Elliott wandered from the beach to the pool area, he had been enjoying some sunbathing and swimming, but he wanted to have some real fun, plus seeing Ryan post those pictures, he had to see her. He knew that anything to do with Landon wasn’t going to be a quick process, he can still have fun with people. So he approached the pool area, seeing the gorgeous blonde relaxing where she was yesterday with no top on but the bottoms she posted online. He grinned as he approached, he himself wear mid-thigh board shorts.
Sitting down next to her on the day bed, he smiled “Hey gorgeous”
Who: Eliana, Ale @serpenthart, Ryan @firefightingryan (w. brief mentions of @serpentchar @firefighterxnoah @derek-ghoulie and implied appearance of @rileshuds at the end)
What: Eliana finally does too much and overdoses
When: Nov 8, Close to Midnight
Where: Start at Ale’s, end at Riverdale General.
Notes: TW: overdose, blood, life-saving measures. We researched a lot to get this right and did the best we could so just love us, okay?
ELIANA
It had been almost two weeks since the night of the party and after the talks she had, she was starting to feel a little more like herself. All she wanted to do was get out of the house, shed the skin of sadness like the Serpent she was, and lose herself in the night. She hadn't started with the expectation of getting high. At least not on the designer stuff she was slowly running out of. But after dancing and shots that hadn't completely helped her disappear in the thrumming beat of the music, she found herself in the bathroom. There wasn't as much left in her vial as she expected so she tapped it out and inhaled before getting back to the party. Hours passed in seconds. The more she danced and drank, the more she snorted, until she found that soaring high that she needed. Still dancing to the music she'd left at the club, Eliana stopped her bike in front of Ale's place. Staring at the bike for a minute, she tried to remember when she'd even gotten on it, or when she'd driven here. Oh well, she was here now.
Climbing off, the bike fell on its side and she went with it, laughing as she skinned her palms on the cement. Eli pushed herself to her feet and stumbled to the front door, banging her hand on the door. "Ale..." she called, voice louder than she thought it was. "I'll huff and I'll puff, and I'll..." she hiccuped and almost lost her balance, laughing as she steadied herself against the door frame. "It's meeeee..."
ALE
Ale had a busy end of the week, or more like a whole busy week. With the re-opening of the shop business saw a bit of an surprise on the first days they had been open, so when the weekend finally arrived he had a bunch of house related things to do during those two days. In a way, he was happy for being as busy as he had, since it was the perfect excuse for him not to think of what Derek had done to Eliana, or the several ways in which his enraged brain had thought to make him pay. But like he had promised Eli, it was a thing the whole Serpents had to deal with together, as a family.
He was laying in bed after taking a hot, long shower, checking on the messages and mails on his phone, thinking of maybe making it an early night so he could start early the next morning, when he heard the banging noise outside, then the knocking on his door. "Eli?" he called out as he walked to the door and opened it, and the initial happiness of knowing she had came to see him, it all faded away when he saw the obvious condition she was in. "Hey bella... Been celebrating a bit too much tonight?"
ELIANA
Eliana had spent far too much time feeling afraid, feeling sorry for herself, and damn, it felt good for her to be free. Between the booze and the cocaine, and maybe a few pills she'd gotten from one of the women she was dancing with, she no longer felt those terrible things. When she closed her eyes, she didn't see Derek above her. She didn't feel his hands on her throat. It was amazing and she wanted to celebrate. The only person she wanted to celebrate with opened the door. She let out a squeal and threw her arms around his neck. "Ale! You're here!"
Giggling at his question, Eli nodded and then leaned back, stumbling backwards into the door. "Maybe just a little. I wanted to see you!" Swaying on her feet, she pointed back at her bike that was haphazardly discarded on it's side. "I... left that there." Tugging her jacket off, the brunette fell into him, letting them stumble into his living room, leaving her leather at the front door. "I missed you!"
ALE
Ale barely had time to catch her in his arms, and even if her intoxication was obvious, it was actually nice to see her that way, which was a sad thought all in itself. "Don't worry about that" he said a about the bike and kicked the door close. Putting an arm around her after her jacket was discarded, he moved her to where the couch was. "Missed you too. How about we sit over here, huh?"
ELIANA
This was definitely what she needed. Eli had thought that dancing was what she needed, and drinking, and the drugs but that wasn't what she needed. She needed to be here with Ale. "I love sitting over here," she rambled. "It's my favorite place to sit. You know, I went out dancing tonight, Ale. You should have been there. I was actually dancing!" She felt so hyped up in that moment that once they sat, Eli situated herself on his lap, straddling him so she could wrap her arms around his neck. "I think you're my favorite person. And Charlie, I think Charlie is too. And you." A thought struck her and she squealed, "You know what we should do? We should go somewhere! We should drive somewhere like.. the beach! We should go to the beach and swim with the dolphins and see the whales. Doesn't that sound like so much fun?"
ALE
Ale chuckled as he sat her down first and sat beside her. "Sorry babe, but I closed the shop late tonight. Otherwise maybe I would've joined you" he said, then placed his hands on her thighs once she was sitting on his lap. "I'm glad, bella. You're definitely my favorite person in the world. And I'm sure Charlie likes you a lot too." He raised a brow when he heard her squealing, definitely being much more accelerated than usual. Looked like she had been having enough cocaine to run a marathon and back. "Who knows? Maybe next summer we'll get to do that. I'm sure we'd be having lots of fun." He shifted a bit underneath her. "Hey, how about if we... I don't know, take a shower to calm you down a bit, babe?"
ELIANA
His words brought a wave of excitement through her and she hugged him close. "I am? Oh, that makes me so happy! I usually don't think anyone likes me unless they're trying to fuck me but you already have.. and I totally think Charlie likes me a lot too. She's my sister, you know? Like not my actual sister-sister, I don't talk to her, but my real sister, you know? Like part of me sister. I just adore her so much, and I adore you." Things kept coming so easily and it was the excitement that made her heart feel like it was pounding a million miles a second. Probably the excitement. Maybe the drugs. "Next summer? No, we should go now."
Stumbling off of his lap, Eli hit the ground with a laugh and then pushed herself back up. "I'm okay! My bike.. it's right outside, we could go now if we wanted. Ooh, or we could go dancing again! I'm good at dancing and you're really good at dancing." Then it occurred to her that he'd mentioned a shower before she got up and a playful grin spread across her face. "I don't want to calm down but I do like getting you in the shower.. or in the hallway, in the kitchen, over the table.. in bed.." She giggled, "I like you everywhere. Yes! We should take a shower." Pointing at him, Eli started to pull at her shirt, "You go start the shower and I'll get undressed and then we can shower."
