#crash part 1

[jerzwriter]

Crash - Part One

Book:                   Open Heart (Book 2)

Pairing:                Tobias Carrick x F!MC

Rating:                 Teen

Category:            Angst

Summary:   Tobias and Aurora rush to Edenbrook after learning Casey was involved in the chemical attack. As Casey and her friends try to come to grips with what's happened, others are taking the steps necessary to try to save her, Raf, and Danny. Tobias is determined to find a cure, but will he be on his game?

Words: 2.7k

A/N: FINALLY!!!!! I'm expecting this to be a total of three parts. I'm determined to tell Tobias and Casey's story - to finally let you all see how the couple came to be, and I have to go through this to get us there. I need to take some liberties (though not many) with canon to make the story work from their perspective, so you'll notice some dialogue, etc. is tweaked. Bold items are taken directly from Pixelberry's OH Book 2. Participating in @aprilchallenge - Wish, and @tobias-carrick-appreciation-week - Day 3 - Open Heart 2 Tobias & Casey Masterlist

For those unfamiliar with my Tobias & Casey HC: They are not together at the time of the attack. After meeting at the diner, they dated and were completely infatuated with each other, but Casey broke up with him after he stole her patient, Stephanie. She was considering reconciling when she was led to believe he was seeing June at the same time he was seeing her (he wasn't). Tobias was crushed, this was the first time he ever really cared for anyone, but Casey was adamant... she wanted nothing to do with him ever again. Her friends pushed her to create a dating profile, and when Tobias found out about it, he lost it and created one of his own. The night before the attack, he swiped right on Casey's - knowing it was a mistake right away. In a weak moment, she swiped right back... then was furious at herself and deleted the app. The chapter before this details more if you're interested, you can find it here: Betwixt, Bothered & Bewildered.

~~~~~~

“You should have turned right,” Tobias yelled, pushing an already frazzled Aurora to the brink.

“Charles Street is closed! Haven’t you been paying attention?”

Snapping at anyone, much less her boss, wasn’t something Aurora would typically do. Then again, neither was driving his hundred-thousand-dollar car through the streets of Boston like she was in the Indy 500. But they had both given up hope of anything being normal today.

“Go up as far as you can,” he ordered. “I’ll jump out and go the rest of the way on foot.”

“And what about me? Do you think Casey means nothing to me? She’s one of my best friends! The only person that gave me a chance when we met! And Raf and Danny are my friends, too….” she stopped to gulp back tears. Hysteria didn’t suit her, and it wouldn’t be beneficial now, not if she wanted to help.

Seated in the passenger seat next to her, Tobias silently reached the same conclusion. The cool, detached physician known for focusing on the task at hand… no room for emotion… had disappeared since Aurora burst into his office with the news. He barely knew the imposter who was standing in his place. The man whose shaky hands tossed the resident his car keys and told her to drive. The man whose heart wasn’t racing because of adrenaline, it had nothing to do with the thrill of a medical mystery lying in wait… the very things he usually lived for… Today it was pounding because of an emotion often foreign to him… fear.

“We have to get ourselves together,” Aurora insisted. “If we go in like this, we’ll just be in the way.”

“You’re a thousand percent right.” He said as Edenbrook came into sight, flashing lights of countless emergency illuminating its facade. “Wr need to get out shit together, and you need to park the car and come with me. Right now!”

“Park? Park where?”

“Here… in the middle of the street. I don’t give a damn. We have to go.”  

~~~~~~

Inside Edenbrook, Casey was looking at Bryce through a glass wall separating them for his protection…. she felt like nothing more than a contagion. He was leaning hard on his medical training, for despite the terror raging inside him, he did his best to play cool, and it seemed to be working because Casey, of all things, began to reassure him. She never failed to amaze… worrying about him when her situation was so dire. But caring about him, and the others, gave her a sense of control she needed desperately. It was the only thing giving her hope. So, when Ethan walked up behind Bryce, Casey offered him the same comforting smile.

