one of my biggest pet peeves in fanfiction is when it’s an angsty fic and the reader forgives the character way too quickly, like wdym it only took one conversation and you’re all good ?? like no ?? it genuinely gets me so annoyed on behalf of the reader 😭
like when they pull the “she wanted to stay mad at him, but she couldn’t help but smile at his pleading and sorrowful face” LIKE STOPPPPP
i wish people understood that an angsty fic can have a happy ending without rushing through the forgiveness, let the reader be angry, let her be stubborn, let her process her emotions instead of jumping into forgiveness, let her refuse to accept apologies until there’s effort on the character’s side to fix things, i’m so tired of the reader just forgiving so quickly without even having a valid crash out, let my girl go crazy
like stop making the reader so dependent on a character to the point where she forgives way too easily
let reader crash out in 2026
(also i know i used she/her pronouns for the reader but this can apply to male!readers and gn!readers as well obvs)
Monsters In My Head: Chapter 17: Monsters In My Mind
Warnings: It comes before the summary today because I feel it is necessary. (If I forgot anything, let me know.) This chapter is angsty, it is dark, and honestly, Melissa fucks up. Mentions of abusive relationships, forced marriage, dissociation, and explicit language in a derogatory way, cliffhanger, mention of cheating.
Summary: Monsters come in all shapes and sizes, yours live not only in your head but in the form of your ex girlfriend...or so you think.
A/N: We are going all the way back to Chapter 4 for this memory y'all.
Lyrics: I ran away to hell and back // I'm feeling like a maniac //They hunt me down // They be waiting in the dark, dark, dark, dark (dark)
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Things have been going so well with Melissa that you stop waiting for the other boot to drop. There is always a little voice in the back of your head that tells you something will happen, but you push it down. You choose to live in the moment and trust that Melissa will catch you if you fall. The only person that you have ever trusted in this manner is Bridget and you know that it will be a rocky journey, but you are willing to do it for her. Trusting Melissa should be scary, but it feels easy, like it was the simplest decision in the world. Which should have been the first sign that things were only going to take a turn for the worst.
You are thinking over this as you lean against your classroom door, watching your students file out of the school. You feel the anxiety rising again but shove it back down as you look at your girlfriend. In her usual blazer and slacks she looks gorgeous, and your thoughts circle back to the previous night. How her red curls looked between your thighs, the way your limbs tangled with hers, and it felt like you found home not in a place but inside of someone’s heart.
Melissa smiles from across the hall, beckoning you towards her. Once you are close enough, she reaches for you, draping her hands around your hips.
“Mel, kids are still here,” you whisper as she lays her head on your shoulder
“And I need a hug,” the redhead sighs as she squeezes you closer.
You brush your fingers through her hair gently, “Rough day?”
“One of the worst.”
You go to ask more questions when you hear her voice, the voice that is permanently burned into your brain. The one that haunts your dreams and the deepest, darkest parts of you. Your body goes cold as you turn towards the sound.
When your eyes lock with her you bite your lip hard enough to draw blood. She can't be here. Abbott was supposed to be safe…you were supposed to be safe.
Melissa notices the shift in you immediately and wraps an arm around your waist, “Mi amore what is it?”
Janine is the one who answers as she rushes into the hall. She stands in front of you trying to shield you with her small body. “Kylee what are you doing here?”
Melissa immediately shoves you behind her standing next to Janine but the damage is already done. You feel yourself slipping, the darkness settling in, as you struggle to find any place safe. Barbara pulls you from it for a moment when she pulls you against her side. Her touch is reassuring, but you know none of it matters. Kylee is giving you that look,the one that lets you know you have lost, she caught her prey and won't stop till she tears you piece by piece. You instinctively flinch which only makes her eyes sparkle. She knows that she still haunts you and for her that is like winning the lottery.
She gives you a cruel smile, “I'm here to pick up my nephew. Figured I would stop to say hi to a familiar face.”
“You aren’t fucking wanted,” Melissa says through gritted teeth.
“Oh Melissa…so happy to see you again,” Kylee says, turning to the redhead.
