#hey bestiesssssssssss

[freshbakedbreadstick]

No. 1 Party Anthem - Mikey Berzatto x F!Reader - Prologue

Past!Mikey Berzatto x F!Reader

Carmy Berzatto x F!Platonic!Reader

Richie Herimovich x F!Platonic!Reader

Summary: After running for so long, it was time to come home

Warnings: All my fics are 18+ regardless of the content. Heavy spoilers and angst. Mentions of death, mental health issues, and toxic relationships. It’s not graphic or detailed in this one but I just want to warn you now that this series will deal with extremely heavy topics as it goes on (similar to the show).

Word Count: 1.6k

A/N: Hey bestiesssssssssss!!! This is my first ever series and actually first ever written work that I'm posting lol and I'm so excited for it!!! I'm starting off with a series because i had this really good and angsty idea while reading ANOTHER fantastic piece of work and was like “fine…….. I'll do it myself” so i'm here now writing it lmao anyways i'm starting off posting my fanfics with Mikey and Carmy because i've been a little too focused on The Bear lately n love them so much. Chapter one of this series should be coming up this time next week so dw abt waiting so long for an update!! Anyways i hope you all enjoyyyy <3

MASTERLIST

The cool Chicago night air nips at you as it blows by, rolling along the exposed skin of your arms. It was 3 in the morning and the street where The Original Beef of Chicagoland stood was empty and silent.

The building stood before you, quiet and lifeless. It was odd seeing it so silent and it almost seemed… peaceful. But one glance at the rusting sign that seemed to be barely hanging onto the building made the façade of tranquility fall.

The knot in your stomach grew as your eyes traced over the rusted sign and then onto the walls that showed cracks and age. The sidewalk wasn’t any better with uneven cement and haphazard patching. Just then, a piece of trash rolled by the curb, coming from the alley right next to The Beef. 

It was just like how you remembered it. 

The wear and tear was what originally made you appreciate it. It showed use and love, the same way that laugh lines around a person’s mouth showed you that they lived a life full of smiles and laughter. The walls were in use as hundreds filed in and out of the building for their favorites, every week. The floor was worn away underneath the soles of families, drunk friends, older couples, working folk, and more. The ungentrified building made the whole thing feel nostalgic, despite not being a building you were around as a child. It had felt… familiar in a both comforting and melancholic way. 

But now, seeing the building, especially with its marks of age, made your blood run like ice through your veins. It made you shiver, despite it being September in Chicago. 

What once was a warm and inviting place felt cold and even scary. 

It had been months since you spoke to the Berzattos. Actually, it had been months since you were in Chicago at all. About 8 months, that is. You left in February after… everything and never looked back. The east felt too familiar at that point, so you traveled west.

You chased the highs and avoided the lows, moving from one place to another until you settled in a quiet town where you felt loved. But that love didn’t come without its challenges and when it got hard, you did what you knew best and that was leaving. 

So you left with no clue as to where you were going, too proud but mainly too afraid to reach out to the family you had in Chicago. You drove with a car full of junk you couldn't even stand looking at anymore for all the memories of the past couple of months attached to them made your stomach churn. With no place to go, you found yourself, 5 days after leaving and living in your car, sitting on the hood of your 2002 Chevy Impala, stopped and watched the sunset of the west for the last time at a rest stop in the middle of nowhere with your head hurting and eyes puffy. It was then when your phone buzzed. 

The cracked screen blinked brightly as you glanced over at it.

‘Please come home, we miss you - Nat’

Your mouth dried as you read the message. Your heart pounded in your ears as your eyes raced over the words over and over and over.

‘Please come home, we miss you’

‘Please come home, we miss you’

‘Please come home, we miss you’

‘Please come home, we miss you’

‘Please come home, we miss you’

‘Please come home, we miss-

Another message popped up then, interrupting your reading and making you jump. 

‘I promise it’s okay’

Your hands trembled. How Sugar got your number after you changed it twice to avoid your ex from the west was a mystery but it almost felt like divine intervention as you read it under the glow of the cotton candy clouds in the sky. 

‘Come home’

So you made the decision to go back. 

To go home. 

