf thatās what- fuck. Thereās gotta be something. No one saw anything? How!?- we both know- exactly!- he wouldnāt have gone quietly, nothing he does is quiet!ā Billy let out a pained excuse for a laugh. It was closer to hysterical than it was happy
āOh. Yeah-that. That would-ā Max really wanted to know what was being said, the suspense was killing her.
āOther kids? How- how many? And they were all- they fo-.. how many are-...ā Billy went deathly pale. He looked moments away from keeling over and throwing up then and there. Maxās hand gripped her hoodie, right above her nauseous stomach.
ā but that canāt be the-ā Billy eyes looked glazed over.
Neither of them made a peep as Billy listened to the phone.
āSo nothing. Four fucking months and they have nothing.ā Billy pressed his palm to his face as his shoulder trembled.
āThey have to- they have to find him. If they donāt Iāll- no. Theyāll find him. Heāll be- heāll be fine.ā Max had never seen Billy look so small, honestly? It scared her.
He was supposed to be this big cocky, angry asshole. Not this. Not whatever the hell this was. It was wrong. So wrong in a way she didnāt know she could feel if it didnāt have anything to do with monsters. So very wrong.
āOkay. Okay yeah. Youāll call right? If they find anything? Even if itās a fucking sock call me. Donāt wait just call me. If I donāt answer then call again. As many times as you have toā Billyās voice soft, yet somehow the desperate demand behind his words was still loud and clear in Maxās ears.
It seemed like the person, Lisa, agreed and hung up not too long after if Billyās mumbled goodbye was anything to go by.
Billy hung his head, his blonde curls draped over his face blocking him from her view. He pressed the phone against his forehead as his free hand wrapped itself tightly into hair, winding it around his fingers as he harshly tugged at it once.
Max should hear his quiet shaking breaths.
She didnāt know what to do.
If it has been one of her friends sure, but this was Billy. This was different.
Things were always different when it came to Billy.
But, as she listened to him slowly control his breathing, she knew she had to do something.
Just to make it stop. To make it normal again.
āBilly?ā Max said hesitantly, her hand wrapping around the doorframe tightly as she leaned in.
Billyās head snapped up, his eyes locked onto hers.
She felt sick.
Billy looked empty.
Like someone had reached deep inside of him and ripped everything out. His face was blank, eye void of anything as he looked at her. As he looked through her.
She watched as he hardened. As he wrapped himself in something different, something harsher. She barely managed to get out of the way before he stormed past her, slamming the phone back into its place in the hallway as he headed for the table.
Max followed behind him quickly, a worried frown on her face as she saw him stop in front of Neil.
Neil didnāt seem to take notice of his son. Didnāt seem to care.
āHeās missingā Billyās voice was harsh. Sheād never heard him speak to his dad that way before, even when he was pissed. Max could see as her mother tensed up by the sink but she didnāt pay it any mind.
Neil stiffened at the tone, he closed his newspaper as he looked up at Billy with hardened eyes.
āWhatever do you mean?ā Max wanted to shiver at his voice, Billy didnāt react.
āVance. Heās missingā Billyās hands balled into fists as Neil harshly slammed his hand against the table.
āDonāt say that nameā Neil warned, his eyes boring into Billyās head.
So Neil knew who Billy was talking about then, Maxās confusion only continued to grow. She was certain neither of them had ever mentioned him before.
āVance. Is. Missing.ā Billyās eyes remained locked on his father, his voice angry and challenging in away she hadnāt ever heard him use in the house.
āLisa says they think heās been kidnappedā Billy bit out.
āI told you know to talk to that damn woman!ā Neil snapped as he rose to his feet.
āThatās what you care about!?ā Billy yelled in outrage.
āI will not have you disobey me! I will not have you sneaking around talking to that whore when I forbid you to!ā Neil stood in front of Billy.
āKidnapped. What part of that do you not understand!?!ā Billy demanded as he stood closer. Max saw her mother flinch out of the corner of her eye, but she had bigger problems to deal with.
āYou will respect my wordā Neil ordered, Max ignored her mother was the woman hesitantly came closer.
āVance is your-!?ā Billy snapped, only to be cut off as his father pushed right up close into his personal space.
āEnough William!ā Neil yelled inches from his sonās face. Max almost missed Billyās flinch, missed the way his back stiffened up and his hands jerked where they lay down his sides.
Billy didnāt back down.
āMaxine. Go wait in the car. Billy will be with you in a momentā Neil ordered, his eyes never straying from where they were trying to melt through his sonās head.
