ofmoonlitmagic - Tumblr blog

[ofmoonlitmagic]

❛ i feel safe with you. ❜ ( Billie )

𝟐𝟎𝟎 𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐎𝐌 𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐔𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐓𝐒 

"Can you just go, please?" It was harsher than he intended, everything was today. No matter what he did, how far away he got in both time and space, his father would follow. The blood in his veins, half of his DNA, would forever link one to the other. Especially as the coming moon seemed to boil it. "You know what, you'll be safe if you just stay here tonight, I'll go, and I'll--I'll just come get you tomorrow."

What happened to Mom? Dad, what happened?

It haunted him. What his father had been capable of, what that meant he was capable of. If he ever hurt her, even unintentionally, that was the unforgivable thing. He couldn't get his temper in check on days like these, or he didn't know if he could.

Her touch was gentle, unafraid--a stark contrast to everything around and in him. ❛ i feel safe with you. ❜

His heartbeat steadied, his fists unclenched, and he could breathe. "Who I am, what I am," he tried to explain quietly, tone drowning in the shame of things he hadn't even done yet, "it demands the worst of me. But you...Billie, I'd never hurt you. I swear to God, I'd never hurt you." He wasn't sure who he was trying to convince because she didn't carry a single doubt in her expression. "I--" He paused, exhaled out a forceful breath as if he could rid himself of feeling. "--I'm afraid of what I am...and what you'll see in the worst of me." But leaving her? Even for the night, they both knew that wasn't a legitimate option.

[ofmoonlitmagic]

❛ treat me like the princess that i am! ❜ (Lucas)

𝟐𝟎𝟎 𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐎𝐌 𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐔𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐓𝐒 

Crescent parties were truly an experience. If anyone knew how to live, it was this pack. One of the brightest spots in becoming a Mikaelson was the proper introduction into his entire whole world. His dad's view on pack had been very different than the one he found here, and he was finally starting to unravel those beliefs into something that he should have felt.

Having talked--no, begged--Billie into coming back into town to see one of these parties, and he'd be lying if there wasn't part of him that hoped it might convince her to hang around a little longer. Her adventures sounded great, and as happy as he was she was getting to see all sorts of things, he missed her. What did the world have that they couldn't find here?

❛ treat me like the princess that i am! ❜

His gaze was ripped away from where Billie was standing to his very intoxicated best friend. "Dude, what?" He laughed, his own joint still in hand as this was way funnier than it should have otherwise been. Some makeshift tiara that he figured, by proximity, Riley had just bestowed upon him sent him into further fits of laughter.

"Andy!" He called, "where's she? Hey! Come get your boy, please. We've got to cut him off. Or start bowing down, and I think that's your job." As his eyes drifted away from Andy, he caught Billie's. For a second, the laughter from the group around them faded into a gentle hum, and he was mesmerized.

As the world kicked back up into normal rhythm, he motioned for Billie to come back over and split this joint with him before returning his attention to Lucas, teasing, "sorry, what was that, Your Royal Highness? What can we get you?"

When people say 'the good ol' days', this is what they meant.

[ofmoonlitmagic]

❛ you’re a terrible flirt you know. ❜ ( Abel )

𝟐𝟎𝟎 𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐎𝐌 𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐔𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐓𝐒 

The days felt both short and long, moving as though life was only moon to moon. As best he could, Briggs kept Abel's mind busy with other things. "So anytime she asks for advice, I just tell her to break up with her, which I get, in hindsight, is not the most supportive thing. But if she's got one foot out the door with Ri, then I say let the door hit her on the way out. She needs someone all-in, that's all I'm saying." The energy came forced out, keeping things as light as possible, when, in actuality, if they spent too much time looking around there was none.

"Hey, so I was thinking, on the positive side of things. You're gonna look that baby-faced forever. A lot of people who aged like shit are wishing they could look as hot as they did when they were 21."

❛ you’re a terrible flirt you know. ❜

There he was, that was something. It wasn't a lot, not for either of them. They were gripping onto their sanities with worn down, weakened fingers. He'd never asked, not about how any of it felt. For Briggs, the moon was in the veins, coursing through instead of blood, infecting the mind. He wasn't sure it'd ever come out.

"Bro, I'm out of practice. Usually I can just scan a crowd for someone with bad intentions, give a little," he gave a brief demonstration of the look before a small, amused smirk broke through, "and before I know it, it's ungodly things in dark, dark corners of Viper or some shady ass motel. The people I want don't usually give a shit about flirting. Ri does the dating for the both of us, it's not my thing." Anymore.

Shifting a little to face Abel more directly, he joked, "but hit me, teach me how to flirt, Yoda. Let's go, we've got nothin' but time." Making a playful motion with his fingers, he invited him to play along, "come on, flirt with me."

[ofmoonlitmagic]

❛ have a drink with me. ❜ //nova and Briggs flashback

𝟐𝟎𝟎 𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐎𝐌 𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐔𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐓𝐒 

School dances were kinda lame, and the playlist lacked a lot to be desired. All of that said, Briggs wasn't having the worst time. He'd tease her about looking like a proper lady, and she'd ramble about the history of Sadie Hawkins and totally random statistics no one should actually know off-hand. "Nov, c'mon, you just made that up," he'd stated after one such fact, though he laughed with the ease of someone who almost forgot his childhood wasn't normal.

They wouldn't have very many moments like this left--the silent, invisible countdown to tragedy begun--but that was something neither could have ever predicted in this particular one. What would the world have been if they could have stayed right here? If the tragedy, the violence, the separation never reached them?

