#-shot to death by an Italian mafia-

[ellzilla]

Two very different versions of transformation

[demonlordcosnime]

lets play GTA IV part 28

[haarute]

please share!!

previous poll

[unabashegirl]

Vicious 9 | Mafia HS

After his father's death, Harry Styles must take control of the family mafia while dealing with his unpredictable brother, Silas. He meets Y/N Castellano, the daughter of an Italian mafia boss, and learns about their arranged marriage.

Author's note: here is another update! I hope you like it!

check out my patreon (starting at $2) and get full access to all 25 chapters, various one shots and much more :)

warnings: violence, abuse, cursing

vicious masterlist

Harry's horse came to a sudden stop a few feet away from where Y/N and Silas stood, the animal snorting and pawing at the ground as if mirroring Harry's own restless energy. Dismounting swiftly, Harry's eyes bore into Y/N with an intensity that made her shiver.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" His voice was low, a dangerous edge lacing his words as he advanced towards her.

Y/N could feel her heart hammering in her chest as she backed away, her gaze flickering nervously between Harry and Silas. She had expected anger, but the sheer fury radiating from Harry was enough to make her knees weak.

“I just... I just needed some air," Y/N stammered, her voice faltering under the weight of Harry's gaze. “You can’t keep me locked away for the rest of my life”.

"Air?" Harry's voice was a harsh snarl, his eyes flashing dangerously. "Is that what you call it? Running off with my own brother?”

Y/N could see the vein pulsing in Harry's temple, the raw fury that seemed to consume him. She knew she had to defuse the situation before it escalated any further.

“Get on the fuckin’ horse” Harry growled, his eyes boring into hers with a fierce intensity.

"No, Harry, I —" Y/N's protest was cut short as Harry closed the distance between them in an instant, his hand shooting out to grab her arm in a bruising grip.

“Right now!” Y/N could feel the heat of his anger radiating off him, his grip on her arm almost painful. She glanced desperately at Silas, silently pleading for his help, but he stood frozen, his expression unreadable.

With a sinking feeling in her stomach, Y/N knew she had no choice but to obey. Harry was not a man to be crossed, especially when his temper was raging like a wildfire.

Silently, she allowed Harry to lead her back to his horse, her heart heavy with resignation. As they rode back to the estate in tense silence, Y/N couldn't shake the feeling that things were about to get much, much worse.

The ride back to the estate felt like an eternity to Y/N, every moment filled with a tense silence broken only by the sound of the horses' hooves against the ground. Harry's grip on her arm was like a vice, his anger palpable in the rigid set of his jaw and the hard lines of his face.

As they reached the estate, Y/N's heart sank at the sight of the imposing mansion looming ahead. She knew where Harry was taking her, and the thought filled her with a cold dread.

Sure enough, as soon as they reached the stables, Harry dragged her forcefully off the horse, his grip unyielding as he practically dragged her across the grounds towards the dungeon.

“Please don’t do this” Y/N begged, her voice choked with fear and desperation.

But Harry was unrelenting, his expression dark and unforgiving as he hauled her down the stairs into the dimly lit dungeon below the estate. The air was cold and musty, the flickering torches casting eerie shadows along the stone walls.

“I’ll stay in the bedroom. I swear” Y/N pleaded, begging him to not take her downstairs. She was scared. Y/N knew that nothing good came out from being there.

"Shut up!" Harry's voice was a low growl, his eyes blazing with fury as he shoved her roughly against the cold stone wall.

Y/N gasped as the impact knocked the wind out of her, pain shooting through her back from the force of the blow. She fought against the tears that threatened to fall, refusing to show any weakness in front of Harry.

But Harry was relentless, his hands gripping her shoulders with bruising force as he pinned her against the wall.

“Don’t play games with me. Don’t ever, ever think you’re capable of that” he spat, his face twisted with rage. Y/N shook her head frantically, her voice barely a whisper as she tried to reason with him.

His left hand came up to her throat, the pressure firm and unyielding. Y/N felt the weight of his strength, the threat of his power looming over her like a dark cloud. She could almost sense the danger in the air, the knowledge that he could crush her with a mere flick of his wrist.

For a moment, Harry's grip tightened, his fingers digging into the delicate skin of her neck. Y/N gasped, her heart pounding in her chest as she felt the suffocating pressure against her windpipe. Panic surged through her veins, a primal fear gripping her as she struggled against his hold.

“Like it or not you are mine” His voice was a low, menacing growl, filled with a dangerous edge that sent shivers down her spine.

Y/N tried to speak, to plead for mercy, but all that came out was a strangled gasp as Harry's fingers tightened even further. She could feel the blood pounding in her ears, the world narrowing down to the overwhelming sensation of his hand around her throat.

In that moment, Y/N felt utterly powerless, completely at his mercy. She could see the glint of triumph in Harry's eyes, the cruel smile on his lips as he reveled in the control he held over her.

Harry lowered his head, his breath warm against the sensitive skin of her neck. His grip on her throat loosened slightly, enough to allow her to breathe but still with a firm hold that spoke of his dominance.

He inhaled deeply, taking in the intoxicating scent of her skin. It was a heady mix of fear and arousal, a potent combination that sent a shiver of desire down his spine. Y/N's scent enveloped him, filling his senses with an irresistible temptation.

Her skin felt soft and warm under his fingertips, the sensation sending a surge of heat through him. Harry couldn't resist the urge to trail his fingers lightly along the curve of her throat, feeling the delicate pulse beneath his touch. It was a dangerous game he played, testing the boundaries of control as he leaned in closer, his lips brushing against her skin.

A soft gasp escaped Y/N's lips, her body tensing under his touch. She could feel the heat of his body radiating against her, his closeness sending a thrill of fear and excitement coursing through her veins. She was trapped, caught in the web of his desire, unable to deny the pull he had over her.

But even as her heart raced with fear, there was an undeniable spark of something else, something darker and more primal. Harry's touch ignited a fire within her, awakening a hunger she didn't know she had. She was torn between the fear of what he might do and the overwhelming need that pulsed through her veins.

In that moment, with Harry's breath hot against her skin and his fingers tracing patterns along her throat, Y/N knew she was at his mercy. She was his to command, to control, to possess. And despite the fear that gripped her, there was a part of her that craved it, that wanted to surrender to the dark desires that burned between them.

But just as quickly as it had begun, Harry pulled away, his grip on her throat releasing completely. He straightened, his eyes dark with a mixture of desire and something more sinister.

With a sudden surge of strength, Y/N pushed against him, trying to break free from his grasp. But Harry was too strong, his hold unyielding as he dragged her further into the dungeon, towards a row of heavy, iron chains hanging from the walls.

“You can’t keep me here! Federico will start asking questions!”

"Let him. I'm not afraid of your father.” He tilted his head, studying her with a dark intensity.

Y/N cried, her voice echoing off the cold stone walls as she fought against him with all her might.

But it was no use. With a cruel smirk, Harry fastened the chains around her wrists, his grip unyielding as he bound her tightly to the wall.

Y/N struggled against the chains, her heart pounding in her chest as she realized the full extent of her helplessness. She was at Harry's mercy now, trapped in the dark, cold dungeon with no hope of escape.

As Harry stepped back to survey his handiwork, a cold chill settled over Y/N. She could see the glint of madness in his eyes, the cruel smile on his lips sending a shiver down her spine.

"Enjoy your stay, Y/N," Harry's voice was a sinister whisper as he turned to leave, the heavy door of the dungeon slamming shut behind him with a final, echoing thud.

Alone in the darkness, chained and helpless, Y/N could only pray for a miracle as she awaited whatever twisted fate Harry had in store for her.

"What did you do with her?" Charlie's voice was filled with a mix of curiosity and concern as he entered Harry's office. There was a hint of a smile on his face, though he tried to mask it with a serious expression. Rumors had been swirling around the estate about Y/N's disappearance, and Charlie was eager to know the truth.

Harry glanced up from his desk, his expression unreadable. "She's downstairs," he replied tersely, his jaw clenched with barely suppressed anger. "Someone needs to teach her a lesson."

Charlie's smile faltered slightly at the edge in Harry's voice. He knew better than to question his boss further, especially when he was in this mood. Instead, he cleared his throat and tried to lighten the atmosphere.

"Ah, I see," Charlie said, though his unease was palpable. “What are we going to do about your brother?”

Harry didn't respond, his gaze focused intently on a map spread out on his desk. The silence between them was heavy, tension crackling in the air.

Charlie shifted uncomfortably, unsure of what else to say. He knew better than to press Harry for more information, especially when it came to matters like this.

"Silas," Harry growled, the name dripping with disdain. "He's proven himself to be nothing but a liability."

Charlie nodded, his expression grim. "It's clear he can't be trusted," he agreed, his voice low.

A heavy silence hung between them as they both contemplated the situation. Silas's actions had thrown everything into chaos, and Harry knew he couldn't let it go unpunished.

"We'll deal with him," Harry said finally, his tone firm and resolute.

"Well, if you need anything else, boss," Charlie began, stepping back towards the door.

But Harry's voice cut through the air, cold and cutting. "Stay," he ordered, his eyes narrowing as he pinned Charlie with a steely gaze.

Charlie froze, his heart pounding in his chest. He swallowed hard, feeling a sense of unease settle over him. "Boss?" he ventured, unsure of what Harry wanted.

"I need you to keep an eye on things," Harry said, his voice low and dangerous. "Make sure no one interferes with what I'm doing downstairs."

Charlie nodded, a sense of dread settling in the pit of his stomach. He had a sinking feeling that whatever was happening downstairs was not going to end well for anyone involved.

"Understood, boss," Charlie replied, his voice barely above a whisper.

Harry rose from his desk, his movements purposeful and determined. "I'll handle Silas.”

As Harry made his way through the estate, his steps echoed with a sense of urgency. His mind was a whirlwind of anger and determination, fueled by the betrayal of his brother and the defiance of Y/N. He couldn't shake the image of her fighting against him, the fire in her eyes igniting a spark of challenge that only fueled his anger further.

[velieditss]

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

♟ House of the dragon

♜ Gwayne Hightower ♜

All is fair in love and war: The consequences of your father's new engagement still affect you, you feel betrayed and very lonely, you find it hard to trust others and your anger is directed at everyone, until an old acquaintance arrives to give you a new perspective and perhaps, support.

Ch1 Ch2 Ch3 Ch4

𖣂︎ Davos Blackwood 𖣂︎

(Sorry Benji, you are to young for my taste)

Forbidden desires: It wasn’t your fault that your brothers' feud with the Blackwoods escalated into a deadly duel, nor that it cost lives, but now, it is your responsibility to make him hate you... or love you.

Ch1 Ch2 Ch3 Ch4 Ch5

⚔︎ Aemond Targaryen ⚔︎

A life for a life: Once, you were a betrothed, but now, you are a widow and a prisoner. Yet, it seems the regent prince has set his sights on you, a gaze that, in truth, was always there, watching you from the shadows. But only now, at this crossroads in your life, does he feel empowered to claim you as his own.

Ch1

One Shots:

Bad obsession +18

☂︎ Gotham Memoirs ☂︎

🃎 Vittorio Puzo 🃎

Dangerous: After the death of Francesco Juliano, the head of one of the most powerful families in the Italian-American mafia, the New York underworld seemed to spiral into crisis. The name Puzo quickly rose to prominence within this shadowy industry, and over time, its power grew under the leadership of Vittorio Puzo. At his side was former journalist Elizabeth Colvin, and for a while, everything seemed almost perfect.

However, they hadn’t anticipated that certain loose threads would remain, and over time, these threads would tangle together, laying the groundwork for the troubles to come.

Meanwhile, Edmund Davis begins his own investigation to find Elizabeth Colvin, who was once his friend and colleague, but who mysteriously vanished one day without a trace.

[holeintheboat]

The Outsiders Mafia AU (Headcanons)

!!WARNING: This may contain some spoilers!!!

-Johnny loves Jazz (blues are a close second)

-Darrel is called ‘Superman’ because he once stopped mid getaway to help a woman cross the street

-The entire mafia group worships Frank Sinatra

-Tim got his scar in a violent one-on-one fight with Dallas, which also led to him losing the eye

-Johnny is a FANTASTIC cook, and shares his love through food

-Ponyboy used to watch a ton of Mafia/Secret Agent movies to ‘study’ for his future job

-The Shepherds are all from Sicily, and lived there for most of their teen years

-Johnny learned to speak several languages so that he make international deals

-Angela puts hours of efforts into her curls, and once killed a man for trying to run his fingers through them to flirt

-Curly prides himself in his height, he grew to the same height as Tim just a year before the events of ‘No Permanent Death’ and loves to remind everyone

-Johnny actually has a hatred for alcohol, but drinks it (or pretends to) to make himself seem older

-Tim will only ever drink beer

-Dallas became an assassin because he wanted to be like Charlie Chan and almost quit when he realized the man was, in fact, not an assassin

-Johnny has faked his own death about six times, and has gotten creepily good at it

-Darry hates swearing, and only does it when he’s very very upset

-Darrel is the only Curtis who can speak more than just English, He learned Italian so he could understand exposed messages within the Mob

-Dallas has actually run into the Shepherds several times, he never realized Johnny was Bambi because usually the boss doesn’t participate in the fights

-The socs do exist in this universe!! Most of them are businessmen/women who the mob has killed :P

-Sylvia also exists!! She is Dally’s ex-girlfriend, she left him after she figured out he kills people for a living

-Soda and Steve are still dating Evie and Sandy in this verse. Sandy isn’t aware of what Soda does, Evie actually is also a member of the mob and often helped out Steve at work

-When Mr.Shepherd died, all of his jewelry was given to Johnny because he was taking his place. The only thing he kept was a ring (a thick, gold, engraved ring with a red ruby) the rest was given to the Shepherds to disperse amongst themselves

-The Shepherds each got one ear pierced when they were teens to be more like their father

-Johnny sees the Shepherds as his equals, which is the reason they all dress similarly. This is also why it doesn’t occur to someone that he is the boss.

