#bywiley

It wasn't Olivia and Liam's first foray into the Olympics, by any means. They had been skating as long as they had been walking. Their father is a retired and beloved hockey player, and their life in Vancouver had been revolved entirely around their skating. They had been a part of Team Canada since 2018 in PeoyongChang, and there she had met Leonardo, a fellow first timer in his own field. The moment he had opened his mouth and let that charming accent roll out, she was smitten... but he wasn't available. He always had his favorite cheerleader right by his side, and Olivia respected that.

This year, she had noticed that Leonardo was by himself. They had arrived in Italy early to reunite and be shown around, and outside of training, she seemed to never see him without Nadia. It had some little suspicions forming in her mind, but he'd talk when he was ready, right?

That moment had come in one of their first evenings in Italy. She was warming up from an outing next to the fire and nursing a cup of coffee, and the conversation had taken a turn towards the Nadia topic.

❛  i’ve  barely  even  started , cucciola .  ❜

The pet name brought a soft smile to her lips, one that met the mug for another sip. "I'm here to listen, if you want to talk about it," she assured @bywiley. "I've just... missed talking to you. We always say that we'll stay in touch and all of that - everyone does here, but I... I need to do better at following through with that."

despite how overwhelming realmscon can feel, jay wouldn't trade the experience for anything in the world. getting to spend the entire weekend with all of his friends was truly the highlight of his month. of his year. so, he's beaming, all teeth as he turns to @bywiley, claps a hand on his shoulder. ❛ i know i should be dead on my feet right now, ❜ he says, voice a little loud to compete with the buzz of the dealer's room, ❛ but i'm kinda... stoked? is this what pure adrenaline feels like? ❜ ( ♥ )

@bywiley, continued from here.

Nancy Wheeler had always been Steve's kryptonite. She had come out of nowhere and had completely shaken up his entire life. He had hit rock bottom, but it was in a way that needed to happen. There, when he had fallen on his ass, he had found himself. Though there were often more questions than answers, he slowly picked himself up and realized what was important in life. It wasn't following a family legacy. It wasn't throwing house parties to fill a void. No, none of that ever actually filled anything. What fulfilled him was a sense of helping others, those who needed someone to stand up for them. It started with The Party and now? He was making a living out of it. He owed all of this to the woman sitting with him, even if she might not take credit for it.

I missed you too, Steve. For what it's worth.

He felt something squeeze in his chest and a soft smile tug at his lips, releasing a quiet laugh at her instant apology for not being the end result of his plans. Another tight squeeze. Brown eyes lowered to the rooftop for a moment before flicking over to her, studying her for a moment.

"You changed my life, Nance. I'd... be chasing ambulances with the rest of the Harringtons if it hadn't been for you," he confessed honestly. With a warm sincerity that he could never hide from her. He lightened the mood after by taking a swig from his beer and shrugging a shoulder, "And hey, you're talking like we're applying for nursing homes by the end of next week. We're young! We've got a whole life ahead of us! We're just now somewhat figuring our shit out, right?"

He paused for a moment to let that settle, a soft peace resting in his expression. "I'll always be whatever you need me to be. You know that, right?"

The days were long at Bixby Inn. They started promptly at five in the morning when Kathryn would come downstairs to start preparing breakfast. In between preparing and serving meals, she'd tidy up guest bedrooms and keep up the bed and breakfast. Her day turned into late night when she'd launder the dirty linens and other items, often up until past midnight. Then, she'd rest her head and start all over again.

She was no stranger to taking care of others, and she immensely enjoyed getting to know those who stayed under their roof. But as the years went on, she felt like it was all she was living room - a cyclical routine that was only broken up by new guests and whatever newfound feathers were ruffled of her husband's. In front of guests? Francis Bixby was as charming as the man she had fallen in love with, the one who had swindled her. But the real Francis? He was mean and cruel and heartless. She was doing all of the work maintaining a place he took all of the credit for and ensured that it remained her own personal prison as such.

She could breathe only slight when Francis left one morning for a two-day trip. Business, he simply told her, but there was no telling what problems were going to arise from that. She was baking some fresh bread for the day and had reached to start pulling pans of the oven. It was a newfangled sort of thing that she was trying to get used to, so when she lifted, it was too early and the top of her hand caught the hot metal. She hissed and yelped despite the fact she had caught a guest out of the corner of her eye just minutes later. The pinkerton.

