#im gonna go and cry

[francixoxoxo]

LUCYGAY YOU CANT RN

We've seen brothers older friend!Billy but what about one where the reader is older (like 2 or 3 years)??? And she's a family friend that billy has always had a crush on growing up, but she always viewed him as a kid and he had to watch her go along with older guys he knows would never treat her as good as he would if he had the chance. Then after a year or two out of town, reader comes back to see Billy has grown into a man.

And he finally gets his chance to show her just how much he's grown...

oooooh--

(p.s. sorry this took so long, my brain is pudding rn.)

---

"Billy?"

It sure as hell looks like him -- same big blue eyes, fringed with thick, dark lashes, the dark curls escaping from underneath the brim of his hat, the long legs. But his shoulders are broader, his stride more authoritative, the tilt of his jaw a mixture of challenge and confidence. You think it's your brother's friend, sweet Billy Antrim who always looked at you shyly, hopefully, boyishly. If it is him (and maybe your eyes are playing tricks on you), he sure as hell doesn't look like that little kid anymore.

And then he looks up at you, his smile lighting up his face, and you see that adorable kid who was enamored with you.

"You're back?" Billy pulls you in for a hug, and you're shocked by the way his embrace engulfs you, by the overwhelmingly masculine scent of him. It's leather, a whiff of something sweet and tangy that you suspect is aftershave (was he even shaving the last time you saw him?), hovering over a warm musk that might simply be Billy's own natural scent.

Undeniably, you feel a twinge in your core, which doesn't abate when he tightens his arms around you and kisses the top of your head. "I'm back," you say, lifting your head with a smile, and his face is so close to yours that you can count the faint freckles scattered over the bridge of his nose. Despite yourself, you mutter: "Wow."

Billy grins, letting you go but not stepping away from you. The warmth of him, combined with the delicious smell of his skin, makes you a little wobbly; Billy grips your hands, and you find yourself leaning into him.

"Wow?" he says, quirking an eyebrow, and immediately your cheeks are on fire.

"I just meant...you look different," you tell him. He grins again. "I wasn't gone for that long, was I?"

He chuckles. "Almost three years," he says, and now it's your turn to flash him a smile.

"Were you keeping track, Billy?"

"Sure, I was," he says easily. He may look like a man now, but the earnest expression on his face is all innocence. "I missed you, and I wondered about you. It's a tough world out there, and whenever your brother went a long time without hearin' from you, I worried somethin' had happened to you."

He reaches up with one hand, brushing a stray lock of hair behind your ear, his eyes intently on yours. "I...I'm sorry," you manage. "Sometimes it was hard to find time to write. I..."

Billy smiles again and shakes his head. "You don't gotta apologize to me," he says. "I just wanted to let you know I was always thinkin' about you, that's all."

You smile. It's nice to know that someone besides your brother cares about you. Your brother has been looking out for you since you were both kids, when your mother died and your dad left in the middle of the night, evidently too overburdened by the mere thought of caring for his two children to actually attempt it. The two of you met Billy when he moved to town with his mother, his sweet little brother, and that bipedal rat of a stepfather.

"I thought about you, too," you admit, and it's true. Apart from your brother, Billy was the only person in this town you felt any regret about leaving -- especially because he'd already lost so much.

The corners of Billy's mouth pull up. He looks rather pleased with himself. "You did, huh?"

"Yeah, I did," you say, trying not to laugh. "I didn't really feel right just leaving you behind. I wondered who was gonna take care of you."

He smiles again, though there's a hint of chagrin in it now. "I wasn't some little kid you needed to fuss over, y'know."

You smile back at him. "Yeah, you were," you say gently. "This sweet, sincere kid who..."

You stop, flushing. You don't want to lay bare the fact that you always knew Billy had a crush on you back then; you don't want to embarrass him. But you'd been able to tell, for sure. The way he looked at you, his cross expression every time you mentioned you had a date. Once or twice, when a man did you wrong, Billy had even offered to fight him for you, which was as adorable as it was worrisome. You didn't want him getting hurt over you.

Billy chuckles, reading your silence like it's an open book. "Who was moonin' over you?"