Max jumped slightly, surprised at suddenly being acknowledged.
She almost wanted to protest until her mother spoke up.
āGo ahead Max, Iāve put a little extra in here for youā Susan said softly as she held out a small purse, never once looking at the father and son duo as she smiled encouragingly at her daughter.
Max could tell it was fake. Even if sheād been a mile away she would have been able to tell. But she could see her motherās silent pleading as she held out the purse.
Max sighed internally as she hesitantly took it from her mother, receiving a kiss on her head as she was ushered out the door.
Max leaned against the passenger door of the Camaro as she waited. Time seemed to stretch on endlessly as she thought about what sheād heard.
Billy knew someone named Vance, who has apparently been kidnapped. Who Neil also apparently knows and has told Billy not to talk about. But why would Neil do that? Who was Vance?
Billy finally came out a while later. Max wasnāt exactly sure how long but she knew itād taken a good chuck of time.
She watched silently as he pulled open the door and slammed it behind him once he was in, pressing his head against the side of his door as he waited for her.
As soon as sheād buckled her seatbelt in Billy was out of the driveway and headed down the road without saying a word, without acknowledging her presence in any way shape or form.
Max kept sneaking glances at him when she could, noticing the redness in his neck around his collar, the bruise forming on his temple just peaking out of his hairline. The blood on his lip that hadnāt been there before.
She didnāt know what to do. She felt confused and small and had not idea what to say or do to fix it so she sunk lower into her seat.
It was Billy who eventually broke the silence.
A strange strangled noise left his throat that had Max turning to look at him.
Heād pulled his lip into his mouth and bitten it, his brows were pulled together and his eyes were damp as he sniffed.
Max wasnāt sure what to do when Billy suddenly pulled off to the side and parked his car.
āFuck!ā Billy yelled as he slammed his hand against the steering while, Max jump slightly in surprise.
Billy didnāt look at her a her pushed his door open and stumbled out, not bothering to close it behind him. Max scrambled after him.
āFuck fuck fuck FUCK!ā Billy screamed as he hit his car roof repeatedly. His palm slapping loudly against the metal as Max watched warily from the side.
She was so far out of her depth it wasnāt even funny.
Billy went quiet as he pressed his face into the blue paint, the only part of him that moved was his shaking shoulders.
Eventually Billy collapsed to the floor, leaning his back against his car as he pulled his knees up and buried his head between them.
His shoulders continued to shake as he cried silently into his legs.
Max slowly crept closer until she reached his side, Billy didnāt so much as huff as she slid down to sit next to him.
Max kept her eyes on the trees as she silently sat next to her step brother as he cried to himself. Keeping him company in a way neither of them wanted to admit to.
Eventually the muffled noises stopped, Billy leaned his head back against his car with his red rimmed eyes closed. Max looked at him carefully.
This was so different to the Billy she knew. To the annoying asshole that lived with her. He wasnāt angry here. He wasnāt being a prick for no reason and yelling at her. He just looked like a teenager. Like some boy who was just as far out of his comfort zone as she was.
He just looked sad.
He was nothing like the bully she knew, so maybe she could ask him something sheād never have dared to ask him before.
āBillyā¦whoās Vance?ā Max asked softly, her voice barely a whisper.
Billy turned to look a her, his eyes glassy and sad as he just watched her for a moment. Max was almost sure he wasnāt going to answer her. She was gearing up to ask him again before he sighed through his nose and shook his head to himself.
Billy turned to the open door of his car and pulled out an envelope with yellowed edges from beneath his seat before hand handed it to her.
Billy leaned back and watched the trees as Max hesitantly opened it and pulled out the first photo.
Two blue eyed little boys with blond curls were grinning up at her. Max turned to Billy in confusion.
āVance Hopperā Billy said quietly, his voice thick.
It was quiet out. The only sound being the slow leisurely inhale of Billyās cigaret, as he puffed out a thin cloud of smoke every now and then.
Billy glanced lazily at his brother, his shoulders were hunched and his brows were set in a firm frown as he gazed off into the distance. He hadnāt said a word for the past half an hour.
āSo..ā Billy inhaled deeply, his eyes moving back towards the trees ahead of him.
āWhat happened?ā the smoke slipped out between his lips, wrapping itself around his words as he released them into the air.
Vance huffed disgustedly, turning his face ever so slightly away, as if attempting to hide the blood that so plainly stained his skin, despite how futile he knew it was.
