Mar 25
Sometimes I just do stuff coz I have a really strong urge to draw
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Sometimes I just do stuff coz I have a really strong urge to draw
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Volary (part thirteen)
wc: 3.5k
Warnings: mature themes (18+)
A/n: Meh, bit uneventful but I’m gonna try wrapping this up in two chapters so the chaos is coming in the next chapter. Enjoy?
Also, this chapter is for @ptitbijou and @kbg96 for your continuous support and genuine love for my writing 🥺🫶🏾
Next chapter->
“Wake up.”
Phoebe’s eyes immediately blink open, wide and alert. Virgil’s voice wasn’t necessarily booming, just stern. The kind of tone she imagines guards would use on prisoners. A million thoughts plague her mind instantly. Has something else happened since last night to make him angry at her all over again? ‘Who said you were forgiven in the first place?’ And true. Phoebe looks up at him from beneath his own covers timidly. He’s already dressed for the day, the soft glow of the sunlight through his window kisses his moisturized face softly. How can a face so beautiful be behind so many atrocious actions?
“Start packing your things.”
Panic makes her choke and sputter over her next inhale. “W-what do you mean?”
“I’m sure I didn’t speak Dutch. Start packing.”
“B-but… where am I gonna go?” She blinks rapidly, desperately trying to keep her tears at bay.
“You’re staying at one of my apartments. It’ll be under surveillance. We’re moving Cas there and he’ll require some care. That’s the least you can fucking do, right?”
She hates how standoff-ish he’s being with her. It’s making her second guess if last night was a dream, but the ache between her legs suggests otherwise.
“B-but… I… we-” Phoebe bites her bottom lip until she tastes metal on her tongue.
“You have two hours.”
Phoebe watches his retreating form with a pitiful pit in her stomach.
***********
The man who introduced himself as Alexei helps her with her bags and drives her to her new location. It’s about twenty minutes away from Virgil’s place. The apartment building is luxurious and cool gray in colour. The men in the lobby look similar to Alexei: tall, muscular with every inch of their skins painted in a multitude of colours and designs. He leads her to the door furthest down the hall on the second floor and punches in the code slowly for her to see it. It’s only four digits, but Phoebe enters them in her notes on her phone anyway. She knows how forgetful she can be. The inside is already fully furnished with not a single speck of dust on any surface. Phoebe takes her time to observe the space while Alexei moves her bags to the first room along the hallway. Virgil seems to love open plan buildings. The kitchen and living room are separated by a small, black dining table. The building is spacious so she doesn’t mind one bit. There are three doors in the hallway, the opened one that Alexei has been moving her bags into is clearly her room. The walls are grey like the rest of the building but the furniture is all white. There’s an ensuite bathroom and a walk-in closet. Under different circumstances, she would have loved the place. The door next to hers is also a bedroom and she’s guessing that’s where Cas will stay. It’s similar in size with an ensuite bathroom as well. The third door opposite to their rooms reveals a small guest bathroom.
“I live next door and lot of bratva men stay in this building. If anything happens, call V first then find me if you can. If I’m not available, knock on any other door and you’ll get help. V and Joe will swing by to drop Cas off in few hours.” His accent caresses every word. Alexei leaves as soon as she nods in acknowledgment.
Phoebe is left standing in the middle of the quiet room with nothing to do but stare at the abstract painting on the wall. Her feet eventually take her into the kitchen where she discovers a full stocked fridge. She feels like tearing up at the tubs of yoghurt that lines the shelves inside. Inside the freezer, she discovers a range of frozen, convenient items as well. Phoebe pulls out a pack of frozen vegetable wontons along with strawberry yoghurt, trying not to tear up at how thoughtful Virgil has been despite her betrayal. She fails terribly.
*********
“So, I’m guessing you caught them.”
Virgil eyes Lorenzo calmly. “Yes, just like you said. And just like I promised…” he gestures at the men sitting around the table. Joe to his right, Sato to his left and Maksim right next to Sato. The raven haired man has a scar spanning the entire left side of his face. His grey eyes are stormy and his beard thick. He’s just as dangerous as he looks and a very valuable ally. Lorenzo shifts under their gazes at the other end of the table. Lee interrupts by placing bottles of Sake with shot glasses on the surface of the table before taking his leave once again.