Your color deepens. "Well, I..."

He smiles, leaning close like he's going to kiss your cheek. "I'm not that kid anymore," he says, his voice falling into your ear. Your core throbs warningly again. "I'm a grown man now. But I'm still moonin' over you. I never stopped."

You realize your breath is coming in soft, shaky gasps. "Billy..."

"Let's get outta here," he murmurs. "I wanna welcome you home like a man showin' his woman how much he missed her. And I really did miss you."

Fuck.

You look up at him, your lips parted. You have a second where you hope no one is watching the two of you, but for the most part, you really don't care. You have a brief but vivid mental image of Billy dragging you to the backroom right here in the bar, putting you up against the wall, and --

"Let's go," you agree, and you snatch at his hand, practically dragging him out onto the street.

Billy leads you toward his horse, and when his hands find your waist, you let out a soft gasp. He lifts you up onto the saddle and mounts up behind you; the feel of his broad, warm chest against your back has you pressing yourself against him. Billy clicks his tongue softly, and the horse obediently trots forward. You can feel Billy moving with the animal's gait, and you clench your thighs around the saddle.

It feels like it takes forever to reach Billy's lodgings, but as soon as you're off his horse, he has you in his arms. He almost lifts you off his feet as he takes you through the front door, and then he does have you against the wall.

"Billy," you whisper, almost whining, and then he leans in to capture your lips with his.

His kiss is hungry, strong, undeniably masculine -- it feels like he's just barely holding himself back from devouring you. You cling to him, arms winding around his neck, and when his thigh slots between yours, you don't hesitate to rock your hips down. "Oh, fuck," Billy mutters against your lips. "Fuck, I never thought..."

Your laugh is muffled against the curve of his neck as you press kisses to the skin. "Oh, never?"

His fingers deftly tug at the buttons on the back of your dress, and you feel his chuckle rumbling in his chest. "I mean, I thought about it, but I never dreamed it would actually happen." He pulls back, framing your face between his hands. "You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen," he murmurs. "And the smartest, and the toughest, and the kindest."

His thumbs sweep over your cheek bones, his eyes boring into yours so intently that it ignites a fire in the pit of your stomach. "Those guys you were with back then, they weren't good enough for you," he says. "Maybe I was just a kid the last time you saw me, but I could see that. They didn't deserve you."

"But you do," you say softly, and his gaze doesn't waver.

"But I do."

He leans down to kiss you again, lifting you up of your feet and urging your leg around his hip. You can feel his arousal pressing against you, and you wrap your other leg around him, bringing I'm closer. There's just enough relief from the delicious ache between your legs that you start moving against him again, chasing this breath of a high.

Billy tightens his arms around you, pulling you away from the wall and taking lurching, almost drunken steps toward the bed in the corner. You let out a little giggle as he lets you drop onto the mattress, and you sit up, shrugging out of your dress and letting it pool around your waist. Billy kneels beside you on the bed, hands smoothing over your waist. "Shit, you're so perfect," he breathes, and tugs you against his chest, trailing kisses down your neck.

He lays you back, and you moan when the heated muscle of his tongue laps against your nipple. Billy reaches down and tugs your dress off all the way, mouth still lavishing attention to your breasts. You moan, the sound tinged with impatience, as you start working on the buttons of his shirt. He lets go of you long enough for you to slid the shirt away, and then he has you in his arms again, your bare chest flush against his.

"Oh, god, Billy," you mutter, and without thinking about it, you part your thighs, inviting. "Please, I'm so...I--"

His fingertips brush, butter-fly light, along your inner thigh, and you let out a whimper of anticipation. A grin ghosts across his face, though his look is intent, burning, as if he doesn't want to miss a second. When he finds your core, Billy's jaw ticks as he bites back a groan. "Shit," he mutters. "You're so wet..."

You press your head back against the pillow as he strokes you through your undergarments, your hips working against his fingers. "Fuck me, Billy," you manage. You lift your hand, tangling your fingers in his dark curls and pulling him down for a heated, greedy kiss. "I want you inside me, right now."