❛ have a drink with me. ❜

"Please," he teasingly prompted, "someone lost her manners in that fancy dress." Nudging her playfully in the side before his hand slid into hers to be guided toward the drink table, he agreed, "yeah, yeah, don't have to ask me twice. Drinks on you, right?" The fact they were free didn't matter. "Or does your obligation end at the invitation?"

[ofmoonlitmagic]

i want to help you, but you'll have to tell me what these dreams are about.  (Briggs and Gia)

🐝  *  ―  𝑫𝑹𝑬𝑨𝑴𝑺 𝑨𝑵𝑫 𝑵𝑰𝑮𝑯𝑻𝑴𝑨𝑹𝑬𝑺 𝑺𝑬𝑵𝑻𝑬𝑵𝑪𝑬 𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑹𝑻𝑬𝑹𝑺.

"She's not here," he hollered at the senator as he saw her approach. She was, but Gianna wasn't getting to her today. Not if he had any say in it. He didn't know if she knew all he had overheard, but he had yet to see anything selfless in the poor excuse for a mother before him. She wanted to absolve her own guilt, make herself bearable in her own mind. None of that should have ever been Billie's burden. "I know a good therapist if you want one, though. Think I've got a card around here somewhere." Maybe she'd stop using Billie for all her inner shit if she actually started working on it herself.

He was well aware that she didn't like him, but he didn't lose any sleep over it. "What do you want, Senator?" He asked, "you've made it clear if it was up to you, she'd not be here. So why the hell are you?"

"i want to help you, but you'll have to tell me what these dreams are about."

A scoff met that comment. "Yeah, let me look at what we have on dream interpretation." However, there was a part of him relieved. She didn't know anything, so she couldn't suck Billie into the banshee angle. She had nothing to offer there, to them at all. "But if you're like Bill? You want the banshee section of the library because you're probably predicting death."

@giannaxmadden

[ofmoonlitmagic]

❝i can't offer you the life you have with them, i know that.❞ ( Billie hehe )

𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐢 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝(‘𝐧𝐭) 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 ; 𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑢𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑡𝑠

"--And this house, you should see this house. Like houses shouldn't be that big. I used to know some rich ass people, but this is next level. What classifies as a castle? Do you know? This might. Anyway, one of the moms is a witch too, and not like 'been doing this a few years', but like ancient. I'm not even kidding, I didn't know people that old were still alive. I'm talking Vikings, Bill, and not the football team. And she's gonna teach me--"

He paused as he looked at her, sometimes he hated how well he knew her. "There's a room," he tried anyway, "right next to mine. They're a little wacky maybe, but it's safe." He knew they were gonna argue over this, he could see it. "You can, you can come with me. Or I'll just stay. If you're not ready for all that, we'll just wait. We're doing great, you and me. We've got this figured it."

❝i can't offer you the life you have with them, i know that.❞

"You are my life," he pleaded softly, the reality sinking into his bones. This couldn't be how they parted ways. "I don't need it, Billie, I don't. I've never had a family, I won't miss it. I promise I won't. I like what we built together. That's more of a home than I've ever known. Just--just let me stay with you. If you don't want to go, I'll stay with you. We'll be fine, we'll be fine."

As she told her lies, he still to this day does not know how she convinced him. Maybe, in his delusional mind, he saw an end. Every lie promised it wouldn't be long, and they'd be together. Every time, he believed it.

And he'd go and she'd stay.

Or rather, she'd go, and he'd stay.

Until she was...gone.

[ofmoonlitmagic]

❛ you snore in your sleep. it’s adorable. ❜ ( Billie )

𝟐𝟎𝟎 𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐎𝐌 𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐔𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐓𝐒 

Waking to the occasional crinkle of a bag and the soothing sounds of her pencil to paper, Briggs muttered with half-lidded eyes, "if you're drawing me in my sleep, that's creepy." The way she giggled really shouldn't make his stomach do these kinds of flips, and yet...shit, he could chase that sound forever.

❛ you snore in your sleep. it’s adorable. ❜

"I don't snore," he argued as he finally brought hand to blanket-covered floor and pushed himself up. A slight tug at the corner of his lips then formed as he caught her gaze and cheekily added, "but if you think it's adorable, maybe I do." It had been a terrifying idea when he stumbled out of his house to face the world alone. Now he didn't have to, he'd never be alone again and neither would she.

With one more shove off the ground, he hopped up and went over to the bag to check how much cash they had left. He'd need to hit the crowds later, for sure, making a mental note of that. Pocketing some, he came over to where she sat and tapped her on the nose. "That's not breakfast," he murmured, nodding toward the snack she'd been eating. "Sweet Salvation's around the corner, we've got enough for somethin'. What do you want?"

[ofmoonlitmagic]

❝it's too late to say it, but i wanted to say it anyway.❞ - Abel

𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐢 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝(‘𝐧𝐭) 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 ; 𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑢𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑡𝑠

He moved the anchor point of the chains, a subtle change but one that allowed a little more space to move around. Any protest for his being here dismissed. "What are you going to do? Kill me?"

The horror of those first cracks of bone really should be something he was used to by now, but there was a newness to them every time. Especially when it was in his friend who didn't deserve this. At least with his dad, he could cling to the subtle, perhaps twisted sense of vengeance in it. Not Abel, there was nothing about this that was fair. Nothing about this world or his three years in it.

Briggs sat at a safe distance, and he would leave when the time came. Until then, he was stay as long as possible. Abel was mumbling to himself now, delirious from unimaginable pain.