“How are you feeling, Casey?” he asked, attempting to hide the gravity in his voice.

“I’m holding it together. Panic is the last thing any of us need right now.”

She wrapped her arms around herself, unsure if the frigid cold that overtook her stemmed from the toxin or from looking at the spot where Bobby had just lost his life.

“No matter how tempting it might be…” she wavered.

Ethan understood more than he cared to admit. So he grasped for the one thing that was helping him through. Medicine. Science. Facts and procedures. If he could get Casey to think that way, maybe it would help her, too… or not… but it was all he had to offer.

“June and Baz are on their way; we’ve got to get samples from you and Raf as soon as possible. Danny is too weak to risk even drawing blood right now. I’m going to suit up, and we’ll be right in.”

Moments later, her three teammates entered the room, Baz making a beeline for her.

“Casey, are you all right? Oh, what a stupid question. Of course, you’re not. But we’re going to get you through this.”

“Baz, give her some space,” June scolded. She turned to Casey with a serious but warm gaze. “Casey, sit down. We’re going to take your vitals and draw some blood samples.”

June’s no-nonsense approach was precisely what she needed. She knew she'd come undone if her feelings took over, so she forced herself to focus. But that valiant battle was almost lost when Raf released an excruciating wail, doubling over in agony as a violent wave of nausea gripped him. June saw Casey’s expression falter and acted quickly to keep her centered.

“I’m going to take care of him, Casey. We all are, and we’re going to take care of you, too. You know you’re in the very best hands.”

“I do,” Casey nodded ferociously. “I do.”

Pulling a chair beside Rafael, she lovingly held her friend’s hand as Ethan, June, and Baz tossed out theories and approaches, including her at every turn. She needed this. She needed to do her job, just like she did every day. It began to feel like everything would be all right… then her team members stood up to leave, and she had to remain behind. Ethan saw the terror in her eyes as they began to walk away. Gently reaching over, he touched her shoulder and made a vow.

