#this is probably going to get shot to hell and back with the next update but yeah

[cspcrashing]

fool's hope

[leahkenobi]

porch light

frank castle x reader

word count: 1.4k

summary: inspired by porch light by josh meloy. frank made a promise: come hell or high water, he would always come home to you. he intends to make good on that.

warnings: mentions of blood, partial nudity, slightly self-loathing frank. mostly fluff.

a/n: well well well. fulfilling the fanfic author cliche of “i have literally been through hell since my last update. so sorry i fell off the side of the earth for awhile.” to keep it vague, losing someone really made me lose my desire to write. while the wound will probably never heal, for the first time in so long, i’ve felt like i could do this again. and who better to bring us back then frank motherfucking castle. please excuse the writing it’s been so so long. but, if you would like to be added to a frank taglist, lmk and i will happily add you. no promises of how often i will make updates bc school is actually kicking my ass, but i’m trying!

picture was taken from pinterest! credits to the owner!

with the wind knocked from his lungs and blood still dripping from his face, frank had one mission left to complete before he could collapse: get home.

he made the promise long ago when you had moved into the quaint house in the suburbs with him.

no matter how ugly it was, how badly he was injured or how empty he felt, he would make his way home to you. night after night, he kept his promise, only breaking it when he was away for a multi-night event, like this past one.

but he had sent you the text, so he couldn’t go back on his word now.

i’m coming home baby. leave the porch light on.

his bones felt like lead as he heaved himself into his truck, a two hour drive ahead of him until he would see you. his reason, his heart, his everything.

———

your past few nights were hauntingly quiet. no sounds of clatter from the kitchen as frank cooked for you both, no soft hum of the television as he watched one of his documentaries, no quiet breaths as he slept next to you.

on nights without him, sleep almost always evaded you. it’s not that you didn’t want to, it’s not even that you were particularly worried about frank.

of course, there would always be anxiety with the line of business he was in. but you knew him. not even a bullet to the head could take him out. a symbol of strength and perseverance, he was nearly indestructible in your mind.

it was the lack of his heat that kept you awake until the wee hours of the morning. the absence of his smell, so strong of cedar and masculinity that made it impossible for you to find rest. the missing arm that he draped over your waist as you slept, a constant weight and reminder that even in sleep, he would never let anything get to you first. he would throw himself over your body and take a thousand shots to his back before so much as a shot gun bead could penetrate your skin.

around eleven, as you lie lounging on your couch, caught up in one of frank’s many books, the familiar buzz of your phone startled you out of your story.

a message from an unknown number sent anxiety through your bones. until you opened it.

you saw the words and relief passed through your body.

i’m coming home baby. leave the porch light on.

you knew who it was instantly. a small smile spread across your lips.

you typed out a short message back.

will do.

———

the two hour window between the text and frank’s arrival felt like eternity. your mind filled with questions.

would he be covered in blood?

would ahe be silent like he always was after a particularly rough night?

did he succeed on his little quest?

finally, the firm sound of boots on your creaky old steps fell upon your ears and interrupted your constant internal monologue of questions. you were instantly on your feet, reaching the front door in record time.

you stared at him. even from your poorly lit porch, you could see the sheen of blood on his face.

he lifted his head and saw your familiar silhouette.

god, he’d fucking missed you.

“hey baby,” he graveled out.

“frank, honey…” you started as you went to meet him on the third step.

you reached him in a second, hands instantly coming to his face. you needed to feel the rough stubble of his beard and the contrast of his soft skin.

“hey, hey..” he whispered, gently removing your hands from his face and placing them on his shoulders instead.

you leaned into him, head resting against that stony chest of his, absorbing the heat of his body, enraptured in the scent of gunpowder and blood and him.

he kissed the top of your head, seamlessly melting back into the man he was with you. the patient, gentle man who’s only wish was to keep you safe and tend to your every desire.

“missed you so fuckin much baby. couldn’t get here fast enough,” he softly said, gently pulling you out of his chest and tilting your chin up to him.

your eyes met his, melting that roughness he had carried back with him with your one look.

“missed you too frankie. cmon let’s get inside,” you said, grabbing his hand and leading him off the porch and through the front door.

the smell of home nearly made his heart burst as it reached his busted nose. the flowers he had bought you before he left, his favorite pasta dish you had likely made for dinner, the laundry that you had folded up neatly now lying on the couch and you. he nearly groaned as he felt it all surround him.

he dropped his bag just after you had closed the door behind him, letting the weight of the past few days slip off him.

“let me,” you said, bending to untie his dirty old boots.

“i got-“

“no frank. let me take care of this,” you told him.

a small grin graced his face. of course you wanted to tend to him. always giving, always soothing. how could a man so thoroughly fucked up as himself ever deserve you? ever deserve to come home to all of this?

you tapped his ankles, indicating your completion of the task. he slipped them off and reached down to grab your hand.

“thank you,” he said, “you don’t need to-“

“you stubborn, stubborn man. just let me help you,” you smiled.

god he shouldn’t be this lucky. not after all he’s done.

“kay baby,” he relented, letting you do what you always did for him. make him feel.

———

you led him upstairs and into the bathroom and turned on the hot water for him.

he unfastened his belt and dropped his pants. as you turned back toward him, you gave him a soft smile.

“c’mere,” he let out, pulling you back into him. he couldn’t get enough of this. feeling you against him. warm, safe, home.

you slid your hands underneath his black henley. he allowed it, let you pull it up over his head. allowed you to run your nails over his tight abs as his muscles tensed.

“get cleaned up. i’ll go warm up the leftovers-“

“nah don’t worry about it. not hungry. just want you,” he said meeting your gaze beneath his, keeping his arms around you, his bare skin against your clothed form.

a yawn crept out of you, your darkened under eyes becoming noticeable to frank as he looked at you closer.

“go get in bed sweetheart. be right there,” he said as he released you. you let him be, closing the door gently on the way out. you knew he needed that time alone, needed to let the heat of the shower wash away his newest sins.

———

you stripped from your clothing, clad only in your underwear, and slipped under the sheets.

after a few minutes, frank opened the door attached to your bedroom and came out in his boxers, the steam from the shower wafting out after him.

he saw your form bundled beneath the thick comforter and felt everything fade from him. every ache in his body, every pain in his heart, all the rage he kept buried inside. it just… dissipated. because there was his girl. sleepy eyes locked on his, trying so hard to stay open. body wrapped in god knows how many blankets because you were always “so cold, frankie. you’re my heater.”

this was what he came home for. this angel of a woman, the beat in his fucking chest.

he slid under the blankets, exhaling a sigh of relief.

it took him less than a second to reach for your body and pull you into him. he indulged his desire to have your skin on his.

you nuzzled your face into the crook of his neck, inhaling the familiar scent of irish spring soap. you’d lost track of how many times you’d told him he needed more than just one bar of soap for everything.

he kissed the crown of your head and another yawn escaped you.

“i got you now, baby. just sleep,” he said.

“g’night frankie. so glad you’re home,” you said sleepily.

“no where i’d rather be,” he responded quietly, slowly shutting his eyes and allowing sleep to overtake him.

taglist:

@crumbledcastle28

[mind-empty-just-fictional-people]

Showed Me (How I Fell In Love With You)

masterlist

summary: dean helps you up your flirting game, but there’s really only one set of eyes you want on you.

paring: dean winchester x female reader

rating: R for language

word count: 2.7k

warnings: language, implied sex/nudity, strands of hair falls on reader’s face

author’s note: you probably already know this but sideblogs (like this one) can now answer comments!! super excited about this update and fingers crossed the next one is for sending asks lol 🤞💞

music: showed me (how i fell in love with you) by madison beer — i was listening to this song and kept imagining dean, idk

Dean always had incredible luck with women. He could go into a bar crowded with guys and walk out with the only woman—the bartender who’d been dodging men all night.

You, on the other hand, could go into that same bar and end up going back to the motel alone. It bothered you; what in the hell were you doing wrong?

So, you did the unthinkable—you asked Dean to help you get better at flirting.

That’s how you ended up here at the bar with Dean; he was showing you how to play pool. You had protested the idea of him “teaching you” something you already knew, but he claimed it was important.

“You’re standing wrong,” he told you when you were about to break.

“Uh, no I’m not?”

“If you’re trying to win the game, you’re doing great. If you’re trying to get your opponent to fuck you, you’re failing miserably.”

“Thanks,” you grumbled.

“Hey, you were the one who asked me for help!” He shrugged. “If you want to back out now-”

“No, I don’t want to back out,” you sighed. “I’m fucking desperate at this point.”

“So, are you gonna do what I say, then?” he asked, folding his arms over his chest.

“Yeah,” you mumbled. “How am I supposed to stand?”

He walked up behind you and put his hands on your hips.

“Stick your butt out a little,” he instructed and you did as he asked. “Alright, now when you bend over,” he moved his hands up and forward, resting them on your lower chest, “you’ll want to point your breasts in the direction of the person you want to attract.”

“What if he’s standing behind me?” you asked.

“Then his eyes are gonna be glued to your ass,” he replied, not getting the message. “If he’s standing behind you then focus more on the actual game, and less on where you’re pointing your boobs. Trust me, though, if he’s standing in front of you, he’s gonna be trying to see down your shirt, now…” he walked back around to the other side of the table. “Bend over, and before you hit the ball, make eye contact with him.”

“Okay…” You bent down and lined up your shot before looking up and into Dean’s eyes.

“Perfect! If you look at him kinda like through your eyelashes, there’s exactly one thing that’s suddenly stuck front and center in his mind.”

“And this works on…all guys?” you asked, still looking at him through your lashes.

“If he was standing where I am and didn’t want to fuck you, he’s either related to you or just not into chicks.”

“Good to know,” you mumbled, mostly to yourself. You were about to start the game but a few strands of hair fell on your face.

“Don’t move,” Dean said before he hurried back to where he had been before and tucked the hair behind your ear for you. “Now, since he’s already thinking about that one thing, is that something you want him to think about even more?”

“Um, yeah,” you said quietly.

“Alright, pout your lips,” he instructed. He moved his hand down from your ear and tugged your lip out a bit. “Perfect, that’s gonna draw his attention to your lips.”

“So, now I start actually playing the game?” you asked, not sure if he had any more pointers for you.

“If you want. Or we can go over to the bar where there are three different guys that have been eyeing you the past ten minutes.”

“Really?” you stood up straight, whipping your head around. You saw the guys he was talking about and they all quickly looked down at the drinks in front of them. “Let’s go to the bar, then.”

“So, now that you know all those guys are interested,” Dean said as you both took your seats at the bar, several stools away from the other people already there, “you need to pick one.”

“Isn’t that the easy part?” you laughed a little.

“Oh no, most guys are monsters.” Dean shook his head, motioning the bartender over with his hand. “What’re you drinking?” he asked, looking at you.

“Just a beer’s fine,” you said, a little confused. Usually when you, Sam, and Dean went out drinking you each ordered your own drinks. Dean took initiative and ordered two beers. “And I know before taking someone back to my room I have to do the usual tests; holy water, iron, and silver.”

“Not those kinda monsters, sweetheart,” Dean said. “The guy on the far right has a little motor home keychain attached to his keys. Given the fact there’s a dilapidated RV parked outside that looks like a serial killer’s lair, I’d say he’s a creep.”

“Well, what about the guy in the middle?” you asked.

“I heard him talking with someone on the phone in the bathroom earlier about the fact his ex-girlfriend doesn’t know she got the clap from him.”

“Dear lord,” you groaned, making a disgusted face. “What’s wrong with the guy on the left?”

“Well, uh…” Dean started, looking at the man you were talking about and trying to find something wrong with him. “Nothing. If he comes over here, I’d say it’s worth a shot.”

“Shouldn’t I go and talk to him?” you asked.

“Oh no! No, no, no! Bar like this, pretty girl like you; he’ll think you’re a hooker.”

“Oh.”

“I mean, unless you wanna make a couple hundred bucks tonight?” he teased, earning a smack to his upper arm. “I’ll take that as a no,” he laughed.

“I’d make at least four-hundred,” you scoffed.

“Look, you’re cute and sweet and guys tend to turn their heads when you walk by them. Now, for your next lesson, take a look around the bar and tell me how many women you see.”

You looked around, counting in your head. “Five, including me and the bartender,” you said.

“And how many guys?”

“I’d say like twenty at least?” you estimated.

“Exactly,” he said. “See, at least half of those guys have their eyes on you. When we were playing pool earlier I guarantee you they’d have done anything to be where I was.”

“So…what’s your point?”

“You’re way above any of these guys’ leagues.” He shrugged. “Which is okay, but you need to know that you’re too good for them, just a fact. They’re spending their Wednesday night in a bar looking for a hookup, you came here to get a drink with your friend. So, like I said, you are in fact way out of their leagues.”

“You really think so?”

“Please tell me you’re joking,” he laughed a little then looked at you and realized you were serious. “Oh dear god, yes! Not only are you fucking gorgeous, you’re smart, funny and a total badass! I mean you killed two vampires this morning!”

“Thanks, Dean.” You smiled.

“Of course,” he replied. “Now, before we head back to the motel is there anything else? You know how to kiss someone, right?”

“Ha, ha!” You smiled sarcastically. “I know how to kiss, Dean. But, I actually do have a question.”

“Shoot!”

“What about…the friend zone?”

“You wanna know how to friend zone a guy?” He furrowed his brows.

“No, how do I get out of the friend zone?”

“Oh.” He nodded. “That’s, um, I’m actually not sure. And I didn’t think you had friends?”

“Again, very funny Dean,” you laughed somewhat sarcastically. “What if I’m good friends with a guy and I really like him, but I’m scared to tell him because I don’t want to lose the friendship?”

“Look, Sam loves you but he doesn’t see you…that way,” he said.

“It’s not Sam, dumbass,” you said. “I have plenty of friends! And there’s this one friend, who’s a guy that I really like. I don’t think he feels the same way, but it’s driving me absolutely crazy that I can’t just tell him.”

“I, uh, I don’t know. I mean, I always think the guy has more to lose if that situation goes south, cause he’ll always be attracted to the girl but she might…get bored with him.”

“But what if the guy doesn’t like me back? What if I tell him and he says ‘gross, you’re like a sister to me’?”

“If he does see you as a sister, he’s not gonna say ‘gross’ when you tell him how you feel?”

“How do you know?”

“Cause I know Sam and he’d be lucky to have a girl like you.”

“It’s not Sam, you moron!” you exclaimed, a little louder than intended.

“…Garth?”

“What if the guy I really like is also really dumb?” you asked.