Billy moans against your mouth, and you feel his hips grind against yours. "God, yeah," he murmurs. "Fuck--"

You hear his belt jingle as he undoes his pants, a little grunt of relief falling from his lips as his aching cock finally springs free. You can't really help yourself -- you glance down, and your lips part at the sight of him. More than anything, you want him in your mouth, all of him, but Billy has other plans.

He presses you back and moves over you, his fingers tugging the waistband of your undergarments down until the two of you work together to get it off. You laugh as Billy tosses it over your shoulder, and he grins at you before kissing you again, so hot and hungry that you cry out against his lips. His broad palm skates down your ribs, delves between your legs, and you moan again as a finger slips inside you. "Billy..."

He adds another finger, stretching you open, and you groan. Billy increases the pace, occasionally burying his fingers deep inside you, his fingertips rubbing against your walls as the heel of his palm grinds against your clit.

You groan helplessly, loudly, even as Billy keeps up a torrent of hungry kisses. Your arms wrap tightly around him, fingernails digging into his back, and when he grunts softly in approval, you rake your nails down the path of his spine. Billy moans against your lips, the sound petering off into a whimper, and that's the trigger for your first orgasm. It hits so suddenly you can't even cry out at first, but then you're sobbing out Billy's name as your back curves.

"Fuck," you pant desperately. "God, Billy, please..."

He kisses you again, slowing the movement of his fingers as you come down. He pulls his hand away, sucking his fingers clean, before moving back and reaching for you. He helps you sit up, quite a feat considering you're actually a little dizzy. Billy draws you closer, kissing you again, though this time it's gentle, soft. Loving.

"C'mere, honey," he says, and he turns you around, directing you to brace your hands on the wall. He presses himself against you, his chest against your back, and you moan when you feel the head of his cock against your slick folds. "Please," you whisper, and he gives you an inch or two. "Billy...fuck, please, please, please..."

"Please, what?" he says, and you can hear the grin in his voice. "Tell me what you want, baby."

You let out a breathless little laugh, pushing your hips back against him. "You have to ask?"

He slides a hand over your stomach, the other coming up to cup your breast, gently tweaking the nipple. "No, I just wanna hear you say it," he says, his voice low, his lips brushing your ear.

"I want you to fuck me until I scream for you," you tell him. "I want everyone to know I've got you in my bed."

He drops his forehead to your shoulder with a muttered oath, but he doesn't hesitate to obey. The rhythm of his hips is immediately fast, rough, and unrelenting. You cry out loudly with each thrust, bracing yourself against the wall and pushing back against him. "Yes, yes, yes, yes," you gasp, and he nips at your earlobe.

"Am I your man?" he asks you, and his fingers come up to probe at your lips. "Tell me."

Your mouth opens immediately, and you suck on his fingers as soon as they touch your tongue. Not that you need it when his hand goes between your legs again, fingertips rubbing at your clit. God, you're so fucking close -- you're too dazed to even process the question he's just asked you, and you almost cry when his pace starts to slow.

"I said," he growls, almost pulling out of you completely, fingers stilling on your clit, "am I your man?"

"Yes," you answer at once. "God, yes, Billy, you're a man, you're my man, please, please -- "

He slams back into you, and you almost collapse, except his arm tightens around you and pulls you back against his chest. His fingers resume massaging your clit, and he's fucking you hard and fast. The symphony created between your two bodies would sound utterly depraved and filthy if not for Billy's sweet, soft moans, and you realize he's holding back because he just wants to hear you.

You reach back with one hand, grabbing hold of his hair. "Oh, god, Billy, I'm gonna -- I'm -- "

"I know," he mumbles. "Fuck. Me too, I'm gonna -- I don't think I can -- "

"Come inside me," you tell him, head tilting back so you can murmur into his ear. "I want you to fill me up so bad."

