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ctrl-alt-em · 11 months ago

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A Letter Home

Garnet wandered around the tiny town idly. It was early afternoon and the saloon was empty. It would be a couple hours before she could make a few bucks at the cards table.

Turning a corner, she saw the town’s stable, a small affair near the center of town.

Delacy sat on the wooden fence of the corral, facing a grazing Humble Ned.

Garnet headed towards her young friend. In his lap was his newest ‘The Daring Adventures of Bison Billie’ book and a piece of paper.

Delacy frowned at the page.

Garnet back leaned on the fence next to Delacy, facing the opposite direction. “What are you doing, Delacy?”

“I’m trying to write a letter,” the boy answered without looking up.

Garnet looked at the blank paper. “How’s that going?”

Delacy groaned, “It's a lot harder than I thought I’d be.”

“Who’s it to?”

“My family,” he answered, chewing on his pencil. “They’re probably worried.”

Garnet was surprised. Billie Joe would have been her first guess. Maybe the Tombstone Epitaph, the newspaper he read with Edie whenever they got their hands on it, to tell about their latest monster hunt.

Delacy didn’t talk about his home life much, except about the farm itself. He hadn’t mentioned any siblings, aunts, uncles, or cousins so far. He seemed like he liked living on a farm well enough, but he certainly wasn’t in any hurry to get back there.

The only time he’d mentioned his parents was when they thought he might die in a duel. Garnet still had the slip of paper with the location of his family home tucked inside her Hoyle’s book.

From what she could make out, Delacy’s home life was pretty stable for having lived in Bloody Kansas. She had guessed his hesitation to talk about his family stemmed from his guilt from leaving and left it alone.

Perhaps the guilt of running away had finally gotten to him.

“You know what they’d like the most?” Garnet asked.

“What?”

“To see you in person.”

Delacy looked away and scraped his boot on the wooden railing. He shrugged. “I don’t know about that.”

“Why not?” She shrugged. “We’ll pass right through Vincent on our way to Dodge City. We can stop there for a few days, say hi to your family, get some leads and gossip on Dodge, convince your parents we haven’t kidnapped you, that kind of thing.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Miss Garnet.”

She tilted her head at him, “Why’s that, Delacy?”

“I don’t really get along with my parents,” he admitted. Before Garnet could ask the first question that came to mind, Delacy continued, “They took good care of me and my pa is the one who taught me how to shoot a gun when I was real little and all that, but I think my leaving would’ve been more of a relief for them than anything. I wasn’t the favorite child, I know that for sure.”

Garnet’s face fell. She turned to face the same direction as him and moved closer.

“You don’t think your parents love you?” she asked, gently.

Delacy curled into himself more. Minutes ticked by.

“No, I- I know they love me,” he whispered, “It’s… I just wished they liked me.” He wiped his nose on his hand.

“Oh, Delacy…” She brushed his golden blond hair behind his ear.

Garnet didn’t know what to say. She had been very close to her father as a child. It was only the two of them as far back as she could remember. He’d read Hoyle’s Book of Games to her on his knee and he taught her how to shuffle cards as soon as her hands were big enough. He’d taught her about demons, manitous, and magic after he closed the store at the end of the day. The day he died was the worst day of her life. If she had run away one day on a whim, he would have been devastated.

She settled for leaning her shoulder against his in a way she hoped was comforting for him.

“Did you tell your parents anything you left?”

Delacy hesitated. “No, not really. I didn’t plan on leaving when I did.”

Garnet frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I went to town with my sister, Lucy. She’s married to the doctor’s son. I saw the ad that Victoria put in the paper and I figured it was something I could handle. I showed it to Lucy, then she gave me $15 dollars and took me to the train station.”

“Your sister sent you off on a bounty hunting job?” she asked with a raised eyebrow. Delacy nodded.

“Are you and your sister close?”

Delacy grinned a little. “Yeah, Lucy’s the best.”

Someone sending her beloved kid brother off to shoot people didn’t quite sound right to Garnet, but, then again, she also took the same kid to shoot people.

“Well, why don’t you write the letter to Lucy and ask her to tell your folks you're doing all right? Surely she would have told your parents what happened, right?”

He thought about it for a moment. “Yeah, you’re right. I like that idea better. Thanks, Miss Garnet.”

She patted his shoulder. “It’s what I’m here for.”

Garnet climbed up on the fence next to Delacy and pulled out her Hoyle’s book. She flipped through the yellowing pages of the book her father once owned. She smiled at the old memories as Delacy scratched away at the paper next to her.

When he was finally finished, Delacy held the letter up critically before deciding it was good enough. He hopped off the fence. “I’m gonna head to the post office.”

“I’ll head with you.” Garnet slid off the fence and ducked between the railing back out of the corral. “Then why don’t we head back to the saloon? I’ll teach you the proper way to shuffle a deck of cards.”

Delacy grinned mischievously. “Does this mean you’re gonna let me play cards with you later?”

“No, I know for a fact Edie and Silas wouldn’t be happy if I let you gamble at cards,” she answered, knocking his hat over his eyes. “‘Sides, I think you’ll have much better luck with darts.”

#oxventure deadlands #oxventure #delacy oxventure #garnet munro #my fic

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magicalqueennightmare · 2 years ago

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Sins & Amends Chapter 42

Billy Russo x Female Reader (60 part story)

This follows pre- the punisher into the storyline of daredevil, punisher season 1 and beyond

This is NOT Canon Billy. This is decent human being Billy left with bad options over worse decisions

This was also posted to A03 under: WaywardGaPeach. That account and this one is the only place you'll see me post this. If you see it on any other platform/account know it's not me.

Chapter Summary/Warnings: Billy breaks out the hospital and comes to you for answers about the missing gaps in his memory [NSFW. Um old feelings surface and they're acted on?]