“I mean, I wouldn’t say Garth is dumb…”

“Oh my god,” you groaned. “Yeah, never mind.” You put your face in your hands for a moment before starting to drink the beer Dean had ordered for you. He watched you with furrowed brows and it felt like an eternity (really it was about sixty seconds) before he suddenly broke the silence.

“Holy shit!” he exclaimed. “Is it…me?”

“I’m sorry,” you said, looking over at him. “I didn’t plan on letting that slip tonight, I swear.”

“But, it is me? You like me?” Dean asked, you nodded. “Oh my fucking god!”

You couldn’t tell if he was happy and you were beginning to really worry.

“I’m sorry,” you said quietly. You turned on your chair to leave but he gripped your upper arm and kept you in place.

“No, don’t—fuck! I feel like I just won the fucking lottery and I just need a second to catch up.”

“Wait, you’re happy? You…You like me too?”

“Oh yeah,” he nodded, “I may be stupid but I’m not an idiot.”

“Well…” you teased.

He rolled his eyes, still smiling; “Just let me kiss you, already,” Dean muttered. He put his hands on your cheeks, stood up off his chair, leaned toward you, and kissed you deeply. His hands moved to your shoulders then down to your lower back as you put your hands on his cheeks.

“Wait,” you mumbled, pulling back slightly.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, you’re incredible! I’m just now realizing how many creepy guys are staring at me.”

“Told ya,” he said, taking a look around the bar.

“Could we, maybe…head to your motel room?” you asked somewhat nervously.

“Are you sure?” he asked.

“Hundred percent.” You nodded vigorously, looking at his lips then up and into his bright green eyes. “Unless…you don’t want to?”

“Oh I definitely want to, I’ve wanted to since Sam and I picked you up after he left Stanford,” he said.

“And you didn’t say anything? Dean, it’s been like ten years?” You furrowed your brows then noticed he actually seemed a little embarrassed. “For the record, I’ve wanted to kiss you for about twelve.” His eyes widened.

“What? Wow, I guess we’re both a little stupid,” he laughed a little before leaning in for another kiss.

“Excuse me, Winchester?” You quirked a brow, looking at him.

“I mean, you’re smart, so smart,” he rambled a little. “And sexy, so fucking sexy.” He kissed you and you kissed him back, smiling against his mouth. “Let’s get the hell outta here, sweetheart.”

“Mmh, just another minute,” you mumbled, not wanting to stop kissing him.

He pulled away after a moment, both of you smiling.

“My god you’re beautiful.” He smiled, putting a hand on your cheek.

You hopped off the stool but stayed looking into his eyes; “You’re so fuckin’ hot, Dean Winchester,” you mumbled and kissed him again, pulling him down by the collar of his jacket.

He pulled out his wallet and was about to pay for both drinks but you stopped him.

“What’s wrong?”

“If you pay for my drink then this would count as our first date,” you said.

“Huh, I didn’t think of it like that,” he replied. “Alright, we each pay for our own drinks.”

“Exactly.” You nodded and took out your own wallet, each of you leaving a ten on the counter. “Now, shall we go to your motel room?”

“I’m sharing a room with Sammy,” he said.

“My motel room it is.” You pulled him down again and kissed him.

“Lead the way.”

**

You woke up to the sound of Dean snoring lightly behind you and a smile formed on your lips as you recalled what had happened only a few hours ago. You felt Dean’s arm snake around your waist and he pulled you closer to him.

You assumed he was awake now and you turned to kiss him but he was actually still snoring. The thought that he wanted you closer to him even when he was sleeping made your smile deepen.

A wave of calmness washed over you, followed by an unnerving idea; how serious was Dean when he said he liked you?

Did he think this was a one-and-done situation? Were he and Sam just gonna drive off in that beautiful Impala and leave you to start hunting alone?

You hadn’t hunted alone since re-connecting with the Winchesters back in ‘05. Before that you’d been hunting alone or with Dean while Sam was in college. Before that you’d hunted with your dad, who occasionally worked with John.

You honestly didn’t really remember the first time you met Dean. You were both just kids and you blocked out a lot of your childhood due to the fact you’d been hunting your whole life. (It was actually a similar story to Dean’s—after a monster killed your mom, your dad became obsessed with hunting and seemed to forget he was a father with a four-year-old in the back seat of his pickup truck.)

What you did remember was the first time hunting alone with Dean. You were twenty-two and (finally) not hunting with your dad when you ran into Dean who was also hunting alone. He had recently had some kind of falling out with Sam, who had been at Stanford a couple years already. You remembered how Dean reacted to the fact you were hunting alone.

He was genuinely worried for your safety and insisted he hunt with you for a while. You took him up on the offer and spent a couple months together before parting ways but still staying in touch.

You were drawn back to the present when Dean let out a breath of air as he stirred awake.

“Good morning,” he mumbled, a smile on his full lips when he opened his eyes. He sat up on his elbow and tilted your chin up with his finger. “My god, how are you so beautiful?” You giggled a little before he bent down and kissed you.

He sat up further and slipped an arm under you, bringing you to the center of the bed. He caged you beneath him by putting his hands on either side of you as your hands went into his already ruffled hair. You brought him back down and kissed him again, his left hand moving again and trailing down your side, bringing your bare thigh up to graze his own.

You could tell where things were going so you stopped him, “Dean.”

“Y/n,” he mumbled back.

“Dean, wait,” you said quietly.

“What is it?” he asked, looking down at you.

“How, um, how serious is this?” you asked.

“What?” He furrowed his brows a little.

“Is this a one-night thing?”

“Oh,” he realized. “Um, it can be, if that’s what you want.”

“Is that…what you want?” you asked.

He looked into your eyes and slowly shook his head negatively, your smile returning to your flushed face.

“I was kinda thinking this would be at least a two-night thing,” he said, showing off his adorable smirk and making you roll your eyes a little. He bent down and kissed you. “Maybe a three-night thing.”

“A four-night thing?” you teased.

“I think you’re gonna be stuck with me for a lot longer than that, sweetheart,” he mumbled into your mouth.

“You really think?” you asked, smiling.

“Hate to break it to you, but I’m kinda in love with you.” He stopped kissing you, realizing what he said. “I, uh, I mean, not—fuck, I really am. I’m sorry.”

“Dean,” you interrupted his spiraling, “I’m kinda in love with you too.”

“Oh thank goodness,” he whispered and kissed you again.

[ranikyani]

The Richmond Archives 🏛️ II [J-R]

A collection of fics centered around Terry Richmond as a main character, exploring different stories, relationships, and adventures.

💌: Make sure you read warnings before engaging + Take care of yourself while reading, mwah💋

🏡: Return to Daddy's Library or…

💬 Readers Remember: Supporting our writers goes beyond just liking a post! Yes, likes are cool but comments/reblogs and kudos can be incredibly meaningful and make a huge difference! Many talented writers feel discouraged by the lack of engagement and recent foolishness, so let's uplift them by showing appreciation for their work. Don't make our favs beg for a crumb of attention!

✍🏾 Writers, this is a work in progress... but if anything needs to be changed or removed immediately pls lmk.

Status: Completed 🏁 - Ongoing📝 - Hiatus ⏸️

Length: Drabble✨ - OneShot 🎯 - Series 📚 - MiniSeries ⏳ - Universe 🌎

Note: Summary will be provided for stories without one included. If anything should be changed pls lmk. I haven't read 1/2 these fics yet… will continue to update summaries/emojis as I make progress.

J

Jaded 📝⏳

Summary: in which you decide to end the toxic situation-ship you share with Terry— except this man only know how to suck you back in.

Author: @theblacklewinsky

Just Keep Breathing 🎯

Summary: Terry teaches you some important breathing techniques.

Author: @mymindisneverhere

Just One Taste 🎯

Summary: You got it really bad for your fine-ass next-door neighbor and co-worker Terry Richmond, just an unhealthy obsession for him and it was his birthday, all you wanted was to make him yours. But will he be open to you? Turns out he was just as hooked as you were.

Author: @notapradagurl7

K

Kitchen's Closed 🎯

Summary: Terry catches you in the kitchen late at night and has his own idea of a midnight snack.

Author: @avoidthings

L

Late Night Writes #1 ✨

Summary: Imagine… Terry makes you say your affirmations after hearing you speak negatively about yourself.

Late Night Writes #2 ✨

Summary: Imagine… Terry is having a hard time decompressing from work and he needs you to help him relieve some stress.

Late Night Writes #3 (pt. 1) ✨

Summary: Imagine… Terry orders you to keep quiet after constantly dealing with your smart mouth.

Late Night Writes #4 (pt. 2) ✨

Summary: Imagine… Terry orders you to keep quiet after constantly dealing with your smart mouth.

Late Night Writes #5 ✨

Summary: Imagine… Terry’s only goal is to provide you with pleasure but you test him at the wrong moment.

Author: @mymindisneverhere

Law and Order 🎯

Summary: Terry Richmond x Thick black woman!OC

Author: @nayaesworld

Lawyer!Terry ✨

Summary:...

Author: @kenshisluvrgirl

Lemons and Limes 🎯

Summary: Safe to say, maybe you shouldn’t be left alone…and you should probably listen to your husband

Author: @dc418writes

Let Me Take Control 🎯

Summary: Your fine as hell neighbor, Terry, hits you up late at night with a text. Already knowing what’s ‘bout to go down, you invite him over and get yourself ready for an unforgettable night.

Author: @megamindsecretlair

Let Me Talk 📝⏳

Summary: Terry Richmond x Plus Size Fem Black!OC

Author: @theereinawrites

Let Me Teach You 📝⏳

Summary: Toxic Professor!Terry Richmond x Plus Size Fem Black!OC

Author: @theereinawrites

A Lethal Shot Of Passion 🎯

Summary: Terry Richmond x black!o.c

Author: @sillyteecup

Let's Do It 🎯

Summary: While getting ready for work Michelle gets into a make-out with her boyfriend Terry.

Author: @keyaho

Let's Make Up 🎯

Summary: Terrys been spending a lot of time helping Summer recover and you can’t help but to feel neglected and a bit jealous.

Author: @mymindisneverhere

Lick Back 🏁⏳

Summary: Terry Richmond is stationed at the Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base where he teaches incoming soldiers close quarters combat techniques as a MCMAP instructor. While hanging with rowdy fresh blood recruits at a bar, he meets Nova, the new wife of a fellow soldier who recently moved to Oceanside from South Carolina. Nova and her husband Jordan seem close at first, but Terry knows that Jordan cheats on her every chance he gets with secret weekend trysts. When Nova becomes pregnant and struggles to keep her marriage together, Terry steps in to cheer her up from Jordan's indifference. But he unintentionally embarks upon an illicit affair with Nova that turns his life upside down.

Author: @uzumaki-rebellion

Licking The Bloodstains From Your Alter 🎯

Summary: Terry Richmond x black!o.c

Author: @sillyteecup

Lipstick Stains 🎯

Summary: Terry finds himself fully immersed in a woman who frequently visits the coffee shop he helps his sister run. Sometimes it's the littlest things that can catch your attention and hold it hostage.

Author: @simplyzeeka

Lovers Nor Friends ✨

Summary: lines always end up crossed between friends with benefits.

Author: @saturnville

Luther 🎯

Summary:...

Author: @androgynousgaz

M

Made Men 🎯

Summary: Focus on your studies, mind your manners, and stay away from that Richmond boy. Your aunt sang that same tune to you over and over again…but destiny had better plans. And In a world where most people experienced death long before love, how could you deny fate when it came wrapped in a 6’3 package with a crimson bow on top..made men made the underground world go round and yours just so happened to be a bit off its axis..

Author: @nayaesworld

Made You Fall For Me 🎯

Summary: It had been two weeks since the anniversary of Mike’s death and Terry still beat himself up over it. Tired of Terry not letting you in, you join him in the shower and show him that he has a life to lead right here and now with you. Story by @uniqueoutlierblog

Author: @megamindsecretlair

Mafioso ⏳

Summary: Terry Richmond X OC!Marina

Author: @nayaesworld

Make Me Weak 📝📚

Summary: Desperately at your absolute limit, you decide to see one last therapist to try and help with your condition. After one session, Dr. Richmond manages to put you at ease, giving you enough tools to start you on your journey. As the exploration continues, your true hope is that you don’t get burned.

Author: @megamindsecretlair

Marked 🎯

Summary: ...

Author: @hotgrlcece

Merry Christmas from the Richmonds 🎯

Summary: terry is so sexy, but he's also technologically challenged.

Author: @kenshisluvrgirl

My Favorite Dork 🎯

Summary: “You’re such a dork!”

Author: @nayaesworld

My Funny Valentine 🎯⏳

Summary: You weren’t sure if this thing with Terry could survive outside of the cabin. But Terry lures you to Atlanta for a hot, steamy getaway this Valentine’s weekend. Once you join him, he takes you on the most romantic date you’ve ever been on and delivers on every single promise he made.

Author: @megamindsecretlair

My Little Secret 🎯

Summary: living next door to the cutest six year old had some benefits.

Author: @keyaho

N

Naughty List 🎯

Summary: ...

Author: @hotgrlcece

Never Coming Home 🎯

Summary: Terry Richmond x Plus Size Fem Black!OC

Author: @theereinawrites

New Year, Same Bullshit 🎯

Summary: Toxic Babydaddy!Terry Richmond x Plus Size Fem Black!OC

Author: @theereinawrites

Not So Secret Santa 🎯

Summary: Eve Dillard’s favorite holiday has lost its sparkle since a painful breakup, leaving her to navigate another lonely Christmas. But when a familiar snow globe from a secret admirer resurfaces, she’s drawn back into the past. The gift leads her to reconnect with Terry Richmond, a high school friend and long-lost crush who’s returned from military service. As their reunion stirs up old feelings, Eve is reminded of the magic of the season and the possibility of rediscovered love.

Author: @brattyfics

A Neighborly Favor ✨

Summary: In which Terry answers a call.

Author: @slippinninque

NSFW Alphabet ✨

Summary: Do you know your ABCs?

Author: @kenshisluvrgirl

O

Off the Beaten Path 📝⏳

Summary: Nivea Douglas takes Terry Richmond into her home after he saves her. Terry doesn’t want to be a burden, but Nivea insists.

Author: @nahimjustfeelingit-writes

Office Hours ✨

Summary: Professor!Terry

Author: @ripeandsoft

One Chance 🎯

Summary: Reader reconnects with her ex husband while living under the same roof.

Author: @nayaxwrites

One More Taste 🎯

Summary: You got it really bad for your fine-ass next-door neighbor and co-worker Terry Richmond, just an unhealthy obsession for him and it was his birthday, all you wanted was to make him yours. But will he be open to you? Turns out he was just as hooked as you were.