ALE
Ale didn't mind holding her back when she did, and he smiled at her kind, drunken words. "We'll get there, I promise" he said as she was standing up, then gasped when she fell down. "Yeah, I know you do. But tonight we're taking a shower and getting in bed so you can sleep it off." He chuckled and shook his head as he stood up and walked to the bathroom. "Just try not to fall on your ass again. It's way too pretty to get that much hurt." He laughed softly and entered the bathroom, soon starting the water and getting a fresh towel for her.
ELIANA
Bed sounded boring but the shower was promising. Eli had every intention of getting undressed in the stream of hot water and spending the night with her legs around his waist. She sloppily tugged her shirt off and let it drop on the ground, much like she had with her jacket. Her heart was hammering in her chest and as she set her palm against the rapid beating, she felt something dangling from her necklace. Lifting it, she gasped. How had she forgotten she brought a little extra to the club? That cocaine that was laced with God knows what but made it taste so good. She remembered the night she'd gotten it and how it made sex even better than she could have imagined. That's what she wanted.
Stumbling across the room to the table, Eli unscrewed the cap and tapped out the remaining powder in a thick but short line. Just a little extra bump to make things even better, she thought. Her fingers were shaking enough that she had to rub them against her thighs before she could lean over the table and take a quick inhale, making the drug disappear in one breath. Pinching the bridge of her nose, Eli stumbled backwards and hit the wall, feeling the room move slowly underneath her and around her. Like a fun house. It twisted and she almost fell but managed to stay on her feet as her hands caught the coffee table to keep her standing.
Something was dripping beneath her -- was the roof leaking? -- so as she started to tremble, Eli looked a little closer. It was blood. She looked at the ceiling and then back. Where was it coming from? Then she noticed the blood on her fingers, on the ones she'd used to pinch her nose closed to let the drug sink into the thin flesh of her nostril. The spot above her lip tickled like something was crawling on it and Eli swiped at it, coming away with bright red blood streaked across her hand. The room jerked once and she tried to step backwards, wavering on her feet. It jerked again and she'd barely had time to realize she was jerking, not the room, before the racing of her heart became an impossible thudding beat in her ears.
Her hands went up to try and quiet it but it grew louder and louder. A hammer was banging into her chest, and then her eyes rolled back. As the room spun wildly around her, Eli let the darkness swallow her hole as her body collapsed onto the ground.
AL
Ale pulled out every item he felt necessary for the moment, wanting to have all things within reach so he wouldn't have to leave her in the shower alone. Soap, sponge, a little bottle with essences he liked to bathe with when he took a shower himself. Maybe she would like that. "Shower's ready! Are you?" he called out as he shut the water off, but there was no response. "El?" he called her again, not seeing her at first, then he spotted her on the floor. From where he stood he could only assume she had fallen asleep. "Seriously? That's all it took, for me to tell you to take a shower and you pass out?" His tone was playful as he walked up to her, at first just wanting to pick her up and take her to bed.
Then he saw it.
The blood dripping from her nose. The foam falling from her mouth. "Eli? Eli!" he shouted frantically as he fell to his knees beside her, his hands holding her face. "Babe, can you hear me?" he asked, noticing she was a bit cold but still breathing. He took her pulse on her neck and almost broke. It was too fast. Carefully, he put her back on the floor, her head leaning back slightly to allow her breathe a bit easier, as he ran to where the table was, where his cellphone was. He came back to her quickly and in a flash second he spotted the remains of the white powder on his coffee table. "Fuck" he muttered, the typed the three numbers quickly.
"9-1-1. What's your emergency?" the male voice said on the other day of the line. "I have someone who's passed out in my house. I-" He swallowed. "I think she ODed on cocaine. She's breathing but her pulse is too fast! Please, send someone!" His voice almost broke at that point, but he had to pull himself together to give the operator his address. When he was done he put the phone down and held her hand. "Hang on, baby. They're coming."
RYAN
It’d been pretty regular for a Friday so far, especially a Friday where Ryan was on Aid Car. It was steady, but nothing like the crazy nights he’d had back in Seattle, perks of a smaller town. Plus, he was working with Wilson, which was always a plus. The dude was a dad too and they could exchange tips, tricks and stories from their out of work lives. Just as he was sitting down to finally eat something, calls kept interrupting his meals, another Aid Car call rang through. He sighed, shoveled a few bites into his mouth before tossing the keys to his partner. “My turn to run this call,” he laughed, hopping in the passenger side.
When they arrived at Sunnyside he wasn’t entirely shocked, especially knowing they were going into a possible OD. The folks on this side of town often ended up mixed up in the worst of things. Banging on the door to the trailer he called out, “Riverdale Fire Department, open up!”
ALE
It felt like a century between the moment he made the call to 9-1-1 and the moment when he finally heard the knock on the door, and all the while he would check her pulse and breathing the whole time, just making sure she was there. The only thing he could think was to put a cloth damped in cold water on the back of her neck to try and force her pulse down. He practically leaped to the door to answer, and he swung the door open and looked at the man standing there. "Over here!" he said, showing him in and leading to where she was laying on the floor. "I think it was cocaine. I mean... I- I'm pretty sure it was. She came here, said she had been out all night-" He ran his fingers through his hair, his own heart hammering against his ribs.
RYAN
Ryan didn’t know what he expected to see when the door opened, but it definitely hadn’t been Alejandro. As unpredictable as this job could be, you never wanted to see people you were familiar with so when he followed the other man over to where a woman was laying on the floor and he discovered it was Eliana, he could feel his gut twist, all of a sudden incredibly grateful Puckerman wasn’t on this call with him. “How long has she been down?” Ryan asked, placing himself near her head and pulling his stethoscope from his medical bag to assess her.
Before he even finished his question, Eliana began to convulse. Without a second thought, he rolled her on her side and supported her head, making sure she wouldn’t choke if she were to vomit. Luckily, the seizing only lasted for about thirty seconds and once they were in the clear, he laid her back down and he and Wilson began to take her vitals. Her heart rate seemed to be coming down and her eyes began to flutter. “Welcome back, hotshot,” he said with a small smile. “Try not to move, okay? We’re going to take you to the hospital in a second.”