❝it's too late to say it, but i wanted to say it anyway.❞

He wanted to argue, say she was part of the reason they were both locked in here, but that's not what he needed right now. Neither would ever speak of this anyway.

"You'll see her," he offered, knowing he'd couldn't say the same for himself. "It's not too late yet. We'll get out." Would they?

"I promise."

[ofmoonlitmagic]

BRIGGS | LAINE | ZERA | REBEKAH | MARNI

𝟐𝟎𝟎 𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐎𝐌 𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐔𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐓𝐒 

from this generator.

❛ close your eyes and hold out your hands. ❜ ❛ what are you smiling at? ❜ ❛ i can’t leave you alone for one minute, can i? ❜ ❛ was it you? did you do all this? ❜ ❛ i don’t know how you do this every day… ❜ ❛ that is not an appropriate question to ask a lady you’ve just met. ❜ ❛ i’m not sorry. ❜ ❛ i did warn you not to trust me. ❜ ❛ do you remember anything? at all? ❜ ❛ you’re lucky you’re cute. ❜ ❛ why don’t you just kill me? ❜ ❛ did you hurt yourself? ❜ ❛ i could show you the way. ❜ ❛ i don’t feel so good. ❜ ❛ you owe me a dinner. a very nice dinner. ❜ ❛ don’t go. please. ❜ ❛ you wanna know what your problem is? ❜ ❛ i’m here to drink alone. ❜ ❛ don’t run away from this. ❜ ❛ i’m just saying, murder is an option. ❜ ❛ i didn’t realize you were in so much pain. ❜ ❛ i guess it runs in the family, huh? ❜ ❛ you wouldn’t understand. ❜ ❛ we’ve been through a lot. i think we should just lay low and take it easy. ❜ ❛ dangerous to be out so late. ❜ ❛ i hope you haven’t been standing out in the cold this whole time. ❜ ❛ i made a mistake. ❜ ❛ am i not good enough? ❜ ❛ i’m going to get you out of here. ❜ ❛ why did you bring me here? ❜ ❛ aren’t we in a good mood today? ❜ ❛ don’t shut me out. please. ❜ ❛ the storm’s getting worse. ❜ ❛ i never meant to hurt you. ❜ ❛ you’re about as intimidating as a butterfly. ❜ ❛ have you come to laugh at me in my miserable state? ❜ ❛ here, take this. you’ll catch a cold. ❜ ❛ this is the part where you leave. ❜ ❛ why are you talking like we’ll never see each other again? ❜ ❛ you stepped on my foot! ❜ ❛ you’re not a very convincing liar. ❜ ❛ we’re in completely different leagues. ❜ ❛ how did you find me? ❜ ❛ i don’t need you anymore. ❜ ❛ rough day today? ❜ ❛ snap out of it! ❜ ❛ you look better in my clothes than i do. ❜ ❛ why are you still here? ❜ ❛ can i ask… what happened? ❜ ❛ are you saying you care about me? ❜ ❛ i won’t let anyone hurt you. ❜ ❛ it’s not stealing if it was mine to begin with. ❜ ❛ well, this is where i live. ❜ ❛ we’re not so different after all. ❜ ❛ how long have i been asleep? ❜ ❛ no more lies, no more secrets. ❜ ❛ can you forgive me? ❜ ❛ i thought you… i saw you get shot. ❜ ❛ why are you really here? ❜ ❛ i wish we never met. ❜ ❛ you look like you need a hug. ❜ ❛ would you run away with me? ❜ ❛ see? i’m not just a pretty face. ❜ ❛ we can stop them. i can help you. ❜ ❛ what now? i’m tired. ❜ ❛ i didn’t want you to see me like this. ❜ ❛ i can’t do this without you. ❜ ❛ if you tell me yours, i’ll tell you mine. ❜ ❛ are you threatening me? ❜ ❛ did you ever care about me? ❜ ❛ treat me like the princess that i am! ❜ ❛ i’m not leaving you. ❜ ❛ why did you come? ❜ ❛ i need your help… and you need mine. ❜ ❛ i wish i could hate you. ❜ ❛ i see you don’t recognize me. well, it was a long time ago. ❜ ❛ you’ve lost a lot of blood. ❜ ❛ i had my suspicions, but until now i wasn’t sure. ❜ ❛ there’s nothing left for me here. ❜ ❛ that is… literally illegal. you’re describing something illegal. ❜ ❛ wait. i’ve heard that sound before. ❜ ❛ just try to hang on. ❜ ❛ so why’s it so important anyway? ❜ ❛ i’ll stay in tonight, thanks. ❜ ❛ we can’t keep going on like this. ❜ ❛ in about a minute, you’ll be sorry you didn’t listen to me. ❜ ❛ is this seat taken? sorry, it’s a bit crowded here. ❜ ❛ you can’t leave me here alone! ❜ ❛ i’ll believe it when i see it. ❜ ❛ why are you laughing? this is a very serious situation. ❜ ❛ i bought two. here. ❜ ❛ i’ve seen you before, walking by. ❜ ❛ why can’t i