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ficcidio · 1 year ago

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LIKE ANIMALS

pairing: toxic bf!jeongin x afab!reader

genre: angst angst angst

warnings: very toxic relationship, breakup, crying, cursing, screaming, fighting verbally, jeongin is very mean, so long because I can’t seem to shut up!

a/n: I’m back! I hope to be more active here! I hope you like it <3

now playing: for you by delaney bailey

You looked at Jeongin as he said his goodbyes to the rest of the people in your home. He looked so happy with them, but as soon as he left them, he became someone else. But it was honest your fault, you made him mad. You kinda wished you were one of his friends, but unfortunately you had to know your place.

You jokes around with the guests that were left but none of them laughed. You’re getting too comfortable in your skin again. It was your fault to embarrass yourself like that. You should have listened to him, it was your fault.

Jeongin looked at you while you simply stay quiet, like he wanted you to. Like he’d taught you to.

You stared at him, hoping he’s come to kiss you passionately, hoping he’d hug you, hoping he’s just say something. But he didn’t. As always.

You wanted to talk, you wanted to scream and yell at him but you couldn’t. You just stifled your voice again. But you wanted to talk to him. You liked talking to him. Well, actually, you liked when he used to talk to you. But it was your fault that he didn’t do it anymore. You weren’t that fun to talk to.

“The party was nice, wasn’t it?” you whispered, afraid your boyfriend would scream at you. But surprisingly, he didn’t.

“Yeah” he answered, grabbing his phone and sitting on the sofa, not even looking at you. “Just don’t joke like that again. It’s embarrassing”

You felt a wave of shame hit you like a truck. Embarrassment, even pity for yourself. Your cheeks started reddening, wanting to cry, but you laughed awkwardly at yourself instead of letting him know he had hit you where it hurt.

“Yeah, i know” you breathed out, you then walked to the couch and sat next to him. You still wanted to talk to him. You always did. “Han and Seungmin look fun to be around”

“Yeah” he repeated. He wasn’t even listening to you. He never did. Unlike you, you always paid attention to every single little thing he did or said, any sign, just anything. You truly loved him, but did he love you too? It was honestly your fault if he didn’t, because you didn’t even do anything for him to love you. Or that was what he always said.

“And-“ you couldn’t even finish the sentence. He looked up to you and you were met with his angry eyes. He was always angry at you. No matter what you did to make him happy, he always found something to be mad about.

“Can’t you just stop talking?” he said harshly. He had hurt your feelings. He always did. But it was honestly your fault, because you always let him.

Tears welled up in your eyes, but you didn’t even notice. You were so used to him making you cry, but it was okay, because it was your fault for being so sensitive.

“Yeah, I’ll go to sleep” you sighed, standing up.

“Good.”

✯✯✯✯✯

Two weeks later, nothing had changed. You didn’t expect it to, to be honest. It was your fault, though, because you always made him mad.

Your friends had told you so many times to leave him, saying he was hurting you, but you never listened to them. You loved him like a dog. How could you leave him when he loved you so much? Wait, did he?

“Love, can you clean the room while I make dinner, please?” you politely asked from the kitchen, afraid he’d get mad at you. He didn’t answer, he was just watching TV. You knew he did listen to you, he just didn’t care enough to answer. “Jeongin?” you repeated, expecting him to say something. But again, he ignored you.

You decided to stay silent. You sighed and continued cooking, deciding to understand him. He was tired because of practice and everything, it was okay, he was just tired. He always was. But it wasn’t your fau- no, no, what are you saying? It was your fault. You shouldn’t make him work after coming from work. You should do the work and let him relax.

You wondered when would he do something to help you. You didn’t ask for much, just to clear the table after lunch and clean the bathroom after showering, maybe even make the bed when he got up. But you had to understand him, he was just tired.

He was just tired.

You had to keep calm, it was normal.

Because he was just tired.

You had to understand that he never did anything, he was just tired. That was what he always said. And you had always told yourself it was true, and it was your fault.

But now, cooking at 9 pm both dinner and tomorrow’s lunch completely on your own, like your always did, you wondered if it was your fault. No, no, how could you doubt it? He had said it, and he was always right! It was your fault. It really was. But was it?

✯✯✯✯✯

“Y/n, clear the table. I’m going to take a nap.” he informed a week later, walking to sit down on the couch. But he didn’t make it there.

“No.” you answered. He stopped dead the moment he heard you. What? He turned to look at you, his eyes did it signal he was mad. He was surprised.

“What?”

This couldn’t be. You had always listened to him, did everything he asked for. You had always been his good girl, you always obeyed, you had never talked back. He wasn’t even mad at you denying to do what he asked you too, he was startled, take aback by the single word you had answered for the first time in so many years of saying.

“Do it yourself” you spoke, looking at him in the eyes. You headed to where he was, the couch, and sat there, still looking at him.

“Excuse me?” Now he was mad.

“You always ask me to do it for you, don’t you have hands?” You replied. You were right, he was very able to do it himself. But he never did, because he knew you’d do it if he asked you to.

“What the fuck, Y/n?” He was so taken aback by y he sudden change in your behavior, the way you didn’t let him control you anymore. He loved being able to control you. What was even happening? “Don’t you see I’m tired from practice? Are you that lazy that you can’t even do something for me?”

Now you were mad. You wouldn’t let him treat you like that. Not anymore. You wouldn’t let him embarrass you, make you feel like it was your fault. Not anymore. “Well, I’m also tired, Jeongin.” His name sounded so dry in your lips now, unlike it used to just a week ago.

“From what?”

“From you.” You said without even thinking, but you didn’t regret it. He deserved it. You were truly tired of him.

“The fuck are you talking about?” He elevated the tone of his voice, and if he did, you did too.

“You exhaust me so fucking much, I look like a fucking housewife! You know I have a goddamn job too, don’t you? I’m also tired from work every single day and I still do everything to you, I always let you just do nothing.”

“Well you don’t have to dance for hours! Your work is nothing compared to mine!” He yelled.

“If my work was being your girlfriend, it would fucking double the exhaustion of yours!” You yelled back. You knew you’d start crying anytime soon, but right now the anger was stronger than any pain possible.

“What is it with this fucking behavior of yours?!” He was truly offended by your words.

“You’ve made me have this behavior! This is what I’ve become because of you, because of your controlling and the way you ‘love’!” You screamed. You were sure the neighbors heard that. “But that’s not even love, is it? You don’t love me anymore.” Tears were now falling, but you didn’t care. You had to keep talking before your braveness disappeared and you had to obey again. You were scared— no, you were terrified.

“You’re so used to me being your pet, walking me around and doing anything you want me to. You know I’m not an animal, Jeongin. Or do you? I don’t even know now.” You continued talking. He was startled, he didn’t know what to answer. He wanted to talk back, defend himself, but how could he? Everything you were saying was true.

You always noticed the littlest things about him, you knew his body language by heart. Today wasn’t an exception; you noticed his hands shaking, his lower lip quivering and his eyes welling up with tears. You didn’t expect it. You pitied him a little, but you pitied yourself more. So you continued with your speech, because for once in so many years, you had the control over him and not the other way around.

“You’ve always made me feel like it was my fault, like there was something wrong with me; you’ve always taught me to keep quiet. You know what happens when you hold things in? You explode.” You talked harshly at him. “I haven’t changed. You’ve made me explode. You’ve destroyed me, and every perception of love I’ve ever had!”

He stares at you with his eyes filled with tears, something you had never seen in him before. He watches you as you cry, as you yell at him, as you tell him he’s destroyed you. Now, thinking of how he was being with you was so unpleasant, so painful for him to imagine. But while he was acting like that, he was completely blind by how powerful it made him feel. But now, as he’s seeing his whole life— or rather, you falling apart in front of his eyes…

Did he love you? God, of course he did. He loved you. Before, in his mind, the reason he was controlling you so much was because he loved you, and because you loved him. He thought, if you let him treat you like that, it was because you didn’t mind. In his mind, he wasn’t being rude to you, he was just— he doesn’t know, teaching you how to behave?

But now he realizes that he had barely treated you like a human being. He wasn’t teaching you how to behave— which, by the way, you didn’t need; you were an amazing woman and girlfriend. At this point, he was taming you, as if you were an animal, a dog he could teach tricks, a fish that would die if he didn’t feed you or an exotic parrot he only kept so he could put on a show when people came home.

It terrified him to think that this was the end, that you wouldn’t let him in your life ever again. You were the love of his life, he thought. He loved you. He truly did. But he didn’t know how to love someone and he never had interest in learning, and now, everything he’s ever said and done to you is charging him the only thing he still has next to him: you. The only thing he was sure that would never leave him, that was too scared to go, was ready to leave. It terrified him so fucking much.

“Say something, Jeongin…” you begged in a whisper, crying silently. He didn’t realize he had been thinking too much, he had again neglected you and your feelings, as he always did. But to be honest, he didn’t have anything to say.

“No, Y/n, you don’t understand, I…” He tried to fix it, but he was only messing it up more. He had to stop making up excuses and trying to make her feel dumb, he had to stop victimizing himself, he had to stop trying to be in control over every situation. But he couldn’t. It had consumed him. Control had consumed the loving boyfriend he once was.

“Fuck off, Jeongin” You cut him when you heard him trying to victimize himself again, leaving him speechless. You were so used to it, but you wouldn’t allow it anymore. “I’ve loved you so much. I’ve thrown out my life in Australia for you, I’ve picked up my whole fucking life and moved here just to be near you, only for you to turn out to be the shitty boyfriend you are” You tell him, not caring if his feelings got hurt by your words. Not anymore. “Because that’s what you are, Jeongin. You’re a fucking terrible boyfriend, and I feel so bad for myself for everything I’ve had to bear just because I loved you. Because I did. I loved you. I still do, and I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to stop loving you. And that’s the worst part, knowing I’ll miss every single thing you’ve done to me.” You started off harshly, but your voice got more and more muffled by your tears after every word you said.

You stayed silent. He stayed silent. None of you knew what to say. He didn’t know how to talk to you, he felt embarrassed for every thing he’d done to you. So he said the only thing he knew he must’ve say for so long. The three words you’d been expecting for almost four years came out of his lips in less than two seconds.

“I am sorry.”

You stayed silent again. He stayed silent again. None of you knew what to say. You looked at him with red and puffy eyes. He looked at you with guilt and sadness in his eyes. That’s all you needed, that’s all he needed to know he’d never see you again. At least, not like he wished. Not like the love of his life.

You sighed and looked down, but then you looked up to meet with his eyes one last time. It was the first time in so long you stayed silent because you wanted to, not because he made you. It was the first time you had a voice, it was the first time you weren’t controlled like a puppet.

You grabbed your phone, your keys and your charger and walked to the door. He followed you, but he had no intention in stopping you. He had already controlled you enough. He knew he’d been holding you hostage for too long, he had to set you free, to let you go. He wasn’t ready, but he knew he must.

“I hope you heal” You said, then you opened the door and walked out. You turned around to look at him one last time. Your eyes met with his teary eyes. He smiled at you and nodded, as in a way of letting you know that it was okay, that he would let you go; that, for the first time, he understood you. You felt the connection you felt the moment you met, the moment he kissed you for the first time. You felt those teenage butterflies, butterflies that were about to die in just a few seconds.

You would miss him, but it was for the best. At least, you wouldn’t have to love him like a dog.

✯✯✯✯✯

You never came back to his apartment, not even to get your things back. You wanted a fresh start.

At first it was such a bittersweet feeling to be finally free. For some reason, him controlling you was comforting, because your choices didn’t depend on you. Because you didn’t have any responsibility in your life. Now, it all depended on you, on what you chose. Now you had your own mouth, your own hands, your own body. Before, you were his. Now, you were yours.

No more asking him what he wanted you to cook for dinner, no more making both sides of the bed on your own, no more crying alone.

The first month was a mess. You didn’t know what to do, you didn’t know how to decide for your own, you didn’t know how to live without him. You were so lucky your best friend, Maia, let you stay with in her apartment. She gave you clothes, food and a shoulder to cry on. She was your biggest supporter. She taught you to be free, to be yourself, and you were forever grateful.

After six months, you were fine, you think. You still thought about him, how could you ever forget? You dreamed with him, you saw him in every little thing. His members tried to approach you, they apologized to you. Chan was the only one you let in, he was the only one that didn’t defend him while he was your partner. Chan was the only one that had had his feet on earth the whole time. You didn’t let the rest talk to you, It hurt a lot. It hurt to remember him.

But after the first year, his memory didn’t hurt as much. It was a loving thought that sometimes appeared in your mind. More often than you wished, but now you remembered him with love, with appreciation, because he had taught you so much, and he had loved you so much. He had taught you how you didn’t want to be loved. He had taught you how to survive on your own, how to deal with hateful love. The first month, you wished you had never met him. After a year, you were thankful you had met him.

Korea’s streets looked empty and lifeless without him for a while. Not waiting for him after practice and not running a bath for him when he came from work made you feel like there was a big hole in your heart for a while, but you endured it, and you were proud of yourself for that. You were very strong.

You really wished he healed like you did.

After two years, you decided it was time to come back home. You thanked Maia and Chan for everything, booked a flight to Australia and came home. You rented an apartment and moved your whole life again. You were happy.

You even got a job. You had made it, you had healed. Jeongin appeared in your dreams occasionally, and he was a recurrent thought, but you were okay with that. You accepted it was a part of you.

It was different for Jeongin. The first eight months, he couldn’t breathe without you. He felt so guilty for hurting you, of being the man he had promised himself to never be. He wouldn’t stop blaming himself, because who else could he blame? It was all his fault.

He missed you. He needed you like oxygen. Every time he came home to a lightless house and empty rooms he felt his heart ache. His room was messy, you weren’t there to clean it.

He kept your things just like the day you left, he didn’t dare to touch them. All the pictures, your jewelry, it was still there strictly untouched. He was scared someday you’d take everything you left there, he would’ve understood if you did, but you never did. So, yeah, the pajamas you had left on your side of the bed after changing were still laying there untouched.

He realized he didn’t know how to cook, you always did it. He had to learn how to. His food was good, yeah, but he liked yours. Even when he followed the exact same recipe as you did, it always tasted different. He liked your food. He missed your food.

He missed the smell of you. He used your shampoo and your cologne for a while, until he ran out of them. He didn’t allow himself to keep buying them, it hurt him, so he used them one last time and let go of you.