-Angelas callsign “Bella” comes from the word Bello: which means Beautiful in Italian

-Johnny once shot a very important client just because they shoved Curly

-Curly is actually really bad at his job, but gets away with it because of pure luck

-Soda got the name ‘Dice’ because he's known for taking chances on the job

-Johnny called Tim ‘Scarface’ after he lost his eye in an attempt to raise his spirits, and the name just stuck

-Tim has a glass eye, but often takes it out because he thinks its funny how grossed out his coworkers get

-Johnny wanted to be a musician, and can play the sax and guitar (he couldn’t decide if he wanted to be Louis Armstrong or Chuck Berry lmao)

-Curly wholeheartedly thought he and Johnny were related for most of his life, because he wasn’t on the mission where they found him

-Johnny gives out most of the nicknames, he was actually the first person to call Darry ‘Superman’

-The Sicilian Mafia is usually very specific about only letting in Italians. Johnny called bullshit on this, and that's how Steve(slick) and Buck(comma) got put in

-Steve used to work at the DX, he got invited in to the mafia because he was the only one who was willing to take Johnny’s car (all of his former coworkers thought a scruffy child with a century old car wouldn’t pay well)

-Buck got invited in after Tim and Johnny saw a man throw a drink on him (he beat the man to a pulp and Johnny said he had good enough aim to work for them)

-Angela LOVES compliments (She forces her brothers to hype her up 24/7)

-Johnny holds large dinners with everyone who works under him once a month to get to know them. The reason so many people are willing to take orders from him is because they know he’s the kindest boss they’ll get

-Tim is incredibly well-versed in dressing wounds, it's become somewhat of his job

-Curly cannot aim for shit, and has repeatedly just handed the gun to someone else

-The Curtis’s used to have a dog before Ponyboy was born, but they had to get rid of it to be able to pay for his upbringing

-Curly is known for full-on tackling people in fights, which actually works incredibly well

-Johnny is a horrible driver and has hit several pedestrians, animals, and trees (and got very upset after each one)

-Ponyboy has a binder that he uses as a dairy, he had pages dating back to his parents death

-Curly once tried to tackle Darry on a mission, Darry then simply pulled him off and tossed him out of the room

-Darrel refuses to do any work that involves a woman, and has lost to the Shepherds several times because he wouldn’t detain Angela

-Soda once drove a getaway car straight into the side of a building, and it almost got him and Darry killed

-Johnny paid for Steve to get braces, and he had the nickname ‘Lock Jaw’ for a VERY long time

-The Curtis’s often have movie nights!!

-Johnny refuses to hurt children, and often makes someone take the kid to another room if they do anything violent

-Ponyboy LOVES the arts, and his knowledge of Italian literature and art has saved him many times

-Angela is an excellent baker, and often tries to get her brothers to help her (they fuck it up every single time)

-Ponyboy still has nightmares in this universe, and has climbed into Soda/Darrys bed several times

-Darry hates that Pony often sees him as the bad guy, but knows he has to be to keep him safe

-Johnny is known for having an odd sense of humor and it has almost gotten him killed a million times

-Tim has “la famiglia” tattooed on his right bicep, with three little hearts under it (very similar to the one his father has on his neck)

-Though Steve doesn’t have and important role in the Mafia, him and Johnny are very good friends

-Tim is what's known as the ‘consigliere’ which means he serves as an adviser to the leader and resolves disputes within the family. (Johnny refused to make anyone the underboss because he didn’t like to think of any of them beneath him in rank)

-Ponyboy is a stargazer

-Johnny was been confused for a girl several times due to his long hair, but he refuses to cut it

-Tim gets very upset when people flirt with Angela (he’s the definition of a over-protective older brother)

-Johnny has never dated anyone- he knows whomever they are will be put in danger, and he doesn’t like the thought of people he loves fearing for their lives

-Soda once got a concussion because he ran into a wall during a chase with Curly, Curly only remembers him as ‘the wall kisser’

-The Shepherds all have a violent hatred for Ponyboy because Johnny told them about what happened in the first chapter (though Johnny has never spoken about him with even an ounce of malice)

-Darrel has been shot many times, so much so that the hospital knows him by name

-Johnny can’t stand hospitals because his parents once left him at one for three weeks. So even if he is on his damn deathbed he will NEVER go to one

-Just about everyone in the Mafia is not proud to be in it, but they all know it’s the best thing they can do with their backgrounds

-Buck and Johnny are rather close, and Buck often makes him fake drinks (ones without alcohol) because he knows how much the boy hates it

-Darry and Soda are both REALLY into cars. it’s actually helped them a lot in car chases, because they can always remember the make and model of the car

-The Shepherd Family was actually not very well known until Johnny took over, but he still worships Mr.Shepherd as if he’s the most famous man on earth

-most named characters has been to prison at one point (aside from Angela, Curly, Ponyboy, and Darrel)

-The job as Boss is incredibly stressful, and Tim has taken over for Johnny on several occasions

-Tim taught Angela, Curly, and Johnny hand-to-hand combat. He’ll often brag about it to anyone who will listen.

-Johnny goes by the Shepherd name, and only signs ‘Cade’ under important documents

-Angela has the best aim out of her entire family

-Tim actually was very upset when Johnny got his job as boss, but got over when he realized just how much the job SUCKEDD

-Two-Bit and Dallas worked together when they were rookies, but Dallas eventually moved on to do bigger and better things

-Ponyboy loves August weather, but feels he can’t enjoy those months becuase that’s when his folks died

-Two has run into Angela several times and made several (failed) attempts to flirt with her

-Johnny and Dallas have actually had several conversations in this universe, But Dallas never thought he was worth killing

-Sometimes random pastries/foods would appear on the Curtis doorstep during the Great Depression, they never knew where or who it came from but it helped them to survive (take a wild guess who made them lol)

-Johnny used to play the guitar while Angela sang to help Curly sleep <3

-Darry has never once touched a cigarette, but will drink jus tan out anything put in front of him

-Pony LOVES Italian food, but refuses to eat it because it just feels wrong to him

-Red is Angela’s favorite color, which is why the whole group is forced to wear something red (she picks out their clothes literally every day)

-Mrs.Shepherd died while giving birth to Curly, so Johnny and Curly have both never met her

-The Shepherds love spring because it reminds them of Sicily

-Bucks original nickname was FAG (Funny Accent Guy), given to him by Curly

-The Curtis brothers were all relatively short as kids, but shot up the second they hit puberty

-Tim tried to kidnap Louis Armstrong for Johnny's birthday (it did not work.)

-The Mafia has two main cover restaurants. One being a bar (that we see in the first chapter) and the other being an off-brand Italian place (Whenever someone fails an important job, they are banished to work at one of these two places)

-Johnny is the shortest person on his team, so he’ll often just step on their feet when they upset him

-Darrel is an avid people watcher

-Johnny actually looked up to many of the agents, and will excitedly tell people whenever he gets in a fight with one of them (even if he completely beats their ass he's still a total fanboy)

-Dallas has a really good memory, and can easily recall every fight he’s ever been in

If you have any other things you want me to write into the story, but them into the comments :D

[topguncortez]

Bad Medicine | Chapter 10

previous part | masterlist | next part

synopsis: A wealthy Italian mobster sets up his daughter to marry the head of one of the last remaining mafias in California. The union was supposed to create and heal the damage between two families, but all it does is cause more harm than good.

word count: 5.2k

warnings: guns, drugs, mentions of prostitution, mentions of physical assault, mentions of sexual violence, mentions of torture, mentions of suicide, physical violence, nudity, guns, dead bodies, mutilated dead bodies, mentions of graphic images, murder, character death.

Her voice was quiet when she asked to see his body. Jake didn’t argue, letting Javy, Rooster and a handful of other guards drive to the city to go see Reuben’s body. She watched as the world passed her by, sitting in silence as she got to the hospital. There were places in a hospital regular people weren’t supposed to see. One of those was the morgue. Y/N had been there once before, when she had to identify her mother, or what was left of her. The rooms were cold, to keep the bodies fresh. They were bright, lit with fluorescents so the medical staff could see what they were autopsying. The doctor let her come in, instead of standing in the family viewing room. Jake had called in a favor with a doctor he knew at the hospital. 

“Do you want to go alone?” Rooster asked as they stood in the viewing room. Y/N’s eyes were fixed on the closed blind in front of her. Rooster had been in here once before too, waiting to view the bodies of his parents to identify them, “Y/N?” He asked again, gently grabbing her hand. 

She sucked in a breath and looked at Rooster, “Yeah,” She nodded, “I want to be alone.” 

Rooster nodded and placed a kiss on the top of her head before leaving the room, allowing the doctor to come in. Y/N had to sign a bunch of release forms before she could even be standing in the viewing room. 

“I should brace you Mrs. Seresin-” 

“It’s Santiago.” Y/N corrected the doctor, handing him the last form.  

“My apologies,” He nodded. There were three bodies lying on separate tables, hidden underneath stark white sheets. It broke her heart to see the bodies in front of her. They belonged to someone, they had a name, a story, but now, they were lying in a hospital basement waiting to be claimed. Y/N could see the outline of them and guessed which one Reueben was under. 

The doctor walked over to the last one, and stood looking down at the body. Y/N walked over slowly, licking her lips, “Please confirm the identity on the chart.” 

The doctor handed her the clipboard. Y/N read his name: REUBEN A FITCH, MALE, AGE 35. She nodded, handing the clipboard back and looking away from the body on the table. 

“That’s him.” She said, her voice barely above a whisper. The doctor nodded, handing the clipboard to his nurse. He looked at Y/N, taking a moment to read her before grabbing the top of the sheet and pulling it down. She closed her eyes, feeling the small gust of wind from the sheet being pulled back. She kept her eyes closed until the doctor spoke up. 

“You can’t see anything, just his face,” He assured her, “He was shot three times in the chest at a close range. The death was quick, he didn’t suffer long,” Somehow that didn’t bring her a single ounce of comfort. The doctor frowned, “We’ll give you a moment.” 

“You said he died quickly,” Y/N said. 

“Yes, Ms. Santiago,” The doctor said. 

“So he probably wasn’t scared.” 

The doctor frowned, “Probably not, Ms. Santiago.” 

She nodded and the doctor quietly exited the morgue, leaving her alone. She let out a shaky breath and opened her eyes. She gasped seeing his stilled face. His skin looked colorless, his lips were cracked and red. She placed her hand on the top of his head, running softly over his stiff dry hair. She bowed her head, trying to hide her face in her arm as she let out a loud sob. She felt her knees buckle, and she placed her other hand on the side of the table to try and keep herself up. When everyone else had left her, Reuben was always there. 

Reuben had always been there to pick up the pieces. He was the one who realized that she was missing for several days. Her brothers and father brushed it off, summing it up to her just traveling around Europe again. But Reuben knew it was something far worse than that. He had been the one to find her beaten, tortured, and inches away from death in that alley. 

“What am I supposed to do?” Y/N cried out, “I can’t. . . I can’t protect myself.” 

Those very words she had cried out days after she had woken up in the hospital after being found. She woke up to see a sleeping Reuben by her side. It had sent her into a panic, her mind not fully comprehending her injuries. Her jaw had been wired shut due to it being broken by the pipe she received to the face. Reuben had calmed her down, telling her as much as she needed to know. 

“You’re safe, Y/N. I won’t let anything happen to you as long as I live.” 

“You motherfucker!” She yelled pounding on the metal table, “Who’s supposed to protect me now! You fucking selfish bitch! You should’ve let him take those fucking bullets!” 

She knew that Reuben would never let that happen. He would die for the people he loved. He could always see the bigger picture, one that Y/N chose to ignore most of the time. There was something in him that knew if Jake had died on those steps, Y/N would never forgive him. He had no second guesses about stepping in front of Jake, and Y/N knew that too. 

She crouched down, letting her head rest on the cool metal of the table. She shook her head, pushing her tears away. Y/N stood up and looked at Reuben one last time, she leaned down and whispered to his corpse:

“Un uomo innocente in vita, un uomo innocente in morte,” She placed a kiss on his cheek, and grabbed the white sheet pulling it back over his head. 

— — — ♱♱♱ — — — ♱♱♱ — — — 

The next couple days at the house were strenuous. Y/N pushed Jake away even more than she already had. The only thing that had changed was the two of them laying next to each other in bed every night. But even in a shared bed, they kept their distance from each other. The boys were surprised to see Y/N every morning in the office, dressed in business casual, listening in on the meetings and deals going down. 

“We gotta figure out Dante,” Rooster said, kicking his feet up on his desk, “The longer we wait, the worse this shit is gonna be.” 

Jake nodded. They had gotten a call last night about a gun stock house going up in flames, several women and children trapped on the inside. Y/N wanted no part in figuring out what to do about Dante, her main focus was finding Sophie alive and Francisco dead. Jake looked over at her as she drowned out the talk of the boys. He had been watching her closely, scared of what she might do. The only person in the house she had confided in was laying in the basement of a funeral home waiting to get cremated. 

“What if we use her?” Javy said, looking over at Y/N.

“Hell the fuck no,” Jake answered quickly, “I’ve been talking to other crews in the area. They set up a meeting with Dante, we pull up and off that son of a bitch.” 

“You think that’s actually gonna work? We tried that shit and Rooster got stabbed,” Javy said. 

“I really would not like to get stabbed again either,” Rooster added. 

Jake rolled his eyes and started speaking about his plan, which caused Javy to jump in on the argument. Y/N sat back in her chair, watching as all four boys argued different points on how to capture and kill Dante. A loud, shrill scream is what broke up the argument, all five of their heads snapping towards the open office door. Rooster was the first one out, pulling his gun from his waistband, and creeping down the hallway. The rest followed after him, and Bob softly pushed Y/N to the back to protect her. Jake walked cautiously into the foyer, seeing another guard usher Emile away from the door, looking faint and pale. Jake tucked his gun in his waistband and walked over to the open door. 

He did a double take, looking from the scene right out his front door and over to his family, “Get Y/N out of here.” Rooster nodded, taking a step back and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. 

“No,” She shrugged Rooster’s arm from her shoulders, “What the hell is going on?” She asked, taking a step forward, only to be blocked by Rooster, “No, move.” Rooster refused to move, blocking Y/N’s every step. She clenched her jaw and rammed her elbow into Rooster’s side, causing him to double over. Jake held his arms across the doorway, broadening himself to stop her. “Jake-” She looked up at him, locking his eyes with her own, “let me through.”

The determined look in her eyes told him that no matter what he said, she would find a way through him, so he tucked his arms across his chest, allowing her to pass him. He kept his back to her, but could hear the gasp that left her lips. Bob followed close behind, looking over her shoulder as the two of them gagged at the sight.

Laying across the concrete pad was Isabella, bloody, bruised, and barely clothed, moreso covered in pictures, each cutting into Y/N as she stared down at the woman. She walked slowly, as if she was walking on a tightrope and could fall to her death at any moment. Everything looked familiar, from the way Isabella’s face had been beaten, to the way her body was positioned on the concrete. 

Bob leaned towards Jake, “Are those pictures-” 

“Y/N and her mother.” Jake interrupted, keeping his voice low. Jake looked at her, as she knelt down in front of the dead girl’s body. Her shaky hand reached out and grabbed one of the pictures. The printed picture displayed her own broken and bloody body when she was found in the alley. She looked down at Isabella, her teary eyes landing on the familiar letters burned into her ribcage. Y/N felt her own scar begin to burn, a reminder that her and the dead girl were one in the same. 

“Y/N, I think that’s enough, let’s go inside, we’ll get this dealt with.” Jake said, reaching out to brush his hand on her arm. Y/N stood up slowly, her hands trembling. Jake softly took the picture from her hands, he had to turn his head to keep from gagging at the material on it. 

