betrayals

i found you , hidden by crooked fingers of gnarly wood , and leafy green , a pale ghost , drifting like morning mist , through haunted trees and forest birdsong . you come to me in warning moonlight , your story told on icy skin , the pages pale , with purple kisses , walking barefood and breathless , towards my heart . you found me , buried deep beneath this earthy blanket , of thorny twigs and weeping mud — [ ... ] now bound together, in joyful death we make our bed .

[bctryvls]

archivaldwrites​:

Archie repeated the older man’s actions and placed a finger to his lip, accompanying it with a light shushing sound despite the fact doing such made him feel as if he was a small child being reprimanded by the adult. “Says the gentleman lowkey threatening his own employee.” His leash was not short by any standards, and while Nicholas chose his moments reeling in the assassin on his payroll, Archibald did nothing to jeopardize his standing with Delgado because even a well-trained killer knew you did not want to land on the bad side of Nicky if you valued your life. The crime boss was more or less the closest person he came to a father figure, nauseating mushiness aside, the sole reason behind his passion of murderous dealings. 

He nudged the file closer on his side of the table, flipping it open and scanning the words. memorizing the photographs with thoughtful interest. Archie’s bloodthirst rumbled with excitement, anxious to begin the process as soon as he was able, but Nicky’s demand sent his gaze flickering from the file to him in disappointment. Not that he would express it. “Half now and half later, wait two agonizing weeks, I understand it’s crucial.” The male closed the folder and placed his crossed arms along the table, leaning forward, “Speaking of crucial, I think you would like to know your favorite Moretti’s lawyer has arrived in town. Kaia. I like her.” He hummed, “I wondered if it’d be beneficial for you if I did light sniffing in her direction. Know thy enemy. She may allow one or two significant secrets about Kieran slip, you know how irresistible I am with women sometimes.”

nicholas looked up at archie ,  his eyes snapping in his direction as if to warn the other off from his smart ass comments ,  but archie didn’t exactly adhere to social standards ,  he didn’t even seem to notice when he was overstepping boundaries .  the man licked his lower lip ,  staring back at the other as he flipped through the file that was offered .  he waited for the other to repeat back his words to him ,  and then nodded ,  instead focusing on his drink for a moment or two .

nicky only looked back up when the conversation took an unexpected turn .  he narrowed his eyes ,  crossing his leg over the other and breathing in .  he was quiet for a moment or two ,  before nodding slowly ,  amusement dancing on his features ,  “  oh  --  you  have  a  thing  for  the  pretty  lawyer ?  you  don’t  need  my  permission  to  pursue  a  woman ,  archie ,   but  do  not  take  anybody  that  works  for  the  morettis  for  a  fool .  if  I’m  not  mistaken ,  kaia  works  with  kieran ,  and  that  woman  is  a  powerhouse ...  don’t  think  for  a  moment  she’d  settle  for  anything  less  from  the  people  she  surrounds  herself  with .  ”  

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twistedhvlo​:

    boo eyed aspen when they started but then stopped . ‘  i  don’t  have  an  answer  for  you  . ‘ she never really did when it came to ry . things were always up in the air when it came to the man let alone their relationship or whatever it was and that was usually because of boo . ‘  he’s …  probably  at  the  hotel  he’s  staying  at  . ‘ she didn’t comment about how ry was usually moved in by now although that was typically the case . 

aspen knew better than to push their sister ,  they knew that she was fiercely independent and was used to being alone because it was easier than letting anybody in .  aspen got lucky ,  they were a handful ,  but they’d grown up with avery and he knew everything there was to know about the rabbits .  rydell had struggled ,  even if he was the one that got the closest ,  and it was difficult for boo to let go of her responsibility to just enjoy his spoiling .  aspen knew that nothing they said would convince her to give it a real try ,  so they didn’t bother ,  but instead nodded their head ,  “  maybe  we’ll  get  to  see  him  at  some  point ?  ”

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twistedhvlo​:

    maybe as bad as it came across , boo had expected to see rydell before now . it was like clock work . maybe they’d go a year and then he’d show back up but a year turned into two which then turned into three and nothing . the only options , that made sense in boo’s mind , was that he either finally moved on and wasn’t coming back or the guy fell into an early grave . boo remained close to ry even after he pulled away from the kiss . boo never liked this . she never liked letting someone in or relying on someone because she was always disappointed in the end and despite everything that ry did , she always found an excuse to keep him away . in the end , she was the one always breaking her own heart .  ‘  i  missed  you , ‘ boo echoed , voice quiet as if she was afraid of saying it too loud .

