#𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐒 . › joshua shelby .

[saintivcry]

he  didn’t  love  being  separated  from  riley,  he  had  gone  days  without  laying  eyes  on  his  sister  and  it  was  agony.  he  didn’t  know  if  she  was  safe  or  not,  but  eventually  they  were  reunited.  threatened.  somehow  they  were  now  here,  being  forced  to  live  side  by  side  with  these  people  who  appeared  to  be  from  another  time.  joshua  noticed  riley  being  whisked  away  to  join  the,  presumably,  leader  of  these  people,  and  his  stomach  dropped  again.  he  sat  in  front  of  a  fire,  trying  to  remember  all  the  things  that  riley  had  promised  them  that  they  each  could  do.  josh  took  a  sip  from  the  water  he’d  been  offered  and  watched  as  the  flames  danced  in  front  of  him,  one  by  one  they  were  collected  and  taken  into  houses,  places  to  stay.  their  new  homes.  josh  wiped  a  hand  down  his  face,  nobody  was  going  to  come  looking  for  them,  not  the  twins  at  least.  somebody  seemed  to  speak  to  him,  he  was  the  only  one  left  still  sat  at  the  fire,  when  he  didn’t  look  up,  they  spoke  again.  josh’s  jaw  clenched,  “  my  name  is  joshua.  where  is  riley?  ”

[saintivcryarchive]

“  are  you  kidding  me?  ”  josh  scoffed,  “  why  on  earth  would  we  go  back?  ”  he  beamed  brightly,  “  this  is  the  best  I’ve  ever  felt,  no  responsibilities,  an  easy  job,  no  dad.  just  --  us,  the  pogues,  as  it  should  be.  you’re  telling  me  this  isn’t  paradise?  ”  he  took  a  sip  from  the  coconut  in  his  hand  and  shrugged,  “  we’d  be  idiots  to  go  back  to  kildare.  ”

[mvndkiller]

he was a little drunk ,  and by a little ,  he definitely meant a lot .  the idea of partying versus completing his unfinished assignment seemed like a no brainer ,  and joshua was definitely happy with his choice .  he sat outside ,  smoking a joint and minding his business ,  not exactly realising that somebody else had joined him till their shoe scuffed the ground beside him .  he looked up ,  a lazy smile plastered across his face ,  before he glanced to his passed out friend ,  “  he’s  a  lightweight .  ”

[crmvncls]

“  if  you  drop  that  beer ,  I’m  not  getting  you  another  one , ”  josh pointed out from where he sat ,  he didn’t care much for the parties but he wasn’t opposed to booze and food that he didn’t have to pay for .  he sat on the edge of the pool ,  looking up at the familiar face threatening to jump from the roof of the shack .  he rolled his eyes when they dropped the can ,  sipping his own drink and smirking ,  “  dickhead .  ”

[saintivcry]

the  arrival  of  the  morettis  was  the  most  exciting  thing  to  happen  to  their  home  in  a  long  time,  and  not  simply  for  their  good  looks,  or  the  new  company,  but  because  each  member  of  their  family  had  long  awaited  the  reincarnation  of  theirs.  they  had  never  been  raised  to  believe  in  such  a  thing,  but  when  the  doorbell  rang  at  that  late  hour,  and  dakota  had  delievered  to  them  a  family  that  each  of  them  recognised  from  a  very  human  memory,  joshua  had  to  accept  reincarnation  as  a  very  real  possibility.  each  of  them  had  spent  hours  discussing  it,  while  the  family  slept  of  their  trauma,  and  the  fever  brought  on  by  the  harsh  weather  in  which  they’d  travelled,  but  none  could  find  any  other  explanation,  all  they  knew  was  what  they  felt.  recognition.

josh  had  spent  a  fair  few  of  the  nights  that  the  morettis  had  taken  up  residence  watching  kieran  sleep.  he  had  to  know  for  sure,  and  with  each  passing  day,  he  became  confident  that  it  was  in  fact  his  long  lost  love,  and  they  would,  eventually,  remember  him  too.  all  in  good  time.  joshua  had  kept  his  distance  during  the  days,  for  more  reasons  than  one,  but  he  could  not  avoid  them  forever.  it  was  late  afternoon  when  he  made  his  way  out  into  the  courtyard,  not  at  all  surprised  to  find  the  animals  already  attended  to.  he  stopped  by  the  stables  and  let  out  one  of  the  horses,  picking  up  a  nearby  brush  to  run  through  her  mane,  “  beautiful,  aren’t  they?  ”

[saintivcryarchive]

joshua  made  his  way  out  of  the  coffee  shop  ,    drink  in  hand  with  a  soft  sigh  on  his  lips  .    he  was  rather  pleased  with  how  well  things  were  playing  out  .    the  man  ,    in  his  distraction  ,    did  not  exactly  notice  that  another  was  walking  the  same  path  .    his  shoulder  brushed  with  their  own  and  his  jaw  tensed  as  he  turned  to  glare  at  them  ,    only  for  his  expression  to  soften  almost  instantly  .    not  everybody  would  have  been  so  fortunate  ,    but  since  they  had  caught  him  on  a  good  day  ,    the  man  instead  smiled  ,    "    apologies  ,    "    he  offered  ,    "    maybe    I    could    pay    more    attention    to    where    I'm    going    in    the    future  ,    maybe    you    could    do    the    same  .    "