But this decision didn’t mean that you were leaving right away; for two months you practically lived in motel rooms and in your car, pacing back and forth for hours in parking lots, empty hallways, and tiny motel rooms at the thought of facing everyone again. Would they be upset? Angry? Sad? Would they hate you? Welcome you with open arms? Especially after abandoning them the way you did? 

Some nights were spent breathing deeply and slowly, desperately trying to get your heart to beat at a reasonable pace and other nights were spent with tears streaming down your cheeks. You almost even decided to just not come home at all; it felt like moving out of the country and assuming a new identity would be easier to deal with than going home.

But you got yourself together and after pawning everything you didn’t mind parting with for cash, you drove with a lighter trunk and a lighter heart across the country and eastward toward Illinois. 

Before you knew it, the giant ‘WELCOME TO ILLINOIS, THE LAND OF LINCOLN’ sign had appeared in your vision. It greeted you like an old friend, making your eyes sting and your chest tighten as your car zoomed by it. 

Two hours away from Chicago, your stomach would not stop growling so you decided to stop and grab a bite to eat. After settling your car at a nearby park next to an empty bench, you got off and focused a bit too much on grabbing your belongings to notice what your surroundings looked like. 

It wasn’t until you had sat down and ripped the bag of food open, when the smell of a salami and mozzarella sub wafted in the air, perking you up and prompting you to smile softly, that you glanced up. Over the dark green shrubs and still water of Peoria Lake were cotton candy clouds, nearly identical to the ones that you had seen while sitting on the hood of your car, terrified and hoping for a sign, any sign, that what you were doing was the right thing. 

Five minutes later, your car was back on the highway and speeding towards Chicago.

You stayed over at your parents’ house that night. They were overjoyed to see their child. Your mother cried, holding onto you as your father rubbed your back, comfortingly. Part of you wanted to, so badly, melt into their arms, but another part of you reminded you of the last time you were here. Despite the furniture being different and the decorations being rearranged, your body twitched as it remembered the exact emotions and position you were in when you got the news. 

The news that your boyfriend, Michael Berzatto, was found dead.

You couldn’t sleep that night, nor the next, or even the one after that. You got a combined total of about 15 hours of sleep in the past 72 hours, making you look and feel exhausted. But your mind was the only thing that wasn’t exhausted from replaying the memory over and over and over. 

About 5 days after you arrived, you got another message from Sugar. This time, a pit formed in your stomach as you read it.

‘Hey, it’s me again! Can you swing by The Beef tomorrow? I'm working there now and would love to see you. I’m sorry this is on such short notice but I've been crazy busy and I heard you were in town. I really want to see you and if you can’t do tomorrow, let me know so we can plan another day.

We really do miss you.’

You rock your jaw and put your phone down on the edge of the twin mattress you sat on, in your childhood bedroom. Right then, your mom gently knocks on your bedroom door before pushing it open.

“Have you talked to Natalie at all yet?” she said softly, clasping her hands together and leaning against the door frame.

You huffed and smiled weakly, of course your mom would mention something to her, that’s how she knew you were here. While your mom respected you doing things on your own time, she also knew that you needed a little push to make that connection. 

“Uhm… yea she just texted me. I uh, i might see her tomorrow at The Beef,” you murmured with a shaky breath. 

Thank god Sugar ended up being the one to text you instead of you texting her. 

Your mom smiled sweetly, “I think you should go, sweetheart. I know it seems scary but… I think it’s time you saw them…” 

Nodding, you turn and crawl up to the pillows of your bed. With a sigh, you lay down and close your eyes, exhausted. 

From your door frame, your mom quietly watched you and sighs softly. She slowly grabs your door and closes it behind her as she leaves. The hallway light goes off, leaving you and your thoughts alone in the pitch black dark.  

And here you were, a couple hours after you read her message, standing across The Beef on a cool Chicago night with the air nipping at your exposed skin as it blows by. You left in such a rush that you forgot to bring a hoodie and didn’t even bother to change from your thin pajama pants and loose old t-shirt. All you did was throw on your shoes and climb out your window, car keys clutched in your sweaty palm, like you used to do in high school to sneak off with Mikey. 

