#ricky olson x ofc | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

catharsis-in-darkness · 4 months

Text

Grief of Hearts Pt.4

pairing: Ricky Olson x OFC Iris & Vinny Mauro x OFC Iris

warnings/tropes: slow burn, enemies to lovers, angst, fluff, smut, language, mentions of cancer

summary: Iris' passion has always been passionate about music, specifically her band. What happens when she gets to open for her favorite band of all time and finally gets to meet her heroes?

author's note: This is a little bit of a longer chapter, but we finally got some action!!! I hope you guys enjoy :P

word count: 1925 words

Iris Hart

Thankfully, the sound check went off without a hitch. We were currently getting ready in the green room waiting for our turn to go on stage. The nervousness was bubbling in my stomach already. I was finishing Arlo’s makeup while Nora was doing Carter’s. We heard the door open, making us all look up. Chris and Ryan walked grinning.

“How are you guys feeling?” Chris asked us, wiggling his brows. Ryan took a seat on the couch next to Carter.

“Are you guys nervous?” Ryan asked, hitting his mod, blowing the smoke in my direction. I laughed lightly.

“Just a little, we’re used to smaller crowds.” I shrugged down playing my feelings. My body was slightly trembling. I was absolutely fucking terrified. This needs to go well so we can prove to them we’re good enough. I need to make Ricky Olson eat his fucking words.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We were about to get on stage. All of us adorned in our stage makeup and outfits we did a quick huddle.

“Alright guys, this is going to be the best show we’ve ever fucking done!” I cheered, hoping my words poured some confidence into them.

“We fucking got this guys!” Carted nodded along with me.

“I love you guys.” Arlo said, making my heart soften.

“Forever in our hearts.” Nora said, twirling her drum sticks.

“For Logan.” I smiled. I turned to let Nora walk to her drum kit first. Arlo and Carter soon followed. I was about to walk onto stage when Vinny rushed up to me.

“I just wanted to say good luck.” He said shyly.

“Thank you Vin.” I smiled, kissing his cheek. I heard the first chords of Psychopath being played and ran out onto the stage.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ricky Olson

You thought you left with no consequences.

You thought you could tear me in two.

But now you’re showing your defenses.

And you’re the one with the petty lies.

It’s hard to escape the reality.

That you were never mine.

You wasted my time, you were nothing.

But I know how this story ends in your eyes.

I couldn’t lie to myself any longer. She had a good voice, an amazing voice. She captured the crowd's attention immediately. She sang softly to them at first. She looked good, too fucking good. I don’t know why I’ve been an asshole to her. Something about her was so alluring and it fucking scared me. She reminded me of her at first, but seeing her now. Everything changed. The red lights casting down on her made her look powerful. Her dress flowed around her as she moved across the stage. She sounded like a siren and I was entranced in her voice. God this was fucking bad. My heart was pounding like crazy.

Go and tell them all what happened.

But don’t leave your sins out.

Tell them all that I was crazy.

That you never understood me.

Let them know,

That in the end.

I was a Psychopath.

She was now screaming and I couldn’t force myself to look away. I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. Seeing Vinny standing next to me, I forced a scowl on my face. He nudged me.

“I told you they were good.” He said cockily. I saw the way he was acting with Iris earlier. He looked like a lovesick puppy. I couldn’t ruin this for him. He was happy, even happier around her. I was his fucking best friend and I was thinking about the girl he clearly liked, standing right next to him.

“They’re still not as good as they should be if they’re touring with us.” I grumbled, turning around and forcing myself away from their show. This was fucking wrong. I walked back into the green room, slumping onto the couch. I ran my hands over my face letting out a sigh. Shaking the thoughts of her out of my head, I sat there waiting for our turn to go on stage.

Vinny Mauro

She was beautiful. Her confidence seeped into everyone around her. As their first song finished, we made eye contact and her smile brightened. The things this girl was doing to me, it’s been so long since someone has made me feel this way. She made my chest feel warm. It was a weird but welcomed feeling. I gave her an equally warm smile and blew her a kiss. She silently laughed and started talking to the crowd. When I caught Rick watching her, a part of me felt threatened. He was looking at her like he didn’t absolutely hate her guts. Contrary to what he all wanted us to think. He looked at her the way he used to look at Jaime. I’m really hoping this doesn’t go the way I think it’s going too.

Iris Hart

The adrenaline was still coursing through my body as we got off of stage. We played our asses off. I was so pumped that when I saw Vinny standing on the side of the stage, I ran straight into his arms.

“Whoa Princess! Excited to see me?” He smirked. I giggled before kissing his cheek and pushing him away playfully.

“Maybe I did.” I shrugged before pulling him into a more gentle hug. He wrapped his arms around me pulling me in tighter.

“You guys did so good.” He murmured into my hair. He was in his stage makeup and damn. He looked amazing.

“Guys we fucking rocked that!!!” Carter said, jumping around us. I laughed pulling him and the rest of the band into a group hug. We did a lot better than I expected, considering that we had never played in front of that many people before. The show went off without a hitch. I loved them all so much. Tears started pooling in my eyes. I quickly pushed them down before cheering along with my bandmates. We were definitely celebrating tonight. Arlo was the first to break from the group, wishing the members of Motionless in White a good show. I gave Vinny another quick hug.

Back in the green room we all sat down on the couches. We were exhausted but there was so much excitement running through our bodies we couldn’t sit still. My body was still buzzing even 30 minutes after.

“Carter get offffff.” Nora said, pushing him off of her lap. Arlo and I exchanged looks before laughing at their shenanigans. Arlo was sitting next to me scrolling on his phone, he looked deep in thought.

“How’s momma Lancaster doing?” I questioned, turning my body towards him. He shrugged.

“She just got finished with her last chemo treatment. The doctors are hoping she’ll go into remission after this.” Arlo’s mom was one of my favorite people in the whole world. When we would all go to parties in high school, she would come and pick us up. Never getting mad at us for being normal teenagers. She witnessed my first heartbreak and was there to pick up the pieces immediately. When Arlo found out she was diagnosed with Stage 2 lymphocytic leukemia, he was heartbroken. He started retreating back into the boy I grew up knowing. He became quiet and reserved again. My bandmates were crazy, always have been. Arlo was always the one to balance us out. These days, it was harder for him to be away from home.

“I’m glad, hopefully when we come home she’ll be doing better.” I laid my head on his shoulder. He leaned into me, responding with a nod.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We all decided to go out tonight to celebrate the first successful show of the tour. Nora and I were currently in our room getting ready. Nora tossed something at me as I was picking an outfit out.

“Wear that.” She winked, making me look down at the red fabric in my hand. My eyes widened.

“Absolutely not!” I threw it back at her.

“Riri, I’ve seen the way you and Vinny have been acting! Maybe you’ll get some action tonight.” She wiggled her eyebrows at me.

“We’re just friends!” Her face deadpanned. She grabbed the lingerie again, throwing it at me, this time hitting me directly in the face with it. I eyed it as it fell onto the bed.

“Friends my ass! He calls you princess!” Nora exclaimed, looking at me with disbelief.

“Look I know you haven’t gotten laid since you and you know who. Let yourself have this!” She shrugged, walking back into the bathroom. There was no way I would be fucking Vinny tonight! We’ve known each other for all of two days. Yeah, he’s hot and not to mention a sweetheart, but I am not messing up this early into the tour.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Time Skip)

We have two weeks left of tour and thankfully nothing has gone wrong. The tension between Vinny and I has become suffocating. We haven’t talked about our feelings towards each other, but we along with everyone else knew there was something going on. Ricky’s hate towards me has only grown the longer we’ve been around each other. We’re constantly bickering over stupid shit, making arguments out of nothing. He was insufferable. The rest of MIW was more accepting than he was. Chris and I grew a sibling-like bond. Even Arlo had started coming out of his shell more. We played a show almost every night and I think the exhaustion was starting to get to everyone.

“Princesssss.” I heard Vinny drawl from next to me. I looked over to see a pout on his sweet face. We were sitting in the green room, just scrolling on our phones.

“Yessssss.” I countered, raising my brow at him. He smiled innocently, before tackling me. My back hit the couch we were sitting on as I looked up at him, giggling. His gaze softened as we locked eyes. I saw his eyes flicker to my lips but he quickly averted his eyes back to mine.

“You’re so pretty.” He said in a low tone. My face became hot, making me look away from him. I felt a soft hand on my cheek directing my face back to his. He inched closer, making my breath hitch.

“Let me kiss you.” He whispered. Shock filled my body. We’ve cuddled before after the shows when we would watch movies, but that was the most we’ve done. I simply nodded. Soon after I felt his warm lips descend onto mine. My body was on fire. My heart felt like it was about to explode out of my chest. I melted into him, his tongue swiping over my bottom lip begging for entrance. I let him in, almost moaning at the taste of him. I tasted the starburst he had been eating beforehand and I savored it. He overwhelmed all of my senses, the smell of his cologne invading my space. He slowly pulled away from me, running his thumb across my lips.

“Wow.” He breathed. I chuckled lightly, knowing exactly what he was talking about.

“Wow.” I mocked him. His eyes turned to slits before he brought his ring covered hands down to my sides to tickle me. My body started curling up into itself from the invasion and loud laughs left my lips. He stopped soon after, staring at me softly again.

“Let me take you out on a date, Princess.” He smiled goofily. I leaned up pressing a quick peck to his lips.

“I would love that.” I smiled at him. He cheered victoriously, before attacking me with his lips once again.

