𝕒𝕤𝕙𝕖𝕤 𝕥𝕠 𝕒𝕤𝕙𝕖𝕤.

avery mccabe. 29. i don't care if you don't like me. you better run like the devil cause they're never gonna leave you alone.

[ofpains]

prcdigy​:

enthusiastically,  lila  bites  into  the  mars  bar  she’d  shaken  free  from  the  vending  machine  of  the  crappy  motel  she  calls  home.  free  food,  after  all,  always  tastes  best.  she  chews  contemplatively,  arms  crossed  over  her  chest  as  she  leans  up  against  someone’s  car  and  stares  up  at  the  building  where  she’s  been  dumping  the  other  twenty-nine  gifted  assholes  over  the  last  few  weeks.  the  umbrella  academy.   a  ragtag  group  of,  arguably,  whiny  babies,  that  somehow  seemed  to  always  get  their  shit  together  in  the  eleventh  hour  and  come  together.   she’d  trusted  them  to  know  what  to  do  with  the  whole  lot  of  them,  what  their  purpose  was,  but  as  it  turns  out  …  maybe  she  should  have  taken  a  proper  look  at  the  timeline  before  assuming  things  were  the  same.  

given  she’s  loitering  in  a  place  where  people  are  apt  to  recognize  her,  it  comes  to  no  surprise  that  she  feels  heat  against  the  back  of  her  neck.   someone’s  staring.  she  turns  slowly,  smile  stretching  playfully  as  she  wiggles  her  fingers  in  their  direction.   “  fancy  meeting  you  here. ”   she  drawls,  casual  as  ever.   “  miss  me ? ”

.

ending up in new york wasn’t exactly a planned voyage for avery. getting accosted at his flat and suffering through a nasty feeling of being ... teleported, for lack of a better word wasn’t his idea of a good time. having his powers used against him was even less welcome. and for what? for the sparrow academy or whatever bullshit they called themselves. what a bunch of assholes. 

the money he used to pay for this shithole of a motel was easy enough to come by, lifting wallets from people who were unsuspecting and made themselves easy targets. it was nothing close to what he’d been making back home and fighting for a living, but it was enough, especially since he wasn’t sure how he was going to get home without a passport or anything to say that he’d even been brought into the country in the first place. 

it’s with a frustrated huff that he recognizes the person in front of him. “not even a little.” it’s not willingly that he plays nice but he learned early on that he’d catch more flies with honey than vinegar and she’s probably his only way home. besides, he’s not sure how she used his powers but he doesn’t want to give her the opportunity to do it again. “any chance you could figure out a way to get me home? the sparrow academy isn’t really working out for me.”

[ofpains]

college mates used to say he was raised by wolves. avery was polite to strangers, retail workers and the like, but when he gained even the slightest bit of familiarity, that all went away. it wasn’t long before he got comfortable letting himself into the umbrella academy, scavenging through their cabinets and being scornful of the members to the faces. even now, he went in, counting the money he’d lifted from people. he took the cash, tossed the cards and tucked the money in his pocket. “if you’re drinking to forget the robot,” he said as he sat down next to charlotte with a sigh, taking the bottle from her. “we’re now drinking.” he didn’t share, but everyone else was expected to.

@sweetlcdy​

[ofpains]

out of the rest of the powered people avery had met since he got kidnapped and dumped in the city, he’d only become fond of one of them. penny. and that was begrudging, because he wasn’t sure she’d actually ever stand up for herself so he was already feeling protective. she was almost too sweet, too kind, but he doubted that went all the way to the surface. people were rarely what they seemed. especially the nice people. assholes, more or less, you could always count on them to be assholes. and it wasn’t like he went looking for her, he more or less let himself into the house and was hoping to see her. the first place he went looking was the kitchen, hoping she’d be going for tea. “hey. you haven’t actually tried to fight that thing, have you?”