ELIANA
Everything was too loud and too heavy, and God, too bright. There was a weird ringing in her ears and voices.. voices that sounded like she was listening through water. Muffled. Confusing. There were people around her, reaching and touching, saying things she didn't understand, spouting numbers. She moved her hand, trying to knock something away from her chest but there was an ache with the fear of people around her and she missed it, she missed the heavy pull of the darkness underneath her. Why did everything feel so heavy?
Three men around her. Three.. Who? What happened? The room was rolling, spinning around her in endless loops so she couldn't focus. Not on the room, not on what she was wearing - or not wearing. Everything felt disjointed and when she tried to move, wanting to sit up, someone's hand on her shoulder eased her back down. Too much was going on. Too much she didn't understand. But through all of the spinning and dizziness, somehow she found him. "Ale?" Her eyes landed on him and she tried not to move, feeling like something was trying to wrap around her and pull her through the floor.
ALE
"About ten minutes or so..." he said as a response to Ryan's question, and he wriggled his hands nervously as he had to step back to let them (when had that other paramedic got there) work on Eliana. But the moment he saw convulsing like that he fell on his knees beside her, and grabbed onto her hand. "Oh my god, Eli? Eli!" he shouted at her, while they worked on making her stable again. Luckily the seizure was over soon, and she opened her eyes and looked around, then looked at him. "Yeah baby, it's me. It's gonna be okay. Just stay with me, okay?"
RYAN
Ryan wasn’t going to be able to work if Alejandro was going to freak out, as loved ones usually do, at each vital moment. “Alejandro, I need you to stay calm for her, okay?” Ryan calmly instructed before putting all of his attention back on Eliana. After checking her out she seemed to be somewhat stable, a little out of it, but stable enough to move. With Wilson’s help they got her loaded in the rig, ready to make way to Riverdale general. He hopped in and looked over at Alejandro. “You’re free time ride along, man, but I need you to let me do my job if something happens,” he warned, knowing exactly how sideways this could go. “Or you can meet us there, that’s up to you.”
ELIANA
Eli didn't know what was going on but she knew that Ale was right there, and she was starting to realize that the man working on her was Ryan. But the only thing in that moment that kept her head above water was feeling the warmth of Ale's hand, the sound of his voice, the press of strength against her. She whispered his name again, feeling so exhausted in that moment. "I'm--" It felt like she hadn't slept in days and now it was wanting to drag her under. She wanted to tell him she was tired but instead, her voice, small and weak as a mouse, said, "--sorry."
ALE
Ale knew Ryan was right and that he had to keep a cool head about it so they could work on her. "I'll be fine. I'm coming with you in the rig" he said, and grabbed his phone, jacket and keys before he locked the door and ran down the stairs to join them. "Shh, don't say anything. You'll be fine, babe." He sat on the side to leave him room to take care of her.
ELIANA
She felt everything whirling around her and the room was suddenly a wash of colors and movement again. Too much so she'd closed her eyes, and it was the worst mistake she could have made. Once her eyes closed, they were too heavy to open. The warmth and darkness was around her again, and it didn't just hold onto her, it tugged. It ripped. It tore. And she felt the moment that everything just stopped.
RYAN
Once Alejandro hopped in and gave him space, thank god, Eliana closed her eyes again. “Hey, El, open your eyes, Hotshot,” he told her firmly and calmly. When she didn’t respond he checked her pulse. Nothing. “Better drive faster, Wilson!” He yelled up front to his partner, instantly putting his hands on Eliana’s and starting chest compression's. He looked over at the other man, almost thankful he was there with him now. “You ever done these before because I’d love a hand,” he replied, keeping up this calm facade. He needed to get the defibrillator going but didn’t want compression's to stop and this was better than asking Wilson to pull over.
ALE
Even though he had promised to stay calm, it was impossible for Ale not to freak out when he saw him doing CPR on her. "What's going on?!" he yelled, a silly question because it was obvious what was going on. He moved up and got to her side. "I have" he said, and soon he was taking over, his hands pressed together on the center of her chest and doing five compression's every time.
RYAN
Once Alejandro was situated doing compression's and Ryan could see that he was doing them properly, he began to get the defibrillator ready. “Stop compression's,” he instructed firmly, not a single note of anything but authority in his voice. When it was clear he delivered a shock. Thank god, her pulse returned and was at a regular rate. He continued treating her for the OD as they pulled into the emergency department of Riverdale General. When Wilson came and helped him unload her he quickly briefed the doctors as they pulled her inside. Before Alejandro followed he grabbed the man’s upper arm. “Hey, good job, alright. No matter what happens right now, you helped get her here.”
ALE
Ale had to fight every impulse his body felt to just break down, instead focusing on doing what he had to. He pulled his hands away when he was told, and the air also came back to his lungs when he heard the beeping of her heartbeat again When they arrived to the hospital he jumped out of the rig and was about to follow her when he felt Ryan's hand on his arm. "Thanks, man. For everything." He nodded at him, then turned around and ran inside. As he walked by the nurses station someone stopped him and asked what was his relation to her, and he said the first thing that came to his mind. "I'm her boyfriend" he said, and with that, he was allowed into the hallway and to where the Trauma room was, although he did have to wait at the door there
Scarlett yawned as she walked back into the house, she knew she’d missed the curfew by a few hours at least but for the first time in days she’d been having fun. There had been no other housemates with her which automatically meant no drama and no reminders of everything she was trying to escape. She’d stumbled into the club by mistake but it had ended up being exactly what she needed, full of people just looking to have a good time. A night of drinking and dancing all her problems away. Seeing the notification pop up on her phone, she opened the snapchat of one of her very new friends and laughed and she watched them sing along to a song horribly out of tune. She’d declined their offer to go with them and keep celebrating, she knew she had to get back to the house, she was going to be in enough trouble as it was. Too busy tapping through the numerous snaps, Scarlett wasn’t paying attention to where she was walking and suddenly she ran straight into someone, her phone being knocked out of her hands. “Shit sorry.” She cursed, bending down to collect her phone and groaning at the now cracked screen. Finally looking up to see who’d she run into and apologize again, the smile was wiped straight off the blonde’s face as she saw who stood in front of her.
Who: Ryan & Emma ( @suitandgosling )
Where: Emmas apartment
When: 4/24/22.
Plot: Emma and Ryan hang out, have dinner and almost have their own moment.