he kept her close ,  unwilling to let her go just yet ,  even though neither of them had ever been all that big on public displays of affection ,  unless they were drunkenly attempting to screw in an alleyway outside of a club -- that had happened a time or two in the past .  he bowed their heads together ,  his hand cupping her jaw still ,  thumb following the line of the bone ,  “  I  can’t  take  you  fighting  me  anymore ...  ”  rydell admitted ,  “  these  past  three  years  were  hell ,  it  just  reminded  me  of  how  much  I  want  to  be  with  you ...  whatever  it  takes .  ”

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twistedhvlo​:

   ‘  he  sounds  like  an  assholes  and  assholes  never  die .  they’re  like …  cockroaches .  ‘ they just kept coming back even when you think you’ve killed them . ‘  but  i  will  keep  my  fingers  crossed  for  an  early  death . ‘ she almost grinned at that as she looked bac kat her friend , ‘ i  miss  you  too .  we  all  miss  you . ‘ 

“  maybe  we  should  call  an  exterminator ,  ”  kaia mumbled ,  running a hand through her hair and tossing back the remainder of her drink .  there wasn’t much else to touch on in terms of her career ,  but she at least felt a little less overwhelmed now that she had talked it over with her friend .  “  wanna  call  it  a  night  and  go  eat  food  and  watch  tv  at  your  place ?  ”  she questioned ,  cocking her head to the side ,  “  it’s  not  too  late ,  right ?  ”  

[bctryvls]

archivaldwrites​:

Archibald’s expression immediately scrunched in what could only be described as a partial wince, though, the reaction was entirely fictional and overdramatized. Kaia certainly would have thrived as an assassin herself, pinpointing the emotional tells of others based on key reactions displayed someone’s personality for the world to see, it was easier to guess weaknesses and what they person will do under extreme stress. “I’d love to blame my broken home for my total lack of understanding what will and won’t offend a woman, love, alas, my bluntness is at the helm of fault. It isn’t my intent to come off so impolite.” He watched Kaia for a moment until a growing smile stretched his lips, head cocking to the side. “Oh, now you, you have fire, my friend. I see what you mean.” There was a pause, “However, I am inclined to stick my nose in another’s business when it is my job. Afraid that is something I can’t turn off by unfortunate circumstance.”

she pursed her lips at his excuse ,  but kaia let it go rather quickly ,  after all ,  everybody said stupid shit at times ,  could she really hold it against the man for saying something stupid without thought ?  she leaned back slightly ,  lifting her brows at his words ,  crossing her arms over her body ,  “  you’re  really  into  pet  names ,  huh ?  ”  kaia didn’t know the man ,  couldn’t place him for even a moment ,  but then again ,  why would she ?  kaia ventured back and forth between south and north side for work and home ,  and she never really paid any attention to anybody outside of work ,  though boo’s words were ringing in her mind at this point .  

the woman shifted her weight from one foot to another ,  glancing archie over as he continued ,  “  well ,  you  can  unstick  your  nose ,  or  I’ll  unstick  it  for  you --  I  have  an  acute  phobia  of  people  prying  into  my  personal  life .  ” maybe the guy was only trying to harmlessly flirt ,  but kaia didn’t often respond well to men ,  let alone those who were so bold in their interest ,  if that’s what this was .  she leaned over the counter to place her order ,  and turned briefly to look back at the man ,  “  aren’t  you  going  to  ask  me  my  name ,  since  you’re  so  damn  chatty .  ”

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twistedhvlo​:

    avery smirked at that but didn’t bother to comment . at josh’s question though , avery shrugged his shoulders , ‘  i  don’t  know , ‘ he looked back at his friend , ‘  been  thinking  about  it . ‘ that wasn’t a throw away comment either . it crossed avery’s mind a few times . he knew if this was a few years ago , he would have laughed at the idea of the two of them getting hitched but it didn’t seem so far fetched now . 

he knew he made the joke ,  but he didn’t actually expect avery to respond that way .  josh’s lips parted ,  almost as if he was going to comment ,  but nothing left his lips for a moment .  “  sorry  --  what ?  ”  josh questioned ,  “  you ,  avery  adler ,  are  going  to  propose  to  your  boyfriend ?  ”

[bctryvls]

twistedhvlo​:

    ‘  set  holidays  is  a  new  one . ‘  and that wasn’t sarcasm on frankie’s part . it was clear that nicholas was trying to make this as enticing as possible and he could actually appreciate that about the man . most wouldn’t be so willing and yet , nicholas seemed to be doing his own thing . ‘  making  more  than  what  i’m  making  now  is  fine  with  me  but  talking  the  details  over  your  offer  isn’t  the  only  reason  why  i’m  here . ‘ 

nicholas said nothing ,  but his lips twitched slightly as the other spoke ,  he didn’t bother to interrupt but instead sipped his drink as frankie continued .  his brows furrowed ,  eyes narrowing a fraction at the statement ,  curiosity certainly piqued ,  “  oh ?  ”  the older man breathed ,  “  what  else ?  ”

[bctryvls]

twistedhvlo​:

    ‘  oh  yeah ? ‘ kieran questioned , amusement dancing on her features as she tilted her head to look at josh . maybe this wasn’t the response that kieran should have had but , there was no taking it back and she didn’t want to . the two had waited far too long to go on waiting for no reason now . kieran hummed as she shifted to sit up , ‘  i  can  get  the  water  started . ‘ 

he tilted his head to the side ,  planting a kiss against kieran’s forehead ,  before sitting upright .  josh smiled warmly at their offer ,  nodding his head ,  “  you  gonna  come  with  me ?  ”  he asked ,  and then paused .  “  look ,  I  don’t  really  --  expect  things  to  change ,  I  know  you  have  to  ...  deal  with  appearances ,  so  I  wanna  make  the  most  of  tonight ,  okay ?  ”

[bctryvls]

twistedhvlo​:

     ‘  and  i  love  being  complimented  so  please  keep  going , ‘ holland teased although he wasn’t exactly lying about that fact . he looked back at nicky . there was no denying that there was a lot of trust here between them and maybe something else that neither of them were exactly willing to touch on . it wasn’t in the cards and it probably never would be . ‘ in  another  life ,  yeah ? ‘ holland questioned , offering a gentle smile . 

nicholas rolled his eyes ,  but smiled all the same ,  he liked holland for his personality ,  and he couldn’t deny that even in his arrogance ,  he was charming .  he looked back at the other when he spoke ,  bringing a hand up to push through his hair ,  “  if  you  want  this ,  for  real ,  all  you  have  to  do  is  ask  for  it ,  mi  amor .  ”

[bctryvls]

twistedhvlo​:

     ‘  oh  fuck  off  , ‘ quin breathed but a grin was quick to touch his lips as he looked his friend over . it did sadden quin , at times , how the two fell off but he was sure a day didn’t go by where he didn’t think about the other . ‘  yeah ,  well ,  i  got  shit  going  on  here .  still  not  on  my  list  of  top  places  to  be . ‘ 

zeke only grinned more ,  waving down the bartender to grab his friend a drink .  it was strange ,  there were times he thought he’d never see quin again ,  and yet ,  here they happened to be .  “  I’m  a  cop  now ,  if  it  was  my  choice ,  do  you  think  I’d  be  in  the  city ?  where  it’s  loud ...  ”  he wiped his hands down his face ,  “  what  are  you  up  to ?  ”

[bctryvls]

twistedhvlo​:

     nicholas was charming to say the least . that was the first thing she had noticed about the other and she was sure it was something that others noticed about the man as well . ‘  i  don’t  see  a  reason  why  we  should  either . ‘ kieran’s goal wasn’t to make an enemy out of nicholas . she could see how that would go down from a mile away . there wasn’t a need for it . ‘  i  have  plenty  even  though  my  father  doesn’t  want  to  hear  it . ‘ 

he smiled back at the woman ,  waving down the bartender for another drink ,  before redirecting his attention to his counterpart .  kieran seemed to be on the same page as himself for now ,  undoubtedly that would change when she got her first taste of power ,  it always sent people a little crazy ,  he only hoped they could build something before that chance came .  “  your  father  is  a  fool ,  ”  nicky murmured ,  adjusting his jacket ,  “  but ,  personally ,  I  look  forward  to  seeing  what  you  blossom  into .  ”

[bctryvls]

twistedhvlo​:

     this had been a long time coming and it was better than anything kieran could have imagined . she looked over at josh , a lazy smile touching her lips , ‘  yeah ,  i  know , ‘ she half teased although the both of them knew that kieran could be cocky at any given moment . she turned over to rest on her side to face josh better , finger tips brushing up and down his chest . 

josh smirked ,  rolling his eyes and looking up at the ceiling ,  only glancing over at kieran when she shifted to face him .  he held her gaze ,  a slow smile curling the corners of his mouth ,  “  if  I’d  known  this  was  the  response ,  I  would  have  killed  your  dad  a  long  time  ago ,  ” he mumbled .  josh breathed out slowly ,  fighting the urge to yawn ,  “  speaking  of ,  I  should  get  cleaned  up .  ”