“What are your demands, Lorenzo?” Joe, ever the impatient, harshly demands.
“I… I have no grand ambitions to take over the city. I just want us all to be treated as equal and we’ll never be if Rocco is alive. He creates a divide, othering families who aren’t making enough. He uses them to do the dirtiest work and often sends them on suicide missions without telling them.” Lorenzo stares pointedly at him when he says and Virgil immediately knows what he’s referring to.
“He executes those who refuse. I’m from one of the families he views as lesser. I’m not exactly his right hand man, I’m nothing like Joe is to you. I’m his glorified messenger and janitor basically. I’ve had enough.”
“So what? You want us to kill Rocco for you so you can take his place?” Joe questions calmly.
“Hey, I’d be getting my hands dirty too. But that’s not at all. Rocco is our biggest mover right now; if he goes, especially with Santiago, we’ll lose a lot of our drug and weapon connections, and like I said, he made sure the rest of us remain small fish so no one will want to partner with us.” The man looks up at them unsurely.
“Ah, you want us to help you establish some allies?” Sato’s question is more of a statement.
“Yes. The mafia would be eternally in your debt and you could call us for anything you need.”
“Or, we help you establish yourself and you use that as opportunity to create problems for us.” Maksim speaks for the first time.
“And why would I do that? I know how that would end. It would take years to establish ourselves enough to even attempt that and even then, it would end with many of my brothers dead, including myself. The very thing I’m trying to prevent with Rocco running shit. We don’t want to be kings, we just want to stop being treated like fucking filth.” Lorenzo hisses. His eyes are filled with determination.
“We?” Joe echoes back.
“You think I’m the only one sick of him? The others have been coming to me, especially families of the men who basically sacrificed recently. I know we’re all criminals but he’s a literal fucking tyrant. We especially don’t stand a chance now that he has the cartel making up his numbers.”
Virgil can tell the man is telling the truth. He’s usually good at reading people. ‘Except one fucking woman, apparently.’
The men in the room must feel the same because they all turn their attention to him, waiting for him to make a decision.
“At the warehouse you said you had something that would be very useful to me, what was it?”
Lorenzo shakes his head stubbornly. “Not until you agree to my terms.”
Virgil reclines in his chair. The man is smart, he can’t be mad at that. He looks around the table at the others, surprisingly, Maksim is the first to nod. Sato follows, then reluctantly, Joe does too. He isn’t exactly trusting.
“Alright. We agree, but only if whatever information you have for us is as good as you claim it is.”
Lorenzo exhales a breath full of relief. “I’m sure the Nightingale told you what Luis told her about Santiago inheriting that club.”
Virgil stiffens subtly at the mention of Phoebe. “Yes.”
“Dante, he was an Italian. He helped establish the mafia here years ago, he’s like the godfather for most of us, the man was a legend; but more than that, he was Rocco’s grand uncle. It’s why Rocco is so respected by most despite… everything.”
“So what?” Virgil narrows his eyes at him.
“How did she say Dante die?”
“Luis said he had some sort of seizure.”
Lorenzo chuckles bitterly; “That’s what Santiago told everyone. Recently, I met with the widow of the doctor who Santiago paid off to lie about his death before he, of course, executed him to keep his secret safe. Dante didn’t die of a fucking seizure, Santiago poisoned him. And Dr. Lopez’s wife has the autopsy report that the man hid in his safe just in case he’d need it.”
Virgil immediately straightens in his seat. Joe’s eyes widen in surprise.
“And you’re sure about this?” Maksim’s voice has an undertone of urgency.
Lorenzo nods; “The woman has been waiting for the moment someone had the balls to stand up to Santiago. She wants justice.”
“So Rocco is working with the man who killed his grand uncle and almost toppled their family's empire and he doesn’t have a clue.”
“He has no idea. Also, I’ve heard whispers from both sides. Rocco is vocal to me about his plans for Santiago after they’re done with and so too Santiago based on the whispers that have been brought back to me. There’s already secret animosity between them. If we light the match…”
Silence. Then Virgil breaks it;
“Well then, let’s drink to our new alliance, Lorenzo.”