“I promise, Casey, we’ll fix this. I’ll fix this. We’re not going to let you down.”

~~~~~

An hour or so passed by, and the agonizing quiet was punctuated only by Rafael’s occasional moans and the ever-slowing beep of his heart monitor. Casey stood up, ignoring the strange numb feeling in her feet, but she couldn’t ignore the dizziness that overwhelmed her.

“Casey,” Raf said weakly, “you should lie down.”

She looked at the bed, its soft pillows and warm blankets beckoning her, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that lying down meant giving up, and she wasn’t ready to do that.

“I’m fine,” she lied with a tender smile.

“You’re stumbling all over.”

“I didn’t say I was ready to pass a sobriety test,” she grinned.

“Look at you,” Raf laughed, followed by a wince. “At least you still have a sense of humor.”

“If I lose that, then it’s time to worry.”

Her head spun toward the glass wall when the eerie silence in the corridor was disrupted by the sound of familiar voices heading their way.

“Is that?”

“Thank God you’re still standing!” Jackie gasped.

“I told you I’d be back,” Bryce winked. “And I brought some company!”

“You might be standing,” Jackie said, “but you look like hell.”

“Way to be encouraging,” Bryce reprimanded.

Elijah neared the glass door, waving a paper bag in his hands. “I have encouragement in the form of cafeteria pizza. Sienna insisted we bring it to you.”  

“I’m sorry, but cafeteria pizza is our encouragement?” Casey questioned. “Are things that bad?”

“Hey, it’s the best we could do on short notice,” Bryce tried.

“And I appreciate it. But if things worsen, will someone run across the street to Angelo’s? I will simply die if this is my last meal.”

Casey looked through the glass at her friend’s sad, worried faces, and her heart ached.

“You can laugh at my horrible jokes,” she informed.

“Not if you’re joking about dying,” Jackie countered. “Then again… maybe we shouldn’t send the pizza in after all. I’ve always said it’s lethal.”

Casey chuckled. “See, that’s what I need. Besides, if I know Sienna, she’ll whip something much better up soon. Speaking of which, where is Sienna?”

“She went with Ethan,” Bryce replied. “The Feds dragged Travis out of here without saying where they were taking him. Luckily, Sienna knew where Farrugia was hiding, and she and Ethan shook the information out of the rat bastard. They’re on their way over to see what they can learn.”

“That’s so badass!” Casey said, visibly swaying on her feet. “I need to hear the full story later.”  

“That’s the attitude,” Bryce lauded.

Her eyes filled with tears; what she wouldn’t give to be wrapped in one of their warm embraces. For a moment, she let her bravado down, allowing herself to be vulnerable in front of the people she loved the most.

“Guys, how’s Danny?”

They all looked at each other, their expressions telling her all she needed to know.   

“Or… maybe it’s better if I don’t know?”

“We’re not giving up on him, Casey,” Elijah insisted. “And we’re not giving up on you and Raf either.”

“I know,” she smiled weekly, “but they haven’t even identified the toxin, and I’m… I’m so scared….”

“Oh, Case,” Jackie said, holding her hand against Casey’s on the opposite side of the glass. “I’m not going to lie; we’re all frightened; we’d be idiots not to be. But I refuse to believe this has anything but a positive ending, do you hear?”

“That’s exactly the attitude we need to have!” A voice bellowed from behind.

“T—Tobias?” Casey gasped as he and Aurora came into view.  “What… what are you….”

“We’re here to help, and we’re not alone. Tobias & I headed out right away, but a team is being assembled at Mass Kenmore. They're heading here, and we will figure this out… together.”

“I just… I…”

“Shh,” Aurora smiled, mustering up all her strength to not let Casey see the horror she felt at her appearance. “No need to thank me now. When this is all over, we’ll talk about that handbag you have that I love so much. Maybe that can be my repayment?”

Casey laughed, clutching her side in pain. Everyone jumped when it looked like she might fall, only to realize they could do nothing to help.

“Casey…” Raf moaned weakly. “Please lie down.”

“I’m OK,” she fibbed, turning back to Aurora with a half-smile. “The handbag is yours. Whether I make it or no….”

“HEY!” Tobias barked. “There will be no talk like that… Jackie’s right, there is only one outcome. Do you hear?”

Casey attempted to form a smile. “Tobias… you really took me swiping right last night seriously, didn’t you?”

When she saw his reaction, she immediately regretted her words. Gulping and blinking his eyes, he momentarily turned away.

“Well, that’s really... unimportant…now,” he grumbled. “All that matters is making sure we get you well.”

“Oh, Tobias, I….”