Tags: n/a
Emma
Emma had one of those days at work where the days dragged in. She loved her job, she did but some days when it was slow or she had to send it catching up with paper work it just got too much. She knew she probably should be making something at home but by the time she had locked up the shop the only thing that sounded appealing was take out. Emma knew she could get Ryan on board with it so sent him a text asking if he wanted to join her and was happy when he accepted. She got home and put in their usual pizza order and pour two glasses of wine, waiting for Ryan to arrive.
Ryan
Ryan was surprised to get the sudden text from Emma inviting him over for pizza. She sounded like she had a rough exhausting day, him being able to feel it just through the words on the phone. Ryan had already been ready, a plain crisp white t-shirt that hugged his form well layered on top of a pair of crisp dark jeans. His hair was already styled and a handsome musk of cologne had already settled on him. Leaning up against the bathroom counter, he looked at his phone and opened a message. "Are you still coming? 😘" read the message. His fingers hovered momentarily over the keys before he typed out an apology that he could no longer make it. Grabbing his coat and keys, he made his way out to the car and ignored the following series of message notifications on his phone. Driving to Emma's, he parked, walking up to her door and knocking.
Emma
As soon as she got home Emma changed into a pair of lounge pants and a tank top. It felt nice to just be home and be relaxed. It wasn't that the day was hard, just long and boring. She preferred being at the shop front and getting to speak to customers, rather than on the phone with suppliers and dealing with the actual business side of things. Emma opened the door and smiled at the sight of her best friend. "Hey!" She greeted, going in to hug him. "Oh, you smell good." She commented as she walked him through her apartment. "I didn't take you away from anything, did I?" She asked, raising and eyebrow and handing him a glass of wine as she sat on the soft, tucking her legs under her.
Ryan
"Hey," Ryan greeted in return, going to hug her back. "Thank you," he chuckled, pulling back to follow her into the apartment. Ally's car wasn't in the driveway, so he figured she must not be there. "Me? What would I possibly be doing?" he said with a playful scoff, ignoring the continual vibration of his phone in his back pocket. Yeah, she did seem a little crazy. "I just always naturally look and smell this good. You should know that by now," he chuckled, taking the glass of wine and brining it to his lips. Ryan took the seat beside her on the couch. "Anything new going on?"
Emma
Emma knew Aly was going to be out tonight, which was another reason she had invited Ryan over. Eating pizza and drinking wine was a lot less sad when you had someone with you and she knew that she could be herself around Ryan and that was what she needed. "I never said anything about you looking good." Emma teased. Although she was very aware of how attractive Ryan was, anyone would be a fool not to see it. But Emma also knew she couldn't let herself get too caught up in those thoughts - otherwise she would be led down a path she had been before with him and it wasn't fair on any of them. "Nope." Emma said, popping her p. "Boring as ever." She laughed, taking a drink from the wine. "Please tell me all the exciting things in your life."
Ryan
"You didnt? Hmm, I could have sworn you said something about it," Ryan teased with a chuckle, grinning at her. The man brought his glass of wine to his lips again, sipping it as he listened to her answer. "We need to get some excitement in your life. Get out there. Have fun," he commented. Thankfully, after Emma's engagement ended, the two of them could hang out closely again. Perhaps Ryan was selfish to be glad for the break up since it hurt Emma so much, but he never liked the guy. "My life? Hmm. Going out here and there, but everything is pretty much the same. It's prom and graduation season, so the shop orders have been picking up a bit."
Emma
"You wish I did." She teased, it was always so easy with Ryan. Emma knew that no matter what was going on in her life she would have him there. If it weren't for him, she probably would have spiralled after her engagement ended. "Pfft, you mean eating pizza and watching America Say isn't fun?" She teased. Ever since everything happened, she was scared to put herself out there. "Besides, it is much more fun to comment on your life. Is there anyone there I need to give a grilling too?" She teased, taking another drink. "Well, that is fun!" Emma grinned, loving the idea of Ryan helping all the high school boys pick out their prom suits. Just then the door went, she grabbed money for a tip and went to answer the door. "It is here." She grinned, putting it on her table and bring through some plates for them. "Dig in!"
kerosenedaze — 24/04/2022
"You're right, maybe I do," Ryan responded with a laugh. At her 'fun' activities, he rose an eyebrow with a small chuckle. "You know, sometimes I think you might actually be like 60 years old trapped in that body," the man joked. "Grilling? I don't know about that. Nothing sticks long enough, really. Maybe my standards are too high," he casually shrugged a shoulder. Ryan shifted a bit as she went to get the pizza, putting the wine glass on the table and looking up as she came back in. "That smells amazing," he took a slice, putting it on the plate.
Emma
Emma laughed at her friends words, already things were feeling better and it was like all her stress of work was just gone. They had been best friends since they were teens and Emma was so grateful they still had this banter. "A 60 year couldn't deal with my diet." She laughed, taking a bit from the pizza and putting it on her plate. "Ah yes, no one is good enough for you. Which, I get. I mean, you deserve the best but also you need to know that you deserve to be with someone. You are amazing." Emma said, taking another sip. "I know. The thought of this got me through the day."
Ryan
"I don't know. I've seen some 60 year olds who can get down on some pizza and wine," he mused, taking a bite of the slice in front of him and turning to look at the red head. "That's not what I meant," he responded to no one being good enough for him. "It's just... I don't know. Attract the wrong people I guess," he responded, pursing his lips together. "You are too, ya know? Amazing. You should... get back out there and find someone who realizes that," he said, though as he said it, he didn't like the feeling that sat with him.
Emma
"Good because if I get to 60 and can't have pizza and wine? I'll cry. Real tears." She said, trying to be serious but not being able to help the laughter. "I know it's not but probably no one you bring home to me will be good enough anyway." She laughed. Suddenly the thought of him with someone else did not sit okay with her. "Oh god. That is not something that I think we need to worry about." Emma said, the thought of rejection being too much after Chris broke off their engagement.
Ryan
"Real tears? Not fake tears? Oh, no, we can't have that," Ryan teased with a soft chuckle, moving his body to push it playfully against hers. Taking another bite of the pizza, he thought about what she said. "You know, it's the same for me. No one will be good enough for you and I'll secretly hate and distrust all of them," he assured, a slightly laugh to follow, but he wasn't joking as much he he let on.