With the help of him members, he decided to use all that pain and guilt he felt to become a best person, to heal, just like you wished for him to. The first thing he did was forgive himself. He knew he wouldn’t be able to do it if he didn’t. He apologized to everyone he had hurt, except of you. He could reach you easily, Chan had your contact and he was your friend. He’d been keeping Jeongin updated on how you were doing through it all. He watched you both hurt and heal in your own way at your own pace.

He apologized to the staff he screamed at when he was angry, to the friends he insulted brutally when they teased him, and to the members he blamed when he was stressed. He took all the responsibility and blame for his actions, and he handled it. He apologized for everything.

He liked apologizing. He used to hate it, it made him feel vulnerable, but now, he loved it. It was a way of showing his growth as a person, his healing.

FIVE YEARS LATER.

You had opened your own café. Yeah, your own, and it had been so successful! It felt so right. Everything was in order, everything was okay now.

You handed your customer the coffee she had ordered and smiled at her. “Have a great day!” You said, and when she left, you smiled proudly. Your coworker, Olivia— Ollie, how you liked your call her, approached you.

“Y/n, there’s someone waiting for you. Table 6” She said. You frowned, who could be visiting you now? All your friends were working, and your family lived far away.

“What? Who?” You asked her, but she didn’t answer. “Ollie!”

“Just go, girl!” Ollie replied, pushing you slightly towards the small door that divides the kitchen and the café.

“I can’t go now, my turn hasn’t finished yet.” You answered, trying to come back, but she kept pushing you.

“I’ll do it for you. It’s not a busy day, anyway” Mario, another of your coworkers— and one of your dearest friends, said. You groaned frustratedly, they were so stubborn. But you accepted.

You undid the ponytail you had your hair in and walked to the table 6, like Ollie told you.

Then, you saw him. He was looking at you. He was so changed, his aura was so much different, he was shining. He looked like he had healed. Just like you wished for him to. You, confused, walked up to him. He smiled at you sweetly. That sweet smile that made you fall in love with him. Without a word, you say in front of him. You decided to let him talk, say everything he wanted to after almost seven years.

“It’s been a while, Y/n” He smiled, his dimples showing cutely. You couldn’t help but smile, suddenly feeling shy. He used to always make you feel shy.

“Yeah.” You breathed out. “You’ve changed so much” You notice. He nods.

“You have, too. You look beautiful.” He whispered, and you swore your eyes shined like the exact first moment he asked you to be his girlfriend. He looked up at the building and then back down at you. “So, this place is yours?”

“It is mine” You smiled proudly. You felt in love again. You shouldn’t, but you did. After so many years of missing him, crying for him, wanting to come back to him… you were in front of him. Finally. “Why are you here, Jeongin?”

His name sounded to sweet in your lips. He had never loved his name so much, until he heard you say it.

He sighed and your gazes connected. “I’ve spent the past seven years experiencing the consequences of my actions, trying to heal, like you wished for me to do the last time I saw you. I’ve forgiven myself, I’ve put my life in order, I’ve apologized to everyone I’ve hurt, except for you. I wanted to apologize to you.” He stated seriously. You knew this time he meant it. You were sure he had changed. This time it was different.

“In the past, I’ve hurt you so much. I was such a bad boyfriend, a bad company and a bad person overall. I’m these seven years, I’ve never felt confident enough to come and apologize to you, the person I’ve hurt the most. I’m so sorry you’ve had to wait so long for an apology.” He breathed and continued talking. “I made you go through so much, and I sincerely apologize to you. I know this won’t make it go away, all the pain I’ve caused you, but I do want you to know that I’ve grown up. I’m not that anymore, and I’ll never be. I’ve healed, just like you wanted me to. You’re the person I healed for. You’re the reason I decided to take care of the consequences, to take everything life throws at me because of my past mistakes.”

You looked down, fidgeting with your own hands. You didn’t know how to react.

“You’ve been the love of my life, and I’m so thankful that you were the one that made me realize all these things. Without you, I would’ve never been able to make it. You were my partner for so long, and I’m so grateful of all the happy moments we spend together. I’m sorry we ended up like that, I’m so sorry I made you live. For a long time, I couldn’t sleep at night. Guilty was eating me up.” He whispered. “I was sent on hiatus a week after you left. I wouldn’t eat or sleep without you. I was so blind by the control I had over you, that the moment I opened my eyes, you were already gone, and it was my fault. I had to go to therapy, and even though it took me over a year to get over it, I healed. I forgave myself, and I sincerely hope you can forgive me as well. I am sorry, Y/n.”

You smiled at him sweetly, that smiled he had fallen in love with. “To be honest, I didn’t expect you to come. After so many years of waiting for you, I gave up on waiting for an apology, or just an answer. You’ve made me hurt a lot, that’s true, but I do believe our relationship has taught me so much, and I wouldn’t be who I am without you. I don’t hate you. I hated you for a while, but I realized hate is pointless, and you can’t hate someone you’ve loved for so long. I believe I still love you, and I never will stop loving you, because you’re a part of me. I don’t miss you anymore, but like I’ve always told you, if you ever heard me, I will always love you, and you’ll always be in my heart. I forgive you, Jeongin. I know you’ve worked hard, and I’m so glad you decided to heal. That’s the only thing I would ever want from you. Thank you for coming here, I appreciate it.”

You didn’t realize the tears falling down your cheeks until you noticed his. He smiled and nodded, wiping his own tears with the back of his hand. He looked at you, his eyes showed love, care.

“That’s the only thing I needed to hear to finally close this chapter of my life and move on. Once again, thank you, Y/n. I will always feel grateful for meeting you, and I will always love you.”

You smiled sweetly at him and wiped your tears too. You nodded and giggled at how you both were crying over that.

“Dad!” You heard the voice of a little kid near you. You saw Jeongin pick up the kid and caressing his arms. The kid looked exactly like Jeongin. “Wonnie, say hi to Y/n” He said in a sweet voice. You loved this side of him. You loved him so much.

“Hi Wonnie, I’m Y/n” You said in the same tone. The little kid giggled and greeted you with his hands. “Is he your son?”

“Yeah. As I told you, in all this time I was able to put my life in order and… here he is.” He explained with a smile. You were sure he was going to be the greatest dad ever. You smiled and played a little with the child. He was so cute. That was until you heard a female voice.

“Love!” She yelled. That’s when you realized she was talking to Jeongin. He turned to look at her and signaled her to wait with his hands.

“She’s Alicia, my wife.” He explained. “I love her so much, and I’m trying to be the best husband for her. I’m trying to be the great partner I wasn’t in the past. I am so deeply in love with her.”

Ouch.

That had hurt so fucking much.

But what could you expect? Going back to him? He was just there to apologize, and you appreciated so much that he did. You knew he would be the greater husband for her, and you were happy for him. He has made it. He had healed, and so had you.

Now, you had to carry on with your life and let him live his. All of the mistakes and everything you once went through is just a way to learn, to be better, to improve and grow as a person.

You had wanted to give up in so many moments, but now, seeing how you’ve both made it and put your life in order, you realize this was the whole propose of it. Each person is a lesson. They come in your life, teach you something, and go. Jeongin’s path met yours with so much intensity and it was so hard to let go, but eventually, you continued with your own, and so did he. And you were proud.

It was bittersweet, but after all, he was just a lesson, like everyone else. You were just two teenagers that fell in love. You were just two teenagers that fell in love and loved each other like animals.

#skz #ficcidio #straykids #stray kids #kpop #yang jeongin #jeongin #jeongin fluff #jeongin angst #jeongin x reader #jeongin imagines #skz x reader #skz imagines #skz angst #skz scenarios #jeongin scenarios

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mickimagnum · 1 year ago

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Devin's Dude Ranch A Bachelorette Challenge

Horse Lover | Loves Outdoors | Rancher

Devin Delaney is a successful entrepreneur who made her wealth crafting award-winning nectar that sells up to $40k a bottle. However, she says her real passion is training horses, and she only started the nectar business as a way to fund it. Running a thriving business and training horses doesn't leave much time for looking for love. Devin has agreed to let 5 potential matches move into her home at Echo Valley Ranch for the duration of the challenge with the hopes of finding her soulmate. When asked what she's looking for she said, "Well, he's got to like horses first of all, and I want someone who isn't afraid to get his hands dirty. Someone who is also gentle, and smart. And kind. Someone who wants to share all the adventures this life has to offer...and share this ranch life with me. I guess, really, I want it all."

Some Fun Facts About Devin:

Has a Quarter Horse named Gale

Teaches horseback riding lessons

Frank and beans is her favorite meal

Wants to learn how to play guitar

Barely uses her computer

Thinks of herself as a tomboy

Wants 1 child, but not for a while

Has never been in a long-term relationship

Contestant Entry Guidelines:

Young adults or adults only

Because Devin is straight, please submit male Sims only.

No occults; humans only.

Give them any 3 traits you want.

They should be a well-rounded person, so please provide them with likes/dislikes.

You have 25 skill points to distribute however you would like. Again, I'm looking for some developed, believable dudes.

Please include as much information as you want in your entry! The more you can tell me about them (within reason of course) the better.

CC okay for genetics & first everyday outfit; the rest should be EA based.

Must be comfortable with me changing skin overlays, eyes, outfits, etc., to what fits my gameplay. (If I have to change anything I will stay as true to your vision as possible, fyi)

I will be choosing only 5 contestants and I plan to start posting the challenge gameplay Dec 4th.

Please be sure to tag me (@mickimagnum) and/or use #devinsduderanch to ensure I see your entry. Please send me an ask if you have any questions!

Be sure to post those lone cowboys by 11/20!

Contestants 🖤

Handra Diaz - @bloomingkyras

Houston Bloom - @invisiblequeen

James Stanford - @natolesims

Albert Robins - @bakersimmer

Milo Penn - @belsasim

Will your cowboy be the one to win Devin's heart?

#devinsduderanch #devin delaney #echo valley ranch #sims 4 bachelorette challenge #sims 4 bachelorette #simblr #sims community #the sims 4 #ts4 #submit your sims

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coolcattime · 6 months ago

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And Note That There is Only One Key [OC YTTD AU]

Characters: Rupert Delaney, Katherine Delaney, Dr. Braedan Thaxx, Myla Soliel, Medli Mistwalker, Idric Ba'lor

Additional Tags: Abduction, Threatens of Violence, Panic Attacks, Possible Character Death

Co-Writer/Editor: @theiratlas

Three different pairs of people all wake up in the same situation. They wake up restrained to beds. The last thing they remember is being abducted. And a phone call tells them that if they do not escape in time, they will be killed.

As they all realise that this situation is very real, all three pairs have to attempt to figure out the way to escape with varying results.

The First Trial of Your Turn to Die with my OCs.

AO3 Link

“Urgh…”

Rupert Delaney groaned as he woke up to bright light burning into his eyes. He blinked a couple of times, then a couple more, trying to remember when he’d installed a light that fuck-off-bright and how on earth he’d fallen asleep with it left on. He reached up to shield his eyes. Or rather he tried to.

He was confronted with the inability to move his arm. That was worrying enough itself. More so was after he tried to move any other part of his body and found the exact same helplessness. He tried to thrash wildly but even then, the result was the same. Rupert could not move at all.

He was completely restrained. Like a kick to the teeth, he was awake and full of adrenaline or fear or both. He could feel them. Tight restraints on his limbs and head and torso. Attempting to get any kind of grasp on his surroundings, he moved his fingertips across the surface he was strapped to. It felt like a bed? Maybe like a stretcher? Did he get in an accident?

He tried to think back to what he was doing before this, to what he had been doing before waking up here. And a memory hit, sharp and serrated. He remembered. There had been someone in his house. He’d heard a noise and gone to investigate. Then someone grabbed him from behind.

…Shit. That was about the clearest thought in his head. Had he really just been kidnapped?

“...Huh? Wh—?!”

There was a voice to his left. A voice that he instantly recognised, though desperately hoped he hadn’t. It was completely impossible that he’d be wrong about this, but still he hoped to god he was a fool.

“Katherine?” He spoke as clearly as he could despite the lump in his throat.

“Rupert?!” With that panicked reply, his hopes were dashed. As he’d thought and feared, his sister was here with him. He tried to turn to look at her, quickly being reminded of just how stuck he was. Who had grabbed them? What the hell did they want? What could they possibly—?! “No, no, no, no! Not again… This can’t be real!”

“Katherine! Breath, okay, li- listen to me,” He pushed down every screaming thought of his own as Katherine began to panic. He was terrified, obviously, but he couldn’t imagine how terrified she must be. He’d lost track of the number of hours the last few years he’d spent trying to comfort her, trying to make sure she felt safe. Because he wanted to be a good brother. Because she deserved to feel safe after everything. How on earth could he make her feel safe right now? It was an impossible task, he knew. He knew he needed to try though. “Let’s just talk this through. Are you hurt?”

“I… No, I don’t think so,” He could hear her struggling to keep her breathing steady. He'd heard it so many times before, her desperately trying to be calm when she wasn't. How could anyone be calm right now though? He was only barely maintaining any sense of calm because he had to try and help her.

“I can't move, though…” Her voice was meek and like shards of glass in his ears.

“Okay…” Rupert tried to keep himself focused on a task instead of a feeling. Another question. He needed more information to try to figure out if this was a ransom situation or…or something worse. “Do you remember how you got here?”

“I…” She hesitated for half a moment. “I was heading out on a date. I was waiting for the lift and… Someone must've been waiting for me in the stairwell or one of the other flats or just somewhere. I didn't see anyone or even hear anything and someone just grabbed me from behind.”

There was a dawning horror in her tone as she spoke, the speed of her words syllabically-quickening as it did. She was only barely keeping herself from hyperventilating. Rupert regretted asking, he had no words that could possibly comfort her. Instead, he swallowed as hard as he could, trying to swallow his own seethe.

How had the kidnappers gotten inside her building? The place had boasted about its security. She had picked the place because it made her feel safe. How could they dare to say they have any security at all if an abduction could happen like this, within their own fucking walls?! How was she ever going to feel safe there again now that this had happened?

The panicked breathing quickly being mixed with sobs reminded him that he had to stay calm. He swallowed again. He couldn't blame Katherine for panicking, but that's why he had to stay calm. Whatever the hell was going on, he had to stay calm for her sake.

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“Myla, what on earth are you doing here?!”

“Being strapped to a bed.”

Myla Soliel could barely even muster the deadpan tone that came out of her mouth. Of all the people to be abducted alongside. Him, really? And she had been having such a great life not thinking about him. With him not in it.