#miw fanfic #motionless in white fanfic #fanfic #vinny mauro fanfic #ricky olson fanfic #ricky olson x ofc #vinny mauro x ofc #motionless in white

9 notes · View notes

collapsedglasshouses · 27 days

Text

FIC RECOMMENDATIONS

Hello! I've decided to update my recommendation list and give it a bit more structure, this is why I'm making a new list and try to keep it updated as often as possible. (The old list will still be available don’t worry)

To my fellow fanfic creators, I can't even put into words how much I appreciate you all. You're all so good at what you are doing. Thank you for sharing your masterpieces with us! ♡

Please read the content warnings for each piece of fiction! Most of them are NSFW so MINORS DO NOT INTERACT!

LAST UPDATED APRIL 3 2024

BAD OMENS:

Noah Sebastian x OC/Reader:

✫ JUST PRETEND by @thefallennightmare & @thescarlettvvitch

✫ ENTOMBED by @thescarlettvvitch

✫ MERCY by @thefallennightmare

✫ I TOOK YOUR KEYS, IT WAS ME by @badnoahmens

✫ SWEEP ME OF MY FEET by @badnoahmens

✫ PULLED FROM THE GREY by @crimson-calligraphyx

✫ SWEETENED BREATH, TONGUE SO MEAN by @rottingfern

✫ SCREAM by @foliosriot

✫ THE ROTTEN AND UGLY by @foliosriot

✫ THE INEVITABILITY OF LOVE AT SECOND SIGHT by @veronicaphoenix

Nicholas Ruffilo x OC/Reader:

✫ SAFETY NET by @measuredingold

✫ DISGUISED IN YOUR SHEETS by @deathblacksmoke

✫ DELICATE BEGINNING RUSH by @concreteburialplot

Joakim "Jolly" Karlsson x OC/Reader:

✫ LITTLE ONE by @cowpokeomens

✫ ABSOLUTION by @cowpokeomens

✫ SCAR by @ladyveronikawrites

✫ LIKE BRANCHES IN A FLOOD by @the-way-of-words

Nick Folio x OC/Reader:

✫ CLUTCH by @kingdomof-omens

✫ LIMONCELLO by @sinkingteethinwhitenoise

✫ HARDER by @sorrowsofsilence

✫ THE CRAZIER I CAME by @deathblacksmoke

Matt Dierkes x OC/Reader:

✫ FOR YOU? NEVER by @thefallennightmare

✫ JUST FOR TONIGHT by @withcrossesandframes

✫ MATT DIERKES FRIENDS TO LOVER REQUEST by @thcfountain [Matt Dierkes x ace afab!Reader]

Other Pairings:

✫ LOST IN THE CONCRETE JUNGLE by @ladyveronikawrites

✫ CALL ME WHEN YOU GET THE CHANCE [Noah Sebastian x Nick Ruffilo x fem!Reader] by @deathblacksmoke

✫ DOMINATE THE GAME [Coach Davis!Noah Sebastian x female reader x Coach Cerulli!Chris Motionless] by @ladyveronikawrites & @nerdraging4point0

Love Triangle:

✫ VIRALITY [Nicholas Ruffilo x fem!OC & Noah Sebastian x fem!OC] by @concreteburialplot

MOTIONLESS IN WHITE:

Vinny Mauro x OC/Reader:

✫ SURPRISE by @ravieisunhinged

✫ BABY IT'S COLD OUTSIDE by @beaker1636

✫ SWEET BOY by @circle-with-me

Ricky Olson x OC/Reader:

tba

Chris Motionless x OC/Reader:

tba

Other Pairings:

✫ EVERY ROSE HAS ITS THRONS by @cookiesupplier [Ricky Olson x OFC x Chris Motionless]

dividers by @saradika-graphics

87 notes · View notes

brucebannerxtonystark · 7 years

Text

AO3 - Bruce Banner x Tony Stark

read it on the AO3 at http://ift.tt/2j0HNnZ

by xx_my_veins_are_made_of_icexx

“Who are you, girl?”

“I don’t know, sir.”

“How can you not know who you are, brat?”

“I’m afraid I don’t know that either, sir?”

Yes, the title is from We Don't Belong Here by Black Veil Brides, the release of The Outsider has me all het up so blame BVB and tumblr and my own desire for a daddy/mommy dom.

Words: 1091, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Motionless in White (Band)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: F/F, F/M, Multi

Characters: Loki (Marvel), Thor (Marvel), Clint Barton, Natasha Romanov, Bruce Banner, Tony Stark, Jane Foster, Darcy Lewis, James "Bucky" Barnes, Steve Rogers, Wanda Maximoff, Pietro Maximoff, Vision (Marvel), T'Challa (Marvel), Sam Wilson (Marvel), Peter Parker, Wade Wilson, Chris "Motionless" Cerulli, Angelo Parente, Ricky "Horror" Olson, Ryan Sitkowski, Vinny Mauro, Devin "Ghost" Sola, Joshua Balz, Ryan Ashley Malarkey, Toronto and Pia, Phil Coulson, Nick Fury, Thanos (Marvel)

Relationships: Loki/Original Female Character(s), Bruce Banner/Tony Stark, Jane Foster/Thor, James "Bucky" Barnes/Darcy Lewis/Steve Rogers, All of the Avengers/All of the Avengers, Peter Parker/Wade Wilson, T'Challa/Sam Wilson, Wanda Maximoff/Vision, Pietro Maximoff/Everyone, Clint Barton/Natasha Romanov, Chris "Motionless" Cerulli/Angelo Parente, Ricky "Horror" Olson/Ryan Sitkowski, Vinny Mauro/Devin "Ghost" Sola, Joshua Balz/Ryan Ashley Malarkey, Everyone in MIW/Everyone in MIW/Ryan Ashley Malarkey

Additional Tags: Everyone Is Poly Because Avengers, Everyone in MIW is polyamorous, Basically Most People Are Gay, Kinky Loki, Gay Sex, Lesbian Sex, Bisexual Loki, Pansexual OFC, Daddy Kink, Daddy Dom Loki, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Odin's A+ Parenting, Little OFC, Magical Tattoos, The fucking tree is a better parent than Howard Stark or Odin, Ombric (the tree) is a good parent, Past Child Abuse, The Avengers Are Good Bros, Hybrid Original Female Character, Ice Powers, Old Magic, Runes, Rune Magic, THE TREE CAN TALK, Tags Are Fun, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Darcy is the fandom bicycle and I love it, BAMF Darcy Lewis, Not Canon Compliant, like at all, I have no idea where this came from, Just Roll With It, Don't say I didn't warn you, Vampire!Chris Motionless, Gargoyle!Angelo Parente, Vampire!Ricky Horror, Neko!Ryan Sitkowski, Fae!Devin "Ghost" Sola, Leshy!Vinny Mauro, Demon!Josh Balz, No one knows what species the OFC is, Mystery Creature

read it on the AO3 at http://ift.tt/2j0HNnZ

#IFTTT #ao3feed #fanfic #bruce banner x tony stark #avengers

0 notes

cookiesupplier · 3 months

Text

Every Rose Has Its Thorns - Part Nineteen

pairing: Ricky Olson x ofc x Chris 'Motionless' Cerulli

warnings/tropes: slow burn, soulmates, strangers to enemies to lovers, betrayal, angst, fluff, smut, language, panic attack, stalking, online bullying.

author’s note: Unbeta'd, readers beware as always lol.

tags:@tearfallpixie @cncohshit @jordynyingling0219 @faceless-mirror @nyxthedestroyerofworlds @wild-child-7747 @witchyweeb34 @black-damask1999 @jilliemiw86 @ilovesamkiszka @lyschko666 @lacktoesandtoddlerants @bngurngheart @collapsedglasshouses @laurpartyprogram

Tag List is Open, please let me know if you would like to be added to it or in general.

Ricky was staying with Chris, which he hadn’t wanted to. When he came down, having finished editing the video, uploading it to YouTube so that he could publish it when he was ready, only for Chris to let him know the plan. He’d argued that he was fine in his own house. He hadn’t worked hard to buy his own fucking house to get run out of it by some fucking insane psycho stalker!

The whole argument had fallen on deaf ears. Chris had just shaken his head, saying that he wouldn’t be staying with him forever, that this was still his house, just until they figured out how to deal with everything that was happening, until all of this settled down. It would all be settled down. Chris assured him, standing there with him, a hand on his shoulder, the other curving around the back of his neck, just helping him breathe for a second. It would be fine.

Talia had taken a deep breath herself watching the guys console Ricky, as much as he fought to stay in the house, something about how he looked as he turned to head back upstairs to go pack a bag so he could stay with Chris, she had a feeling there was a weight off his shoulders. He could argue that he was fine here all he wanted, but he wasn’t, and she didn’t blame him. Realising that you had a stalker, it didn’t matter who they were, it was unnerving. In this case Talia thought it was worse because Ricky did know Grace, and Grace knew Ricky, and now they knew that Grace hadn’t given up, whether, she thought she could get him back, or she was just trying to ruin his life, Talia didn’t know. Then again, someone as insane as to date him for so long and think he’d never find out she was lying to him, it was possible she thought turning the fans against him, would get him to come back to her. So Ricky packed up a bag of his things, along with some of his equipment, and after he published the video to his channel, headed to go home with Chris. Talia, however, went with Vin and Ava like she had been since she’d arrived, waiting to see how it would fair with the video, how the fans would react. By the time the video went live, it had been quite late at night for all of them, so it was no surprise, that she crashed into a fitful sleep long before she saw any reaction to it.

When Talia woke up, she realised it was mid-morning, and found a text from Ava, telling her that she’d gone into town with Vinny and that they’d be back later that afternoon. So dragging herself to make something to eat, only to hear the door, she sighed, walking from the kitchen, she went to answer it, and saw Rick on the other side of the door, waiting.

“Vin isn’t here, he went out with Ava-”

“Actually, I came to see you.”