“It’s the same.” Y/N said, her voice barely above a whisper as she continued to stare at the corpse.

“What do you mean?” Jake asked, stepping closer, pressing his chest against her shoulder, “Baby, come on-” 

“The stab marks, the- the bruises, everything- it’s the same as when he-” She didn’t get the chance to finish the sentence before Jake pulled her into his arms, pressing her head against his chest, immediately barking orders at the others to take care of it.

Bob stepped through the mass of guards, squatting down to be level with the body, looking at the pictures. He picked up the one that had been in Y/N’s hand, studying the similarities between the picture and current display in front of him. She was right, everything was the same, even down to the scar that ran down Isabella’s face, more than likely from the same pipe that had caused Y/N’s. 

“She’s wearing the same thing?” Javy asked, moving to stand next to his big brother and finding the parallel between the post beating pictures of Y/N, and Isabella.

“Everything seems to be the same, the holes, the bruises, she was probably-”

“That’s enough,” Rooster grunted, “Let’s just get this shit cleaned up.” He moves to pick up the pictures, and immediately noticed something in Isabella’s hand. He pulled the crumpled piece of paper from between her cold, stiff fingers, opening it to see what more of a message could have been left in addition to the body. 

This should have been you.

Rooster handed the note to Bob. All of them shared a look, before turning and seeing their leader comforting his fiance. Y/N didn’t dare to move, watching as the guards cleaned up the mess. Y/N hated Isabella, but she would never imagine the next time she saw the girl, it would be her dead, tortured corpse on her front door. Jake tried to get Y/N to go inside, but she shook her head. He stood by her, taking her hand in his, giving her a comforting squeeze as the guards loaded up Isabella’s body in the back of an SUV. 

“Where will they take her?” Y/N asked. 

“Private funeral home. We’ve got a guy who handles this stuff,” Jake said, brushing a strand of hair from her face. 

“Does she have a family?” 

“I don’t know, babe, she was nothing more than a whore. She was gonna meet an untimely death either way.” 

Y/N snapped her head and looked at him, “She didn’t deserve this. I know exactly what happened to her.” 

“We don’t know that it-” 

“She had the brand.” 

“What?” 

Y/N clenched her jaw and pulled up her shirt, exposing the puffy scared skin with Francisco’s initials burned into her ribcage. Jake sucked in a breath, looking into her eyes. He knew there was nothing he could say that would bring her comfort right now. Y/N knew the exact pain Isabella had gone through, and Jake wished she didn’t. 

“She deserved better than this. She is someone’s daughter. I was someone’s daughter.” 

“Y/N-” 

Jake called out to her as she spun on her feet and ran up the stairs. Jake closed his eyes as the master bedroom door slammed shut. Y/N took a deep breath, looking around her room. She looked at the various pictures and items that sat on her vanity. The smiling faces of her friends and family mocking her. She let out a frustrated scream, as she stormed over and swiped everything off the vanity, letting it go smashing to the ground. The one picture that didn’t fall with the rest, was a single image of her, her mother and father. She found it ironic that it didn’t fall and break. She picked it up in her small hands, letting her tears fall and hit the glass. 

The smiles on her parents' faces were of true happiness and love. The image had been captured the day Y/N had agreed to marry Francisco. She had been in love then, or so she thought. The perfect girl in the picture seemed like a stranger. Her skin was soft and smooth, not scared like it was now. Her eyes were bright and happy. Her smile wasn’t damaged. Y/N raised the picture above her head, letting out a scream as she threw it on the ground, watching it slam into a million pieces. 

She was tired of being weak. Tired of constantly having to rely on others to keep her safe. She had trusted someone once before to keep her safe and protected, but it only led to heartbreak and misery. Y/N walked into the bathroom, looking at her tear stained face in the mirror. She was tired of looking like this. She had wasted enough tears and feeling sorry for herself. Y/N ran her fingers over the scar that ran down her face, something her father had wanted her to get plastic surgery to fix. It was her daily reminder of what had been taken from her. But also, of the strength she had gained. 

The boys were sitting in the living room when Y/N came running down the stairs. The scene from outside had been cleaned, and Isabella’s body had been disposed of. Y/N didn’t even bother looking at the door as she walked right over to the group of them. Bob looked at her, a smirk on his face noticing the shift in her confidence. 

“We need to take care of this Dante shit, tonight.” She spoke to them. 

“No,” Jake said, shaking his head, “You’re too emotional right now. You need to have a clear-” his words were cut off by a loud smack across his face. He held his cheek, turning his head to look at the woman in front of him. Her face was cold as he searched her up and down. All the boys watched them with baited breath waiting for Jake to explode with violence. 

“I am sick and tired of men making these decisions for me. We do this tonight. He can’t keep getting away with making poor women their plaything and killing them. You and I both know we can’t go to the feds or this shit will be flipped on us. It’s bad enough you got one of them sitting on your fucking couch right now. We either do this tonight, or we prepare for more dead bodies to pile up and stock to be burned.” 

Jake took a step back from her, a smirk on his face as he took her in. The power that she had was intoxicating. All eyes were on her and Jake, as they waited to see what Jake would do. All he did was, folding his arms over his chest. 

“So what's the plan?” 

“That’s for me to know, and you to wonder.” 

All four men watched her leave, their mouths slightly open. Jake shamelessly fixed his pants, biting his lip. This was the woman he had been waiting for. He watched her body disappear down the hallway, hearing the door to his office shutting. Jake looked over his shoulder at his brothers who were waiting for the next command. 

“I guess we listen to her now.” Jake said. The boys nodded, all dispersing in various directions. Jake just stood there, shaking his head, replaying what had just happened in his head. 

— — — ♱♱♱ — — — ♱♱♱ — — — 

The master bedroom had slowly started to turn into a space for the both of them to be in. Jake started leaving his clothes and shoes in the closet at first. Then he started bringing in his shower stuff. Eventually all his belongings ended up in the bedroom. The first couple days of them sharing a room had been awkward, accidentally running into each other, or exposing themselves to one another. But they had quickly learned how to operate around each other. 

Jake walked out of the closet, buttoning up his shirt when his gaze fell on Y/N, who was sitting at her vanity, working on covering up the bruising on her face. The bruises from the night in his office had started to fade, leaving behind the yellowing color of healing. Every time he looked at her, it was a constant reminder of one of the worst nights of his life. For a week after that night, he never looked her in the eye. He couldn’t bring himself too. The prominent black and blue under her eyes made his heart break everytime. 

“Your nose looks like it’s healed,” Jake spoke, walking over to her. She smiled as he leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her cheek. 

“Yeah, it doesn’t hurt that much anymore,” Y/N said, setting her makeup brush down, “I can actually cover it up pretty well with makeup now. Before I had to color correct the bruises and all, it was a whole process.” 

“I’m so sor-” 

“Jake, it’s fine. It’s all in the past now.” 

“No, Y/N it’s not,” Jake said, and knelt down in front of her. He grabbed her hand and looked into her eyes, “I am so sorry for what I did that night. I don’t even know what came over me that night. I was just so angry and confused and… I never meant to hurt you like that. I listened to your screams that whole night. I actually came in here, and sat watching you sleep. I was terrified I'd wake up in the morning and find out you hurt yourself. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if that would’ve happened.” 

Y/N could remember him waking her up in the middle of the night from her nightmares. He would just wake her up, and step back, not wanting to make things worse. Several times she had found herself yearning for Jake’s touch, something to comfort her while she fought to get herself back to sleep. 

“I don’t plan on leaving you for a long time,” Y/N said softly. Jake nodded, grabbing her by the back of the neck and pulling her in for a kiss. Her hands went to his cheeks, caressing them softly as he kissed her. 

“Guys! It happened! They kissed!” The two of them jumped apart to find Javy standing in the doorway, a large smile on his face like a kid on Christmas morning. The both of them laughed and Jake pushed himself up to his feet. 

“Are you ready to go?” Jake asked her. She turned and looked at herself in the mirror one last time. She pushed herself up from her seat, fixing the tan and red bodycon dress she was wearing. Jake looked over her body, admiring her curves. The red lace was mesmerizing, strategically placed on her body covering her modesty. Y/N fluffed her hair, letting the curls fall down around her shoulders. 

“All ready, how do I look?”

“Are you sure this plan has to be done tonight?” Jake asked, “Cause I’d rather do something else-” 

Y/N rolled her eyes, stepping away from her vanity. Jake pushed her chair in, following behind her. Javy leaned up against the wall outside of the door, a similar smirk on his face. 

“You’re acting like that’s the worst thing we’ve done,” Y/N said to Javy, which caused the man’s jaw to drop. Jake raised his eyebrows at his brother, biting back a cocky grin as he slapped Y/N’s ass as she walked out the door. 

“Jacob Thomas!” She gasped and Jake couldn’t help but laugh, throwing his arm around her shoulders. 

— — — ♱♱♱ — — — ♱♱♱ — — — 

Jake had set Y/N free to go the second they walked into the club. He told her where to look if she needed help, but he trusted that she could handle this. Her plan was simple as she explained to them on the drive to the club, she was going to lure Dante in on the dance floor, distract him enough for Javy to sneak up behind him and inject him with an anesthetic so they could move him to the chamber for questioning. Jake and Bob both made their way to the second floor, while Rooster and Javy got lost on the dance floor.

Dante had slowly made his way into the club, weary of the possible eyes on him. He knew that Jake wouldn’t dare to do anything dumb in a club full of people, which was one of the only reasons he agreed to this meetup. Dante ordered himself a drink and leaned against the bar. His eyes scanned over the dark club, landing on Y/N. She shot him a wink and a nod as she pressed her back against some man behind her. Dante smirked, setting his drink down and pushed himself through the crowd and over to her.  

She was easy to spot, standing in the middle of the floor, the center of attention. Jake watched with his jaw clenched as she danced with his friend. Javy looked a little too excited as he gripped her hips, swaying her to the beat of the music. Jake stood up straighter seeing Dante push his way through the crowd and over to her. He watched how they easily fell into conversation and a dance. She was intoxicating, every single thing about her, Jake was loving watching her be pressed in between the two men, but he also wanted nothing more than to storm down there and bury a bullet in between Dante’s eyes. Bob stood next to him, taking in his tense body language. 

“How are things going?” Bob. 

“What do you mean?” Jake asked back. 

“With her,” Bob nodded down to the floor, “You don’t seem to want to smash her face into tables anymore.” Jake glared at him and Bob laughed raising his hands up, “Sorry, tough crowd.” 

“Asshole,” Jake sighed, “I think I’m finally accepting my fate. Emile called me out after that night, and I think it made me realize something.” 

“And that was. . . “ 

“That I love her.” 

“Jake-” 

“I mean it,” Jake said, downing the rest of his drink, “I buried myself in pussy and power for years after Natasha because I was scared. I didn’t allow myself time to heal, but the thought of losing her. . . it drives me crazy. I mean look at- where the fuck is she?” 

Bob looked from his brother down to the dancefloor, seeing that Y/N was now gone. Jake was furious watching as Javy and Rooster frantically looked around the dancefloor, hoping to find her before their leader sees she’s gone. Jake pushed himself from his spot, quickly moving downstairs, Bob hot on his heels. Jake got to the main area, having to physically push himself through the crowd to get to the other side where his brothers stood. Both Rooster and Javy looked like deer in the headlights when Jake stood before them.

“Where the fuck is Y/N?” Jake demanded. The boys shared a look of uncertainty, neither of them daring to look their leader in the eye. “Goddamnit, Where is she?!” 

“Last I saw her, she was headed to the back,” Javy shrugged. 

“With who?” Jake asked, “I swear to god, I will light this whole club up if you don’t start running your fucking gums.” 

“Dante,” Javy said. Jake saw red as he pushed away from his brothers, the crowd moving for him this time as he stormed his way to the back. He had no care as he opened the doors, exposing the random couples in the rooms in various states of undress. 

He got to the last door, and could see movement and shapes behind the opaque glass door. He could hear the muffled sounds and took a deep breath as he pushed the door open. Jake’s brown eyes scanned over her, taking in the sight of her tan and red lace dress pushed up higher on her thighs. Her legs spread as the leader of the Soto Mafia was on his knees in front of her, his head in between her thighs. Jake cocked his eyebrow, noticing the gun she had pressed to his head. 

“Nice of you to join us, sweetheart.” She smirked. 

“Didn’t know this was a group project, honey.” Jake said, leaning against the door frame, crossing his arms over his chest, “What’s going on here?” 

“Dante here was just telling me about all the things he can do with his mouth. But as far as I can tell, the only thing he can do is bore me to death.”

“You’re still alive, so clearly he can’t even do that correctly.” 

“You really tell girls that shit and expect them to get wet? Dude, I’m drier than the fucking Saraha right now.” 

Jake rolled his eyes, “Let’s leave the theatrics to Coyote. Get on with it.” 

“Fine,” She sat up from the couch, and walked around Dante, keeping the gun on his head, and pressing it against the back of his head, “Where is he keeping her?” Dante let out a choked moan at the grip she had on his hair, and the feeling of her breath against his ear, causing Jake to once again roll his eyes.

“The place of civic, used to be a butcher shop,” Dante winced as Y/N pushed the gun further into his head, “H-he promised me a slice of the cut. He wanted to get you there. He knows if the wedding doesn’t happen, The Santiagos don’t break ties with the Solanos.” 

That was new information for Jake as he clenched his jaw. He continued to watch his fiance press the dangerous man for information, and how easily Dante gave it up for her. Jake made a mental note to make sure that Bob pulled all the footage from the room, and started a plan on breaking into the old butcher shop that was once owned by Javy’s family. 

“Last thing,” Y/N said, “Is the girl alive?” 

Dante closed his eyes, knowing that there was only one correct answer, and he was not about to give it, “I-I. . . She was breathing the last I saw her. . . a week ago.” 

Y/N looked up at Jake, a tear running down her face, “Not good enough.” She kept her eyes on Jake the whole time as she pulled the trigger, and Dante’s body fell to the floor with a thud. Jake quickly walked to her and pulled her into him. He closed his eyes as he took in a deep whiff of her perfume before pulling away and checking her over for injuries. 

“You okay?” He asked and Y/N nodded, “I thought you were the distraction,” He ran his thumb over her cheek.

A smirk graced her lips, “Never send a man to do a woman’s job’.” 

Jake just shook his head as he pulled her in for another kiss, cradling the back of her head, as she slid the gun he hadn’t even realized had been missing, back into the holster on the back of his belt.

“When did you take that?” Jake asked, confused. 

“On the way here. Maybe you should pay attention to who's getting in your pants.” Jake watched with a dumbfounded expression as she walked down the hallway to meet his brothers. She stopped briefly and turned, noticing he was still in his same spot, “You coming?” She asked, holding her hand out to him. 

He shook his head, moving from his spot to take her hand, “You’re going to be the death of me.” 

“What a lucky way to die.” 