************
Virgil finds Phoebe asleep on the couch with the tv playing some cooking competition at a low volume in the background. He’s here much earlier than he should be and alone. They’re still moving Cas here later, but there’s something he needs to do first.
“Phoebe.” His voice is a lot softer than he intended but the woman stirs awake anyway. It takes a few seconds for her to blink away the haze of sleep. When she does, she shoots up immediately.
“Hi.” Her hands wipe at the corners of her mouth subconsciously.
“Let’s go.”
“Where are we going?”
“To see Wang.”
Phoebe’s breath hitches but she moves anyway.
“Can you give me a second to get dressed?”
He tries not to let his eyes wander. She’s already in pajamas— a silk shorts set that leaves very little to the imagination.
“You have five minutes.”
Rush hour traffic makes the journey unbearable. Phoebe already feels like she’s going to be sick from anxiety and what should’ve been a fifteen minute drive turned into a forty minute one. By the time he pulls into a small building that’s obviously a private practice, Phoebe has to be swallowing around the excess saliva in her mouth every three seconds. Virgil leads her into the building without sparing her a glance. They march right past reception and into Wang’s office. The scent of disinfectants immediately assaults her senses causing her to actually gag.
“Good evening to you too. Am I so offensive to look at?” The shorter man says in amusement.
And Phoebe knows he’s joking but she feels horrible. “No! Not at all, it’s just the smell…”
Wang’s expression softens. “Ah, we’re closing up for the day so they cleaned up. I should've been mindful of your… possible condition.”
Something passes over Virgil’s features but it leaves too quickly for her to catch.
“Get on with it. I have somewhere to be in an hour.”
Wang hurries to hand her a small specimen cup and gestures to the door on their left. He doesn’t need to explain. Phoebe hurries into the bathroom, and for the first time in her life, she prays that she’s actually pregnant.
Wang enters the bathroom after she exits, returning a few minutes later with the testing kit.
“Well, it appears she is pregnant.”
Phoebe almost burst into tears. She’s so caught up in silently celebrating that she misses Virgil’s own subtle relieved exhale.
“I’ll conduct blood tests to ensure it isn’t a false positive and to determine how far along she is.”
Phoebe keeps her eyes tightly shut throughout the process. She hates needles and she had to pinch her thigh every time she grew lightheaded so she wouldn’t pass out.
“See? I wasn’t lying to you.” Phoebe finally breaks the silence while they sit in standstill traffic on their way back to the apartment.
“Yea, about one thing.”
“Are you mad about it?” Phoebe braces herself for his possible reaction. At the end of the day, she planned this without his permission. Who knows if the man even wanted to have kids.
“I’m mad I allowed myself to be in this situation in the first place. I use a condom with everyone else but with you logic seems to-”he cuts himself off with a harsh breath.
“But what’s done is done.”
Phoebe takes her time to drink him in while he keeps his eyes on the road. His jacket was thrown haphazardly on the backseat somewhere and the sleeves of his shirt rolled up to the crook of his elbows. His sleeve of tattoos throws her brain for a loop every single time. She’ll blame the hormones for the way she immediately grows wet.
“What’s the real reason you kicked me out, V? Because I know it’s not just to take care of Cas.”
“You know why, Phoebe.” He responds without a hint of hesitation.
“No I don’t. Tell me. Is it so you can fuck your other women without the awkward breakfast conversations in the mornings?” She mutters bitterly.
Virgil scoffs; “Who I fuck is none of your business.”
“Fine then. Am I allowed to-”
Virgil finally whips his head in her direction, his eyes narrowed to slits; “Don’t fucking say it.”
“Why not? It shouldn’t be your business either!”
“Phoebe, I swear on everything if you don’t shut the fuck up…”
“You know what? Fine. I just won’t tell you.” Phoebe spits defiantly, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring straight ahead.
“I dare you to bring another man to my fucking building.”
“Who said anything about bringing anyone to your building?”
His nostrils flare but he doesn’t respond. Instead, the tires screech as he makes an abrupt, illegal turn out of traffic and onto the opposite side of the road. Phoebe yelps as they narrowly miss a car coming down well beyond the speed limit. Virgil ignores the driver honking and yelling and speeds off.