come with you? ❜ ❛ c'mon. aren’t you worried what might happen if we go? ❜ ❛ walk with me? ❜ ❛ it’s very rude to stare. ❜ ❛ how many times have i told you? you can’t visit me here. ❜ ❛ we can’t fix this. can we? ❜ ❛ are you going to kill me? ❜ ❛ it’s not like you can stop me. ❜ ❛ it’s not safe for people to see us together. ❜ ❛ take me with you. ❜ ❛ some risks are worth taking. ❜ ❛ let them go. take me instead. ❜ ❛ what do you want in exchange for it? ❜ ❛ is being drunk an excuse? ❜ ❛ promise me you won’t overreact. ❜ ❛ how can i possibly trust you? after all you’ve done. ❜ ❛ how long have you been standing there? ❜ ❛ why did you wake me? ❜ ❛ i’m not here to talk about my feelings. ❜ ❛ you were going to leave without saying goodbye? ❜ ❛ for some reason, i’m attracted to you. ❜ ❛ promise me? ❜ ❛ it’s nothing, i’m just tired. ❜ ❛ i feel safe with you. ❜ ❛ i don’t need your help. ❜ ❛ i think i have a bit more experience with this thing than you do. ❜ ❛ no way, i’m not doing that. ❜ ❛ i do care. ❜ ❛ you snore in your sleep. it’s adorable. ❜ ❛ i have a spare bed. ❜ ❛ you’re very kind. some day it’ll get you killed. ❜ ❛ you’ll always have a home with me. ❜ ❛ of course i care. you’re my family. ❜ ❛ you shouldn’t insult people that are bigger than you. ❜ ❛ i never wanted to hurt you. ❜ ❛ i swear it wasn’t me. ❜ ❛ we can just sit here, you don’t have to talk. ❜ ❛ did you miss me? ❜ ❛ this isn’t just about you. it’s about what’s best for all of us. ❜ ❛ you can never admit when you’re wrong! ❜ ❛ is this what you wanted? ❜ ❛ what are you doing out here by yourself? ❜ ❛ sorry to put you through that. i guess i owe you one now. ❜ ❛ the only time you talk to me is when you need something. ❜ ❛ i’m still learning. ❜ ❛ if you have something to say, spit it out. ❜ ❛ you… don’t like me very much, do you? ❜ ❛ i’m on your side. ❜ ❛ i risked my life for you! ❜ ❛ whatever you’re going to ask, the answer is no. ❜ ❛ you can stay with me. ❜ ❛ i just need time. ❜ ❛ please don’t do this, don’t act like you care. ❜ ❛ who the hell invited you? ❜ ❛ what? no witty remark? nothing clever to say? ❜ ❛ i just wanted to say i’m sorry. ❜ ❛ think of it as a compliment. ❜ ❛ do you ever stop being so serious and dull? ❜ ❛ it’s rare to see your kind around here. ❜ ❛ you remember me. that’s good. ❜ ❛ you’re a terrible flirt you know. ❜ ❛ are you kidding me? we’re not ‘fine’! ❜ ❛ right now i wish i was dead. ❜ ❛ i guess i should’ve told you. ❜ ❛ you’re not alone. i’m here. ❜ ❛ you’ve been so quiet. what’s on your mind? ❜ ❛ knowledge is power. ❜ ❛ you scared me. ❜ ❛ well, what’s so strange about that? ❜ ❛ don’t look at me like that. ❜ ❛ i want to be there when you get what’s coming to you. ❜ ❛ just who do you think you are? ❜ ❛ you look… amazing. ❜ ❛ we’re safe, aren’t we? ❜ ❛ you know, i really hoped i’d never see this place again. ❜ ❛ don’t touch me. get away from me. ❜ ❛ i thought you’d like this. ❜ ❛ it’s too dark, i can’t see anything. ❜ ❛ what’s that smug look for? you think you can do any better? ❜ ❛ who did you piss off this time? ❜ ❛ you should’ve thought about that before you got into a fight. ❜ ❛ i only wanted to help. ❜ ❛ you knew and you didn’t tell me? ❜ ❛ you don’t scare me. ❜ ❛ wow, look who remembered my existence. ❜ ❛ change isn’t easy. ❜ ❛ why did you help me? ❜ ❛ why do you hate me? ❜ ❛ i can’t even trust myself anymore. ❜ ❛ i was making sure you weren’t dead, since you never called. ❜ ❛ you look awful. what happened? ❜ ❛ are you here to kill me? ❜ ❛ you know you aren’t allowed in here, right? ❜ ❛ was that a friend of yours? ❜ ❛ two years later and you haven’t changed. ❜ ❛ you look like you just saw a ghost. ❜ ❛ nobody tells me what to do. ❜ ❛ you’re too scared to do it, aren’t you? ❜ ❛ come on. it can’t be that bad. ❜ ❛ i hope to repay your kindness someday. ❜ ❛ just let me do this for you. ❜ ❛ why were they coming after you? ❜ ❛ how many people have you killed? how many? ❜ ❛ how much do you value your life? ❜ ❛ you don’t know when to give up, do you? ❜ ❛ don’t lie to me. ❜ ❛ i’m not sober enough to talk about this. ❜ ❛ have a drink with me. ❜