The boys waited nervously as they watched Jake and Y/N walk back out from the back. Each of them was judging their leader’s expression before speaking, but he was unreadable. They did notice their conjoined hands, and a bright smile on Y/N’s face. Javy was the first to break, sighing in relief, his face breaking out into a smile. He could see the shift in his twin more than anyone else could. 

“We’re going to need a cleaning crew for the last room,” Jake said, pointing behind him. 

“What did you do to him?” Rooster asked, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion. 

“Blew his mind-” “Left a bit of a mess-” Jake and Y/N both looked at each other, as the other three boys shared a look of confusion. Jake rolled his eyes. 

“Just make sure that shit gets cleaned. New carpet would be appreciated.” 

“Oh, we could put in that hardwood that I had suggested.”

@cherrycola27 @seresinsbabe @violyn20 @materialgirl01 @bradleybeachbabe @a-reader-and-a-writer @lt-spork @topnerd03 @3in1shampooconditionerbodywash @bioodforbiood @topguncultleader @ma-fraise @abaker74 @double-j @cm27078 @thedroneranger @khaylin27 @mak-32 @unhinged-btch @wittywhispers @theliterarybeldam @bloosomjoon @chxcxlate-cxxkies @luckyladycreator2 @wellshit6 @harper1666 @phoenix1388 @footprintsinthesxnd @dempy @emma8895eb @bonitanightmxres @love2write2626 @bobbyonboard @some-lovely-day @thenewdaysalreadyhere @cassiemitchellslibrary @ilymoonie @morgensternsblog @hotch-meeeeeuppppp @rintheemolion @tallrock35 @adoringsebstan @xoxabs88xox

TAG LIST IS FULL, DO NOT ASKED TO BE TAGGED

[chiosblog]

Shootout (Starsky and Hutch, 1x14) vs Without Reservations (The A-Team, 5x13)

They are the same episode but in different parallel universes, here is why lol

It's a (rainy) dark night... both Starky and Hutch and the A-Team finally get a opportunity to get off work and lay off some stress in a italian restaurant.

It's football night on tv: B.A. insists he wants to stay home to watch the game while in S&H the young hunchman Joy is whining about wanting to stay in to watch the game before moving on with the plan.

When we move to the reastaurant the evil guys are already there planning their moves: the killers are just two in S&H meanwhile in the A-team they are three (one wil remain for the most part in the back of the restaurant watching over Face's suffering).

In S&H the escalation is subtle with no gun fire. One of the killers make his move quite soon after S&H enter the place, approaching Hutch while Starsky is in the bathroom. Starsky then get shot right after he come out of the restroom. While in AT, Face's shoothing happens abruptly and it's what make everything worse for Murdock and the others. Murdock senses something was off with the two (evil) guys so ask Face and Frankie to discract them to take their guns but something don't go as planned so Face get shot.

Obviously after that both Murdock and Hutch rush to their side to take care of the wound but one of killers don't let them. They both try to argue over that and finally get to move their wounded man in a room in the back. But the evil guys don't let them attend their man for too long.

In S&H the target is Vic Monte, a mafia boss. The young girl who works there, Teresa, is also part of the killers' plan, she informs them about the target arrival cause she wants revenge for the death of her young brother. The girl then changes her mind thanks to Hutch and help him out the best she can. In AT, Gina is the daughter of the restaurant owner and spends most of the time attending to Face. In both cases, Hutch and Murdock give them precise orders to try keeping Face / Starsky alive.

Both depictions of the shooting aftermatch are quite well made: both face and Starsky are barely able to move or talk, they are heavy sweating, get tremors and they feel the need to keep calling out their partner name. Hutch is more responsive and affectionate in his actions while Murdock keep his mind completely focused on handling both Face conditions and the killers aggressive behaviour and orders. While face's health seems to worsen every minute making him unable to talk much, Starsky lightens the mood and comfort his partner. In general S&H remain closer to one another throughout the episode (Starsky plays a little part in the plan to get the upper ground over the villains) than what we see in AT.

In both episodes the young hutchman also keep tormenting the random couple who find themselves stuck in this hostage situation. In S&H this sideline plot is more structured and detailed, with some small character development for the both of them, especially for her. In AT this secondary plot play a minimal part and the characters are mainly one dimensional.

The resolution in S&H is quick: Hutch find a way to retrive the gun under the register and, with the help of Teresa, defeat the threat. In AT the resolution is slower and need an external help by B.A and Hannibal who, after being summoned with a trick, they come and help Murdock and Frankie getting rid of the villains with (you guessed it) an explosion.

The final scene is quite different lol but in both episodes we see them return to their normal silly life with their silly friends. Face and Starsky return home where they recover from the injury while some shenanigans occurs (aka the failed magician show vs the cutest pizza I've ever seen).

hope it's clear now that in both cases they are all gay, bye

[silverhallow]

No More

Benedict Bridgerton x Sophie Beckett

Benophie Mafia AU

Rated: T - whump/blood/gunshots/violence/injury/near death of a major character

Word count: 1.6k

Summary: A meeting goes entirely wrong and Benedict is close to losing everything he ever wanted

Author's Note: this is set to follow on Treacherous. It’s angsty and it’s what my muse wanted to write after seeing the photo above.

Enjoy 😉

Benedict felt his heart in his mouth when he saw her, the blood trickling down her arm, her beautiful face pale as she was carried through the gates into Penwood Park.

Why had he not gone with her… why had she been so insistent that she could manage this by herself?!

Now he was going to lose her… just a week after they had agreed to spend the rest of their lives together…

He had thought he’d heard wrong at first, “Lady Penwood’s been shot…”

The words had sent him into a spiral of despair, Kate had been almost catatonic with panic as Anthony had tried to calm her down. She always went with her… always when it might be dangerous but they’d all assumed that everything would be okay.

It was supposed to be okay.

Sophie had told Kate to stay behind, she was pregnant and therefore not in any state to accompany her… Sophie had her gun strapped to her inner thigh if she needed it, not that she liked using it, nor had she ever needed it…

But Benedict had insisted. He’d asked to go with her… as her protection but she’d kissed his temple, told him he was being silly and that all would be well, it was a meeting in broad daylight…

No one had envisaged it going so wrong…

It was supposed to be straight forward, Sophie was to go in, call off the agreements with the Italians…

But the moment she walked in she knew something was off…

Jameson, her male bodyguard who walked with her paused and put a hand on her arm, he didn’t recognise the faces of the men that they were meeting. They’d met the Rosso’s a few times before… but these… he didn’t know.

These were the Italian Mob, clearly forgetting that Sophie had her own Italian Mob Connections with her Aunt but the woman that walked out of the shadows…

Jameson knew well. “Sienna! Lady P get down!” He yelled and Sophie ducked as a shot went flying over her head.

He was a Bridgerton guard. He was the compromise Sophie had agreed to take and by God was she pleased she had, he whipped his gun out and shot the first man before he had a chance to shoot Sophie…

The woman was Anthony’s ex… Sophie had walked into an Ambush, she unclipped her gun and got off two shots before she heard a scream, a shot and then knew nothing but a searing pain in her shoulder, then nothing but darkness…

“LADY PENWOOD HAS BEEN SHOT. CODE RED!” Jameson yelled as he fired off three more shots, taking out each of the men around Sienna and his partner, who’d taken a bullet to the leg, got the final shot off, hitting a retreating Sienna in the back causing her to land face first on the floor.

Jameson ran over to his new boss, the person he was supposed to protect and knew this was not going to go well when he called it in…

It was carnage. He knew she should go straight to the hospital, the rate she was losing blood but Penwood was closer, Mary was a nurse… they had doctors on the staff and he knew if he called Anthony, he’d get a clean up crew to deal with this…

But he hadn’t expected it to be like the world had ended.

He scooped Sophie into his arms and carried her to the car, putting as much pressure on her wound as he could manage whilst the driver helped Thomas into the car as he bound his leg.

Sophie was their priority, get her back safe or die trying.

He called in the incident in the car…

Back at the house, Mary had come running through the hallway with the doctor behind her, giving orders for a room to be prepared for them to work on Sophie and when Benedict and Kate heard about it… the screams…

Anthony wasn’t sure which of them screamed the worst.

They had been at Penwood, they were overseeing the merger and it never occurred to Anthony that the Rosso’s were his ex-girlfriend’s family… he knew part of them were in their world but not that Sienna would stoop to this level… unless she expected him to be there as well…

He calmed Kate and was working on his brother when the door flew open and Sophie’s limp body was being carried in, Jameson, covered in blood and sweat as he ran through the house, looking like he’d seen death.

Sophie looked pale and a trail of blood followed her as they ran through to the room Mary was in and she instantly started barking orders.

Benedict had to be held up but the moment Sophie disappeared behind the now closed door to the kitchen he was pounding on the door “let me in!!!” he needed to be by her side, he would not let anything happen to her.

He could not, he would not lose her. Not now… not when they were so close.

“Please…” he begged as he banged on the door, tears falling down his face, he didn’t care who was watching, he saw him like this, he didn’t care that his reputation for being a hardman were going out of the window. This was the love of his life in there… dying for all he knew.

He sobbed and begged at the door but no one was listening.

Anthony tried to get him up, tried to get him to move away from the door but it was no good.

Even when two more doctors came into the house, running down to the door he’d tried to get in but Mary had just shoved him out of the way with surprising strength “NO! You need to let us do our work!” she yelled at him and Benedict just fell once more to the floor, knees to his chest as he sobbed and prayed that Sophie would be okay.

After what felt like an eternity, Mary eventually appeared, four hours later, looking exhausted, covered in blood but relieved as she bent down to an almost comatosed Benedict who was staring but not seeing the space in front of him.

“She’s awake, she’s frail but she’s alive if you wish to see her” she said softly.

She’d tell Kate tomorrow, Kate could come tomorrow, Anthony had finally carried her to bed after 2 hours of no news and promised to wake her with news. Mary had been given the message by Edwina who along with Colin and Eloise were setting up a search party to ensure that the Rosso’s were brought to justice for this…

Benedict got up and made his way into the room, it smelt like a hospital theatre, the clawing smell almost made him throw up but he had to be strong, he had to be there for her, if she was awake he had to be the first face she saw. The first one to be relieved that she was okay…

After Mary who was like her mother…

Sophie was lying on a makeshift bed, pale and weak, the blood stains running down her side and a bandage over her clavicle and her arm in a sling to help her arm heal. “Hey you” she said as she saw a tired, almost broken Benedict making his way over to her.

Benedict broke down once again, he thought he had no tears left to cry, but seeing her, hearing her weak voice he shattered and ran over to her, moving to her right side and pressed kisses all over her “you’re okay… you’re okay” he said over and over again, his hands touching her face, her arm, everything reassuring himself that she was there and she was really real.

“I’m okay really. It was barely…”

“You got shot don’t you dare say it was barely a scratch… i saw them… i saw…” he shuddered.

Sophie teached her hand up and pressed her hand on his cheek, “I’m fine, Mary got the bullet out… it was just… near a major artery is all… I lost some blood. I’ll be okay. Please… just sit down” she pleaded with him

Benedict sat down and took her hand in his, the blood stains still there down her arm “please don’t ever scare me like that again… please. No more going out without me… in fact. No more going out, you need something doing you said me or Jameson… no more…”

Sophie sighed and looked at him, the resolution in his face but the terror she’d felt the moment before she’d slipped into unconsciousness… she never wanted to experience again, she didn’t want to leave Benedict, she didn’t want to lose him and she knew it was the reason she was leaving this life behind, why they were moving away from it all…

“No more…” she said weakly.

“I…” Benedict said “wait… you agree?”

Sophie nodded weakly. “It’s why I want to leave this life.. My last thought before I blacked out was of you, of Kate… the life we’re trying to build… stability. No more… no more risk, for either of us… it’s done. It’s over…” she said

Benedict let out a puff of relief “good… I can't lose you. There is no me without you, so please… no more being stupid or reckless…”

“No more” she grinned a little drunkenly “i love you Ben”

“I love you too Soph… now sleep, i’ll be here when you wake” he said kissing her blood stained hand.

“Promise?”

“always”

[madame-wilsonn]

Midnights: Chapter 5

MASTERLIST — MIDNIGHTS MASTERLIST

Summary: John is dead and the Shelby family—or whatever is left of it—has to deal with the threat of the Italian mafia. Tommy contemplates the most recent events and how he will face this new enemy.

A/N: another chapter, another big jump! We switch to season 4 in this one but I promise there will be less and less time jumps between each chapters. I hope you will enjoy this and see you next Friday! 💗

Warnings: mentions of death, angst

Word count: 1,135 words

Tommy remembered the day after John was born. His mum was exhausted, his father nowhere to be found and Polly, holding a small figure hidden in a quilt, came to him with a smile. She sat down and handed him his baby brother. Even as a little boy, Tommy understood how fragile he was. He understood that such a small creature needed protection and gentleness. And although Tommy wasn’t much gentle with his brother, he swore to protect him whether in the dingy street of Small Heath or feet under the surface, in the tunnels.

Now, Tommy stood in their childhood home, with smoke clinging to his suit and an empty bedroom down the hall— the only reminders that once, John was here. That he wasn’t a product of Tommy’s tortured imagination. That once, there was another brother. A brother Tommy failed to protect.

He observed the empty street plunged in darkness. Loss was a strange thing. He had lost so many people you would think he got used to the feeling. But the pain never lessened. It accumulated. It grew and grew and Tommy could feel the heaviness hovering over his head. He tried to keep it away but as time passed, he felt like his body couldn’t resist much anymore. The years of pain he had fought would soon explode and Tommy didn’t know what would happen then. He didn’t want to find out.

Tommy could still feel the quilt his mum had knitted for John. It was soft. A sharp contrast with the cold, metallic table of the morgue.

He had rushed to the hospital, a mere few hours after arriving at Small Heath and putting Charlie to bed. Esme called the hospital. Then she called Polly. Then Polly called him. Tommy didn’t understand much from the conversation but he ran to the hospital. Michael was barely alive. He had been shot. Four times. His chest was bleeding and Polly was all over the place. But Michael was still breathing. Michael would be okay. John wouldn’t.

He had died in front of his house. Tommy counted six gaping holes on his brother’s scarlet chest. Arthur was crying. He couldn’t even look, couldn’t even speak. And Tommy wished he could cry too. But the tears stayed locked, burning his vision. A part of him knew that if he began crying, he would probably never stop. So he mumbled the words. In the bleak midwinter. The only promise he couldn’t fail to fulfill.

Esme ran inside as soon as the words had been uttered. And all her rage, all her despair, Tommy felt it. He almost apologized to her as she cursed him.

He knew the power women had. But he wasn’t mad, he wasn’t even scared. He knew he deserved it. Whatever curse Esme was throwing at his face, he was already paying for it. The curse was his ambition. The curse was himself.

Not even a year before, he was in the parlor with Polly and John and Arthur. Grace was safely waiting for him at Arrow House and he was king of the world. And he threw all that away. All for some pride, for some apologies. All because he fucking could.