She gave a light whimper as she set the pan on top of the oven and self-examined it as he stepped over. Her breath caught a little when she felt a warm hand on her arm, a foreign offer ringing in her ears.

“ let me see the wound. ”

Dark, tired eyes lifted to meet his as she let @bywiley take her hand to examine the reddened and blistering skin, lips parting to speak before she hissed a wince. The blister would fit right along with the scars that decorated her arms under her sleeves that were pushed up - some slashes, some circular cigarette burns, and some bruises that varied in shades of fresh purple to old yellow. "Francis bought me this oven last month. It's some new pain in the head," she explained with a quiet sigh. "I was more than happy with my wood burning oven, but he's all about the newest and shiniest..."

@bywiley / random dialogue prompts

An instant quirk of her brow followed his question, the deadpan expression her go-to whenever her brother tried to act cheeky like this. "Hmm... Do you want a list, or?" Claire didn't bother hiding the blatantly amused grin spreading across her features. "Because we might be here a while."

The weight of the gun in her hand reminded her they couldn't spend too much time slacking off and butting heads - even if the distraction was welcome when the place was crawling with undead. Claire thought she would've gotten used to it by now, but it still seemed to send a shiver up her spine all the same. Chris couldn't have guessed this would be the kind of enemies they'd be facing when he began training her, but she was glad he didn't listen to her on the many times she refused to learn.

it's easier said than done, he thinks, but something about betty's tone makes it impossible to be nervous. her bubbly nature is nearly infectious, and jay can't stop the smile that spreads across his face when she reaches up, puts her smaller hand on his shoulder in an act of reassurance. the tension begins to physically drain from his body, and slowly, his stiff muscles start to wind down until he's nearly slumping where he stands.

❛ y'know, ❜ he starts, head tilted, you really have a way with words. ❛ if the whole music thing doesn't work out, you should consider being, like, a motivational speaker. ❜ it's said with a smile, a scrunch of his nose, as jay moves to let his hand rest atop hers. giving it a gentle squeeze, he nods, backs up, and studies the floor once more. ❛ i think i've got it this time, ❜ he assures her. ❛ i just -- maybe... a little slower? does that make sense? ❜

@bywiley, continued from here

This firewatch assignment had been her form of therapy from the stresses of the real world. Back where she lived? She was miserable. She had worked a job that felt soul sucking and lifeless under florescent lights. She had been engaged, and she thought that was going well for herself. You know, until she had followed a trail of suspicions in finding out that her fiance was, in fact, fucking the girl he had made her feel crazy about having suspicions of for the past six months. She had burnt her candle at both ends, and this deep dive into nature was the hard reset she had needed. She had dropped an immediate letter of resignation onto her boss' desk, moved her belongings into her parents' storage shed, and took what she'd need for a few months in the national forest.

The last thing she had expected was companionship, let alone someone that was helping to heal her heart. Maybe that distance of her towers was what she needed, a natural barrier that allowed her to fall slowly but rapidly for Jasper. He was kind. He was funny. He knew how to entertain conversation for hours. Slowly, those cracks had started to heal over, and by the time they were finally meeting each other face to face, she was ready to explore this. To be fucking happy and carefree.

A soft smile tugged across her lips as she felt him move closer to her, safe and strong arms wrapping around her frame. It was easy to get lost in kissing him, affection that she had been starving for even before her engagement ended. Jasper? He was good, through and through. There wasn't a bad bone in his body.

She released a soft hum as he turned her more towards him and moved on her knees to press her chest to his, her sports bra brushing against his bare chest as her hands came up. One cupped the side of his neck as the other tangled in his hair, her head tilting to deepen the kiss and savor the feeling that was tingling through her. Another much-needed hard reset of her system.

@bywiley, continued from here.

Her lips slowly closed as he mentioned it being a case of terrible luck. To her, that felt like the understatement of the century. Bad luck was having your wallet mugged. She had been killed. She was changed into something she didn't even know existed. She wanted to call her mom and tell her everything that happened, as she did any big life event or small inconvenience, but she couldn't. It was an incredibly scary and lonely feeling.

She listened to him as he spoke to her about how sloppy it was of her makers to leave her in this state. But... this is your life now. There was a tightening in her stomach as her shoulders sank a little. It all felt so... violating. She didn't ask for this. She didn't want this. She never even stood a chance. They had just left her like a piece of trash in the alleyway. That thought had been sitting terribly with her since.

"Do you think they'll try to come back for me?" she asked quietly. Right now, this bartender was the strongest lifeline she had to this new world, and god, was she scared.