The summer sun rose over Blackwood Mountain, spilling golden light through the windows of the Washington Lodge and dappling the many trails criss-crossing the woods around it. It was early — far too early for any reasonable vacationer to be awake.
Sam Giddings was no ordinary vacationer.
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Or, one summer day Sam and Josh take a hike around Mt. Blackwood, and discover there are strange things lurking amidst the trees.
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merry christmas, @lionheart-giddings!! i'm your secret santa for @untildawn-secretsanta :3 i wrote you a sam-centric little adventure, featuring sam and josh friendship and some light spookiness. i hope you enjoy, i loved writing this for you!!
Since there’s not a lot of fics or art in this fandom yet, I thought we could maybe start a list or something with ideas that anyone could use! Because you know, I’m really desperate for more content.
First obviously the one I’m dying for someone to adopt and write:
The Man of Medan gang + the Until Dawn gang being arrested for seeing things they weren’t supposed to and then breaking out of prison together.
If you have more ideas of stuff you’d like to read, reblog this with comments or send me asks and I’ll add them here.
Let’s do this thing! I will bring this fandom to life singlehandedly if I have to!
(...though I’d really appreciate it to, you know, not do it singlehandedly.)
It only took one moment - the decision to turn left instead of right - and Jess never ran into Matt in the mine. Instead, broken and alone, she had a chance encounter with the last person she expected to see. Now they have only each other to rely on while they hope for help to find them, but there's a long road ahead.
a.k.a. After being dragged into the mines by Hannah, Josh finds an injured Jessica. This is the story of what happens after that.
Had a request on AO3 to write a Sath story where Beth comes out to Josh and Hannah, so here it is!
You can also read on AO3
“Beth,” Sam said, “When are we going to tell Josh?”
Beth looked up at Sam from her spot on the couch. “Tell Josh what?”
Sam rolled her eyes. “About us silly.”
Beth tensed at the statement. It wasn't that she didn't want to tell her brother about her and Sam’s relationship, she really did. She wanted to shout it to the heavens that she was the luckiest girl ever to have a girl like Sam by her side. But she couldn't. There were too many variables she had no control over. And there was Josh himself to consider.
Her brother was a huge part of her life, heck he’d practically raised her and Hannah. He was kind and cared about them dearly, but that didn't stop the nagging fear poking at her brain. She hadn't told anyone she was a lesbian, though Hannah had found out by herself. But Josh wasn't perceptive of these things, he was actually quite oblivious to romance in general and only teased Hannah about Mike because Hannah's crush could be seen three countries over. How would Josh react?
Would Josh be disgusted? Doubtful, but it was a possibility that made her heart clench. Or would Josh be okay with her liking girls, but be angry about her dating one of his friends? Would he feel like she was trying to steal Sam? Or maybe everything would be fine. It terrified her to think that Josh would feel betrayed by her or hate her, not that she’d ever admit it aloud.
“Soon,” Beth mumbled, burying her face in Sam’s thigh. She hummed pleasantly when Sam’s fingers carded through her hair.
“Beth, are you nervous to tell Josh about us?”
She released a sigh. “Maybe a little…”
“But you know Josh would be for us,” Sam tilted her head. “Right?”
“And if he isn't?”
“Beth, I promise he won't care. He’ll probably care more that we didn't tell him sooner.”
Beth grumbled intelligibly. Of course Sam was right, but it didn’t make her feel any better about the situation. “Can we wait a little longer, please? I promise we’ll tell him, just a little longer.” Just a little longer of it being just the two of them with no expectations or opinions.
Sam pulled her hand up and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “Okay just a little while longer.”
A little while longer would have turned into weeks had Sam not put her foot down and said that they had to tell Josh only a few days later. Beth only agreed to go along with Sam’s demands because Sam agreed to be there with her when she came out to Josh and Hannah and told them that they were dating. Hopefully no one would freak out and they could get a good lunch or something. Maybe go see a movie.