And everybody in his family didn’t miss a chance to remind him. Especially Polly. Oh, how he hated her sometimes. But the worst part was that he hated her because she was right. They all paid the price for his actions. It didn’t matter that Tommy would get them out of jail—of course, he wouldn’t let them be executed—but it meant nothing because while they were in the gallows, Tommy was in his house. While they stood on a platform, a noose around their neck, Tommy was playing with his son and taking care of his horses.

He rubbed his eyes, lighting up a cigarette. The funeral was this morning. Caravans, out in the open. That’s how John wanted to go. He tried to tell the family—and remind himself that John had already died once. Tommy had lost him. Him and his comrades in the tunnels as they waited for the Prussian cavalry to finish them off. And for some time, he wondered why he ached. Why was he so sad when it had already happened? But then Tommy realized that in the tunnels, they were all supposed to die. Now, his brother was gone and he had to keep going without him. He was never prepared for that.

Tommy didn’t want to admit it out loud but a part of him dreaded the end. When they would all go their separate ways. When he would have to go back to that gigantic mansion of his and enjoy loneliness as sole company.

John may be a cloud of smoke now but so was his relationship with Polly. And he knew that without Polly, he would crumble. It killed him to acknowledge it, even just to himself but it was the truth. She had always been the only one who somehow understood him. She understood his mind like no one else did. And although she challenged him, Tommy enjoyed that competition. He thrived on it.

Polly knew more about himself than he probably did. She wasn’t afraid to use that against him, reminding him constantly that he wasn’t invincible, he wasn’t the stable and strong figure he tried to be. No, Tommy was lost. And terrified. He was so fucking scared. He had already lost a wife and a brother, he knew he couldn’t lose anyone else. But there were killers lurking around every corner and no amount of money or power could shield them from deadly bullets. He could hire all the Aberama Golds the world had to offer, it still didn’t assure an infallible protection.

Tommy glanced towards the bed, Charlie’s small figure hidden under the blankets. His son had no idea. He didn’t remember John much, nor Esme or his cousins. Tommy wished he could explain to him that he had another uncle. An uncle who was an expert at making the plane and who always won hide-and-seek. But Charlie wouldn’t understand because Tommy tore the family apart and let his son spend the past year alone, in a mansion too big for him.

Charlie still asked him where his mum was sometimes. Tommy tried to explain it to him. But truth was, she was gone. Just like John. One minute, he slept in the bedroom down the hall. The next, the house felt too empty because he wasn’t there anymore. Just gone.

And now, Tommy had to carry that burden. His wife died, it was his fault. Now his brother was killed and it was his fault too. Tommy threw the cigarette in the ashtray, glancing at the sky above and his chest heaved.

His fault.

Taglist: @aaskoct @cillmequick @dandelionprints @edmundo-diaz @forgottenpeakywriter @huntingingoodwill​ @iwantmyredvelvetcupcake​ @jokim @julkaamazing​ @lili12356 @look-at-the-soul​ @lyarr24​ @midnightmagpiemama​ @milkshakelol @notyour-valentine​ @rangerelik​ @salvatoremeanssavior @thesoldiersminute​ @emotionalcadaver @zablife​ @shelbydelrey​ @peakypolly 

[ginnxtonic]

"Katya loved Goncharov more because she couldn’t shoot him" "Andrey loved Goncharov more because he shot him to save him from suffering a worse death" both of these discourses miss the fundamental point in Goncharov (1973) about the cyclical nature of abuse and how this ties into patriarchal gender binaries! It's about how these norms only allow men to express love/intimacy with other men through violence, and how to survive in a cut throat mafia world Katya has had to adopt those masculine traits which translate into violence against the one she loves.

Katya's own narrative arc deals intensely with the pain these binaries impart, albeit focused more on her being torn between her Russian and Italian lineages, representative of the two peoples' different experiences during World War II and with authoritarianism; it's why her dynamic with Sofia can't be entirely explained as either a stale Hollywood love triangle or sapphic longing (although it’s definitely sapphic af, I mean we all remember the apples scene!). Sofia of course represents the innocence of a life free from crime, but more than that, she is fully Italian, not caught between two cultures aka allegiances the way that Katya is. This is where the director's own life experience comes through (remember that Matteo also had an Italian mother, and had a “““very close male roommate””” for much of his adult life!)

Unlike a lot of women in mob movies, who are either presented as innocent mothers or black widows that want to usurp their male relatives' power (the classic Madonna/whore complex of it all!) Katya's actions are clearly explained as stemming from the violence she saw inflicted on her mother due to her father's gang activity. She is very aware of how women in this life are often the victims of their husband's/father's battles; but if being a proper innocent mob wife didn't save her mother, it didn't save her grandmother during the war, why should she wait around for her brother and her husband to fail her too? Why shouldn't she embrace the masculine violence and make it her own weapon, in true Lady Macbeth fashion??

But in the end she refuses to kill the man she loves, she defies this generational cycle of violence; which Goncharov interprets as a lack of love when it is in reality the complete opposite. But Andrey... oh, Andrey. Violence is the only love language he has ever known, and while Katya spends the entire film grappling with the culturally imposed binaries she straddles, Andrey's only option is to fully embrace the violence as the only form of intimacy available. When he kills Goncharov, it's both out of mercy and because this is the only means through which he is able to express the true depths of his love for him. Andrey is able to complete the cycle because Katya’s expression of love is inconceivable to him. It's the sort of subversive gender critique that flew over the heads of 70's audiences but has made the film ripe for modern viewers.

[blogger360ncislarules]

Hotel Portofino Season 3 took a decidedly dark turn, and then kept getting darker and darker, culminating in a season finale that took a devastating turn with the death of Lucian – Bella and Cecil’s son. During the TCA Tour in July, Fangirlish had a chance to talk to Mark Umbers about the shocking finale, how it almost didn’t happen, and a season that felt like it got progressively darker for a show that couldn’t really escape just that.

“Fascism was kind of lurking in the background,” from the beginning, Umbers told us, but by the time the show started filming Season 2, the world was in a place where the news sort of reflected that side of what the show was portraying. “And we were suddenly presented with the opportunity of showing that, even in the most beautiful setting, evil can lurk beneath the surface.”

“Especially in a hotel where people are going on holiday to sit around and do nothing” but then there are real-world ramifications, “and to watch this country descend into hell, the more that sort of seeps into the lives of these people, the more powerful it is.”

“In Italy at that time, people were dirt poor. Certainly, in the South, they were anyway. And when people are deprived of a voice and of money, that’s when a so-called strong man or strong woman comes in and says, I see you and I hear you and I’m going to pull you out of your situation.”

This is the situation Cecil finds himself in during Hotel Portofino Season 3, and the problem with Cecil is, of course, that he always believes he’s got the upper hand. As Umbers explained. “Ultimately, he’s just incredibly selfish. And he will think I have X amount of money that I need by this date. How do I do it? And who do I have to lie to, to get it? And actually, I don’t think he takes the fascists or the mafia terribly seriously.”

Instead, Cecil goes through life thinking “Well, of course, I’ll, of course, I’ll win this. Yeah, yeah. Who are these people, these Italian peasants or whatever.”

However, Bella (Natascha McElhone) and Cecil are indeed of one mind when it comes to the end of Hotel Portofino Season 3 and that devastating loss, which we had to ask Umbers about because we were also devastated. Umbers confessed it was also very shocking for him and the rest of the cast to learn it was happening.

“Yeah, it was very moving. Everybody, when we first got the scripts, everybody texted each other, I’m crying, crying. This is so sad.”

Umbers even told us; that we almost didn’t get that ending. There was a universe where Lucian survived. “And then it got rewritten. And then we all rebelled and said, you’ve got to put it back to how it was.”

“To the sad one?” I remember asking. Why?

“Well, the other ending was equally as sad. I can’t remember what was changed, but I think Lucian survived in that version. But that version might have been worse, in general.”

Insert unconvinced face.

“But then it was… the whole season had been building up to this kind of tragic climax for him, that it seemed silly to just sort of suddenly not have him be shot at all. You know, but it’s really, really, really sad. It’s one of those things where I know we talked at the beginning about watching the rise of fascism, and we’re watching it at historical events. So, this was the ending that fits.”

And the ending that hurt the most. Let’s not mince words about that.

[0nlythrowharrybeaux]

Compromised One Shot - All About Family ^**

Harry finally goes to meet and check in on Y/N's family. I really love how this one turned out! And I also really love the smut, it's very romantic but hot!

WC: 8.1k

Warnings: Mentions of pregnancy struggles, grief, mentions of death and suicide, daddy kink smut.

Full Fic Masterlist

Being married hadn’t really changed the dynamic between Harry and Y/N, the biggest difference over their four months of being married was that their sex lives had morphed to include actual baby-making sessions when she was ovulating. Harry had yet to get Y/N pregnant and it did weigh a little bit on them. When he got checked everything seemed to be normal, the doctor just told him that maybe it wasn’t the right time yet. And when Y/N got checked she was told that it might be a little while before she could actually get pregnant. She had been on birth control since the age of 13 - she was now 30 - her hormones were trying to rebalance themselves without the help of birth control; it would take time for her body to be prepared for a successful pregnancy. The doctor was very kind, but candid even about the increased possibility of miscarriages the first couple times, Y/N was alright hearing it, but Harry squeezed her hand with nerves. Y/N had gotten off of her pills the week before the wedding and she was aware that it could take some people time to be able to actually get pregnant. Hearing from a professional that these challenges they were having were normal was relieving, so she wasn’t all that worried about it after hearing that but Harry seemed to still be carrying a brunt of the concern.

“Dottorra, sei sicuro? Ci stiamo provando già da quattro mesi.” He told the doctor and she nodded.

“Assolutamente. Tutto sembra normale. Sii paziente.” She smiled and Harry nodded.

“You hear her, it’s fine.” She said to Harry, who nodded, still anxious.

“It can be a couple of months or maybe even a year before it can happen.” The doctor then said in a slightly broken English. She was a sweet woman who liked when they came in because it gave her the chance to practice her English and them their Italian. This made Harry even more nervous and Y/N looked at the state he was in and decided it might be good to know if there was anything she could do to improve her chances.

“Mi consigliate qualcosa per migliorare le nostre possibilità di concepimento?” Y/N proceeded to ask for any recommendations to improve chances of conception and the doctor nodded and gave some supplements and diet recommendations that have been proven to boost egg quality. Healthy egg plus healthy sperm should equal a baby she assured them and with this fresh in their minds they headed home.

“I’m relieved to know there’s not any serious issues.” He said as he hugged Y/N from behind. She was currently grabbing some water and she smiled.

“Told you it was gonna be fine.” She said and he hummed into her shoulder, “Are you sure you’re gonna be fine with a baby though? Gonna have to share me for the rest of our lives.” She pointed out with a grin.

“Baby, it’s 50-50.” He said and she was cracking up in his arms as he said this.

“More like 90-10.” She said after she calmed and he huffed.

“Are you sure about that?” He questioned.

“Definitely, baby, it would need us to survive. Basically gonna be using my body for that the first year at least.” She said.

“It?” He laughed.

“Well, I don’t know what it’ll be!” She defended her phrasing.

“Jesus… Imagine that, an ex-mafia member and an ex-CIA agent coming together and having a kid. The type of parents we’ll be…” He mumbled in disbelief and she smirked.

“Hey, I know plenty of regular people who are horrendous parents. If anything, I think our life experiences are advantages. Besides, our parents did amazing jobs.” She said and he hummed in agreement and a silence fell over them for a second, “You know, we can wait a little more. We don’t have to plan it on purpose, we can just…let it happen when it’s meant to happen.” She said and he nibbled on his lip for a moment.

“We should plan, what if he have a Capricorn baby?” He asked and she laughed again and he grinned at successfully lightening the mood for a second, “Is it selfish of me if I say we should definitely wait a little bit more?” He asked, she was still giggling as she turned to face him and he hoisted her up onto the counter and she draped her arms around his neck.

“No baby, it’s not at all. We need to enjoy and solidify our marriage.” She reasoned, “And also make sure we’re on the same page about what we want for our family. What parenting looks like for each of us and do those styles align and are they proven to be good. What values we want to instill in our child. What kind of person we want them to be…it’s a big job. It’s a commitment, bigger than the one we’ve made to each other. I mean, if you think about it we’re choosing to create an entirely new person to add into the mix of this world and we’re sending them out into that world with the tools we have given them  to navigate it and they can do good, but they can also cause harm…” she said and he started feeling more nervous about it, “Being a parent is the most important job, I think. And if I’m going to be a parent I want to make sure that I’m ready to commit the time I need to, to my child to do the best job for them.” She explained her thoughts and he was slightly pouting now, “Did I freak you out?” She asked and he sighed through a smile.

“Just a little. I hadn’t… thought of it like that before. For me it was more like, I love you so much and I have this primal need to make you a mother, to create more with you. I hadn’t considered any of what you just said before… Is that why you never wanted to have kids?” He asked her and she nodded.

“Yeah, part of it. There’s so much good you can do and people can still go…rogue. I mean, look at me. My parents didn’t raise me in the hopes that I’d become a killer.” She said with a small frown.

“Baby, that’s not even the truth. You’re good, you’re so, so good.” 

“I know I am now, but I wasn’t always.” She said, “And I’ve forgiven myself for it, but I can’t let myself forget.” She reminded and he nodded in understanding.

“I think that’s what would make you the most incredible mum. Learning to love and forgive yourself is not something that many people do successfully.” He said and she hummed, “I think you’re completely right about where your head’s at. In my mind just the idea of being able to get you pregnant and having a little you and me combo is what was exciting for me, but  you’re absolutely right, it’s far more than that. I don’t know it was just a childish and simple little thing in my head, like the obvious next step, you know?”

“I’m an over-thinker, you know that. But you’re not being childish, it’s natural to want just the simplicity of a family, it’s not like you were being careless or making light of it, H. I think we’re meant to feel that need, but the world we live in can make the simplest things vastly complicated.” She shrugged, reassuring him that his reasons for wanting a baby weren’t wrong.

“I’ll tell you one thing that’s not complicated,” she hummed to urge him on, “After this very enlightening conversation I’ve concluded that I’m not nearly ready to share you with anyone. For very selfish and hedonistic reasons.” He whispered as he leaned in to press his lips against hers. They smiled into their kiss and parted again.

“I’m not ready to share you either. Want to enjoy us for a little bit longer.” she confessed and he smiled before delving back in to kiss her.

“Good thing we didn’t buy those supplements.” He mumbled and she laughed into the space between them, “So…do you want to go and fuck?” He asked and she giggled.

“I thought we just agreed to wait.”

“Baby, I said ‘fuck’, not make a baby. We haven’t fucked in a while.” He pointed out.

“How about later?” She asked and he pouted and nuzzled himself against the side of her face.