@cybxrkinxtic​

[ofpains]

everything seemed to center around this house, avery had noticed when he first got dropped off in the city (against his will, might he add). part of him wondered exactly what it was but he also didn’t care enough to ask. he hardly paid attention to the place, except when he was around, taking their food and alcohol, because he didn’t want to buy his own. he doubted anyone noticed, especially in a house this big. hopefully this goody-goody brigade was off dealing with the issue and he could raid the house unbothered, rifling through cupboards and the pantry. “why is there no unhealthy food in this house? even nuns sin more than this, fuckin’ hell.” 

@ofbentacles​

[ofpains]

normality was overrated. avery hadn’t cared much about being normal since his father died, since he’d been left with a mother that despised him from the start. perhaps that was why he was in a coffee shop as a robot eiffel tower attacked times square. as far as he was concerned, it wasn’t a huge loss, times square was too much a tourist trap and he wasn’t fond of it in the few minutes he’d passed it by out of curiosity. suppose he could try to help but that was above his pay grade, and he didn’t care much if the city got wiped out. this probably wasn’t the time to be ordering a cup of coffee but he looked up at the menu, trying to determine what he wanted. turning to the barista, he asked, “what would you recommend?” and pulled a wallet that wasn’t his own from his pocket. panic made it easy to lift wallets. no one noticed when they disappeared in the chaos. 

@natalierivers

[soundsofmyuniverse]

#me trying to apologize

[ofpains]

was what he was doing the most ethical way of making money? decidedly not. but it was way better than joining a fighting ring here. he was trying his best to go under the radar here, especially since he wasn’t even supposed to be in the country. stealing was easy though, and proved to be profitable and who wouldn’t, in his situation? the routine he’d fallen into was an easy one; get up, get coffee with the money from the day before, find a few strangers on the street and get food with their money. simple. easy. he had started to let his guard down.

acting like you weren’t paying attention was crucial to his game, so when you bumped into them, you could pretend it was an accident. it had worked for avery this far and he would assume it would work longer as long as no one drew unnecessary eyes to him. the amount of things a pretty face could get away with would always amuse him. as he walked, a book in hand and eyes staring at the page, he angled himself towards a woman he saw in his periphery. 

and one slight brush later, he lifted the wallet from her purse, tucking it up his sleeve in one fluid motion. “sorry mate,” he said, distractedly, like he clearly wasn’t playing attention, though he was confident he would get away with it. in fact, he’d already begun to stride away rather smugly. 

until he felt a hand close around his wrist and his powers lashed out on instinct, making the hand touching him feel like it caught fire, like the skin was blistering. 

@cfwildhecrts​

[ofpains]

doomdelays​:

Five’s narrowed eyes glared into the other man’s blue ones, almost as if he were trying to find something in them. Perhaps a clue as to where this briefcase was. Finding the time-travel device was instrumental to Five’s current plans. Sure he could use his own abilities to jump, but that had delivered mixed results. The first time he’d trapped himself in an apocalypse, the second he had trapped himself in the body of an adolescent, and the third he had scattered his family throughout the early 60s. Five needed that briefcase.

His thoughts were dramatically interrupted by a sharp pain that shot up his hands. It was as if the bar was on fire and his body were covered in gasoline. It was creeping up his arms and entering his chest. Five felt a wave of panic. On instinct, he disappeared in a flash of blue light, reappearing rather ungracefully in the stool over. That certainly seemed to have done something because the pain was thankfully gone.

Now what remained was confusion and, overwhelmingly, anger. Five’s gaze snapped back to the other man. The arrogant words, which he quickly recognized as Gaelic, led him to believe he had something to do with the mysterious pain he had just felt. Luckily Five had done a job in 17th century Scotland that required a working understanding of the language. And by working understanding, he meant knowledge of colorful insults. “Shut up you Scottish bastard before I stab you with this bottle.” He responded through gritted teeth in Gaelic, grabbing the whisky bottle and waving it threateningly.

that’s what that blue light a moment ago had been. interesting. the guy had disappeared from the seat next to him in a flash, only to reappear seconds later one more seat further down. if he wasn’t so thrown by it, he almost would’ve been impressed. not everyone had their own way to get away from his power and, even if the guy didn’t realize it, he’d already come across an escape plan. avery probably wouldn’t have let it go for too long, though it wouldn’t have been odd to see someone passed out at a bar. except this would be from pain, not from alcohol. 