There were probably things that she should be more focused on. Namely being abducted in the first place. However, with everything that had happened in her life, it was not so unbelievable to Myla that she would wake up strapped to some kind of hospital bed staring up at a sterile white ceiling, with that distinct smell of mould killer filling the walls. What was unbelievable, or rather completely and frustratingly annoying, was waking up in said position in the same room as her ex-employer Doctor Braedan ‘Edan’ Thaxx. Actually, that wasn’t that unbelievable, just those other things.

“Ah, well, yes,” Thaxx fumbled through his response. Did he really think he could act the way he used to with no difference? “Though that isn’t quite what I meant - how did you get here?”

“I was grabbed. By several people. I was headed to a job,” Myla didn’t really feel like going into much more detail. Given that they were both here together, it seemed incredibly unlikely that anything she was currently doing was to blame for her forced summoning. If she was here with Thaxx, her predicament was almost certain to pertain to him. “I assume I was drugged at some point, given current circumstances.”

“A similar incident happened to me,” Thaxx started in a way that sounded almost wistful in a way that he certainly shouldn’t be. “It’s a real shame - them getting into the lab like that has surely compromised some invaluable research.”

“...”

Myla’s lack of response was chosen and pointed. She would be incredibly unsurprised if she was actually dead and this was a form of divine, immortal, punishment. Sure, she wasn’t particularly religious, but at least if this was hell, she didn’t need to think about the why’s of this or a way out of them both. One thing’s for sure however, if this was hell, the divine are some cruel bastards.

After a couple of moments, Thaxx appeared to realise his faux pas. Or at the very least realised that he was not going to get a response.

“Oh, though I’m happy to know that you’ve found further employment,” He said in the way that one does when they have to speak niceties into a topic that they were only half-listening to. Awkward and far too obviously forced.

“Yes, I have,” No thanks to you, she added, internally.

She'd say he seemed surprised, but that would be adding malice that didn't actually seem present. She supposed it was not something that mattered right now. Unfortunately, it seemed this situation was very real. Which meant she unfortunately meant that she needed to actually focus. “Though I don't think that should be the focus right now.”

“Ah yes!” It seemed to only just occur to Thaxx that the two were strapped to beds and were surely in at least reasonably-grave danger. There was a beat of quiet. “Well, you are rather the muscle of the two of us. Can you get us out of the restraints?”

Myla inaudibly huffed. He had gone right back to ordering her around. Of course he had, why wouldn’t he? How could he even consider that she might have changed? Had she?

Myla decided to compartmentalise that for later. Right now, she had an abduction to escape from.

She attempted to move, if even just a millimetre. But all she found with her efforts was that there was absolutely no slack. Now that in itself was informative, if odd. It meant either whoever brought them here knew their precise sizes or had spent a good length of time securing loose ends and extraneous possibilities. Neither was exactly promising for the situation they found themselves in.

“I can't move at all,” She said after a good few tries to gain any freedom whatsoever. They weren't getting out of here until whoever had abducted them wanted them to get out. A fact you never want to be true. “If I had an arm free, I could try pulling things around. But in this rigging, I won’t be, no.”

“Well… erm…” Thaxx flustered and out of depth. He was still utterly unable to process her saying something was impossible then.

She considered asking if he had any idea who had grabbed them. It was, after all, almost certainly people interested because of something he did. However, before she could, there was a loud whipping noise. Akin to one letting go of a heavy-duty tape measure. As if the world had a sense of irony, the restraints on Myla’s right arm were all released.

“So - it seems you now have a free arm.” How is he smug right now?

She was able to resist the urge to throttle him, if only because it was currently impossible. She'd have plenty of time after they were free, she added that to a long to-do list.

Now it was time to test exactly how strong these restraints were.

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“Just one arm. Odd they didn't just leave it free to begin with,” Idric said, stretching his fingertips rhythmically as he regained such a small freedom.

“Maybe we both had to be awake?” Medli suggested the only thing she could think of. Better to suggest blindly and hope than fester and panic, she thought

Her heart was still pounding in her ears. Being grabbed and kidnapped from her home was bad enough, waking up completely restrained was a complete nightmare. Only in her worst nightmares did she imagine anything like this happening. And now there was the possibility that someone was watching them? It made her bones bend and her skin crawl.

Of course, there was the possibility that it had nothing to do with them both being awake. That it was just on a timer. But that wasn't much of a comfort though. Nor did it stick particularly right in her head.

“Someone's watching us, aren't they.”

“Sure feels like it, doesn't it,” Idric said, a mild amount of annoyance in his tone. It felt normal in a way that was comforting to Medli. If Idric was acting normal she didn't need to panic.

She could listen closer, hear the fear he was trying to hide. But Medli needed to pretend he was fearless so she could pretend to be the same. As if waiting for a queue, there was a loud snapping of his fingers. “Well! We've been given some freedom. We may as well use it. Never know where a release button might be!”

“Right! There must be something we can do now!” Medli said, already attempting to squeeze her fingers under the remaining restraints.

She knew she was looking at this far too much like a puzzle, but it stopped her from thinking too much about the whole why of them having been kidnapped. If this was a puzzle, then that was the reason why. A puzzle was better than, like, losing a kidney or a lung.

Unable to pull away any of the restraints, she started feeling along them. She quickly found her way to the edge of the bed. It seemed that the restraints warped all the way around. Logically that meant the releases would be underneath and she definitely couldn't reach that far. So instead, she tried to feel along the edge. There had to be something…

Miraculously, or perhaps the complete opposite, there was! She had found something.

“There's a keyhole! Attached to the restraints on the side of the bed!” Her heart was pounding louder and faster. She'd found a way out.

“That's great! Now if we can just find a key…” Idric went quieter. Medli listened as he clicked his tongue a number of times. He'd know what to do next. She was sure he would. “Can you reach the floor?”

Medli, though confused by the question, still stretched her arm down. She strained to reach as far as she could go. With the rest of her body locked in place, that wasn't exactly very far.

“If I reach straight down my fingertips can just touch it,” She said as she managed to just barely touch the cold tiles. She trusted thoroughly this would be worth the feeling of her ribs behind her teeth.

“So you wouldn't be able to grab anything?”

“No…” Medli felt almost as if she had done something wrong, like she’d failed them. Every anxiety and fear was kneading together. Of the abduction. Of whatever was going to happen to them. Of failure.

A click of Idric's tongue.

“Hopefully one of the keys isn't over there,” He said.

“Wait,” Medli started, once again perceiving reality through a not entirely fear coated lens. So probably a much unhealthier reaction, but she didn't have time nor the inclination to acknowledge that. “You really think the keys will be in here?”

She heard him drumming his fingers against the bed. The sort of thing he did when he was trying to work out his thoughts. She could almost picture him turning to her with a frustrated look.

“You feel it too right, that this is all a bit—”

Before Idric could finish, he was cut off by an all too familiar tune filling the room. It was enough to make Medli freeze as she realised that she hadn't actually checked her pockets.

“Is that your phone?”

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“They missed your phone! They missed it!” Elation flooded through Katherine’s words as her brother's jazzy ringtone filled the air. It was hard to tell if she was laughing or crying but all Rupert knew was it was far better than the rapid breaths that she had been barely passing words through. “We can get help!”

“Help might already be calling!” He finally felt lucky. Not only did he have his phone, he had a hand free to reach it.

He reached down to his phone, having never had a moment where he had wanted to thank God more. He pulled it out of his pocket, attempting to think through how the hell he'd explain the situation to whoever was calling. For the briefest moment, he felt something else in his pocket brush against his fingers. However, whatever forgotten junk he had seemed so unimportant with a ringing phone and therefore a way to get help.

He answered the call without looking, not caring who might be on the other end.

“Hey! Whoever this is, you need to call the police! Rina and I, we've been—”

“Beginning voiced guidance.”

Rupert jolted the phone away from his ear as the speakerphone came on automatically. He didn't recognise the voice, though it sounded like the sort of thing you'd hear on only the most taxing of automated answering service. Not robotic per say, but scripted and emotionless.

Confused to all hell, he raised the phone above his face. Maybe the number would tell him something? And maybe it would've done. But there wasn't a number. All there was, was the words ‘Voice Guidance: Please listen closely.’

“The First Trial will now begin. Katherine and Rupert. Find the key hidden in this room. Then, remove your restraints. If you cannot do that before time expires, the device in the bed will activate… And your bodies will be crushed. With a thud.”

Wait… a what?

Rupert listened in a mix of disbelief and horror. This had to be some kind of joke. He had no time to fully process a better explanation than this being reality as the voice continued speaking.

“By all means, please enjoy this thrill with all your entire body and soul. This trail’s time limit is a healthy ten minutes. And note that there is only one key, so please discuss who will use it wisely.”

The line went dead. There was just silence.

Rupert almost wondered if he should laugh. It had to be a joke, right? He and his sister couldn't have been kidnapped and strapped into a deathtrap like they were in some low-rate horror movie. It was fucking ridiculous.

But he didn't have time to rationalise the situation like that. As his heart began racing, he realised that ten minutes was far too short a time span to do anything other than act.

“Are we—” Katherine’s words caught in her quickening breath. She was more terrified than he had ever heard her. “Are we going to die?”

“No, we're going to get out of here. Both of us, safe, alive and laughing again. I promise,” Rupert truly meant his words. He just wished his throat didn't feel so dry as he said them.

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“And note that there is only one key, so please discuss who will use it wisely.”

The call ended and Myla dropped her phone and let it fall. Immediately she began checking her pockets. If they were meant to find a key while only able to move an arm, it seemed like the best place to start.

“This is a joke, right? I can't be in a deathtrap,” Thaxx sounded more like he was trying to convince himself than legitimately believing such a thing. Myla half wondered if she was supposed to comfort him, but he hardly seemed to even be acknowledging that they were in the same situation. “This can't be real, can it? Surely not, this can’t be happening”

“What reason would they have to lie?” Myla asked reassuring out of instinct rather than care, stopping in her search as she did. Maybe she could have just left him to his denial, but that left him not doing anything to help when the key might be on his side of the room. As harrowing as it may sound, she may actually need his help if she wanted to get out of here alive.

“Well, erm…” He flattered almost immediately. However, his tone suddenly turned harsher. “Look, beds that crush you if you don't escape in time just don't exist. The idea that they were telling the truth is ridiculous.”

“A lot of people would say the same about the research you do,” Myla said bluntly. What did it matter what was apparently possible? The fact of the matter was that they had been abducted. Whoever had done so had a grunge at least a couple of years deep given how long it had been since she her ‘service was no longer required’. Even if this sort of death trap was impossible, they could’ve made it possible with this much time. Frankly, though, it sounded entirely possible.

However, she was mostly just perturbed that Thaxx of all people was citing impossibilities. Every bit of research she had watched over with was the sort of thing a conspiracy theorist would have a breakdown upon seeing treated so casually. Hearing him citing something as impossible was laughable.

“... This is some experiment. We've been trapped to see how we react.”

Myla had no answer to that. She had simply stopped caring enough to give him any comfort. Her eyes glazed over in the humming fluorescents This wasn’t new, it had happened long before she'd found herself locked in a room with him. Thankfully though, she wouldn't need to try any longer, as in the last pocket she was able to easily check, she found what she had been searching for.

“I've found the key,” She said as she pulled it out. It felt like it was made of a far cheaper material than any other part of the trap, but it was definitely a key. She placed it on her stomach as she began to search around for a keyhole. She could reach the floor easily enough, but she'd still prefer to not waste any time having to re-find the key if she dropped it.

“Great work, Myla! Now pass it to me!” Now that far too confident tone was enough to make her pause.

“...Why?”

“You heard the phone, right? There's only one key,” He said as if that was the only possible explanation needed.

“Keep going, please,” She said flatly. It took a lot of energy to not just tell him to fuck off and unlock herself. Yet despite the time limit, she was morbidly curious as to where he could possibly be going with this.

“...and, um, whoever gets off the bed first must have to free the other by some other method. I'm going to take that responsibility for you,” He said. Myla did not like the sound of that.

However, if she was going to figure out this situation, she needed quiet. And unfortunately, he had a tendency to not shut up if his ideas weren't listened to. So, she'd need to indulge him.

“Stick your arm towards me. If we can touch, I'll pass you the key. I don't want to drop it,” She wanted less to actually pass him the key, but losing the key in the middle of them both was the worst scenario they could end up in.

“Good thinking,” She could hear his arm move and knew, whether she truly wanted to or not, she had to follow suit. “I'll get us both out of this, I am sure.”

Despite how confident he sounded, Myla felt like she was reaching towards her own death as she stretched out to find his arm well within reach.

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“I found it!” Medli exclaimed as she pulled the key from her blazer pocket. She spoke with a tone that would normally be associated with showmanship, like she had flourished the key in the air with a little spin. But she had the thing in a death grip.

Every clumsy mistake she had ever made was flashing through her head. She couldn't drop the one key. She could picture it. If she loosened her grip even a little, it'd slip out somehow and end up on the floor out of her reach.

“Great! Unlock yourself!” Idric said without hesitation.

“Wait, shouldn't I pass it to you?” She couldn't stop hearing the phone's message in her head. There was only one key. Surely Idric should have it. He was older than her and she knew he was smarter. If the beds could really kill them then he should have the key.

Because Medli knew herself. She tripped over her own feet. She dropped phones, and glasses, and—And keys! She constantly dropped keys! If she tried to unlock herself, she was sure that the key would end up on the floor. Then what? They'd just be stuck waiting for ten minutes.

Then there was a far more terrifying possibility in her head. The one where didn't drop the key. The one where she freed herself and couldn't save Idric. Crushed with a thud.

“Of course not. You already have it, you should get yourself safe first,” He sounded far too calm.

“But they said there’s only one key!” Did he not realise that if she used the key then he’d be stuck? At least if he freed himself, he’d have the chance of getting her free by force.

“Exactly! So, either the key unlocks both of our beds and this whole thing is just to get us to fight, like in Saw V,” He chuckled at his own aside, as if it was more important than the phantom sounds of the ticking clock. “Or the key only works on one bed, but that’s not going to change based on who tries the key first.”

He spoke quickly, galloping through each word with poise, as much as he wouldn’t admit it, he was pressed for time.

Medli squeezed her grip tighter. She understood the point he was making, though she really wished he wouldn't bring up horror movies right now.

“Either way, there's no harm in it.”