“We haven't met. I would remember a low life like you,” your girlfriend responds, giving Kylee an icy glare.
Kylee only laughs at this reaching for her phone, “Then let me jog your memory, sweetheart.”
It only takes a second before she flips the phone for everyone to see. Melissa is sitting at the bar with Kylee’s hand gripping her thigh. Kylee has her other hand laced through crimson red hair as she kisses Melissa. One moment frozen in time to ruin the life that you have built brick by brick.
“Oh sweet baby Jesus and the grown one too,” Barbara whispers her hand tightening on your hip but you barely feel it. In front of Kylee you feel nothing, see nothing, because you are nothing.
Melissa’s heart drops to her stomach as she remembers this night. It had been the night Barbara had pulled her from the bar. Kylee was the raven haired woman at the bar who had made a pass at her. Kylee words swirl in her head- Every choice I have made has been deliberate and I don’t think I regret a single one of them.
She was talking about you. She knew who Melissa was, who she was to you, and she had pursued her to intentionally harm you. Melissa looks back to try and explain but you are gone. All she sees is your retreating form as Barbara pulls you away.
A new fire burns deep in the older woman as she turns back toward Kylee, “What the fuck have you done?”
“What I should have done a long time ago,” Kylee smirks and takes another step towards the redhead.
Anyone else would have cowered from Melissa. Not Kylee, she inches forward to poke the bear. Kylee presses a hand towards Melissa and shoves. Not hard but enough to make her move but so hard that the redhead can feel her fight response click back in. Her inhibitions are long gone, eyes dark with a monster she has let take control, she is close to snapping when Kylee speaks again.
“It’s only fair to try a taste…you are sleeping with my wife after all.”
Melissa blinks rapidly, “Your what?”
That is when the redhead realizes that a paper was pushed against her chest. She scans it, losing her breath as the words hit her. Certificate of Marriage.
“It’s our three year wedding anniversary today,” your wife laughs and the color drains from Melissa’s face. “Didn't tell you, did she? That bitch never could tell the truth.”
Melissa knows she shouldn't believe her, not when she has heard so much about how Kylee treated you, but the proof in her hands makes her second guess herself. Then the more she thinks about it, she realizes she doesn’t know anything, not really. You have kept the truth about Kylee so buried that Melissa wonders if it could be true.
“I…I…” she stammers.
“Should stop fucking my wife,” Kylee interjects.
“And you should get the hell off my property. There is an active restraining order in place requiring you to stay over 500 feet away from Abbott Elementary at all time,” Ava snaps, pulling Melissa from her daze. “I already called the cops.”
Kylee only shrugs, turning to leave. Before she reaches the door she turns around one final time. “She isn't yours Melissa. Never was and never will be. I own her. Her body. Her mind. Her soul. Always.”
The door slams behind her and Melissa is shaking. Ava goes to place a hand on her shoulder but the redhead slaps it away.
“Don't fuckin touch me.”
“Mel, don't be stupid,” Ava argues as the older woman turns on her heels. “You aren't thinking straight.”
“Leave. Me. Alone.” Melissa yells storming down the hall.
She finds her way to the one place she knows Barbara would have hidden you- the library. She pushes open the door not caring that it bounces off the wall by the force of her shove. Barbara is sitting at the table watching over you. She swivels toward her best friend's fear in her eyes.
“Melissa what are you doing?”
“Get. The. Fuck. Out.” Melissa spats.
Barbara glares at her best friend crossing her arms. If there is one person to stand up against the monsters that ravage the redhead it is her work wife. “Absolutely not.”
“Get. Out.”
“Whatever you have to say to her you say with me here. I'm not letting you near her when you are like this,” Barbara retorts sitting next to you.
They glare at each other with icy stares. It is a battle of wills but Melissa eventually caves turning towards you.
“You lied to me,” Melissa snaps.
You break out of your trance, the world zooming back into focus. Everything is a blur with a surrounding darkness that you can't shake.Your skin is ice cold and you feel a fluttering that starts in your heart and seems to consume you. The other boot is dropping and you are sure it is going to shatter everything around you.
“You… you…how could you?” She barks out.