She was taken aback. So far, Ricky hadn’t once gone out of his way to want to see her, every time they’d spoken, the party, yesterday, even the diner, had all been circumstances when they’d been put together because of other people, and had to deal with the other person, and now he was here, seeking her out?

“Um, okay, come in, I guess?”

Stepping aside to let him in, while it wasn’t her house, she knew Ricky was more than welcome in Vinny’s house as it was.

“I’m just making something to eat, I only just got up, I, well, I didn’t sleep well last night.”

Talia nervously rubbed her neck slightly, she hadn’t been able to check her phone without being abused in her messages on her social media since yesterday, and honestly, she was scared to check it now, she hadn’t checked her messages since she woke up.

“I haven’t checked my messages since I got up, I know it's going to be crazy, I can’t control how the fans react, all I know was what I said, and I turned the comments off on the video. I told them I would, because of the abuse that came after the live, and how ashamed I am that any of my fans would abuse anyone online, ever. So.”

Walking back towards the kitchen after she closed and locked the door, she doubted that would change everyone, she knew how fandoms got, while there were a lot of good people there could be a lot of bad too. It wasn’t a good thing, even if you could meet great friends, you could meet your worst enemy too.

“What was more important, was, talking to you about yesterday, about how we haven’t really talked, and you were right, I haven’t wanted to. Honestly, because admitting that you’re my soulmate has been, it's been shit through all of this. I have been struggling-”

“I know Ricky, you don’t need to explain that to me-”

“Shit! Will you just stop!”

Rick cut her off as she went to make herself a coffee, and she started a little, going tense as she set the cup that she’d just pulled out of the cupboard on the counter carefully, not wanting to look back at him now and fuck, he ran his fingers through his hair, feeling bad for snapping at her with how she looked right then. Shit... Why did she have to look like a spooked fucking deer, when yesterday she looked like she was ready to slap him into the middle of next week. Where was that girl, he needed her for the moment. But he supposed, at the same time, he needed reminding, why he was here, after what she said yesterday, he didn’t know her, he didn’t know the pain she’d been put through, by her own fucking family. He had so much support around him, from the band, his friends, and even his family from a whole other state, and she had Ava and two friends who couldn’t even be here with her now.

“I’m sorry I shouldn’t have snapped at you, I just, do you always do that? Make excuses for other people's shitty behaviour? You’ve been doing nothing but that for me since we met, haven’t you?”

He’d known he was acting like an ass, but hearing her yesterday, he hadn’t realised just how much of one he was until then. Shit. When Talia didn’t say anything, just stared at him for a long moment, Ricky glanced down at the coffee cup on the counter and shifted on his feet, moving to pick up the cup. When she went to say something, he lifted his hand,

“Let me, how do you like it?”

He didn’t have Ava here to ask, and hadn’t prepared in advance like she had yesterday, so, he went ahead and asked her directly.

“Half cream, no sugar, please.”

Nodding slightly, they both fell silent as he went to work to make her her coffee, while she knew she hadn’t eaten anything yet and any moment her stomach was going to rebel, it was going to have to be satisfied with the coffee, because the thought of eating anything while about to talk about soulmates with Rick, well, the thought made her feel a bit sick. They’d been going around in circles enough, and she was a bit terrified of where this was going to go, not to mention the messages she had seen yesterday, had brought back the worst memories, she didn’t need to go down that path right now.

Once he was done, Rick handed over her coffee, and let her take a sip before,

“Okay?”

When she nodded slightly, he smiled a little, at least he could do something right, even if it was only coffee.

“Good, okay. So, I know I’m fucked up, and I don’t need you making excuses for me, I don’t deserve them, any of them. I don’t deserve them any more than the people in your past do, because I know I don’t know you that well, but from everything Ava says about you, and she talks about you constantly,”

His voice a little deadpanned at that, trying not to smirk at the way Talia’s face turned a bright fucking red when he said that, she did though, Ava had talked Talia up all through their time on tour, even if Rick had tried to avoid any talk of her like the plague it had been impossible in its entirety. He’d be laying in his bunk, and Ava would be talking to Vinny about home, and Talia this, and Talia that, and it had made him want to scream in fucking frustration into his pillow that he couldn’t escape her.

“Then you are an amazing person. Honestly, you’d think you were her soulmate, Vin should watch out, she might have a thing.”

Hearing her chuckle against the coffee much was better than the dead silence, and the startled look she’d given him when he’d snapped at her before.

“There was that moment in college, so maybe, he should be warned.”

“Oh wow, noted, I’ll give him a heads-up.”

Both of them were laughing that time as she drank some more of her coffee, Ricky reaching for another coffee mug as he started to make himself a coffee.

“So yeah, I want to apologise, I realise, like a complete asshole, that I haven’t, for anything that I’ve done, or said to you, pretty much the entire time I’ve known you. How I’ve treated you has been, inexcusable. Even if you weren’t my soulmate, I should have treated you with more respect, especially as my best friend’s soulmate’s best friend, sister even.”

Both of them, standing in the kitchen, with their coffees leaning back against opposing counters and drinking at their mugs,

“Thank you.”

It was nice to hear it, at least. Talia hadn’t ever even gotten an apology from her family. Not that they would ever consider that they were wrong, that she could be right about having a famous soulmate, that was it, not that she’d always known who he was. Kyle and Jordan had known from the start, it was that Ricky was famous. Who was she, what right did she have, to have a famous soulmate when they didn’t? At least that was how Ava put it, that they were all just jealous, what made her special, was that she had a famous soulmate, and they didn’t, why did she deserve something more? She didn’t, she just had a soulmate, a normal soulmate, Ricky. Ricky, who enjoyed music, had been painfully abused by a horrible woman because of it.

“Fuck, don’t thank me, I was an asshole to you, especially at that party, shit. Making you prove it.”

He knew how he was treating her then, just like Grace had been suggesting she was, just someone out to play him, and he felt like utter fucking trash for it. Now she was thanking him for finally acting like a decent human being and apologising? Well, that made him feel even worse.

“Shit, you can’t be real.”

Just hearing him mention that party, even with what he was saying, how he’d treated her that day, Talia was feeling some sort of way, and Ricky’s eyes went wide when he felt the way she was reacting to it, the way his soulmate tattoo started to grow warm. Only the heat wasn’t instant and, well, stabbing like yesterday, it was like a warm slow burn. The warmth was a tingle that sunk into his skin to spread through him, and shit. That was when he saw it, the way her fingers pressed tighter to her mug, her back arched as she stood a little straighter, her thighs, tensed slightly, pressing together under her long shirt, the shorts she wore barely visible underneath.. Oh, and oh that delicate flush of her cheeks..

“Oh, oh Talia..”

The words were so softly off his lips, that he barely breathed them, he wasn’t even sure she heard him, but that wasn’t the point. She had to be some sort of masochist, he was a fucking asshole to her of epic proportions, and she was still thinking about him like that. Swallowing, not that he could lie himself, that day had played on his mind too. He’d thought about her more than once over the past week, enough that that tingle in his tattoo right now was not an unfamiliar feeling… Right now, seeing the way she was rolling her shoulder on the side of her tattoo, remembering how she reacted to the pain yesterday… it was making him wonder.

Did she feel it every time he did?

Did Talia feel what he felt every time he’d felt a surge of sensation in that tattoo?

Fuck, the most memorable had been when they were together, in that bathroom. He’d felt it, the way he brushed against her tattoo, the way he’d let his lips trail over her tattoo, how in that instant he’d felt her come around his cock as he did. Just thinking about it now, he might as well have been buried deep inside of her again, with the way the surge of feeling in his tattoo flared just at the thought, his eyes closed at the soft gasp that escaped her against the mug of her coffee.

“Shit.”

Ricky set his down on the counter before he dropped it and scalding hot coffee went everywhere. He took a deep breath, eyes opening before he moved towards her, taking the mug from her hands and putting it aside, hot coffee, safely out of reach for the moment, and then his hand was curving around the side of her neck, over her soulmate tattoo, just letting his fingers rest there over her skin nothing more, and feeling her shiver slightly under his touch.

“You can feel something, can’t you?”

Dividers by @saradika-graphics

55 notes · View notes

cookiesupplier · 4 months

Text

Every Rose Has It's Thorns - Part Eleven

pairing: Ricky Olson x ofc (Talia)

warnings/tropes: slow burn, soulmates, strangers to enemies to lovers, betrayal, angst, fluff, smut, language, panic attack, stalking.

summary: In a world where soulmates inexplicably receive a tattoo that will match that of their soulmate the moment they turn eighteen years old, being famous and covered in very visible tattoos can make finding your true soulmate a questionable fate. Not that it is any easier for the soulmate in question. Thus is the fate for Ricky and Talia. Sooner or later, however, life is bound to collide, but what will happen when it does?

author’s note: Unbeta, reader beware.

tags: @tearfallpixie @cncohshit @jordynyingling0219 @faceless-mirror @nyxthedestroyerofworlds @wild-child-7747 @witchyweeb34 @black-damask1999 @casangel1986

Please ask if you'd like to be tagged, to this story or in general.

Coming home from this tour was supposed to be the most amazing feeling in the world, at least, he had hoped it would be. Instead, Ricky had come home to find that Grace was there, in his house, waiting for him.

She hadn’t left yet.

He’d let himself into his house, to find that she was still there and, yes, naturally considering everything that he’d been going through in the past two weeks, he’d gotten pissed. Could he call it trespassing when technically they’d been living together for the past two years? However, the house was in his name, and he’d told her he wanted her to pack her things and be gone by the time the tour was over. The screaming had started immediately, but it had quickly turned into her begging him to hear her out when he picked up the phone and started calling the police, asking if he wanted her gone so badly, why hadn’t he even announced their break up on their socials yet?

He’d stared at her in complete and utter shock.