“Are you insane?!”
“Keep testing me and you’re gonna fucking find out.”
She should take that as her cue to keep her mouth shut, she takes it as a challenge instead. Because she wants his attention, even if it’s the negative kind.
“Testing because I asked you a question?! Why can you fuck other people but I can’t?!”
“Because you’re clearly fucking stupid. You’re the type that would find yourself in bed with one of Santiago’s men and fuck up everything we have planned.”
Phoebe is momentarily stunned by his response. It stings a lot more than she wants to admit.
“Yet your entire organization almost crumbled because of one stupid bitch. One that found herself in your bed too by the way. Not only that, you managed to knock her up. You might the stupidest-”
Phoebe goes cross eyed staring at the pistol pressed right between her eyes. He’s too quick, that can’t be natural.
“I’ve shot people for less, keep pushing me, Phoebe. Go on.”
Her heart rate spikes like her body overdosed on adrenaline; not only because of his grim tone and expression, but because he’s still fucking speeding while his eyes are off the road completely.
“If you were going to do that, you would’ve done it already, Virgil. You either don’t want to or won’t until I give birth. So get that out my face and answer my question! Why did you kick me out?”
Virgil’s eyes grow wild. Lowering the gun, he tries to take a breath to compose himself but fails miserably. She can see the veins raised along the column of his neck.
“What the fuck do you want from me, Phoebe?! Huh?!”
“I want you to fucking like me back!”
The tension in the vehicle immediately shifts. The heated anger mellows into something heavier. Phoebe curls in on herself when his response doesn’t come. Embarrassed doesn’t begin to describe what she’s feeling. They remain quiet all throughout the much longer route back to the apartment. Phoebe is out of the car before he even cuts the engine. She marches ahead with her heart in her throat when his footsteps sound just behind. He said he had somewhere else to be and she was hoping he’d leave immediately after dropping her off. Virgil is almost breathing down her back as she punches the code into the door. She turns to face him in the middle of the living room, fidgeting under his gaze.
“I need you to understand this, Phoebe. Just because I haven’t killed you like we both know I should’ve done means I despise you any less. That’s the reason I moved you out of my space. Because every time I fucking see you it reminds me of what you’ve done and I can’t stand it. Get that through your head.”
Phoebe blinks rapidly to keep the tears at bay. Virgil does a final, cold perusal of her from head to toe before turning to leave the apartment. But she can’t let him go without getting the final word in, no matter how fucking small she’s feeling.
“You didn’t fuck me like you despised me last night though, V.”
He pauses in the doorway for a few seconds then slams the door shut without uttering a word. And despite her tears, she giggles. Because she knows she fucking got him.
********
“Hey! You better take your time. If you pull these stitches and make me bleed on my Brioni shirt we’re gonna have a problem.”
Phoebe’s eyes well up with tears the second his voice drifts down the hallway. Cas is finally here. It’s five minutes away from 9 pm and Phoebe has been anxious for his return for hours.
“Just shut the fuck up.” That’s Joe. She hears a clatter then something heavy moving against the floorboards. She’s guessing Cas is in a wheelchair. ‘That’s all your fault.’ The little voice in her head makes her want to cry and throw up. Reluctantly, Phoebe steps into the living room from the hallway. Joe and Cas pause to stare at her with similar expressions: cold indifference. She wants to cry even though she knows she deserves it.
“Hi.”
Cas is the only one to respond; “Well, well. If it isn’t Ms. Delilah herself.”
Phoebe turns her gaze down to the ground. “I’m so sorry, Cas. I never meant for that to happen. And I swear if I had known I would-”
“Pheebs?”
She looks up at him, wiping the tears that keep falling in quick succession.
“Shut up and come give me a hug.”
“What?” She asks dumbly.
“For fuck- whatever.” With a grunt, Cas gingerly stands to his feet, flicking away Joe’s hands that reach for him.
“I told everyone this wheelchair shit was unnecessary. I’m not fucking crippled I just got shot a little.”
“Shot a little? You lost a fuck ton of blood!” Joe yells at him incredulously.
Cas rolls his eyes; “But did I die? No.”
Phoebe didn’t realize how much she missed him until now. With loud, heaving sobs, she races over to throw herself in his arms. Cas groans lowly but returns her embrace with all the strength he can muster.