[bctryvls]

twistedhvlo​:

     holland took his attention off the one leaving to instead put his attention back on kaia . ‘  i  take  that  as  a  compliment . ‘ he almost smirked before sipping his coffee . there were a few people that holland could sit with and not want to jam a fork into his hand and kaia was one of them . ‘  so ,  how  are  things  on  your  end ? ‘ 

“  you  should  --  I  like  it  about  you ,  ”  kaia hummed ,  crossing one leg over the other as she sipped her coffee again .  “  um ,  can’t  complain ,  you  know ?  ”  she cocked her head to the side ,  “  what  about  you ?  work  is  good ?  ”

[bctryvls]

twistedhvlo​:

      avery almost smirked at the gesture , ‘  almost  forgot  what  you  looked  like  when  you  weren’t  pining , ‘ he shot back but the smirk never left his features . ‘  aspen  has  shit  to  do  or  whatever . ‘ he waved a hand around . he didn’t exactly get details of what aspen was doing that day and figured it wasn’t needed .

“  don’t  have  to  pine  too  much  anymore ,  at  least ...  not  for  a  while ,  ”  josh murmured ,  glancing back at avery ,  smiling momentarily ,  before lifting his brows .  “  surprised  they  didn’t  drag  you  along ,  ”  josh admitted ,  “  you  ever  gonna  marry  that  kid ?  ”  perhaps it was a bold statement ,  but it didn’t seem too far fetched ,  they were all loved up a lot of the time ,  and even when they hated each other ,  they were never too far from one another . 

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twistedhvlo​:

     ‘  that’s  for  sure , ‘ boo hummed , grabbing a drink from the fridge before moving to the sofa , falling into a spot next to aspen . she expected the question eventually and she sighed . ‘  uh ,  i  went  out . ‘ she looked back at them which wasn’t exactly odd . ‘  and  i  might  have  ran  into  ry  while  i  was  out  so  that’s  where  i  was  . ‘ 

aspen lifted their bros ,  instantly smiling ,  “  good  for  yo--  ”  they stopped ,  surprised all the more by that ,  but maybe they shouldn’t have been .  rydell always came back ,  he was like a boomerang ,  always coming back for boo .  “  how  long  for  this  time ?  ”  aspen murmured ,  “  where  is  he ?  hasn’t  he  usually  moved  in  by  now ?  ”

[bctryvls]

twistedhvlo​:

     frankie had never really crossed lines with former partners . while there was always something borderline intimate with having to rely on someone to watch your back , he never fell into bed with someone but this wasn’t about intimacy when it came to zeke , although the guy quickly had frankie breaking any rules set out for himself and he didn’t regret a moment of it . frankie laid against the bed , eyes on the ceiling for the moment as he attempted to catch his breath . ‘  not  a  bad  way  to  start  this , ‘ frankie breathed , lips tipping up in a light grin .

rojas’ relationships with his previous partners hadn’t exactly reached this level before ,  it had definitely been on the cards ,  but their morals got in the way of anything getting here ,  or in general ,  forcing ezekiel’s hand usually .  the man glanced over at frankie and grinned ,  reaching over for his things and pulling out a cigarette ,  sparking up and taking a pull ,  before offering it to his counterpart ,   “  sign  of  what’s  to  come ,  hopefully .  ”

[bctryvls]

twistedhvlo​:

     ‘  please  hear  me  when  i  say  this  as  professionally  as  possible  but  fuck  you . ‘ it wasn’t odd for two lawyers to sit down somewhere even when they were on opposing sides but , no matter how the conversation started , it would always end up being about work . it was funny how this particular one sitting across from holland actually thought that he would win or that holland would take some bogus plea deal . ‘  i’m  paid  what  i  am  because  i’m  good  at  my  job .  i  don’t  fold  . ‘ he watched as the other stood , a little more agitated than what he was when he had sat down with holland but the man’s expression remained neutral , watching as his company eventually left . ‘  fucking  idiot , ‘ holland breathed out once the man was no longer in ear shot .

kaia knew this was heading anywhere good ,  but rather than interject ,  she watched as the altercation unfolded .  the woman perked her brows ,  knowing that ,  while she and holland would probably always be on opposite sides ,  they at least could have a conversation without throwing a child tantrum .  she sipped her coffee ,  looking holland over ,  “  you  know ,  when  we  first  met ...  I  thought  you  were  kind  of  a  bitch .  ”