Author: @notapradagurl7

The One That Got Away 🎯

Summary: After globetrotting as a digital nomad for three years, Michaela Maxwell returns to her hometown and meets the man of her dreams in a soldier named Terry Richmond. The only problem is, dreams happen when one is asleep to the truth. In Michaela's case, she wakes up to the sad reality that Terry won't really be the happily-ever-after she desires if he cant let go of a past love.

Author: @uzumaki-rebellion

The Only One 🎯

Summary:...

Author: @miyuhpapayuh

Overnight Celebrity ✨

Summary: Pornstar!Terry x Pornstar!Reader

Author: @dxddykenn

Overtime ⌛️

Summary: it's damn near impossible to focus on his job when he's always five seconds away from committing an HR violation with his favorite employee.

Author: @kenshisluvrgirl

P

Perfect Gentleman 🎯

Summary: Terry's been the perfect gentleman, maybe a little too gentle.

Author: @theblacklewinsky

Praise In Advance 🎯

Summary: is this man a demon? he’s rough, but controlled. blink and you’ll miss it.

Author: @keyaho

Professor Richmond 🎯

Summary: College student, Aaliyah, is obsessed with her Professor and tries to use what she has to get a favor out of him during the last class of the semester.

Author: @mymindisneverhere

P.S. I Love You 🎯

Summary: You suddenly receive letters that re open the wounds of grief. But they turn out for the better.

Author: @nahimjustfeelingit-writes

Pyro 🎯

Summary: Terry Richmond tries to get revenge on the family that is said to kill his cousin Mike. After the first two failed attempts, Terry sought to finally succeed at the next attempt. After all, third time's the charm, right?

Author: @simplyzeeka

Q

Quality Time ✨

Summary: Terry and his wife having sex for the first time since their baby was born

Author: @ripeandsoft

R

Reminiscing 🎯

Summary: Terry falls in love with the reader all over again after seeing her in a dress that reminds him of when they first met. When they arrive home, he shows his appreciation.

Author: @nayaxwrites

R.E.L.L.S 📝📚

Summary: nami joins a bdsm community in hopes of finding a dominator/partner. she manages to snag Terry Richmond the most sought after and picky dominant in the community of their city.

Author: @keyaho

Richmond Inc 📝📚

Summary: When Terry Richmond, the formidable CEO of Richmond Inc., one of the world's most elite private security firms, sets his sights on recruiting Lorence as a director, he expects ambition, not defiance. She is sharp, skilled, and destined for leadership, but there is one problem. Working closer to Terry is the last thing she wants. He is intimidating, ruthless, and far too handsome for her peace of mind. He is a boss she would rather keep at a distance.

Author: @artsninspo

Ruffian 📝⏳

Summary: Ryan has been living a lonely life on her farm for a decade now. With no family to seek company from, she developed a routine with just her and her animals, something that soothed her loneliness. Until her happiness came back a little earlier than expected.

Author: @simplyzeeka

Rugged Whiskey ⏳

Summary: Terry Richmond X OC!Khia

Author: @nayaesworld

Ruined 🎯

Summary: See Ask. Story by @uniqueoutlierblog . Terry has been spending more time in the gym lately, preferring to retreat into his head like he often does. Tonight, however, you aim to take his mind off of his worries if only for a little while.

Author: @megamindsecretlair

[matchalovertrait]

CW: Mentions of murder, drug trafficking, and death; alcohol; drinking.

*This is a long post! 24 screenshots with dialogue. I apologize, really! But it should tie up this long arc.

Sitting across from Antonio was his grandfather, former drug lord of Los Venenosos. The cartel had formed nearly thirty years ago, the result of a merger between criminal organizations led by Antonio's paternal and maternal grandfathers. Alfonso Alto's group operated out of Colombia, while Miguel Romero's was based in Mexico. Together, they could achieve their goal of controlling territory across Latin America. The alliance was solidified when their children, Alicia Alto and Fernando Romero, tied the knot.

But for greed-filled minds, nothing is ever enough. Alfonso set his sights on expanding into Europe, and his homeland of Italy was the perfect place to start. With the help of his brothers, Nick and Bert Alto, they combined their influence and utilized their vast network of corrupt officers, state officials, and politicians. They could smuggle drugs, weapons, and cash with more ease. The money laundering front helped immensely too.

Their wallets grew larger, especially Alfonso's. One by one, Miguel, Fernando, Bert, and Nick passed away, leaving Alfonso Alto as the sole leader. So, his granddaughter, Juliana, was shaped into his successor. However, he sensed the need for someone well-versed in the law, so he had Antonio study to become a lawyer. The two kids resided in Del Sol Valley with Alicia for anonymity and safety.

Everything was going according to plan... until a brat who couldn't mind her own business posted a video.

Start from the beginning (Gen 2)

Previous | Next

Transcript

[Alfonso tapped his fingers on the table.]

ALFONSO: I heard about your little side quest. When were you going to tell me?

ANTONIO: That’s what I came here for. I wanted to come clean.

ALFONSO: Talk.

[Antonio spoke slowly. You always had to approach Alfonso Alto in a calm matter.]

ANTONIO: I can’t do this anymore. I tried to do the impossible by balancing the different parts of my life and failed miserably.

[He paused, but there was more he had to say.]

ANTONIO: ...I’ve gotten closer to Dulce. I want to pursue a relationship with her.

ALFONSO: I love it.

ANTONIO: You do?

[Alfonso slammed his hand down.]

ALFONSO: I couldn’t be prouder! You decided to help the Alegría girl, so you can get closer to her. You can infiltrate the Alegría and Medina families from within, then gain everyone’s trust and bring it all down.

[Antonio shot his hand up in an attempt to interject.]

ANTONIO: Ac-

ALFONSO: I thought you were becoming more like your father.

[Antonio froze. Why was he bringing him up?]

ALFONSO: I’m glad that’s not the case. Look where he’s at now. Six feet under. You wouldn’t want to face the same fate, right?

ANTONIO: Of course not.

[Antonio gave a small smile.]

ANTONIO: I know I have to do things differently.

ALFONSO: I knew you had it in you. You were such a weak, emotional child. Juliana is older and more resilient, but you’re the man here, Antonio. You’re my heir. This legacy is rightfully yours, not your sister’s. You want to take it back, I see.

Well, I suppose I can wait in this place longer. You don’t have to focus on the retrial as much – that’s what’s troubling you, right? There are only so many hours in the day, I understand.

I used to be powerful. Look what I’ve been reduced to... but with your help, I’ll be free again. Teodor is probably so smug, thinking he got the last laugh.

ANTONIO: I should get back to work...

ALFONSO: You’re a smart kid. Run along now, I’ll be expecting updates.

ANTONIO: There won’t be frequent updates. I have upcoming commitments I must tend to.

ALFONSO: Fine. As long as you’re getting stuff done. Like fabricating an image of a noble young lawyer! Haha! And using the Alegría girl’s so-called fame to gain a good reputation? Brilliant.

ANTONIO: Damn it all. What the hell am I doing?

[Antonio suspected that his father was ordered to be killed by Alfonso, but he lacked proof and feared he’d be next if he disobeyed. If only he put his foot down.. but no. Once Alfonso Alto was on a high, you shouldn’t bring him back down. That only enrages him.]

[Antonio poured himself some whiskey while he pondered more. Alfonso wouldn’t actually get rid of him, would he? No. That’s absurd. Well. He’s not exactly a sane person. Antonio closed his eyes, sighing. He wished he had familial support.]

[START FLASHBACK]

ALICIA: We KNOW the chances for a retrial are slim, but you will find a way. You didn’t finish school early and pass the bar at a young age for nothing.

ANTONIO: His current arrangement more than suffices. He claims to be suffocating in the prison, but he runs the place. That’s not normal. We mustn’t let government corruption get that far.

JULIANA: Toño, the entire world is corrupt! We’re just playing the game and guess what? Our turn is almost up. There are no second chances for people like us.

ALICIA: Your sister is right. Stop being selfish.

JULIANA: Keep doing what you’re doing. Don’t forget to build connections with judges, legal clerks, district attorneys – whoever. Shake hands, smile. Make yourself useful and plant seeds for future favors. Do it for us.

[END FLASHBACK]

[Antonio looked out the window, admiring the lights from thousands of houses miles away.]

ANTONIO: Out of all the lives out there, why’d I have to be born into this one?

[He leaned back, swirling the drink in the glass.]

Hm. Dulce’s condo should be over there.

[Maybe Dulce viewed her name as ironic because of her dislike for sweets, but he believed the name suited her.]

She does anything for her loved ones and there is never a dull moment with her. The way her eyes light up when she talks to you makes you feel like you’re one in a million when you’re merely ordinary. Dulce makes your life.. sweeter.

[He shook his head. When did he become so corny?]

I’ve made up my mind. I choose the people who matter to me the most, and that’s not my family. My friends, my coworkers... and Dulce. It’s them.

I should still stay out of her life, though. She’s better off without me. I already foolishly dragged her into this. I have to fix it.

I need to find a way to blackmail Alfonso – discover information so undeniably concrete that he’d never set foot outside again.

[crustyfloor]

brainvomit I can go on and on about the apparent hints we're getting in merch and subtext that allude to a Till revival but it grates on my nerves that it could easily be disproven in several ways, so I can never be certain, but honestly.. I'm quite confident in a Till revival. And I'm coming to expect it to some degree (In part because it's been months since there's been a proper update on him, otherwise his post-mortem comic would've been uploaded ages ago and that would be that,, but since it's seemingly being held off it leads me to think that it's an intentional decision because there is more content with him and his perspective to come, probably in later episodes)

from a writer's perspective, it feels like the logical next step. On the other hand, he might be really dead. It can happen, hell, it probably will happen because it's already clear that the chances of him living or staying dead are so situational, depending on where this story is going it might be right for him to just stay dead, (and that much in regards to the plot I can't really guess with much confidence either). I'm already so unsure how Vivinos plans to juggle all this worldbuilding and development within one or possibly two new episodes, I trust her ability, and so far she hasn't disappointed me, even when she's left me confused and upset for some time- and Vivinos is always introducing surprise plot twists to the story when I least expect it so now I'm not surprised that Till was shot anymore (aside from the agony and dread of actually seeing it) losing to Luka served it's own purpose, and I wouldn't be surprised if she brought him back

Even if revival is a very bold decision for a character, I wouldn't say it's as completely out of the realm of possibility as some may think, and it wouldn't be "impossible" to do. Alnst still has sci-fi themes. If aliens can exist, then many other things are on the table. That's why I like the robot/alive Sua theories so much. (and even though I wouldn't lean too much on realistic facts that would apply to our world to a fictional setting where plot armor exists, they're also still within the reasonable time frame to resuscitate Till, time isn't moving that slowly between the episodes Blink gone and Wiege so it's not too ridiculous if they're fast enough they can save him)

Sometimes I feel like I'm riding too close to the sun with the absurdity of insisting that Till could revive while his dead body is right there but I don't feel like we would be exploring the full scope of his character if his development ended here, yeah it's already been made somewhat cleared up that he wasn't as indifferent to Ivan's presence as we would have assumed given Ivan's view of him, but that's still pretty up in the air, we have a lot of assumptions about his character and his perspective but ultimately a lot of questions about him are still unanswered and up in the air, and personally, I'd deeply hate leaving this series not knowing as much about him as I could've, sure you could say that's simply his narrative, sure you could say death naturally comes when you least expect it to, that's just the way life is and I would accept that narrative if it came to it and Vivinos executed it in a way that made sense but ehg, it's just cliche to me and I believe there are better ways to handle his character

Whats irks me the most is that if this is where it ends for him, he's dead and there's no elaboration that kind of storytelling would only validate Ivan's narrative, the most we know about Till in regards to his perspective is through Ivan's eyes, to accept that Till's character and his relationship with Ivan is simply built on unrequited feelings and indifference to Ivan is just assuming that what Ivan says is the truth and not his skewed perspective like we know it is. But if there's no way to make that obvious this narrative would only do everything wrong... 1) validate Ivan's perspective 2) It leaves everything about Till's perspective majorly up to interpretation without some solid ground, aside from the fandoms already here and there takes that just wouldn't be good writing (?) there's really a difference in leaving mystery and interpretations to the hand of the viewer and just not answering valid questions, and not leaving any solid content to work with and interpret in the first place, whether this direction is meant to be either or I wouldn't be fully satisfied with it anyway . We see Ivan's impact on Till in Blink gone in the emotional turmoil Till goes through, it shows enough that, as opposed to what Ivan thinks, Till cared about him, but really, what do we know?

That's my biggest gripe; I don't want Till's story to end on such an abrupt and sour note that doesn't truly serve him as a character. I believe this could all be resolved in comics and side content, too. But the reason why I bring this up here is that one of the most reuccuring themes of Alnst is exploring the perspective of the ones who must live on after their loved ones die impactful, painful, unforgettable deaths, it's a present theme to show how the characters (Mizi, Luka) progress after it, it's about showcasing endurance and the human spirit. Characters shouldn't just die for the sake of it, without contributing to this and showing it, and Till hasn't yet shown it (It'd make sense if they wanted to show this in his death too, but I'd question what groundwork we were really meant to be laying here.. and I'd hope it'd done right at least)

In the case that the story shifts in a way that supports this to it's full potential (ie. not killing off everyone and blowing up the stage), reviving Till and allowing him the means to process his thoughts on Ivan and his death and what he did and what that means to him enough to put it into words would be great for his character, it's probably overgenerous for how little time we might have but I'm realllyyyy hanging onto hope here that the story will even shift to open up for this chance in the first place. If Vivinos doesn't plan to do either of these things to further Till's growth as a character visibly, then his death is rendered pointless and dismissive, and I'm not serious about that wording

because his death isn't inherently useless, none of the deaths are, and his death serves a purpose regardless. It's most likely being used to bring about Mizi's new turning point in her character development, yes blink gone is one of the many sequences of events in furthering Mizi's story first and foremost, Till's downfall signifies a new turning point in the story, still it doesn't mean he has to remain in that role to move the story along (unless vivinos would like to express that all hope is lost now and she's going to blow up the remaining characters, given Till was practically standing as a hope that things would change), if Vivinos has any interest in not making him look like a sacrifice and tool as a character for the sake of Mizi's growth after experiencing more loss, and not making his character completely reliant on Ivan's unreliable perspective (Because Cure is mostly Ivan-centric and that's the most we get of their dynamic together), She can bring him back, it can still have emotional relevance without being forced or random. And if done right, it wouldn't even erase the impact his death left on Mizi