His teeth sink into your shoulder, but it does nothing to muffle his groan. "Oh, shit," he whispers, soothing the bite with one soft kiss after another. "Oh, fuck, fuck--"

You wouldn't have thought it was possible a few moments ago, but if anything, his rhythm intensifies. He's hitting you so deep that you're seeing stars, reaching that spot inside of you no one ever has before, and then --

When your high hits, it's so intense that your body lets go completely, and you're soaking the sheets. Just like you promised him, you do scream, losing control over your muscles as your legs start to shake. Billy follows you just a few moments later with a hoarse shout of your name, and he presses deep, stilling as he pumps himself into you.

He grinds against you slowly, languidly, while he tilts your head back so he can kiss you. His tongue slides between your lips and you welcome it eagerly, your body melting into his. You whimper as you can feel that delicious heat building between your legs again, and you start to rock slowly against him. "Billy, I'm...I think I -- I -- "

"Yeah, baby, I know," he says again. "Come on me. Use me. Oh, fuck, my pretty girl...my best girl, my woman, all mine..." His movements start to pick up, just a little, and you both groan softly.

"Billy..."

This peak washes over you slowly, like you're sinking into pleasure, and when it ebbs, you lean back against him. It takes a few moments for you both to be able to move, and by the time you're aware of yourself again, you're nestled in Billy's arms with the covers tucked up around you.

"All yours, huh?" you say, once you have your breath back, and he chuckles, pressing a kiss to the top of your head.

"You sayin' you're not?" he says. You just smile, propping yourself up on your elbow to kiss him.

After tonight, you both know damn well you can't say that. He's your man, that's for sure.

[freitag1607]

1.05 / Battle of the Labyrinth

[puppyeared]

thanks @chipper-smol for getting me ISAT i will be so irresponsible with the looping

[f4llingsidways]

Hey there internet people☹️

Long time no...public service announcement.

Trying to cover all my bases cause I need people to be aware of what's happening cause none of us read our emails.

They fired all staff out of nowhere and sent everyone home.

Nobody knew this was happening.

(Ps, this is for all ai campuses)

Legit only had 3 months left before I were done.

Pls pls pls get ahold of anyone you know who is attending or just graduated!

[francixoxoxo]

MILLIE I HAD TO PHYSICALLY PREPARE TO READ THIS AND YOU DID ABSOLUTELY NOT DISSAPOINT BC WDYM HE CANT LIVE WITHOUT YOU WDYM "I need you," he whispered, arms tightening around you. "I can't do this without you. I can't raise her. I-" Billy swallowed thickly. "I can't live without you."

LIKE THAT ACTUALLY KILLED ME I CANT EVEN WITH TOU MILLIE OMG

omg you write angst so well😭😭😭 literally been sobbing while reading your latest works 😭😭😭😭😭 anyways here’s an idea: billy finally settles down with you and the two of you start a family and have a little daughter together (girl dad! billy agenda never ends!!) and right before he almost thinks he has it all the world takes you from him :(

⋆౨ৎ𝓘 𝓒𝓪𝓷 𝓖𝓸 𝓐𝓷𝔂𝔀𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮 𝓘 𝓦𝓪𝓷𝓽, 𝓙𝓾𝓼𝓽 𝓝𝓸𝓽 𝓗𝓸𝓶𝓮⋆౨ৎ

[fem reader] contains: death, grief, illness, *angst* pairing: billy the kid x fem reader summary: you were the center of billy's world, and the center faded away author’s note: offering my apologies once again <3 tagging @phantomamor because they helped me come up with some of the content <3 Pinterest Board Spotify Playlist

Everything was bright, the day an endless dawn that rested its rosy cheek on the glass that covered the earth and touched the spot between reality and dreams.

You felt the stirrings of that feeling as you leaned on the porch railing, hair falling over one shoulder and tickling your wrist. The wood was grainy and smooth under your palm, and you shifted from one foot to the other, dulling the ache brought on by the activities of the day. It was a happy thing, borne of the many joys present in your life.

Off in the distance, by the oak tree that sprouted thick and wide, with leaves that blocked the sun on summer afternoons, your daughter sat among the knotted roots, playing quietly by herself. You had always said Annie was born content, evident in the way she minded herself, preferring long daylight hours spent alone. It was a touching thing, how comfortable she was within the confines of her imagination.