and then he’d heard his own language being thrown back in his face. that was twice this week someone had caught him off guard and managed to surprise him. first was his powers being used against him and now this. it took him a second to get over his surprise, taking another sip of his drink so he didn’t give anything away with a facial expression. 

oh to be threatened with pain. it must have been much more impressive in this guy’s head when he first said it, but avery wasn’t cowed. shrugging one shoulder, he put his glass down, replying in gaelic to keep the conversation private. “okay. do it.” it was simple, matter of fact. pain wasn’t a good fear tactic for someone who could control whether or not they even felt pain. there wasn’t the slightest hint of fear in him, he was almost amused by the threat, lips twitching into a smile at the corners. “though, i gotta say, you look pretty young to be in here already. it’s damn lucky none of the barkeeps have noticed you, especially with that blue light you got going on. probably not the wisest idea to draw more attention to yourself. hate to see ya get kicked out.” 

as he spoke, he decided that the guy clearly hadn’t learned his lesson about speaking civilly. what better way to drive his point home than use the threat against him. after a second, he focused the pain onto his side, making sure it was sharp and jagged and felt like whisky still clung to the glass so it burned a little extra. just for good measure.

[ofpains]

thewhiteviolln​:

”what is this reality like?”

She wanted to find a home for her and her siblings. Where they didn’t have to fear being hurt and not fear what was going to hurt them, and where she hoped would not date a murderer again. That was the goal. Always was going to be. Especially with the hell that always surrounded them.

”are the powered safe?”

that ... threw avery for a loop. it wasn’t the question he had been expecting, even if he wasn’t sure what he had been expecting. he opened his mouth, looking for the words but closed it again after a second. 

gut instinct was to ask if she was daft but money was already on yes. or, it would be if he had any money. the bit of cash he’d picked up hadn’t lasted far when he’d gotten to a liquor store. (don’t even get him started on american taxes.) “unfortunately, this reality is the only one i’ve ever known so i can’t say if it’s better or worse than another. but i can safely say that it’s shite.”

he shrugged, running a hand through his hair. “define safe.” 

[ofpains]

cybxrkinxtic​:

   “  oh  …  well  ,  i  don’t  really  have  a  choice  ,  and  i  can’t  make  you  leave  .  it  isn’t  like  you’ve  run  amok  either  ,  so  hospitality  should  be  a  given  !  “  she  isn’t  deterred  ,  not  really  .  he  doesn’t  seem  as  angry  with  her  anymore  ,  either  ,  so  penny  takes  it  as  a  good  sign  and  runs  .  she  finally  makes  eye  contact  ,  if  only  for  a  brief  moment  so  she  can  turn  to  her  side  and  continue  with  her  tea  .  “  it’s  not  really  my  house  either  ,  i  just  live  here  .  “  she  gives  a  shrug  along  with  the  added  comment  ,  saying  it  like  it’s  perfectly  typical  .

   penny  nods  when  he  says  he  can  making  it  himself  ,  and  it’s  probably  for  the  best  ,  because  her  skills  are  objectively  poor  .  “  well  ,  it  helps  with  indigestion  and  brain  function  too  ,  and  people  say  they’re  calmer  if  they  drink  it  .  if  you  don’t  want  any  ,  that’s  alright  ,  but  i  can  make  you  a  cup  if  you’d  like  some  .  “  she  doesn’t  look  back  at  him  ,  so  if  she  knows  he’s  not  really  interested  ,  she  doesn’t  pay  it  any  mind.