“I… Okay,” She couldn't argue against him, but she was still terrified. Maybe it was silly. He made a good point. A key couldn't not work on a lock it was meant to work on. Yet her mind was so far from logic.

It took every bit of focus she had to keep gripping onto the key as she re-found the keyhole. It fit in perfectly. She turned it, but she couldn't get the thought out of her head that she was making a decision she couldn't take back.

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“Please, just try and reach out. You can take the key and unlock yourself and you'll be safe,” Rupert felt his hand shaking as he begged for his sister to just unlock herself. He knew what the voice on the phone had said. There was only one key. So Katherine should use it. He just needed her to reach out and take it.

“I can't. I—” Her voice cracked. It was the sort of panic he'd heard before. The sort that he had spent weeks learning methods to coax her out of. But methods like that only worked if they weren't actually in danger. “It's happening again… you're gonna die— I'll have to watch you die… I can't—”

He took a shaky breath as he heard his sister spiralling. The key felt heavy in his outstretched hand. A horrible numb feeling was settling in. She wasn't going to take it. There was only one thing he could do.

Being more careful than he had been with any task in his life, Rupert unlocked his own restraints.

The loud whipping sound once again hit his ears as his entire body was freed. As fast as he possibly could, he pushed himself off the bed, grabbing the key back from the lock at the same time. Get Katherine free as fast as possible. That's all he needed to do.

Actually standing up made his freeze though. The room was almost completely bare, pretty much just the two beds in it. But there was Katherine. The position she was in was enough to make anything stop dead. Fixed in place by green straps on her head, chest, two points on her legs and two points on her right arm. It was the same position he had been in, except she had her opposite arm free. Actually seeing it was something else though.

She hadn't even reacted to the noise of him being freed. Her breathing was still rapid. Her free hand was attempting to pry away the restraint on her chest. He didn't know how long he stood staring at the horrifying reality before him. Though he hoped to god it was only a second. The moment he realised he had frozen, he pushed through and forced himself to move.

She wasn't going to be stuck for much longer. He rushed the short distance between them. The moment he was close enough, he took her hand. Squeeze for six seconds, loosen for six. He wasn't counting the seconds as he normally would, but he did his best to keep rhythm as he crouched down to better reach the keyhole. Just a couple sixes.

“Rupert. You're—" A steadier breath than before. “You're safe!”

“Yep! Safe and alive. And you're going to be safe too in just a—” Rupert's voice died in his throat as he tried to unlock her. Tried because the key didn't fit.

He let go of her hand to try and force it. It had to be stiff. Or he had the wrong angle. Or! Or!

He stared at the lock. The key was so clearly too big for it.

And note there is only one key, so please discuss who will use it wisely.

He had used the one key on himself. He could've insisted harder, but he didn't and now she was going to—

“Fuck!” He threw the key at the wall. The impact was nowhere near hard enough for how much he'd fucked up.

“What's wrong?!” He had to tell her. He knew that he had to tell her. But he wasn't even sure if he could say out loud the god awful reality he'd put himself in.

“I used the one key on myself and now…” He felt nauseated. He knew he had to say more, but he didn't want to. Saying the words felt like he was cementing them even if they were anyway true. “Now it can't unlock you. I'm sorry, Rina. I'm so sorry.”

“That's…” He couldn't read her emotions as she spoke and immediately hesitated. He couldn't bring himself to look at her when he'd messed up so badly. “That's not how keys work. It must have always just unlocked you. Maybe the keyhole on my bed is just a distraction. What else is in the room?”

It was the calmest she had sounded since waking up. Her words managed to jump-start Rupert's mind past his own frustration and fear. She was right.

He looked around the room, actually trying to take in the few objects there were other than the beds. There was another solution somewhere here. There had to be.

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“So it fits your lock… How expected.”

Myla had absolutely no idea why Thaxx had decided to voice that particular thought. Especially now that she wasn't restrained and very much could crush him herself if she wanted to.

She decided not to give into that thought. As tempting as it was, passing the key back and forth had probably wasted about half their time. That technically wasn't a concern for Myla as she pushed herself off the deathtrap, but she didn't exactly feel like dooming Thaxx. So it was time to try and figure out the way to unlock him.

As she stood up, she surveyed the room. While the beds took up most of the room, there were still some other notable things. The numbers 1374 written on the wall. A piece of sandpaper hanging from some cord. A panel on the far wall that looked like some kind of combination lock. Not a lot, but alongside the key and her phone, it made for enough possible solutions to eat away at her time.

The restraints, now she could actually see them, she realised were red. The same colour as the key. Thaxx's restraints meanwhile were green. A bit of a sarcastic clue for who the key unlocked given that she couldn't have possibly known the colour of either of their restraints until now, but that was at least confirmation that the key was always meant to unlock her.

“I believe there's a puzzle. I need to complete it for us to leave,” Myla said, deciding it was better to not leave the man completely in the dark. If he knew she was working, he'd probably keep his mouth shut anyway.

“Ah! Describe the room to me. I'll figure this out for you,” Now there was something she hadn't asked for.

Y’know what, if he was going to insist on continuing to order her around.

She gave a brief description of the room and all the items she had noticed. As she did, a solution clicked into place on her head. Thaxx, however, seemed to be taking a little longer to consider. She watched his face change, wondering if he had been listening when they were told this situation had a time limit.

She supposed that getting the correct solution did now matter a lot more to him than it did to her. Still, though, in a situation where his life depended on it, you'd think the man would think a little faster.

She considered giving out her solution.

“The combination lock, can you input numbers?” He asked. She hadn't actually checked that. She trudged past Thaxx's bed to the far wall and actually get a close look at the thing.

“Yes, it's made up of four number tumblers,” She said as she got into view of the thing. She gave each a test spin. “Seems like the standard zero to nine.”

“One. Three. Four. Seven!” He said plumbing each syllable the way one might at a pub quiz.

Myla did as he said with a heavy eye roll. Obviously, she couldn't have figured out such a thing without the input of the genius doctor. Thank god he was here.

As she turned the tumblers into position, she wondered how long it would be until he realised the pointlessness of her doing this.

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Idric wouldn't say he was worried per say as Medli had fallen silent and he remained stuck on a death trap. At the very least he knew she was safe, though that didn't put his mind at nearly as much ease as he'd like it too. Mostly because partway through describing the room to him, she had suddenly run over to something and now all he could hear was the sound of scraping plastic.

“I know I said I trust your judgement — and I do — but could you explain exactly what you're doing?”

“There was sandpaper. I'm sanding down the key,” Medli said, not looking up from her task as she worried if she stopped for even a moment she wouldn't get it done within the time limit. She knew that if anyone could see her, she'd look insane, but Idric's life depended on her doing this. So she needed to keep focusing on it. Bloodied up index finger aside.

That or she had fixated on completely the wrong thing. And she'd figure that out too late and Idric would— No! No, this was the right thing to do. She was sure of it. This was worth it. It had to be.

“I know I can't really see the room, so maybe I'm missing something, but didn't you mention a combination lock?” Idric asked. Medli bit her lip. He sounded frustrated. Or maybe he was anxious? Anxious made sense in this situation and wasn’t an emotion she heard from him too often. Maybe she was just mixing them up.

She should probably try and explain her thought process. It was just that she was never really much good at that.

“It isn’t connected to anything. Like yes, it’s there. But it isn’t actually there. You’d see it the same if you could, uhm see it. It’s just all dangly. Don’t even worry about it” She said, her usual hyped-up tempo and candace made her sound almost nonchalant despite her stressed clung up sternum.

“Good to know you’re confident,” Idric breathed, he trusted her, he just couldn’t find the words. Trying desperately to laugh as he normally would, it got caught. It sounded hollow. Medli felt herself shaking.

“No, like I mean it. It isn't physically connected to anything. Nothing that a key might come from or into or even anything to show it's connected to the beds at all,” The more she tried to explain it the less confident she felt. It had made so much sense in the moment but now she felt terrified that she was missing something.

“So why the sandpaper?”

“The voice on the phone said there was only one key. So it has to work on both locks, but it's too big for your bed. So there has to be a way to make it smaller, and it felt kinda odd, and there was sandpaper… So sandpaper!” She could feel her explanation rattle out of her throat, the vultures picking at it as she spoke. She knew her logic wasn't flawless in the first place but saying it out loud was making her feel stupid. So stupid. Was she too focused on trying to sand down the key? Maybe, but inputting codes into the wall wasn't going to take nearly as long. She could try that second if this really was just her taking a giant leap in logic.

But this wasn't a waste of time. She was sure of it. Why would there be sandpaper if she wasn't meant to use it?

“Okay, Meds, I trust you,” Idric actually sounded relaxed. At home almost. Finally.

Good. That was good. If he didn't trust her, Medli had no idea what she would even do.

She was not going to let him die. She… she had no idea what she'd do if he did.

💀 💀 💀

“Why hasn't it done anything?” Rupert smashed his fist against the panel in a frustrated attempt to get it to actually work. It had made a noise when he had first input the number. It had to have done something. But apparently not as nothing in the room had actually changed.

So he was stuck racking his brain for anything he might have missed. Maybe he was meant to put in the numbers in a different order. Or maybe it was maths. Or maybe there were some completely different numbers he was meant to input. There were thousands of possible combinations. How was he supposed to guess the right one?

“Maybe it just doesn't do anything?” Katherine suggested. Though she was far calmer than earlier, she didn't sound exactly sure in her words. The code panel has seemed like the obvious solution, especially with numbers written on the wall like that. Now though it was pressing at her mind that it was too obvious. “Maybe it's just meant to distract us.”

“It has to do something. There's nothing else here!” The room was so empty. If the panel did nothing, then what in the room could possibly be the solution? “It's this panel, the key, my phone, and some sandpaper!”

“Sandpaper?”

“Yeah. There's a piece of it hanging in the corner,” Had he not mentioned it when originally describing the room to her? Possibly not, it still didn't seem important to him now. But that didn't stop his nerves from building as he watched his sister take in the information.

“Why on earth would there be…?” Katherine murmured before going silent. Rupert waited a moment to see if she would speak again, but she seemed lost in thought.

He'd found her increasingly hard to read since he'd gotten free. She wasn't actively fighting a panic attack, which was definitely a good sign. Still though, he couldn't tell if she was actually calm or more just scared beyond expression. He wasn't even sure which he'd prefer given the situation she was stuck in.

He just wished that she would say whatever she was thinking. Maybe she could figure out what he couldn't and then she'd be safe. But he couldn't just rely on her. There had to be something that he'd missed. It didn’t make sense that their abductor would put so much effort into a game just to kill her.

In desperation, he went back to the key. Maybe there was a code written on it that he'd missed or something. It looked like he'd thrown it hard enough to damage it, as a couple of tiny red chips felt from it. It didn't feel nearly as solid as it had before either. Slightly confused, he shifted the key in his hand. It felt like something was shifting inside.

Then for a brief second, he saw it. The tiniest hint of green poking through the red. It clicked into his head in a sudden horrible flash.

He turned on his heel to reach and pull down the sandpaper. Practically sliding into place, he knelt by the lock on Katherine’s bed. Every part of him was focused on sanding down the key. He didn't even acknowledge the confused questioning from his sister.

He had to still have enough time. He might be a goddamn idiot for not realising the solution earlier. He'd take that. But he had to still have enough time left to save her.

💀 💀 💀

“There must be a combination we missed! Try them again!” Thaxx's impatience was very quickly turning into desperation and derision as he realised that his solution wasn't working.

Myla huffed a little too loudly as she turned back to the panel and began to shift the tumblers again. She wasn't even sure missing a combination was possible. The panel didn't have a confirmation button, so just turning to the right combination would be enough.

Assuming there was a right combination, of course.

“I'm pretty sure that I've done every combination of the digits on the wall,” She said, hoping to finally move on. It didn't seem like quite a likely thing for him to do given how he had been the whole time. But she wanted to make her stance clear at least.

“Then… then the numbers on the wall must be a red herring,” Oh, so he'd finally gotten it. “The code must be a significant number to the both of us.”

Or not. She stood in wonderance of what number he could possibly mean given that this was the first time they'd met in three years.

“Ah! Try the date of the first job I gave you.”

Myla stood in silence, perplexed. Was he actually being serious?

“You remember that date, don't you?”

“Yes,” She wondered if he did. Probably not given that he didn't tell her the exact numbers to put in. Though admittedly she was not exactly in the state of mind to be giving him credit.

She turned the tumblers to the date. Nothing happened. For half a moment, about a dozen dates filed through her mind. Each night had the potential to be the reason the two were here. However, she quickly shoved them to the back of her mind. If it was anything to do with one of those jobs, they'd be clues in the room to make sure they knew why they were here. There wouldn't be this kind of guesswork.

Briefly, she turned her gaze towards the sandpaper. She carefully considered her options as Thaxx continued listing off numbers for her to try.

💀 💀 💀

Medli stared at the key in her hand trying to see if any red pieces were still stuck to it. She was acutely aware that she didn't have time for perfectionism, but she couldn't shift her anxieties. Still after three checks over, she couldn't see any of the red coating left on the part of the key that would actually go into the lock. With an intake of breath, she pushed the key onto the keyhole and turned.

Loud whipping noises filled the air. She breathed out. She'd done it. Idric was safe.

She slumped. As Idric stood up and off the bed, all the energy suddenly left her. She knew she didn't have time to rest. They had all been abducted by people who had shoved them into a death trap. They shouldn't stay in this room.

But she wanted to just curl up and cry. Her school uniform felt uncomfortable in a way that made her want to scratch her own skin off. She was shaking, trying to catch her breath despite how she hadn't realised she had been breathing so rapidly until this very moment.

A gentle hand squeezed her shoulder.

“You alright?” Idric asked, offering his other hand to help her off the ground. She didn't take it, scrambling up herself with a sudden burst of energy.

“I should be asking you that! You could've died!” She couldn't believe him. He shouldn't be trying to comfort her right now. That was what she was meant to do! She'd literally had his life in her hands! He gave her a smile.

“With you working to free me? Nah. Was never going to happen,” He said with such confidence that she laughed. How did he believe in her so much? She felt like she was on the verge of a breakdown. Like she had been moments away from getting him killed.

Her laugh faded into tears as every bit of focus she had forced into the task died away into fear. She nearly collapsed to the ground, but Idric pulled her into a tight hug.

“It's okay kid. We're both okay.”

They were both alive. They were both safe. Now they just needed to get out of here.