(And I do worry about that, because revival in alien stage ideally shouldn't take back any of the tension or attention from the current events because otherwise that would be poor writing too, while I'm writing this I realize this story is really put in a tough spot because everything could go all sorts of bad ways) but it's not like if Till were to come back it'd erase the irreversible mental scar his death reopened within Mizi and be one of the driving forces on her mind come whatever she may do next (But what about the moment of hope in Blink Gone that represented Till's naive feelings for Mizi that overrid all sense of rationality and made him run to grab her hand? reviving him wouldn't rewrite that dread either... if anything, the impact of a near-death experience would also be fascinating to write on a character like himself with all the developments he's had so far)

On another note, I'm sure there are characters that may have better reasons to come back to the story, namely HyunA, but I believe what distinguishes Till from her is the possibility that bringing her back would be redundant, the possibility that it would actually remove the impact she intended her death to have on Luka. Her words would be for nothing if Luka doesn't realize this is for real, and he'll have to live with that truth and these new realizations. Everything contributes to that one message. HyunA serves us the "Live through the pain, forgive yourself, you live on" narrative right there.. So naturally, the best way I can see this being formatted is allowing us to continue to explore the perspective of Post round-1 Mizi, Luka, and Till after losing Sua, HyunA, and Ivan perhaps even going HyunA's route and finding a home within the rebellion to allow them to grow and grieve and introspect... #hopefulstage

HyunA is the catalyst for Luka's development, and it turns around to benefit both of their characters. Ivan is the catalyst for Till's development, and in turn, growth from Till would also contribute to Ivan's character . Allowing Till to live on would be a satisfying way to execute this narrative (But of course, this all goes out the window if like I said before Vivinos plans for this story to take a different direction, all I'm saying is that if the plot allows it I don't want Vivinos to miss the opportunity to expand on Till's character this way, if not in other forms that confirm he's dead). Till is my favorite character, so I'm aware I have bias and I'm indulging my delusions, but the way I see it, there's nobody who can resolve this better than Till can, there's nobody who can elaborate on his and Ivan's story better than he can, because Mizi was their friend, but nowhere near as emotionally close to them as they were to each other, she loves them but she only knows so much about them as people and just "her friends" so it's a tough spot, and Luka doesn't know them at all. Till is resilient, always coming back from the brink, and has always been fighting for agency and freedom. In that way, he parallels HyunA a lot. And I have a soft spot for both of them that wants to see them flourish and grow, and heal. If it's allowed, I want him to have that, I want him to have the space to grow with as much time as we have left, and I want him to have a fair and well-written wrap-up otherwise, I don't know I'll probably change this opinion a little bit later down the line and I still have too many questions on what the helllll is about to go on with this story to write anything sensical but if he's alive awesome if he's dead okay i'd just strongly prefer the former if it suits the overall narrative and I want it to make sense and not feel like he's been written off (and worse, I don't want his character to be perceived as shallow because of wherever vivinos chooses to direct his arc next)

all this to say I really want his perspective or any indication of anything about his current status hepl

[scoonsalicious]

Unwanted: Chapter 30, Epilogue - Pt. 1

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Avenger!Fem!Reader

Summary: When your FWB relationship with your best friend Bucky Barnes turns into something more, you couldn’t be happier. That is, however, until a new Avenger sets her sights on your super soldier and he inadvertently breaks your heart. You take on a mission you might not be prepared for to put some distance between the two of you and open yourself up to past traumas. Too bad the only one who can help you heal is the one person you can no longer trust.

Warnings: (For this part only; see Story Masterlist for general Warnings) Language,

Word Count: 634

Previously On...: You and Bucky are probably going to be okay.

A/N: IT'S OUT EARLY!

This is it! The last chapter! OMG!

NOTE! The tag list is a fickle bitch, so I'm not really going to be dealing with it anymore. If you want to be notified when new story parts drop, please follow @scoonsaliciousupdates

Banner By: The absolutely amazing @mrsbuckybarnes1917!

Thank you to all those who have been reading; if you like what you've read, likes, comments, and reblogs give me life, and I truly appreciate them, and you!

Taglist: (Sadly, tag list is closed; Tumblr will not let me add anyone new. If you want to be notified when I update, please Follow me for Notifications!) @jmeelee @cazellen @mrsbuckybarnes1917 @blackhawkfanatic @buckybarnessimpp @hayjat @capswife @itsteambarnes @marygoddessofmischief @sebastians-love @learisa @lethallyprotected @rabbitrabbit12321 @buckybarnesandmarvel @fanfictiongirl77 @calwitch @fantasyfootballchampion @selella @jackiehollanderr @wintercrows @sashaisready @missvelvetsstuff @angelbabyyy99 @keylimebeag @maybefoxysouls @vicmc624 @j23r23 @wintercrows @crist1216 @cjand10 @pattiemac1@les-sel @dottirose @winterslove1917 @harperkenobi @ivet4 @casey1-2007 @mrsevans90 @steeph-aniie @bean-bean2000 @beanbagbitch @peachiestevie @wintrsoldrluvr @shadowzena43

Tumblr will not let me directly tag the following: @marcswife21 @erelierraceala @jupiter-107 @doublejeon @hiqhkey @unaxv @brookeleclerc

10 Months Later

“I refuse to accept this.”

“Well, unfortunately, Boss, it’s my decision to make, not yours,” you told Tony as you finished stacking up the last of your moving boxes. Sixteen years– almost half of your life, now condensed into neat stacks of cardboard, waiting to be loaded into the van that was waiting downstairs.

“What the hell am I supposed to do without you?” Tony asked, dramatically flinging himself on your now bare mattress. “How am I supposed to survive?”

You rolled your eyes at him. “It’s not like you won’t see me every fucking day, dude,” you admonished him. “I still work here, for fucks’ sake. Besides, you refused to let your realtor show me any place you couldn’t see from your terrace.”

“I thought it would be nice if we could wave to each other during breakfast,” he said, his face drawn into a pout now, “that’s all.”

You sat down next to him and put a gentle hand on his shoulder. “It’s time to cut the umbilical cord, Tony,” you said. 

“But you’re still such a kiddo, Kiddo,” he sighed.

“I meant your umbilical cord, Boss,” you laughed. “And who knows? Maybe I’ll try it for a year or two, figure out I absolutely hate it, and come crawling back, begging for my old room.”

“Don’t press your luck,” Tony said, sitting back up. “I’ll probably turn it into a sauna, or an indoor golf simulator as soon as you walk out that door.”

“Ah, there’s the Tony I know and tolerate,” you said with a smile.

“I’m just going to miss having you around,” he said, his voice now laced with sadness. “Sixteen years together– probably the longest stable relationship I’ve ever had. It’s not going to be the same around here without you.”

“I know,” you sighed. “I’m going to miss you, too. But you know I need this. After everything that happened last year with Carthage, and Barnes… me spiraling, losing a baby I didn’t even know about, getting shot, and the… complications; all that shit with Steve. I just think I need a fresh start, some place where I’m not reminded of her every time I walk around a corner. It’s the only way I’m going to truly heal.”

“I told you I’d move you to another floor. Hell, I’ll tear down the entire Tower and start from scratch. We can build a whole new compound Upstate or something. You’d never have to set foot in this hallway again,” he said. And you knew he was telling the truth– there was little Tony wouldn’t do to ensure you were comfortable in your old home, but you couldn’t rely on him forever.

“You’ve saved me so many times already, Boss,” you said, looking back at him fondly, “and you know I’m always going to be thankful for that. But it’s time I started working on saving myself.”

“Well, when you make it sound all empowering and shit,” he began, “I start to feel like a dick for protesting.”

You laughed as your phone beeped. Looking at the message, you told him: “Movers are on the way up. I guess this is really it.” You both stood and embraced, Tony leaning down to speak softly in your ear.

“You know you always have a home here, Kiddo,” he said. “Whenever you need it. Even if it’s just for a night, or if you decide you want to come back for good. Door’s always open.”

“And even if it’s not,” you said as the two of you broke away from one another, “I can always hack the system to break myself in.”

“I’ll have you arrested for trespassing.”

“You think Mr. Mitchell’s still practicing law?” you asked with a grin. “I can definitely afford to have him represent me, now.”

<- Previous Chapter / Next Part ->

[mama2bears]

Starting Over Again Chapter 8

Warnings: Sexual content - not too much detail, (ONLY FOR 18+), Talk of bruises/injury, sharing shower, nakedness

A/N: Sorry for the delay in updated. Been busy with work. Next chapter will be the last chapter. I already have it finished and just need to do some editing on it. Hopefully I will have it posted later today or tomorrow. Enjoy!

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7

Chapter 8

“So what is everyone doing today,” Tyler asked, taking a seat next to you at the table. Most of the team had already finished their breakfast.

“Dani and I have claimed the gaming system.” Boone stated, “but if anyone wants to join us..we can split into teams!”

“I want to send up the drone, get some shots of the area.” Lily said.

“I am going fishing!” Dexter added with a smile. “I see there's a pier a few miles down the road. Maybe I can bring some fish back for dinner.”

Everyone cheered at that idea and started clearing the table to go about their day.

“What about you?” Tyler looked at you with a soft smile, “What would you like to do today?”

“Stroll on the beach, collect seashells, play in the waves a little.” you smile.

“And build a sand castle.” Tyler added with a grin. “Let's do it!”

“Really?” you asked, “You don't think it's boring or stupid or anything?”

“Darling, I'd do anything with you, and to be honest, that sounds like the perfect day.”

“Hey, Y/N..come with me to the RV for a minute?” Lily asked.

“Sure.” you stand and place a hand on Tyler's shoulder and a light kiss on his cheek, “I'll be back in a minute.”

“Okay.” he squeezed your hand and watches as you walked away, lost in thought.

“Earth to Tyler...” Boone was saying.

“Huh? What?” Tyler looked at his friend.

“I said Dani and I are going to grill some burgers for lunch. Lily is coming back for lunch, but Dexter said he wants to grab a sandwich or something at the prier. I was asking what you and Y/N are doing for lunch so we know how many burgers to grill.” Boone grinned, “But you weren't paying any attention to me.”

“Sorry.” Tyler apologized. “We'll probably come back here for lunch. We are just going to be right down there.” he motioned to a stretch of beach that was just out the front door.

“So...I hear you and Tyler are spending the day at the beach,” Lily flashed a smile, leading you into the RV. She rummaged though some boxes and pulled out a bright red bikini. “Here, you can have this...go knock his socks off.”

“Oh..I don't..I don't know about that.” You blushed.

“Girl...go for it!” she winked. “You can even change in here and just completely surprise him once you are there.”

“Thank you.” You smile ducking into the tiny RV bathroom and replacing your bra and underwear with the bikini before slipping a dress back on.

A few minutes later you and Lily come back in the house laughing, causing Tyler to raise an eyebrow, “What's so funny?” he looked at you confused.

“You'll find out later.” you wink at him and Lily giggles.

As everyone parts ways to go about their day, Tyler collects a blanket and you got a few towels before heading down to the beach.

You loved the feeling of the shifting sand under your feet. You know as the sun rises and the temperature heats up the sand will soon become hot, but now, in the early morning hours, it was a just starting to warm up from the cool night air.

“You okay?” you asked, grabbing Tyler's hand as he stumbled and grabbed his leg.

“Yeah, I am fine. Just lost my footing a little.” he gave you a smile, not wanting to ruin this perfect day. Truth was, he would be okay once they got off of the shifting sand, but right now, it was hell on his leg.

You grab his hand and squeeze it tightly, “We can go back if you want.” you offer.

“Never.” he smiled, “I am looking forward to giving you the date you deserve.”

Gradually you both make your way down close to the water's edge and lay the blanket down, tucking the corners into the sand and laying the towels out.

“How are you feeling?” Tyler asks, gently placing a hand on your left side.

“Sore, but okay.” you give a smile, “How about you?”

“Nothing that a little time at the beach won't fix.” he pulls you into a kiss, then takes your hand, “How about we go for a little walk, look for those shells you wanted to find?” he asked, “I hear first thing in the morning is the best time.”

“Well, actually....the best time for shells is after a storm. More shells wash ashore during a storm...but morning would be second best.” you grin as you two walk along the shore line, the waves washing over your feet.

“Oh there's one!” you see a big conch shell rolling in the waves.

“I got it.” Tyler reached for the shell as the waves pulled it just out of his reach.

“Ah, you missed it!” You hurry and reach down to try and catch the shell, only to have the waves pull it out father.

“Oh, well...maybe we'll find another one.” you give in, a hint of disappointment in your voice.

“I'm getting you that shell.” Tyler chased the shell further out into deeper water and made another grab for it, losing his balance and falling into a wave, his head disappearing under the wave for a moment.

“TYLER!” You screamed, “you okay?”

“I got the shell!” He grinned, holding it up.

You push though the waves and run out to the waist deep water where he was and grabbed his arm, “Oh my God, Tyler, are you okay?” you practically were yelling at him.

“Yeah, I am okay. The wave gave me a softer landing.”

“You scared me to death.” you grab his hand and help him stand, “I was afraid you hurt your ribs again falling.”

“I am okay.” he confirmed handing you the shell, “for my beautiful lady.”

“Thank you.” you kiss him softly and hold his hand back to shore. Tyler stops at the blankets and slides his wet pants off, revealing a pair of dark blue swim trunks, then he tried to pull his shirt up over his head grimacing in pain. “What's wrong?” you ask concerned.

“I am trying to get this shirt off.” he sighed, “but it's wet and sticking.” he gasped.

“Here, let me help.” you help him pull the shirt over his head and your eyes immediately go to the bruises covering his back and chest. You carefully run your hand over his chest “I am so sorry.” you whisper.

“Darling, there's nothing to be sorry for. I would rather deal with this pain and these injuries then see you get hurt.” he leaned over and placed a tender kiss on your lips, “I owe you my life. You saved my life that night.” he whispered, “I'll never forget that.”

“You saved my life that night as well.” you whisper.

“And I'd do it all over again.” he leaned in closer to you and captured your lips in a long slow deep kiss.

“Do you need to go back to the house and change?” he asked.

You smile at him, stepping back a few paces, “No...I think I'll change here.” you slide your dress up over your head, revealing the red bikini and heard Tyler suck in a breath.

“Wow...” he whispers.

“You like?” you asked.

“No...” Tyler shook his head, “I don't like it.”

“Oh...” you look a bit taken back.

“I love it!” he grinned, pulling you towards him for a kiss.

You grimace and he pulls back, “Sorry...I didn't mean to hurt you.” he leans over to look at the stab wound, “Is it bothering you?” he asked, softly.

“Little..but not bad.”

Tyler carefully runs his hand down your side and then he notices all the bruises and scars running across your stomach and up your back. “My God, Y/N...I didn't know it was this bad.” anger flashed in his eyes. “He did all this to you?” he asked.

You nodded, “Yeah, but let's not talk about him, okay?”

“Alright, Darling.” he kissed her softly. “What shall we do next?”