   she  pauses  for  a  moment  ,  as  if  she’s  considering  something  ,  before  continuing  faster  than  before  .  “  just  because  i’m  curious  ,  uh  ,  is  your  power  causing  other  people  pain  ?  because  i’m  assuming  that’s  what  the  stabbing  feeling  i  felt  earlier  was  .  if  you  don’t  want  to  share  either  ,  please  don’t  !  the  last  thing  i’d  want  is  to  make  you  uncomfortable  .  “

she couldn’t make him leave, even if he didn’t necessarily want to be there. the only reason avery had even found himself in this place so much was out of spite. basically getting kidnapped and transported across the country via briefcase was not fun. it was a pretty shit form of travel, really, he didn’t have the stomach for it. he’d broken into an empty apartment, squatting inside to save himself the need to find other accommodations but he was still going to help himself as he saw fit. his father would definitely give him shit for that if he were still alive. “you live here. that makes it your house. whether you own it or not.” 

he was perfectly calm. he didn’t need any tea’s help with that, though maybe he could have some now and get an actual good cup of coffee somewhere outside of this place. it was beautiful, from what he’d seen, but felt empty. like a house for sale: staged and cold. not meant for usage, just for appearances. “you know ... tea’d be great.” it took a second to remember his manners but he tacked on, “thanks,” after a minute. 

his cheeks colored a little at her question, partially out of embarrassment. he usually had better control over them but being surprised never boded well. he hadn’t wanted anyone to know what his powers were, because then they’d figure out how he factored into plans and he wasn’t about the hero shit. “they are. and i didn’t mean to use them on you. just kinda ... caught me off guard. sorry.”

[ofpains]

sweetlcdy​:

“ fine, it’s what my siblings and i, do then.“ charlotte corrects herself, if she had a power why not use it to help ? even if hers could be finicky and sometimes not clear. an amused smile spreads across her features as she laughs gently. “ you know what ? i like you already. just don’t call me that, please. it’s charlotte or lottie. i’ll even accept char. but you should know sharing is caring. would it really hurt just for a single sip ? or do i need to go find my own liquor ? ”

huh. so she really though of the rest of them as her siblings. that was kind of pathetic. avery had his own sister and he didn’t even like her. he didn’t need however many other assholes to call family—he was just fine on his own, thanks. “i wish i could say it was mutual,” he replied dryly, not sparing her a glance. “sharing is caring but that implies that i care. go find your own.” 

[ofpains]

erisnaught​:

    “dying’s overrated.” it takes an extra moment of focus to keep from mimicking the other’s accent, gaze only briefly flicking up to where he was looming standing over her. “and so is math. besides, it’s a building, they’ve all got like… faults or whatever, right? weak points?”      not that she really figured she’d be any help at fighting anything, she couldn’t help the curiosity at the whole situation.

“i think you overestimate your own mortality. weak points or not, then odds are against you. you’re a person, a building is a building.” frankly, though, he wasn’t even sure why he was bothering. “but if you wanna get the shite kicked out of you, by all means,” he hummed with a shrug. “i’m sure the funeral’ll be lovely.” 

[ofpains]

doomdelays​:

This last week had been exhausting. Actually his whole damn life had been, but this week in particular stood out. The urgency of a looming apocalypse may have been gone for now, but Five had yet to find the opportunity to slip out of his survival mode. Perhaps that was his fault. . Five just didn’t know how to operate without some sort of disaster to focus on.

Okay, it was definitely his fault. But there was nothing he was willing to do to lessen the intense pressure he had placed upon himself. Except return to his dear old friend alcohol, of course. Oh he could already hear Delores’ voice in the back of his head scolding him ( no he did not drink too much ) but fortunately she wasn’t here to stop him.

The confidence with which he entered the bar and sat himself down on a stool seemed to dissuade anyone from telling him he was too young to be here. Thank god. Five was pretty sure if someone had, their head would be through a wall right now. Still, he figured he shouldn’t push his luck. Instead of ordering a drink, Five spatial behind the bar. He grabbed a bottle of amber liquid, a glass, and quickly reappeared in his stool.

A small sympathetic chuckle escaped his lips at the other’s words, eyes raising to look at the TV. “Yeah the french bastard is certainly a weirdo - wait, did you say briefcase?” Five’s entire demeanor shifted as his mind caught up. He leaned towards the other man, slamming his hands dramatically on the bar and narrowing his eyes.