[saintivcryarchive]

it  was  a  rather  pleasant  way  to  make  them  feel  welcome  ,    joshua  couldn't  exactly  argue  that  fact  .    it  wasn't  the  first  ball  thrown  for  their  arrival  ,    but  it  certainly  was  one  of  the  more  extravagant  that  they  had  attended  on  their  travels  .    he  had  noticed  that  a  couple  members  of  his  entourage  had  become  somewhat  focused  on  individual  members  of  this  village  ,    the  perfect  distraction  ,    he  believed  ,    given  that  joshua  ,    too  ,    had  found  hismelf  rather  infatuated  with  the  moretti  woman  .    someone  was  bound  to  notice  at  one  point  ,    perhaps  nina  with  her  attentive  stares  ,    though  he  hoped  she  had  other  things  to  enjoy  this  evening  ,    rather  than  concerning  herself  with  the  glint  in  josh's  eyes  when  he  finally  laid  eyes  on  kieran  .  

he  had  been  in  a  concentrated  conversation  with  her  father  when  the  woman  stepped  into  view  ,    and  josh's  gaze  gravitated  towards  her  ,    barely  able  to  focus  on  anything  at  all  that  gabriel  had  to  say  .    his  chin  tipped  up  ,    just  as  the  older  man  seemed  to  notice  her  presence  .    he  cleared  his  throat  ,    offering  his  apologies  as  he  excused  himself  .    the  darkling  drunk  her  in  and  straightened  up  ,    but  joshua  didn't  close  their  distance  quite  yet  ,    he  didn't  need  the  rumours  ,    though  he  hoped  kieran  would  approach  him  .

[saintivcry]

joshua  grabbed  himself  and  the  other  a  drink,  making  his  way  over  to  them  and  pushing  it  into  their  hand,  “  I  don’t  know  what  it  is,  don’t  ask  me,  just  drink  it.  ”  he  moved  through  the  fair,  coming  to  a  stop  in  front  of  yet  another  food  vendor,  only  glancing  back  at  the  other  as  they  spoke,  “  huh?  oh,  nah,  the  quin  shit  is  under  control.  ”

[saintivcry]

gabriel  was  rather  dreading  this,  he  didn’t  overly  look  forward  to  the  family  dinners  that  involved  cal  and  marisa,  well,  mostly  cal.  the  man  grimaced  as  the  doorbell  rang,  and  he  sighed  in  defeat,  moving  out  into  the  hallway  to  welcome  more  of  his  guests.  “  welcome,  ”  he  breathed  as  he  opened  the  door,  lips  curving  into  his  trademark  grin,  “  come  on  in,  food’s  almost  ready.  ”  

matteo  lifted  his  head  when  the  doorbell  rang,  lips  twitching  slightly,  “  they’re  here,  ”  he  hummed  playfully,  glancing  around  the  rest  of  the  room.  “  last  chance  to  place  your  bets  on  cal’s  reaction  to  my  date,  ”  he  patted  quin  on  the  shoulder  and  sipped  his  drink.

joshua  was  rather  glad  everybody  else  was  here,  this  was  moving  a  lot  faster  than  any  of  his  relationships  typically  did,  it  was  moving  a  lot  faster  than  it  had  previously,  but  at  least  he  wasn’t  alone.  dakota  was  here,  riley  was  here,  hell,  even  malachi,  even  if  he  didn’t  like  him  all  that  much,  was  here,  or  would  be.  the  man  all  but  flinched  when  the  door  rang,  his  lips  curving  into  a  small  smirk  when  he  looked  over  at  matteo,  “  you  think  I’ll  be  able  to  fly  under  the  radar  since  your  brother’s  ready  to  go  to  bat?  ”  @wntrflln​

[saintivcry]

josh  always  did  find  himself  in  the  worst  positions,  but  he  was  never  one  to  be  unprepared.  he  stepped  back  away  from  the  slumped  frame  of  the  most  recent  person  who’s  underestimated  him,  but  that  wasn’t  entirely  uncommon.  the  man  cleaned  the  blade,  then  pushed  it  back  into  place,  glancing  behind  him  when  he  sensed  movement,  “  shouldn’t  sneak  up  on  a  man,  you  know?  least  of  all  an  armed  man.  ”