But those days seemed so far away now the same way that The Beef seemed so far away. It felt as if the trek across the street actually spanned thousands of miles and not a minute walk. 

So you sighed and turned around, walking down the sidewalk and back to your car. Who knew what time it was anymore, but you knew that you really needed to get rest tonight… you had a big day tomorrow. 

[bloodtized]

      *    /   and   God   made   eve   from   adam's   rib,  and  eve  was  weak  .

                                         ( art credit && template credit . )  

[ts-beijing-olympics]

EP 2 - In My Kerrigan Era - Joey

Even though I was eliminated by basically my entire tribe I don't blame then but I didn't like the way they carried it out. At the same time I'm not gonna sit on my ass and wallow. I'm taking these guys down and it's time they realize why I'm a winner

I formed a trio with Andry and Timmy, whether or not they’ll stick to it, that’s up to them, but right now in Round #2, I want to continue to reach out to Austin and Justin, ideally we go to zero team meetings before Monty turns on Wheeldecide.com and pings us with the “HEY BESTIESSSSSSSSSSS GET TO THE ARENA”(that, but in lowercase). Also, shoutout to Dennis for being amazing at what he does.

These players can throw anything they send at me. I'm not backing down and I'm going to fight for my position in the game.

OMG i forgot to do this ANYWAY. We started the game! Yay! So many twists! In game currency, redemption, Arena comps. Tea is I know like 8 people going into this game. Caitlin, Andry, Justin, Madison, Emmy, Adam, Mark, and Pat I all at least know. Some like Adam I have played with and have good blood between (Adam). Some i have bad blood between (Mark and Madison) and the rest i have either been hosted by, hosted with, or hosted myself but have never played with. YIKES. Lots of intertwined connections. I'm obvs most worried about Madison and Mark, even though Mark and I are cool outside of Venue, and Madison and I had a talk during Day 1 about working together and burying the hatchet from Odyssey, you truly never know. Mark might wanna get me out cause he thinks I'd want revenge from venue, and Madison might want her own revenge from me IDOLING HER OUT in Odyssey. Oy vey. I wanna use my connections to keep me safe in the game, even the rocky ones. But it can't be the only thing I rely on or else I'll end up with a MAJOR blindspot. So getting to know people on my team like Zach and Daisy is gonna be crucial to make sure i'm in with the most people possible. Gonna be interesting to see how this shakes out.

Ughhh it's been a long day personally so losing the arena comp just really sucked. I know I don't want to be seen as a comp threat, so losing is good. But this round has so many advantages and disadvantages tossed around that im kind of.......... ugh. I know I did everything I could and that's what sucks. I also think my team is the dry team.... literally loved talking to ppl at the arena but these folks are a snooze fest 

I got a gold medal!!! Even if they wanna take me out, they can’t! Imagine if I could go on some winning streak and keep this bad boy until the merge. One can hope. 

So happy 2 have won a medal. Wish I knew when I should be coming back to the blog....

Okay but maybe Jabari just completely big brained that entire moment. Getting voted out while getting a 10% Arena advantage, AND lying to everyone about what you have for the emoji hunt, and getting to stay? Power moves only here in Beijing. But honestly, this challenge is all about one thing: agency. As long as we can do the puzzles fast and absorb the disadvantages, we'll be fine. It seems like we'll be fine for this round as long as the winners dont win, we'll be good. Caitlin is a threat in challenges and can't go home if Dwen goes to council, which again would be ideal. Cicero I hate to see you go, you seemed nice, but read next time.

i didn't think i would lose the arena comp, so that was honestly such a shook to me (but i did say my comp skills aren't what they used to be). anyways, i hope my team doesn't hold it against me right now. there's so many disadvantages being thrown around this round that i think that will be the deciding factor in this comp tbh

I would like to just point out that I hate jigsaw puzzles, especially online ones cause i suck at them most of the timeeeee anyways, the vibes here at Dwen have been incredibly chill, I genuinely get along with everyone so if we ever have to go to a team meeting, it'd be a little stressful, but I feel like ive made good and strong enough connections to keep me here. I do feel though that my timezone may be a detriment to the team, but I just have to make sure I build on these connections and MAKE them want to keep me, rather than me begging to stay. For now, my trust rankings are as follows: Daisy > Caitlin > Zach > Max, but this could all change by the next team meeting so we'll just have to wait and see! 