So that was it. Whatever was spinning through that head of hers, she was clinging to the shred of hope that he still wanted her. Because he wanted his privacy, and not to smear his personal life all over the internet and what felt like the biggest, stupidest mistake of his life, airing it out for all his fans and the trolls to see, she was taking it as what, a sign he still wanted her in his life?

No.

Not going to happen.

He’d called the cops. Had her escorted off the property, not arrested considering she left, but she got a warning, and a report would be filed, he asked for a copy of that.

While she gave his keys back then and there, he got a locksmith in to change the locks to his house the next day, every last fucking one. The alarm company was booked in for next week to do an upgrade, he wasn’t taking chances, he was done. Coming home to find her in the house. Any hope that her leaving him alone and their break up could be amicable after she’d already proved willingness to stalk him, was gone.

He wasn’t above a restraining order if she tried anything else. That was why he’d asked for a copy of the police report.

It was safe to say, that he had been looking forward to everyone being there, the barbecue had become the tradition for them to relax rather than being confined on the bus, even Ryan and Justin stayed the extra few days with their partners so they could come before heading home. A bit of a respite in a way, a detox from the tour. Ricky thought of the barbecue as a reminder of how they didn’t actually want to throttle each other, and he had a feeling that this time around, the reminder was about how none of them wanted to throttle him.

He knew he hadn’t been easy to live with the last couple of weeks.

Rick hadn’t even told anyone what had happened when he got home. Wasn’t like he wanted a fucking pity party or anything either, he just wanted all of this to be done with. So, the plan was simple, he’d go to Chris’ parents like he usually did post-tour run, he’d enjoy the afternoon, have some barbecue, eat some pie, and laugh with everyone else. Right? Exactly, simple.

So, why didn’t it feel so simple when he turned up to find out that Vinny and Ava had bought Talia? Chris pulled him aside as soon as he got there with a hushed remark, shit shit shit, apparently Ava convinced Talia to come to visit because she was Ava’s family, and wanted her to get to know Vinny, the way Vinny wanted her to get to know his family. Alright, he understood that he did, but where the hell did that leave him?

“And he had to bring her today? What the fuck Chris! As if I don’t have enough.. Grace was still at my fucking house the other day!”

Rick’s fingers ran through his hair. He was done, he was so fucking done with all of this shit, and Chris, who had glanced back out to the back, making sure everything was going fine, and that tidbit had gotten all of his attention, he looked livid.

“Tell me you called the police?”

“Of course! I filed a report, escorted her off the premises, locks have been changed, I’m upgrading security, the whole nine yards.”

He remembered what Chris had been through, they all remembered. None of them were going to forget any time soon. Rick still felt sick thinking about it, some of the shit that could have happened if everything had gone sideways, but he’d been lucky, and Rick knew all the precautions now, before things got bad, the moment he was home, they were done.

“Restraining order, man, now. I know you probably don’t feel like it, but I do, man I do, and maybe not for your benefit, but,”

Chris glanced back to the house,

“It might not be you that needs it.”

Right paused, there was just one problem with that, if he was the one getting the restraining order, it wouldn’t protect her, without claiming her as his soulmate. There was no fucking way he was going to do that. That was legally binding shit and no fucking way.

“No way, no way in hell. As long as Grace stays away, I’m not pushing for legal action unless I have to Chris, she’s never tried to hurt me. I’m taking precautions, she crosses the line, I’ll do something, I have the report, I’ll get the forms, I’ll be ready if I need to be, that's it.”

Chris frowned, it was obvious he didn’t like the answer, but what could he do as Ricky was already walking back through the house towards the backyard where everyone else was, having fun out in the back by the pool. Hearing Vinny call out to Rick happily when he saw him come out, he sighed, fucking hell Rick, Chris just hoped he knew what he was doing. No, he knew he didn’t know what he was doing, he just thought he did. Chris shook his head, and followed Rick back to the party, considering at least warning Vinny, it was about time he upgraded his security too, he could frame it as for Ava’s benefit.

At least Ava had given her fair warning about packing some swimwear for them both when asking for the extra gear, not that she’d told her that it was going to be for some big group get-together. Just swimwear. She’d packed the bikini that she knew Ava loved and would show off for Vinny, something she’d already seen him enjoy, the man’s eyes almost fell out of his head seeing her in them, and it left almost nothing to the imagination, not to mention showcasing that soulmate tattoo, perfectly. Talia had laughed softly at the way Vinny had walked beside her, hand in hand, man, he was already smitten with her.

She enjoyed watching them together, it was a night to see them work out. Even if it made her sad, knowing that the odds of Ava coming home were unlikely, but that was okay. Talia could visit, she had nothing against being long-distance besties. She had friends all over the world.. She had friends all over the place. It was fine. Still, he was on tour constantly who knew what would happen, who knew what she would decide, Talia knew what she would, though. Her family wouldn’t hold her back, and Ava only had three people who would encourage her to move here. She’d tell her to be here in a fucking heartbeat. Especially with how she was with Vinny already.

Talia, however, made sure she had a cover-up for her swimsuit, bringing a wrap-around maxi-style dress, it was nice and breezy under the sun. This way she could get away with looking nice and relaxed, but also still enjoy the day out by the pool, not wearing anything thick and heavy to cover herself. Covering herself, that was what she wanted. To hide from one man's glares, to hide from the wordless accusations, from the actual accusations. She had enough of all of it, both in reality and in her mind, over the past two weeks.

Talia found herself sitting with some of the women, talking about different things they’d gotten up to while the boys were on tour. Justin was the only other member of the band other than Vinny with a soulmate it would seem, they were married, and she was already trying to talk Talia into designing a new tattoo for her, even talking about including her in the girls weekend she was planning that involved flying them all out to Florida next tour. In the end, despite the thrill of meeting her, and the hopefulness of new friends here, Talia just shook her head, she wasn’t a band girl, she was just family of one, she didn’t count. Still, she had just assured her that didn’t matter, she was inviting her, and that was the important part.

Talia eventually agreed to at least consider it. The last thing she needed was to make plans and have them thrown in her face. As excited as she was right now to meet everyone, she had yet to come face to face with the one person she knew could so easily affect her, much to her dismay, rip her open and make her feel like she could bleed out without even saying a single word. She thought about that fact all morning, and that every good feeling came with this ominous shadow in the back of her mind.

She never used to resent the soulmate tattoo, she never used to hate it. It used to be something she just accepted, and lived with. It was just another tattoo, another picture on her skin like all the rest. Now it has become something else. Meeting Ricky, feeling the judgement, that hate in his eyes, had changed everything.

There he was. Looking over to the house as she heard Vinny call out to him, he did not look happy, then again, she hadn’t seen him once since she’d met him when he did. Sighing, she missed that, that smile, that happiness in him. Rick was, he was beautiful, especially when he was happy. Even when he was pissed, just knowing that it was her being here that upset him…

Why else would he have reason to be when he’d only just arrived

Looking down at her glass, she swallowed, only to have Ava nudge her shoulder, shake her head, no. Easier said than done, she couldn’t stop blaming herself, but, she could push it down, reminding herself, it wasn’t her fault. This wasn’t on her and Rick could go shove it blaming her. Lifting her cup to her lips she drank down the rest of her glass and finished her drink.

“I’m just going to get a refill.”

Anything to get out from under the eyes of everyone around her for the moment, especially Ava’s, she didn’t want to be watched while in Rick’s eyesight, not by Ava, she knew her too well. The others, she could put on a mask and be fine, Ava would know.

Instead of just going to get another drink from the table with all the food and drinks, she went inside, walking down the hall towards where she’d been told the guest bathrooms were earlier. She just needed some time to cool off, just needed a moment to think, think about anything but Ricky. She could do this, she could be here and not deal with him. It was just one day, one day of this trip dealing with being anywhere near him and then she could forget he was around. It wasn’t like she’d have to hang out with him all the time right? No, she was here for Ava, Vin, and his family.

In the bathroom, she splashed some water on her face, cooled off, and just breathed.

Considering how long she was in there, the was probably a slight chance she was hiding in there, just a little.. But when no one came in to bang on the door, Talia felt like she was safe. Sooner or later though she knew she had to come out sometime.. So she did. Sighing, she stepped out, closing the door behind her, only to find Ricky, in the hall. Why the hell was he there? She didn’t know, but the way he was looking at her knowingly, she guessed, maybe, he was waiting for her.

“About time, almost starting to wonder if you’d solved one of my problems and just fallen in.”

Her lips pressed together, swallowing heavily, biting off the retort, she didn’t want to make things difficult for Ava by ripping into one of Vin’s best friends, but she was tempted. Taking in a breath,

“Rick, obviously Ava and Vinny are doing well, this isn’t going to be a fleeting thing for them, so we’re going to have to find a way to at least be civil and get along.”

He smirked then, stepping towards her.

“Oh, I agree.”

His eyes flitted down to the tattoo on her neck, the rose, her soulmate mark, and without thinking, instinctually, her eyes flitted down to his neck just as he had to hers, to his tattoo. It wasn’t like she hadn’t seen the same image in the mirror every day, the same rose, the same, but different, the way the tattoos around them marked them differently.

“You want to claim you’re my soulmate. Prove it.”

Prove it? She was supposed to think that he was willing to give her a chance, here? How the hell was she supposed to prove it? She’d never heard of a way to prove it.

“How?”

“Well, you suggested to Grace to get a fake tattoo.. Makes me wonder if you're willing to ensnare a famous soulmate once…”

Oh yes, Ricky was going there, he was wondering if implying that if she got that tattoo to trap him, she could be trying to trap other famous people too, tattoos hidden on her body under those clothes. His eyes swept down her body, plenty of her hidden by her cover-up dress, some of her tattoos exposed, the one down her leg, some of her arms, but most of her body was covered. He knew enough people out in the world had had their tattoos exposed just like he had, and dealt with people trying to fool them constantly…

Ricky would probably recognise them if he saw them, well, some of them.