No matter how much time passed it didn't change how often you thought about Maria and the kids or how often you thought about Billy. Most nights went by fine but sometimes you would have a bad day and you would end up crying yourself to sleep with the knowledge that Maria, Lisa and Frank Jr were dead because you were alive.

You loved Karen dearly and loved seeing Frank working towards being truly happy again. After about a year going back and forth on it he'd finally taken her up on her offer and moved in with her. He was working construction jobs under his Pete alias. Seeing the two of them together warmed your heart.

Alice and Kenzie were coming up on their one year wedding anniversary. Foggy and Marci were living together. Curtis had been with his most recent girlfriend Candance for six months and you were fairly certain the two of them were going to end up being a long haul deal. Hell even Matt was dating a u.s. marshal he'd met. Her name was Lilith and if you were being honest she was one of the coolest people you'd ever met.

You were happy or happier than you'd been in quite some time even if it probably seemed like you should be miserable surrounded by mostly couples. Yeah you could date if you wanted but it seemed like that part of your brain had shut off.

Work was good, you always had someone to hang out with if you wanted on your days off, Frank was now permanently just across town. You'd found a little peace even if you knew there was something missing.

You had a day off so you'd offered to help Curtis with the soup kitchen. "Excuse me Mr Hoyle" you teased sliding behind him with another pot of chili to add to the line. "No excuse me Miss Y/N"

Your friendship with Curtis had always been an easy one. He'd fell into a big brother position as easily as Frank had where you were concerned not to mention he was literally one of the easiest people on earth to talk to. Even when you couldn't talk to Frank you knew Curtis was a safe place.

He glanced at his phone then cut his eyes at you "isn't it about time for Madani to do another check for you?" You nodded not taking your attention off the woman in front of you as you handed her a tray of food with a smile.

Once the last person was through you turned to face Curtis "Should I let it go? I mean maybe Dumont was right. The week I stopped going he woke up the same week. Hell if he's ever cleared to leave the hospital he's facing many many years. Dinah thinks if she pushed it she could get him out the hospital sooner and into the medical ward of a prison up state. She just has to get Mahoney on board since it's technically his case. Part of me wishes he was dead.."

"But part of you wishes everything was different?" He offered when you trailed off and you ducked your head "does that make me a horrible person? After everything he's done?"

He reached a hand out to rest on your arm "No it doesn't Y/N. It just makes you human. You were with him for years. Your heart is what saved Frank more than once when you waded into shit waist deep to patch him up. Billy got himself all turned around and he's paying for it and he'll continue to pay it for. I just hope one day him and Frank can find some peace from everything that happened...you too"

"Yea maybe" you said quietly and offered him a small smile before turning to face the next line of people waiting for their food.

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You were walking home later still thinking over what Curtis had said. Maybe one day fate would see fit to let Frank and Billy both find peace. You just couldn't wrap your head around how. You would always be at odds with your own mind over what happened so you had no idea how either of them could come to terms with it.

You were so wrapped up in your thoughts you didn't hear your phone ringing until it was on the third chime. You dug it out your pocket and saw it was Dinah. "Dinah?" You answered crossing a street with a group of people to head back to your apartment.

"Y/N where are you?" Something in her voice made your stomach clench "headed home from helping Curt with the soup kitchen why?" A few seconds of silence passed before she finally said "Billy broke out the hospital"

You stopped walking in the middle of the sidewalk and barely registered the guy that shoulder checked you. "What?" "Best Mahoney can tell he had an altercation with Dumont. The uniforms on the door intervened, he knocked them both out. One has a broken nose and the other has a dislocated shoulder. Dumont has staples in her head"

"Shit" you were trying to slow your brain down enough to form a halfway coherent thought. "There's one more thing. I found a letter that Dumont tried to pass off as being from you. I think that may have set him off" "letter?" You didn't try to hide the confusion in your voice because you hadn't written Billy a letter since his last deployment years ago.

"That's what I thought. We knew something was off with her and now we have proof but we need Billy's statement to keep this from turning into another list of charges and a full fledged manhunt" you shook your head to clear your thoughts a bit then registered what she said "it's not a full manhunt yet?"

"I'm hoping if the letter set him off he'll come find you. Even with the memory loss you live in the same place you did back then right?" So she was using you as bait? You decided to not take it personally then said "and if I get him to turn himself into Mahoney" "it's gonna go a lot better for him and we can go ahead and get him into the prison up state to start serving his time"

You ran a hand over your face then looked around "How long before it hits public? I've got to keep this from Fra-Pete " "Twenty four hours" you let out a breath you hadn't realized you were holding "if I hear from him I'll do my best to get him to turn himself in" "that's all I ask" she said then hung up which was usual for a phone call between the two of you.

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The rest of the walk to your apartment you caught yourself glancing down every alley and looking at every face in the crowd even more so than you usually did.

You started to stop off at the diner to get a bite to eat but decided against it. Your stomach felt like it was one giant knot. Somewhere in the city Billy was out there. His memory was fucked up, he was apparently in a horrible state mental wise if Dumont trying to pass off something as being from you had caused such an adverse reaction.

You were worried about him but had no idea where to start looking. His memory was back to being in the marines from what Dinah had been told by one of his doctors. If he went looking for Frank he'd find an empty lot where the Castle house once stood. Curtis had moved a few times since he lost his leg and came home so Dinah was right to assume Billy would come find you.

The question lingering in your mind was how would you react? You hadn't seen him since he was still in a coma and the last time the two of you spoke was before him and Frank fought.

Did he remember Rawlins? Did he have an inclination as to everything he'd had a hand in over the last few years? You looked up and realized you'd made it home sometime while you were thinking.

You ran a hand over your face and headed inside. Maybe a hot shower would calm your nerves. At the very least it would wash off the day and maybe help you prepare mentally for whatever would come next.