Bootsteps thumped on the wood of the porch, the boards creaking under Billy's weight, and then a pair of warm hands were creeping around your waist like the vines that crawled up the walls of the house, pulling you in. You smiled, leaning back and finding his body less than a breath away. He ducked his head and pressed a kiss to your cheek, the gentle prickling of love lingering long after. "How's my wife?"

Five years you'd been married, and still you could hear the way he relished the word like a sweet melting on his tongue. Billy wore his ring proudly, brandishing it for all the world to see. The gunslinger feared far and wide across the south was tied down, and he was happy for it.

You had been pleasantly surprised by how well he took to domesticity after so long on the run. He'd built this house for the two of you, every nail hammered in establishing permanence. It had been a rare luxury for him before, even when you'd met. But he'd proudly given you the brass key to your new house, sweeping you into his arms to carry you over the threshold even though you'd been married for a year at that point.

Now, standing on the porch built with your husband's own hands, sheathed in his arms, you could practically feel the love he'd siphoned into every board, every wall. Billy hadn't only built you a house, he'd built a life. All those nights holding him, promising him he wasn't ruining yours had come to fruition. It had been clear when your belly had begun to swell with his child, a promise of tomorrow. And it was clear now, as you watched that little girl hum to herself under the tree that had been a mere sapling when you'd first moved in.

The first breaths of spring were opening the world up again, sunshine kissing your skin and whispering about new beginnings. It instilled a sense of hope in you, something beautiful brimming with joy. This was your favorite time of year.

"I'm good," you responded to Billy, holding one of his hands against your stomach. "Really good."

He kissed the top of your head, swaying the two of you back and forth. "Should we go inside?" Billy nosed at your neck. "Think you need a little lovin'..."

You laughed, turning around in his arms and pressing your cheek to his chest. "With Annie out here?"

"Aw, she won't come inside 'till it's past dark and we make her." You could hear his smile in his words, and you lifted your chin, tilting your head and letting your hair brush his hands on your waist.

"Hm, maybe you're right," you murmured, reaching up and playing with his collar, straightening it out.

Billy ducked his head to catch your lips in a brief, tender kiss. He pecked your lips once after. "Just make sure to be quiet."

"I'm not the one who-oh-!" Suddenly you were being hauled up, lifted to hang over his shoulder like a sack of flour. He laughed quietly, not wanting to disturb Annie out in the distance, carrying you through the door of the house and shutting it gently. Your hair obstructed your view, and you parted the silky curtain when he bent, setting you down on your feet and grabbing your hand.

"C'mon, pretty-" Billy paused, looking at you and squeezing your palm. "Baby? You okay?"

You were frozen, eyes wide with a sudden realization of the happenings within you. Your skin was icy hot, a blizzard and a wildfire blended into a raging storm that ravaged at your chest. It tore into your bones, filled them with a cloud of dread. Something's wrong.

Billy came closer, blue eyes struck with concern as he searched yours. "Sweetheart...what-?"

Your knees buckled, weakness spreading in a swarm that enveloped your body. Now you were tumbling, poised to hit the ground before Billy's arms caught you, his voice speaking your name over and over like a prayer. "Honey...what's wrong?"

No words found you, only blackness.

The doctor was summoned quicker than Billy thought possible, and he thanked the heavens above for the man's swiftness. You insisted he stay with Annie while you were being examined, and he suspected it was for his own sake as well as your daughter's.

Annie was quiet, staring at the door you were behind. It felt ominous in that moment, and he tore his eyes from the sight. His knee was bouncing, heel of his boot tapping the floor over and over. The voices in your room were muffled, and Billy wished he hadn't listened to you.

The sun was setting now, smearing a palette of color across the sky and shadowing the clouds in hues of orange and pink. He ran a tired hand through his hair, weary already from whatever news awaited.

He reached wordlessly for his daughter, and she crawled into his lap, head resting against his chest. Billy didn't know what to say to her, and so he chose silence. He was grateful for her old-soul tendencies, but also wished she was still naive enough that she was oblivious. More than anything he wanted Annie to be able to be a kid, to be able to forget her mother's distress and go out to play.

