Does She Look At Him ?? And If She Does, Does She Smile ?? Does She Apologize ?? Holly's Usually Good

                Does    she    look    at    him    ??    And    if    she    does,    does    she    smile    ??    Does    she    apologize    ??    Holly's    usually    good    at    these    situations,    but    never    has    she    dealt    with    something    like    this.    It's    strange    territory    she's    stepping    into,    but    she    does    hope    the    man    knows    she    means    no    harm    in    it.    Finally    she    does    decide    to    tear    her    gaze    from    her    phone    and    give    him    a    glance.

                "    I'm    sure    you're    very    handsome,    Philo.    "

                Though    she's    never    seen    his    face,    not    really.    Holly    looks    back    at    her    phone,    deciding    that    the    topic    at    hand    wasn't    something    they    needed    to    discuss    any    further.    She's    sure    he    doesn't    wanna    give    her    a    sob    story,    and    Holly    doesn't    want    to    sound    patronizing.    Finger    scrolls    at    the    screen    again.

                "    Oh,    look,    they    have    seitan.    "

He snickers— fun time is all the time with Philo! Apparently!

Once she's settled in, he's off. They cruise in his pickup— which you would think for a guy who is paid to kill people would be a little nicer or at least a newer model— towards the little vegan truck, which should be across town in the little strip of food trucks he frequents. "Maybe after we can visit one of the sweet food trucks. Get donuts or something; there's a space-themed one! Astro-nut." Terrible name, really. But it's there.

The topic shifts from bad business names to his mask and Philo chuckles. He gets a lot of questions about it, mostly from people on the street. Employers don't care what he wears so long as he does a job but everyone else feels pretty uncomfortable about it.

"I take it off to shower. And to wash it 'cause you can imagine how dirty it can get." He sniffs, shrugs. "But, uh, yeah I wear it all the time." Thumbs nervously tap at the wheel as he drives, unsure how to explain it without sounding...sad.

"I have issues with...uh, my face. Don't like looking at it. So...mask! Works really well for the job. And it's a conversation starter!"

                Hm.    Great    success.    Topic    changed    and    though    she'll    bring    it    back    around    soon    enough.    Holly    looks    up    at    John    (    as    much    as    she    could    ),    and    sighs.    Pads    of    her    fingers    remain    planted    on    his    jaw    for    a    few    moments    longer    before    she's    pulling    them    away,    though    she    stays    firmly    planted    where    she    is    in    front    of    him.    Holly    wouldn't    argue    if    he    had    decided    he    wanted    his    shirt    back    right    this    instant.

                "    Get    you    to    shut    up.    Kind    of    worked.    "

it takes him by surprise, but he doesn't fight it. one hand goes to her wrist to hold it in place on his jaw while the other lands on her hip, pulling her body against his. when she pulls away, teeth playfully nip at her bottom lip — forehead presses to hers in a rare show of domesticity. fingers dig into the white fabric of his shirt [ he has half a mind to rip it off of her, but he doesn't ] & brown eyes are glued to her. he knows he could get used to this, & maybe that fact alone is what scares him. he opts to shove that feeling back down, keeping their bodies pressed together instead. ❛ what was that for, kid? ❜

                He's    painted    in    the    consequences    of    his    sins.    Not    even    God    could    help    him    against    his    brother-    Nickolas    took    this    very    seriously.    He    hadn't    understood    why    Billy    would    act    in    such    a    way,    he    didn't    RAISE    him    to    be    like    that.    More    of    a    reason    why    he    took    it    so    personally,    aside    from    the    love    of    his    life    his    BEST    FRIEND    being    harmed    under    the    muzzle    of    of    his    weapon.    The    man    had    felt    sick    to    his    stomach.    The    only    thing    that    had    stopped    Nick    from    killing    Billy    was    the    blood    they    shared    in    their    veins.

                Holly    was    a    different    story.    Chalked    it    up    to    a    kink    he    hadn't    previously    discussed    with    her...    And    that's    the    option    she    elected    to    go    with.    Holly    refused    to    believe    the    lies    that    Nickolas    had    hawked    at    her.    Billy    wouldn't    ever    hurt    her    like    that...    would    he    ??    The    poor    girl    had    no    idea    that    the    government    wanted    her    dead.    And    when    Nick    had    found    out    what    Billy    had    done,    it    was    like    a    rabid    dog    had    been    let    out    of    its    cage.

                If    Holly    didn't    take    up    this    job,    who    would    ??    Surely    Billy    could    have    gone    to    the    hospital,    had    someone    else    take    care    of    this,    but    he    clearly    had    no    intentions    of    wandering    to    the    nearest    urgent    care.    She    doesn't    want    to    even    begin    to    understand    any    of    it.    She    has    her    story    and    she's    sticking    to    it,    even    if    it's    filled    with    false    hope.