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The hot shower did help your nerves slightly at least. You were still thinking about Billy and the thought was now added into the mix as to what Frank would do if he found out but you hoped maybe something would happen within the twenty four hours that he wouldn't have to.

You had changed into leggings and an old t-shirt that you honestly weren't sure who it had belonged to before it ended up in your possession. Could have been Frank's, could've been Curtis'. Didn't really matter to you, it was worn enough it was soft to the touch. You left your hair loose not having the energy to fight with it.

You walked into the kitchen and grabbed a gatorade out the fridge. You needed to attempt to eat and you had left overs from the night before but your stomach was still a bit too twisted to attempt food. Every noise in the hall was making you have to ignore the urge to check.

You flopped down onto the couch and flipped the television on more for the noise than anything. Only a few hours had passed since Dinah called so who knew maybe he'd turned himself in?

You had almost dozed off when you heard an almost tentative knock at your door. You sat up blinking a few times because you honestly weren't sure if you'd dreamed it or not. Before you could convince yourself it was nothing you heard it again.

You glanced at the time and saw it just a little after nine. Could be literally anyone from Karen to Alice to Curtis. Hell a few of the female vets had dropped by your place before so it could be one of them. You untangled yourself from the blanket you'd wrapped up in and padded across the floor smoothing a hand over your hair. "I'm coming!" You called so whoever wouldn't leave thinking you weren't home.

You leaned up to look out the peephole but only saw someone with a hoodie pulled up over their eyes. Your heart did a flip when you realized your gun was in the bedroom so you reached for the Louisville slugger Frank had long since stashed behind the door with your umbrellas.

You gripped the bat loosely and unlocked just the handle and deadbolt. The chain was reinforced it had been one of Frank's busy projects before he found work so you trusted it to hold. You slowly opened the door and barely registered the sound of the bat hitting the floor when your gaze finally met the dark brown eyes staring back at you.

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"Y/N can I come in?" You nodded then closed the door long enough to unlock the chain and bent to pick up the bat before opening the door fully and stepping aside to let him in. He eyed it and you cautiously as he crossed the threshold and let his lips perk up in the barest hint of a smile "I know I look rough sweetheart but are you gonna bash my head in to add to it?"

You let your eyes skim across the scars littering his face. The worst was on his right cheek where large shards of glass had been embedded when you'd made it to his side. Frank had done a number on him and no matter how much your brain screamed he deserved it, your heart wanted to reach out and trace every new line on that face that was still just as capable of making your heart jump from being this close to him.

You looked blankly at the bat and shrugged "I don't plan to" you motioned towards the couch and he slowly headed that way so you shut the door then replaced the bat with the umbrellas then turned to face him.

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You took a deep breath then pushed off from the door not missing the flinch he gave at the simple movement. If he was this on edge being here in your apartment how the hell had he managed in the city?

"Billy?" You finally spoke and his eyes closed at your voice so you moved closer to him and sat gently on the edge of the couch leaving a cushion between the two of you. He slowly raised his face up to look at you and it shocked you to see tears in his eyes "Billy why did you break out the hospital?"

He pushed the hood back from his face and seeing his hair cut that close to his scalp was like a punch in the gut. He looked closer to how he had when he first met you so long ago. "My head..Y/N it's all messed. I don't remember shit I should. I um..why didn't you ever come back? The first thing I saw when I woke up was you walking out the room door. I wanted to see you but Doctor Dumont said you never came back" his face curled up in a sneer of disgust at her name and you made a mental note to find out exactly what the hell she'd done to him.

Hearing that he woke up to see you leaving and you'd never known was like a punch to the gut. "Billy.. I didn't know. Please believe me I came once a week when you first got hurt but she barred me from coming back. She threatened to get a restraining order and that would've fucked me up with work. I had someone getting updates on you but that was the best I could do" you took a shaky breath and he nodded "Madani? She was there because of you?"

"She owed me" you admitted easily and saw the confusion in his eyes "I hurt you didn't I?" He asked after a moment keeping his gaze glued to his hands.

"I wouldn't even know where to start" you all but whispered and felt more than heard him move. His hand was hovering close to your cheek and you realized he'd started to push the hair behind your shoulder but stopped himself at the last moment "I know you won't lie to me so please just tell me everything. I want to know. I have to know"

You leaned forward just enough to let your face brush against his hand. You knew allowing yourself even such an innocent touch was a bad idea but you couldn't help it. Here like this? He was your Billy again.

You took a deep breath then pulled away from him so he would let his hand fall back to his lap "I'll start at the earliest thing I know and work my way through"

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By the time you got to his involvement with Maria, Frank Jr and Lisa's deaths Billy's hands were shaking. Without thinking twice you covered his hands with your own. The surprise on his face was easy to see "You've got to turn me in. I won't run or fight them. I wanted to see you. I wanted answers. I got both"

"Why would you be willing to go back? You told me what it was like" your voice tried to break but you managed to steady it. Billy snatched his hands away from you and stood pacing across the floor twice before stopping a few feet from where you still sat on the edge of the couch "I deserve to be dead. I've done horrible things and if they were to find out I was here and you didn't call? I can't, I won't do that to you"

You got to your feet and approached him slowly, very aware of how much he looked like a wounded animal in that moment "Billy can you do me a favor? Just one thing" he nodded twice before finding his voice "anything you want"

"Can you hold me in your arms please? I just need to know what we had was real. That you actually felt the same way about me" your voice did break then and it only took him half a second to cover the area separating the two of you.

He pulled you into his arms and you let yourself melt against his chest even if you knew you shouldn't.