“Explain.”

the guy next to him briefly pulled avery’s attention from the television playing the news report, just a glance. he looked a little young by american standards to be drinking but he thought the drinking age being that high was bull. you could smoke at that age and die for your country at that age but couldn’t drink? add it to the list of reasons avery would be figuring out how to get back home from this place, even if it didn’t affect him. good for you, kid.

he wasn’t really listening to the report, mostly letting it provide him with background noise as he mulled over the events of the week. all of his groceries that he had just bought when he’d ... teleported (?) were gone to waste and he was legitimately upset by that, an unfortunate sign that he had become an adult. “the french are just like that,” he muttered as the kid beside him commented

it had been cordial until the sound of hands hitting the counter got him to raise his eyebrows. no, no one got to speak to him like that, especially some stranger at a bar of all places. with an empty look on his face, he channeled pain in the guy’s body, from where his palms hit the bar all the way up his arms and to his chest. he took a sip of his drink, playing casual like it wasn’t his doing but he didn’t take that kind of thing lying down.

just as easily he replied in english, he switched to gaelic. “i’d really recommend you don’t speak to people like that. you’re probably just as much of an asshole as i am but the difference is that i pretend to be likable. i’m not sure if you’re even capable of that. now lean back before you get yourself actually hurt.” this was the united states, who was actually able to speak gaelic here? 

[brighidlancaster]

rosepotion :

☀️🌙✨ tarot questions ✨🌙☀️

the fool: do you have any nicknames? the magician: have you ever written a poem or song about somebody else? the high priestess: what is your dream date? the empress: do you think you will ever get married? the emperor: what are some names that you like? the hierophant: do you believe in ghosts? the lovers: do you have a crush? the chariot: thoughts on astrology? strength: what is your dream occupation?  the hermit: what is your favorite soda pop? wheel of fortune: first three songs that come on shuffle? justice: favorite color of rose? the hanged man: favorite movie soundtrack? death: what are three things you want to do before you die? temperance: can you describe a strange dream you’ve had? the devil: do you enjoy thunderstorms? the tower: favorite colors to wear? the star: have you ever seen a psychic? the moon: have you ever written a love letter? the sun: do you believe in magic? judgement: do you enjoy school? the world: do you like waking up early?

[betsyjdobson]

Thomas Doherty in High Fidelity (2020)

[ofpains]

thewhiteviolln​:

“wait.”

Vanya stood up, almost turning him around vigorously. things now connected that he was apart of that academy that her father replaced them with. she would and could get answers from him. and now it was a tad bit better, with the sounds going quiet.

“you’re one of the Sparrow, right? listen you’re lucky my brother didn’t find you. i just have some questions.”

he paused, barely four steps away before he heard he speak again. it wasn’t what he’d been expecting but it took him a second to stop smirking before he was turned around. there was no fight put up as he waited expectantly for her to continue.

when she did, a look of disgust pulled at his face. “oh fuck no, christ forbid. these dobbers?” it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he’d rather die. he wasn’t sure he’d ever been so offended by what was a simple question, though loaded. it felt more like an accusation. 

“i’ll answer any questions ya got if i can, but i only got here a few days ago and from what i’ve seen, things around here are pretty pooched up already. don’t need anyone else here making it worse.”

[ofpains]

thewhiteviolln​:

obviously asking to be alone wasn’t acceptable to certain people. she just wanted to hide in a bush away from people. the sounds were too much at once and she couldn’t focus her power on one thing. usually, it was easier but something about being in a foreign place made her unable to use her power correctly. 

it felt embarrassing not being able to use something she had to master all by herself. but she was frightened and Vanya was known for letting panic take over her life. 

“i asked to be left alone.”

alright then. no skin off his ass. avery shrugged, more than content to continue on his way. “sure,” he said, already heading away. “i mean, i was going to ask if you were alright and offer to kick someone’s ass but i’m fine with leaving.” it was easier than faking concern. faking sympathy. she wanted to be left alone, he would leave.

and unlike most times, he wasn’t waiting to be stopped a few feet away. he only ever walked when he was being offered a shitty deal before this but her problems were her problems. if she didn’t want to share, who was he to force it.