“Tesoro, non torturarmi in quel modo. Ti voglio così tanto.” He mumbled in Italian against the shell of her ear that she was torturing him and he wanted her so badly and she bit down on her lip, he knew what his speaking Italian did to her.

“I know what you’re trying to do.” She responded in English and he grinned against the line of her jaw, she could feel it.

“Non so di cosa stai parlando.” He played dumb as he softly kissed her jaw.

“Sai come mi sento quando mi parli in italiano.” grabbing him by the hair and pulling him back, their eyes meeting again and he grinned smugly as she reiterated to him that he was well aware of what it did to her when he spoke in Italian to her.

“No, non lo so. Dimmi come ti fa sentire.” He responded that he was not aware and to tell him how it made her feel. His green eyes were already dark with lust for her and she bit her grin back as he studied her face for a moment.

“It makes me feel like strangling you.” She joked as she slid her hands up his throat playfully and he hummed.

“That’s the spirit, but just squeeze a little bit tighter, baby.” He smirked and she rolled her eyes at him as she let her hands slide down to his firm chest, “Why don’t you want to have sex with me?” He asked, fully offended and she smiled.

“I do, just not now. My entire reproductive system was just probed at and honestly that speculum was a little big for me and it hurt a little. I’m still feeling like a specimen or something, it’s not you at all.”

“Oh.” He frowned, “I’m sorry, baby. Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?”

“Let’s go for a cuddle.” She said and he smiled.

“Alright, hang on tight my little koala bear.” He warned and she clutched tightly to him as he walked them up to their bedroom. Soon they were plopping onto their bed and he got comfy as she hugged around him, trapping his leg between her legs. 

“What’re you gonna read to me?” She asked. When they cuddled like this he always pulled out a book and read to her so that they could practice their Italian. In their lines of work it was important that they both understood the basics, but living here the past two years, they were both getting more fluent, but being with each other all of the time didn’t really give them enough practice, so this is something they did to learn new words.

“Neruda poems, you tell me what you understand.” He mumbled as he opened up the book and she hummed happily, “Corpo di donna, colline bianche, cosce bianche. Come come il mondo, posseduto nella resa. Il mio corpo selvaggio di operaio ti scava e fa…” he paused,  “…esplodere un figlio dalle profondità della terra.” He cleared his throat and she giggled.

“Is this about getting someone pregnant?” She laughed and he chuckled.

“I think so… I promise that wasn’t on purpose. It’s the first one in this book.” He laughed and she joined him as well.

“Gonna explode a son into the depths of me?” She asked through her laugher and he started howling in laughter with her. They rolled around the bed, stomachs cramping up with how hilarious they found this phrasing and finally it died down and they were catching their breaths.

“Exploding a son into you, that sounds awful.” He panted and she sniggered.

“It does. Anyway, continue.” She hummed with a smile and there was silence as he read on silently.

“Oh, this one’s really horny. I can’t take it seriously.” He mumbled and flipped the page as she giggled. He found a more lovely one and started reading that one instead. She did figure most of it out, but soon he started getting drowsy, as he often did when he read. Especially as the cool breeze billowed through their wide open glass doors that led to their ample balcony. When his vision started blurring a bit he put the book down and kissed the top of her head before cuddling closer to her.

“Ti amo, luce della mia vita.” She whispered and he smiled.

“Love you.” He hummed happily. When she called him that, the light of her life, it made Harry feel on top of the world. For so long he felt that he was nothing but darkness and pain. Knowing that to her, he was as radiant as the sun, it just made his heart burst with joy. He wasn’t sure how else he could express that to her, it was too much love for him to hold inside, “I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you.” He said over and over as he squeezed her close.

When they woke up it was because there was a loud crack of thunder that rattled the windows and glass doors. It was cooler now and the sky was grey as the rain poured down in bucketfuls. The sound was soothing, but she was chilly as was he and they pulled the throw at the end of their bed over their shivering bodies.

“Baby, I’ve been thinking about something.” 

“What is it?” He asked and she bit her lip.

“Ummm, do you think it’s safe enough for you to visit my family now? I’ve been thinking about them a lot and I…I just want to make sure they’re OK.” 

“Yeah, I think we’re alright now. Do you want to go and have me wear a wire or something?” He asked, “How should we do this?”

“No, I don’t want to go. I can’t do it.” She admitted, “Just you. I trust you.”

“OK.” He agreed quietly as his hand smoothed over her tummy.

It was only a few days later that they made the arrangements for him to travel to her hometown. He was only planning to be there two or three days, he also wanted to visit Angelo’s mom on the way back. He was a bit nervous about doing this, but he would of course do anything for her.

*********

Harry had boarded a plane that was soon to touch down in Los Angeles. Now that he was there he felt more anxious about this than before; what if they got upset at him? What if he hurt them more than they were already hurting? Harry was updating  Y/N on his travels and they spoke on the phone the entire drive to her old house where she shared some refresher details about her family to him. 

“Baby, I’m pulling up now.” She breathed out shakily, “Are you sure you don’t want to listen in at least or-”

“No.” She cut in quickly.

“OK. Well, I love you. I’ll let you know what happens.”

“Love you.” She sniffled and how he wanted to wrap her up in a big hug.

“I love you.” He responded and they hung up. He removed his wedding ring and put it in his pocket and took a few deep breaths before he got out of the car he rented and walked up to the front door. The home wasn’t big at all, in fact, it kind of reminded him of his safe house out near his mum’s. But there was that giant magnolia tree out front, the flowers in full bloom from the spring, they looked identical to the ones tattooed on her now and it made him smile. He made it to the door and rung the door bell twice and looked around, the orange hues of the sky were beautiful, it was nearly 6 in the evening. Y/N said they were always home for dinner. He heard some steps coming and in moments the door was unlocked and swung open to reveal a child, a girl, she couldn’t be older that 5. This was strange. Had they moved?

“Hi.” He said with a friendly smile and she just peered up at him silently, “Are your parents home?” He asked and she nodded and he chuckled, “Can you call them for me?” She nodded and just scurried away leaving him alone again and he took a few steps back, to show that he was not a threat, but the child barely made it around the corner before a woman, looking closer to his age hurried up with a concerned frown.

“Who are you?” She asked assertively.

“Ummm, I’m Harry. I was looking for Martha o-or Benjamin?” He asked warily, “This was the last address I had for them.” He explained.

“What is this regarding?” The woman asked.

“It’s a family matter. Is there a forwarding address that you can give me or-”

“I am their family. I’m their niece, Evelyn. This is their house, I’m their tenant now.” She explained, she was clearly feeling protective, which any normal person would.

“Oh my god, hi.” He said as his lips turned up in a smile.

“Sorry, do I know you?” Evelyn asked, looking completely perplexed now. He shook his head.

“No, but I know of you. I umm-” this was harder than he thought.

“How? What is this about?” She asked again.

“Ummm, it’s about…Y/N.” He said tentatively and her face immediately dropped.

“What? How?” She asked and he bit his lip.

“We…were together when she…” he trailed off and Evelyn looked to the ground.

“They told us she was on that motorcycle by herself.” She said tightly, her eyes watery.

“She was. Sorry, let me clarify, I mean we were in a relationship then.” He explained his story.

“What?” Evelyn asked in disbelief and Harry nodded, “Well, what could you possibly want now? It’s been more than ten years.” She sighed in agitation.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to cause any more hurt to you or them, but ummm, I’m getting engaged soon and I still have some of her things. I held on to them for all this time and it didn’t feel right to just throw them away or mail them off. I couldn’t do that to her.” He said his well rehearsed narrative perfectly and Evelyn sniffled as a few tears fell.

“Why now?” She asked with confusion. Her voice cracked as more tears fell and he nibbled on his lip.

“Ummm, it’s been hard to let her go. But I’m ready now and she always talked about her family and her home and it seemed like the best place to come say goodbye.” He explained and she shook her head.

“You can’t do that!” She scoffed with hurt, “You decided to just show up one day and-Fuck, how could you?” She asked as more tears fell and he frowned.

“I’m so sorry. Maybe I shouldn’t have come.” He responded softly and she nodded and he turned away and started to walk back to his car. Y/N would understand, she was prepared for this type of reaction and had told him to just go if it would only make things worse. Obviously it would hurt her to know that they still bore some pain but at least she would know they were alive and well and still learning how to move on. He was about to cross the street to his car when Evelyn’s voice cut through his thoughts of how he would explain this to Y/N.

“Hey! Wait!” She shouted sharply and he turned back to look at her, there was a beat of silence before Evelyn spoke up again, “What do you have of hers?” She asked nervously.

“Just some stuff she had left at my apartment. I can show you.” He offered and she nodded, her eyes softening, “Let me just get it from the car.” He said and hurried to grab the box that had taken up most of the space in his duffle bag. He hurried back over to her.

“D-do you want to come in?” She asked cautiously.

“If you’re OK with it. We can stay out here if you prefer.” He said quickly.

“It’s fine, I need to keep an eye out on the girls.” She said and he nodded and she guided him inside. He followed her through the home, it was small but cute. They peaked into the living room to see her girls watching a Disney movie attentively now and the kitchen overlooked that area, so she switched on the light and sat on the table across from him. He could feel her watching him closely, she was so nervous.

“I ummm, I’ve got some photos we took and a shirt of hers and a necklace and watch…some CD’s, a notebook, just with doodles and random things.” He said as he opened it up and when he glanced up at her she was staring intently at him.

“Did you even go to her funeral? I don’t remember seeing you there.” She stated and he shook his head.

“I couldn’t. When I found out I was…” he stopped and remembered how it felt when that CIA guy took her away, he thought it had lost her forever, “I lost my fucking mind. I was in hysterics.” He said with a frown. “ I completely shut down. I didn’t want to accept it, going meant it was real. I got pulled out of school and went back to England. I regret not going though.” He shared, “I ummm…that night we had gone out with friends and I had this plan that I was going to tell her that I loved her.” He smiled sadly, “I chickened out as we were saying goodbye and I just kissed her, like I normally would. I tried to show her what I was trying to say when I kissed her.” He explained and he could see Evelyn’s tears silently falling, “If I had only known that, that was our final goodbye I would’ve been more brave.” He explained and Evelyn broke out in a sob and he instinctively reached out for her hand and she squeezed it, “I’m so sorry.” He apologized again and she shook her head.

“No, it’s alright. It’s just so unfair.” She gasped through her tears, “She deserved to be happy and it breaks my heart that she never got to experience that for herself. People in high school were so mean to her.” Evelyn explained.

“Yeah, she told me that.” He nodded.

“Yeah, she was excited to start a new life and be with new people and just start over. She knew that leaving would make everything better.” Evelyn explained, “I know she was really happy out there. She was right?” Evelyn whimpered and Harry nodded with a sympathetic smile. 

“Yeah, so incredibly happy.” He assured her and she nodded and pulled their hands apart to wipe under her eyes.

“Ughhh…” she sniffled and gathered herself for a second, “Can you show me the stuff?”

“Of course.” He nodded and started putting things down for her to see. She looked through the notebook and then through the pictures they had taken a while back and Evelyn smiled down at one of Y/N with a plate of pancakes in her hands.

“Her and her pancake obsession.” She giggled and Harry nodded, “And always with that same haircut… she was so resistant to changing it.”

“Yeah.” He chuckled, “I really like the next one.” He said and she moved on to it. This was one they had taken when they first got to Italy, Evelyn obviously didn’t know that, but it was a really nice one. He was smooshing a big kiss to her cheek as she laughed, her eyes were shut tight, but it exuded pure happiness. Evelyn smiled down at it.

“You don’t want this one?” She asked glancing up at him.

“I did keep some of us but they’re a little more platonic though granted the whole engagement thing.” He explained.

“Right, of course.” She responded and he nodded. 

She then moved on to the other items, the university t-shirt she liked to wear, it still kind of smelled like her perfume. He then explained that she had left a bottle of her favorite spray and lotion at his place if she wanted it. It was in his luggage and Evelyn was so excited to hear that and explained that, that particular scent had been discontinued. Y/N didn’t smell like that anymore, but maybe she had always planned for something like this to get done for her family or perhaps she just had it stashed away for personal reasons, as a reminder of her old life. Evelyn told him stories about the CD’s Y/N had put in there, they were autographed and they had been looking for them everywhere, it was nice to have some of her favorite items back. Evelyn ended up asking him over for dinner, he accepted and she assured that she would call Y/N’s parents to see if they would want to come over as well. She was on the phone with them for at least 20 minutes in another room and in the end they agreed, surprisingly. 

While they waited Evelyn talked a bit about herself, how she had moved on and was holding up. One of her kids was named after Y/N, their father, her boyfriend, was fire fighter, so he worked long hours but he was a great dad and partner and they were getting married soon. Evelyn wanted to know more about Harry though and how he had moved on and so he told her the things he and Y/N had agreed upon and all in all, it was good. He could see where Y/N got her great qualities from. They had just finished laughing about some funny story from Y/N’s childhood and Evelyn switched gears again.

“So, is this your first serious relationship after her?” Evelyn asked carefully and he nodded, just as he and Y/N had rehearsed.

“It was hard to move on because I genuinely believe she’s my soulmate.” He said, choosing to speak in present tense, because it was the truth, they are soulmates.

“Is?” Evelyn asked confused and he smiled and nodded.

“Personally, I believe we only have one soulmate and she’s mine. I think we can love plenty of people, but there’s always that one person who just…I don’t know, you just know, you know?” He explained with a smile and Evelyn nodded, “From the very first moment you meet them, something deep inside of them calls to something deep inside of you.” He explained, “I’d never felt that way before, she worked her way in to easily and just flipped my entire world upside down, but it helped me see that there was more to life, you know? It put a lot into perspective for me and she…saved me in a way. To me, everything about her was special from the start. She was so beautiful and put together. Her smile. The sound of her voice, her laugh, the way it looks like she’s pouting or upset when she’s thinking about something.” Evelyn giggled, “Know that one, do you?” He chuckled.

“Definitely.” She smiled, “You know, I…don’t really remember what she sounds like.” Evelyn confessed sadly, “Her laugh I can hear it in my head clear as day, but her voice is… it’s fading.” She sniffled and he reached for her hand again and she squeezed it tight. Suddenly the doorbell rang again and she shot up, “Oh my. , they’re here!” She said and Harry felt extremely nervous again. He felt like he was going to be sick, “Just, wait here.” She said and he nodded. 

He could heard Y/N’s mom crying a bit as they made some muffled conversation and after about five minutes Evelyn came back in with Y/N’s parents, they looked exactly as she had described them. Y/N was almost a splitting image of her father with noticeable traces of her mother. They just looked him over for a moment, looking more calm now. There wasn’t judgement on their faces, it was more like they were trying to picture Y/N with him. In his opinion it was easy to picture them together, they looked like they belonged together, but maybe they couldn’t see that.

“Hi, I’m Harry.” He said with a small smile and Y/N’s father extended his hand out to him and Harry shook it firmly and Y/N’s mother followed.