“Speaking of which,” he spoke over her. “Where’s Ramsey? I’m assuming he’s heading up the team?”

“He is,” Bryce said. “But he’s on a mission with Sienna right now, and Naveen is running the show until he’s back.”

“Then take me to Naveen,” Tobias demanded, taking a quick look at Casey over his shoulder.   

“Will do,” Jackie offered. “Case, we’ll be back up in a little bit, OK?”

“OK,” Casey nodded bravely, her chest tightening when she realized seeing them again was not a guarantee.

“Tobias….” she called out.

A look of surprise registered on his face when he turned back to her. “Me?” he mouthed, and she nodded to confirm. 

“Can I talk to you… just for a moment?”

“Of course…anything for you.” He turned back to the others. “Where is the war room?”

“Take the elevator to the ground level, make two rights. You can’t miss it.”

“I know the lab. I’ll be right down.”

“Holding you to that!” Jackie said, waving sadly at Casey as the elevator door closed.

It seemed like everything was happening in slow motion as he approached the glass. A surreal clip of an avant grade foreign film without subtitles. It was unfamiliar and frightening, yet somehow beautiful at the same time. The viewer would have no idea what was taking place but do their best to conceal their ignorance. That was how Tobias felt right now.

She looked so pale, her skin a washed-out grey that only accentuated the dark circles forming under her eyes. He couldn't have imagined seeing her this fragile and frail… yet she was still the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He'd give anything to be next to her. If he was sure she'd welcome him, he would have rushed to her side; any danger to him be damned. That's when it hit him... another feeling he had done his best to avoid throughout his life coursed through his veins. Guilt. Unrelenting, agonizing guilt began to gut him.

This is my fault. He thought. If I hadn’t stolen Stephanie, she wouldn’t have stolen Farrugia. If Farruggia wasn’t at Edenbrook… Casey wouldn’t be in that room, possibly facing her end... and for what? For what? If it weren’t for me…

His stomach began to churn. The thought of anything bad happening to Casey was unbearable on its own, but if he were the cause… Maybe this would have happened at Kenmore, but that would have been fine. He’d give anything to trade places with her now. Anything to spare Casey.

Yes?” was all he managed to get out.

“I… I just wanted to thank you for coming. I didn’t think….”

“Did you think I wouldn’t? I know I haven’t made the best impression… I’ve been a downright ass at times, and I've made mistakes that I don’t think I’ll ever forgive myself for… but I know I’m a good doctor, better than good, I’m a great doctor, and if I can help….” He turned away as his voice tapered off. “I’d do this for anyone… believe it or not… but for you? I’ll do whatever it takes. I’ll walk through fire if I have to… to save you.”

Casey deflected her eyes and winced. Swallowing did nothing to keep her teardrops at bay, with a jagged breath, she moved closer to the glass.

“I need you to promise me something…” she whispered.

“Anything… you say it… whatever you want….”

“When you get downstairs… and you see what progress has been made… or hasn’t… promise me you’ll tell what to expect. No matter how bad it might be….”

“Casey… I….”

“Tobias! I need someone who will level with me. I know my friends will try to sugarcoat things. They won't tell me if I'm on death’s doorstep; they'd want to protect me. Ethan would tell me, but it would gut him…” she let out a rueful chuckle. “The only other person I can count on to be honest at a time like this... is June…. and I’d really rather not get that news from her.”

“I was not with June,” he blurted. “Not since I met you. I know it might seem totally unimportant right now, but… but it’s important to me. I need you to know... I may be a royal asshole, but I would never do that to you.”

A puff of air escaped her, and she looked pained as she replied. “Dear God, Tobias. You really do think I’m dying. Don't you?"

“You are not dying! I don’t know much, but I know I won’t let that happen!”

“Tobias,” she sulked. “You know that’s not always within our control.”  

“Yeah, but I haven’t even started….and trust me… I’m a stubborn son-of-a-bitch.”

“Then go,” she chuckled sadly. “We'll talk again. I’m sure of it.”

Tobias nodded as he walked away backward, his eye never leaving her.

“I’m fixing this, Casey. If it’s the last thing I do. I’m fixing this.”

“I believe you,” she smiled, surprised that she was only half-lying. “Go. Go do your thing.”

Their eyes locked until the elevator door shut. A broken As whimper escaped her as soon as Tobias was out of sigh, and she was grateful for the wall that caught her. 