“How can you not hate me?” Her voice is muffled in his chest.
“I asked him the same thing.” Joe comments bitterly from behind.
“Because, you were in a shit position doing what you needed to do to fucking survive. Joe and V can act as mighty as they want from the place of privilege but we’re all fucking criminals bitching about being betrayed. How many times have we fucked people over for some money?-”
“But she-”
“Did what she thought was best for herself. Just as any of us would. But Pheebs…” he brings his thumb under her chin, tilting her face in his direction.
“I almost didn’t walk out of that situation alive. I can promise you that I will do everything in my power to protect you and yes, from anyone- that includes that Italian scum Rocco and even these two knuckleheads I work with. And I mean that.”
Joe huffs loudly in the background but stays quiet.
“But you have to promise me that you’re on our side now. If not for them, for me.”
“I swear, Cas. I’m on your side.” She responds earnestly.
“Good! They’ve probably been too busy to start with their threats but Virgil or Joe won’t lay a finger on you while I’m around.”
“Oh trust me, I’ve started. But we can’t hurt her, she made sure of it.”
Phoebe twists her mouth, eyes moving around the room skittishly after Joe speaks.
“What do you mean?” Cas eyes them both in confusion.
“Phoebe… cunning little Phoebe. Tell him.”
“I….” She rubs along the length of her arm; “I’m pregnant.”
Cas blinks in stunned silence for what feels like minutes.
“Actually, roll that chair over here please. Turns out I definitely do need it.”
What it means to be a dark side.
UnsureCorrupted au part 1/2
Part 2
*Includes Dark side synopsis and Gloves Chpt 1. Of the prequel.*
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Corruption is an illness that can be overcome with patience and perseverance. As long as you stay true to who you are and what your goals are you’ll never lose sight of what’s truly important. Just keep going.”
The dark sides consist of Janus, Logan and Virgil. Or you know what used to he them. Now fully corrupted these three have banded together with one single goal in mind. To stop whatever is happening and fix Thomas. No matter what happens they’ll keep going. Even if their memories are fading. Even as their bodies twist and warp into demonic images and forms. They’ll keep going. What else can they do?
The Serpent, Janus, keeps trying to remind them of what their goal is. Of what normal used to be. It’s difficult. Rarely do they remember, rarely do they understand. Yet the two never stray towards the light.
Despite the insistence of Hardwire, who remains in a firm stance of denial. Refusing to admit he’s the same being he once was he still desire to fix. To help to use his abilities, limited as they are to fix what’s going on.
Corrupted Virgil is a different story it’s unclear how much sanity they still retain. How much Virgil is left in the mess of cobwebs and shadows that have claimed him. As much hatred as he feels he hates the idea of his existence more. A broken creature like him should no exist that’s the last coherent thought he can convert, so he remains with the dark sides. Ready to fight for whatever scraps he can get back.
Sorrow despair and destruction is not enough to stop three from achieving their goals. Will you root for the dark sides and their goal to restore Thomas?
Gloves chpt 1
Hello Sir
I am.expecting not one, not two but three babies. I came home in September for a surprise visit from my military tour and now my wife is carrying the result of the surprise visit. I have been told they may be quite small and I am worried they might be too small. As an experienced papa how small were your baby boys? Do a father's instincts kick in? Will I know what they need as their father? Mothers are so much more in tune with babies.Who was surprisingly your biggest baby and should I be concerned that low birth weight babies could be fragile or sickly? I am back on rotation at the moment, and there is no family to really support her while Im gone, leaving her on her own somewhat until June when I return home and they are due. Parenting is truly frightening ne, Sir. I just hope all goes well and I am enough and that I can do things right by them and my wife.
Regards,
Got-two-boys-and-a-girl-on-the-way
Easy now, Solider, first rule of parenting is panic won’t help.
Fatherhood… it doesn’t have a secret formula, or at least not one I’ve cracked. Some days you’ll feel like you’ve got it mastered, others you’ll feel like an elephant trying to wait on tables whilst gliding around on one ice skate. It’s learning on the job, and you’ve got one hell of a responsibility. But it’s rewarding, god is it rewarding.