"Listen to me Y/N. I have been in love with you for years. There is nothing on this earth that would ever change that. I will never stop loving you. Before I could even talk again I heard your voice. Screaming at me to hold on. You pulled me out of that dark don't ever think I don't love you"

"Even through everything I couldn't make myself stop loving you" you admitted then pulled back to look up at him and you weren't sure what came over you but you leaned up on your tip toes to press a kiss to his lips. It was supposed to be a goodbye, nothing more but the moment your lips met it was that same raw energy that had filled every kiss between the two of you.

He deepened the kiss pulling you closer to him as a light moan fell from your lips. "Billy" he pulled back from you suddenly breaking the kiss and resting his forehead against yours "God I've missed you"

You stepped back closer to him and looked up into his eyes then pulled him down for another kiss but this time he didn't break it. You felt his hands move down your back until they cupped your thighs and he was lifting you into his arms.

You felt a bit light headed and weren't sure if it was from kissing him or just your brain trying to remind you how bad of an idea this was. You wrapped your legs around his waist and broke the kiss long enough to ask "do you remember where my bedroom is?" "I think I can manage" he answered with a smirk before capturing your lips again.

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Billy put you down gently to your feet as soon as he crossed into your bedroom. His hands slipped under your shirt and you couldn't help but notice how they shook slightly. You stepped back from him and let your eyes skim across his face "Billy if you don't want to do this we can stop"

He shook his head as he watched you just as hungry as every time the two of you had ever been together "I just don't understand. Why don't I disgust you? My face. What I've done" you stepped back closer to him and tentatively reached to push the hoodie off his shoulders and smiled when he let you "Your scars don't bother me. As a matter of fact you're still unfairly good looking"

His hands went to your hips when you reached for the hem of his shirt he nodded so you pulled it up and over his head allowing your hands to trail across the smooth expanse of his stomach taking special care to run your fingers across the new scars he'd gotten that night. "As for what you've done. A lot of it was to protect me. You're paying for it and you'll still be paying for it. None of that changes the fact that I love you"

He leaned down to let his lips meet yours in a probing kiss and when you gladly opened your lips to let his tongue slide into your mouth he groaned against you. "You're the best thing that ever happened to me" he murmured letting his lips trail down your neck savoring every sigh and moan he was able to pull from you.

"Billy please" you managed between gasps and he arched an eyebrow "Please what?" You stepped back from him and pulled your shirt and sports bra over your head in one fluid motion then smiled at him "Please touch me"

He walked forward forcing you backwards until your legs hit the mattress. He gently pushed you down on your back and made quick work of the boots he had on before climbing up over your body. "Here?" He asked before kissing your hip bone and smirking against you when your hips bucked up. "Or here?" He asked leaving a trail of open mouth kisses across your ribcage.

When his mouth closed around the nipple of your left breast while his fingers found the right a moan left your lips that pulled a groan from him. "Oh my god Billy" you felt more than heard him chuckle before he started back down your body kissing and touching every inch he could.

When he got to the waistband of your leggings he looked back up at you and that alone was nearly enough to make you come undone "I love you Y/N" "I love you too Billy" that seemed to be the push he needed because he pulled your leggings off and threw them somewhere behind him. Any other person on earth you would've left too exposed but the way he looked at you made you feel like the only woman on earth.

He lowered his mouth to your core and the first lick was slow like he was trying to memorize how you tasted on his tongue. A low moan left you and you reached for his hair which you were so used to grabbing in this position it was a shock to remember how short his hair was now.

He added first one finger then another in with his tongue and you felt that familiar building in your stomach. His name fell from your lips somewhere between a curse and a prayer as he sucked on your clit while his fingers worked to push you over the edge. "Billy" you moaned before your orgasm washed over you leaving your vision slightly fuzzy at the edges.

When you finally came down enough to open your eyes fully Billy was leaning over you with a gentle smile on his face "Apparently I haven't forgotten everything" you gave a weak laugh "I should say not" you glanced down and saw he still had his pants on "You're over dressed Russo. Get naked and get inside me" "Yes ma'am" he responded with a wink.

He stood off the bed long enough to push his pants down to the floor then was back on top of you. His weight was so familiar that you felt yourself trying to clench just having him this close. He tilted your chin up to his and kissed you sloppily allowing you to taste yourself on him while his other hand lined himself up with your opening.

He slowly slid in and your mouth fell open in a silent moan. The stretch was something you hadn't felt in so long. Every time with Billy felt like you were made for him and him for you.

He gave you a few seconds to adjust then lightly gave a thrust. When your response was your legs wrapping around his waist and your hands going to his shoulders that was the go ahead he needed. "God yes Billy" you moaned letting your nails bite into his shoulders which only seemed to spur him on as his thrusts got harder and deeper "You feel amazing baby. So wet and so tight"

It wasn't long and you felt another orgasm building "oh fuck Billy..I'm gonna" he nodded "go ahead baby. I'm not far behind" his fingers came down circling roughly on your clit as the pressure finally burst and washed over you a half second before you felt Billy come filling you up as he gave a few more lazy thrusts.

"I love you" his voice was so full of emotion as he kissed you then gently pulled out apologizing when you whined at the loss of contact. "I love you" you nearly whispered to keep the tears at bay now.

The reality of what you'd just done struck you at once. "Oh my god" you whispered in disgust at yourself. "Baby? What's wrong?" He asked sitting up next to you.

You pulled the sheet up around you "Besides the fact that I just had sex with someone who doesn't remember the last decade of his life? Oh my god! I'm pretty sure that's equivalent to me being sober and you being drunk!"

You were on the verge of a panic attack. Billy sat up and pulled you into his arms "Breathe with me baby. Come on" once you were calmer he made you meet his eyes "Y/N the one thing in my head that isn't complete chaos is you. When I couldn't remember how to walk or talk. I remembered you, how much I love you. You told everything before you ever let me touch you"

"I've missed you so much" you admitted breaking down in tears. "Come here baby. Let me hold you" he laid down next to you and opened his arms so you curled up on his chest. For a few moments you could let yourself pretend that what had to happen next didn't.