His eyes met hers, those stormy blues…

“You want to prove you’re my soulmate. Strip.”

#motionless in white #miw #ricky olson #ricky horror #ricky olson fanfiction #ricky olson x ofc #original female character #soulmates #vinny mauro #fanfiction #miw band #rick olson #ricky horror olson #soulmate au #soulmate #tattoos #ricky olson fanfic #vinny mauro fanfic #fic: every rose has its thorns

56 notes · View notes

cookiesupplier · 5 months

Text

Every Rose Has It's Thorns - Part One

pairing: Ricky Olson x ofc (Talia)

warnings/tropes: slow burn, soulmates, strangers to enemies to lovers, betrayal, angst, fluff, smut, language, betrayal. (potentially more to be added?)

author’s note: Part ONE, as usual unbeta'd and will just throw my jumbled words at you and ask you to love them. I don't know how long this series will be yet, I am playing by ear to having a feel for this story and where it will take me.

tags: If you would like to be added feel free to ask, please let me to know whether to this list specifically or in general.

Talia forever would hate the day she learned about soulmate tattoos. Well, marks, they weren’t really tattoos as far as she was concerned. Just because they were intricate images like tattoos, some of them anyway. Some of them were nothing but simple stick figures that little children could draw, the reason that everyone called them tattoos was because they were artwork that was permanently inked to a person’s skin and could never be taken off. Unlike real tattoos though, no needle needed to be taken to your skin for them, there was no ink, no pain, no healing. Everyone got their mark.

On your eighteenth birthday, at the exact moment you were born, your mark appeared. If you were born at five thirteen in the morning, or exactly a minute before midnight, that was the moment that your mark was going to appear. You couldn’t predict what it was. You couldn’t predict where it would be. There was no rhyme or meaning behind them.

Some people used to think that there was an emotional meaning connecting the pair with the tattoo. However, Talia found that hard to believe when there were people that had literally poop emoji as their soulmate tattoo on their ass, out there in the world, oh yes, they were out there, she was well aware. Her cousin, Gemma’s best friend, was her soulmate tattoo. The poor girl, Talia actually hoped that she didn’t find her soulmate if there was truth that there was something linking them emotionally with that emoji, because no.

Not everyone found their soulmate, not everyone wanted to. Some people actively avoided looking at their soulmates because honestly, it took the surprise out of life, and where was the fun of that? The joy of falling in love, and the hope and thrill of putting your heart on the line and wondering, is this the person? Is this the person that fate had chosen for you, the one you were meant to be with?

Talia would never know that feeling.

She knew who her soulmate was the very moment her mark appeared, and the shock that she felt was something that she couldn’t even put words to. Seeing that tattoo appear, one that she knew. One that she’d seen on fansites of one of her favourite bands more than once, and in the same place.. If it wasn’t in the same place it wouldn’t have been him. If it wasn’t in the same place she wouldn’t have been in the position she was in now. If it was just the same image, and not the same place, it would have just been an uncanny coincidence.

This wasn’t just some uncanny thing.

It was real.

Problem was, it was all over the fansites, and Talia had never kept it any secret how much she loved Motionless In White. Especially Ricky Horror.

So when the day she turned eighteen came and she turned up with the exact tattoo that all the fansites claimed was his soulmate tattoo but he always refused to confirm, what famous person would confirm and have millions come out of the woodwork claiming to be their soulmate? Well, it was safe to say, she was ripped apart by so many people that she at least used to think were her friends.

Her true friends, all these years later, were down to three. Three people that in no way would ever bag on her for the rose tattoo that not so innocently sat on her neck, and none of them dared mention anymore.

Years.

Talia used to try.

Despite the cruelty of those around her treating her like some psychotic obsessed fangirl that had gone and gotten the tattoo on her birthday just to fool the man into being with her. She’d loved going to concerts, not just to try and meet Ricky, despite the assumption, but also for the music, thank you very much, but yes, for Ricky. How could she not want to meet the man whose very soul was marked on her skin for the rest of her life? Whose life had been marked with hers longer than hers had been marked with his…

There had been close calls over the years, when she almost got to meet him. The closest had been the time when she’d actually managed to get a VIP ticket to a concert. Sure it was two states over, and she had to fly there and take some time off work, but the fact that she’d managed to save up, and get the ticket at all.

Ava, Jordan and Kyle had all helped her. The three people in her life that had never, not once, ever questioned that mark on her skin and who the other person on the other end was.

Even her family had made her wonder if she was a little insane for thinking that Ricky Horror was her soulmate. Her mother had been so obvious in her effort to placate her, never once did she feel like her family thought that maybe, just maybe, did they believe her. Her father actually suggested she get medical help more than once. Not surprisingly though, there were therapists that did specialise in the effects of the soulmate bond and sometimes delusions that could come from them. The day her father made her appointment with one of them though, was the day she decided to move out of her parents house.

Thankfully Ava had a spare room and was more than happy to split rent with her.

Oh, and that VIP ticket that she got?

She didn’t make it there in time.

One thing happened after another that night, and you could call it a disaster of fate, and in hindsight, she should have seen it coming. Maybe it was a product of fate. Maybe the whole thing with the soulmate tattoos were always going to be wrong and hers was just sitting on her skin to taunt her.

First, her client appointment ran late, and if she had tried to end it early so she could make it to the airport in time, she would have risked losing her job. Not that it would have mattered considering her flight had been delayed anyway, and then by the time they were finally about to board they cancelled it and had to get her onto a different flight. A different flight which meant she didn’t even get there in time to get into her VIP meet and greet in time.

She got to go to the concert.

She got her VIP merch.

After all that, beaten down with the day behind her, her hotel booked and not needing to be at the airport for the flight home until late the next day, she decided to wait to see if she could catch them after the show.. Until she saw him, finally. The smile lit up her face as she saw Ricky pass them by.. Talia had wanted to say something, but when they were actually talking to the fans she was stuck behind some idiot and blocked out of the way, and by the time she managed to elbow her way through, they’d already been ushered on by security.. Not that it mattered when he saw one of the people he was with. His new girlfriend, hand in hand.

It had been an amazing night.. But one that had ended with her in heartbreak.

That was the night that was the beginning of the end for Talia’s attempts to meet Ricky. After so many trips to see their concerts, and try to see him, this last one, this VIP trip, was when she saw him walking back to his tour bus with his new, pretty girlfriend. He was smiling at her so bright, holding her hand between them.

It wouldn’t have killed her as much, except he looked so happy.

Sure, Talia had no doubt he’d had girlfriends before, she’d dated guys, but Ricky had never been open on social media about any of his relationships. This girl though, he was very vocal about. Talia, she couldn’t destroy that, soulmate or not.

Not everyone wanted their soulmate, not everyone wanted their soulmate. She supposed she couldn’t blame him, he was famous, that had to be hard, after all, nearly every single person that knew who her mark connected her too thought she’d was just some psychotically obsessed fan. Why wouldn’t he?

So life moved on.

Talia moved on.

However, if she had to endure one more pathetic attempt to set her up on a blind day from her mother, her brain might explode. Ever since she’d given up on her soulmate tattoo, not that she’d talked to mother about it in years, her mother’s attempts to interest her in someone else had only increased. Now though, the moment the inevitable subject of soulmates came up, she never knew what to say. More often than not, the date came to a dead stop then and there just from what he said even before she could open her mouth. Too many people went on blind dates in hope of meeting the one. She knew she wasn’t that person, and there was no second date then.

Sitting at her desk and looking up from her sketch patch when her phone started going off repeatedly, she was working on a new piece for one of her long-time clients, he was slowly working on a full tattoo sleeve and this was the next addition she was designing, provided he liked what she worked up. He hadn’t yet, but there was always a first time.

Trying to ignore the alerts on her phone to focus wasn’t going to happen, but she needed to take a lunch break anyway. So she set her pencil down, picked up her phone and set to go make herself a cup of coffee.

When she saw who the messages were from, she glanced up to the front of the tattoo palour to one of the culprits, Ava.. she was right there at the reception desk, flicking through a magazine like she didn’t have a care in the world, typical. Shaking her head with a smirk as she opened the messenger app to her friend groups chat to see what the three of them had been gossiping about back and forth.

Kyle: Hey guys, we’re still on for tonight? Jordan: Party girl, you still in? Ava: Oh, I’ll get her there, she’d got her head in her work, like usual today, you know her. Jordan: Oh come ON, TALIA! BIRTHDAY GIRL! Kyle: T, Darling, I did not agree to double shifts to get the night off for you to BAIL! Ava: Kyle! Cool your jets, she’ll be there!

It had been a few moments since the last message, she knew they’d been planning on taking her out to a bar for her birthday for weeks, she hated going out on her birthday, she hated it. It always reminded her of the fucking tattoo on her neck. It shouldn’t. Everyone talked about soulmate tattoos on their birthday. Counting down the years and remembering how they felt when they first saw theirs, or when they first met their soulmate.. When all she wanted was to forget she ever got her mark at all.

She understood Kyle’s frustration though, he was a nurse, and sometimes getting time off for a night out was difficult for him. Kyle and Jordan were fucking lucky, they were soulmates, two of her best friends, known each other since they were in diapers, had been joined at the hip since middle school. The biggest worry they’d ever had was if they were soulmates at all. When Jordan had gotten his mark two months before Kyle, they’d agreed if Kyle didn’t have the same, they wouldn’t care, and lo and behold, two months later, sure enough, Kyle did.