Emma
"Not fake, real!" Emma said pointing to the corner of her eye. "We don't. Mainly because you are the one who will have to deal with it." Emma laughed when he pushed his body against hers. Emma let out another laugh at his words. While she knew it was the same for her, no one could be good enough for Ryan, he only deserved the very best, she thought it odd he would think the same in return. "We might need to look into that whole getting married to each other if we are both single at 50 thing." Emma laughed.
Ryan
"Oh no! Real tears? Are they there??" Ryan chuckled as she pointed to the side of her eye. He grabbed her face in his hands and pulled it close. "Hmm, I don't see anything. I think you may be yanking my leg," he grinned. When Emma mentioned the getting married when they hit 50 thing, he let out a soft breath of air chuckle. You only have to wait 9 years for me to turn 50. I have to wait 17 years for you. How is that fair? I'll be 58 then. God, that's gross," he teased.
Emma
"There are there!" Emma said, when he held her face in his hands, she looked him in the eye. It wasn't lost on her how close they were in this moment. Emma wasn't sure but something about this felt different. She snapped out of it when he spoke again. "You just aren't looking close enough." She teased. Emma couldn't help but laugh at his words. "Oh man, I never thought about it like that. It might be time for me to trade you in for someone younger." She teased.
Ryan
"Mmm, I don't know. I don't think so," he chuckled, but let it trail off quietly when the tone in the room switched as their eyes locked together. His face inched slightly closer to hers, before he realized what he was doing. Surely, she wouldn't want that. Perhaps he could do it and if she didn't like it, he could blame it on being in the wrong mindset from expecting to go on a date. No. This was too important a friendship to even risk messing up over something like that. Ryan's mind raced, but the moment passed as Emma continued to speak. He barely registered what she said, mind focusing back on the present. He let out a small chuckle like he was paying attention. "Damn, that hurts," he teased
Emma
“You aren’t looking hard enough.” Emma said with a smirk. She caught his eye and swore that he was leaning in closer. Wasn’t he? Was she just making this up. Emma felt herself move closer to him as well. Was this happening? Part of her wanted to believe it was true but then he seemed to snap back so maybe she was just making it up. Maybe she had been single too long. There was no way someone like Ryan would want someone like her. She had seen the people that he had gone out with and she wasn’t like that. “It’s what keeps you on your toes.” She winked.
Ok so it’s called Heroes Reversed, and I know it sounds like all the heroes are villains or something but it’s not (also Into the Darkness paras are here too but they’re not important)
Instead of the main paras in Heroes being superheroes, it’s their kids/adults in Heroes who were important enough to have names as their kids. Which sounds confusing, but I will explain through (*drum roll please*) tiny character bios (that, knowing me, will be way too long)
the usual suspects (aka these are the kids who always appear as my para’s kids in normal aus):
Lila Milonas-DiAngelo: she/her; Xander (Cassandra’s brother) and Nico (Adriana’s cousin)’s adopted daughter; Ryan’s twin; hero name is Shockwave; has gloves that create little bolts of electricity (made by Ryan); becoming superheroes was her idea
Ryan Milonas-DiAngelo: he/him; Xander and Nico’s adopted son; Lila’s twin; hero name is Reverb; uses sound wave tech; mostly acts as the guy behind the computer and only comes out to fight as backup
Sean Calloway: he/him; Cassandra and Seth’s biological son; raised by Seth and Hugh; a twin (but I’ll get to his brother in a minute); hero name is Persona (he’s the third Persona but I’m not going to get into that here); fights with a bo-staff and does the more detective-y work and also sees the future; will judge you but you won’t realize he is
Merripen: he/him; no last name and dead parents (oof); hero name is Hades; he’s half-dead and basically has the same powers as Quinn (who’s alive in this au); joins the friend group (they’re basically all either cousins or siblings) because of Ryan (they’re this au’s Cass and Quinn)
kind of a weird mix between the two categories (as in she’s always the paras’ kid but her one namesake doesn’t exist in this au):
Idarila Natasha Lasko: she/her; Arriela and Sarah’s biological daughter; hero name is Melody; a siren so basically the same powers as Arriela (who is a siren in this au); actually has common sense (not many of my paras have that); Arriela’s grandmother in Heroes canon
reversed from adults to my para’s children (right what it says on the tin):
Cyrus Milonas: he/him; Cassandra and Seth’s biological son; raised by Cassandra and Quinn; Sean’s twin; hero name is Guess (comes from the same vein as Hint and Clue); no powers but he’s a genius and the new wielder of the Mirrored Ghost (Cass’s spear and another thing I’m not getting into); will argue with anyone for fun (but is actually not a jerk); Cassandra’s grandfather in Heroes canon
Saoirse Thompson: she/her; Cassandra and Quinn’s biological daughter; Sean and Cyrus’s older half-sister (she’s two years older than everyone else); hero name is Robin Hood; uses a bow and trick arrows (made by Ryan) and can see the future; she’s backup for everyone else and has had to bail them out of jail before (she makes them pay her not to tell their parents); Quinn’s mother in Heroes canon
Jean Nova: she/her; her parents are the actual worst; hero name is Lady Galaxia (a nod to old Heroes canon); also a genius and probably has some sort of artifact that can manipulate dark and light; joined the group because of Cyrus because she originally was trying to manipulate him for his seer powers (which he does not have) but actually ended up happy with the group (haha that won’t last buddy); Cassandra’s grandmother and the leader of Nova Corp in Heroes canon
It’s basically them as teen superheroes and also them getting up to normal teen shenanigans (or like normal for my paracosms) and I love it so much
Who: Eliana, Ryan @firefightingryan (w. mention of @serpenthart)
What: Ryan visit Eli after his shift, recounts the Friday night’s events
When: Nov 9, Evening
Where: Riverdale General.
Notes: TW: mentions of overdose, rehab, child abuse
ASL = anything in bold italics
RYAN
Ryan's shift came to an end almost as soon as it had started. Luckily, after the call to Sunnyside, once he'd gotten back from the hospital he'd actually been given a chance to eat. It wasn't as good as it would have been hot, nor was it as good as it would have been if Puck had been on shift, but he'd rather have someone looking after Sophia than better food any day of the week.
Once he was able to leave and head home, he shot Puck a text saying he was going to take a little longer, he had an errand to run. It wasn't exactly a lie, Ryan wasn't too big on lies, he just couldn't exactly give details, not really, not under HIPAA. He swung by the hospital, just before visiting hours were over and got Eliana's room number from a nurse. Still donned in the uniform, not too many people asked questions.