“Take a mid morning nap on the beach?” you grin, sitting down on the blanket and stretching out. At least a little rest.

Your side was starting to bother you, and you were sure Tyler was in pain by the look on his face, even if he denied it.

“Sounds good to me.” you laid down next to you and wrapped his arms around you. As you were staring out across the ocean, he was looking at you with a grin.

“What?” you turn towards him with a smile, catching him staring at you out the corner of your eye.

“You're just so beautiful.” he whispered, kissing your lips softly, trailing his lips from your mouth, down your neck.

“Tyler...” you moan as he tenderly brushes his hand across your stomach and pausing at your bikini top.

“Want me to stop?” he asked, desire deep in his eyes.

“What if someone sees us?” you ask.

He glanced up towards the house, “We are far enough down the beach. They can't see us from the house and no one else is around. “Hold on.” he held you close to him and rolled off the blanket, laying directly on the sand and the blanket now covering you. “Better?”

You nod, “Yeah, but we shouldn't be doing this, not with your broken ribs.”

“My hands aren't broken.” he grins, pressing his lips firmly against yours in a long deep kiss. “If you want me to stop, tell me now.” he moaned, ducking his head under the blanket to remove the bikini top.

“Don't stop...”you moaned, feeling his lips and hands caressing your body.

* * * * *

“Hey Boone!” Dani called, looking at her phone.

“What's up?”

“I was just checking our YouTube feed. Someone posted videos and photos of us leaving the hotel and picking up Ty and Y/N at the hospital.”

“Yeah..we got about a million followers. They probably were interested in how T was doing. We never did update them.”

“Maybe...” Dani said thinking, “But they keep asking questions about our whereabouts. It just doesn't seem right to me. Our fans know we are chasing the storms, and if we aren't, that's our private time. They don't ask a lot about where we are if we aren't chasing. This person has posted several times a day.”

“You're right. That is suspicious.” Boone frowned. “Has anyone said anything about us being down here?”

“No. Everyone just assumes that we went back to Arkansas to rest up for a bit.” Dani informed him.

“Good.” Boone nodded.

“Should we tell Tyler?”

“No, that's just going to cause a lot of worry for no reason. As long as no one suspects we are here, then let's not worry them about it.”

Dani agreed, “I'll keep an eye on it and make sure no one discloses our whereabouts if they do see us.”

“Maybe I should do a quick video, give people a heads up?” Boone suggested.

“Yeah...good idea.”

Boone fixed his phone and made sure nothing was in the background to give away his whereabouts and then began, “Hey Hey fan base! I know we have been flying under the radar lately, but as you know, a lot has happened in a short amount of time. Listen, I need ya help. One of our team members has a crazy guy after them. It's personal business and I don't want to get into details, but we haven't had much luck with the police. That's why we've been laying low. Tyler and the team are all doing good, but listen, if you do happen to see us out and about anywhere, please don't disclose our location...for the sake of the team. We'll update you when this situation has been solved. Thank you fans! We love you!”

The sound of the door opening caused them to look up. Boone smiled, seeing Tyler and Y/N come though the door, hand in hand. Both of their hair was ruffled and they were covered in sand, breathing hard with their faces were flushed.

“Hey guys, I am just about to start the burgers.” Boone called, trying his best not to look at the couple. He wanted to say something smart, but he also didn't want to embarrass either of them.

“Yeah, I bet they've worked up an appetite.” Dani giggled.

“We are hungry.” Tyler shot them a look, “Thanks Boone. We're going to take a shower and then we'll be out.”

“Hmm hmm...no problem.” Boone held his laughter in until Tyler and Y/N had went into their room.

“Whoa boy, I bet they're going to have an active week.” he giggled and Dani playfully slapped his head, “Oh hush! What if they hear you!”

“I'll start the shower for us.” Tyler states, kissing you softly, “You wanna head back down to the beach or stay here?”

“Right now that bed is looking awfully inviting. I vote we stay here and watch a movie after lunch.” she said.

“That sounds like the perfect ending to a perfect day.”

You pull out your pajamas and a pair of shorts for Tyler before meeting him in the bathroom. He had already stripped down and was getting in the shower when he extended his hand towards you, “Join me?” he asks.

You let the bikini fall to the floor and enter the shower, where Tyler pulls you into another long slow kiss. He runs his hands slowly over your body, kissing every scar and every bruise as if he could kiss away the hurt.

“You're beautiful and I love you so much.” he muttered against your skin, moving his lips up to your neck and reclaiming your lips as his own.

Boone, Dani and Lily were already eating the burgers by the time you and Tyler finally emerged from the bedroom. All three of them passed knowing looks.

“Your burgers are over there by the grill. We did save you some.” Boone smiled.

“Oh, and don't worry about anything that might of happened on the beach today.” Lily grinned, “I didn't fly my drone over that way.”

“Oh my God, we didn't think of that!” you muttered into Tyler's ear and he laughed.

“So...um...how's the water?” Boone asked as you guys sat down with the burgers.

“Perfect.” you say.

“Well, it was a bit salty.” Tyler grinned.

“And there was a shark.” you grinned, looking over at Tyler.

“I bet that shark's name was Tyler, wasn't it?” Dani laughed and the rest of the team joined in.

“Yeah..it was...it was.” you blushed.

Once lunch was finished, Tyler stood and took your plate and his into the kitchen. “Y/N and I are going to lay down for a bit and watch a movie. When Dexter gets back, tell him we expect fish for dinner!”

“I'll help make something. Don't worry.” you tell Dani and Lily as Tyler leads you into the bedroom.

“What movie?” he asked.

“I don't care.” you crawl into bed and snuggle down into the warm covers and soft pillows.

“Okay.” Tyler flips on Pet Sematary.

You pull the covers up over your head and hide, “That's going to terrify me! The original scared me!”

“Nothing to be scared of when you got me here, Darling.” he crawls into bed next to you and holds you tight. “I think we need to put this day on repeat for the rest of the week,” he whispered, kissing you softly.

“I wouldn't complain about that.” you sigh, snuggling into his side a little closer as the movie began.

Chapter 9 (Final Chapter)

Tag List

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@zedis2007@samanddeaninatrenchcoat@rebelatbay@snackthatsmilesbackchlldren

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[novastar-creations]

Part 1/2 𓆉

(Part 2)

Just a one (two?) shot teehee

TW: None for this part (correct me if I’m wrong and I’ll update accordingly), but part 2 will probably have kinda graphic violence, whatever it is that the Krang have going on, and implied/death.

★«✐ Start ✎»★

Mikey groaned, stretching his body away from his shell. He’d been sitting on the couch in the medbay by Raph for god-knows-how-long, just waiting for something to happen. Nothing had happened. It was all just pounds of flesh and muscle and bone, taught with the strain and effort of fighting the infection in his sleep. Donnie and Leo had been periodically checking in, changing out the IV drip and checking Raph’s pulse, and all manner of other things that were surely important, but Mikey didn’t know why.

He only left the medbay to make dinner. He would stay there, with his brother, and be there to hold his hand when the pain got too much. He had to at least try to help - if Donnie could make the tech, and Leo could lead the team, Mikey could keep it together.

One week. That’s all it took for everything to go to hell. First, the key. Leo lost it, and Raph blew up at him. And yeah, it was the Foot Clan, but it shouldn’t have been too big of a deal. And it wasn’t, until Casey. He was from the future, or so he said, but he didn’t know everything. Worse, he knew something, but refused to say what. Just that they had to find the key, stop the Krang. And they did! They found the key and they could’ve stopped the Krang, but Dad got hurt, and Raph got captured, and Leo had his thing- his weird, broken complex that he developed after Dad made him leader last May.

That was the day it truly went to hell. Over and over and over again, Leo kept on making bad calls, bad moves, desperate and defensive in a time where openness would’ve served better. Mikey loved his brothers, all of them, but Leo did some stupid things in his first couple of months. It was like he wanted to prove to Splinter that he wasn’t worthy of being leader, that Raph should pick it all up, and tenderly glue the pieces together the way they were supposed to be, not the way they were.

“Still no progress?” April was standing in the doorway, arms crossed and a sympathetic smile on her face. Mikey looked down at his hands, wringing them open and closed, open and closed. His anxiety had been getting worse since the invasion, like a ball growing in his gut, twisting and gnawing until he thought he’d puke.

“Still no progress,” he whispered into his lap, his heart catching in his throat. April crossed the room and plopped down next to Mikey, and with a single, welcoming gesture, he was in her arms. She held him there for a long moment, taking on his burdens and fears as her own, and letting them all wash away.

Suddenly, she sat back, her nose wrinkled in mock disgust. “Take a shower, Mike, you need it,” she fake gagged, causing Mikey to scoff under his breath.

“Excuse me! I will have you know this is premium turtle stink!” He held his arms above his head, as though to air them in April’s direction. She laughed, gagging as she fell on the floor, a cascading movement leading to a dramatic death with her tongue poked out. Mikey helped her up off the ground and they sat for a few seconds, catching their breath. It’s not often you hear laughter in the medbay.

“Seriously, though, you’ve been in here so long, I think the antiseptic smell is baked into your skin,” she stared at the far wall, eyes weary and spent, as though she had lived forty more years in her free time. “I’ll watch Raph, and then you can come back and I’ll tell you if anything happened, mkay?”

Mikey poked his tongue out at her as he left the room, a snarky gesture with love behind it. Despite his initial joking, he had to admit, it felt good to leave the medbay after almost two days spent in there. A shower would give him time to rest and reset, and he could focus on something other than the impending invasion and his brother’s ill health, if only for a brief moment.

★«✐ Finish ✎»★

The og concept ↑↑

[yearningandpatheticaboutit]

CHAPTER 19: SLEEPING DOGS

wc: 4612

warnings: none.

prev chapter

***

san

wooyoung tries to swallow his sobs down the entire ride to the warehouse. it drives me crazy.

i know we fucked up. i know things are bad. i just want everyone to hold on a little while longer. because this is almost over. we just need to get through this night.

when we arrive at the abandoned shipyard, we see the faded logo of some forgotten shipping company on the rusty and weathered walls of the warehouse. its like a scene out of a call of duty map. the warehouse is surrounded by piles of shipping containers hazardously stacked on each other, their colours faded and their outsides dented and tilted.

lucas leaves the car on the uneven concrete of the yard and we head inside the house.

its interior is filled with rusted, outdated machinery, forklifts and cranes lying around. there are just random crates scattered and it looks like everyone just vanished in the middle of their job. i look around and try to wonder why a place like this would be abandoned, desperate to distract myself.

"there's like a mattress and an old couch on top of the mezzanine," lucas breaks the silence, that up until now was only filled by distant seagulls and occassional creaks of metal. "you guys can crash up there."

"where are you sleeping?" yaera questions, holding onto my arm.

lucas shrugs. "probably my car, i dont like the smell of this place."

"what happens now?" i ask him. "with you, i mean. do you go back to mao?"

"im going to hong kong with woo. boss asked me to make sure he gets where he needs to be safely. you can take my car to get to the airport for your flight."

"thanks man," i said gratefully. i look at woo, whos standing with the duffelbag of guns in his hand, zoning out on a spot on the floor.

"you need to let him know though. the boss. he wants to know when you've made it safely, then you can cut all contact and not worry about anything ever again." lucas adds.

for years, mao has been my father's confidant, his right hand almost. when my father got into shitty debt with the 105ths, mao tried to save him as much as he could by trying to pay off the debt but it got so bad all my father could do was die-or completely disappear. he chose the latter.

i always wondered what my father did to earn such loyalty. he was a fucking loser. a complete shitbag. but here i am, years later, being protected by his connections.

alright, i wouldnt say protected, because mao couldnt save me from the 105ths. but he sure as hell made sure i never died young. no matter how close i got.

"im not gonna cut all contact," i say. no matter how tempted i'd be, i'd still want to hear about wooyoung. "lets not get head of ourselves."

"is there food around here?" yaera asks, frowning. "i know this is inappropriate, but im like really hungry."

yaera and i look at lucas expectantly. he sighs.

"cmon guys, you know i cant leave. i'll call up one of the runners to bring us by pizza or some shit."

"woo, you feeling pizza?" i turn to him, but when i look hes not next to me.

wooyoung walks up the mezzanine in complete silence and disappears out of our view.

"is he good?" lucas asks, raising a brow.

ive never seen guilt like this hit wooyoung before. hes never hurt an innocent person. every person he hurt, on the surface, fully deserved it. just being hongjoong's sister, did not qualify as deserving it. it wasnt some shitty gangster he shot, it was a girl on her wedding day. i know thats why hes taking it so hard.

i dont know what i can say that could ever make any of this better.

for the rest of the day, we starve and bask in nothingness. no news updates, nothing, its like we're completely cut off from the outside world. wooyoung is laid frozen on the couch, staring at a spot on the ground and taking turns blinking with each eye.

last i saw yaera, she still fought to get the pizza from lucas, who discreetly annoyed every connection he had so we can eat something. eventually, i got so bored that i take a walk out of the warehouse and into the yard.

i stroll slowly, walking to the edge of the yard and staring ahead at the waves.

its so secluded. its like everything else in the world was quiet. this would be perfect for a gang to just dump bodies. i wonder if before this place ran aground...if it was used for just that.

seagalls flew in circles above me. i watched them dazedly, my head pounding from hunger and trying to imagine my life 2 weeks from now. what would my lunches be like, my average afternoons, would mosquitos bite me in the cuban summer, would i finally be someone out there?

this was like death. i was going to kill choi san and abandon all his dreams. how heavy for just...a random afternoon.

as im getting lost in watching the dark blue waves crash against the platform, i feel someone nudge me from behind.

yaera holds out a slice of pizza for me, giving me a small smile.

i took it with a quiet chuckle, shaking my head. "i guess even in these circumstances, you still know how to get what you want." i said.

"he didnt have a choice," she says, attempting a laugh as well. "we were starving. we at least deserve pizza after...everything."

i didnt know if we deserved anything to be honest. but i didnt question it, i just finished the slice in three bites. i didnt even really chew, feeling my neck muscles work overtime so i could swallow.

"is wooyoung eating?" i ask her.

yaera's small smile fades quickly, and she shoves her hands into her pockets and looks out into the waves as well. "i left him a plate but...everytime i passed by he hadnt even touched it yet."

i sigh and feel my chest dully ache. for wooyoung to refuse food was just...another level of low.

"are we just so fucked up to the point where nothing gets us anymore?" i ask genuinely. "is wooyoung reacting appropriately and we're just...empty?"

we killed a girl on her wedding day instead of the gangster we were targetting. and yet wooyoung is the only one sick to his stomach right now.