He wasn't sure what he was expecting. The way you had collapsed so suddenly worried him beyond belief. That was the way it had all started with his mother. And now she was no more than a shadow, a memory haunting him.

When the door opened, he shooed those thoughts from his mind, standing and lifting Annie to sit on his hip. The doctor appeared, bag in hand, expression grim. He nodded once at Billy, gesturing to the room. "We'll talk in a minute."

Billy offered half a nod before rushing in to you, Annie in his arms. The sight of you nearly stopped him in his tracks. Paler than a ghost, nearly the color of the sheets you laid atop.

When you noticed them, a sweet smile brightened your face, and you reached out, beckoning. "Annie."

He set his daughter down, and she ran to you, burying her face in your chest. You hugged her tight, kissing the top of her head. "Sweet girl. Are you okay?"

Annie mumbled something Billy couldn't make out. He was still, like a statue caught in time's grip.

Nothing was going to be the same. He had that thought over and over in the next few weeks.

It was a symphony of the same scenes over and over again. Your illness took hold of you, settled into your bones and became all that had been you. That version of you was replaced with a feverish imposter, weaker than a newborn foal. You still laughed often, but it was a dull, raspy sound that panged at Billy's heart.

He clung to hope that somehow you would pull out of it. That by the grace of a miracle one day he would wake up, and you'd be looking back at him, saying you felt better.

The opposite persisted. Every time you awoke in the throes of a fever, tossing and turning until he wound his arms around you, he felt you slipping away. It pounded at his chest, an awful realization he ignored in the hopes that it would prove wrong. He shut it out, hiding his face in your hair, holding on tight and wishing, praying, pleading.

You seemed oblivious to it, though you were feeble and listless most days. Still, you smiled, hugged your daughter, kissed him. You were bedridden, but still your spirits were high as the heavens. Even now, as you read quietly beside him, thumbing through the little book with the red cover you so adored, he swore he saw glimpses of you before the sickness that had eaten away at your being.

Billy was absentmindedly stroking your side, lost in thought. He kissed your temple. "Why don'tcha rest for a bit, sweetheart? You can read more when you're better."

He reached his hand out for the book, and you waited a moment before handing it over, letting him set it on your nightstand beside the vase of dried flowers, petals withering away. They had been a gift from Annie, picked in the field not too far from the oak tree.

You settled limply against his chest, fingers rubbing up and down his stomach softly. Your quiet spoke magnitudes, things Billy wasn't sure he was ready to hear.

"I'm not going to get better," you whispered, though the quiet did nothing to dull the sting your words ensued. He felt a tide of panic begin to crash, and immediately ran the other way.

"Shh, don't say that," he murmured, squeezing your shoulder. "You'll be better in no time. Just needa rest, baby."

"Billy-" you sat up, lifting your head from his chest. He tried to pull you back down, but you shook your head. "We need to talk about this."

"No. No." Billy looked away, dread crawling over his insides. He felt as though he were in the middle of an ocean, waiting for it to swallow him up. "You have to get better. I need you-"

"You're going to be okay," you promised, taking his face in your hands and turning it back to you. "It's gonna be okay."

He was struggling for air. "It can't...I can't...how am I supposed to do a damn thing without you? I can't..." Tears were pricking at his eyes, threatening to spill over. "Baby..."

"I need you to be there for Annie. She'll have questions," you murmured, making sure he was looking at you. "She's gonna need you."

"I need you," he whispered, arms tightening around you. "I can't do this without you. I can't raise her. I-" Billy swallowed thickly. "I can't live without you."

"You still have me," you said softly, and he could see tears in your own eyes now. "You have Annie. She is me. She's got all the good parts of both of us, none of the bad."

"There were never any bad parts of you," Billy breathed, and you took in a breath, smiling in a bittersweet way.

"Promise me you'll be there for her," you said, voice firm despite your gentle hold. "Please."

"I promise," he managed, biting the side of his cheek. "Baby-" An unborn cry cut him off, and he looked down, squeezing his eyes shut. Everything he'd tried to avoid had him pinned down now, shaking his shoulders and screaming at him to wake up.