He found her room with ease and quietly knocked on the door as he opened it, leaning on the door frame. Welcome back, Hotshot, he quickly signed at her, smiling, hoping she was with it enough to catch what he was saying. He stayed where he was, not wanting to invade too much. For all he knew she couldn't even remember he was there, so might not know why he was even here at all.
ELIANA
Eliana had spent most of the day in and out. She hadn't wanted to face what happened after talking to Ale that morning. When she'd woken up that evening, she laid in bed long enough to look out the window and watch the sunset and something about watching it grow darker by the second made her feel a wave of cold fill her. The darkness reminded her too much of the night before. Though she couldn't remember much about it, having blacked out pretty early on, it was that nothingness that it reminded her of. It would be morning when she left for the rehab facility to help her through her detox so she'd asked Ale if he didn't mind getting her some clothes to wear.
Apparently she'd been admitted in just her bra and pair of pants and that wasn't going to work for her. She wouldn't be gone too long, she kept telling herself, but there was something terrifying about it. She wasn't sure how long she sat in silence when she heard the knock at the door and found herself facing Ryan. Her lips turned up in a smile as she greeted him as she always would, back of her right hand sliding along her left cheek and then right one. Hey handsome. It was only then that she remembered what she'd been told about the previous night. Her face fell slightly. "You were there, weren't you?"
RYAN
Ryan nodded slowly. "I was," he confirmed, walking in and taking a seat next to her bed. "I was on Aid Car last night so, yeah, I was there. And you ... weren't. Not really." He shook his head. In all his years of being a firefighter, he never really ended up on a call that ended up being someone as close to him as Eliana was. Leaning back in the chair he sighed. "I'm going to be frank with you, Ellie, it was touch and go for a hot second there. Alejandro had to perform CPR while I got ready to shock you. You could have died."
ELIANA
She wished she could remember but maybe it was a blessing that she didn't. The counselor who had been in to see her had told her that some people got their memories back, and some never did. Maybe it would be better if she never got them back. Pressing her lips together when he admitted he'd been the one there, Eli lowered her eyes. She wasn't sure she could look at him. It wasn't until he mentioned that Ale had performed CPR on her. "He did what?"
Now her stomach turned. It wasn't bad enough that she'd overdosed at his home, was taken to the hospital in the Aid Car, but he'd had to help her like that? The sound of those words - you could have died - sent a chill through her body. Eli wasn't sure she could actually ask the question so with shame shimmering in her eyes, she made quick motions to sign her question at him. Could have died, or did die?
RYAN
Ryan took another breath and signed back, both. Before she could get too confused he figured it'd be easier to speak the next part, she was probably still tired and even he wasn't perfect with his sign. "Technically, there's no coming back from proper death, brain death. But ... you went into cardiac arrest, El, and without the proper intervention, you'd be a goner. You're lucky you weren't alone when you took whatever you took to throw you over the edge ... other wise, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now. And hey," he said, pausing, putting a finger under her chin so she'd meet his eyes. I'm glad you're still here.
ELIANA
Eliana swallowed the knot in her throat but it sat heavy in the pit of her stomach, almost wishing that he would have said that it was actually no big deal. That maybe Ale had overreacted. But even if she wished that, she knew that she wouldn't be here if that's all it was. She pressed her lips together, knowing that Ryan would tell her exactly what she needed to hear, all the ugly truths from the medical side.
Looking up at him when he took her attention, Eli fought the feelings that were bubbling in her chest. She was certainly not used to feeling so much and right now she felt everything like a raw nerve being poked constantly. Lucky? she signed, Not lucky. Stupid. It sunk in -- really sunk in. Her heart stopped beating. Ale kept blood pumping while Ryan had to shock her. That was why her skin felt so raw. Very stupid she signed and then without provoking it, or fighting it, her head sunk and tears started to fall down her face.
RYAN
Stupid was an easy way to put it. But no one overdosed for fun, Ryan knew enough to know that. The smartest person in the world could do incredibly stupid things under the right, or realistically wrong, circumstances. "It might have been stupid, El, just don't go thinking that makes you stupid," he told her, grabbing her hand and giving it a squeeze. "We got you back, but now's the tough part. You have to stay back. You have to stop doing whatever you were doing, figure out why you were doing that, and get some help." The road ahead of her wasn't going to be easy, he wasn't kidding about his part being the easy part.
ELIANA
Her emotions had been so all over the place that she couldn't even control it, despite how much Eli hated crying in front of anyone on a normal day. But this was far from a normal day. Wiping her face with the back of her hand, Eli tried to focus her attention across the room. How she could feel so embarrassed around someone who literally had to bring her back to life was a surprise. "I told Ale this morning that I'd go to a rehab place so I can detox. This counselor was in and I had to sign papers for it." Sniffling, Eli shook her head, "I was just trying to have fun. It took away all my bad feelings." It took away more than that, a small voice in her head told her. Thank you, she signed, "for saving my life." I just hope it's worth it, she thought but didn't say.
RYAN
Always. Ryan signed back at her with a comforting smile. Even if it wasn't his actual job to make sure she'd made it to the hospital, he would have done it. Eliana was one of few people who picked up sign language after meeting him, despite that he could communicate mostly verbally, given he had his hearing aids in, without complications. But no, the stubborn woman in front of him, the Hotshot, decided she'd learn and she'd gotten pretty good. He didn't like hearing that she'd had to turn to cocaine to deal with "bad feelings". That ... rubbed him the wrong way. Not being able to help the slight frown on his face, he watched her face closely as he spoke. "What's going on, El? What kind of bad feelings had you running towards coc-..drugs?"
ELIANA
There weren't many people who knew about her past, those dirty little secrets that she had spent the better part of the past ten years trying to push down and hide. Ale had found out after she woke up from a nightmare, screaming and sweating. He'd held her and she broke down, telling him everything. But aside from him, Eli hadn't told anyone until recently. She'd told Charlie in the heat of an argument, and only told Puck to keep from telling him anything else. She stared at Ryan and her stomach clenched. If she told him, would he look at her the way she expected people to look at her - like she was dirty, and damaged. Especially now. She'd been too weak to fight her father and his friends, too weak to take Aidan out, too weak to fight off Derek when his hands were choking her out. And now.. she'd crossed a line with Pastor Wilde. Kitty was right. She was a whore.