"i dont know, san," yaera mutters. i could tell she didnt know what to tell me. "i hope we can go back to being...people...after this."

people? and what were people? were people not made up of their dreams, the people they loved, the things they loved? did we even still have those things? or were we lying to ourselves that we'd have all those things as soon as these horrors passed? to soothe how rotten we really were?

"you know what i realized? we can never go back." i say. yaera frowns at me.

"not to who we were...not our dreams...i wanted to go to nottingham. i wanted to reunite with my mother but now..." i laugh emptily. "now im escaping to cuba, because if i stay, the highly dangerous gangster whose sister and best friend i murdered will find me and gut me and my girl."

"our lives were shit, san," yaera says. "this is all we've got. i never had a dream. i never thought of something that could make me happy because i lost everything that made me happy. i cant go back to italy because i killed a man and my own friend by dealing her drugs. but at least...at least my nonna will not see who i've become."

"she might not see me again...none of these people will ever see us again, but at least we have a chance at still being recognizable to ourselves."

was that hope? was that as close as we could still get to it? like touching sunlight through a heavy fog?

"we are all we have right now, yaera," i remind her. i wasnt even trying to be romantic, but us running away after all the terrible shit we did, it solidified everything. "you and me...you have to promise me, even if whatever we have crashes and burns...we're not leaving. we're not going our own ways. we can't. not after everything."

"one day, you might look at me and hate me and think, you wish you never met a fuck like me. but you can hate me, hate me all you want, hate me for whatever, but you can't leave me alright? please...don't."

i didnt know where it was coming from. it feels like my mouth was just running and i was throwing up my feelings. i cringe inside, wanting to shut the fuck up so badly. yaera looks at me softly, that disarming look that was my reason to beg.

even if we're criminals now, even if our lives are hell, i didnt want her to ever stop looking at me like that.

"i dont think i could ever hate you, san," she says quietly.

i took her hand from her side, feeling the pizza grease still on it. i fight a smile, knowing all i'd do is look like a wounded dog. "lets try not to jinx it, alright?"

the sun starts to set and we head back to the warehouse. since the place was abandoned so far back, the lights in the yard didnt work so the outside was just pitch...black. darkness, with nothing but the moon illuminating on the waves and casting a faint glow onto the yard.

i wanted to talk to wooyoung, but he had finally passed out, his pizza still untouched. i sighed and bent down infront of him, ruffling his hair. he didnt budge to wake up.

"we'll be good, woo." i assured him.

when wooyoung and i worked together for the first time, he thought i needed mental help for how incompetent i was. he was there of his own accord, to eat, to survive. he knew what he had to do and he would do that and more.

then there was me, there because it was either that or die. internally, i wanted to make a mistake so they'd just kill me. but then wooyoung...somehow he made this disgestable.

i could bear it if it was us suffering together. but now...i thought the both of us just needed something else. something other than suffering.

that night, as yaera laid on my chest, i prayed for the first time in forever. i knew we didnt deserve it, but i asked for forgiveness. and i asked that now, if we couldnt have redemption, if we could at least have peace.

hopefully god's cell wasnt on do not disturb now that i had his number.

***

yaera

i cant say i had the best sleep. the anxiety from everything coupled with the shitty springs in this odd smelling mattress didnt equal the bed befitting of a queen. but oh well. it made me actually worry about going to prison.

as we got ready and wooyoung packed his bags quietly, i watched him solemnly. even though he didnt like me, i still hoped things would go well for him. he was san's best friend. and knowing how san's life was, wooyoung likely didnt have an easy life either.

"hey...you should have something to eat," i tell him. he doesnt even look up at me. "you dont know what they'll have on that boat you know, could be shit."

"yeah, woo," san adds. "who knows when you'll have pizza again."

"how long's the voyage?" i ask.

"mao said the shortest would be 2 weeks," wooyoung mutters, sounding like he wasnt really interested.

san and i look at each other awkwardly. maybe we should stop bothering him.

"have you ever watched pirates of the caribbean, woo?" san asks.

woo looks up at him drily. "of course i have. who hasnt? jesus what is up with these questions."

san shrugs awkwardly. god we are terrible at comforting people. "well, since you liked to think of us as those gangsters in sleeping dogs, now you can imagine yourself as a pirate on a crew."

"you kinda are," i add. "pirates are just criminals at sea...you're well..."

woo gives us a deadpan look. "i cant wait to get drunk so i can forget this conversation happened."

"fair enough." san says and awkwardly rubs his head.

lucas comes in through the door at the bottom, looking up at the mezzanine.

"yo, its almost time, lets head to the dock," he says.

its early in the morning, the sun hasnt even risen yet. we head down the stairs and san takes some of the bags from wooyoung so he doesnt struggle. lucas offers me a cigarette when we walk out of the warehouse and out into the yard. its my first relief for the day.

it feels like the nic is coursing through my whole body, not just my lungs. its almost euphoric. i dont know when last ive had such a good smoke.

eventually we get to the dock, and woo turns around, looking at all of us with a frown that only deepens.

"i guess...this is it."

"yeah," san mutters.

"not really the best goodbye, huh?"

"not like we couldve thrown a party," lucas throws in. he nods to san. "soon as we're gone, you guys should head to the airport. you got a flight to catch."

san and wooyoung stare at each other long enough for them to burst out crying and throw their arms around each other. lucas sighs and lights another cigarette at the scene, passing it to me again. it doesnt take long for lucas to look like he wants to cry too.

"im sorry, for everything," woo says through his sobs as he clutches onto san. "you're my brother. i'll never forget that."

"dont be sorry, woo," san says back with the voice i only heard when he broke down infront of me. "if i ever had to do any of this shit again, i'd do it with you. and only you."

a tear rolls down my cheek but i quickly flick it away. woo pulls away from san and looks at me. "sorry for threatening to kill you that one time," he sounds like a baby. "take care of san and my future grandkid, okay?"

i smile and pull him into a hug. he freezes for a second before lightly patting me on the back.

"goodbye, wooyoung. take care."

woo adjusts his bag on his shoulder and nudges lucas. he wipes his face with one harsh swipe of the palm and pushes his hair back. "alright, im ready, lets go."

they take a walk ahead of us and we watch them go. the blue on the horizon starts to mix with an inkling of red. the stars and the moon look brighter than ever. the morning is quiet except for the waves. this wasnt the best ending...but at least, we were at peace.

wooyoung stops and lifts his hand to wave back to us and san hasnt stopped crying. his face is frozen in a defeated expression and his eyes are pleading. he cant even wave back. i reach out and squeeze his hand.

BOOM!

i jump in my skin, looking at wooyoung.

BOOM!

wooyoung's head jerks back and he hits the ground abruptly. lucas is already on the floor. a shadow walks out from behind a container, smoke drifting from the barrel of the shotgun.

"hongjoong," san whispers in horror. he tugs on my arm and starts running.

***

san

i cant think. i run back to the warehouse dragging yaera, stopping at the entrance. the bag full of guns are at the top of the mezzanine. i turn around and see hongjoong walking leisurely towards the warehouse. fuck this.

i grab yaera's face and point out inbetween the containers close by. "run, and dont look back."

she nods with wide eyes, scurrying away with our bag. i rush up the stairs and open the zip of the bag, looking for something that wasnt a long range weapon.

my hands find a glock 17. bullets untouched. i run down and get ready to face hongjoong. but when i get to the bottom...hes nowhere to be found.

did...did he go after her?

"yaera!!" i scream at the top of my lungs, running out into the yard. its dead silent.

***

yaera

"yaera!!" i hear san scream. im hiding behind a container, cupping my mouth closed as i listen for hongjoong's footsteps. my entire body is shaking. i saw him get to the entrance of the warehouse and turn after me. what the fuck did i do.

did he want to take me out purely because his sister died and she was a girl too? what fucking bullshit misogyny is this?

i hear something shift in the air. i peer around the corner from the container, seeing something pass quickly. i cant tell if its real, if it was my own strand of hair, but the only thing in my ears right now is my own heartbeat. i feel like i cant breathe.

BOOM!

the gun goes off and i yelp loudly, feeling like i was going to piss myself. i start to hear his footsteps rapidly approach and i grab the bag and start fucking running.

BOOM!

he shoots down the bag out of my hand and it flies to the side. i scream and drop it, running inbetween a path of containers lying on their sides.

hes just fucking with me. he had a shot. he couldve killed me. but he shot the bag down. hes playing with his food.

hes not even rushing after me. if he was running, i'd be dead. but i can hear him calmly walking, taking a stroll through the fucking park. i look at the containers and see two strategically opposite each other. the gap between them not huge. i run for them, jumping and kicking off the one container to launch myself onto the other.

my stomach hits the edge, knocking the wind out of me. i let out a pained choke as i drag my nails against the top, pulling myself up all the way. i lay at the top, covering my mouth with both hands, feeling the tears run down the sides of my face.

i hear his footsteps.

he stops directly next to my container, his presence suffocating and nauseating. i turn slowly, looking down to see the top of his head. i quickly move away and grip my face tighter, freezing in my skin till he walks away.

and he walks.

then i hear him stop.

hongjoong jumps up and grabs the edge of the container, grabbing my ankle with one hand. i start screaming and kicking wildly as i start to slide down.

"let go of me you cunt!" i scream, booting him in the face. he lets go and thuds against the ground and i hear him laugh.

my breaths are harsh and i cant stop crying. hes fucking crazy.

"its just you and me again, waiting on your boyfriend. dont you get deja vu?" he says.

fuck! "san, dont come here!" i yell out. am i even helping? fuck, i dont know what to do!

"hongjoong!" i hear san's voice and running. fuck me! "where are you, you fucking bastard!"

***

san

the gunshots send my blood pressure spiking. whys he going after her? why did i leave him alone with her AGAIN?

"san, dont come here!" i hear her voice. she sounds desperate. he fucking found her. he found her and hes luring me out.

i dont even care. he has to die regardless. and one of us will. as long as it isnt her.

i run in, my gun cocked and ready. "hongjoong! where are you, you fucking bastard!"

i sprint through the maze of containers, gripping the gun so tightly my knuckles ache. i turn a corner, my eyes are scanning quick, but the morning light doesnt help. everything looks like a shadow or sillhouette.

then, i see her.

shes sitting up on top of a container with her knees to her chest, trying to stay in the unreachable middle.

and hongjoong is right below.

my chest heaves as he turns around, looking me right in the face. he was laughing with her, but as soon as he saw me, his eyes darkened like a demon.

"there you are," he says. "this is how you finish a job."

he lifts the shotgun and fires.

i see it coming, throwing myself to the side. but my ears start ringing and something on my arm stings and burns, but i dont stop moving. i raise my gun and fire rapidly at him while hes in the middle of a reload.

he ducks behind a container, the bullets flying into the metal. i hear him reload. i quickly force myself up and run the other way around, trying to catch him on the other side.

but when i get to that side of the container, its empty. the ghost of him is here.

Boom!

a spark lands right by the edge of my container, almost deafening. i turn in that direction and fire my gun again, feeling it warm in my hand with every bullet that leaves. each bullet lands after him like a trail of bread crumbs, but nothing lands. im low, i can feel it.

i stay low and move quietly, trying to flank him. i duck somewhere low to think. hes better with short range and heavy damage.

i need to get close before he blasts again.

"san!" yaera's voice calls from above. "hes reloading! now!"

i come out from my hiding and we both fire at the same time. the recoil punches my arm. i see the spark of his shot hitting the container behind me, so fucking close to my head. he drops the shotgun and curses, then comes running at me.

i fire at him, hearing the emptiness of the clip. fuck!

he crashes into me, ramming me into the container and the gun drops from my hand.

his fist clashes into my face twice, but i catch his arm the third time, throwing him into the container. i aim my elbow at his head, but hongjoong shoves me back before i can reach him, thrusting his knee into my stomach.

next thing i know, im on the ground, and crawling away.

hongjoong spits blood onto the floor, the blood trickling down his chin as he gazes at me with hell in his eyes.

***

yaera

this isnt a fight san can win. with a gun or not.

watching hongjoong beat the shit out of him, i can tell that if san doesnt get hold of a weapon, hes going to die. hongjoong is merciless. i watch helplessly as he kicks the shit out of san, whos curled into a ball and trying to creep away.

"fucking get up," hongjoong spits at him, pulling him up by his hair.

san needs a gun. and quick. didnt lucas or wooyoung have one on them?

the idea makes my skin flush with cold. i slide to the edge of the container and jump down, running back to where wooyoung and lucas lay. i check the duffelbag wooyoung carried, digging in through his clothes and finding a massive shotgun lying underneath. i freeze at the sight of it, knowing that if hongjoong gets hold of it, which is likely to happen with san like that, he'd die.

"here," a voice croaks. i jump as lucas moves, slowly reaching into his jacket to hand me a smaller gun. it looks like the gun i stole from san.

hes bleeding from somewhere on his chest, but i cant see where. hes not gone yet. he looks like hes still holding on. i take the gun from him. i look at wooyoung quickly, hoping he'd move too.

the side of his head is gone.

the sight of wooyoung makes me dart for san.

when i get back to them, hongjoong is wrestling san on the floor. he has san's head in his grip and hes using it to slam his skull onto the ground. san is completely dazed. hes fucking out of it. i lift the gun and aim, but nothing happens.

there are bullets in. fuck, lucas wouldnt give it to me if it was empty, right?

"the safety's on, sweetheart," hongjoong appears infront of me with a smile. he takes the gun from me and takes off the safety, then points it at my head.

im done.

i close my eyes, waiting for it to come. but im slammed into the container, tangled in other limbs. san and hongjoong are sprawled infront of me, and the gun slides off to the side. i crawl past them to get it, but my hair is grabbed and im yanked back.

hongjoong bites into my cheek and i scream as i feel blood trickle down my top. hes fucking biting me! is he a dog! he wont let go of me. before i know it, a shot goes off and knocks my hearing out, and i feel hongjoong's jaw slacken on my face.

he slides down ontop of me, and i see san standing above us, having shot hongjoong point blank.

san kicks him off of me and picks me up and i feel my face sting. he fucking bit me. tears run down my cheeks and burn the bite even more. san looks at me, his entire face fucked up and head stained with blood, putting my arm over his shoulder as we walk away from hongjoong's body.

the vibration of a ship's horn echoes through my chest and i hear metal groaning in the distance. we walk out from behind the containers and see its shape on the horizon.

***

san

"lucas is still alive," yaera tells me. i can barely hear her.

wooyoung.

we limp towards them, and lucas sits up, holding his chest. somehow, hes not dead. but his hands are covered in blood.

yaera drops down next to him, taking off my hoodie and pressing it against his wound. he lets out a gutteral cry.

i drop down next to wooyoung, who hasnt moved at all.

an entire lake of blood lay next to his head. only one of his eyes are still left, closed serenely, looking like he was just having a really good nap. i pull him up and hold him, feeling his warmth seep into my clothes. its dripping down my skin.