It was actually scary really thinking about it, the way the marks worked.. How if you got your mark years before your soulmate, they could be out there and have no idea. She was younger than Ricky by years, and she wondered sometimes what he must have been thinking, how he must have felt. Some people never met their soulmate, some people never got the chance, and it wasn’t by choice. You knew when you lost the choice, if your tattoo changed from black to white on your skin, then it meant your soulmate had died.

Talia’s of course was still very much black. Not that it mattered. Ricky was out there, not looking, and neither was she. He was happy with someone else, and who was she to ruin that for him.

After she pushed the button on the coffee maker she looked back down to her phone and tapped out a message on her phone.

Talia: I’ll be there Ky, be prepared to die by shots.

#motionless in white #miw #miw band #motionless in white fanfiction #miw fanfiction #miw fanfic #motionless in white fanfic #ricky olson fanfic #ricky olson fanfction #ricky olson #ricky olson x ofc #original female character #soulmates #tattoos #soulmate au #fic: every rose has its thorns

59 notes · View notes

cookiesupplier · 3 months

Text

Every Rose Has Its Thorns - Part Twenty-Three

pairing: Ricky Olson x ofc x Chris 'Motionless' Cerulli

warnings/tropes: slow burn, soulmates, strangers to enemies to lovers, betrayal, angst, fluff, smut, language, panic attack, stalking, online bullying.

author’s note: Unbeta'd, readers beware as always lol.

tags: @tearfallpixie @cncohshit @jordynyingling0219 @faceless-mirror @nyxthedestroyerofworlds @wild-child-7747 @witchyweeb34 @black-damask1999 @jilliemiw86 @ilovesamkiszka @lyschko666 @lacktoesandtoddlerants @bngurngheart @collapsedglasshouses @laurpartyprogram

Tag List is Open, please let me know if you would like to be added to it or in general.

Talia woke up to her head hurting like hell, but otherwise, she was toasty warm, and cosy in her bed, which was, strange. She didn’t remember going to bed. She remembered.. She remembered..

Oh, god. She remembered being with Ricky, in the kitchen, talking about their soulmate tattoos.

No, no, no, this was horrible. It happened again, it all happened again, her hand flew through her neck, and now he knew how mental she was.. The fact that he could feel it too just made it worse. Look at what she’d done, because of course, it was on her, it had to be on her, she’d been dealing with this for so long, how could it be anything else? Pushing the blankets from her body, sitting up, she was still dressed, not that that had been a problem, she hadn’t been wearing anything strange anyway, she’d barely gotten out of bed when Rick came over here in the first place. How had this been her day? How?

Climbing out of bed, checking the time, Ava would be home by now, hopefully, maybe, she didn’t know.. Did she want her to be back? As much as she loved her, and wanted to spend time with her, it was also starting to get painful to admit, that it was hard to spend time with her sometimes. Especially with Vinny. Their girl day at the spa had been nice, but to come back and be blindsided like that..

No one had told her about deciding to go public. Sure, it wasn’t her relationship, but Ava used to tell her everything, she used to talk to her about everything.. And the painful realisation was that she wasn’t telling Ava everything either, now was she? She’d not told her about the party, what he’d said to her, how he’d treated her, what they’d done.. She hadn’t told her about how her tattoo was reacting, how she felt about it.. Furthermore, she didn’t think she could tell her at all. Everything going on with Ricky, would just threaten to antagonise her against him, and that would put a strain on her relationship with Vinny, and her whole point for being here was to support her, not tear them apart. Ava wouldn’t understand that Talia honestly thought that yes, Ricky had done some stupid thing, but something else was happening here. Something neither of them could control.

Look at what had happened just this morning, they’d gotten swept up again, and she’d been just as involved. She’d pushed just as much as he had, what did that say about her? No, she couldn’t let Ava blow up her relationship trying to protect her just because she got pissed off at how Ricky was acting. Even if some of the things he’d done, he’d deserve it. They could work this out on their own, they could figure out what was happening with the tattoos. If she was right, she assumed Ricky had told Chris, so maybe they weren’t completely in this alone any more, she wasn’t sure about that, though. He could have lied through his teeth about it.

Making her way to the bathroom, Talia sighed, her hands pressed to the side of the counter, looking into the mirror. Seeing her reflection, looked like a wreck after the morning she had. Ironically, she felt like talking to Ricky, and whatever you’d call what had happened in the kitchen this morning, for all that he’d done over the past weeks, didn’t touch on what she'd done to herself today. Talia felt so stupid spiral like that, and just unable to calm down, not until Chris had gotten there and then between the two of them, she finally managed to calm down and breathe, slowly. After that she didn’t know what happened, she must have drifted off, feeling so safe with the both of them there. It wasn’t that she’d never felt safe around Rick, but she certainly wanted to slap him one more than she felt like she would curl up and drift off to sleep with him there, and yet, that seemed to be exactly what she had done.

Huh.

Now, Chris, she wasn’t surprised. He was so easy to be around, he’d put her at ease from the moment they’d met and struck up their friendship over coffee. She didn’t know how or why he’d come, assuming Ricky had to do with that, but she was thankful that he had.

She was splashing water on her face when she heard a knock on the bathroom door and opened it to come out. Finding Ava standing there, she smiled slightly as she stepped out and closed it behind her.

“Hey Avie.. you okay?”

The worried frown on her face spoke volumes, which was why Talia was asking,

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”

Sighing, Talia just shook her head with a shrug, figuring Ricky and Chris must have told her something, hopefully not everything.. She didn’t want Ava to know everything about the tattoo issues and all the problems. It was personal and her own.. Or well, Ricky and hers, she guessed at this point.

“I’m fine Ava, I just, had a bad morning, that’s all.”

She didn’t look convinced, not even close. So he told her enough at least.

“That's not the way it seemed when we got home.. Rick tried to call Vinny, he tried to call me for help Talia, he never tries to call me despite Vin giving him my number in case of emergencies.”

Talia sighed, yeah, not that it had helped any, had it.. No, she shouldn’t be bitter, and she wasn’t going to ask what they had been doing that neither of them had picked up their phone, but…

“Not to mention Chris was here too, I mean-”

“I know.. I don’t know exactly how or what happened after a certain point, I just know Chris was there.. I had a bit of a bad spell, and I couldn’t calm down, it happens Ava, you know that, so you pushing right now is not helping.”

The moment the words came out of her mouth, she felt guilty voicing them, snapping at Ava wasn’t going to help either. Still, Ava pushing her for the information she didn’t have right now, was just making her chest feel tight, and if Ava got here and knew she was out.. Asking her what happened, when it had been what had made her freak out? Was that really wise? So could she please step off? Ava knew well how it felt to have people push her for information before she was ready.. She knew.. Talia knew she knew first hand.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry Avie, I.. today has been.. A day. I guess Ricky and Chris went back to Chris’ then?”

Ava nodded slightly,

“Yeah, they’ll be back though.. Um.. Chris helped me get you in bed and comfy, I thought you’d prefer it if it was Chris,”

Ava smiled slightly to her, but Talia could only bring herself to return it a little awkwardly, she wanted to feel more vibrant, she wanted to be more alive and happy for her friend, she just didn’t feel it right now, and she could see it in Ava’s eyes, how upset she was now, probably at Talia snapping at her.

“And then we talked to them both, and invited them over for dinner.. We thought we could all spend some time together, hang out, talk… maybe about what happened?”

Oh.. oh..

Talia tensed.. No, Ava, don’t do this. Don’t do this.

She couldn’t believe the others had agreed to do this, this, this.. Why did this feel like they were going to ambush her over dinner?

“No. No. Just… No.”

If she was doing to sit down and talk with Rick it was going to be on her own terms, and maybe now she knew it was going to be on opposite sides of the table where they couldn’t touch.

Talia moved to walk down the hall towards the guest room, leaving Ava gaping a little,

“Wh-what do you mean, just, no? Talia, hasn’t this been going on long enough, the two of you need to talk! You’ve been arguing with each other, and now you’ve had a breakdown, I’m worried about you!”

Talia just kept walking, she wasn’t going to let Ava guilt trip her, for some reason, she had Ricky in her head, pushing her, pushing her to call him an asshole, pushing her to stand up for herself. Ava had done it so many times before, but this time, this time it was Rick.. she’d never thought she’d have to stand up, to Ava.

“I get that, Ava, but you don’t have the right to try to push the issue just because you think you know what's right for me.”

As she came to the door to the guest room, she turned to face her..

“If you want us all to have dinner together tonight, great.. But don’t you dare presume to think you have the right to decide how my relationship or lack of one with Ricky goes. I have tried to be as respectful as possible of everything between Vinny and you while I’ve been here.. At your insistence might I add, so I ask you do the same… consider this my boundary.. And back off, Ava. I love you, but don’t.”

She was dealing with enough insanity which all started from one dammed place and branched out from there, with a lot of problems and idiot mistakes.. Aka, a mystical tattoo she couldn’t explain, she didn’t need to add Ava to that.

Ava looked like she was almost about to cry, and it was taking everything in Talia not to break down and apologise, to apologise for being harsh, horrible, and strict, but she just couldn’t handle her pushing for more and more information before she was ready… she couldn’t… years and years of her family pushing and pulling, and she couldn’t do this.

Talia’s hands clenched her fingers by her side as she audibly heard her best friend gulp slightly..

“I’m sorry.. I… I’m sorry you’re right..”

A tiny whimper..

“So um.. When Rick and Chris get here, Vin and I will go out for dinner.. Up to you to deal with Chris, I can spend some more time with Chris later, he’s your friend too, maybe, maybe he can help you, deal with Rick, or whatever.”

She smiled, Talia was grateful, she knew Ava had made friends with all the guys from the band during her time with them on the bus during those last weeks of the tour. Chris had been Ava’s friend before he was ever Talia’s. Hell, and for a little bit there, she’d been worried she’d lose her to the bunch of boys entirely. In the kind of intense bonding of the tour, she figured, either a lifelong friendship could form, or they’d kill each other. She was glad it was the former, she’d have hated to destroy her favourite band because they’d killed one of her best friends.