                The    hand    on    her    wrist    causes    a    sudden    flinch,    even    if    it    was    gentle.    A    hard    swallow,    and    her    eyes    focus    on    his.    The    words    he    speak    sound    sincere    enough    to    believe    it...    and    fortunately    for    Billy,    she's    easily    swayed.    Fingers    clutch    the    bloodied    towel    in    her    hand    as    he    pulls    her    in    closer.    She's    so    close    she    can    feel    his    breathing.

                "    I    love    you    too,    my    love.    "    She    replies,    voice    low,    submissive.

@thehollyverse (holly) said: [ wounded ] sender patches up receiver's wounds

his cheek is cut open, bruise around his eye darkening with every passing second. still swallowing down his own blood while busted lip is reopened every time billy opens his mouth. it wasn't a pretty sight by any means, especially when it was his own brother that did the damage. billy had deserved it though, hadn't he? the attempted murder of the very woman pressing antibiotic ointment to the open wounds was something he isn't proud of — no, he wasn't above killing women, but holly was supposed to be different. but when it came down to it, she hadn't been.

he doesn't even flinch when the ointment touches the wounds: the pain was nothing compared to that of losing his brother. the man who raised him, the only person that billy cared for more than himself. his heart had broken, left on the ground in the puddle of his blood & he doesn't even blame nick for his reaction — after all, billy had become the very thing that the two of them had to face when they were younger. it made the man sick to his stomach, but not because he felt bad for holly. he only regrets that nick found out about it.

before holly can press the ointment to the cut on his lip, billy reaches a hand out. fingers that wrap around her small wrist are gentle, a stark contrast to the fingers that held a gun to her head while he was buried inside of her. black & bruised eyes look up at her like he was the victim in all this, desperate for proof that she still loved him, still wanted him, that she forgave him for what he'd done. he pays no mind to the fact that his actions were reprehensible, unforgiveable, that nick was right to try to get holly far, far away from him.

❛ holly. ❜ her name is bitter, the sour taste in his mouth shaken off like it never happened. blood drips from his lips, his other hand finding her hip & pulling her between his legs. ❛ i love you, baby. ❜ whether it was the truth or more manipulations, there was no telling. fingers dig into her flesh, begging her to say it back.

* MEME, always accepting.

BEN BARNES as BILLY RUSSO The Punisher S01E03 "Kandahar"

the half cannot truly hate what makes it whole.

a selective & low activity multi-muse with muses from the last kingdom, merlin, the wheel of time and more! oc and crossover friendly. written by vic.

                "    You    really    are    thick    in    the    skull,    aren't    you    ??    "    Nick    scoffs.    She    doesn't    want    to    get    rid    of    him,    no.    Quite    the    opposite.    Even    though    they're    at    each    other's    throats    all    the    fucking    time,    she    doesn't    want    him    gone,    no.    It's    a    form    of    foreplay    to    her.    Clearly    Fenris    hasn't    picked    up    on    that.    Arms    fold    over    her    chest    as    she    watches    him    approach    closer.

                Nick    doesn't    want    to    take    over    Aekas'    rank.    Nor    Fenris',    nor    Aeyarus'.    There's    too    much    publicity    involved    in    it,    even    if    Aekus'    managed    to    evade    the    limelight    of    it    all,    it's    still    too    much    for    her.    She's    quite    comfortable    with    where    she's    at    currently.    It's    the    perfect    spot    to    kill,    play,    and    fuck    to    her    hearts    content.    Sure,    she    craves    power,    but    she's    also    smart    enough    to    know    that    were    she    in    a    higher    position,    she'd    have    to    be    careful.

"we are all good at getting the dirty work done ourselves here." born and raised alongside one another in mass bloodshed, all in the name of bhaal and their cult. there was no one else in the world who knew the art and perfection of murder as the bhaalspawn did, and those who joined them could only hope and pray that they might live long enough to achieve a fraction of the skill of a bhaalspawn. fenris's hands are covered in the blood of his elder brothers, his rite of passage to prove his worth among his bhaalspawn siblings, and fight to keep himself in the position of power he now occupies despite those who envy it and find him undeserving of it. though none have dared remove him from it, no matter how much they longed to be in his place. not that he can picture aekas allowing such a thing to happen when the tiefling refuses to meet face-to-face with those supporting their cause outside the chosen of bane.

who would take over representing aekas in his place if he was not here? aeyarus? or the more laughable option of nick? perhaps that was why she seemed so insistent on tagging along on his business. to bond by placing a knife in his back and claim some accident to aekas and the others. surely it would not be aekas who wished him dead after all fenris had done for bhaal's chosen. everything he had risked.

fenris rounds his desk so it no longer remains between them, his fingers brushing over the edges of it as he walks around to her. "bond over it? why would we need to do that, hm? we share a common cause, that should be bond enough for us."