"wooyoung..." i squeeze him tightly, feeling my eyes burn. "wooyoung...the boat's here."

lucas groans, snapping me out of everything. he lifts his head from yaera's chest. "go...get on the...boat," he says with difficulty.

"what about you?" yaera asks tearfully. her flesh is hanging off her face.

"just go, i'll be right...behind you guys," lucas grits out.

i lay wooyoung back down and get up. yaera tries to help lucas stand up, but hes tall and heavy, so i help her. the three of us limb toward the ship to hong kong. our heads are empty. we dont argue. we dont even speak. we just move.

the sun has started to rise.

goodbye wooyoung.

***

next chapter

a/n: chat, how are we feeling?

[honeypiehotchner]

Devil's Backbone (Unsub!Hotch x Fem!Reader) -- part ten

I listened to the stripped version of "Good Looking" a lotttt starting around now as I wrote this fic. It's perfect for how the reader is beginning to feel, the sadness and confusion, remembering how Hotch was and realizing how she no longer knows him 😭😭

Warnings: things are beginning to unravel

Follow @honeypiehotchnerlibrary and turn on post notifications to be "tagged" when a new chapter goes up!

Ten: The skyline falls as I try to make sense of it all -- "Good Looking" by Suki Waterhouse

“Hotch said he didn’t have any of the files, JJ,” Dave said, stepping into her office. The two of them spoke on the phone last night, as promised, and Dave wanted to give JJ the update first thing in the morning, as promised. “He said he had older ones.” He listed the names off and JJ nodded along.

“I have those accounted for,” she said, looking at her computer, shaking her head. “I know he had those. The others are probably in here somewhere. It’s just weird.”

“I agree,” Rossi said. Files didn’t disappear randomly. If some were taken or even copied, JJ was notified, and she logged it. “But we’ll figure it out.”

“Did you look through Hotch’s office?” JJ suggested. She seemed hesitant to even ask, chewing on her nails after proposing the question. 

“No,” Rossi said. “Should we?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know, should we?”

Rossi thought it over. Strauss’s concern. Your odd reaction to his questions. Hotch’s strange character every time Rossi called. None of it made any sense. Rossi assumed it was grief, just like you told him, just like he told himself, that maybe it was Hotch even trying to convince himself that he was feeling better than he was. But there was a nagging feeling deep in his chest that he couldn’t get rid of.

“Yeah,” Rossi finally said. “I’ll go look.” He knew how it looked and felt: like an invasion of Aaron’s privacy. But this was becoming too convoluted to worry about privacy.

Rossi went back into the bullpen, glad to see you sitting at your desk already. He tapped your shoulder as he went by, nodding his head up to the second level.

You got up and followed, assuming he was going to his office. Your heart began hammering in your chest when Rossi stopped outside Hotch’s office. No one had been in there since Hotch left. It was locked. 

You watched in terror as Rossi took out his keys and let himself into Hotch’s office, flicking the light switch.

You walked inside slowly, your voice low as you asked, “What are you doing?”

“What I don’t want to be doing,” Rossi replied in a hiss, pinching the bridge of his nose. He gestured toward you. “Shut the door.”

You closed the door and pulled the blinds for good measure. Or to help your paranoia. You had a bad feeling in your stomach and a bad taste in your mouth. “Rossi, what the hell is going on?”

“JJ can’t find a few files,” he replied, stopping in front of Aaron’s desk facing you, placing his hands on his hips.

“I know, she told me--”

“One of them she can’t find is Issac Holman.”

“What?” That was not right. That had to be a bad coincidence. The file showed up missing and Holman was dead? Impossible. Too eerie to be a coincidence.

“Another one missing is Nicholas Edwards,” Rossi continued. “He died two days ago. Shot in the back of the head, executioner style.”

“What? Why didn’t you tell us?” That was a brutal method; it was necessary to alert the team.

“Because I didn’t want to say anything just yet,” Rossi replied. His fuming eyes landed on you next. “I need you to come clean with me.”

Fear shot through you so hard that you took a step back from him. “What?”

“When I called you into my office a couple of days ago, you acted like I was interrogating you when I asked simple questions,” Rossi recalled, stepping closer to you. “What did you and Aaron talk about? Tell me the truth. Right now.”

You shook your head. This was a nightmare. This was not happening to you. “Rossi--”

“Agent L/N, I am ordering you,” he pressed, raising his voice. He stepped closer, pointing an accusatory finger at you. “Tell me. This is bigger than whatever secrets you might have, so I need you to get over it and--”

“We had sex!” you blurted, shame rising in your chest like flames, burning their way to your neck. “Is that what you wanted to hear?”

Stunned, Rossi struggled to find words, eyes blinking and jaw opening and closing. “You-- Are-- Are you two seeing each other?”

“No,” you replied, your face burning with embarrassment. You wished that was the reason behind the sex, that it was a sweet, romantic, domestic relationship you were hiding. “He kicked me out. He wanted nothing to do with me. Can we move on now?”

“Yeah,” Rossi said, turning around slowly. “Help me look for any files he kept in here. Holman and Edwards might be in them.”

You nodded, glad your failed fling with your boss was forgotten for the moment. “Why would they be in here?”

“He liked to go over them afterwards,” Rossi explained. 

“Yeah, I know.” You turned to look on the side tables by the couch, but there were only random magazines, no doubt put there by someone else. Strauss probably put them there one day to liven the place up a bit.

Rossi studied one section of Aaron’s desk against the back wall. “This is empty.”

You leaned over. “Yeah.” You stared at it, eyebrows furrowing. “He used to have a lot of books and…” Files. You remember. You watched him close his briefcase as he said he was sorry but you knew he didn’t mean it.

Rossi turned and looked at you, the same haunted expression on his face. “He took them with him.”

You nodded slowly, your hand covering your mouth. “I watched him take them.” You paused, a sick feeling settling into your bones. “Rossi…what is going on?”

“I don’t know,” Rossi said slowly, shaking his head. “I don’t know.”

But he knew. You both knew. Neither of you wanted to admit it.

+++

Aaron was washing the blood off his hands in the unsub’s bathroom sink. 

He didn’t mean for that much blood to be shed, but he got carried away. The unsub fought back harder than Aaron expected him to. One punch led to another and then Aaron had flashbacks to George Foyet. The unsub’s face no longer existed. It was only Foyet, and Aaron got revenge. Again. And again.

Unfortunately, it made a mess of the fucking bedroom. Thankfully, none of Aaron’s blood was shed. He caught a few blows to his chest and abdomen, but none to the face, none that bled, not like the unsub bled all over the goddamn place. Aaron knew the human body carried 5 liters of blood -- thanks to Reid -- but it looked like much more.

He needed to leave as soon as possible, so he settled for cleaning his hands thoroughly and forgetting the rest.

He rode back to his home in Quantico in silence. No music, no news. He needed to think.

But thinking only landed him in places he didn’t want to be, so he stopped. He stopped for food and carried on back to Quantico to get his things together.

He had one more unsub to hunt, and it wouldn’t be easy. The fucker ran from him once, he assumed he would do it again. So, Aaron needed to be careful and meticulous about this one. It would take longer than a weekend getaway.

+++

You were called into Strauss’s office the following day. You knew it wasn’t good, but you knew that even before you saw Rossi sitting in one of her chairs, fingers pressed to his temple. 

“You called for me, ma’am?” you asked, shutting her office door behind you.

“Yes,” Strauss rounded her desk, gesturing to one of the empty seats on her couch. “Sit.”

This is not good. You did as you were told, sitting on the very edge of the cushion. Rossi refused to look at you, and it made your stomach turn. You took a deep breath. 

“What do you know of Hotch’s whereabouts?” Strauss asked conversationally. She went over to her minifridge and grabbed a bottle of water.

“Uh, he’s at his apartment, I guess?” you replied, taking the water from her.

“You guess?” Strauss pressed.

You chuckled awkwardly. “Ma’am, with all due respect, I don’t know where Agent Hotchner is. We haven’t spoken since he left.”

Strauss laughed as she sat down across from you. “Well, Dave told me you did speak to Aaron.”

You looked at Rossi with wide eyes, sensing betrayal, but he shook his head only slightly. So he told her the truth, but not the full truth.

“I went to his apartment to offer condolences,” you said. “And to check on how he was doing.”

“And how was he doing?”

“He seemed fine,” you shrugged, putting the water down on her coffee table. “What is this about?”

Strauss sighed. “Agent Hotchner’s behavior has been worrying me since the day I sent him home,” she said. “Now, supposedly, he needs to get away, with no phone, no devices. And frankly, I cannot let him do that.”

You looked at Rossi, your eyebrows furrowed. “Where is he going? What is he thinking?”

“I don’t know,” Rossi replied. “He wouldn’t tell me. Just that he is heading out tomorrow morning.”

You turned back to Strauss. “Ma’am, I had no idea--”

“I know,” she stopped you with her hand in the air. “I don’t care to know the details of your relationship with Agent Hotchner. I hope there aren’t any details. But seeing as you are someone he trusts, I need you to follow him.”

“Follow him?”

“Yes. See where he goes. If it’s nothing troubling, you will return to the BAU. This is a private assignment and you are not to discuss this with anyone outside of this room, do you understand?”

You nodded. “I do.”

You felt like you were signing your life away.

[etheries1015]

BOOK 7 SPOILERS BELOW

I finally decided to suck it up and catch up with twst book 7, I stopped after seeing Silver cry because I'm sCARED OF BEING SAD 😭😭 anyway here's a few reactions I had to it 😭

And hearing about the update coming soon-ish to ENG servers I really need to read up

Lilia pressuring Epel like the old man he is 😭😭 I love the moments that they remind us just how old Lilia actually is and how he sees most if not all the students as if they were his children/grand children, making sure they get the most out of the party and drink...its giving "What do you mean you're not hungry? Absolutely not. Here Is at least 5 servings of whatever dish I made to help u grow big and strong."

Okay I didn't take a screen shot of it but the entire section where Lilia looked kind of guilty with Ortho about exchanging addresses because you just KNOW he probably isn't gonna check in, presumably because he doesn't want anyone to get More attached to him seeing as he is nearing the end of his life span (crying shaking throwing up)

THIS. THIS. THIS INTERACTION HE HAD WITH US. I LOVE HIM. I AM SO SILLY FOR HIM. I totally forgot I changed my in-game name from my nickname to my REAL name and when he said my name I verbally yelled "WHAT THE HELL" before giggling and kicking my feet hehehehe I'm clinically insane for him

But the fact that he acknowledged us as Malleus friend probably means we've spent a lot of time at the dorms or around Lilia for him to see how our friendship and interactions with him work, and it melts my heart hehe. Being part of the diafam fr. But honestly bro back me up, I'm tired of being called a hench-human 😭💀

I wonder just how bad we must look with everyone noticing the strange shift??? Either we REALLY made a scene (tripping over, going pale) or the twst boys are just that attentive to us and I think that is the sweetest thing ever 😭😭 Ace and Deuce is so sweet for thinking of us and trying to get us out while also being polite to the people who kindly held the party. Despite not being there long, ace and deuce is willing to skip out on free food and drinks in order to make sure you're okay and I'm just 😭😭 ANGELS. I LOVE THEM.

But also the way Lilia worries for you is so sweet 😭💜 I should write a fic of sick reader and Lilia, or reader trying to tough it out because I know for a FACT Lilia would not let that slide! (Hypocrite 😐)

I ACTUALLY DROPPED MY JAW WHEN SEBEK SAID THIS SHIT. I WAS. WHAT. WHAT THE HELL LMFAOOOOO 😭 thats fucking insane bro I actually found myself chastising him thru the phone, I would NOT let that discrimination against humans bullshit pass fr 😭 slap him right upside the head and give him a stern talking to. I like seeing Lilia get frustrated, he's so cute and UGH. Although it went in one ear out the other, Seeing Lilia mad is so hot if I'm being real with y'all rn BUAHAHA.

I didnt screen shot this either (and I can't fit anymore photos on this post smh) but Silvers nose being red and obvious he was crying but Lilia confused. DudE OF COURSE he was crying!!! You're his dad!! You raised him since he was a baby, he's just now going into adulthood and doing that WITHOUT HIS DAD who is going to a far away land! Sure, traveling is a thing , but honestly nothing beats having that support just a moments away. Silver is literally the sweetest and wants to support his dad , but who's going to support him????!?! Lilia is putting him in a position where Silver feels the need to be strong and hide his tears for Lilias sake, but of course this is hard on him, its so sudden, too! Being so close to your parent and next thing you know mere days later they are stripped away from your arms?!

I just want to give them all hugs. Lilia obviously has some issues and misconstrued ideas of love (a million people have made posts and comments on this, so I will not repeat it) and I just. Need them to all sit around and be their mediator while we go thru their emotional states.

Ugh. I was in my twst burnout stage and still low key am, but fuck does it spark so much passion in you 😭😭

[dayntee]

WIP ASK GAME

Ooh, this looked fun. Thanks for the tag, @opal-apparition. I don’t often talk about anything than Arlathan University, mostly because I hyperfocus like crazy and have a hard time with letting my ADHD get the best of me. 😆 But this was a fun exercise!

So, most of you probably know about my main longfic, That Year at Arlathan University. I just released the largest chapter I’ve ever written for it (at over 10k words, which is pretty unusual for me), so I’ve taken a short pause before I dive into the next one. It won’t be long, but I may miss a week of updating - my new job starts this week and I have no idea what to expect energy-wise when it comes to writing.

While I don’t have a snippet to share for it, I can say the outline to the “end” is finished, and while chapter count may fluctuate, I do know where it’s going now. We’ve officially entered the 3rd and final act of the story. Hang on to your butts.

I’m also working on three more Solavellan pieces (because I… usually get stuck on one ship for a long ass time). They are:

NAME WIP, but what I refer to as my “Bodice Ripper” novel. This is a retelling of Inquisition and Veilguard according to my personal canon runs, but also told from the perspective of a post Veilguard Bellara who’s not ready to let go of her adventures yet. To distract herself, she’s decided to write Lavellan and Solas’ histories so that they are properly preserved and carried on, and not lost as other Dalish tales were in the past. It’s also written rather saucily because I can’t help myself we all know Bellara is an unrepentant fanfiction writer at heart and she feels like the salaciousness will ensure the story doesn’t fade away. 😆 This was always planned to be the big one (150k+) before Arlathan U took over, so we’ll see how long it actually ends up.

