She has seen him around the neighborhood, but Dora officially meets the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen when she pays a visit to her friend.
[ao3] [ff.net]
It was not a good day.
Truth be told, was it ever a good day? No, it was not. Dora did not have a splendor life. While her boss did grant her many luxuries...what she did for it was not good. At the end of the day, however, Dora had to do what she had to do. She had not only herself, but her family to think about. If she did not comply with the big man in power, there was no way of telling what would happen.
Dora sighed, the weight of the world ever apparent on her shoulders. It was well into the evening and she was walking alone on the streets of Hell’s Kitchen. Her parents would have never let her do this, but they weren’t around to tell her that. The thought made Dora shudder. It was better to not think about them like that.
The streets of Hell’s Kitchen were not active tonight, which was strange to the young teenager. Dora was used to seeing this street in a hustle but then again, since the in man dressed in black started to appear, the streets have gotten more quiet. Truth be told, Dora was grateful for the vigilante. It made her life easier. She didn’t have to be as anxious walking in the streets, and she didn’t have to worry about her family being in danger, too.
Family. What wouldn’t you do for them, right? Dora huffed. What family did she have that she cared about? That list was not very long. Her employer had told her to think of him as family, but fuck that. If she could, she would incinerate that fat pig, and everyone else that was associated with him. Well, mostly everyone. If she had to talk to his right hand one more time she would—
Whatever. Tonight wasn’t about him. Tonight, she was going to visit a friend. Sometimes, after her daily duties, Dora would go and visit her friend. He was very nice, but people like their boss took advantage of him. Dora had lost track of how many times she wanted to threaten someone due to how they treated her friend.
Dora didn’t realize how vexed her thoughts had made her until a twitch from her hand made her feel the electric currents coursing through.
“Shit,” Dora swore under her breath as she reached the street that her friend’s shop was at. “Oh, damn. Chill out.” Her friend wasn’t the biggest fan of Dora’s abilities, something that Dora could relate to. (While convenient, her power offered more trouble than what Dora envisioned.) She had to be sure that her powers were under control, as she had a package to deliver to her friend. He would be upset if the Yoo-hoo was ruined in some capacity. That had happened before, and she ended up having to calm him down.
Dora had reached her friend’s workshop when she heard a crash from inside. She had stopped, shoes scuffing along the pavement. Whatever was happening...it was not good. She could feel dread seeping into her.
“Uh oh,” the young teenager whispered to herself. What was going on?
After her short pause, Dora wasted no time as she sprinted to the entrance of the shop. She placed the Yoo-hoo down hastily but carefully near the garage door before running inside.
What Dora saw surprised her: Melvin, her friend, was in a fight with the man in black; the infamous vigilante of Hell’s Kitchen. Dora would recognize Melvin and the vigilante anywhere. She witnessed the man in black holding Melvin in a chokehold, and that made her see red.
No.
On instinct Dora snapped her fingers, made a gesture with her hand, and immediately sent a bright blue lightning bolt past the two men. It hit some of Melvin’s tools, bouncing back and created a bright flash in the room. Dora watched as the man in black let go of Melvin, who fell to the ground. He held his hands to his eyes, and Dora knew that she temporarily blinded him. She grimaced, making a note to herself that she needed to apologize to him after this fight.
The man in black, however, seemed unfazed as he turned to look at Dora, head tilting. Dora couldn’t help but take a step back herself, confused. Why didn’t he react like Melvin did? Nonetheless, Dora was not about to back down. This man came into her friend’s space, uninvited and was hurting him. Dora was not going to let that slide.
“You’re not supposed to be here,” Dora told the man in black. As much as she admired his work, those were the rules, and she knew what would happen if her boss found out that the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen had visited.
The young girl did not give the man in black time to respond, as she sent another lightning bolt his way. He dodged it, and Dora was about to confront him head on until she heard crying.
“You’re not supposed to be in here,” Melvin sobbed. “Mr. Fisk is gonna be mad.”
Immediately, Dora dropped her fighting stance.
“Oh, God. Melvin,” Dora cried out, running towards her friend. She crouched down beside him. “Melvin, hey. It’s Dora. I’m here, buddy. I’m here.”
“He’s gonna hurt her,” Melvin continued to sob. Dora wasn’t sure if he knew that she was there, but she would continue to talk to him.