"What did the letter say?" You asked after a moment. You heard him swallow twice and glanced up to see that look of disgust on his face again "That you had come to the hospital to see if I was dead and was disappointed that I wasn't. That if I've ever cared about you, I'd kill myself at the first chance I got"

You felt an anger flick up in your stomach. God you were glad Dinah could bring that bitch down. You'd testify at any trial you needed to.

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You almost drifted off in his arms. God help you felt safe and so fucking happy but right before you did he leaned down and kissed your forehead "Call them" you shook your head slightly "I don't want to"

He cupped your chin to make you look in his eyes "I love you more than I ever dreamed possible. Don't forget that but don't get stuck. Move on. Be happy. Please" You leaned up and kissed him trying to put all you felt into the kiss "I'm going to get cleaned up then we can call" you could tell he didn't like you ignoring his plea to move on but you couldn't do that. Not right then.

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You stood in the middle of your living room holding your phone to your ear as Mahoney's cell number rang. Billy walked in and was looking at your photo wall. The one in particular was from the day he'd told you he loved you. Maria had taken it.

You felt your heart clench as Brett's sleep ridden voice answered "Y/N? What's wrong?" You met Billy's eyes and swallowed hard before saying "Billy is here. He just got here about ten minutes ago. He wants to turn himself in to you" any sleep was gone when he said "Be there in ten" and hung up.

You dropped the phone into your jacket pocket and glanced back at Billy "We've got ten minutes" he walked over and pulled you into his arms "Let me hold you one last time" you nodded and laid your head over on his chest. "I'll always love you Billy" "and I'll always love you Y/N"

Minutes passed before you pulled away and glanced up at him "If you don't want me seeing when they walk you out.. I need to leave" he nodded and let his lips brush against yours "Take care of yourself please" you nodded and headed for the door not trusting your own voice.

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You stood in an alley across the street watching as Mahoney pulled away with Billy in the back of his car. Dinah had already called for your official statement but now the question remained were you strong enough to go back in your apartment alone?

You heard a noise behind you and jumped. Your breathing returned to normal when you saw the shadow at the back of the alley "Matt" you whispered. He took his mask off and you were glad he'd worn the black suit. It didn't look as conspicuous if someone saw the two of you speaking.

"Heard it on the police scanner?" You asked after a moment and he nodded "Figured you needed a friend" you held out a hand never thinking for a second he wouldn't grab it easily which he did "Thanks Matt"

He squeezed your hand and half smiled "You love him. It's ok to let yourself hurt" "I know" you said watching Mahoney's car until it disappeared from sight.

Now you had to act like what happened with Billy didn't happen. You had to pretend like he had simply gotten his answers then turned himself in and you had to face the rest of your life knowing he was behind bars because he'd been someone's lap dog to mainly keep you alive.

@intothesoul

@weallhaveadestiny

#au billy russo #billy russo x y/n #billy russo au #billy russo x you #billy russo fanfic #billy russo x reader #sins and amends masterlist

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haikuhoyle · 2 days ago

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January 6, 2025

#haiku hoyle #poetry #2025 #daily haiku #daily poem #haiku poem #poets on tumblr #billy hoyle #daily post #daily writing #january 2025 #january 6 #birds

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flipflopflying · 1 year ago

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Minipop No. 1,661: Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson as Sidney Deane and Billy Hoyle in “White Men Can’t Jump”

#pixel art #pixelart #pixels #pixelly #pixel #minipops #white men can't jump #wesley snipes #woody harrelson

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ao3feed-fratt · 2 years ago

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Blood in the Water

read it on the AO3 at https://archiveofourown.org/works/46579993

by Ifeelwitchcraftuponme

Betrayed, lost and furious, Captain Castel bids an act of impossible revenge, but the world is bigger than he knows and there are more to monsters both human and sirenic than he knows.

Words: 3171, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: The Defenders (Marvel TV), Daredevil (TV), The Punisher (TV 2017)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply, Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: M/M

Characters: Frank Castle, Matt Murdock, Billy Russo, Curtis Hoyle

Relationships: Frank Castle/Matt Murdock, Frank Castle & Billy Russo, Frank Castle & Curtis Hoyle

Additional Tags: Pirate AU, mermaid au, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, our tragedy has been written, except not yet because im slow, Desert Island Fic, sharing a fire, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow To Update, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Frank is a pirate, Sirens, Based on a dream I had

read it on the AO3 at https://archiveofourown.org/works/46579993

#IFTTT #ao3feed #fanfic #Fratt #FrankMatt

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spaghettificationandpretzels · 2 years ago

Text

A Voice Through the Nothingness Part 2

Series Masterlist

Part 1

Contains: Fluff, angst, protective Frank

4.0K words

Comment if you want to be tagged or follow #a voice through the nothingness.

“There’s not a word yet for old friends who’ve just met.” - Jim Henson

Hazel smiled as she sat next to Billy's bed, it had only been a week since she had started reading to him but it had become a welcome moment of peace. She took his hand in hers and placed the next book on the bed, it was Death on the Nile this time, "it looks like we're opening up next week."

Billy was elated, he wanted to cheer but he couldn't. He knew his friends would love Hazel. He could see the meeting in his head, Frank would wrap her in one of his bone crushing bear hugs, Curtis would extend his hand with a smile and Karen would insist on drinks at the bar with Matt and Foggy.

Each time Hazel's voice had floated into his mind and her warm hand linked in his, he had focused all his energy on just one squeeze but so far, it had been fruitless. His frustration grew as he always managed to do it when she wasn't there. Sometimes it was a moment after she left, sometimes it took all day for him to manage a twitch but he was going to do it.