Your heart clenches at the words and the anger spreading across your girlfriend’s beautiful face. “What are you talking about?”
Melissa throws the marriage certificate on the table towards you, watching for your reaction. She is sure that she has caught you in a trap, but instead, you look utterly confused. Your eyes take in the names, your signature at the bottom, and the date along the top. You dig through your memories frantically searching for anything, but it comes up blank.
“You’re fuckin married,” Melissa grits out finally.
“No…it can't be,” you say through a choked sob.
“You always talked about how you didn't know if marriage was worth it, how it was more complicated than it needed to be. You made it seem like it would take a fuckin miracle to get married…yet you married that bitch.”
Melissa’s rage fills the room. You want to cower, want to curl back into yourself, and let the monster inside take control. However you are so tired of letting the monster win, of letting it control you, you are tired of people always wanting to control you. You fight to stay present as you finally meet her green eyes.
“I didn't know Mel, I didn't know.”
Melissa scoffs, rolling her eyes, "Convenient that when things get hard and you are confronted with the truth, you suddenly don't remember.”
Her comment stings, not because she is wrong, but because it’s true. Your coping method has made your life a puzzle that you are constantly missing pieces of. No matter how hard you look, you know that some of these pieces will never return.
“You are married…” Melissa repeats bitterly.
“Mel, please…I didn't do this. I didn't consent to this. This isn't right. You have to believe me,” you plead.
“I don't make it a habit of listening to liars,” she retorts.
“How can you be so cruel when there are pictures of you kissing her?” You ask bitterly.
“I was drunk,” Melissa responds with a small waver of guilt. “I pushed her away when I realized.”
You throw your hands up, “You were drunk. I was disassociated. It’s the same thing.”
Melissa scoffs and you curl your hands into a fist. “I forgive you…have forgiven you for so much. You can't listen to me for this one thing?”
“Listen for what Y/N? More lies?” Melissa growls and watches as you bite back your comeback. The act of restraint makes her blood boil. She wants to fight, to scream, anything to get out all these feelings threatening to explode out of her. She wants you to lose control in the same way hers is slipping.
Instead, you take a deep breath before speaking. “I have never lied to you or given you a reason to believe that I wouldn't tell you anything if you asked. When are you going to stop treating me like I'm going to break your heart and instead realize I'm the woman you love who wants to spend the rest of her life with you?”
“I don't think that woman ever existed,” Melissa whispers, and you are sure she can hear as your heart finally shatters.
“I love you, Y/N, and I am not leaving. Not today…not ever if you let me,” you repeat, stopping Melissa as she goes to the open door. “That is what you told me…when I was standing right there. That you wouldn't leave, that you loved me, for as long as we could have each other.”
The memories of the first time Melissa said she loved you rush back to her in a wave. She falters for a moment before she hardens her resolve. “Well then, I guess we are both liars.”
She exits, slamming the door behind her, and you are sure your whole world cracks with it. Tears rush down your face as you look down at the piece of paper that has acted as a bomb. You want to rip it to shreds or watch it burn to ash, but it will do no good. Kylee will always find a way to win, find a way to make sure you remember that you are hers. So instead, you sit and stare at it until Barbara finally calls out to you.
“Y/N…are you okay?” She asks timidly.
“Kylee always told me that no matter how far I ran, how much I tried to change, that she would find me. The moment I found real happiness, she would come and destroy it…just to prove that she had complete control over me. I still hear her voice when the police took her away…You’ll always be mine Y/N, only mine,” you say through a rush of tears, slamming your hand against the paper. “She fucking owns me, and I don't remember a damn thing.”
-~-
After Melissa storms out of Abbott, she drives until her vision isn't red. She doesn’t know how long she drives, only that when she finally stops, it is outside a bar…a familiar bar. Her hands clutch the steering wheel as she looks at the bright neon lights of the shitty gentleman’s club she used to go to when Joe was cheating on her. The place she used to escape to when she needed to remember that she was hot, sexy, and valued by both men and women. A place she could go in and forget who she was entirely.