“Hey, no, Melvin. I’m not going to let him, okay?” Dora tried to sooth her friend, as she massaged his shoulder. “No one will get to her, I swear on that.” Dora knew that her promise was a bit futile, but she would go down fighting when it came to protecting those she cared for.
“Who—who’s he gonna hurt?”
Dora’s head snapped up as she glared at the man in black. She could feel the electricity course through her veins. She had the urge to send something his way, but she refrained.
“Who—who are you?”
“Dora,” the young teenager snapped. “Who are you? Why are you here?”
“This is Melvin Potter’s shop, isn’t it?” the man in black questioned, dodging Dora’s. Dora didn’t bother to point this out, as she felt her blood freeze. She looked back to Melvin, who had seemingly calmed down by this point.
“How—How do you know?” the man asked, slowly sitting up. He looked to Dora. “How does he know?”
“I don’t know, Melvin,” Dora answered, before looking back to the man in black. “How do you know about this place? No one is supposed to know about Melvin.”
“Turk Barrett told me,” the man in black answered. Dora swore under her breath. She was going to have to talk to him later. Great. Just great.
“Who’s Fisk going to hurt?” the man in black questioned again. Dora felt her stature loosen up as she could hear the sincerity in his voice. Dora had to remind herself that he was a man of the people. He wasn’t like Fisk from what she had seen.
Hearing the man’s question, Melvin began to cry again.
“Betsy.”
Cautiously, the man in black knelt down beside Melvin and Dora. Dora was glancing back and forth between the two men, as she attempted to sooth her friend by massaging his arm.
“Who’s—who’s Betsy?” the man in black asked, glancing between Melvin and Dora.
Melvin looked at Dora, as if he needed permission to answer. Dora nodded.
“She’s nice. She helps me when I...” Melvin answered the man in black, sniffling and stammering his words, “...when I get confused…”
“Why would...why would Fisk want to hurt her?” the man in black continued, seemingly lost for words.
“You’re not supposed to be here,” Dora answered, repeating her warning from earlier. “Anyone who isn’t Fisk or gained his permission is not allowed to be here.”
“So you do work for Fisk? Both of you?” the man in black asked. Dora couldn’t help but think that all this man ever did was ask questions. Questions, however, often meant that people wanted something. This man wanted something...something from Melvin. As much as Dora wanted to trust the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen, she wasn’t going to let him possibly take advantage of Melvin. There were enough people doing that to him.
“I said no, when he asked. Said no, Betsy wouldn’t like it. She wants me to be good. I gotta be good.” Melvin answered, his stuttering still apparent. The man in black was patient, though. He wanted to hear Melvin’s story. Dora could feel Melvin squeeze her hand tightly, but it did not hurt her. She returned the gesture, to let him know that she was there with and for him.
“And you?”
Dora looked directly at the man in black, her face stoic. She swallowed deeply before answering.
“Coercion,” Dora answered simply. “As you can see, I have some unique abilities. Fisk discovered it and forced me to be...an enforcer, I guess. He promised that my family would be safe and secure if I did what he asked.” She glanced up to Melvin, who was seemingly calmed down. “I became friends with Melvin. He’s very sweet once you get to know him, and people take advantage of that.”
Dora didn’t know it, but something about her and her story felt...off to him.
“How...how old are you?”
“Fifteen.”
The man in black did not respond for a good minute as he took in their stories.
“I’m so sorry,” the man in black apologized to them both. “Fisk has hurt people that I care about, too. I know what it’s like to worry about them...wanting to keep them safe.”
“He make you work for him, too?” Melvin asked.
“No, I don’t work for Fisk,” the man in black answered. “I want to stop him from hurting anyone else...from hurting Betsy, or your family,” he directed the last bit to Dora. Hearing Betsy’s name, however, made Melvin tear up again. Dora eyed the man in black, wondering what his motive was.
“You could do that?” Melvin asked. “Keep Betsy and Dora’s brother safe?”
“Maybe. Did you make a suit for Fisk?” the man in black questioned, reaching behind him and grabbing the fabric off the table. He showed it to Melvin and Dora. “Did you make a suit lined with this?”
“Made a whole bunch. It keeps him safe. I made some for Dora too,” Melvin answered, nodding his head towards the teenaged girl. The man in black glanced at her before looking back to Melvin.
“Can you make something for me out of this?”