He knew the other voice too, Lizabeth's, and he wondered if she looked as fed up as she always sounded, "you should tell me about your day, he's probably getting sick of your murder mysteries by now."

Hazel huffed, "I don't think he wants to hear that."

"Of course I do." That was all he wanted to say but he couldn't even manage a sound. He wanted far more than what Hazel had said about herself in passing.

Lizzy sighed, "just give him the spark notes, then you can start the book."

Billy heard Lizabeth leave the room and he waited for Hazel's soft voice to fill his ears, "she won't let up until I do," Billy believed it, "well, it started bad because I spilt my coffee and it was the last of what I had at home so I had to brave the subway uncaffeinated. I thought I was going to commit homicide because the person next to me was chewing too loud."

He wanted to laugh, to tell her stories about being stuck in holes with men who behaved like pigs.

"Then I got a call about Barry's fancy food, it's on time so he'll get his clams before he grows legs and lungs and eats me in the middle of the night." Barry was Hazel's pufferfish, although Billy thought she was talking about a dog the first time she spoke of him.

He could say so many things, he wondered if she would be shy or smile and toss him something back.

"And I'm pretty sure a doctor just asked me on a date, I said yes." Billy could hear his huff, a woman that beautiful should know when she's being asked out.

"But he's kinda of ass so I'm just going to be nice and call it an early night. I'm far too busy to date right now, he'll you're the only man who listens to me and you're pretty much in a coma."

Billy could feel a charge in his chest, had he been awake, this would have been easy.

"Now that's enough about me, let's crack open a fresh book and settle in."

****

Billy knew it was coming, that dreaded chime, but he was planning on it. Days of matching each word with the passing seconds until he could count down until the bell rang, "well Billy, I'll be back tomorrow."

For the last twenty minutes, he put all his attention into just closing his hand. He thought it was another failed attempt as he felt Hazel's hand leave him but his hand ached and his fingers shifted and she paused.

Billy waited for her dismissal but it never came, "can you do that again?" He had a feeling that was coming and put every ounce of willpower into fulfilling her request. He must have done it because he felt her jump.

"Ok, alright. I going to get Lizzy in here, umm" Hazel's hand slipped for his briefly and he heard the call bell, "in a bit, Lizzy's going to swap with me. If you're doing this intentionally you need to squeeze her hand too, that's all I want you to focus on."

He steeled himself, just a little longer and he could rest. He heard footsteps, "what is it?" Lizabeth sounded worried.

"He squeezed my hand and I got him to do it again, I'm pretty sure this isn't just a reflect." Hazel sounded so hopeful, he wasn't going to disappoint her.

He could almost feel Lizzy waving her hand, "give him ere, Russo, I know we're not on as good of terms but can you let me know you're not bullshitting?"

Billy liked this woman, her hand was different from Hazel's, still warm and soft but different. He focused on Lizabeth's hand in his, going over his fingers as he willed them to move, "holy shit you're right."

Lizzy's hand was gone and Hazel's was back, "I'm going to go get the Neruo, you stay right there."

He was so proud of himself, it had taken every bit of his strength but he got to hear joy in Hazel's voice. "You won't need to do any more today, they'll let you have some time to get your strength back but they'll want to do some tests. I'll stay until the docs get here and when I get back tomorrow, we'll pick up where we left off. You did really good Billy. Your friends are going to be so proud of you."

The next few hours were a blur of tests and doctors. Hazel was right, they didn't ask him to do anything else but they talked him through everything. Just when he thought he couldn't take any more, it stopped and he was finally left in the peace he needed to prepare for the next day.

****

Hazel came in the next day with excitement in her voice, her hand sliding into his with a familiar warmth, "today's going to be a lot of work but I know you can do it. The docs are going be in here with us are they're going ask you some yes, no questions. All you have to do is show me what those answers feel like and we'll go from there."

He gave her a quick squeeze, "ok, you've got this, don't worry. And if you don't feel like it today, we can try again tomorrow."

There were footsteps, ones he had learned well in all his time at the hospital, "Hello Mr Russo, I'm doctor Waston, I think you've heard my voice before. Can you show Hazel what a yes is?"

He focused on holding on for a second longer than he had been, "yes?" He did it again, "ok Dr, long squezze for yes."

Now that his brain had a mission, it felt like his thoughts were racing and he tried to visualise things he wanted.

"Can you show Miss Moreau a no?" Billy

Billy's brain was working overtime now that he had her last name, he could focus on learning more about her. All he needed to do was get it to Frank. He clenched his hand and let go as fast as he could manage, "ok, short for no, can you do it again to let me know?" Billy was anxious to get this moving.

Hazel's voice grew clearer by the second, "yep, short squeeze for no." There was a pause and Billy thought he could hear something being passed to Hazel, "do you remember where we first met?"

He imagined clasping her hand in his as they walked down the street, hoping the vision would keep his fingers tensed, "yes. Was it on boat?" He released his hand and gave her a short squeeze.

"Was it on a train platform?" He was sitting across for her at the table inside the chocolate shop she had told him about. Hazel inhaled, "yes, good work Billy. You don't have long left now and then we'll let you rest. I'm going you ask some questions about your time here and I need to tell me if you remember, can you do that?" When the doctor realised that Billy was ready to communicate, they called his friends for questions they could ask him about conversations they had throughout Billy's stay.

He was still sitting in the chocolate shop. Hazel had a foam moustache and a fleck of chocolate on her plump lower lip, "do you remember when Frank told you about the new iPhone?"

Of course he did, Frank wouldn't shut up about how stupid it was, "that's good. Do you remember when you moved here? Frank and Curt were with you, they told you all about the room." He thought for a moment, white walls, lots of flowers, the nurses were dressed in light blue scrubs.