[ofmoonlitmagic]

❝i've missed your voice.❞ - Billie // flashback?

𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐢 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝(‘𝐧𝐭) 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 ; 𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑢𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑡𝑠

He was supposed to be focusing on his lesson, but his eyes darted repeatedly over to his phone instead. With the occasional peek back at his mom to make sure she didn't notice, he'd instantly close his eyes when inevitably she was noticing. The phone buzzed, and his hand shot out to grab it. She was back.

'Don't tell me where you are, I want to try something,' he texted back before striking a deal with his mom that made everybody happy. He'd practice his magic, and he wouldn't have to miss another second with Billie. Grabbing a map and one of Billie's pencils that had fallen to the bottom of his bag last time, he brought it back where his mom waited.

"Phasmatos Tribum, Nas Ex Veras, Sequitas Sanguinem," he spoke over the object. Her location appearing on the map, he snatched it up, kissed his mom on the cheek before gathering his bag and filling it with a blanket and her favorite snacks as though he were on a game show racing a clock. "Thanks for the lesson, bye!" He shouted back as he disappeared out the door and down the street.

Sneaking up behind Billie, he brought the map around in front of her face in proud display, "found ya!" He wrapped his arms around her, feeling the world made right again as he held her. Letting her take the map, he remained hovered over her shoulder as he pointed out the spot, "see, there. I hope you haven't been looking for your red pencil because I found that too." His laugh rang freely through the air as he finally moved back and extended his hand for hers instead.

As they ran deeper into the woods, he kept talking as if they hadn't been texting every single day, "...and I got a blanket and some snacks you might like. We can sit out here for as long as we want, and I was thinking--" He glanced behind him, catching a look on her face. "--What?"

❝i've missed your voice.❞

Stopping for a second, he turned around to face her, finding her gaze with his own, "I've missed you."

[ofmoonlitmagic]

you'd think we'd be better at saying 'goodbye'. (Jack and Briggs)

𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐢 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝(‘𝐧𝐭) 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 ; 𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑢𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑡𝑠

24 hours of silence, then a few days of everything and nothing. The world kept moving, and that was the most twisted thing of all. There was a gaping hole in it, and no one seemed to notice.

He'd put it off long enough, and he'd made a promise. Waiting for her to show, he tried to rehearse the futile. The second he saw her, he knew he'd forget anything planned. Eight months their Billie had been missing, and he could see the reflection in her eyes as she walked up and he was almost sure she was looking for her. It was rare he would show up without her. "I found her," he said, the words heavier than a positive outcome would be, "or she found me, but..um, she's gone, Jack."

---

It took a few minutes for the realization to settle into anything for words to come through when at last, Jackie said, "you'd think we'd be better at saying 'goodbye'."

He nodded, unable to form anything for a long few beats. "She wasn't in pain. It was peaceful," he finally offered, but he wasn't Billie. He couldn't say things like she could. "And um, she wanted you to know how much she loves you. Shit, she has always loved you more than anyone on this planet." Except maybe...

Pausing, he exhaled. "If you need anything...ya know, you can text or whatever. We'll still have each other, it's what she'd want."

@jackiexmiller

[ofmoonlitmagic]

❛ do you want to tell me about it?❜ - Keelin

🐝  *  ―  𝑫𝑹𝑬𝑨𝑴𝑺 𝑨𝑵𝑫 𝑵𝑰𝑮𝑯𝑻𝑴𝑨𝑹𝑬𝑺 𝑺𝑬𝑵𝑻𝑬𝑵𝑪𝑬 𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑹𝑻𝑬𝑹𝑺.

Time...passed. The sun was starting to peek from the horizon, a reminder the world was still spinning somehow. The new day came with no regard to who was now missing from it. Of all the things he learned of nature in the last few years, this was maybe the worst: it didn't care. It gave him no way to save her, it consumed her, and it kept going.

The entirety of his body was emptied, numb to everything that wasn't intense, unending pain. She was gone. No more texts, no more visits, no more hopes she'd one day be able to stay. She was just gone, and the best of him with her. It was never any good to anybody else. The heart? That was only ever good for her.

He parked his car, walked inside, and stood in the entry of the Compound. The silence was loud, it was violent and it was welcomed. For a second, a single, beautiful second, he shut his eyes and he felt dead too.

Footsteps forced his eyes to reopen, and he was convinced Billie was going to appear. Despite all he knew, he believed. But she didn't. She wouldn't. She wasn't coming back. One look at his mother, his chin began to wobble unchecked, but he couldn't say a word.

❛ do you want to tell me about it?❜

He didn't say it with words, though he wanted to reassure her it wasn't his blood as he briefly glanced down at the state of himself. He found her gaze and that said enough. His body finally gave, crashing toward the ground before he was caught by his momma. She cradled him in her arms, and he clung to her in his breaking.

And time...passed.

[ofmoonlitmagic]

BRIGGS | LAINE | ZERA | REBEKAH | MARNI

𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐢 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝('𝐧𝐭) 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 ; 𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑢𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑡𝑠

a collection of slightly heart-ache-inspired dialogue prompts by me. change pronouns/tenses/details as needed.

❝ i've been thinking about you a lot. ❞

❝ i can't keep you off my mind. ❞

❝ why do you have to go? ❞

❝ you'd think we'd be better at saying 'goodbye'. ❞

❝ you shouldn't look at me like that. ❞

❝ i shouldn't think about you that way. ❞

❝ do you think we missed our chance? ❞

❝ have i been on your mind? ❞

❝ you are never far from my thoughts. ❞

❝ i can feel your heart beating faster. ❞

❝ i miss the way you smell. ❞

❝ i know i shouldn't, but i want to see you. ❞

❝ you make it easy for me to be myself. ❞

❝ it's always been you, i don't know why. ❞

❝ i've missed your voice. ❞

❝ it should have been me. ❞

❝ i wish i'd known all this before we ended up here. ❞

❝ i hope the way i feel doesn't make things harder between us. ❞

❝ i can't offer you the life you have with them, i know that. ❞

❝ do you wish it was me? ❞

❝ you are my person, i know that. i should have said it before. ❞

❝ you're the only one that makes me feel safe. ❞

❝ it's too late to say it, but i wanted to say it anyway.❞

[ofmoonlitmagic]

BRIGGS | LAINE | ZERA | REBEKAH | MARNI

🐝  *  ―  𝑫𝑹𝑬𝑨𝑴𝑺 𝑨𝑵𝑫 𝑵𝑰𝑮𝑯𝑻𝑴𝑨𝑹𝑬𝑺 𝑺𝑬𝑵𝑻𝑬𝑵𝑪𝑬 𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑹𝑻𝑬𝑹𝑺.