#cat's fanfiction #cat's oc #yttd oc au #yttd fanfic #your turn to die #yttd #Rupert Delaney #Katherine Delaney #Myla Soliel #Dr. Braedan Thaxx #Medli Mistwalker #Idric Ba'lor

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heartwars · 1 month ago

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delaney pauses as she looks over at the other from the book that she's reading , " aspen .. " she speaks softly , shifting a little bit as her cheeks flush . " that's never a good combination , hm ? "

"c'monn, i'm bored and horny," she whined at the other. "just lemme breed you real quick."

open for f/femme faces choose from sydney, aspen (gif), arden

#꒰ delaney faulkner ꒱ ⌗ threads #i hope this is okay !#also .... werewolf things... would never say no !#gcdfvcked

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kindnessisweakness2 · 2 years ago

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Delusional - Part 24

Jax's eyes widened in shock as he watched Delaney Grab the barrell of the gun. Lunging forward, taking Alex down to the floor as 3 shots of the gun fired, Jax screamed as he watched Delaney fly backwards. Smashing his fist into Alex face twice, Jax threw the gun away from him. He couldnt explain the relief he felt at the sound of the door flying open and the guys rushing in. Happy was the first to Jax's side. "Take this piece of shit to the warehouse. I want him alive Hap!" Jax barked orders he knew the Tacoma Killer would be glad to Obey. Juice, Tig and bobby followed behind Happy, there was no way that slimy fucker was running away now. Chibs and Gemma were all over Delaney. Jax stood next to Opie, gripping is hair in frustration as tears fell. "She grabbed the gun Ope. H-he said she had to choose. She grabbed the fucking gun!" Opie did his best to comfort his best friend. They'd grew up together, and he'd never seen Jax like this. Not even when Tara left. Jax always jumped to Anger first. Never let emotions get in the way. Fuck, he'd only seen him cry once and that was when he got the news his dad died. After that it was all fighting and drinking the pain away. "She's gonna be okay. She's a fighter. Shes survived the worst. It's gonna be alright man." And as Opie patted his best friends back, he hoped with everything he was right.

Chibs worked fast. Faster than he ever had. Cutting Jax's hoodie away, revealing the once white vest top underneath, he packed gauze into the open wound in her shoulder. "Its still in there. Im gonna have to pull the bullet out." He looked at Gemma as he spoke, unable to keep the worry from his face. He'd never had to work on an old lady before, let alone his VPS. "Shouldnt we get her to the hospital? Shes pregnant for god sakes!" Gemma questioned. Clay and Chibs shook their heads at the same time. "No. It raises too many questions. Shes been in and out of hospital too much recently. I can handle this Gem. Shes gonna be fine." Gemma shook her head, hoping what he was saying was true. Jax leaned over his girl, kissing her forehead. "Shes got a shoulder wound. The other two bullets missed her. Shes very lucky lad, but shes gonna have to rest after this. The doctor said no stress and i dont know what effect this would have had on the baby." Jax nodded at chibs, not being able to manage words. He stayed there, leaning over the love of his life as she lay unconscious on their living room floor. He begged whoever was up there, God, his Dad, Thomas, that both her and their baby would be okay. She didnt deserve this. She didnt deserve any of it. Him? He was far from perfect. Maybe this was Karma for everything he had done wrong in his life. The best thing that ever happened to him was going to be ripped away.

White hot pain. Thats what Delaney felt when she opened her eyes. "Fuck" She groaned as she tried to sit up, but a hand flew out to stop her moving. "Dont." Jax spoke softly as he sat on the side of their bed. "Alex.." He cut her off. "Happy has him up at the warehouse on the Wahiwah. He's not getting away this time, im gonna make sure of it." Delaney sighed, "I was so scared he was gonna hurt you." Jax cupped her face and kissed her gently. "I cant believe you grabbed the gun. You idiot! You couldve been killed, Our baby..." It was Delaneys turn to cut him off. "I wasnt going to let you get hurt because of me. Yes im an idiot, but your important Jax. Your needed." Tears fell from Jax's eyes as he kissed her again. "Your needed. I need you" Delaney wrapped her arms around him, hissing at the pain and trying to be gentle because of the stitches. "I love you Teller" Jax smiled at her . "I love you too you idiot." Gemma, Chibs and Clay made their way into the bedroom at that point. Each of them wanting to check on her and Chibs handing her much needed painkillers."Now we know your both okay. I have halfsack fixing the bullet holes in your living room and Happy's getting antsy. He needs to know what to do with the scumbag." Clay questioned Jax. "I want to see him." Delaney stated to the shock of everyone in the room. "It's my turn to get answers. Also i have a question, has anyone else noticed this fucker only re surfaces after Tara rears her ugly head and causes an argument?" She could see everyone thinking it over. "Think about it, both times hes come back and attacked me its been when Tara has managed to seperate me and Jax." Chibs and Gemma nodded. "The bitch has to be involved some how." Delaney stood from the bed, "We'll im gonna find out." Jax tried to stop her but it was no use.

Delaney was determined to find out Tara's involvement in all of this.

She wanted Answers and she didnt care who she was going to have to go through to get them.

#jax teller x reader #sons of anarchy #jax teller #jax teller imagine #jax teller x oc #sons of anarchy imagine #sons of anarchy fanfiction

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jaigny · 6 months ago

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Delaney Dowell is galloping towards her chance at a Rock of Love! @rainymoodlet

Delaney Victoria- Rose Dowell

28 Years old

She/Her/They

Pansexual

Animal enthusiast, Generous, Socially Awkward, Family Oriented, Practice Makes Perfect/Perfectionist

(I find that she became a perfectionist after learning and maxing a few skills)

Her extra traits as I'm not sure if they are okay to use are observant, frugal, good mannered & responsible, grand champion trainer, frugal, quick learner, incredibly friendly, mentor.

Likes Retro & Easy listening music, colours orange & brown, horse riding & cooking, physical intimacy & affection, family motivated & pet enthusiasts

Dislikes Metal & Electronica music, programming & mischief, Malicious & Deception, Brussel Sprouts & Chowder, Isn't too fond of wasps and clubbing

She wears alot of black and neutral colours for her work as a Salary Saleswoman Mon - Fri so she likes to wear as variety of colours in a more jewel tone minus the few options of lighter clothing she owns e.g her swimwear.

Sat - Sun and holidays she works as a horsewoman and is now training up her latest 2 pride and joys - Texas and Philly and will eventually breed them together.

She retired from state grand championships in her late teen's (19) when she broke her arm in 3 places and had a moderately concerning concussion and is nowadays a picture of perfect health

Her childhood was relatively good, her grandparents loved her and taught her life's important lessons until they passed in each other's arms in their sleep. Her parents abandoned her when Delaney was 6 years of age (Her grandparents were in their late 50's when they took her into their loving care.)

She has no contact with her parents, nor have they even tried to reach out their sympathies but Delaney has years ago come to terms to the fact that they want nothing to do with her and hope they live the rest of their lives content.

She want's to find someone who loves her for her, and there's just something about Jackson Roth that's caught her eyes -- She admits shyly 's his eyes and smile. They just seem so warm and kind.

After her the homestead that she grew up on as a child was passed to her from her grandparent's will she continued on with their horse training and breeding as well as adding trail rides available for the younger audience etc

If there's any issues let me know etc and I hope you like her! @rainymoodlet

*Files*

Bonus fun photo of Texas and Philly

#the sims 4 #rockoflovebc

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happy-lemon · 1 year ago

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One day when Delaney was organizing her dresser, she found the phone number for the lawyer handling her granddad's estate. Between trying for a baby and then caring for Ajae, she'd completely forgotten about the reward. And Aerion's career had taken off, leaving them with no financial strain. But Delaney was curious, so she called the number.

A few days later, the lawyer came to the house and Delaney showed her photos of all the things she'd found.

"That looks like quite the adventure," the lawyer said, handing her an envelope with Delaney's name written in her granddad's familiar handwriting.

Dear one,

Since I'm departed from this world, I don't know if you accepted and completed the challenge I offered, but if you're reading this now...well done! I've always been proud of you, but especially so today.

If you've done it correctly, you should have had wonderful adventures and made new friends on your journey. A reward in itself, but not the reward. And knowing you as I do, my dearest Delaney, you will have made that old house into a home. Also a reward on its own merits.

For my next challenge, I am offering you another piece of property—this time a restaurant/café in Henford-on-Bagley. As with the house in Oasis Springs, it will need some TLC before it turns a profit, but I believe you're up to the task.

You're free to keep the house, but if you decide to sell, I ask that you offer it first to a young man by the name of Aerion Howard. He is the grandson of the original owner of the house and I regret that I kept it instead of giving it back to the family, so I hope you will take steps to right my wrongs.

I hope you've had a wonderful life thus far, and if I've had a hand it in at all, I'm glad. This will be the last letter, but know that I have full confidence in you and love you dearly.

~Granddad

Delaney had tears in her eyes and a smile on her lips as she looked at Aerion. "He wants me to sell you the house. If you want it."

Aerion laughed. "I'll give you twenty bucks for it."

"He's also given me a restaurant in Henford-on-Bagley," she said. "But it's going to need a lot of work."

"I'm up for it."

"Really?"

Aerion nodded. "To be honest, I've always wanted my own farm-to-table restaurant, and it might be a nice place to raise Ajae."

"Okay, then," Delaney said. "Let's move to Henford-on-Bagley."

#ts4 #sims 4 #ts4 gameplay #sim: delaney #sim: aerion #sally jessy raphael is that you?#generation delaney

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finishinglinepress · 3 days ago

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FLP BOOK OF THE DAY: Filing Order by John Delaney

On SALE: https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/filing-order-by-john-delaney/

Though only a few of these #poems are standard sonnets, John has been intrigued to experiment within their fourteen lines, sometimes with rhyme and a variety of structures, while still maintaining their strong (to him) argumentative, metaphorical nature. Read each “Poem as Map.” From “Newborn” to “Cremation,” from crossing the “Continental Divide” to straddling the hemispheres “At the Equator,” from “When I Grow Up (Since You Asked)” to “Riding an E-Bike at Seventy,” the poems in Filing Order cover the spectrum of #time and #place. They acknowledge we all have “Breaking Points” and “So Much Sadness/Sorrow Coming.” They recommend reading a “Selected Bibliography” and taking in “Scenic Views.” The poet asks “Let Me Tell You What I Think.” Say yes, okay. Listen “To the End”: “And that is how I spent my life with you. / The years were fledgling songbirds; then they flew.”

After retiring as curator of historic maps at Princeton University Library, John moved out to Port Townsend, WA, and has traveled widely, preferring remote, natural settings. Since that transition, he’s published Waypoints (2017), a collection of place poems, Twenty Questions (2019), a chapbook, Delicate Arch (2022), poems and photographs of national parks and monuments, and Galápagos (2023), a collaborative chapbook of his son Andrew’s photographs and his poems. Nile, a chapbook of poems and photographs about Egypt, appeared in 2024.

PRAISE FOR Filing Order by John Delaney:

John Delaney knows how to organise a poem around an idea and develop it structurally within the small compass of a sonnet’s 14 lines. Not many poets today seem to be able to do that. Once you open this book, his poems of memory and family, time, loss and hope, will surely draw you in as they drew me in, and you will go on reading.

–John Fuller, English poet, Oxford professor, author of The Sonnet, editor of The Oxford Book of Sonnets

John Delaney is talking to you. You should listen. In Filing Order you’ll see the world through the eyes of animals, a penguin family, several dogs, absent parents (and their vacation slides.) These all-short poems are the perfect size if you’re out of time (or simply impatient). There’s nothing longer than a page (with the exception of the multi-part Newborn – but you have to give babies some leeway). But don’t let their brevity distract you. Each has a weight to it. John could teach a master class in how to end a poem to leave the reader wondering if they’re still breathing. It’s all in here… life changes, death, divorce, downsizing. There’s a personal nostalgia that lands squarely in our universal experience. Read these poems before time slaughters you too. Filing Order is the evidence that John Delaney was here. It’s irrefutable.

–Rick Lupert, poet, author of It’s Spritz O’Clock Somewhere, and God Wrestler: A Poem for Every Torah Portion, proprietor of PoetrySuperHighway.com

Please share/please repost #flpauthor #preorder #AwesomeCoverArt #poetrybook #read #poems #time #place #life #nature #family #loss #hope

#poetry #flp authors #preorder #flp #poets on tumblr #american poets #finishing line press #small press

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cocoelle · 29 days ago

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Rocco: I hope everyone is ready to have some fun today?

Delaney: Naomi you and Scarlet stay close to Briana and Brittani ok?

Naomi: Okay Mommy.

Rocco: Keep an eye on them in there Briana.

Briana: Yes Dad.

Naomi: I like your Daddy, he's nice.

Briana: Your Mom is nice too.

Brittani: Daddy can we go on the Ferris wheel?

Rocco: Sure sweetheart, whatever you want.

Rocco: Everyone stay together. Briana keep an eye on the girls please. Briana, did you hear me?

Briana: Ok Daddy, I heard you the first time.

Rocco: Ok on the count of three everyone makes a scary face. 1....2....3....

Brittani: Can Naomi and Scarlet sleep over Daddy?

Rocco: Yes sweetheart they're going to sleep over tonight.

Rocco: Come here gorgeous.

Delaney: It was a good day today wasn't it?

Rocco: Was a perfect day gorgeous.

Previous / Next

#sims 4 #sims 4 gameplay #ts4 #ts4 simblr #ts4 screenshots #riffs and romance #rocco lawler #delaney cantrell #brindleton bay #nice to have someone to cuddle with after a day with the kids

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tessa-liam · 2 years ago

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Smoke and Mirrors - I Will Fight For You Chapter 2

Smoke and Mirrors

Chapter 2: I Will Fight for You

Book: The Royal Romance Finale AU

Series premise: Hidden in the shadows, poised to challenge the status quo are enemies of the state. The loyalties and honesty of family, and of friends, will be tested. ‘Keep your friends close, your enemies closer.’

Main Pairing: Liam Rys x F!MC Riley Brooks-Rys, OTP ‘LiRi’

2nd Pairings: Leo Rys x Amalas, (past, Olivia Nevrakis x Amalas) Drake Walker x F!OC Delaney Leigh

All characters belong to Pixelberry, except Delaney Leigh, Interpol Director Ryerson, Criminal Intelligence Officer Cossoy

Rating: M *Warnings: sexual innuendo, adult language/swears

Category: Alternate Universe/on-going series/angst/fluff

Words: 1968, Read: 8 minutes

Chapter Summary: Olivia starts her fight to remain in Amalas’ life. Bastien may have lost credibility with his King, but his truth will be the start of a new reality for Cordonia.