Billy searched his brain for something else, he was dancing with her at a fundraiser, she had carnations in her hair and her fingers were laced in his, "Great, that's really good Billy."

There was quiet for a moment, "I'm not asking him that, I think we should take a break." Hazel sounded angry, he didn't like it.

"Of course, I told you we'd take you lead on this."

But Billy didn't want to stop, he wanted to prove he could handle anything. He clenched his hand and then let go, hoping Hazel would pick up on what he was saying, there was a pause before she spoke, "ok Billy, I understand. Do you remember what happened the night you were hurt?"

As Billy tried to find the memories, he felt his heart race and then suddenly he couldn't feel Hazel's hand, all he could feel was agony, searing pain and breaking bones and the sound of Frank screaming his name over an unbearable ringing. Things faded fast, the darkness of pain dissolving to just darkness, he was grateful that the last thing he felt was Hazel's hand on his cheek.

****

Billy didn't sleep at all that night, the moment his awareness returned, it was like he couldn't stop his heart racing. All he wanted to do was open his eyes, to ground himself in the real world rather than the one that was pounding on the inside of his skull.

Waiting for Hazel's late afternoon visit was torture, he had spent his spare moments learning the sounds of everyone's footsteps, and Hazel's was by far his favourite.

Her hello made his heart skip, she had good news, "Hello Billy, I have good news and better news. The good news is that they're going to move you into one of the rebab rooms so you'll have more people to talk to, the better news is that the hospital will be open for visitors on Sunday."

He clenched his hand, hoping that the long press gave away that he was happy, "alright, now that we can talk, I can ask you if you want me to keep going with our murder mystery train, so you wanna pick up where we left off with Agatha?"

No, Billy didn't want that, he wanted to hear about her, he wanted to know how her date with the doctor went. He closed his hand then let go, "alright then, I'm hearing you loud and clear. We can figure this out, do you want to watch some TV? Your plan has all the channels."

Billy gave her another short squeeze, the frustration made him want to punch something. He racked his brain for an idea, combing through his thoughts until something popped up. He focused all his energy on lifting his thumb before tapping her skin quickly twice and once for longer, dot dot dash. He did it again, Hazel was an intelligent woman, she would understand that he was trying to do something even if she didn't understand what he was saying.

"Billy, are you using morse code?" He closed his hand hard, "ok, ok. U?" He could almost see her thinking, "oh, you want to hear about me?"

There was surprise in her voice, Billy couldn't decide if he liked that sound because, of course, he wanted to hear about her, "ok. Well I gave Barry his clams and he made a huge mess of his tank so I'm trying to teach him how to clean up, it's not going well. I tried a new coffee too, it's called rainbow bark roast, it's alright but I think I'm going to sign up for one the those subscription services where they send you different beans every month."

Billy wanted to tell her about the coffee he had at Anvil, about how his first frivolous purchase was an expensive coffee machine that looked like something off a steampunk spaceship. He was surprised at all the small things he wanted to share with Hazel, the little parts of his life he never thought mattered to anyone but he knew that would have mattered to her.

"Oh and I went on that date, not date, I told you about." He was happy at the disappointment in her tone, "it went exactly how I expected it to go, he talked about himself nonstop and then complained about the wine being too floral. I mean we all know wine tasting is bullshit, it's just fermented grape juice, I'd rather drink whiskey."

She liked whiskey, Billy thought to himself. There was a bar a few blocks away from Anvil that she'd love if he could only tell her about it. "You look like a guy Gin guy, I've never been able to get into it, it kinda smells like the ER on a busy friday."

He squeezed her hand then let go and she laughed, that was a sound he did like, "no? Then what do you like?"

He struck a blank, he knew what W was, he just couldn't remember it, "just take your time, all I need is a few letters." All the happy feelings vanished, he couldn't remember something as fucking simple as a letter. It didn't matter, Hazel was there with a solution.

"We can figure it out together. B for bourbon is one dash then three dots," he knew that, "S for scotch is three dots," he knew that too, "and W is.."

It came to him in a flash and he tapped it out as fast as he could, "there you go. Does that mean you're a whiskey man?"

He imagined sitting next to her on the couch, her hand in his while he enjoyed a quiet night with a glass in his hand, "ahh, a man after my own heart. You're pretty smart, you know, it would have never occurred to me to ask you to try Morse code. I have an idea, how about we got through the whole alphabet together? That was when you're friends can visit, you don't have to think so hard. Does that sound good to you?"

He hoped the force of his squeeze let her know all on its own, "great, let's start at the beginning."

****

It was slow going, but being able to tap words out opened up a whole new world. Hazel was fantastic at putting small things together. She learned Billy liked watching MMA, and the next day, she had the rundowns of all the fights that had been on since the lockdown. He was getting stronger, too, and he was slowly getting better at expressing his feelings through how hard he would squeeze her hand.

Billy's favourite times were when he got to talk about his friends, Anvil and all the places he had been. The information he could give was basic, as much as he wanted to pour his heart out, it was hard when it sometimes took him twenty minutes to tap out a seven letter word. That didn't matter to Hazel, she was always patient with him, he never felt like he couldn't answer her but she always gave him just enough of a challenge and helped him rise to it.

Sunday came in what felt like hours but Hazel never entered his room. He held on for visit her all day and the joy of hearing his friends did little to overcome her absence. Nevertheless, Frank's hand in his dulled the ache.

"Hey Bill, it's good to see you again, although from what your nurses said, you had plenty of company while we were away."

Billy wanted to tell Frank all about Hazel and once again, the frustration at his limitations was back. If he couldn't tell Frank, he would have to show him. He tapped out her name as fast as he could and Frank's laugh filled his ears, "oh, so you haven't seen me in two months and the first thing you want me to do is get your new best friend, that's cold Bill."