Lowering her gaze to the blanket, Eli picked at a thread. "I um.." Could she tell him? Could she stand seeing the look of disgust on his face? Ryan was one of those legitimately good people and for some reason, he didn't see her as South Side Serpent trash, no matter how many times over the years she'd flirted with him shamelessly as she was one to do with most people. But her head was telling her that maybe saying it to Ryan would be easier than saying it to a stranger, to some counselor after her detox. "I wasn't trying to kill myself," she said, struggling against the words. "That counselor asked me like, five times, and I don't want you to think that--" She took a breath, "Do you remember how I told you that I used to live in New York with my family? And I ran away about ten years ago, came to Riverdale, and started over?"
RYAN
Ryan could see the wheels turning in Eliana's head and he let her do her thing. As much as he wanted her to come talk about whatever was really going on, he wasn't about to push it. They were friends, yeah, but he wasn't Alejandro and he wasn't Puckerman and he wasn't one of her Serpent buddies. He was just ... him. But, he hoped she knew that that meant that he could take whatever she might have to say without bias of this side or that side, this gang or that one. When she told him she hadn't been trying to kill herself, he paused. He hadn't even thought about it being a suicide attempt, and maybe that was bad on him. He didn't think he could ever see Ellie killing herself, even after this mess.
He hushed her, kindly, hopefully just letting her know that he couldn't think that if he wanted to. Ryan nodded, he remembered that vaguely. They didn't typically talk about her past, or all that much about his that wasn't strictly work related, rescue or crazy fire stories. He wasn't exactly sure they were that kind of friends, which was fine. But, if she was bringing it now, that obviously meant something. "Yeah," he replied. "You might have to bring me up to speed again, I think it's been a while, but that rings a bell. Something in your past coming to haunt you lately?"
ELIANA
Every word that she started to speak made her heart race and she wasn't sure she could do this. But thankfully he worded things in a way that made it easy for her to just nod her head. Maybe details were a little too much right now. And even as she opened her mouth to talk, she had a small voice in her head tell her that he might even know her father. He was the CEO and Chief of Surgery at this hospital, after all. She swallowed, her throat suddenly dry.
My father, she started, signing because it was easier than speaking it out loud. He was a bad guy. He let his friends-- But then she stopped, not sure how to sign the rest. A brief confusion crossed her face to try and remember but she wasn't sure she ever learned it. "--have me," she finished in a quick breath, deciding to rip it off like a bandaid. "I've.. always felt.. helpless," Eli said as she looked down. "A bunch of things have happened lately that kind of.. made me feel that way again." She swat angrily at a dumb tear that slipped out of her eye. "I didn't feel that way anymore when I got high. It went away, made me feel.. I don't know.. fearless, I guess."
RYAN
Ryan watched attentively as she signed, and even when she paused, he had an idea of what she was going to say. As calm and steady as he'd told himself he was going to be, he couldn't help shaking his head at the mention of such a disgusting act. Who could do that to their child? He looked at the woman in front of him and his heart sank. The shame was so evident, shame that didn't belong with her. Carefully, not wanting to cause alarm or panic, he placed his hand on the side of her head. "You are anything but helpless, Hotshot. You came back to us, with a little help, sure, but you came back." He caught another tear with his thumb and placed his hand back down with hers, not wanting to make her uncomfortable in any way. "A healthy amount of fear keeps us safe, El. I'd hate to see that taken away from you."
ELIANA
If she hadn't been so embarrassed about what she'd told him, Eliana might have been a little more focused on the fact that's she'd actually told him. Of course she left some things out. Left out how young she'd been, what they did, or how her father would usually stand by the door to make sure his friends were happy with her. And she completely left out the fact that when she tried to stop it from happening, he'd hit her, made her bleed, and that her mother ignored the bruises. But everything was built up behind her strong facade and she knew that she was a liar. She wasn't a bad ass like she pretended. She wasn't strong. She was broken and useless. She hadn't been able to protect herself back then, she couldn't protect Charlie or Dare, or the kids. She couldn't protect any of them from Derek. What good was she aside from getting high and having sex?
A small smile crossed her lips, forced as it was, when he said she'd come back because it didn't feel like it. It felt like they just hadn't let her go. "Well," she said at the mention of fear, "I feel plenty of it now. The counselor kept telling me the next couple days are going to be really hard. What if.." Eli stopped herself but she needed to know, "What if I can't do it?"
RYAN
Ryan shrugged, making an over exaggerated thinking face, one he's probably used on Sophia too many times to count. "You don't really have much choice, do you?" He asked her. "You either get through this, as tough as it's going to be, knowing you're not alone. Or, there's the other option and you don't get through it and you're scared and in pain and being reckless and hurting people for the rest of your life. And I only see one option here." The more he spoke, the more he needed her to believe it. It was clear she had to work through a lot, had to find a reason to do that, because it was going to be hard. You are strong, he signed to her slowly, even though he knew she'd get it. "Plus, I'd hate to see all my hard work go to waste, helping you come back and all."
ELIANA
When he said the part about hurting other people, it struck a chord within her. Ale had been there for her since she got to Riverdale. They'd been there for each other, working on cars, laughing, leaning on each other. Her life had always made so much sense when they were together. And then to hear that he'd done CPR on her -- that she'd forced him into that position. Yet he was still here. Still sitting with her, still holding her hand, it meant more to her than anything. And maybe that's what she needed to remember if this week really was going to be as hard as she was told it would.
Eli wasn't so much sure she believed that she was strong but the fact he told her made a difference, to know someone as good as Ryan thought something like that about her. "I'd never want to waste your hard work," she said in a slightly playful tone even though she didn't feel it all. Her heart already ached for what she was going to ask him. "Ry.. can you tell me everything? I--I think I need to hear it, and hear what I put him through." She hadn't said Ale's name but she knew he knew. She needed the ugly details to hold onto and remind herself why she was going through detox when it got hard.