She texted Josh and Hannah to make sure they would be home around noon. And then she waited, nervously clenching at Sam’s hand when she wasn’t pacing a moat into the living room floor. She just wanted them both to be here already so that she could get this over with to either confirm or deny her anxiety over the whole thing.
“Please sit down,” Sam said, patting the seat beside her. “You’re making me nervous, and I wasn’t even worried before now.” Beth wrinkled her nose at the suggestion, but sat down anyway. “They’re going to be here any minute now, do you know what you’re going to say?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “Oh yeah, got it all nailed down, I’m going to start with ‘hey Josh and Hannah, guess what? I’m gay! And Sam here is my girl, yep my girl.’”
Sam snorted. “Yeah, that sounds great.”
“Well I don’t really know how else to say it, coming out doesn’t come with a manual and I’ve checked websites for advice and they all say that each person is different, so that’s no help either.”
“Which are you more worried about right now?”
“Is both an option?”
“Beth.”
Beth sighed. “I think Hannah actually.”
Sam raised her eyebrows. “Really? Doesn’t she already know about the whole lesbian thing?”
She nodded. “Sure she knows that part, but not that I’m dating you. You’re her best friend, how’s that going to make her feel?”
“Hopefully happy for both of us?”
Beth made a face but didn’t argue with Sam about the topic. “I’m just-“
“Nervous, believe me I know.”
Before Beth could dwell on it any longer they heard the front door open.
“Beth!” Josh’s voice echoed through the house. “Hannah and I are here!” She heard the clatter of Josh kicking off his shoes. “Where are you?”
Beth had to clear her throat a few times before the words could come out. “I-In the living room!” Each footstep she heard made her anxiety spike and she was once again thankful for Sam’s calming presence. Josh and Hannah walked through the archway and gave her a smile when they saw her.
“Hey Beth,” Hannah said, her eyebrows raised towards her hairline, “and Sam?”
Josh looked equally confused. “I thought this was a family conversation,” he said before sending Sam a sheepish expression. “No offense Sam.”
Sam shrugged. “I’m here for moral support.”
“Moral support?” Josh asked. “Why do you need moral support?” His shoulders hunched a little. “You know you can tell us everything, right?”
Beth nodded her head hurriedly seeing Josh’s reaction. “I know, I know, I just didn’t-don’t know how to tell you this,” Beth confessed.
Hannah tilted her head. “Should we sit down?”
“Yes, god please sit down,” Beth said.
Hannah and Josh sat down warily on the couch in front of them, the awkward silence stretching as the seconds passed. Beth couldn’t meet anyone’s eyes, still trying to muddle through what she was going to say. Sam was trying to rub comforting circles into Beth’s back, but it wasn’t really doing much to calm her down.
Josh cleared his throat. “So uh-“
“I’m gay,” Beth said. It wasn’t exactly how she wanted to reveal her sexuality to her family, but it just came out and she couldn’t stop it now. The room was silent for a moment, and Beth swore her heartbeat was echoing against the walls. Sam leaned against her to offer her some support but she was focused on Josh and Hannah. Hannah didn’t look surprised by the revelation, not that she would seeing as how she’d already guessed Beth’s sexuality months ago. But Josh wasn’t showing any emotion, his mouth parted slightly a blank look in his eyes. “Well? Are you going to say anything?”
“I already knew Beth,” Hannah said with a shrug, “so this isn’t exactly news to me.”
Beth nodded. “Yeah, okay, cool, and uh- you Josh? You still in there?”
Josh blinked a few times before focusing on Beth. “So, you’re a lesbian?” Josh asked, his voice bereft of emotion.
“Yep.”
Josh made a confirming noise before shooting her a mischievous grin. “Is that all? Man, I thought you were going to tell us you needed to hide a body or something with the look you had on your face when we got here.” Beth’s jaw dropped a little. “What? Did you think we would suddenly not love you anymore? Because sorry Beth-y Bear, you’re stuck with us.”
Beth felt her eyes water, but quickly blinked them away. “Thanks guys.”