“Everyone sit, chat for a minute while I get the girls fed.” Evelyn said and they all nodded and sat down. The looked at the box of Y/N’s things.

“Ummm, these are the things of hers that I’ve had with me. She had left them in my apartment. It’s not much.” He said and they looked inside. Her dad grabbed the photos right away and they both smiled as they looked through them quietly together, but no more tears were shed from them. They looked through the rest of the box and he just gave them their time to look at the relics from her old life. He wished he could show them how beautiful she looked on their wedding day. If they could only see her now, they would be so proud of her. They finally turned their attention back to him and her mother spoke up.

“You looked quite happy in the pictures together.” She smiled and Harry nodded.

“Best few months of my life.” He said softly.

“She hadn’t mentioned that she was seeing anyone.” Her mother said.

“I think she was a little bit embarrassed of me.” He confessed with a smile, “Well, more of being in a relationship in general. She was so goal driven and focused, she came in knowing what she wanted those four years to look like and I think she just didn’t want anyone to know that she could potentially be distracted. I wasn’t really a part of the plan.” He explained and her father chuckled.

“Sounds about right.” Harry nodded with a smile, “So you were with her on that day?” He asked Harry and he nodded, “We’ve always wondered if it wasn’t an accident. If maybe it was too much pressure with her classes and working and trying to maintain her scholarship. Maybe she was having trouble with other people? She always had issues with bullies in school.” He explained with a frown.

“We were scared that she was just unhappy being away from home. We’re all very close.” Her mother added, “H-how was she doing?”

“She was doing really well. I did hear a lot about you all. She missed you a lot, specially her grandfather, she wished that he had been around to see it all.” He explained and they nodded attentively as he spoke, “She was really happy.” He confirmed, “I’d like to think I played a part in that.” He smiled, “She was still really focused and driven, she had her priorities straight. But ummm, she was allowing herself to live life as well. She was very well-liked among her classmates and our friends, she integrated herself a lot more in my group after her roommate joined the sorority?” They nodded in understanding.

“How did you meet?” Her mother asked and Harry smiled to himself for a moment.

“At a tattoo shop.” He said and her eyebrows arched up.

“Really?”

“Yes, she came to ask about it. I think she maybe wanted something after her grandfather and I was working there at the front. Helped pay the school bills.” He explained, “It was cute, she was so nervous and she had clearly been reading tons of things on the internet and had the most complex questions.” He chuckled, “She was wearing a school hoodie and I told her I also studied there and turns out we were just a building away from each other that whole time.” He hummed.

They seemed happy to be talking about her. To have some real insight as to what her life was like. Harry apologized for not being at her funeral as Y/N had told him to do and also for showing up after all that time, but they didn’t care. They were just happy that she had been happy and loved. He did give Evelyn the spray and lotion that Y/N had sent, she knew her cousin well and they let Evelyn keep some things and they took the rest. At the end of the night they all hugged him goodbye and they wished him luck in his relationship and hoped that he could too fully heal from it all. They were so sweet and caring and kind and he was glad that he could leave them with some peace as Y/N hoped, he was also pleased that he would be able to tell her that her family were alright. He had planned on staying longer but he didn’t want to wait to share and he also didn’t want to tell her everything over the phone. He got a flight on standby and headed straight back to Italy on a red eye, he could check in on Angelo’s mum another time. He let Y/N know he was coming back right away and that made her anxious, she left for their nearest airport though and waited in that city for him until he arrived the following afternoon.

*********

“Hey, love.” He hummed as he hurried into the car and they kissed briefly.

“Hi. How was it?” She asked right away, “Wait, actually don’t tell me just yet, let’s get in to the hotel first, yeah?”

“Yeah, that’s a good idea.” He smiled and they took off. Y/N was completely on edge. She was quiet the whole drive and he just let her simmer and formulate the questions she wanted to asked as he just held her thigh. 

When they finally arrived and got into their room she let out a big exhale before she burst into tears. 

“Oh baby, c’mere.” He said quietly and she rushed into his arms and he held her tight as she sobbed. She wept to him about how she regretted not going with him and seeing them or hearing them for herself and truly that was her one chance. There was absolutely no reason for Harry to ever go back now and she felt like she had made a mistake in not doing as he had suggested. He let her be sad about this for however long she wanted before he would share about how they were. She just needed a moment to express how conflicted she felt about all of this; how she regretted accepting the CIA’s recruiting offer, but without that she never would have met him. She regretted hurting her family the way she did, not being able to see her parents get old and look after them, she was their only child, it was supposed to be her taking care of them. She regretted not having them there on their wedding day. As she confessed to all of these things she had been holding onto for months Harry knew not to take it all personally.

Harry understood full well the conflicting feelings because while he could never regret her, he did regret getting too ambitious as a young kid to the point that he got mixed up with the mafia. Because of this he wasted so much precious time with his family and even with his friends. He hurt them and put them in harm’s way and if he could take it all back he would, but that also meant that he would have never met Y/N. But for one reason or another, they were on the paths they were on and he’d like to think that it was because they were meant to be together. Soon her crying subsided and he was able to answer her questions, tell her about her niece who was named after, how happy her family was to hear that she had in fact been happy during her time away, and obviously, it was hard for them, but they seemed to have moved on well enough. Hearing that did make her feel better as she laid against his chest as his fingers stroked her hair and she listened on until he was done.

“Thank you for doing that for me, baby. I know that it couldn’t have been easy.” She said, cheek smushed into his warm and sturdy chest.

“I would do anything for you, no matter how hard or impossible it seemed.” He assured as he planted a kiss on her head and she smiled, because she knew it was the absolute truth.

There was no one else she had ever trusted with this, just him. There was no one else she had loved so much that she felt would be excellent candidates to meet her family. There was no one who worked on themselves and bore their soul to her the way he did. There was no one that she had ever envisioned building a life and family with, just him. And it was not lost on her how absolutely lucky she got to have their paths cross. To have him also notice her. To let her in. To love her. Y/N’s vision started to blur with tears, they were happy tears but overwhelmed tears because there was this paralyzing feeling in her chest as it dawned on her just how much she loved him. She earnestly believed that she had reached the capacity of love with how she felt, but right now it was clear to her that there was just so much more. It bordered on painful, she couldn’t just contain this feeling inside. She pressed herself up against his chest as she sniffled and he frowned.

“Oh baby, what’s the matter?” He asked and she shook her head as she grabbed his face and pressed her lips to his in a powerful and searing kiss. The kind of kiss that put the entire world on pause. The kind if kiss that seemed like it was a life or death situation and after a few seconds of being caught off guard Harry looped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him as the kiss evolved into a make out session that was making his body buzz in excitement. Gradually, they started to slow down to catch their breaths and she nudged her nose against his playfully, this made his smile and she kissed kissed him through it before pulling back slightly as their eyes blinked open to meet each other’s gaze.

“I feel so much for you, I couldn’t articulate it.” She explained her sudden outburst, “I can’t imagine doing life without you. I don’t even care how we came to be, I’m just happy to be here with you.” She whispered and he now lunged forward and kissed her until the fell back onto the bed upside down. In seconds they were getting undressed in between kisses and growing more and more desperate for each other. Harry’s lips trailed down her body, the skin left in his wake of kisses seemed to sear at the absence of his lips but she was eager for him to reach his intended destination. Her delicate fingers combed into his hair and pushed him down faster and he chuckled, but did as she was suggesting. She put a leg over his shoulder as the other fell open, making space for him. She could feel his fast exhales against her heat, making her clench in anticipation as his lips skimmed her lower lips.

“So.” Kiss, “Fucking.” Kiss, “Perfect.” kiss. She moaned at the slight friction to her clit with his lips and soft, little kisses, “You’re a goddess.” He hummed as he buried his face against her, taking in her scent and how soft her skin was down there, he giggled as her little tuft of hair tickled beneath his nose and the vibrations of it made her gasp and buck up, the tip of his nose came into perfect contact with her throbbing, little clit. It was so red and swollen, pleading for his attention. He rolled his tongue out and licked a fat stripe up from her entrance to her clit, making sure to swirl around the little button a few times before moving back to suck at her labia gently and then to dart his tongue into her leaking, little hole. Her grip tightened into his hair and she moaned as she ground herself again his mouth and he moaned and let her move him around to where she wanted, listening to her instructions so that he could get her off. Her thighs were squeezing around his head and her grip was tight in his hair but he could care less, he would die a happy death if he were to be suffocated between her thighs. “Oh H, baby! I’m right there!” She gasped as her toes curled and the muscles of her stomach trembled from how wound up tight she was. Her orgasm came so swiftly and fiercely. It took her out like a giant wave wiping out and rolling everything in it’s path down into its depths. He moaned against her sensitive skin and gently kissed at her clit to bring her down from it all before he licked down to her entrance and delved his tongue inside, wanting to get a taste of her cum. 

After a few moments of his delicate actions to bring her back down he kissed his way back up her body, taking his time to lick and suck at his favorite parts of her body before making it to her lips, his absolute favorite place to kiss. As they started to make out he adjusted her legs beneath him so that he could slick his cock up with her arousal and cum.

“You make me absolutely crazy for you.” He snarled as he felt the warm slick of her juices coat his prick up. It made him feral to feel how her body seemed to react to his. How wet she got for him was an absolute turn on. He viewed it as her body’s way of inviting him in. Her body craved his and wanted him to fill her up and pound her pussy to the heavens. He adjusted his hips and without a warning sunk into her in one fluid thrust and he moaned into her mouth as she gasped as their bodies connected perfectly. He had sunk in balls deep from how wet she was, but inside she was still adjusting to his size and he kept the pressure of his hips against hers. Slowly he started to sink in a little deeper, “Fuck, I can feel you opening up for me, baby.” He whispered and something about that made her moan out in ecstasy.

“Please.” She whimpered and he kissed her.

“Please what?” He asked before he swirled his hips with a wet squelch and she smiled in ecstasy.

“I-I don’t even know.” She mumbled and he hummed in amusement and he pressed himself up to a kneeling position and she gasped as he reached even deeper, she could feel it in the pit of her stomach and she winced as the little bite of pain before she adjusted to it moments later. Already, her eyes were hazy with ecstasy, she was love drunk and cock drunk at the same time.

He glanced down to see how such a tight little thing had opened right up for his big cock and taken it to the hilt. It genuinely amazed him how he fit inside. He grabbed her hands and intertwined their fingers before he pressed her hands down into the mattress as he drew out a bit, making her wince and then she cried out his name as he surged back in and ground into her. She squeezed at his hands as her eyes searched his, “More. Please, more.” She pleaded and he nodded as he drew back out again and thrust in again and this time he kept going.

Every time his cock slid back in he was celebrated with a wet smacking sound and her pretty moans that emerged from her throat in perfect time with his thrusts. He spared a glance down at the way they moved together and he shivered with pleasure as he groaned and glanced back up to her as he picked up his pace. The fire in his belly was lit and was quickly starting to spread through his entire body.

“Fuck, you’re already gonna make me come.” He groaned and she smiled.

“Harder.” She mewled and he let go of one of her hands to grip her hip and have more leverage as his hips piston med powerfully into hers until he could see the tip of his cock bulging slightly at her lower stomach. The headboard of the hotel bed pounded rhythmically with his thrusts and the frame creaked along with her, as if it too was praising Harry for the railing he was giving Y/N. She cried out in a mix of pain and pleasure, but she didn’t want him to stop as he absolutely demolished her. She swore he was splitting her in two but it felt like heaven and her entire body was vibrating with the pleasure of an impeding orgasm. They heard some pounding on the wall and he chuckled, “We have to be quiet.” She gasped.

“Fuck that guy. Wanna hear you. Love to hear you.” He groaned as he went harder and she groaned with each thrust and again, their neighbor pounded on the wall.

“Un po' di discrezione per favore!” They heard a muffled shout through the wall and they both laughed through the pleasure at their neighbor’s plea for some discretion.

“Stai zitto! Abbiamo quasi finito!” Harry shouted back with laughter and they could hear the man start cursing them out and despite that he worked harder and harder, the pounding of the headboard grew more intense as the man’s knocks into the wall also increased, probably thinking he was ruining the mood, but Y/N started to circle her clit in time to the fast raps against the wall and she was burning up from the inside out, gasping and moaning Harry’s name as he pounded right into her g-spot.

“There! Oh fuck, right there, daddy!” She yelped and he moaned loudly at the name slipped from her mouth without her even thinking about it. 

“Fuck, say it again.” He panted hoarsely.

“Daddy! I’m going to come, daddy!” She nearly sobbed as her little fingers were a blur against her slippery cunt as she started to tighten up around his cock.

“Fuck, come for, daddy. All over my cock, baby.” He panted tiredly and she tensed up and her toes curled as she just clutched to his back as she started to moan uncontrollably, her nails raked down the hot and sweaty skin of his back as she pulsed around him and soaked him, she was squirting and he fought the pressure of it to stay inside, “Fuck, I’m gonna come!” He growled and his grip on her tightened and he sobbed against her mouth as ropes of his cum shot deep inside of her, filling her as he moaned her name. Her pulsing walls milked every bit of his cum and his thrusts slowed but didn’t stop completely as they kissed heatedly before parting with a gasp to take a proper breath. Y/N’s vision was blurry with tears and Harry’s was completely splotchy with little colors, that really had taken it out of him. He pressed himself up from her body with shaky arms, getting ready to pull out but she hugged around him.

“Not yet.” She spoke hoarsely and he smiled and nestled back into her arms and kissed at the top of her right breast.

“I love you. You’re my whole world.” He whispered and she smiled and kissed the top of his head.

“Love you, light of my life.” She whispered tiredly.

[unabashegirl]

Vicious 10 | Mafia HS

After his father's death, Harry Styles must take control of the family mafia while dealing with his unpredictable brother, Silas. He meets Y/N Castellano, the daughter of an Italian mafia boss, and learns about their arranged marriage.

Author's note: hello everyone, I hope you are all having a wonderful week. Here is a new chapter enjoy! Let me know what you think :)

check out my patreon (starting at $2) and get full access to all 25 chapters, various one shots and much more :)

warnings: violence, abuse, cursing

vicious masterlist

Four days had passed since Harry had dragged her down into the darkness of the dungeon. Four long days since she had felt the warmth of the sun on her skin. The air down here was cold, damp, and heavy with the musty scent of stone and decay. Food and water were brought to her, but they did little to ease the weight of her confinement.

Y/N shivered as she huddled in the corner of the damp cell, the chains around her wrists and ankles digging into her skin. The darkness seemed to press in on her from all sides, suffocating her with its suffocating embrace.

Her mind raced with thoughts of escape, of freedom from this prison that Harry had condemned her to. But each time she tried to move, the chains held her fast, a cruel reminder of her captivity.

The days blurred together into a haze of fear and despair. She lost track of time, of how many meals had been brought to her, of how many times she had cried out for help only to be met with silence.