Chapter 2: I Will Fight for You

Music Inspiration: Fight Song by Rachel Platten

AN1: My submission for @choicesflashfics, Week # 16 Prompt #1. “All I ever wanted is right here in front of me”.

Previous chapter: Old Habits Die Hard

***

Royal Guard Palace Security Offices

Bastien was watching with trepidation as the Interpol agents gathered more physical evidence from the tampered jail cell. The cell door locking mechanism was removed along with the corresponding digital touchpad installed at the entryway to the bank of holding cells. The computer analyst had already electronically uploaded data from the Cordonian computer systems to the Interpol police servers, early this morning, during his interview with Officer Cossoy.

Going over in his mind the questions he was asked by the criminal intelligence officer, he was fairly confident that his answers that he gave were acceptable and not incriminating. The analysis from the confiscated iPhone didn’t have any circumstantial evidence of his involvement in any way.

That he was sure of, after personally reviewing the data.

There shouldn’t be any surprises this afternoon. Right?

He felt prepared for his meeting with King Liam this afternoon. However, he was anxious and reconsidered every detail in his mind of the answers he gave to Interpol.

What conclusions will Interpol discuss with the King?

What will he his reaction to those conclusions?

He woke up that morning feeling hopeful, but now, the guilt he always felt was now consuming him.

***

King Liam’s Study, Cordonian Royal Offices

Liam stood in front of the large bay window in his study, re-living the moment it registered in his mind that Riley was having twins.

“...and this baby is the twin of another baby right next to it, here.”

His smile grew wide thinking about having two more children in his family and what that will look like.

Will they be boys? Girls? Or one of each?

Ellie will have siblings!

Riley was making another dream a reality for him, and he was ecstatic.

When he heard the knock on the door, he redirected his thoughts to focus on the task at hand.

A potential security breach.

Turning at the sound of the guards voice, he regarded Leo as he walked into his study.

Liam greeted his brother, “Leo, hey, thank you for coming to this briefing early.”

“No problem, Li, how was the doctor’s appointment this morning? is everything okay with Riley?”

Moving to stand behind his desk, Liam grinned, “well, I...”, he paused shaking his head and smiling.

Leo tentatively returned the smile to his brother, raising an eyebrow, “what gives?”

Liam couldn’t get the words out fast enough.

“Riley is having twins!”

“Woah! Geez, man...congratulations! Two babies on one shot!

Impressive, little brother!”

“Only you would think of that, Leo!” Liam chuckled.

Leo walked over to his brother pulling him in for a one arm hug.

Laughing, Liam shook his head, “thank you!”

***

Monterisso Royal Offices

Amalas sat back on her office chair, waiting for the Interpol file to upload. She was working with her security forces to identify a person of interest requesting citizenship in Monterisso. Normally, her team would vet all new migrants, however when Interpol contacted her directly about this person, her interest was piqued, and she wanted to investigate further personally.

The analysis of the confiscated iPhone of the escaped prisoner uncovered decrypted information that pointed to a connection in her country. A drone manufacturer here in Monterisso.

Amalas sat back on her chair, reclining back to relieve the tension in her neck.

It was not a surprise that the ‘Spy Queen’ was personally asked by the Director for her expertise.

Amalas had developed drone software, as well, as set up ultramodern drone hardware manufacturing companies in Monterisso.

Interpol had previously acquired several models of surveillance drones and software for worldwide operations from Monterisso.

But the surprise came from Leo Rys; who mentioned that this person of interest had evaded the Cordonian Royal guard, and that King Liam had called Interpol.

The fugitive made a statement at the time of her arrest that she is a Monterrisan resident and was employed as a drone program analyst. In her search to identify this woman, being that they had no evidence of residency, or immigration papers, Amalas had found driver licensing documentation.

Her name is listed as Lena Eleanor Runarsdotti, formally from the country of Vallenheim.

She sat back up checking her phone on her desk that just pinged with a message.

***

King Liam’s Study, Cordonian Royal Offices

Discussing the revelation that Dr. Ramirez gave at Riley’s appointment, Liam conveyed his anger and distrust of the investigation into the death of his mother.

Leo was stunned, to say the least.

“Our father would have known about this pregnancy! My God, Li, is there no end to the fucking bullshit that he was hiding?”

“Why wouldn’t he tell me at some point that? Why would he not let me grieve for my unborn brother or sister? Did he grieve?”

“Maybe she wasn’t pregnant when she died. She was away often from the palace, especially before she passed.”

“Leo, what are you suggesting?” Liam was agitated at his comment.

“Li, something doesn’t add up…there’re missing pieces to this puzzle.”

Liam sighs in frustration, “I have instructed Interpol to analyze and re-open the murder investigation of my mother and now her pregnancy as well.”

That is another reason why I need you here in Cordonia.”

Liam could feel his stress level rising, his jaw clenching, he walked over to his bar cart. Picking up two crystal tumblers and a bottle of scotch, he returned to his desk.

“Anything you need Li, I will stay here for as long as you need me.”

After Liam handed his brother a drink, once again, the royal guard knocked announcing the arrival of the Interpol Director.

***

King’s Royal Chambers, Cordonian Palace

Sitting on the terrace, Riley sipped her orange juice while checking messages on her laptop.

There were several messages concerning Valtoria that she flagged for follow-up with her personal secretary. For the time being, Riley would work remotely with her key duchy council members, at Liam’s insistence.

Liam was determined to have his queen step back from her duties as duchess temporarily in Valtoria; not wanting her to travel long distances without him.

Riley sighed and shook her head.

He was going into ‘protective Daddy mode’, and to help facilitate that, he tasked Olivia with overseeing her duchy along with Lythokis.

Riley chuckled at the memory of Liam’s pleading look of concern as he successfully sold the idea to his wife.

“Excuse me, your majesty.” Mara, Riley’s personal guard, interrupted Riley’s thoughts.

“Duchess Olivia is here requesting an audience.”

“Thank you, Mara, please show her here to the terrace.”

Riley was not surprised that Liam had already arranged for Olivia to meet with her.

Olivia appeared at the doorway, grinning at her longtime friend. “Twin babies! Riley, I am so delighted for you!”

“Yes, it was a shock to say the least!

Thank you for coming to see me. Liv, please come sit.”

***

King Liam’s Study, Cordonian Royal Offices

Interpol Director Ryerson and Criminal Intelligence Officer Cossoy entered Liam’s Study. They both bowed to Liam and then shook Leo’s hand before sitting down at the boardroom table.

After pleasantries were exchanged, Director Ryerson wasted no time in stating their preliminary findings and suggested three plans of action.

“Firstly, to facilitate the installation and implementation of the proposed enhanced security protocols, I would like to imbed Officer Cossoy with your Royal guard.”

“Is there a perceived threat to my Kingdom, Director? A threat that the Royal Guard is not adequately equipped to ensure the protection of the Royal Family?” Liam questioned emphatically.

“Not at this time, your majesty. Your family is secure.”

“We do believe, however, that Bastien Lykel is a compromised asset, placed close to the royal family, during the time of King Constantine’s reign, by a yet undetermined element.

By staying in close proximity to the operations of your Royal guard, we can watch first hand Mr. Lykel.

“Bastien needs to be removed at once, especially now with Queen Riley’s pregnancy,” Leo exclaimed.

“With all due respect, Queen Riley will be safer with the increased presence of Interpol.”

“Does this ‘increased presence’ include added Interpol officers to her personal guard?” Liam responds.

“Yes, your majesty, Officer Cossoy has select, vetted guards to imbed to the Queen’s guard.

Director Ryerson continues, “The former Duke of Karlington, who is currently incarcerated, is also a point of interest here.

We need your approval to seek his extradition, Your Majesty, to our headquarters in Lyon, France.”

Liam at once answers, “whatever supports you need, of course. As well, I will assume you have evidence of Bastien’s complicity.”

The Director continues, “we have reason to believe Mr. Lykel has previously undisclosed information on the death of Queen consort Eleanor Rys and of Jackson Walker, as well.”

Even though Liam asked for a further investigation into his mother’s death, he was stunned at these revelations.

“Lastly, we have identified the true identity of the woman apprehended by the Royal Guard, that was later released by Bastien Lykel.

Her name is Lena Eleanor Rys. She is currently living in Monterisso, formally of Vallenheim. She was the ward of Queen Sigrid Runarsdottir, deceased.”

***

The sun was just setting, when Drake slung into his Ford F-150 truck. He was exhausted.

Tonight’s council meeting was complex. When Liam joined in with the Interpol officers, his world was flipped over with the new revelations.

His mind was still reeling from the intense meeting and the last thing he wanted to do was to go home to a lonely cabin.

Texting Delaney, he let her know that he would be stopping by tonight, hoping he could crash at her place.

When he finally pulled into Delaney’s driveway, he smiled wide when she greeted him at the door.

Upon receiving Drakes’s text, Delaney started to prepare a light, late meal for him, complete with home baked apple pie with ice cream for dessert.

Drake sat back, after his feast, content and relaxed.

“You were hungry!”

“This meal.... was perfect. Thank you...You really know how to spoil a guy!

“You’re welcome baby, anytime!” Delaney winks.

Drake smiles, “Laney, come over here.”

Moving to him, she straddles his lap.

“All I ever wanted is right here in front of me.”

Placing his hands on her hips, Drake doesn’t waste any time, pressing his lips to hers, then deepens the kiss. After a few moments Drake pauses, then cupping her cheeks with his hands. Gazing into her eyes, he confesses,

“Then stay with me tonight.” Delaney whispers.

@txemrn @bebepac @ao719 @peonierose @phoenixrising0308 @queenmiarys @703cowbarn @mom2000aggie @malblk21 @queenrileyrose @indiana-jr @winkyluxhumanoid @rubiwalker @harleybeaumont @kingliam2019 @marietrinmimi @imashybish @angelasscribbles @isha26 @sfb123 @cordonianredruby @hopelessromanticmonie @tinkie1973 @belencha77 @honey358luv @jared2612 @urfaveaesthetic101 @xpandass420x @kyra75 @late-to-the-fandom @sammiiieeevaaans @levdw-blog @blueaster-blog1 @imjusthereforliam @dcbbw @lovingchoices14 @queen-arabella-of-cordonia @miss-america-erica @princess-geek @karahalloway @cathx91 @walkerdrakewalker @squid-princess-teach-swallow @thesvnsins @surrenderronnie1 @delmissesryan @iaminlovewithtrr @choicesficwriterscreations

Please let me know if you want to be added or removed from tags

TRR: @busywoman

Leo & Amalas: @twinkleallnight

#the royal romance #liam rys #trr liam x mc #riley brooks #trr #always liam and riley #drake walker #leo rys #trf au #king liam rys #king liam #smoke and mirrors #tessa-liam

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astralfms · 2 months ago

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most days, femi's schedule is so jam packed she can hardly find a moment to think. there's not many times this bothers her, always preferring to lose herself in her ambition and keep herself busy. there's not much time to think about herself when she's tattooing, focused on her customer and making sure the piece on them would be one they'd love FOR LIFE. nor when she's meeting with partners or spending her nights at the club, coming home with just enough energy to shower and sleep and repeat. some days, though, it all catches up to her. days like these her schedule is cleared, her mornings are slow and her evenings are quiet. self care isn't her specialty, but being out of commission is a worse sentence to her than a day spent alone. living in palmview for ten years, it was easy for her to take the constant beach access for granted. unable to remember the last time she'd seen the ocean ( even though she lived less than ten miles from it ) femi found herself sat along the shore, watching herself sink with tide and rise with the pull. she'd planned to journal, her tote bag laying on the wicker blanket a few hundred feet away. however, once she'd gone for a quick dip in the water, she'd been unable to pull herself away. when she was younger, femi and her moms would collect shells and compare, taking a vote on who picked the shiniest one. today, she'd found it hard to turn any over, finally building the courage to pluck a clamshell washed in with a sharp wave. the second she picks it up is the second she becomes aware of the presence beside her, head pulling up as the shell turned over in her palm. “it's nice, isn't it ?” she hums, figuring it was an invitation for conversation. a welcome distraction, she nods her head for the other to come over, patting the sand beside her. “you do get used to it after a while, i won't lie to you.” tone is light, placing her shell under the water to wash away excess sand. “but that calm ? it stays, and by the looks of it you need that as much as me.”

Delaney leaned back in her chair at the Oceans Edge community pool, eyes shaded behind her favorite pair of aviators as she watched the kids in her swim class splash and laugh, their energy filling the warm afternoon air. Three weeks in Palm View, and she was finally starting to feel like she belonged—or at least, like she was finding her rhythm here. She was teaching four classes a week now, and word had spread quickly about the new instructor. Parents she’d never met waved at her in town, and some of the kids even ran up to her when they saw her outside the pool, chatting excitedly about their next lesson. She looked out at the water, spotting one of her youngest swimmers struggling to tread in the deeper end. Rising from her chair, she moved over, calm and encouraging as she coaxed him into a better position, giving a quiet cheer as he found his balance. “See? You’ve got it, Max!” she said with a proud smile, the boy’s beaming grin a reminder of why she loved this work. After her classes wrapped up, Delaney dried off, taking a moment to chat with the parents picking up their kids. She’d almost forgotten the weight she’d carried into this new life—almost. The ache of missing her father hadn’t gone away, but she felt him with her in small moments like these. He’d have loved to see her here, building something out of the love he’d inspired in her. Her thoughts drifted as she collected her things and walked out of the pool area, mindlessly making her way toward the beach for her nightly ritual. Just as the sun was setting, she slipped off her shoes, feeling the cool sand beneath her feet as she walked along the shoreline, letting the water wash over her toes. She took a deep breath, feeling lighter than she had in months. The past was still there, lingering just behind her, but for the first time in a long while, she felt like she was beginning to move forward. As she watched the waves crash against the shore, she felt her grief quiet down, making space for something new. "I could get used to this.."

#𓍯𓂃⊹ ࣪ ˖ femi x threads !#𓍯𓂃⊹ ࣪ ˖ femi x delaney !#delaneymatthews #hiiii i hope this is okay :D

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osmus · 11 months ago

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Hello hi hi. I've never done something like this before so I'm very unsure if this is right? Is this where u send in requests? Anyway I would like to request something from your current Milky Way event !! Specifically.. a Saturn.. the Saturn.. However you would .. word that... Very unsure.