You took in a breath, pulling him closer, down so his head was on your chest. He clung to you, feeling like a child. Your fingers stroked his hair, delicately roving through his curls in an attempt to soothe. Billy only let himself cry then, tears soaking the front of your nightdress. You breathed, "Oh, Billy," and he fisted your bodice, trying not to imagine what things would be like if you were no longer here.

When you were no longer here.

He wasn't ready. How can anybody ever be ready?

Grief hunted him down, made him miss you before he was gone. It stripped the skin from his bones, buried itself into his being and filled the spot where you were. He couldn't remember how it had felt before.

You were slipping away too quickly, and he was grasping for you, milking every second he was allowed. This was a familiar notion- he'd known it before, so he'd thought. But it was different now. You were a new love, one he'd embraced wholeheartedly. He'd given up everything to be with you and done it gladly. You were the center of the life he'd built so far from the land of outlaws and wanted posters. You were epitome of everything good and pure in the world.

Had his sins truly been so unforgivable that you were now being taken from him? Was he so far from absolvable? Billy had repented with every second since he'd met you, knowing that men who kept doing bad things didn't get to keep women like you. It had all been for naught now, because you were turning into memory.

"Give Daddy extra love, okay?" you whispered to Annie, holding her in a tight hug despite your growing weakness. "He's gonna be sad for a while. Can you give him love for me?"

Annie nodded, and you kissed her forehead, squeezing her to your side one last time. You said one last soft thing to her, and she nodded, leaving your side and shutting the door behind her when she went into the other room.

When she was gone, you gave him a tired smile, one that told him everything he needed to know. Billy crawled in beside you, pulling you to lean against his chest. He felt tears wet his shirt, unsure if they were yours or his.

"I don't want to die," you whispered, the pain in your voice making him want to sink into the earth.

Billy squeezed you, tears raining into your hair. "I know. I know, angel."

"I don't want to leave you." Your hand found his, winding fingers together and clenching.

He felt the lonely rise of grief's dull ache seize him again. "I know, angel." Billy's lips parted, something he both wanted and didn't want to say lingering between them. It escaped before he could think further. "Just rest. We're...we're gonna be okay. You can sleep now. I'll hold you the whole time."

"Billy-" you were grasping, breathing faint. He could see life draining from you, your body growing heavy.

"Shh," he whispered, tears like rivers down his cheeks. He brushed them aside, sitting up and pulling you into his lap, so your head was resting against his shoulder. He was still in one piece, strong for you as he rocked you steadily, holding you tight. Love...that was what you needed right now. To know you were loved.

He wouldn't fall apart yet. Not when you were still here for now, clinging to him and holding on for every moment you could squeeze out. Billy leaned down and kissed you tenderly, trying to convey every bit of what had always been yours. His heart. "I love you."

Your body relaxed, and sunbeams spotlit the floor through the windows. He could hear birds outside, singing their merry tunes. It was the birth of summer, the sister of spring. Your essence alone existed in these few months, and it would echo at him for the rest of his days.

Billy held you close as your expression grew peaceful. The veil separating life and death was thin, and you were answering its call. He whispered over and over like a mantra. "I love you. I love you. I love you."

Your body went still.

And now he fell apart.

[wowlookwhosspirallingagain]

i crave being someone’s first choice so bad. why does no one ever choose me over others?

[gingerpines]

they’re still together in my head :,)

[azfellschild]

he is half of my soul, as the poets say ♡

[wanderer-clarisse]

me every time I read the Silmarillion: I think Maedhros needs a hug

[tekstelart]

I had a caption for this but I lost it oops

[artdoc-draws]

They’re just lil guys your honor

[starryaike]

Song - Feel Better by Penelope Scott

[literallygwenandjinx]

oh my god

[mischieviem]

[lesyeuxdesylus]

HELPPPP someone edited lost oasis sylus with his hair down on his forehead bc DUHHH that’s what would happen if one’s hair was wet????

goodbye, it’s over for me. he looks tooooooo good 🥲

[deerspherestudios]

I'm way late but better late than never 😭! For this March event by lazerinth ❤️