#holiday queueing

𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳 / 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘳!𝘝 + “𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘣𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯” 𝘳𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺: 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘯𝘺𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘴

“I want the shipment here by Friday and no later,” you intone flatly, not looking at the man seated before you as you press on. “I don’t care what excuses they give you. If it can’t be done, tell him to hire better men who are not as incompetent as these are.”

“Him?” Hector wonders, amused, biting. “Can’t even say his name anymore? Tragic.”

Your eyes lift to look at him. 

The Devil of Camorra sits draped across the seat of your office as if he owns it. As if he is a king, and leather seat beneath him his throne. One of his muscular legs leans over the armrest—swinging, careless, almost restless—his hands loose at his sides as he toys with a cigarette between his long, tattooed fingers. 

You’ve forbidden him from smoking in your office since the last time he played with one throughout the briefing. Played with it for so long and so intently that you doubted he remembered a single thing you said. You had thrown a blade too quickly for him to react, and it had pinned that damned cigarette to the wall of your office. Then the death stick fell to the floor silently, now cut in half. It was one of the few times you’ve seen Hector bark a laugh with something close genuine amusement. 

He has no business talking about something that doesn’t concern him though.  

“Care to repeat that?” you wonder softly, a cold promise of your displeasure falling over you both like a shroud. 

Hector’s pale eyes meet your own, as cold and distant as always, the harshness of his features only accented by the dark circles under his eyes. 

“You deaf now, too?”

You close the folder in front of you calmly, and slide it across the smooth oak towards him, standing at once. “We’re done here.”

Hector stills in his shifting, his eyes following you as you round the table before pausing next to his chair. 

“Will you show yourself out or do you need help with it?” you question coolly with a slight, clinical slant of your head. “I’m sure it won’t be too difficult for you.”

Hector stands, too, straightening to his full height—every inch the deadly predator, all muscle and deadly intent—and you gaze at him blankly as he buttons his suit jacket, ignoring the folder on the table. His eyes rake over your figure. From the dress, to the heels, to the slight sneer across your face and his teeth flash; a slow, deliberate thing. 

“We should fuck.”

“Excuse me?”

Ooh okay. I think fundamentally it’s important to know that V won’t go for it unless she’s 100% certain that all the obstacles are out of the way and she’s solid that he won’t turn her away (lol oh V...)

Last time she confessed loving someone, she got turned down, ended up being tortured, and then left behind for another woman. It’s...that giant Power vs Me fear that V has with Santino. It’s a crippling fear that stems from her own insecurity as well as the fact that she understands Santino’s flaws.

In terms of actual proposal...I think it would be a moment of insecurity kind of thing. Maybe they’re in bed, napping, lazy kissing, just intimacy, and she kind of...just blurts it out? Because she can’t imagine it being anyone else now. After everything they’ve been through - and in this case managed to work out - there is nothing that can stop them from being happy together. In a way, it’s her own need to hold onto that love because she would still be afraid he will turn around and one day no longer love her.

His reaction...well, in this case I don’t think he would actually believe her. Maybe he thinks she’s joking (because it’s so unbelievable to him) but then when he sees her serious expression, it hits him that she means it. It hits him that she wants this and he never figured she would want him anyway so to even get this far is amazing but...

Something like a choked, weak “yes, amore” followed by kissing her and kissing her again and again. Then it would hit him that she asked him and he gets...so miffed? Like he had this grand affair planned in some distant future if he ever felt like she was ready but????????? He loves her but???? Excuse me????? MA’AM????

OOOOOOH BOY.

So I think we can all agree that Winston would be V’s Mentor in this AU.

Santino I kinda see being a Career, perhaps? Set on winning no matter what. Ruthless. Sly. Charming. Gets all the sponsors. John and V would probably be the Katniss/Peeta in this case. The ones who start the uprising, who upset the established order.

Their paths sort of intertwine before and during the games, pitting them against each other. V, in this case, is sort of a reluctant hero. She doesn’t care about being a symbol or anyone caring about her/loving her. She’s just lurking in the shadows like:

So the most self-indulgent one I’ve actually written was probably the soulmate!au because that’s just...everyone happy? I loved every moment of writing it! It was such a relief after all the pain of canon!COA 😂

I love the idea of the Good Place au tho because SKSKSKSKSKSKS Winston would make a great Micheal, let’s be honest. I can really see that. And the whole “you find your soulmate in the good place :))” but it’s a mess because they’re all terrible, trying to be good.

I also really like childhood!AU. Like maybe John/V grew up with the Italians instead and they both grew very attached to both Santino and a Gianna because GOSH THE POWER™️. Let’s be honest, between V’s practicality and John’s patience, there is no way the siblings would have fought. Gosh, now that’s a dangerous, gorgeous team. Two heirs and their deadly, deadly friends. :))) but again, mostly because no one is against each other but against others.