❛  last night, i had the craziest dream ...  ❜ ❛  have you ever had a recurring dream?  ❜ ❛  sometimes, my dreams feel more real than reality itself.  ❜ ❛  i wish i could still remember what i dreamt about last night.  ❜ ❛  only thing i remember is that it was a nice dream.  ❜ ❛  do you believe dreams have any deeper meaning?  ❜ ❛  i often wonder what it would be like to live inside my dreams.  ❜ ❛  do you wanna hear about my dream?  ❜ ❛  have you ever experienced lucid dreams where you could control the outcome?  ❜ ❛  i'm telling you, this is all playing out exactly like my dream.  ❜ ❛  what's the strangest dream you ever had?  ❜ ❛  you were part of my dream last night.  ❜ ❛  i think i had this dream before.  ❜ ❛  maybe if i close my eyes i can convince myself that this is only just a dream.  ❜ ❛  looks like you're lost in daydreams again.  ❜ ❛  i'm not sure what this dream was trying to tell me ...  ❜ ❛  can you tell me about your dream?  ❜ ❛  sometimes, i wish i could control my dreams just so i could make them all happy ones.  ❜ ❛  do you ever have dreams that feel so real they're almost like nightmares?  ❜ ❛  calm down. you're okay, you're safe. it was just a dream.  ❜ ❛  i want to help you, but you'll have to tell me what these dreams are about.  ❜ ❛  it felt so real ...  ❜ ❛  i thought you'd said those dreams had stopped.  ❜ ❛  do you have an idea what may cause these nightmares?  ❜ ❛  did you have another nightmare?  ❜ ❛  i just want them to stop ...  ❜ ❛  i wish i could dream of something beautiful or peaceful for a change.  ❜ ❛  can you just hold me tonight? i always sleep better with you here ...  ❜ ❛  do you want to tell me about it?  ❜ ❛  you don't have to stay here tonight. i'm gonna wake up in a few hours because of my nightmares anyway.  ❜ ❛  there has to be a reason for this recurring nightmare ...  ❜ ❛  you just go to sleep. i'll watch over you tonight.  ❜ ❛  this has to be my worst nightmare yet.  ❜

[ofmoonlitmagic]

Of course Briggs had been listening. Then again, he was always attuned to her, he couldn't actively avoid her voice even if he wanted to. While he did love Jack and they had a lot of fun when she was around, he did take issue sometimes with her pattern of vanishing acts. Maybe she didn't know about the mom stuff--though if anyone besides him did, she would--but she did know about the gala and she hadn't been here for a lot of that aftermath. It wasn't something he forgot either that when he and Billie met, they had both been alone. She probably should be sorry for some things, but it didn't surprise him at all that Billie told her she didn't have to be.

A smile did appear as the girls got to share a moment about the marriage as sisters should, and though he couldn't see her right now, he was very familiar with the way Billie would be beaming. He was grateful Jack could be happy for them, even though he could hear the hesitation in his wife's voice as she told her and that was something he wished hadn't ever been needed.

Hearing his instructions, or text, Briggs almost said aloud 'I know' but caught himself at the last second. Off he went, putting in the order for the pizza, he stopped by Sweet Salvation while he waited because he was nothing if not an overachiever. Just because she didn't ask for sweets didn't mean she wasn't going to want any once she was done with her pizza. With a box full of baked goodies for the three to share, he retrieved the pizza before returning to the ladies, finding them easily by the fire pit. Setting down the food, he leaned in to kiss Billie, teasing her in a subtle way, "I got your text. And I double-checked, it's drowning in pepperoni." Turning to her sister, he brought his hand in for a cool handshake she was always good for, "Captain Jack, always a pleasure. By the looks of those smiles when I walked in, I guess she's told you our news?" He had to admit, he nailed that, almost convinced himself he didn't actually know.

@jackiexmiller

'It'll always be you.'

Those words had meant more to her than she could ever express, more than she could ever deserve. And there's a warmth flowing through her veins as she ponders on them for a second. She wished she'd been a better sister to Billie, she wished she could have protected her, been there for her always. But there is a painful realisation that Billie had always been there for her more. Protected her more. And a sting of selfishness, and regret, cools down that feeling of warmth and she's left with nothing but a weak resolve to try and be better from now on. Her sister had always been the stronger, out of the two, or so Jackie told herself every time she'd leave, every time she'd call her and worry her sick in the middle of the night. And Billie put up with all of it. Understood all of it. But there was only so much grace even the most graceful person could offer, and she was not about to risk finding out the limit of her sisters. -- So she smiles, and she nods in agreement as the other wipes her cheeks, having made everything better with simple gestures and honest words. "Thank you, I'm...I'm good I -- love you. Sorry I'm...always a mess, I'm trying...I really am trying..."