Hannah snorted. “You don’t need to thank us you dork.”
“Hey you’re the dork,” Beth shot back.
“We’re all dorks,” Josh said.
Sam laughed. “I resent that, I’m just surrounded by dorks,” she said.
Josh laughed. “Yeah okay, Sammy.” Once he calmed down he really looked at Sam. “So, were you really here for moral support or something else, Sam?”
Beth had assumed that Josh wouldn’t question why Sam was here with her, but she supposed it made it easier to breach the topic. Hannah was now looking between her and Sam with her eyebrows raised. She turned to Sam, but Sam was giving her that look she’d give her when she was encouraging Beth to do something. Aw, damn it Sam, can’t you tell them something?
“Okay, don’t get mad,” Beth said raising her hands. She winced, great start there Beth. “Sam and I have been dating for a while now.”
“About two months now,” Sam chimed in.
Josh grinned at the two of them again. “So Sammy’s part of the family then?” He pondered the idea for a moment before nodding his head. “Yeah, I like it. Though you really could have told me sooner Beth, I wouldn’t have done anything besides have a little chat with Sam about the consequences of hurting you.”
“And I’d talk to you, Beth, to let you know the consequences of hurting my best friend,” Hannah said, her arms crossed. Hannah looked a bit conflicted about the reveal of Sam and Beth’s relationship and Beth could have smack herself at not thinking about how Hannah would feel. Why wouldn’t her twin feel like she was taking her best friend away from her?
“But you’re okay with us?” Beth asked.
Hannah sighed. “It’ll take some getting used to, but I want you two to be happy,” Hannah’s soft smile came out, “and if that’s the two of you together in a relationship, well that’s fine with me.” Hannah mockingly brought her hand to her forehead. “I guess I’ll have to find someone else to talk smack about you to.”
Beth gave an indignant cry, but quickly dissolved into relieved laughter. She scurried over to her siblings and threw her arms around them, her head fitting nicely between the two of them. “I love you guys.” If her voice was watery no one brought it up. “Thank you for being accepting.”
“We love you too much to let something like that make us think differently about you,” Josh said, his plaid shirt scratchy but warm against her exposed skin.
“Yeah, we love you too,” Hannah said, carding her fingers through Beth’s hair like Sam did. “Sam, come join the family hug.”
Sam laughed a little wetly before Beth felt her join the hug. It looks like Sam was right in the end, her family loved her and accepted her.
Summary: What would have happened if Beth wasn’t the one to chase after Hannah, but Sam? What would have happened it Beth went back a year later on the request of her brother? What would happen if Beth was trapped with a bunch of people she hated fighting for her life? Nothing good.
He knew, logically, that he should still be pissed about Josh’s deranged prank. And it’s not like he wasn’t pissed off — he was — but it was complicated. Chris had always seen Josh as a fixed point in his life, the planet he revolved around. Josh was the idea guy, and Chris was his yes-man. Josh said jump, Chris said how high. The rational part of Chris knew it was codependent, but that’s how they’d always been. He didn’t want that to change.
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Or, it's a few months post-prank and Chris still has nightmares. He and Josh get high, watch a dumb movie, and talk about the shit they've been avoiding.
read on ao3
i done did it again. post-canon, josh lives au. did y'all know i love reckless devotion and insane codependent boy best friends.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 34/35
Fandom: Until Dawn (Video Game)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Additional Tags: Wendigo Josh, Mental Health Issues, Drug Use, Rescue Missions, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Canon-Typical Violence, Major character death - Freeform, Slow Burn, Canon Compliant, Eventual Smut, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, yes the Washington girls are an active part of this, Redemption, Major Character Injury, Ghosts, Implied/Referenced Suicide attempt
Summary:
A prophetic dream shared between the seven "survivors" forces them to face the possibility that Josh was left alive on the mountain. As Sam and the others rush to save him, they discover that there is more unfinished business on Mount Washington than they realized. Everyone will be forced to face their demons. At least they have each other. And hey, what are friends for if not to keep you alive?