The fandom is .. mystic messenger!! Honestly this fandom is very dead but it's still alive in my heart so that's what matters.

My favorite aesthetic is lovecore but I mash it with kawaii & decora as well.

The song is love letter from the sea to the shore by Delaney bailey . Most specifically the lines "I think I loved you, in a thousand ways cause you remain stagnant on my troubled days"

My fun fact about myself is that I have two cats. I'm cuddling with one while writing this (she approves)

It would be lovely if you could get to this request. Otherwise. I hope you have a fantastic time with your event !! Remember to have fun !!

+ hi lovely, your ask made me giggle—you're so sweet! you did everything right so no worries there! thank you so much for requesting! and thank you for the lovely wishes and reminder. also, i've missed mystic messenger, so i was definitely happy to see mystic messenger in my inbox. also please pet your cats for me! i'm happy to hear that the one who you were cuddling with approves :D

+ and without further ado, here's your matchup!

(want a matchup? check out my milky way event!)

matchup ⋮ saeyoung choi.

okay, i know what you're thinking and i definitely did not choose our lovely 707 because of your pfp. it was more of the song, especially the specific lines you included. from the very first lines, it felt like such a saeyoung song and dynamic. he immediately popped into my mind when i listened through the song. i can see saeyoung feeling this way about you—he falls hard and fast, even if he tries to maintain a distance. i can definitely see him thinking that the love you two share would last lifetimes. he'd love you in ancient greece, in the far futuristic future, but especially in your current life together. also, i think he'd find your aesthetic very cute! i can see him buying you things that remind him of you and your aesthetic, so you should expect that.

ideal date ⋮ beach date beach date beach date!

yes, i took inspiration from the song, but just imagine it! holding hands as you walk along the shore, saeyoung kicking water at you and starting a small water fight, filled with shrieks of laughter. and as you're drying, sitting on a towel on the beach beside one another, you would watch the sunset together and he'll make a cute comment about how the sun casts a pretty glow on your face. then he'll lightly throw sand on your legs.

lyrics / quotes ⋮ excerpt from alain de botton, essays in love.

"do you love me enough that i may be weak with you? [...] do you love me stripped of everything that might be lost, for only the things i will have for ever?"

i hope you liked it! thank you again for requesting and i hope to see you around!

#mystic messenger matchup #mystic messenger x reader #mysme matchup #mysme x reader #CONTENT / event.#EVENT / milky way.#MILKY WAY / saturn.

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the-cult-of-russo · 2 years ago

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Poetic Tragedy (Part 11)

Pairing: Reader X Billy Russo

Warnings: Cursing, angst, sadness, substance abuse, mental health issues, mentions of sexual assault. This one’s a little dark and not really in a violent way (okay some of it is lmao). Just more the themes explored, I guess?

A/N: There’s one more chapter after this one! I hope you guys have enjoyed this story as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it!!

—------------------

“Here you go, Tom,” you smiled brightly, handing the Agent his coffee and donut as you walked into the room.

“Thanks, Allie,” he grinned, taking them gratefully before he handed you a magazine. It had been eight days since you started coming here and Billy still hadn’t woken up yet. You’d been buttering up the Agent, needing his trust for your plan to work. You’d figured out a way to get him out of the way when go time happened, because even though Billy still hadn't woken up there was no possibility in your mind that he wouldn't, and you needed him to trust you for it to work. You’d run your idea by Frank and he’d been impressed by it, and with his go-ahead, you’d started to work on getting the Agent on your side. Micro had found out some things about him. He came from a big family, loved sports and for some weird reason, had a thing for single moms. You’d carefully crafted a backstory for Allison White that was wildly different to your own, using some of this information to help your cause. You were the youngest of five kids to happily married parents. You always wanted a big family and ended up marrying your high school sweetheart when you were 18. By 20, you had two kids already. Only a year later, the asshole cheated on you and left you and the kids in the wind for the new woman. You’d been alone with the children since and worked hard to make ends meet. You were in the process of changing jobs but it had been hard to find one, so while you were between jobs, not wanting to sit around and do nothing, you decided to sign up to volunteer with Happy Helper Buddies. Your kids were staying for a month with their grandparents as your mom was sick and wanted to spend some time with them before it was too late. Another reason why you signed up to volunteer as the house felt so alone and quiet without them. He’d eaten all of it right up and you had him eating out of the palm of your hand. Now you were both on a first name basis, or more accurately, nickname basis. You brought him coffee and a donut every morning and he’d give you a magazine as a trade off.

You’d never read a magazine in your life and at first, you’d been confused why everyone was obsessed with these celebrities and their eating habits or shampoo. But after finding out you weren't too into celebrities, Agent Delaney had started getting you more lifestyle and dating-related ones and it was a little better. Being as sheltered from the world as you had been, you didn't know much of anything, much less relationships. So you’d read all the articles and the people writing in to the agony aunt section and found you learned a lot of shit. Mostly that you might actually have feelings for Billy more than a friend. You’d been clueless, not ever having a relationship before. Hell, you hadn't even had friends. And your only sexual experience had been your assault and then just you laying there wishing you were anywhere but there as Josh used you so you could get your fix. You had no idea about why your heart would race around Billy, or why your stomach would feel funny when he smiled at you or touched you. But now you had a feeling that it was because you liked him more than a friend. You didn't really know what to do with that information though, even if Frank had told you Billy felt that way too. It was hard to believe that someone like Billy would be interested in a homeless ex-addict, it didn't really make sense in your head. So while you knew now why Billy made you feel weird and why you liked his physical affections, you decided it wasn't important.

You moved to sit in the chair you’d claimed as your own, eyes glancing to Billy who didn't seem much different to the first day you’d gotten here. Some of his color had come back into his cheeks and you hoped it was a good sign. You’d really settled in here, a wolf among sheep. Even the doctors and nurses chatted with you as you charmed them with a smile and kind words. The nurses even let you use their shower facilities they had after you told them a bullshit story about your plumbing not working right.

“How are the kids?” Tom asked, making you glance up from your magazine. Some of the articles were like mini real soap operas and you often found yourself getting sucked into them.

“They're doing good, spoke to them last night on the phone. They're having fun with grandma and pop-pops,” you grinned, rolling your eyes good-naturedly and making him chuckle.

“I bet you can't wait for them to come back,” he mused. You didn't know if he was genuinely interested or just hoping to score points with you since you knew he liked single moms. You still didn't understand why.

“I know, I miss them so much. It's not the same without them here,” you murmured softly. It felt like time flew before you were once again leaving and on your way to the alley, another day where Billy was yet to wake up. You’d found out through talking to the Agent that he left not long after you did and he only waited until then so you wouldn't be alone with Billy as it wasn’t ‘safe’. Before you’d been coming, he left at 10 pm. You were a little surprised to hear that Billy was left alone at night, but then again, he was cuffed to the bed so it wasn't like he was going anywhere.

The routine was always the same. You’d get to your alley and Frank would be there waiting for you and waiting for any updates, bringing food in a plastic container with him that Annie had cooked for you. You’d lied to him the first couple of days about eating at the hospital, but he soon called you out on your bullshit and started bringing you food. You didn't mind so much now, your appetite had come back after the shock wore off from what happened to Billy. You were still worried but you didn't allow your thoughts to stray into the morbid ones. You’d told yourself he would wake up and he would be fine and you would definitely get him out of there. Frank would always stay as you ate as you spoke about any new information or he just tried to make conversation. You knew he was tense over the fact Billy still hadn't woken up. It was only intensified by the fact that physically, Billy was healing quite well. This meant that when he did wake up, the window to get him out of there would be smaller and you knew for a fact that the Agent was eager to get Billy out of there as soon as possible. It would be harder now, more of a rush between him waking and getting him free. You’d do it though. Or at least, you’d do it or go to jail right along with him for trying. There was no way you’d give up without a fight.

The next morning you got ready and headed out once again, stopping at the coffee shop like you always did and getting the coffee and donut for Agent Delaney. The line was a little longer today and you were getting impatient and anxious just to get to Billy. Despite trying to keep your thoughts positive, you kept having this recurring nightmare of getting there and his bed was empty. The nurse would come in and tell you he’d died in the night. You shook off the thoughts as you finally got served and rushed to the hospital. You greeted the receptionist with a bright smile as you scanned your card and sauntered down the hallway like you’d been there forever. But when you pushed open Billy’s door, you were startled to see he was sitting up and very much awake. It felt like all the air had been knocked out of your lungs as you blinked at him and he turned to you, visible confusion all over his tired-looking face as his dark eyes quickly swept over you and your current attire.

“Mr Russo, you’re awake,” you smiled, the relief in your voice very real. Billy didn't say anything, just giving you this scrutinizing look.

“Don’t mind him, he hadn't said one word since he woke up,” Agent Delaney huffed. You turned to him then, forgetting he was even there. Facade back in place, you smiled at him, walking over and handing him the coffee and donut and gratefully taking the magazine.

“Thanks, Allie,” he grinned. You moved to set your magazine down on the table before you hovered at the foot of Billy’s bed.

“I’m Allison White, Mr Russo. I’m from Happy Helper Buddies and I’ve been assigned to be your buddy,” you explained softly, tapping the badge around your neck. His dark eyes drifted to it as he swallowed thickly with a nod. You still weren't quite sure what his mental state was or if there was any damage. Didn't know if he was catching on to your plan or if he didn't even recognise you.

“It’s Billy,” he muttered after a long moment, his voice sounding hoarse and raw.

“Seriously? You're gonna talk to her?” Agent Delaney scoffed, almost sounding like a petulant child. You almost whipped your head around to glare at him and your right eye twitched at the sheer restraint it took you not to. Billy had no such qualms though as his narrowed eyes glared daggers at the man in the chair and he had the good grace to avert his eyes from Billy’s scornful gaze.

“Can I get you anything, Billy? Some water?” you asked as your eyes darted over all of him, trying to figure out if he was okay.

“Water would be good,” he answered quietly. You nodded, rushing from the room quickly. Had he even been offered a drink since he’d woken up? There was a little water cooler right outside of the door and you grabbed a plastic cup and started to fill it.

“Really, Russo?” you heard the Agent ask from inside the room, he was met with stony silence though.

“You think I didn’t see the way you looked at her? You think she’d be interested in a piece of shit criminal like you? I mean, look at your face, man,” the Agent snorted. The plastic cup suddenly crumpled as your hand tightened like a vice around it, the water splooshing right out of it. You felt some curious eyes on you but you blew out a breath, trying to not get angry and blow your cover here. You tossed the useless cup into the trash before quickly filling another.

You breezed back into the room, trying to give Billy a reassuring smile as you approached the side of his bed.

“Don’t get too close,” the Agent warned and you turned and gave him an incredulous look.

“He’s handcuffed to the bed, how’s he supposed to drink?” you asked with a short tone. The Agent looked away for a moment and sighed.

“He’s not safe to be around,” he replied tensely.

“I don’t think we’re gonna have a problem, are we Billy?” you turned your eyes to Billy then.

“Nope,” he shot the Agent a dark smirk that you knew wasn't really helping the situation.

“Allie…” The Agent started, but you cut him right off, getting fed up with his bullshit.

“He can’t look after himself while he’s restrained like this. I’m here to do a job, Tom, so I’m going to politely ask you to let me do it,” you sighed, trying not to snap at him because it would only make you look suspicious. You knew he was only trying to look after you given he’d taken a shine to you, but you really couldn't care less about him. He shrugged as he shook his head, gesturing for you to go ahead and you turned back to Billy then who was looking between you and the Agent with dark eyes. You held the cup to his mouth and helped him drink and he did so greedily, the water gone in seconds.

“You want some more?” you asked softly and he shook his head, hands flexing a little by his sides.

“How are you feeling?” you asked curiously, toying with your hands in front of you for a moment. He shrugged, not looking at you and you didn't like the lack of verbal responses from him. You still had no idea if he even knew who you were.

“Can I get you anything? Some more pillows? Or… do you need me to ask the nurse for some more pain meds?” you asked. You just wanted to help him, ease any discomfort he was feeling.

“No… No thanks,” he muttered and you nodded.

“Okay, well… I’ll be right there if you need me. If you need anything, don't be afraid to ask,” you murmured, gesturing to your chair. His eyes met yours then and your heart kicked up in your chest. But he didn't show any signs of even recognising you before he looked away with a sniff. You sighed and moved to sit in your chair, grabbing your magazine to keep you busy.

It was in the afternoon that the doctor came in, a chart in his hands.

“Well, Mr Russo, all of the tests we ran came back fine. Honestly, I was a little worried there for a second but you seem perfectly fine,” the doctor smiled at Billy who was staring at his lap. You felt lightheaded from the relief of his words but the feeling was short-lived as Agent Delaney spoke up.

“So does that mean he’s free to go?” he asked, far too eager for your liking and you had to bite your tongue to stop yourself from snapping at him. The doctor turned to look at him then with a slightly disapproving look on his face.

“Not yet. I want to keep him in for a few more days just to make sure,” he answered, making the Agent sag in his seat a little. You felt a jolt of panic seize you then, you really wouldn't have long. The doctor left not long after and Tom smirked at Billy.

“You hear that, Russo? A few days and you’ll be all mine,” he grinned maliciously.

“Tom!” you chided, frowning at him.

“What?” he scoffed, but the look you shot him made him shift in his seat uncomfortably. You heard him muttering something about you being too soft under his breath but you chose to ignore it.

When dinnertime rolled around, with it being the first day that Billy was awake, it was the first time someone had come to bring him a meal. You jumped out of the chair, grabbing the tray from the woman with a warm smile before walking over to Billy.

“I ain’t eatin’ that,” he muttered tensely.

“You need to get your strength up, Billy,” you warned, giving him a look. And you meant it too. You had to get him out of here and soon. He’d been unconscious for 9 days and he really needed to eat something.

“You’re not feedin’ me like a goddamn baby,” he huffed, glaring at you. Your eyes narrowed to slits as you pursed your lips.

“You can’t exactly feed yourself right now and unless you’re planning on slamming your face into the food and hoping some goes in your mouth, you don’t really have a choice. I’m here to look after you so you’re going to let me,” you bit out firmly. He blinked at you for a long moment and you knew now that he did indeed know who you were so you didn't care about the heated look he was getting from you. You wouldn't budge from this.