RYAN
Normally, Ryan would have probably declined her request. People shouldn't know exactly what they went through, especially if their body, or their friends, had decided to leave them a little fuzzy on the details. But he also knew Eliana and that despite how she was probably feeling right now, she was tough as nails and she probably did need to know for herself, he certainly had once he'd awoken from his lifesaving surgery. "Well, for one, your call interrupted my third attempt at the dinner Miller had made, so thanks for that," Ryan teased, knowing starting light was the best way to go in the moment. "But the call came in a little before midnight, we knew it was an overdose but obviously, going in, I didn't know it was you. Alejandro was a mess, but everyone's focus was on you and I swear, not three seconds into me trying to evaluate you, you seized, which wasn't helping him," Ryan knew that Eliana would know exactly what him he was referring to, "stay calm at all. But he stayed. He stayed and he held your hand and we kept you from hurting yourself or choking. Then, you kinda came to, but I have a feeling you don't remember that, which is normal. Got you loaded in the rig to bring you here and you coded. Because Alejandro knew how to do chest compressions, I didn't have to get Wilson to pull over and help me out when I got everything ready to give you the shock you needed." Ryan took a breath. It wasn't too often he recounted calls with anyone other than his crew so he figured stopping there was good enough. She didn't need numbers or jargon, but she needed to know how her actions had affected someone she'd loved. She needed a wake up call, and she seemed to know that, so he was going to do his best to give that to her. "If he'd been any less okay, you might not be here, Hotshot. Remember that."
ELIANA
Eliana appreciated him trying to make this a little easier, and all that did was tell her just how little she was going to like what he had to say. "Well, we both know I'm awful with timing." For instance, it had taken her way too long to realize she even had feelings let alone had them for Ale. She was pretty sure her friends knew before she did. She listened, feeling an unknowable ache settle inside of her as she played the moments out in her head. She hadn't even remembered midnight, her last memory of hours before, of a club with bright lights and free drinks. The pretty girls always got free drinks. And the drugs. Her cocaine, someone else's pills, the mixture taking her higher than she'd felt before it all went black.
Her gaze averted from his face when he said she'd seized and how Ale reacted. He'd held onto her the whole time. That's why she hadn't gone, she thought. He hadn't let her go. Her eyes closed when he said she'd come to - none of that in her memories at all. But she could picture it. Especially after all that. Especially before her heart stopped. It was such a strange thing to say. Her heart stopped. He'd had to help keep her alive, God, what kind of monster was she? To put someone who had always taken such good care of her through all of this.
Nodding at his final words, Eli looked back up at him and everything weighed on her heavily. She reached up, wiped her eyes, and then pressed her head back against the pillow. "Thank you," she said, and somehow deep down she knew that she'd make it through this week, no matter how hard it was, if only to show Ale everything he'd done was worth it, that keeping her alive hadn't been a mistake. Eli didn't know how to make it up to him but she'd find a way. Somehow.
RYAN
The conversation was a heavy one and Ryan could see how it was affecting Eliana. Seeing her cry was a little bit of a trip, but that being said, he’d probably be more concerned if she wasn’t crying right about now. He leaned forward and pressed a kiss on her forehead, giving her shoulder a quick squeeze. “Don’t worry about it, El,” he replied as he sat back down and shot her a small smile. “All that matters now is that you get better. I did the leg work to keep you alive, now this is your marathon.”
ELIANA
"You sure you don't want to do it for me?" She asked, the nervous building inside of her. She was afraid of what this week was going to hold but thinking back to the conversation she had with Ale that morning kept replaying in her mind. At the end of it, she saw his face, the one that looked like he'd seen a ghost, and she knew she needed to do this. For herself, sure, but also for him. "I'm leaving in the morning," she said. "But the counselor told me it should only be a couple days. Hopefully I'll be home soon." Looking at the door when she heard footsteps, she waited to see if it was Ale but the steps went past the door. "He should be back any minute. I don't know why when he could just cut off the excess baggage but.. it means a lot that he stayed with me. After what I did to him."
RYAN
Ryan smirked at her comment. Truth be told, if he could do it for her, he would. Recovering from a life altering instance was hard enough, that he knew, but this would be more. “You will,” he nodded. “You’re tough as nails, whether you believe that or not right now.” He noticed her glance towards the hallway, clearly waiting for Alejandro to return, and he didn’t know if that was his cue to take off or not. “He’ll be back because that’s what you do for the people you love, El.”
ELIANA
Eli was going to argue because love wasn't one of those words you just drop, especially in this situation, and even moreso after everything she'd put Ale through. That wasn't something anyone could feel for a person as monumentally fucked up as she was. But the energy to fight wasn't there. Instead she just nodded and lay her head back on the pillow because even though all the confusion and second guessing, all the wanting and hoping, it all came down to one simple thing that she'd never admitted to anyone much less herself.
She was capable of love, and she did love. She loved very much and she'd just hurt the person she had those feelings for. If he'd come back for her, she'd come back for him too. That's just what you do. Thank you, she signed, almost too exhausted from everything to want to talk out loud anymore. For saving her. For being her friend. For believing she would get through this -- for everything. Then Eli smiled softly and tried to let her body relax. She had a feeling the upcoming week was going to be anything but relaxing.
Elliott hated to admit that he was absolutely starving at the moment, he knew better than this and knew how dangerous it was for people to be around him. Elliott was fine last night for Halloween but he hasn’t been keeping up with his feedings so that’s why he found himself outside Ryan’s door just after sun down. Honestly he just stood there wondering if he should knock or not for about twenty minutes, he felt his throat burning and teeth aching with the urge to bite, he had to remember he couldn’t hurt his brother.
Sighing as he closed his eyes for just a moment before opening them, knowing his eyes were slightly changing from hazel to red as he raised his fist to knock on Ryan’s door. He knew he was home as he could hear him but hoped he wasn’t intruding too much.
Elliott was absolutely nervous with what he was about to do, with everything he had done to help develop a relationship between his brothers, he felt like he wasn’t his true self with them as he hid what he truly was and what caused all of this. Elliott had to do something about it and even if it could ruin everything he had worked for, he had to try, with how close he had been to being killed by the hunter weeks ago he knew he had to let one of his brothers know what he was for now.
As he waited for sundown, he left his house for the park that his brother Ryan mentioned, he didn’t question why Blaine and Ryan had stayed over night together as he assumed it was just a brother sleep over or something as they were close. So he appeared at the park in his vampiric speed as he could hear it was abandoned. Elliott stood in the middle of the park as he looked up at the sky, the sun had disappeared but he could still feel the sun hadn’t fully descended but he was safe for now.
He then heard approaching footsteps, so he turned slowly to see his brother Ryan behind him with the tea in hand. Elliott faced him and bit his lip in a nervous nature “Glad you could make it...I didn’t mean to worry you”