Billy only hummed noncommittally, making it clear to his brother that he would get his answer eventually whether Vance liked it or not.
The silence sat heavily around them, the air thick with its weight as Billy was determined to out wait his bother. A tried and true method that had always worked on his impatient little brother, as volatile as Billy himself and unable to sit with the weight of his big brotherās silence before his agitation got the better of him.
āNothingā Vance snapped quietly, his frown deepened despite the slight ache it caused.
Billy hummed, swirling the smoke around his mouth as if in thought before he exhaled.
āThat right?ā Billy muttered, not bothering to look at his brother. Wholeheartedly unimpressed with such a lacklustre answer.
āIt isā Vance humphed.
āTry again Pinheadā Billy turner to look at his brother again, his eyes roaming over the dried trails of blood in his brothers hair.
ā¢ā¢ā¢
Found this hiding in my drafts, I have no idea when I wrote it!!
Thought it was kinda cute, might write more of it might leave it be but letās be honest Iāll probably end up writing more for it š
Someone sent me an ask but I accidentally deleted it š I canāt remember if they asked me to make a tag for the ties that bind us? Or something else entirely?
Again Iām so sorry!!š
But if you were asking about tags, all my tumblr posts about The ties that bind us, are linked by this tag:
Since Ja and Brown are bffs , I headcannon that they stand in front of their closets every morning trying to decide how they can match but not make it to obvious (like JA wears his hat forward and brown backwards)
I can't wait for the next chapters!
AAAAH THIS! This is so adorable š matching bestie hats! š that is a glorious headcannon and it shall now live in my head rent freeāØ
Next chapter coming very soon hopefully!!!ā¤ļø Iām glad youāre enjoying it!!
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
Summary: They were friends with Jake Sully once, the Recoms.
Ja and Brown had been close to him, but then theyād died. The babies of the team had died somewhere on Pandora.
Mansk would do anything to protect his brother, to protect his family. He failed once and theyād died. He wouldnāt fail again.
If that meant ditching the RDA with them?
So be it.
āāāā
Take the Recoms and put them in the first movie, Ja and Mansk are brothers, make Jake friends with some of them just for a dash of angst. Spider gets a whole bunch of new blue family and heās very convincing.
Takes place over both avatar movies
(Is a rewrite of Brother Mine)
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Brown is not enjoying the food, Ja is a good friend and Jake is along for the rides. Also some familiar faces as they arrive on Pandora!
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
Summary: They were friends with Jake Sully once, the Recoms.
Ja and Brown had been close to him, but then theyād died. The babies of the team had died somewhere on Pandora.
Mansk would do anything to protect his brother, to protect his family. He failed once and theyād died. He wouldnāt fail again.
If that meant ditching the RDA with them?
So be it.
āāāā
Take the Recoms and put them in the first movie, Ja and Mansk are brothers, make Jake friends with some of them just for a dash of angst. Spider gets a whole bunch of new blue family and heās very convincing.
Takes place over both avatar movies
(Is a rewrite of Brother Mine)
šµšµšµšµšµšµšµšµšµ
Basically a chance to have more Recoms! Even before they become Recoms! They are my precious babies so I had to write about them!
So if youāve read my brother mine fic on ao3 (yay thank you!) then you probably know it hasnāt been updated in ages (Iām sorry!)
This is mostly bc I didnāt know what I wanted to really do it with other than a few ideas, but more importantly because I just didnāt like how Iād started it and what Iād written so far.
So until further notice that can be considered discontinued for now! BUT! Thatās only because I decided to rewrite it!!
The basic idea will be the same, Mansk & Ja are brothers, Ja and Jake will still make friends and all the other fun stuff!
But some peopled backgrounds have been changed, or some of the friend groups. For exp, Mansk used to be in with Fike & Wainfleet, but I decided I wanted him more with ZDog and Lopez, and now Ja & Brown are best friends.
Also some of the first names are changed but thatās all explained in the story.
Iām happier with the ideas I have instead of what I had then, so hopefully that means updating the chapters will be a bit easier! Plus it means more screen time for other characters !!āØ
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
Summary: Mansk will do anything to protect his little brother, even if that means following some weird glowing fish.
ā¦..
Ja has a soft spot for kids, Mansk absolutely refuses to go down with the ship.
āāāāāāāā
Yay! I know itās been a while š but I just didnāt have anything I wanted to write or any idea to write about for that matter, until this popped into my head! So I hope anyone whoās been waiting for more avatar stuff enjoys it! And im sorry for making you wait so long!!!!!š