I'm happy that my old team won but it's very bittersweet and I'm sure I could have pulled through the comp a little more. In other news I didn't secure my second ring and now the next course is to prepare to take whoever was on Bing down.

Welp...we're going to a team meeting and that sucks ass. Had a call with joey and andry and we're set on voting Austin. It's bittersweet since Austin is my friend and personally I would rather have Justin out but like I'm fine either way. Apparently Justin is telling Austin that because Austin didn't give him a name yet (keep in mind it's currently less than 3 hours after results) that it's probably him (Justin) getting votes or that people are just scared to say names. I think that's because he is more of an older org player where people really did used to talk about the votes and plan stuff shortly after results when nowadays it's a lot of last minute plans. Although now we have already made a plan but like that is certainly not the norm. I am having a lot of fun already this season and I am looking forward to what is going to happen next round.

okay so last night I called with Timmy and Joey. Originally when we got on the call they said they were debating between voting either Austin or Justin, with a preference for Justin to go. We called for about an hour, and throughout the call I just kind of kept on bringing up the fact that we know where Justin’s head is at right now as he’s messaging us telling us how he thinks, Austin is not doing that. And by the end of the call Joey said OK well I think I want to vote for Austin. And then Timmy said yeah I think that’s the smarter play, and I went with it as well. I think I could’ve been a little bit smoother and trying to make sure Justin stayed, but ultimately I wasn’t gonna let Justin go and I think that voting off Austin was the easier move, then going against Joey and Timmy in this round. They could be playing me, and choosing to vote for me in this round. Obviously with the first round you never know how things are going to go. I hope things work out in my favour tonight, but I will not be surprised if they try to pull a fast one on me.

So I'm very happy that we're safe, but I don't know how we still almost lost. I realize that my time in the challenge wasn't incredible, but still. Lord help us the next time we don't have disadvantages to give to the other teams. I also feel bad tacking all those disadvantages onto Andry and Austin. I really like them both and wanna work with them. But I was worried that I was being seen too much as a leader on a four person tribe. So I said we should save the Rhon team since they're already at four like us. But what I really wanted was for Dwen to get the disadvantages. Caitlin and Keaton are my #1 targets at this point. And Caitlin has a gold medal and is safe at the first team meeting she goes to. So my hope was to wipe that out. Because I don't want to end up in a situation where someone else having a gold medal puts me in a situation where I'm in trouble. I mean I've got a gold medal now too, but ya know. The only problem with that would have been a 50/50 shot of Daisy and David going home, but high risk, high reward. I let Mark decide who we were giving them to because basically everything we've done up to that point was my decision, so I'm trying to take a step back moving forward. I just hope we can pull out the next challenge too.

Honestly there isn’t too much to say here. My trust was correct, we won a challenge, I’ve dipped for a bit. We chilling and I happy thank you for coming to my Ted talk

The vote will happen in about 45 minutes, and like always I am super paranoid with the first vote in a new group people. I think this is really where trust is built, so it’s important that that people stick with the plan. Everyone’s been a little quiet, which isn’t super on brand for this group. With that being said, can’t help but feel nervous when it is like that.

I thought I did way BETTER at the immunity two wow… And so that’s on tea. Not me getting 14 minutes and having the AUDACITY TO SAY “was i the fastest?” bye 

Something seems off I am not getting a good vibe 

Also I feel bad we took out Cicero it was a tough choice, obviously I didn’t want anyone to go home so soon. But I like my team a lot but I know it won’t like this forever!!! 

Week two was MUCH BETTA. I love Jessica forever. I really didn’t want to try and keep Jabari but it was up to her to throw out a name. There’s also a chance that I might try to team up with the guys if things stay the same moving forward. Yikes but like with never voting out Jessica. I hope if a swap comes in with Timmy or Andry 

not much to say been a chill round. Dwen hasnt had to vote anyone out so that's good. I like these folks so i hope we can stay away from TMs but if i do have to go then i have a plan. not sure if it'll fly but i think i can make my case at least on why it should happen. We'll see!