“Casey!” Raf gasped, attempting to get up to help her, but he was too weak and fell back into his bed. 

“I’m OK,” she whispered… slowly lifting herself to her feet. “I’m fine… that just took... a lot out of me.”

“Will you lie down, please?”

“I will,” she muttered, gripping her side as she shuffled, flinging herself onto the mattress when it was inches away, unsure if she would be able to take the remaining few steps. Her breath was shallow as she reached for the blanket, but she was so thankful for its warmth when she wrapped it around her shivering body. 

“I’m just closing my eyes for a few minutes,” she insisted as her head hit the pillow. “Just a few, Raf… I just… I am… I….”

The room was spinning around her, and she begged for it to stop. She'd do anything. She had been fighting it for hours, but now, and she greeted sleep as if it were an old friend. Finally, the spinning subsided, then everything went dark.

Permatags: @a-crepusculo @animesuck3r @annoyingmillenialnewbie @crazy-loca-blog @doriopenheart @differenttypesofpeople @fayeswiftie @gryffindordaughterofathena @genevievemd @inlocusmads @jamespotterthefirst @jennieausten @kingliam2019 @liaromancewriter @lucy-268 @onikalover @openheartforeverinmyheart @potionsprefect @quixoticdreamer16 @secretaryunpaid @socalwriterbee @sophxwithers @tessa-liam @trappedinfanfiction @choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics @jerzwriter-reblogs-asks

OH Only: @alwaysmychoices @annfg8 @binny1985 @coffeeheartaddict2 @mysticalgalaxysstuff @ofmischiefandmedicine @peonierose @youlookappropriate

Tobias Only: @kyra75 @icecoffee90

[treason-and-plot]

Anita is indeed in the laundry, mopping up a puddle of water. Joël’s mood drops another couple of notches.

“Hey babe,” he says, with forced joviality.

“Hi darling,“ says Anita, slightly breathless. “The washing machine’s leaking again. In case you hadn’t noticed.”

“I’ll have a look at it later,” he says. “The hose probably needs tightening.”

“What if it’s something more serious?” says Anita.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” he says.

“I think we’d be better off just getting a new machine,” says Anita. “This one’s so old. The spin cycle sounds like a helicopter taking off. ”

“We can’t afford a new washing machine,” says Joël.

“Of course we can,” says Anita. “You probably made enough in tips last night to buy a dozen washing machines!”

[takeiteasyonmeimstilllearning]

Lupin III Redraw!

This took me about 4 and a half hours, but it seemed like 1.

The two references

[vroomvroomthings]

THERE'S NO WAY SKY SPORTS JUST DID A COMPILATION OF MAX'S CRASHES 🤣😂🤣😂 Oh God, they (the brits) are seething so badly right now. I'd say "Welcome back, 2021!" but feel that's just disrespectful to Lewis, somehow.

[utterlyrandom123]

LADY JESSICA IN DUNE PART 1

For @ladyfenring

[cobraonthecob]

actually wait i'm still angry with how dts ran with the storylines it ran. someone in redbull/alphatauri management decided that yuki wasn't ready despite approaching his third year on the time and instead they put pressure on an f1 rookie and then gave both of them a dogshit car

then proceeded to mentally torture nyck to the point where he was getting desperate, making him crash out during races

both yuki and nyck deserved so much better, alphatauri was literally stated to be the testing ground for future redbull drivers and they had no faith in the one that has been with them? yuki is going to make like alex and leave the team for another backmarker team and revive the hell out of them because this is so bullshit

and once alphatauri got the feedback they needed from nyck, they dropped him and pulled daniel in to do the same to checo

and no, it was not daniel that ultimately got alphatauri's eighth place. yuki alone had 17 points, one more than alfaromeo combined. yes, daniel's 7th place in mexico gave hope, but even if nyck stayed at the bottom of the driver's championship with 0 points, yuki would've beaten alfaromeo single-handedly

[sleepytortoises]

The Jujutsu Kaisen-Sonic AU no one but me and my 1 friend asked for 😁

[strawberryvanillablast]

Jonathan: *lifting weights*

Josuke: Wow… He's so intense!

Giorno: I wonder what drives him.

Jonathan, internally: Oh, I am going to be SO good at giving hugs.

[ellie-theinvincible98]

Ellie, the Invincible and Agent Crash, the Alien Bandicoot: The Twinsanity.

Art by my good friend, @Zonatto/Losstarot98. I can't thank him enough for bringing my little AUs and headcanons to life!

[nightingaletrash]

Orin: my sibling is among them!

Me: ah, so it's season 3 of the Bhaalspawn family drama

[kanerallels]

Kanera moment living rent-free in your head most recently?

I got this ask after a not great day at work and let me tell you it was an absolute BLESSING. So thank you so much!!