“It wasn’t Rick that made me spiral this morning Ava, I swear, it wasn’t anything he did, so please don’t, don’t be mad at him.”

Oh yes, she heard it, what she’d said, that, dealing with Rick. Looking to Ava who was just looking back towards her sceptically,

“I swear, it was a strange morning, really strange.. But what I was thinking about when I started freaking out.. That..”

She swallowed..

“That wasn’t strange, that I know.”

Sighing. Ava paused..

“Any time you want to talk, honey..”

Nodding slightly, Talia looking down to her hands, twisting her fingers around each other,

“I know Avie, I know.. But I’m just so tired.. And I have a feeling I’m going to have to talk enough tonight with Ricky.. I completely freaked out on him, and I know he has been an asshole but, it was so bad.”

From the look on Ava’s face right then, the way she cringed a little, and didn’t even try and counter her and tell her that it hadn’t looked that bad.. Talia knew she was right, it had been horrible, which meant it had probably been even worse than she had imagined. Well, that was just fantastic. So yes, now she had to explain to Ricky… and Chris, since he’d been dragged into this too. Heaving in a huge breath, the next thing she knew, her best friend had her arms around her, holding her in a warm tight hug.. She needed one, so badly right now.

Dividers by @saradika-graphics

49 notes · View notes

cookiesupplier · 3 months

Text

Every Rose Has Its Thorns - Part Twenty-Four

pairing: Ricky Olson x ofc x Chris 'Motionless' Cerulli

warnings/tropes: slow burn, soulmates, strangers to enemies to lovers, betrayal, angst, fluff, smut, language, panic attack, stalking, online bullying.

author’s note: Unbeta'd, readers beware as always lol.

tags: @tearfallpixie @cncohshit @jordynyingling0219 @faceless-mirror @nyxthedestroyerofworlds @wild-child-7747 @witchyweeb34 @black-damask1999 @jilliemiw86 @ilovesamkiszka @lyschko666 @lacktoesandtoddlerants @bngurngheart @collapsedglasshouses @laurpartyprogram @sunsshinesunny @malerieee

Tag List is Open, please let me know if you would like to be added to it or in general.

Talia was sitting on the couch waiting, Ava and Vinny had just left to go out. Vin had been unsurprisingly confused at the sudden change of plans, but then Ava framed it as a spontaneous date night. When he’d glanced at Talia, she’d wanted to just shrug, it wasn’t up to her, it wasn’t her relationship, but she sighed, she knew tonight had been because of her, because of her freak out this morning. So she’d just smiled as warmly as she could , promised she’d be fine, and that Ava and her had talked earlier. They should go out, have a nice night together, a proper date night, they deserved that. Even if Talia couldn’t help but feel like it wasn’t a proper date night, it was her just rushing them out of the house last minute.. A proper night was them having time to plan, and enjoy figuring out what they wanted to do together.. Was a little romance too much to ask for?

Then again, this was coming from someone that had never had that, from anyone.. So maybe yes. Yes it was.

Looking down at her hands, she had to figure out what she was going to tell Ricky, she’d completely freaked out on him today, enough that he’d had to call in backup. He’d tried to call Ava even, which was saying something because Talia was well aware that Ava had had words with Ricky more than once with how he’d treated her, so that was something.. How he knew to call Chris, she didn’t know, surely he didn’t know they had struck up much of a friendship, did he? Had Chris told him they were spending time together? Well, would he? Then again, it wasn’t like it was a secret, she wasn’t hiding it or anything, why would he. It was just… and they were close, like with Vinny, so maybe it was just because he trusted him.

What was she even considering, would she have called Chris if she needed help? Ava, sure she’d call her, Kyle and Jordan weren’t here, and it clenched at her heart knowing it she missed them, but her time with Chris had been a godsend, so yes, yes, she’d have called him for help without question. There was a warmth in her chest at the thought, remembering the feeling of Chris’ soothing voice washing over her, calming her. The feeling of his hand rubbing down her back as he spoke to her.. And with it.. There was something else..

Ricky.

The name echoed in her chest with her heartbeat, no, not her heartbeat, Ricky’s. She couldn’t remember the sound of Chris’ voice yesterday, the feeling of his comfort, not without pairing it with the feeling of being rested against Ricky’s chest and the soothing lull of Ricky’s heart. First racing, skipping with the panic of not knowing what was wrong with her, but as she calmed, so did he.. Until the three of them were calm, and curled up together on the couch.

Sighing. Just thinking about whether she’d have called him for help, had her tattoo tingling and her eyes closed, swallowing slightly, she took in a deep breath. She didn’t know how to feel about this, she didn’t know how to feel about any of this, especially with the realisation that just touching Ricky seemed to be, well, so immense, that she wasn’t sure she how well she could resist it. Was she strong enough to be able to tell what she really wanted, and not just what it wanted her to want? Was it fair, to be pushed into something? Even less, she didn’t want to be a part of a relationship, knowing that the other person had been pushed into it. Talia had always been well aware who her soulmate was, so realising the something might be pushing Ricky, made her feel sick.. Made her feel dirty.

Didn’t mean she changed her answer about wanting to slap him, he still deserved that slap. Not all of his actions were connected.. He had still very much behaved like a dick, much to his name, so even if he’d insisted, she was happy to call him on it.

With a knock, there was the door. Ricky and Chris. At least, if they’d both come as Ava had said.

They had.

When she answered the door, even Ricky seemed to be happy to see her, which surprised her, and Chris, he didn’t hesitate to pull her into a hug. She gave into it willingly, her arms reaching up to the gentle giant, squeezing slightly with a sigh.

“Thank you, Chris, thank you for coming to help this morning. You have no idea what it means to me.”

His arms squeezed around her slightly and she sighed as he let her go,

“Of course, Jellybean, soon as Ricky called, told me, I was here.”

She smiled, a soft flush to her cheeks that stupid nickname, he said he thought he was so damn funny.. First he called her Cocoa Bean, because they met at the café, and then just Bean.. but then within one afternoon as they were leaving and just as she was walking down the sidewalk away from him, he said, I got it.. Jellybean.. Because you’re just too sweet Talia. She’d turned to him and he’d given her that cheeky smile before disappearing into his car and driving off. Shaking her head a little, she glanced to Ricky then,

“You too Rick, thank you.. Come in, both of you, we’ll order some dinner, and then.. I guess, I have a few things to explain.”

“So where are Vin and Ava, I thought they were going to be having dinner with us?”

Chris glanced over to Ricky where he sat in the armchair, making sure to give Talia space, he knew why of course, it didn’t make it easier knowing that his friend needed to be so careful.

“They have gone out for a date night.. I convinced them to go, I didn’t really feel like this had to be a whole dinner party thing, ya know?”

At that, Chris was so relieved that Talia had done half the job that he had wanted to do tonight already before they had even gotten here.

“Jellybean, even so, even if it's just us, you don’t have to talk about it, not yet, at least.. We just came because want to know that you are okay, you are okay, right?”

Chris reached for Talia’s hand, they were sitting around the living room together, with Ricky in the armchair, and Chris by Talia in the three-seater lounge again for moral support. Not to mention, Chris thought back to the little chat he’d had with Ricky before they’d come over here, it had been enlightening. Not only that, but his theories were growing stronger as to what might be going on between Talia and Ricky after what Rick had said while Talia was passed out that morning.

Earlier at Chris’ House

“I can’t go back over there right now, Chris, I don’t care what Ava thinks she’s doing setting this up, I just can’t.”

Rick was in the guest room at Chris house, he’d showered and changed when he’d gotten back to Chris’, trying to calm down this strange feeling running through him, it was both the jitters and the complete chaos up and down of the day so far. Now he was supposed to be going back over to Vinny’s to be having dinner with Vin, Ava and Talia? She spouted about how it was to talk about everything that had happened as a group, sure, talking about it was good, but as a group wasn’t fucking fair. Had he not just had to air every fucking thing with Grace so publicly for the world to see? Yes, okay, he got it, he hadn’t been that cooperative about his soulmate bond with Talia before now, he’d been rejecting it at every turn.. He couldn’t anymore, he knew that now.

Either way, it didn’t give Ava the right to just try and force anything.. It made him wonder what Talia was going to say.. Then again, Ava was her best friend, she seemed to go along with anything she wanted. He groaned at the thought. The woman had literally come to another state, without any other friends, any family, and a known hostile force, him, to support the woman. Of course, she’d agree to this dinner. Talia, he wished she would stand up for herself more.. He knew she did, he did, he saw it, just.. Not against those closest to her, those that she was afraid could affect her life in the worst way.. And realising that might include him, too, made his stomach turn because it gave him a horrible reality as to why she might be like that after the things she said in passing about her family.

“Ricky-”

“No, Chris. Ava can’t just demand things like that. You gave me a choice, she isn’t anymore, she is ripping that away. I don’t give a shit about how impatient she is, I don’t give a shit about her in any way,”

The look Chris gives him makes him groan, he knows that's a lie, he’d become friends with Ava just like the rest of them even if for Ricky he’d be the grumpiest of assholes of one on the tour..

“Fine, but right now, she’d on my fucking nerves. She has no right. Talia, she-”

His voice caught..

“We were talking, we were doing fine, and she freaked out, and she was so fucking scared, that she just freaked the hell out, Chris. Can you imagine how much worse that could be if Ava tries to -”

“Stop.”

Chris was standing in the doorway of the guest room, looking towards Ricky, leaning on the frame, and Rick looked up from where his head hung low with how he was leaning forward on his arms, his hands flat on the desk in the room.. Looking to his, one of the best friends he could ever have in the world.. Desperate for him to just, fix everything. He knew he couldn’t, but he wished he could.

