⁎⁺˳ 𝐅𝐕𝐙𝐙𝐘𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐍 / 𝐅𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐅𝐑𝐕𝐈𝐓 : a semi-selective multi-muse roleplay blog loved by elle ( she/her, twenty-one plus, aest ). 

Her partner had become so fixated over a pile of documents that she wondered if he had even been listening to her. It turns out he hadn’t and while most would be pissed, Elliot was concerned. It was the third time this week she had caught him reading over whatever was in that file. It would have been alright she supposed if it pertained to the current case they were working on, but she knew it didn’t. Or else, she would have been able to read the contents of the folder as well. A hand reaches out to touch his shoulder. “Holden — is everything alright? You haven’t…you haven’t been yourself lately.”

Had he been that obvious, or had she simply come to know him better? Holden didn’t know whether the possibility of the latter put him at ease or frightened the hell out of him. Either way, he was unwilling to reveal the truth of his circumstances, lest she involve herself. This was for him and him alone to deal with. 

The emotional whiplash Nico felt had him feel absolutely stunned.  One minute the future seemed so clear: the band wad headed to Australia to record their new album at some fancy new recording studio and his favorite girl was coming along for the ride and to document the madness.  Then he saw the letter.  The letter that represented a bigger opportunity than just following him to his next big thing.  Noelle was brilliant in her own right and she owed it to the world to follow her passions.  

When he heard her enter the apartment, his heart pounded in his chest, knowing the conversation that needed to take place.  “Why didn’t you tell me?  I didn’t even know you applied,” he says, the acceptance letter still in his hands.  

The cogs in her brain seemed to be working particularly slow that evening, her comprehension of the situation taking much longer than it should have. Though, the moment she had come to understand had been abundantly clear, expression morphing into that of shock and soon, one of regret. She deflated with a sigh. 

“I wasn’t trying to hide anything from you.” The most important thing for him to know. The last thing she wanted was to give off the impression that dishonesty had any place in their relationship. Lying to him had never been an option. “I just...didn’t have anything to tell. I applied forever ago on a whim. I didn’t even expect to hear back from them.” 

She expected there to be more. More emotion, more tears, more...anything. Instead all she could do was sit and stare blankly at the home she once shared with her husband. Had it not been for the grounding presence beside her, she surely would have floated away into the clouds, and for that she felt the smallest glimmer of comfort. Comfort she wasn’t quite ready to let go of. 

“I didn’t know what we were in the mood for, so I just got a bit of everything —  dumplings, taquitos, pizza. I’m sure they’ll make for a cohesive late night meal,” the girl rambled as she entered the apartment, barely able to juggle the aforementioned items in her arms, “Who knew packing would be such an appetising activity?”

The laugh that left her throat sounded foreign, like it didn’t belong. There was no happiness linked to it, the feeling of pent up anger strong and enough tension in the room to cut with a knife. Where was this coming from, and why now? Why hadn’t she brought it up when it had happened? But more importantly — why did it bother Naomi so much, when they were supposed to be best friends and nothing more? 

Her next words left him stunned, frozen in place. While he had hid his own feelings towards her for as long as he could remember, never in a million years did he think she looked at him in such a way. Before he could even respond though she was stepping forward, voice rising as she shoved. And shoved. And shoved. 

“Naomi — please.” Finn reached for her hands, holding them in his own, grasp strong to stop her from continuing. “I’m not leaving. I don’t want to leave. I can’t bring myself to leave, not after hearing how you really feel about me.”

“Let go of me!” Naomi enunciated with every attempt that she made to break out of his grasp, thrashing every which way. God, it took everything in her not to melt into a puddle by his touch alone. The thought only infuriated her more. 

He pulled away and while she knew that he had to in order to inspect her wound, all she wanted to do was to pull him back. His closeness brought comfort to her, after everything that had happened in a matter of minutes. She knew it was risky, doing the job that she did, but after what her partner had pulled…

“I grew up on a farm, with two older siblin’s — I was practically their punchin’ bag. Nothin’ I can’t handle.” She offered him a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. Weak, just like she was starting to feel in that moment. 

Elliot nodded, silent as he lifted her shirt. As soon as he began to dab at the laceration, she winced. It stung, but she knew it had to be done. “I don’t…I don’t know what I’d…” The blonde began, unable to form the right words. “Thank you.” She finally whispered, her voice quiet and hoarse.