At night, when the dungeon fell into an eerie silence broken only by the distant sound of dripping water, Y/N found herself consumed by dread. The shadows seemed to come alive, twisting and shifting in the darkness, whispering taunts and threats that echoed in her mind.

But despite the darkness and the cold, Y/N refused to let despair consume her. She clung to a flicker of hope, a small ember of defiance burning within her. She knew she had to stay strong, to endure, until the day came when she could break free from these chains and the man who had put her here.

"How long are you going to keep her downstairs?" Charlie's voice cut through the tense air of Harry's office as he paced back and forth, his concern evident in his furrowed brow.

"As long as needed," Harry replied curtly, his attention focused on the packages that had arrived at the house. Some contained thinly veiled threats, others held payments or favors owed.

"Calm down, Charlie. She isn't dying down there," Lex interjected, his voice tinged with annoyance. "We've had people genuinely hurt, surviving for months in those cells."

"She isn't just anyone, Lex. She's Federico's daughter," Charlie retorted, his worry deepening. "Keeping her locked up down there only raises the risk of sparking a war with the Italians."

Harry paused, his jaw clenching as he considered Charlie's words. The implications of his actions weighed heavily on him, the potential consequences looming large in his mind.

"We can't risk it," Charlie continued, his voice firm.

Harry remained silent for a moment, the gravity of the situation settling heavily upon him. He knew Charlie was right, but his pride and anger clouded his judgment.

"We'll see," Harry finally replied, his voice hard. "For now, she stays where she is."

Charlie nodded, a sense of unease settling over him as he watched Harry continue to sift through the packages. Deep down, he knew that the longer Y/N remained locked away in the dungeon, the greater the risk of irrevocable consequences. But convincing Harry of that was another matter entirely.

“What the hell is this?" Lex exclaimed, his voice filled with disbelief as he pulled something out of the box addressed to Harry.

"It's a finger," Charlie replied grimly after examining the piece. The finger was meticulously manicured, adorned with a large diamond ring. Lex recoiled, dropping the grisly item back into the box and rummaging through the contents in search of a note. However, there was nothing to be found except for a phone.

"I don't understand. Is it a threat? Did they kidnap one of us? What is it supposed to mean?" Lex's questions hung heavy in the air, his confusion mirrored in the faces of the other men in the room. "Completely clueless about this one."

"Send the phone to be unblocked and searched. Get rid of the finger," Harry ordered, his voice hard and decisive. The situation was becoming increasingly unnerving, and he knew they needed answers quickly.

Charlie nodded, his expression grim as he carefully collected the items from the box. The severed finger, with its ominous ring, was a chilling reminder of the dangers lurking just outside their doors.

After delivering the phone to a member of the IT team, Charlie couldn't shake off the unease that settled in his gut. He knew he wasn't supposed to go down there, into the dark chambers where Harry kept her locked away. The risk was immense—being caught could mean facing the same fate or worse. But he couldn't bear the thought of Y/N suffering such harsh punishment for attempting to escape.

With a quick glance around to ensure no one was watching, Charlie made his way down the narrow staircase that led to the underground chambers. The air grew colder and damper with each step, the darkness enveloping him like a suffocating shroud.

Finally reaching the heavy iron door that sealed off Y/N's prison, Charlie hesitated for a moment. He could hear the faint echoes of her sobs from the other side, sending a pang of guilt and sympathy through him.

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Charlie reached for the latch and slowly pushed the door open. The dim light of a single bulb flickered overhead, casting eerie shadows across the stone walls.

Y/N was curled up on the cold floor, her knees drawn up to her chest as she shivered in the dampness of the dungeon. The sight of her in such a vulnerable state struck a chord deep within Charlie.

"Y/N?" he whispered softly, his voice barely audible in the oppressive silence.

She looked up, her eyes wide with surprise and a glimmer of hope. "Charlie?" her voice trembled, tears glistening in the dim light.

Charlie knelt down beside her, ignoring the gnawing fear in the pit of his stomach. "I brought you something," he said quietly, holding out a blanket and a pillow.

Her eyes widened in disbelief as she reached out to take it. “Thank you…” she began, her voice catching in her throat.

"How are your wrists?" Charlie asked softly, his eyes filled with concern as he noticed the bruises and swelling.

"Painful," Y/N replied, her voice barely above a whisper, her gaze fixed on her injured wrists.

Charlie reached into his pocket and pulled out a small tube of gel. "Here," he said, offering it to her. "This should help with the pain."

Y/N took the tube gratefully, unscrewing the cap and squeezing a small amount onto her fingertips. The cool gel soothed the ache as she carefully rubbed it onto her wrists, sighing with relief as the pain began to ease.

"Thank you," Y/N murmured, her eyes meeting Charlie's with gratitude. "Why are you helping me? I thought you hated me.”

"I'll come down tonight if I have a chance," Charlie said, changing the subject. "Maybe I'll bring you something different than oatmeal for dinner."

A small smile tugged at Y/N's lips. "I'd appreciate that," she said, her eyes softening with warmth.

Charlie nodded, a sense of determination in his gaze. "Hang in there, Y/N. We'll find a way to get you out of here."

With those words of reassurance, Charlie turned to leave, his footsteps echoing faintly in the dimly lit dungeon. Y/N watched him go, a flicker of hope growing in her chest. Perhaps, with Charlie's help, there was a chance for escape after all.

Later that day, during dinner, Lex burst into the dining room where Harry was dining alone.

"Boss, the phone is from someone named Gianna Rossi. She recently got married to a guy named Augusto Rossi. Turns out he used to attend college with none other than Federico Castellano," Lex shared, handing over the papers to Harry. "There are multiple chats between Gianna and Y/N. They're apparently best friends."

Harry's eyes narrowed as he scanned through the documents, his mind racing with possibilities. "So... it's her finger? Gianna's?" he asked, a cold edge to his voice. “Why would he sent it here? We don’t even know her”

"Y/N and Gianna were planning to escape the night she went out the window and we found her in the woods. But after that night, they've had no contact whatsoever," Charlie explained, his eyes serious as Harry glanced up from his meal. "Apparently this Augusto guy is a real piece of work. I'm guessing she got caught, and things haven't been going too well for her since then.”

Harry's jaw clenched as he absorbed this information. He had suspected that Y/N wasn't acting alone in her escape attempt, but the extent of her connection to Gianna and Augusto surprised him. The thought of her planning this with her best friend, not for some lover, but for freedom from him, ignited a mix of emotions within him.

Regret crept in, unexpected and unwelcome. He had believed her escape was for a man, for love or desire, but now he saw the truth. It was about freedom, about escaping the life he had offered her. The realization hit him like a physical blow, stirring up a tumult of conflicting feelings.

Anger flared first, a hot surge of resentment at her betrayal. How dare she conspire against him with someone he didn't know, someone who could pose a threat to everything he had built? But beneath the anger, there was a hollow ache of regret.

Regret for not seeing it sooner, for not understanding her motives. Regret for chaining her in the dark, cold depths of the dungeon, treating her like a criminal instead of a woman he had cared for in his own way.

Harry stood from his seat, the chair scraping loudly against the floor in the silence of the room. He paced the length of the dining hall, his mind whirling with thoughts of what to do next. He couldn't let this betrayal go unpunished, but he also couldn't deny the strange mix of feelings that stirred within him.

The image of Y/N, defiant and vulnerable, haunted him. He could almost feel the softness of her skin under his fingertips, the warmth of her breath against his neck. The memory of their moments together, the stolen glances and shared touches, lingered in his mind.

"Find out everything you can about this Augusto Rossi," Harry ordered, his voice low and dangerous. “I want to know if he has any type of current business with Federico and find out about Gianna’s family and who they are” Lex and Charlie nodded before leaving the room.

Harry remained seated, his appetite gone as he pushed around the food on his plate. The conversation with Lex and Charlie had left a sour taste in his mouth, the image of Y/N chained downstairs haunting his thoughts.

He couldn't shake the feeling of regret that gnawed at him, each bite of food becoming more difficult to swallow. The realization of what he had done, of how he had treated her, weighed heavily on his mind.

The once appetizing meal now seemed tasteless, the clinking of utensils against plates echoing in the otherwise silent room. Harry found himself lost in thought, his mind drifting back to Y/N and the desperation in her eyes.

The image of her chained in the dungeon flashed before his eyes, the memory of her pleading eyes and muffled cries sending a pang of guilt through him. He had acted out of anger, out of fear of losing control, but now he saw the consequences of his actions.

Pushing the plate away, Harry ran a hand through his hair, frustration and regret mingling in his thoughts. He should have handled the situation differently, should have given her a chance to explain herself.

But now it was too late, and he was left with the weight of his decisions pressing down on him.

Harry walked with heavy steps, the weight of his actions pressing down on him like a leaden cloak. He couldn't deny the mess he had made, the damage he had inflicted on his relationship with Y/N, and the repercussions it would have on his awaiting marriage.

As he reached the door to the dungeon, his heart clenched with a mixture of dread and regret

[scrapyardboyfriends]

Caught up on today's episode...

They're just so proud of their editing skills this week and it's just so bad. Haha. The little recap flashbacks at the beginning. Constantly cutting back to the stupid car stunt for dramatic effect. The weird blue tone stuff. It's just so annoying and distracting. I feel like they think it's so cool and innovative but it's mostly just repetitive and rather pointless.

I mean I guess it's a little better than those three trees they kept pulling down in the storm and the cow stampede but that's like...a really low bar. Haha.

As for the actual stories....ugh. They really are going full Rebecca with Chloe aren't they? If she wakes up with brain damage or some other long term thing that prevents her from taking care of Reuben or something I just....I can't. They love repeating stories but they also seem to love repeating the worst ones. This is the Hell Plot if they made every worse decision. And none of it is even worth it because who at this point is even really rooting for Mack and Charity to be together (unlike when we all wanted Robron back and were counting the days).

Ah well...at least Matty got to appear outside the Hide and got a line and he and Amy seemed like an actual couple I guess.

I still just hate that they did another rape story so the Lydia stuff just annoys me. Also that they had her burn the evidence. I know Rhona actually did the right thing after Pierce but now we've had two in a row where the victim destroyed the evidence. I feel like if I had to endure this again, it would be better if they let her at least have kept the clothes and not burned them. Sigh.

The Sharma stuff again just seems shoehorned into this week just so they could do more special editing effects with it and use that dramatic beat of music some more. It shouldn't be there. Also, again, all of this stuff would play way better if Rishi were either still alive, or if we had seen Amit come back for the wedding and had them interact and there was actual suspicion over Rishi's death. Cause dropping it for two months and then having Amit randomly show up with this twist just feels really silly. Like...are they going to show flashbacks? Did they film something with Bhaskar?

And then there's the Aaron stuff...sigh. Haha. I mean Angry, snarky, Chas-hating Aaron is fine and whatever. But the fact that they engineered Chas dating Harry unbeknownst to everyone involved just so they could have her get put into a car boot (everyone gets a turn!) for this week and had Aaron steal money from the Italian mafia just so they could pay him off is just...so contrived within an inch of its life. It's just too many ridiculous convoluted things with zero organic build up. There's no natural flow of events.

I always think about the story transitions in 2015/2016 from Who Shot Robert to Chas's ptsd to stabbing Diane to Diane's cancer story leading to her meeting Gordon, which led into the abuse story for Aaron and the eventual Robron reunion. All of that was clearly meticulously planned out but it happened in a much more natural way over several months where each story fed into each other. I don't know...I miss that kind of thing. Now you can feel the gears turning in every story and it's not a good viewing experience. Either that or things come out of absolutely nowhere. Neither is good.

Ah well...at least this latest attempt at super soap week is almost over.

[zoeology31]

Something I’ve noticed in all the excellent Goncharov analysis is is that people don’t seem to talk about Mario Ambrosini much? Like, he’s the main antagonist of the film, and Al Pacino’s billed second in the credits, but the fandom focus is always on Goncharov, Katya, and Andrey. I totally get why, I mean those three are the emotional core of the film, and flawed tragic leader/loyal lieutenant is an absolutely unmatched ship dynamic. Comparatively, Ambrosini is very much an external force and his dynamic with Goncharov doesn’t really change as the plot progresses.

But without Ambrosini, I honestly don’t think the entire story is possible. Like, at the beginning, why does Goncharov decide to have Russo killed? Because Ambrosini implied he’d switched loyalties. Sure, Katya already suspected that and probably would’ve done something soon, but it was that conversation that pushed Goncharov to act. Throughout the film, Goncharov is reacting to Ambrosini’s actions, always trying to gain the advantage over him and creating more pressure on himself and his allies in the process.

Now, the opening scene introduces us to the Goncharov-Ambrosini rivalry right away, but why is this rivalry such a big deal? We see in the dinner scene that there’s multiple other local mafia leaders who are probably bigger threats to Goncharov than Ambrosini and vice versa, but they’re clearly fixated on each other. This is where the context of the time period and the characters’ backgrounds comes into play. There’s definitely elements of nationalism/xenophobia in Ambrosini’s character; see how he treats Andrey vs the army captain in the dinner scene. He views Goncharov’s faction as a threat due to their “outside” status, while Goncharov feels he has to prove himself worthy and Ambrosini is the one standing in his way.

Adding another layer to this is Ice Pick Joe, who as others have discussed is written as Italian-American. Ambrosini, an Italian nationalist, has an Italian immigrant to the US as his closest associate while opposing Russian immigrants to Italy. This illustrates the main theme Ambrosini represents: what does it mean to be Italian? Scorsese pretty roundly condemns Ambrosini’s views on this subject, considering the strong parallels between Ice Pick Joe and Katya.

A quick breakdown, in case you haven’t heard of said parallels: We know Joe spent his early childhood in Italy (his offhand mention to Sofia of driving to Rome on holiday), and given actor John Cazale’s age at the time of filming, his family likely fled during WWII. Similarly, we know Katya’s departure from the USSR is something she tries to forget, and the letter from Valery she burns right before the apple buying scene implies their parents were dissidents. The two characters are mirrors of one another, and Joe’s death scene is even a literal mirror to the bit where Goncharov wakes Katya up the morning after the church scene. I don’t have screenshots handy, but look at how the doorway frames the shot when Ambrosini kneels over Joe’s body; the composition and lighting is exactly the same.

So Ambrosini’s a pretty static character, yeah, but that’s done intentionally. He symbolizes the challenges Goncharov faces, the motives that drive his spiral of self-destruction. And he’s not without depth; he cares about Ice Pick Joe in a way that no other character tries to (though I’d say Sofia understands Joe best), even if that care doesn’t show overtly until Joe’s death. I do think it’s fitting that Goncharov kills Ambrosini with 15 minutes still left in the movie, because though Ambrosini initiates the plot, it’s Goncharov’s own actions that make his ending inevitable. Katya and Andrey’s betrayals are already in motion and the clocks are running down.