There was no malice in Frank's voice and the chime of the call bell filled him with hope. Lizzy's footsteps followed and Billy's heart fluttered, "yes Mr Castle, what can I get for you?"

Frank chuckled, "can you go get Hazel? Billy's asking for her."

Lizzy smiled, "I can, she'll be taking her break soon."

Billy heard her leave the room, and Frank's voice filled the space, "we were really glad to hear you had someone with you. Karen was trying to get in here without getting us into shit, but all she could come up with was a story on the hospital's cafe."

Hazel had told him about it, he knew that story wouldn't be a good one.

Frank's tone changed just as he finished telling Billy all about how Anvil was going and Frank's hand shifted from his as he stood up. "You must be Hazel?"

Billy's body filled with anticipation, "I am. It's so good to finally meet you. Billy speaks very highly of you."

Frank chuckled, "oh, I'm sure he does. I can I ask where you were today? Lizzy told me you're normal here in the afternoons."

Billy wanted to hit him, Frank was going to scare her off, "oh, I didn't want to intrude, I'm sure you two have so much to talk about."

Billy could hear a chair moving then Hazel's hand appeared in his free one, it was a strange sensation, she always sat on his left side.

"So Hazel, tell me about yourself." Billy understood where Frank was coming from but it didn't stop him from wanting to kick the shit out of him.

Hazel felt like Frank was trying to look into her soul, "there's not much to tell, I work in the peds ward which is just through the door and across the sky bridge, I live in Hell's kitchen and I have a fish named Barry."

"Why not work at Mercy if you live in Hell's Kitchen?" Billy was growing worried that Hazel would feel like Frank was judging her.

"I work with kids, Mercy's peds ward is pretty basic, plus I have some qualifications that fit better here."

Billy could tell Hazel didn't like where this was going, there was something in her tone that worried him, "I don't mean to be rude because you've done a lot for Bill but why did you want to help him?"

Hazel's hand left him and Billy felt powerless to do anything, "I met Billy on my first day in the city. Without his help, I would have spent the whole day lost. I never got the chance to thank him."

"So you did all this just for a few minutes of his time two years ago." Frank realised his slipup far too late

Billy felt the change in the air, "wait, how did you know it was two years ago?" Billy's thoughts were racing, the last thing he needed was for Hazel to be scared of him, where the fuck was Curt? He would have handled this so much better. "it was nice meeting you, Mr Castle but I think I better head back to work. I'm sure I can see Billy some time tomorrow."

Billy could tell she was scared and doing her best to hide it, he hoped to God Frank understood his as he clenched his hand and let go. Frank's chuckle filled the air, "that right Bill?" He did it again, "stay please. I'm sorry, you gotta see where I'm coming from?"

The tension faded from Billy's body and her warmth returned to his hand, "of course. It doesn't take a genius to know that Billy has a lot of money and you don't want someone you don't know taking advantage of your friend. I'm telling the truth when I say that all I want is to repay his kindness."

She sounded sad, Billy hated it, "that's all I wanted to hear. I probably wasn't the best person to do this, Curt's much better at the people thing than I am."

Hazel laughed, "yeah, I thought I was about to get yelled at. No offence."

Billy could feel the tension leave the room as they both relaxed, "none taken. Bill wants you to stay and so I do, plus you still gotta meet everyone else."

Hazel let out a nervous giggle, "Billy have me the rundown on everyone, Karen's your partner and Curt's your friend. There's also Matt and Foggy, and David and his family am I right?"

Frank nodded, "yeah, that's about it. We'll have to get you over to Avnil too, some of the guys want to thank you for all you've done."

Billy squeezed Frank's hand, hoping it was hard enough to hurt him just a little and Frank huffed, "you can't keep her all to yourself Bill."

If Billy could punch him, he would. "When do you need to do back to your shift?"

Hazel's absence didn't seem so bad now that he knew she was going to keep coming back, "twenty minutes but I'll be back at around six for my two hours with him."

"That's great, Curt and Karen will be here when they get off work. They can't wait to meet you."

Billy was suddenly unbelievably tired, the anxiety and fear fading to exhaustion, "the feeling is mutual."

When Billy came to again, he could hear more voices, all filled with affection.

"How did you manage to work out talking to him in Morse code?" Of course, Karen would ask that.

"It was all Billy, I was just there to catch it." Billy wanted to chastise her, she was the one who gave him the time of day and her faith, he wouldn't have been able to do it all by himself.

"We'll have to have you over for dinner, Sarah's been insisting that we should at least bring you lunch the moment the hospital reopen." He hoped Curt would be more subtle but he knew how it would go with the others, Frank would grunt out a request and Karen would give a demand that sounded like an invitation.

"Thank you for the offer but I couldn't possibly intrude. Maybe when Billy is up and moving around, we can revisit it." Hazel sounded a little taken aback.

"Of course, but I'm sure Billy's going to be more insistent than us." Billy was glad Curt didn't push it, he was smart enough to know that things couldn't get too personal or the ethics board was going to start pocking around, he had a plan for that but now wasn't the time.

Billy wasn't upset when the chime came, "Sadly, I have to head home but I'll be back tomorrow."

Hazel's hand left his, "you can't stay?"

Billy wanted to laugh, he knew Frank would warm to her quickly, "no, I can't stay on hospital grounds any longer," she paused, "I can rearrange my day tomorrow so we can talk more if you like?"

"Sounds good, we'll see you tomorrow."

Billy didn't know how to put his feelings into words, but he had a new mission, open his eyes and say hello.

Part 3

#a voice through the nothingness #billy russo #the punisher #fix it fic #billy russo imagine #billy russo fanfic #billy russo smut #ben barnes #the punisher fanfiction #billy russo x ofc #frank castle #karen page #everybody lives/nobody dies #curtis hoyle #daredevil

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