He shifted his glance up to meet hers upon hearing her little anecdote, mirroring the slight upward tug of her lips. “Explains why you’re so tough.” He wondered ruefully how much more he would know about her, had he not spent so much time keeping her at arm’s length. What a waste.

As selfish as it might sound, Vivian’s really wishing that she never pushed this conversation. That it could’ve waited a little longer. That, maybe, the two of them would have stayed together for a little while longer if she didn’t. Lips press together as tears fall, sniffing as his lips pressed against her knuckles. “So, what? You - You’re just gonna leave and go home? Are you breaking up with me?” She knew that was exactly what was happening but, she wanted to hear it from him. Gaze meets his, eyes glossy with tears. “I just thought - I love you. And, I thought that was enough for you.”

Hearing the pet name honey slip effortlessly through his lips, Elliot couldn’t help but melt a little in his arms. For someone she had originally thought could give two shits about her, he sure was concerned. His breathing technique had calmed her down enough to where she was able to speak and comprehend what was going on. What had just happened still replayed over and over again in her mind, but she tried her best just to focus on the man in front of her. It was an easy task, considering how close he was.

He stepped back and she sniffled, bringing her arm up to her nose and using the back of her sleeve to wipe away anything that had come out during her sob session. She was sure she looked a mess but right now she couldn’t find herself to care. The events that had unfolded had a chokehold on her, and it was all she could really think about. 

Her gaze followed his to where there was a red stain on her shirt. Oh yeah. She had gotten injured. The adrenaline had been enough to keep her distracted from it, but now that it was wearing off and brought to his attention…she slowly nodded her head, allowing him to continue. “Yeah…yeah. You’re fine. I promise…I promise it’s not as bad as it looks. I haven’t even….don’t even feel it.”

Only upon receiving her permission to care for her wound had Holden managed to find it in him to fully part from her — the matter more pressing than his desire for comfort. He gestured her to sit on a nearby chair, ensuring she was seated comfortably before wandering off to seek the needed supplies. “I really doubt that that’s going to be the case when I start poking and prodding at it,” he warned, all while keeping his voice as lighthearted as the situation allowed. 

Try as he might Nico could not hold still especially as his girlfriend gently took care of his scraped knee.  He hisses in pain trying to hold in any curse words under his breath as his two nephews were mere feet away enjoying some ice cream.  “Did you really think I was going to let these two think they could swing higher than me?”  The words earn a laugh from the two boys and Nico smiles.  “I was humbled out here today.”  He leans in close to press and appreciative kiss to her cheek, “I’m still waiting for you to kiss it better, doc.”

Having always been attuned to his emotions, Noelle herself had been wincing along with Nico upon his expression of discomfort, glancing up at him sheepishly with a mouthed apology. Though, the sympathetic expression soon turned into a roll of her eyes. “You’re an idiot,” the blonde murmured with a shake of her head, though with the upward twitch of her lips and the endearment filled tone of her voice, there was only really one thing her words could really mean. I love you. 

Eleanor bit down on her bottom lip as the other spoke up, still unsure of the right words to say. Making ammends was a part of the twelve steps to her recovery from addiction, and Drew had been on the top of the list of people she needed to make ammends with. She had come this far, after all. She had acknowledged her addiction and asked for the help. She was attending her weekly meetings. She was getting her life together. This was just the next step. “Um… I-I…” El hesitated, feeling her heart thumping against her chest. Her hands were clammy as she rubbed them together. “I got help.” She breathed out. “I got clean. I did a fifty day program in rehab, and I’ve been going to meetings.” 

He couldn’t help but feel surprised when she claimed that he was the problem. Usually if there was something going on between the two, they were honest and upfront with each other — never ones to beat around the bush. But that no longer seemed to be the case as she finally exploded, letting everything she had been keeping from him out. “What the hell did I do?” Finn truly didn’t think anything he had done lately was enough to cause such an outburst from his best friend. She kept going, the rage continuing to build as she hurled more words at him. 

It was a surprise, to hear her admit such a thing. They were best friends and never once did he think she felt more than that. He had of course but kept it to himself, not only because he didn’t want to ruin what they had, but because he was engaged. The wedding was months away. But was he in love with her? Of course not. The woman he was in love with was currently screaming at him, telling him he was the problem. “Naomi…I respect you. I do. I’m sorry — I didn’t…I didn’t know that you…why didn’t you tell me this was how you felt?” His voice was quiet as he looked at her, wondering where all of this was suddenly coming from. It couldn’t be real, could it?