She leaves her phone in the car, only grabbing her wallet before she exits the car. The familiar smell of cigarettes, liquor, and sex meets her when the door opens. She closes her eyes as she shoves down the tears threatening to make another appearance and walks over to the bar. The chair sticks to her pants as she climbs on it, but at this point, she is past caring. Grabbing a random cigarette from a jar in the middle, she strikes a match and lights it. The first drag releases the tension in her shoulders. The second one lets her vision clear. The third makes her realize that maybe this is a mistake. She almost stands to leave when a drink is placed in front of her.
“I didn't order anything,” Melissa says, glancing at the bartender.
It’s a younger woman dressed in next to nothing. She leans over the counter, a smile playing on her lips. “It’s on the house, suga can't let a pretty lady like you be without a drink.”
“You are just saying that to get a tip,” Melissa retorts.
“No, I let guys stare at my tits for a tip. The drink is cause I can tell you are havin a rough go, and maybe you need a friend,” the bartender admits.
“I don't know what I need right now,” the redhead admits.
The bartender shrugs, “well if you figure it out my name is Precious. I'll be here all night.”
She walks away but turns with a wink, “and my tits will be too. I'll let you have a look for free suga.”
Melissa rolls her eyes she turns back to the glass in front of her. Images of you swirl around in her head. You were so confused when you looked at the paper…then you were filled with fear. It was almost as if the paper confirmed something you knew all along. To the redhead, it confirmed one thing- she was tired of letting her heart get shattered.
Melissa holds the glass up, smelling the liquor it contains. It burns her nose, and a part of her aches to drink it. She twirls her AA chip in her hand as if to ground her. Two more days and she would be thirty days sober. It’s so close yet feels like a lifetime away, and right now she can't find a reason to keep going. Why get sober when nothing waits for her besides a cold and empty house? She debates what to do for a moment before finally putting the AA chip down against the bartop.
I'm a writer who adores making my favs cry and suffer in my fics. Don't know why that's just a thing that I do. I did it with Gruvia, I did it with Ragbros MULTIPLE times and now I'll be doing it with the Kiane fam primarily Mertyl cause his character is just begging me to write something gut-wrenching.
Sixtus steps in and protects Nasiens and Tioreh. Mertyl, seeing the brother that he's closest with be on their side, loses it BIG TIME.
Mertyl has zero control over himself but he's still in there, begging his body to stop hurting his family then he lands a fatal blow on King.
Mertyl ran away to Camelot and lived a life that he wished for himself, but slowly he realized just how much he messed up.
Mertyl, now on Camelot's side. Faced off against the knights. Sixtus, not wanting to give up on his brother, decided to go talk some sense into him only for him to get stabbed. LANCELOT IS PISSED
Mertyl was caught by the knights of Liones and was sent to the dungeon for interrogation. Just so happened that Ban is in the Castle. Let's say Uncle Ban is not too happy about his nephew switching sides.
hi do you have any angsty chris x readers fic recs?
'ellloooooo
here are some of the angsty recs from my masterlist (now that i've tagged everything, i realized that it's basically my whole masterlist.... why do you guys follow me LMAO)
Krista (TW: Cheating)
Saturday Nights
Taylor Swift Series (Exile and Better Man)
Arranged (Mafia romance, lots of violence, blood, abuse, etc mentioned)
The Boston Brute
Out of Left Field (Read TW)
Everything I Couldn't Be (TW: NO HAPPY ENDING)
Enough is Enough
I’m Not Okay
Crying Over You
Just For Tonight
I Was So Sure….
What A Time….
Insecurities
All Love
Jealous
Protective
A Little Bit Yours…
Family Matters
Break In
Night of Regrets
Hiding
Movie Premiere
i haven't read fics (beside my own) in SUCH a long time, so i don't really have any recs beside @blizzspeaks 's Heartbreak + Moving On Series
feel free to self promote or drop recs in the comments!!!!
Sorry me again. I promise this will be my last post of the day. I know I’ve been spamming everyone 😂
I’m posting my very first Chuck Grant fic tomorrow and I’m going to pre-warn you all now it’s very angsty. So I just wanted to check who wants to be tagged in it. Drop me a message or comment on this post and I’ll be posting the fic tomorrow 😊