NAME WIP, but currently earmarked as the “WoW AU.” The Inquisition is a World of Warcraft guild, told similarly to how the show The Guild was formatted, but following its own story and probably crammed full of WoW references. This idea is too fucking funny for me to not dig into as both a long time WoW and DA player, former Blizzard game master/employee, and someone whose really fallen in love with writing takes on Modern Era Solas. Outlining has started, I expect this to be a shorter multichapter endeavor (maybe 6-8 total).

A Moment in Mind - This is a Solavellan one-shot in Veilguard that asks the question “what if Lavellan tagged along for one of Rook’s conversations with Solas?” Probably part funny, part angsty/sad. I started this one ages ago before I had even finished Veilguard, but it got shelved when the Prof!AU took over my life. I do want to go back and knock this one out though.

I also have a few more smutty Pillars of Eternity pieces I want to go back and write for Watcher Idralia, because Aloth lives rent-free in my head, and I was too shy to write smut when I wrote most of my original pieces. I love a good couple who identify as switches, so those will likely be one-shot indulgences that get added to The Journey of Watcher Idralia at some point. They’re only base ideas right now, no outlines or rough drafts.

If I ever get out of Solavellan Hell, a few other fandoms I might write for (and have passing thoughts on) include:

Fields of Mistria (F!Farmer/Balor)

Baldur’s Gate 3 (F!Tav/Gale)

World of Warcraft (F!OC/Arator, which I’ve had text for since Legion.)

Honestly, if you have interests, questions, or thoughts, let me know! I love talking about all my silly OCs and ships, and it’d be nice to know if any of these ideas are particularly compelling to readers or other authors.

Tags to pass on: @cursedhaglette (because I love your stuff), @luzial (because I always need more of your writing, it’s a legit craving), and anyone from the Fen’Harem whose name I’m not connecting between Discord and Tumblr (some y’all be sneaky). Feel free to ignore if you’re busy! ❤️

Last thing - as a preview, here’s a raid composition list for the Inquisition/WoW!AU. I’ve already largely decided on class/race combinations, but what do you think they’d play?

(If you’re curious, I noted PvE and PvP for people who have a particular preference and rarely cross the line. Everyone else dips their toes in both.)

[queenofbaws]

aw snap, here we go again.......................................

just a quick update here for anyone interested - bad moon rising will liiiiiiikely finish posting sometime late this week/early next week, huzzah! now, originally i had planned on taking a little break from posting after i finished that up, and i probably still will, but the projects y'all should expect in the near future have changed just an itty-bitty bit.

namely, i'm gonna be trying to get at leeeeeeeeast one chapter of like wringing blood out before i really pour 100% of my focus into finishing my current CREEPs fic. i haven't been ready to step back into hackett house for a minute, but i miss it, you understand, so...we'll see where that goes ;)c

throwing a snippet from both like wringing blood AND said CREEPs project under the cut for anyone looking for sneak peeks, but if not, hey. i hope the week's treating you kindly no matter what. <3

like wringing blood from a stone

The trick to hunting was keeping quiet. Didn’t matter what you were hunting—deer, fish, turkeys, hogs, people, coyotes—the quickest way to nab them was to keep your eyes open and your mouth shut. Usually, he was good at that. Real good! Him and Uncle Jack both, they could go whole days, even weeks, without talking out loud. They’d be just fine with it, too, not feel like they’d missed out on anything or nothing. Tonight, though…hell, tonight, he kept thinking about that last summer. The one with the rabbits. He’d been Bubba’s age that summer. Bigger than him, sure, but he’d always been bigger than everyone else. He was a kid, was the point—he’d been a kid, loud and dumb and mean and always looking for an excuse to throw a punch. Like his brothers. He’d been something else too, he’d just never said it out loud, not to anyone who might’ve let it get back to Ma or Pa. He’d been tired. Fucking. Tired. Bone-tired. Grouchy-tired. Everything-hurts-all-the-time tired. The choking lady hadn’t been letting him sleep that summer, not for more than a couple hours at a time, and when Uncle Jack and Great Uncle John had shown up, he’d been a monster. Full stop. Simple as. Fuck hunting. Fuck fishing. Fuck helping with the camp. Fuck everything and everyone, he’d just wanted to sleep! So he’d done the only thing he could think of. He’d asked Uncle Jack to show him how to do the thing with the bones. That’s what tonight felt like. Back then, they’d waited until the house fell asleep before grabbing a gun each and filling their pockets with bullets until each step they took jingled. Bobby hadn’t been able to keep quiet then, neither. He’d been too glad to find someone who’d believed him about the choking lady. He’d been too excited. “What you need this thing for?” he asked in the here and now, slapping a mosquito on his neck before ducking under a low-hanging branch. “What thing?” “The…whatever we’re huntin’.” “Eating, mostly.” “Mostly?” Uncle Jack shot him a sideways kind of look, the sort that meant he was up to something. Again, Bobby couldn’t help grinning back. “All right, wiseass. Research purposes, say.” “Oh. Huh. Gonna cut it up and shit?” “Something like that.” “Cool.”

totally secret creeps project no one will have been able to predict at all

“Pull that shit again and see what happens.” It was too dark to make out much about the second killer, but it only made sense that he was the man they’d seen before. The longer she looked, the more his shirt stood out in the darkness; dingy though it had looked under the light of the stars, it was still white enough that she could track his movements like he was—ha-ha-ha—a ghost. Oh, she hoped the others had found good enough places to hide. Oh, she hoped the killers wouldn’t stick around long enough for their eyes to adjust to the dark. Oh God, she hoped there weren’t lights they could turn on down there! The metal ladder creaked again and even though she expected that third one to come slinking in eventually, she couldn’t help remembering [SPOILER]’s earlier warning: More than us two, they’d said when they’d asked how many other people were out there. It’d been an eerie thing to say then; it was downright terrifying now. A third pair of shoes whispered across the concrete floor, but no matter how she strained her eyes, she’d only been able to catch the faintest outline of a man beneath the dim light coming from the doorway before he too had been absorbed by the dark.

[sam-loves-seb]

hi sam! hi sam! for the fic author asks, i'm curious about 4, 11, 31 & 38! thank you <33

bee !!!! hi hello hey, thank you for the ask 🤍🤍🤍

4. Do you save your 'cut scenes' from your fics? (Want to share one?)

not really ? i find myself adding more scenes between sections than i do cutting them, but i know trimming is something i definitely need to work on 😅

11. Do you outline your fics before writing them?

hell. yes. it’s usually a mess of a bullet point list with plot points, internal character thoughts, and blocks of dialogue that come to me in the moment that i’ll have to clean up and add dialogue tags and shit to later. my outlines can be anywhere from a page to ten pages a chapter depending on how detailed i get with it, but they’re usually pretty long

with a longer fic (5+ chapters) some of the later chapter outlines will start smaller and less detailed, but i’ll always go back and even take a second pass at just the outline when i get closer to it to kinda fill in missing parts and elaborate on stuff i’ve been building towards. that said, sometimes my outlines are completely incomprehensible unless you have my brain, but somehow it works for me

31. How do you stay motivated?

honestly this is gonna sound cliche af but for me it’s not hard to stay motivated in this community. everyone i’ve encountered in the gallavich space is super loving and supportive of my works (and all works!!) and it feels good to write for such a kind group of people. also just having supportive friends (slash beta readers 😉) here makes me wanna play in this sandbox for a little bit longer each time i create something. i’m even surprised myself that i’m not burnt out on these boys by now, but it’s just a testament to the community that’s been created around these characters 🤍

(that said, when i am feeling particularly unmotivated i try and take a step back from it all for a few days and the perspective usually has me feeling good about writing again)

38. Fic idea you're most excited to get to?

probably this one i’m temporarily calling Hotel AU (that i think you beta read the first chapter of like a year ago bee lol) that’s kinda been in my notes / docs for a while now. i kinda wanna dive back into that world and see if i can get a few more chapters written over the next few months, and then see where it goes. i’m also writing a whump one shot rn (probably will save it for october) and then i want to work on the next chapter of my royalty au as well (i’m on pace for my one chapter update a year lol)

ask me stuff

[glossyybabie]

identity

part 19 || part 20 || part 21

Summary: You can feel yourself crumbling away.

Warnings: Kidnapping. Blood and gore. A Missy-esque bit of body horror.

Word count: 1376

Notes: Applying to internships has taken up all of my time so I haven’t been able to update in aeons. I’m not even sorry.

Waking up dazed and confused was becoming a very natural feeling for you. This ceiling was a strangely common sight. The pale grey tiles felt as though they were staring back at you with a shared kind of familiarity.

You pushed yourself upright. Your body immediately put up plenty of resistance, but not as much as you’d been expecting. A morbid part of you knew that you were just adjusting. This sort of discomfort would be the new normal.

Your gaze drew towards a tray of bloodied tools, resting harmlessly against the arm of a pristine white chair. The blue latex gloves on the other armrest had been twisted inside out to avoid splattering the chair in red.

Your palms smoothed down your hospital gown against your skin. You felt no bruises, no unevenness in the form of bumps or scarring. Your skin was clear, if dull, almost monochrome. You wondered just how many basic vitamins and minerals you were dangerously low on.

You started forward on wobbly legs. Pain radiated in a multitude of areas — some areas you didn't even know were capable of being in pain. But it was easy enough to ignore. That pain wasn't too sharp or troublesome. It didn't have you doubling over. If you could walk, you were fine.

You toyed with a blood-caked scalpel in your hand. In hindsight, you weren't even sure what had compelled you to pick it up. It wasn't as if any weapon existed that was a match for Missy. And even if there was, it wouldn't be a scalpel. The fires of hell probably weren't strong enough for that bitch–

"Who? Me?"

Missy stood behind you. Just a few feet away, she was just as refined and imposing as you'd always remembered her being. Her plum skirts swished around her legs as she took a step closer. You followed the line of her vision towards the scalpel in your hand.

"Now, where exactly were you going with that?" Missy asked calmly.

When interacting with Missy, there was no such thing as a lie. Lies were for just about anyone else.

"For a walk."

Missy grinned, a sweet yet cold expression that exposed her teeth. "Sure you are, poppet. Come on, back to mummy."

She was beckoning you back, her hands open and waiting for you to take. You stared at her palms. She didn't make a move towards you. She was letting you make the next move.

You shifted the scalpel around in your hand. "Why should I?" you challenged her. "Why should I do anything you say if it doesn't matter anyway?"

Missy exhaled sharply. "Sweetheart, I can't do this with you every time you have a crisis of self. Just come over here, give me your new toy, and no one has to get hurt. Alright?"

You watched her go still. Even now, your move in this game wasn't over yet. She was giving you a rare chance to reconsider. This was her showing mercy. She wasn't hurting you . . .

Yet. But she hadn't hurt you for a year of your life, and yet she'd never created wounds that ran so deep. She didn't need to cause harm in order to hurt. She was above that.

You shook your head. "No."

Pain shot through your arm like nothing you could have imagined. Your fingers were frozen around the steel door handle. You couldn’t consciously move them. You couldn’t move anything.

All too soon, sensation returned. You jerked away and stumbled onto the floor. The scalpel in your hand scraped across your face, eventually skidding across the shiny floor to a halt and leaving a notable trail of blood in its wake.

Your face erupted in blistering pain. You let out a pained cry and clasped your hands over your nose and mouth as blood poured over your trembling lips.

Missy stooped down and pinched the chunk of mangled flesh from the floor. “I suppose I can officially say got your nose.”

You wanted to scream for so many reasons. Tears burned in your eyes. Your throat was tight, but that feeling was nothing compared to the hot, thick viscera that coated your mouth and chin. You struggled to breathe past the fluids on your face.

You started to roll onto your front, but Missy slipped the tip of her boot beneath you before you could manage. She started to forcefully turn you over, ignoring your sobbing, garbled protests.

“Come on,” Missy said lightly, kneeling carelessly in the pool of blood beside you. “Let’s see what you’ve done. Don’t be shy now.”

This was all her fault — all of this was her fault. You were so defeated. The blood started to dribble down your cheeks and through your nose where it reached your throat. Your attempted coughs resembled inhuman grunts.

Missy pulled your damp hands away from your face. She laughed.

“Oh dear. See, this is why we don’t walk around with sharp tools. It’s only a matter of time before I get bored and shock you into slicing your organs off,” Missy sighed. She toyed with the exposed raw meat of your open wound, uncaring of the way you writhed in pain and clawed at her arms, gurgling incoherent words. “I think we can do better though. Shall we go again? I’ll aim for something more substantial this time, like an eye. Ooh, maybe an ear. Your tongue, if I time it right.”

You couldn’t stop crying. You were humiliated. You’d sustained injuries to last several lifetimes, you’d been torn apart and hastily glued back together in every way possible, but this felt more real than anything Missy had hurled at you before.

This was your face. It was the only familiar sight in your reflection. It reminded you of who you truly were. And now it was as disfigured, haggard, unattractive as the rest of you. Crumbling and wasting away like a plastic-corroded doll in a charity shop.

This was the largest piece of your identity to flake away so far. And it hurt.

Missy started to pull you up. You were just relieved that she was no longer poking her sharp red fingernails into the gaping hole in your face. “Come on, that’s enough sulking,” she said impatiently. “You humans are so hopelessly hideous with or without basic facial features, so I wouldn’t worry your ugly little head about it. That’s the spirit.”

She forced you to walk towards the bed you’d woken up in, disregarding the crippling pain you were in. Your knees buckled hopelessly beneath you. Missy half-dragged you alongside her.

“And hey,” she continued, “maybe someday I’ll get bored and reattach your nose. Or a nose, anyway. That’ll give you something to look forward to.”

You choked on a gasp. Blood spurted out of your mouth, all tangy on the tip of your tongue. You tried to make the most of the sensation — it was a matter of time before Missy started focusing on new areas of your face to maim.

Your knees slammed firmly onto the unforgiving floor. The blood-loss was starting to make you feel lightheaded. The thumping against the front of your skull wouldn’t cease, no matter how much you willed it.

You tried to speak, with little success. Your words tumbled out gurgled and splattered with blood. Hardly coherent.

Missy leaned in closer, tilting her ear towards you. “What was that, dear?”

You felt sick. The way she made you feel was dehumanising. On your knees in front of her. Pleading. Begging. Worthlessly so.

You cleared the immediate blood from your mouth and sobbed. “. . . Help me, Missy.”

Missy sighed, lowering her head in resignation. “Oh, alright,” she conceded. “Since you asked so nicely.”

She lifted your limp body off the floor. You put up no resistance as she carried you the remaining distance, her arms firmly supporting your weight this time. She gently set you down and lowered your head onto a soft pillow.

She moved the tray of tools towards herself. You watched her settle down comfortably, one leg neatly crossed over the other, as she reached for a familiar silver rod. Dread settled in the pit of your stomach.

“Let me just give my cautery rod a chance to heat up first.”