[saintivcry]

josh  made  his  way  into  the  living  room  when  ben  made  his  way  up  the  stairs,  noting  that  the  only  person  left  down  here  was  isaac.  he  fell  into  the  sofa  and  let  his  head  fall  back  against  the  rest,  “  fuck  me  --  something  tells  me  I  won’t  be  invited  back  here  next  year.  ”  it  wasn’t  the  time  for  jokes,  and  josh  wasn’t  feeling  remotely  amused  right  now,  but  he  didn’t  really  know  what  else  to  do,  they  both  knew  this  would  come  out  eventually. @wntrflln​

[saintivcryarchive]

joshua heard his name screamed across the town square ,  his lips twitched ever so slightly as he turned to greet the red-faced relative of a woman he’d wooed on a couple of weeks earlier .  they’d already had this conversation ,  but something had ruffled his feathers a little more ,  it seemed .  the man lifted his brows as the stranger stormed towards him ,  demanding to know where his sister was .  “  we’ve  been  through  this ,  haven’t  we ?  we  hooked  up  and  then  she  took  an  uber  home ,  ”  he responded ,  shrugging his shoulders ,  “  what  happened  after  that ,  I  don’t  know  because  I  wasn’t  there .  ”

‘  you  son  of  a  bitch ,  I  know  you’re  lying !  ’  josh rolled his eyes and actually managed a laugh ,  “  yeah ?  prove  it .  ”  he turned ,  coming face to face with two officers who had gotten closer under the guise of keeping the peace .  josh perked a brow ,  he already knew they wouldn’t do a damn thing ,  just like always ,  they’d turn a blind eye to anybody that went missing when it came to the shelbys .  they stepped aside and josh moved forward ,  choosing not to pay much mind to those around them that stared .

[saintivcry]

it  seemed  to  be  that  no  matter  where  joshua  went,  trouble  found  him.  he couldn’t  seem  to  stop  himself  from  getting  into  brawls,  or  taking  business  up  in  the  most  inappropriate  places,  and  this  time  was  no  exception.  his  ‘ short ’  business  trip  into  the  city  had  resulted  in  some  sustained  injuries  that  he  was  now  forced  to  deal  with.  josh  grimaced  as  he  pulled  his  hoodie  over  his  head,  the  material  brushing  against  already  tender  flesh  and  forcing  a  hiss  from  his  lips,  “ shit!  ”  

[saintivcry]

a  lot  about  this  town  had  hardly  changed,  and  joshua  expected  to  feel  some  sort  of  nostalgia  from  crossing  into  its  borders  again,  but  all  he  felt  was  bitterness.  he’d  been  here  a  couple  of  days  now,  and  the  sour  taste  in  his  mouth  was  yet  to  leave  him.  he  moved  down  the  street,  glancing  around  the  familiar  buildings,  some  of  which  still  stood  from  his  childhood,  much  to  his  dismay,  and  others  brand  new,  and  yet,  still  paling  in  comparison  to  the  city  he  conquered.  he  knew  he  didn’t  have  to  stay,  but  he  had  his  reasons  for  being  here.  that  didn’t  mean  he  wasn’t  going  to  complain,  “  fuck  me,  this  place  is  a  shit  hole.  ”

[saintivcryarchive]

gabriel knew that this evening could go one of two ways ,  they managed to force marisa into silence just by simply out numbering her ,  or she took it as being cornered like a wild animal and acted that bit worse .  he hoped for the former but he didn’t have much faith behind that hope .  he welcomed each of his guests and ventured into the sitting room to make sure everybody had a drink before dinner was served ,  “  anybody  need  a  top  up  before  we  sit  down ?  ”

topper was probably the only person who wasn’t on edge ,  well ,  maybe him and kauri ,  but that may have been for the very same reason ,  thanks to the joint they’d shared on the porch before coming inside .  he smiled when gabe made his way into the room and shook his head ,  raising the beer in his hand before glancing to his left ,  “  are  we  placing  bets ?  ”

josh was glad ziggy ,  riley and his mother were in attendance ,  he was yet to find himself in the hot seat where marisa was concerned ,  but he knew that wouldn’t last .  he was happy to at least be there to stop riley from being in that spot ,  though he wasn’t so sure marisa would have tried anything with riley given the fact that their mom was here .  he smiled at the moretti patriarch before glancing towards kieran ,  “  want  one ?  ”  @wntrflln​

[saintivcry]

wntrflln·:

“  does  it  look  like  he’s  here ?  “  kieran  asked  with  a  tilt  of  their  head .  if  he  was  here ,  kieran  wouldn’t  have  exactly  stuck  around  joshua  without  reason . they  smirked  before  shrugging , “ i’m  here  by  myself . “

“  hard  to  tell,  it  never  really  stops  you  from  leaving  with  me,  ”  he  pointed  out  in  a  hushed  tone,  amusement  lacing  his  words  as  he  took  a  sip  from  his  drink  and  glanced  around  them.  his  eyes  fell  back  on  kieran  when  they  responded,  head  cocking  a  fraction,  his  tongue  sweeping  the  remainder  of  his  drink  from  where  it  collected  on  his  lower  lip,  “  that’s  music  to  my  ears,  moretti.  ”