Even now, it felt like Billie was relieved to see her happy, to see her rejoice in her joy and it didn't feel right. Of course she would be happy, of course she would be ecstatic for them. She'd rooted for the pair ever since they first laid eyes on each other and Briggs seemed to have lost his ability to blink. The two were magic, true and real and unforced magic and they made her believe love existed. It was out there, and it could withstand everything. Perhaps, there were times she hoped Lucas could have been that type of harbour for her, but now the ships in that harbour have sailed and she was back to navigating the open sea with nothing but hope over the horizon. And a storm or two in her way. "I -- man of course, of course I'd be happy for you..." she steps closer yet again, as if to assure her that the happiness she felt was also her own. That she genuinely felt it. "You know, one time we were all hanging out, the whole crew and I - I got real high with Abel and...this was like a while ago when, you and Briggs weren't together just yet and -- and I told him, I told Abe, well, I made him a bet actually that you two would get married eventually. A-and its funny, you know, how certain I felt about it like, like there was no other alternative?" she laughs now, thinking about it, how the two were sitting across from everyone even then, like no one else had existed with them. "I guess what I'm trying to say is -- " her eyes narrow now in slight mischief, and she'll grab a pillow tossing it the others way. "It took you long enough!" a laugh echoes the room and she'll push her curls back into a bun. "And Abe owes me twenty bucks. With a set-up payment plan he should be able to pay it off in...three to eight years."

She walks to the vanity mirror now, gaze falling on her reflected features as she finally understood why everyone kept pointing out she looked rough. And she will happily agree with Billie on the superior plan of staying in and chilling by the fire with some cold beers and spliff. "I am absolutely down for that. Text Briggs, I want his fomo to kick in faster and -- oh, wait --" she looks around for her bag, departing from the mirror, and she pulls out an ounce of weed she'd just picked up from a dealer that wasn't adamant on selling her the bad shit. It was a Californian strain, a hybrid, and it smelt like it would heal all her problems. She passes it to Billie, proudly, and smiles. "A wedding gift, ta-da. Might get your husband home sooner, huh?" -- Before she grabs one of Billies hoodies off the bed, she is listening intently to how it all went down. Picturing a romantic sunset behind that tree, a glorious scene of them looking up a ring in Vegas, and her eyes glazed over with tears of joy, but they didn't fall, instead they made her giggle like a child as her view found the others hand. "That is just...God I can't believe how fucking awesome this is, you know? I'm so happy for you Bills, I really really am." she gets up on her feet now, hoodie on, and she'll throw her hand around the other leading her out while taking over a zoot from her hands. "You gotta show me the pics you guys took, I gotta see -- but, fire and pizza first, yeah?"

[ofmoonlitmagic]

Rudy Pankow as JJ Maybank in Outer Banks

[ofmoonlitmagic]

Briggs wanted to give her solutions, ones she could actually use. It was easy for him to say leave her, but another thing entirely for Billie to do that to her own mother. How many times had he dreamed of escaping his childhood home? Did he linger briefly in the doorway of the Abe home and think of turning around to ask for help? Instead, he went home. Mornings following a moon, he looked at his weak, still shaking father and brought him something to drink, something to eat, and for a moment, he saw humanity. And in that brief moment, it would never happen again. Until it did.

He knew his method wasn't effective, a boiling over of all his protection, all the times he'd failed her before, it poured straight from his very soul. He had never told Billie he thought her mother's search had put her on the OEA's radar, and he had no proof of that. Only that the timelines matched. She had searched for her years ago, but she only appeared now. If she had genuinely cared, she'd have come years ago, and maybe it would have saved Billie's life. Billie searched and searched for her, and Gianna had found her...and then did nothing.

Now, here she is, and she only wants to take. She gave Billie sob story after sob story, putting all her issues on Billie's shoulders. Once again, she did nothing. She accepted her forgiveness, her lies that she was fine, and she did nothing. "It isn't, my love," he reluctantly admitted, almost choking on the reality. He wanted different for her, better. "The feeling may lessen over time, but it--no, it doesn't go away. You'll always wish your mom was something she isn't. If she wanted to be the mom you deserve, she wouldn't be here right now. She just brought all her shit to your door instead."

There was a slight laugh as she mentioned the dragon who'd been more of a mother than the one who gave her life. "I think she'd be a little too eager to do that actually," he teased back, still chasing that laughter as he always did. As she leaned into him, buried herself in him, he wrapped his arms around her to simply hold her. He wasn't a master of words by any means, but he knew she heard him. She always did. When no one else could, would, or did hear him, she did. "I hear you, baby," he offered back, "that's all I want you to know. You aren't invisible anymore, you don't have to be smaller so someone else can feel better."

That was all he would say, it was all that was needed. He was heard, and however she processed that, he would be there to ease her through however he could. "Giving you everything is kind of the idea," he mused back, "that's the real secret." Falling back into something a little lighter, it kept them above water. "Now, that's not a bad idea. Have I told you lately you're brilliant? Should I check my watch? It's been too long, I think." He shook his head at her next statement. "I don't think that's how it works. Maybe a question for Mom, but it's different for everybody. I don't think it's one big moment. Like for me, I would get images. Or like numbers. For example, I broke my arm, okay? When I was a teenager. But like a day or two before I kept seeing 48, 11, and 32, they wouldn't leave my head. And Dad hated anything weird like that, so I didn't say anything. But when we get to the hospital, I glance over at someone's paperwork, patient's age? 48. Room we're put in? 11. Momma walks in, clock says 10:32. I had lots of things like that, and then as you know, I had a big damn moment when I set my house on fire. That didn't awaken it though. She bled and passed out when she attacked me, so I think it was starting to show then, she just probably didn't realize it until she affected the earth directly with you. That's definitely the most startling."