“Fine,” he muttered, looking away from you. You tried to make each forkful of food large enough that it would be over with quickly. You knew it was his pride getting in the way and you wondered how different it might have been if the asshole Agent hadn't been in the room, watching with a sick satisfaction over the whole thing. Billy wouldn't look at you though and once you were done, you set the tray on the bedside table before moving back over to your chair.

Billy didn’t utter another word then as time ticked on but luckily, neither did the Agent unless it was to try and make small talk with you. You were just grateful he was leaving Billy alone. When it got time to leave, you really didn't want to now Billy was awake. You hadn't even had a chance to let him know there was a plan in place to get him out of here since you hadn't even had a moment alone with him. You knew Agent Delaney had no qualms with using the restroom that was in the room as he’d done it before, but since Billy was awake it was like he was refusing to so you wouldn't be alone with him. You wondered how he hadn't pissed himself by now. When you stood up, grabbing the cardigan you’d taken off at some point and putting it back on, Billy’s dark eyes snapped to you.

“You leavin’?” he asked, eyes narrowed a little and a slightly panicked edge to his voice that only made you want to stay even more.

“My shift ends at 11, but I’ll be back in the morning,” you said with a soothing smile. He nodded, a small frown on his face as he avoided looking at you once more. You wondered what he thought about you being here, if he put together that there was a plan or if he thought you’d just snuck in to check on him. You left feeling heavier than before now you had to leave him behind but you couldn't wait to tell Frank he was awake. It was time to enact the plan and you had to do it quickly. The doctor had said a few days and for all you knew, that could be two or five, you really had no idea. And now the Agent knew he was okay, you wouldn't put it past him to use his authority to demand he get let out early. You felt anxiety eating at you as you walked to the alley you were staying in. You really hoped your plan worked.

The next day, your hands shook as you made your way into the hospital restrooms on the first floor, hurrying into the cubicle and locking the door behind you. You dropped the duffel bag you had with you to the floor and took the lid off the coffee cup, setting the cup on the closed toilet lid before grabbing a bag from your cardigan pocket. You glanced at it, trying to ignore how it looked a lot like something else. It wasn't that though, it was crushed sleeping pills and strong ones at that. You poured the power into the coffee and used the little wooden stirrer you’d taken from the coffee shop to stir it until it dissolved. You hoped it wouldn't taste much different but you weren't about to take a sip to find out. You took a shaky inhale as you put the lid back on, taking a moment to gather yourself before you grabbed the bag and left the restroom, making your way your way to the elevator. Your heart had been pounding since you woke up. You weren't built for this kind of shit but you were doing it for Billy. You plastered a fake and bright smile on your face as you scanned your ID card and made your way into Billy’s room.

“Morning, Tom,” you grinned, handing him his coffee and donut. You looked away as he took a sip, wondering how much he’d have to drink before it started to work. You honestly had no idea.

“Morning, Allie. Here you go,” he smiled back, handing you the magazine. Billy’s dark eyes were narrowed at the man but went to you as you approached the bed.

“You need anything?” you asked, giving him a smile despite your nerves. You had a feeling he knew something was off though as his eyes searched your face.

“Nah, I’m good thanks,” he replied with a shake of his head. You nodded, making your way over to sit down with your magazine as you tried your best to conceal your shaky hands.

“You got plans after your shift?” Tom asked, his eyes going to the bag at the side of you.

“Oh… I was thinking of staying at my parents, get to see the kids, you know?” you smiled sheepishly, not missing how Billy suddenly looked at you like you’d grown another head.

“Ah, I get it. Can’t wait for them to come back so you’re going to them, right?” Tom chuckled and you smiled and glanced back at your magazine.

It was only minutes later when the coffee cup hit the floor with a splash, the lid popping off it and the coffee spilling all over the floor. The cup was joined by the Agent who hit the floor with a thud and you winced. You thought he’d just slump in his chair, not fall right off it.

“Wha-” Billy started, sounding confused.

“No time,” you bit out, jumping to your feet and crouching near Agent Delaney. You searched his pockets, smirking to yourself when you found the handcuff keys. You sprang back up, rushing to Billy whose eyes were rapidly flitting from the man to you.

“We’re getting you out of here,” you murmured, quickly ridding him of his cuffs. He rubbed his wrists as he moved to sit up carefully with a groan.

“You shouldn't be doin’ this,” he muttered tensely. You knew he was worried about you being involved, worried you might get in trouble.

“Well I am, so get the fuck up,” you shot him a look before you grabbed the bag from the floor and set it on the bed when Billy stood on shaky legs. You rummaged around, grabbing the black sweats, black t-shirt, his hoodie and some sneakers. You handed them to him before you rushed over to the door, cracking it open a little as you peered out of it. It was pretty quiet as it always was at this time, but there was one person you had to worry about. You hurried back over to him just as he was pulling his t-shirt on carefully and you got a glimpse of the four bandaged wounds on his torso. You had no idea how he was shot so many times and came out of it fine. You looked in the bag again and grabbed the knife out of it and Billy’s eyes widened a little. You paid him no mind, slicing your palm with a wince. It was only a small cut, not very long and not very deep.

“What the fuck are you doin’?” he hissed quietly at you, looking at you like you were insane.

“I’m gonna distract the receptionist. You need to hurry up, meet me in the stairwell,” you muttered, cradling your now bleeding hand. You didn't give him a chance to argue as you left the room, quickly shutting the door behind you.

You made a beeline for the reception desk and as she looked at you, her eyes grew a little larger.

“Oh my god, what happened?!” she asked, standing up.

“I dropped the vase and tried to pick up the pieces, I’m a bit of a klutz. Any chance you got some of those large bandaids handy?” you asked, giving her a sheepish smile.

“I’ll go check,” she said as she hurried into the little admin office behind her desk. You glanced around nervously and your heart skyrocketed when Billy slipped out of the room, his hoodie now on and the bag in his hand. His hood was up as he rushed down the hallway, glancing at you briefly before he made his way to the stairs. You shifted on your feet wanting nothing more than to hurry after him, but you knew it would look too suspicious. You didn't want to draw attention just yet. Whatever happened after you were gone didn't really matter. You’d used a fake name, no one knew who you were. The receptionist came out then with a furrowed brow.

“I’m sorry, I couldn't find any. Do you want me to find a doctor?” she asked, full of concern.

“No, that's fine, it’s not too deep anyway. I’ll just grab some toilet paper and see how it goes,” you shot her a wry smile before heading off into the direction of the toilets, only to rush to the stairs instead. You hurried down a flight, seeing Billy pacing.

“We need to go, Frank’s waiting,” you insisted, hurrying down the steps. He nodded, quickly handing you some paper towel he must have swiped from his room. You took it gratefully and pressed it to your hand as the pair of you all but ran down the stairs. When you got to the bottom, you slowed your pace so you didn't draw attention, Billy’s head down as both of you quickly left the hospital. You walked down the street a little, spying the black van on the corner like you knew it would be. Your heart was still hammering away in your chest though, half expecting the Agent to come barreling after you. You ran to the van, Billy opening the back doors as you both hopped in. He slammed the door shut then and the van started to drive away.

“About goddamn time, Bill,” Frank grinned from the front, glancing over his shoulder at him.

“Was thinkin’ the same thing. Thought you were gonna let me rot in jail, Frankie,” Billy murmured, a tired smirk on his face as he held his body tightly. You knew he was hurting.

“Considered it. But who the fuck would I beat the shit out of when I get bored?” Frank snorted, making Billy smile to himself. You heard the relief in Frank’s voice though.

“You alright there, Allie?” Frank asked you then, a smirk curling his lips.

“Fuck you, I’m having a minor heart attack here,” you practically whined, a hand over your chest as it almost beat out of your chest. Stealing you were fine with, dosing a Federal Agent and smuggling a known fugitive out of hospital not so much. The anxiety had made your head spin. But it was over now and you allowed yourself to relax against the side of the van, resting the back of your head on it. Billy was sitting opposite you and glanced at him, seeing him already blinking at you. You thought he might say something but he didn't.

When the van stopped, Billy moved to the door and swung it open, getting out slowly. His feet had barely touched the floor before Karen tackled him into a hug.

“Jesus, woman. I’m injured, remember?” Billy grumbled, although he didn't sound too mad.

“I don’t care,” she sniffled, face pressed into his chest. You watched as you got out of the van as he brought his arms around her and hugged her back, holding her for a long moment. When she pulled away from him, she turned her teary eyes to you then.

“And you… we couldn't have done this without you,” she implored, moving to give you a tight but brief hug. You hugged her back awkwardly for a moment before she moved away, wiping her eyes.

“I’m sure you guys would have figured something out,” you murmured shyly, not looking at her and instead inspecting the cut on your hand. It had stopped bleeding already so you stuffed the bloody tissue into your pocket.

“Nah, we needed you, Y/N,” Frank argued as he stood next to you. He gave you a meaningful look and you looked away, unable to take the weight of his gaze.

“Come on, the guys are dying to see you,” Karen beamed at Billy, grabbing his hand and dragging him off inside. You trailed behind slowly, arms wrapped around yourself. You were glad to succeed in your mission but now you weren't sure what to do with yourself. When you walked in, you saw Billy get swarmed by everyone who was happy he was back and you found yourself smiling. Billy seemed to be relieved to be back, happy even, as he talked with everyone, but he also seemed exhausted. You lingered around for a bit, unsure when would be appropriate to dip out. You wanted to speak with Billy but you weren't sure what mood he was in. When you’d left last time, it had caused a fight and your time with him at the hospital had been strained but you weren't sure if he was still upset with you or if it was because of the Agent. After a while, Billy approached you.

“Could you help me to my room?” he asked softly, a pleading look to his tired eyes.

“Sure,” you answered with a small smile. You knew it was still very early but he looked like he could do with some rest. You wrapped an arm around his middle carefully and he wrapped his around your shoulder. You knew he was hurting, the whole escaping thing really not helping. But you also knew since he’d refused pain meds at the hospital, that also hadn't helped at all.

You were slow going up the stairs and it took a while getting to his room. He opened the door and let you help him inside before your arm dropped from him. You’d never been in here before and your eyes swept around quickly. It was pretty much the same as your old room except with some pictures of him and Frank from the Marine days and some with what you presumed to be Frank’s family. It was weird seeing pictures of him without the scars, you’d never known him then. You didn't think he was any less handsome though.

“You didn't need to get me out of there,” he said quietly, a small guilty frown on his face. You shrugged, nibbling your lower lip.

“I wanted to. Figured you’d helped me out so many times, it's only fair I return the favor, righ-” Your words were cut off because Billy’s lips were suddenly on yours, his hands either side of your face. It took you so wildly off guard that you tensed, standing there unresponsive. It was your first-ever kiss, it wasn't even like you had experience with that and you certainly hadn't expected Billy to want to kiss you, even with Frank and Dean’s words pinging around your brain. He pulled away quickly, his eyes wide.

“Shit… shit, I’m so sorry,” he muttered, shaking his head rapidly as he took a step back, hands falling from your face. You suddenly felt cold.

“Billy…” you trailed off, worried why he looked so weird.

“No, I shouldn’ta done that. I know you… you don't like to be touched and I fuckin’... I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable,” he rambled, unable to look at you.

“It didn't make me feel uncomfortable,” you admitted softly, feeling the heat creep into your cheeks. His eyes snapped to you then, scanning your face like he was trying to solve a puzzle. You’d been quite happy to ignore your revelation of feelings for him before, but now he’d kissed you, you toyed with the idea of just coming out with it. The worst that would happen would be him not speaking to you, but since he’d been the one to kiss you, you knew that was unlikely. You knew all too well that life was too short to dance around stuff like this for nothing. You’d already almost lost him once.

“I figured some shit out in the 9 days I was there with you at the hospital. I care about you… more than a friend. I didn't really get it before, I mean, I’ve never really been through this before so it didn't make sense. But I get it now, why I feel the way I do around you. Why my heart beats all weird and my stomach flips around on me,” you explained as you shifted on your feet.

“You care about me?” he asked slowly, looking so astonished like his brain couldn't quite comprehend it. You nodded and tugged on the sleeves of your cardigan, feeling small under his gaze.

“I didn't really understand it, I’m still not sure I do if I’m honest. This whole thing is new to me,” you shrugged.

He closed the distance between you as he walked back over, his hand slowly coming to rest on your cheek. He leaned down, resting his forehead on yours and you felt breathless, the free-falling sensation hitting you once again.

“I care about you too,” he admitted in a whisper. It made your heart stutter in your chest and your hand gripped the front of his t-shirt. His thumb stroked your cheek and he leaned in again, this time slower as if giving you a chance to move away. You didn't though. His lips touched yours once more and you allowed yourself to melt into him. When his lips moved against yours, you tried to mimic him, really not knowing what you should be doing. He pulled away, giving you a smile, his eyes bright as they shone at you.

“We uh… we don’t gotta rush anythin’. I know we both… we both got our issues. We can just take shit slow, see what happens,” he stroked your cheek as you smiled at him, feeling your chest fill with warmth. He pecked your lips once more before moving away. He looked ready to drop where he stood and you smiled shyly as you bit your lower lip.

“Let’s get you to bed,” you murmured softly.

“What happened to takin’ it slow?” he asked mischievously and you snorted with a roll of your eyes. You helped him sit on the bed, kneeling to take his sneakers off for him before standing back up as he lay down.

“Will you stay with me for a bit?” he asked, dark eyes pleading and you were powerless to resist him. You pulled off your boots before climbing onto the bed on the other side of him. He opened his arm out to you but you frowned.

“You’re hurt,” you protested.

“Please?” he asked softly, blinking his eyes at you. You sighed, moving over to him and being as careful as you could to try and avoid hurting him as you lay your head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around you and both of you relaxed instantly. You weren't quite sure how this thing with Billy would go and you hoped he wouldn't get upset that it didn't mean you’d just be moving right in here. You hoped he understood you better than that by now. You’d take it slow like he said, see what happened. You were both damaged, both had a tonne of baggage. It was slightly scary to think you finally found someone to care about you like this, that you cared about him. Getting attached meant you had things to lose and you didn't think you couldn't stand to lose anything else. But the feeling also filled you with a sense of happiness at the same time. You felt like you’d finally found a home and it was with Billy.

Taglist: (if you’ve been asked to be tagged and aren’t here, it wouldn’t let me tag some people.)

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@celestialams

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#billy russo imagine #billy russo fanfic #billy russo x reader #billy russo

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