Right now it's this one scene in season four where Kanan, Sabine, and Ezra get back from a mission (without Hera and Zeb, who stayed on their base) and the FIRST thing Kanan asks when they land is "where's Hera?" Listen. No thoughts only "where's Hera?"

Then a little while later she shows up (flying a ship that's about to crash) and Ezra's all worried but Kanan says "don't worry, she's got it" and it makes me VERY HAPPY OKAY? HE JUST TRUSTS HER SO MUCH

So yeah that's the current scene! Thank you so much for asking!

[floridazcrazy]

Chat is Williams cooked...

Now all this pressure is on Alex to get in the points or else this'll all be for naught. Way to publicly announce you have no faith in your 2nd driver, though we have to look at it from a professional standpoint ig.. Alex has a higher chance of getting the team points, and points help the team look better and get more money. But could they not let Logan try to get us some points at least, it's his damn car 💀💀

[swordmaid]

PAUSE. diabolical thought. thinking about shri’iia’s relationship with The Matriarch and she reveres that woman btw and she worships her as if she was lolth herself, and she will do everything that her matriarch tells her to do no questions asked — like anything shri’iia does not care what happens to her or what she will do as long as it gets her matriarch’s approval and now I am thinking that if she’s been exceptionally Good, and exceptionally Loyal, that shri’iia is allowed to touch her sometimes. lay her head on that woman’s lap or maybe kiss her feet but they’ve never fucked. if she’s been exceptionally good then shri’iia is allowed to perform her worship but her matriarch doesnt reciprocate bc the relationship has never been mutual, and shri’iia is well aware of that and convinces herself that she likes it — it’s only later on when she gets a better perspective of her situation before (outside of that environment) that she realises the depths of that situation. anyway I kinda hrmm hrmmm like that idea sm it’s so diabolical to me since sex is such a big thing in drow culture esp amongst the matriarchs and they’re so well known to take and fuck whoever they pleased, the fact that The Matriarch won’t even touch shri’iia let alone fuck her is soooo oouuu diabolical and delicious to me…!!!! and imagine how that fucks shri’iia up omfg she’s already so insecure of her station as a drow without a noble house and she’s prone to severely overcompensating bc she can’t lack in anything Ever like the one woman you’re worshipping won’t even Fuck You and she lets you touch her sometimes when you’ve done well. like I rlly want to explore the mind fuck shri’iia went through in that century bc it’s so interesting to me personally since her whole dynamic with her matriarch is exploring that whole thing about how drows play mind games with each other and you usually get the pov of the one that’s scheming and making all these plans but in this case it’s in the victim’s pov, the one who’s in the receiving end. like it’s such a rancid situation but to me it’s very in line with how ruthless and cruel they are most especially drow matriarchs since they’re really the ones Playing The Game, everyone else are just their pawns. and shri’iia is most definitely a pawn who tried to reach higher but failed.

[nabexis]

More Val Serano screencaps under the cut (Spoilers for the end of his romance)

Fair warning, these are all self-indulgent lol.

Inigo appears to have brought a snack and Kaidan is settling in by leaning back (he looks like he didn't realize there wasn't a back to the bench and is about to fall over lol)

We have the DB Gang all here. The Dark Rose crew as well as Gore, Carylalind, Inigo, and Kaidan.

"Welcome Aboard, it's the middle of the night so we need to wait like... 12 hours before we begin this thing. What, Val didn't tell you we were supposed to start at Dawn? ... Sorry, but you need to wait. I'm still writing up the speech. Just like. I don't know. Stare lovingly at each other for the next several hours, yeah?"

Next this group of adorably sweet shots I got before I realized I had to wait until dawn to start the wedding lol. Whoops.

"You're married! Now, kiss!"

Then some retakes of earlier photos for the actual wedding. Included both because I like both.

"Congrats, Val! .... Val? ....Ohhhkay. They're really uh... going at it."

And finally my favorites. Fathis attempting to congratulate but then realizing they should probably just go get a room lol.

"Ok, that's enough, get to your cabin already!"

This mod has been super fun and I'm so excited for the upcoming Mage's College update!

[itwasmagic]

does anyone recommend any games on steam for a beginner? i dont know what i like so im open to any genre of suggestions

[moonlightdrawsstuff]

clouds, me, digital

26-04-2024