Now there wasn't a single bad feeling in this moment, everything was completely and truly her. As she flipped their positions, his eyes gazed up at her like she was a work of art. "Have mercy on me," he murmured, though he really hoped she had none. Discarding her shirt somewhere on the floor, she was not the only one who took the moment to admire. He really did love this view, her legs on either side of him, eyes on him. She looked so damn powerful, and she was. "You are fucking beautiful, wife," he mumbled before words failed as her lips found skin, first at his collarbone and then a trailing upward. She deserved to see her powers as something beautiful, as something to be celebrated, enjoyed. As her lips connected with his neck, all the ways he wanted to tell her that became spoken more with other rhythms of movement, breath, and sound.

“I’m reminding you of that too” she grinned, seeking comfort from the momentary respite from their topic. They would always be able to find the moments to just be themselves and it was a unique ability that they possessed. Her grin softened, but a smile remained as he spoke his promise and she could feel her heart practically swelling with adoration. “Mhm, good catch” she teased and the light began to stir within her irises again. A nod was returned, again thankful for their ability to communicate without the need for words. Leaning into their embrace, a soft hum eased from her lips as he spoke against them, “i’m counting on it.” 

Billie spent her entire life overcompensating, making a point of never leaving anybody who needed somebody. She knew how deeply abandonment, or rejection like that could cut and she had ever since she was little. Being abandoned had left her with a gaping wound that would never heal. Sometimes she wondered if it would have felt different if she had been adopted, but a part of her knew that despite, that wound would have remained. Above it all, she understood the loneliness and the desperation to understand why. If I could just be better – if I could just do better, maybe they wouldn’t leave me.

He was right, it wasn’t on her – but why did she feel so much responsibility for it, so much guilt? Like it was consuming her from the inside out and threatening to swallow her up. Billie could see the good in people to a fault and she would hold onto those snippets of redemption, even at expense of herself. Sometimes especially then. She wanted me to have a better life – that was what she told herself over and over, but there was no guarantee for that and Billie hadn’t – so. The emotion felt a little too suffocating and the words seemed caught in the back of her throat, but she wasn’t sure that she even had any. Her eyes were wide, almost as though the realisation was settling within her bones and this time she wasn’t fighting against it. As painful as that was and it was, she was listening. Her lips parted to speak, but there was no projection of sound and she almost looked helpless; frantically searching for her defence but she had none. She couldn’t defend her– hell she didn’t even know the woman. All she had was a series of trauma dumps, that Billie had made her self small again and accepted the blame for. Perhaps that wasn’t Gianna’s intention, but Briggs was right. He saw her, he saw Gianna and he knew what lengths Billie would go to to salvage that.

Usually, she would make excuses and say that she knew how this effected Briggs and that she couldn’t put him through that too, but not this time. She didn’t want to go through it. Her heart was exhausted, being unwanted; feeling unloved by your mother is exhausting and she couldn’t take any more. “It isn’t gonna stop is it?” her voice; whilst quiet, held a remarkably even tone, “it doesn’t matter what she says, or does or if I can make a difference, it isn’t gonna stop, because it’s too late, I know what I know and – and this feeling isn’t gonna go away.”

‘You’re wanted, you’re enough for me’ those words alone held healing properties and she would never tire of hearing him speak them. To be wanted, to be loved by him had always been enough – more than enough. Despite the heaviness of their exchanged words, Billie sought after a moment to just breath and to encourage a smile to tug at the corners of her lips as she leaned herself closer to whisper, “maybe Zera can just eat her.” Using the material of his shirt, she guided him closer before burying her features into the crook of his neck and inhaling a steadying breath. “I hear you” she promised, placing a kiss against his skin before slowly pulling herself back “everything I have, everything that you’ve given me, that we’re built together it’s enough. No, it’s everything and I hear you” she repeated, lifting her head as her eyes communicated the raw emotion of it all and she really did hear him.

Falling back into their embrace, a breath hitched in the back of her throat as the kiss deepened and she could feel it – everything that he wanted to communicate to her, she felt. Briggs was her entire heart and soul and there wasn’t a single thing that they wouldn’t do for each other. Even if that meant pointing out what the other refused to see. They were protective and adoring, they were love itself in its purest, rarest form. Beneath her palm she could feel each elevated thud of his heartbeat, slowing running back and forth as she encouraged him to just breathe. 

“Oh it was fool proof” she quipped, amusement etched into her tone as she fought to redirect the narrative of their conversation. “I’m not saying I don’t still appreciate a little bribery though, because I consider both methods to be highly effective.” Her smile eventually softened before nodding again, “maybe he knows who the hunter is and seeing as he’s all team Mikaelson now — he has to tell us what we wanna know, right?” Deeply unethical, but Billie had no sympathy for the OEA or its half in half out associates. Sighing softly, she shook her head “I think it was me; awakening her juju, or whatever. She kind of looked as surprised as I did. I don’t think it was – on purpose.”

His lips against her ear sent every sense into overdrive, her frame practically quivering with anticipation as her chest filled with a deep breath. Taking the opportunity to roll them both over, she was straddling his frame, placing her palm against the centre of his chest to hold him still as his fingers gripped her thighs. “I can work with both” she teased, leaning herself forwards as her curls cascaded across his chest and she obliged as he tugged the material of her shirt over her head. Taking a moment to simply admire, her gaze caressed each curve of his body, before leaning in again and grazing her lips against his collarbone, eagerly working her way towards his neck and managing to murmur, “agreed.”