It really depends on the baby, Scott and Gordon were absolutely tiny (I’m talkin’ could-fit-in-one-hand-tiny), although they were also pretty eager to get into the world, while Virgil was the opposite. If you’ve got three gunnin’ for it at once, them being on the small side ain’t unusual at all. Just be extra gentle when they’re born. If you’re worried about them, that’s what the doctor’s for.
Father instincts? I can’t speak for every dad out there, but they came in pretty quick for myself, doesn’t mean I knew what to do with them! Parenting is a big learning curve, but you’ll learn what they do and don’t need. Don’t be afraid to take notes, my desk was covered in them in those early days. Like I said, it’s learning on the job. But you’ll get ‘em eventually.
As for your missus, every chance you get make sure you treat her like the queen she is. She’s tryna develop not one but three whole human beings at the same time, if she says jump you best be prepared to go yes ma’am how high.
And… don’t make the same mistakes I did. Please. Tell those kids how much they mean to you, that you’re proud of them. Never let them go a day in their lives thinking you don’t love them.
Keep honest, work hard, and you’ll figure it out.
Oh, and congratulations to you both.
Just One of Those Days c7: Home
Chapter 4 | 5 | 6 | AO3
~
For once Scott Tracy did what the medical professionals told him to do.
He rested. He ate, drank, didn’t wince too much when he had to give blood daily and kept his complaining to the bare minimum – for Scott.
But he was chafing at the bit.
Mentally Scott knew that doing what he was told was the quickest way to get out of the hospital but being told that there was a minimum of five days he had to stay put to complete the course of antibiotics…doing nothing did not sit well at all.
Scott pretended that he didn’t notice the amused looks from his brothers whenever he complied with the doctor’s orders, not the not-so-secret betting that they were doing about how long it would take to lose it.
So he was determined to hold out as long as possible. It wasn’t easy, but he was a Tracy and so very stubborn.
Errant Fractionality
Read here or on Ao3
Credit to @/thecutestgrotto for the divider.
First | Next
Chapter 2
Larkin felt like they were going to be sick.
They probably didn’t actually need to be sick. It certainly wouldn’t improve matters. That didn’t stop them from pausing halfway down the corridor and leaning against the wall to dry-heave. Too quickly, that instinct became hyperventilation, they had to swivel and press their back hard against the wall as their breathing outpaced their fraying self-control, and they pawed at their throat. This allowed Virgil to finally catch up with them. He heard the crackling vocals escaping between breaths, rounded the corner, and only paused for a second before approaching. “Lark.”
once you’re in the hive, the other bees assume you’re supposed to be there
[Masterpost]
Chapter 7: How They Kept Him Very Well
Wordcount: 1.1K
~~~~
“You know, if you keep feeding me like this, I’m going to gain weight,” Virgil says, settling back in his chair with immense satisfaction.
“No offense, but you look like you could use it, Jack Skellington,” Roman tells him.
“Hey!” Virgil protests, though he isn’t actually particularly offended. Roman’s not wrong, for one thing. Virgil certainly doesn’t have the time and energy—or skill, honestly—to make as good food as Patton does. These last couple days have been the most well-fed he’s been since he moved out to be an independent adult.
Hello!
I hope your "something stupid" actually turns out to be very fulfilling - even fun.
As for a prompt . . . I immediately thought of what makes me anxious and wondered if you could do something with "supporting a loved one through dentist-visit-anxiety."
Or, perhaps more fun might be dealing with a post-dental-work-loopy loved one.
Hugs.
Biggest of hugs to you! I don't think the below quite matches what you were probably expecting but it's where the muse wanted to go... Thank you for the distraction!
Gordon’s foot hadn’t stopped tapping the whole drive across the city. He’d been restless since Virgil had gotten up that morning, up and down from the sofa in the apartment adamant that he didn’t need to nap.
Virgil knew he had probably spent the night clock watching, waiting for the moment that they could leave the apartment and head to the hospital. Moreover, he understood his younger brother’s anxiety.
He had been back to the hospital plenty of times since he had been released, and had eventually been comfortable enough to go to his rechecks without a brotherly escort. He’d had bloods, scans, and physio for months, and it had all very much finally paid off.