Dora inclined her head. She had a feeling that she knew what the man wanted. By one look at his current outfit, Dora knew that he had to be very careful and precise about his fighting. There was no way his current outfit was protecting him.
“You want a suit a suit like Mr. Fisk?” Melvin asked.
“No, Melvin. He wants something else,” Dora answered. The man in black nodded in agreement.
“I want something very special,” the man in black clarified. “And if you do this for me, I promise to get Fisk out of your life...both of your lives, and to keep your loved ones safe. To keep Betsy safe.”
“You can do that?” Dora asked. It was almost too good to be true. Did this man really mean it? Did he really believe it? Dora wanted to believe him but Fisk...Fisk was a very powerful man.
“With help...I think maybe I can,” the man in black answered.
“What do you want me to make?” Melvin asked. It was silent for a moment before the man in black answered.
“A symbol.”
“The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen,” Dora immediately said, a small grin forming on her face. The man in black replicated her grin.
Put your entire music library on shuffle and list the first 10 that come up. Then tag 10 others to do the same!
Fuck it, I know I just did the 10 songs, but I’ll do it again!!
1. Naughty - from Matilda the Musical
2. Hero - Mariah Carey
3. Waterloo - Cher (ABBA cover)
4. Once and For All - from Newsies the Musical
5. In Bloom - Nirvana
6. A Star is Born - from Disney’s Hercules
7. Guardians Inferno - David Hasselhoff (from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2)
8. Dressed in Black - SIA
9. A Building Panic - James Horner (from Titanic)
10. Quarter Past Midnight - Bastille
Top four ships: Uh....not top four, but the first four I thought of
1. Lara Croft/Sam Nishimura (reboot Tomb Raider)
2. Elizabeth Bennet/Fitzwilliam Darcy (Pride & Prejudice -- Maia has the right idea)
3. Anakin Skywalker/Padme Amidala (Star Wars)
4. Jill Valentine/Carlos Oliveria (Resident Evil)
Last song: ...Freak Nasty - Megan Thee Stallion
Last movie: I guess technically Boss Baby, since it was on earlier today
What book are you reading right now: Archaeological Theory in a Nutshell by Adrian Praetzellis
i was tagged by @anywaysellie and @minimithi to spell out my url with song titles and then tag 10 people. ladies, i am so sorry that this is late. i was not ignoring this i swear--i did not get the memo until i checked my email! i guess i need to see if i actually have the mention notification enabled.
and of course, i have to have a long ass URL too. LMAO.
My Girl - The Temptations
Abraham’s Daughter - Arcade Fire
Ribs - Lorde
I’m Still Standing - Elton John (or Taron Egerton’s version from Rocketman)
Any Kind of Guy - Big Time Rush
Rasputin - Boney M
Oh No! - MARINA
My Own Worst Enemy - LIT (I go fucking hard to this song!)
Adagio For Peleliu (from The Pacific soundtrack) - Hans Zimmer
Never Too Much - Luther Vandross
Once Upon a December (from Anastasia; Liz Callaway or Christy Altomare)
Vogue - Madonna
Savage - Megan Thee Stallion
tagging anyone who wishes to do this, since idk who has done this yet <3
this or that tag game: arcane elements cycle wip aesthetics by @aesterea
RULES: copy and paste the entire post. do not remove the credit in the above title. bold the option(s) you feel most connected to. tag who tagged you, and tag at least three others.
tagged by: @minimithi (<3)
SENSUAL: the meadow or the mountains? the desert or the winter wasteland? castle or village? palace underwater or castle in the clouds? ghosts or beasts? sparks or snow? black or red? red or blue? silver or gold? light or dark? day or night? silhouette or shadow? tarot cards or playing cards? fire or water?
SENTIMENTAL: defiance or devotion? memory or prophecy? beauty or mischief? creation or destruction? control or submission? like calls to like or opposites attract? live for love, die for love, or kill for love? chaos or cleverness? mystery or history? friendship or romance? haunt or be haunted? you are mine or i am yours? secrets or confessions? treasured waste or wasted treasure?
ARCHETYPAL: death or the lovers (tarot)? the magician or the wheel of fortune (tarot)? the moon or the hermit (tarot)? the savior or the martyr? the healer or the assassin? the damsel or the dragon? the songbird or the dragon? the siren or the sailor? the dreamer or the dream? the captor or the captive? the rose consumed by the flame or the flame that consumes the rose?