“We’re going tonight, but not for the reason that Ava wants us to.”

“Excuse me?”

Ricky looked at him in shock, been right there when Chris had agreed with literally everything Ava had said when she had suggested inviting them over for dinner tonight, for all five of them to hang out and talk about what had happened today. Rick hadn’t been hallucinating, had he?

Chris smiled slightly at the confused look on Ricky’s face, did he really think he would do that to him, to Talia? Okay, maybe he didn’t realise or want to consider his friendship with Talia with how he’d reacted the other day, but him?

“You’re right, Ava is pushing, and she shouldn’t.. Yes, I think you need to talk to Talia, and Talia needs to talk about what’s bothering her, but pushing is only going to make everything worse. All we can do is support her for when she is ready to talked about. So we are going to do tonight, is go to dinner, and make sure as hell, that Ava doesn’t push Talia, Rick.. Because if she does, it is going to push her back even further, or worse, we’ll see another episode like earlier.”

When Ricky got a strange look on his face as he turned away from his desk and crossed his arms across his chest, Chris raised an eyebrow, okay, what was this?

“So, there might be a problem with me being in the same room with Talia.”

“Rick, I thought you were beyond the whole, denial thing, I know you don’t want a relationship, and I’m not saying you have to have one, but -”

“That isn’t the problem Christ, that is far from the, that, actually, no that is exactly the problem really. Our soulmate bond, our tattoos, doesn’t agree with that sentiment. So those feelings we’ve been getting, every time I touch her, not even just her tattoo, that is just the most intense, but just near her.. Sometimes, just thinking about her in a certain way.. My tattoo reacts to it..”

“Wait..”

Chris paused.. Studying Ricky’s face, he wasn’t sure what he was looking for in his expression, but the earnest and pleading clarity in his eyes screamed at Chris, he wasn’t fucking joking.

“I suspected yesterday, but didn’t confirm until this morning, but she feels it too.. Which led us to be a bit overwhelmed, not as completely as the party.. But enough.”

Nodding,

“But what about when I was there, and she was..”

“Perfectly fine. I don’t know, maybe I just have no fucking willpower with her, maybe it was because I knew she needed my help more than she needed my dick.. I don’t fucking know and I just.. I feel sick now, knowing that.. Knowing I just..”

Chris’ hands were pulled tight, this was a whole fucked up mess, and he didn’t know where to start unravelling it. Part of him wanted to hit Ricky, again, but something else was going on here, and it was a shit fest that they needed to figure out. Hearing him continue,

“I need to fix it, I need to help her, and I don’t know how.”

Nodding, at least Ricky finally had his head on straight, and he didn’t have to beat sense into him to do it.

“Step one, you don’t touch her when you're alone, okay? Maybe, until we know the limit of this, you at least try not to touch her unless I’m there?”

Because he knew the score and if something went sideways, he could help.. Chris would protect Talia, not to mention, Ricky from himself. Chris sighed as Ricky paused before nodding in agreement.

“Step two, we take this slow, and let her guide whatever it is going on with her.. And I have a bad feeling it's something that has been affecting her for a while.”

Chris got the worst feeling from the look on Rick’s face, rolling his shoulder, when would this ache go away, it had been coming and going for a couple of days now, it was driving him insane.

“I think I know what it has to do with too, but she’d barely told me anything in passing.”

Dividers by @saradika-graphics

49 notes · View notes

cookiesupplier · 3 months

Text

Every Rose Has Its Thorns - Part Eighteen

pairing: Ricky Olson x ofc x Chris 'Motionless' Cerulli

warnings/tropes: slow burn, soulmates, strangers to enemies to lovers, betrayal, angst, fluff, smut, language, panic attack, stalking, online bullying.

author’s note: Unbeta'd, readers beware as always lol. - I've been fighting with tumblr... its been a day, so this one has a backwards title lol

tags: @tearfallpixie @cncohshit @jordynyingling0219 @faceless-mirror @nyxthedestroyerofworlds @wild-child-7747 @witchyweeb34 @black-damask1999 @jilliemiw86 @ilovesamkiszka @lyschko666 @lacktoesandtoddlerants @bngurngheart @collapsedglasshouses @laurpartyprogram

Tag List is Open, please let me know if you would like to be added to it or in general.

Ricky was thankful that they left him alone to make the video, and basically, it involved him just talking at the camera, painfully, so much coming out, pain, the worst was actually the joy because the good memories were tainted even more when he had to remind himself exactly what Grace had done to him time and time again, during the video. To remind his followers, his fans, what she’d done, how she’d ripped not only him open, but, Talia too.

Fuck.

Talia. Sitting there while he was in the middle of the video, realising that Talia had said that she’d known the whole time. She’d known since she was eighteen, and holy shit…

Yeah, he caught that moment on camera, that fucking Eureka moment, and you know that saying about how it looks like it must have hurt to be struck like lightning.

Well, it damns well hurt to realise how much of a damn asshole he was. Talia could have slapped him right across the face and slapped him six ways to Sunday, and it wouldn’t have hurt worse to realise he had treated her so badly already, pretty much just used her like that at the party and what? Walked away like the was nothing. Like a fucking asshole. Shit. Sure he’d told himself she’d wanted it, and she had, he’d felt it, but he’d known how she felt, and he’d used that, hadn’t he? And now what?

It wasn’t as if they were going to be together.

Ricky was so fucked up right now, he was in no place to be with anyone.

She was better off without him.

Hell. He’d seen her with Chris. They’d been talking, smiling, laughing… They’d been having fun... Maybe she should date him. They could be great together, he was sure. It wouldn’t be the first time Chris and him had joked about falling for the same girl. Never mind that just the thought then had his soulmate tattoo surging painfully something white-hot like he’d been branded with a poker right from his fireplace,

“Fuck!”

His hand flew to his neck, shit shit shit, fine, fuck, he got it, no trying to set her up and help her be happy with Chris, shit. Dammit. He couldn’t even try to be a good soulmate and help her be happy in a different way, fuck, what the hell was wrong with him. It wasn’t like he even wanted her!

This time the sting to his tattoo wasn’t as severe, and it was more along the lines of a twinge, he didn’t even flinch, he barely rolled his eyes as he clicked his mouse and continued to edit the video. It was going to take time before he could post it. He could have done a live, but Rick was determined to get this right, and he had a feeling if he did a live that it would be too easy to refute the facts. No, this was going to be a permanent addition to his page, he wasn’t going to give Grace even one inch of leverage to say he hadn’t been honest. It was going to be there for EVERYONE to see, and no one, no one is going to be able to say it was edited when anyone that had watched had screen-recorded it.

It was going to be released just as he posted it.

Hearing a knock at his office door,

“Yeah?”

He knew who it was, or at least, who it could be, Chris, Vin, he doubted it would be Ava or Talia, they were all out there, probably even Ichabod, and some of the other guys. They’d all relocated to Rick’s, much to his dismay. Not because they were all here, he was actually glad for the company here, but that they were here. It had actually left a dark pit in his stomach to come back here to make the video, but all his equipment to video and edit was here, so it was the most rational thing to do. He could have borrowed Vin’s gear, but it was always different using someone else's gear, and Rick knew from one look Vin expected him to argue about using his own, so, he did. Even if the moment he walked into his house, he didn’t feel right.

As the door opened, he glanced from his computer screen from his editing program to see who it was, and then right back to the computer.

Talia. It was Talia.

Fuck.

“Are you okay?”

Ricky glared harder at the screen,

“No.”

Talia swallowed at the doorway, seeing the way his brow furrowed, she could see something was wrong from the moment it was agreed that it was best if Rick came back here to do the video. They’d come back to support him, still trying to give him space enough, though. Vin hadn’t wanted to leave Ricky to deal with this all alone, but at the same time, they knew this video was something he had to make on his own, so they were here for moral support but distanced enough not to bug him. Chris had come, and some of the guys on the team in town, it was good to see them all there to support him with Grace going crazy, but it worried her that they knew they had to.

“I was about to make some coffee, would you like some.”

She didn’t think it was this video that was the only problem for Rick, and when she started feeling pain in her neck again, she’d decided to come to check on him, so, here she was…

“Yes, please.. Bla-.”

“I already know, Vin told me.”

Rick stared at the door, it was closed before he could even finish telling her how he liked his coffee, of course, Vin had told her, but even more, that she’d asked, and already had it either memorised or had asked just before coming up here in preparation for asking in the first place. He wasn’t sure which bothered him more, her preparing to be nice, or caring enough to memorise his coffee order before. Both had his hands gripping before him, breathe, he needed to breathe and finish this video. Why did she have to affect him as much as she did?

As he worked on the video, his mind kept drifting to Talia, comparing Grace to her, he didn’t mean to, but he was, trying to focus was difficult. It wasn’t made any easier that the phone kept going off. Shit, why the fuck hasn’t he turned his notifications off already. Picking his phone and altering his settings for the time being, he does just that, he has had enough of it. It wasn’t long before Talia was coming back in and was setting a cup of coffee on his desk, and she was staring for a moment at the screen, a shot of the video staring at them. It was basically just his face, the video was of him talking to the camera, nothing more. He looked worn and tired, nothing good could be said about the screen cap staring up at them.

“Did you want to say anything?”

He asked carefully,

“What?”

Talia was standing behind him as he sat at his desk chair, and he spun in the chair to half-face her,

“She didn’t just do this to me, she did it to you too. She planned everything she did.”

For a moment, as he looked at her, it seemed she was thinking about when he was suggesting, until Talia’s eyes narrowed as she regarded him sceptically.

“You haven’t wanted to talk to me properly about any of how I felt about being your soulmate, any of my story, any of it, as a normal person, and you expect me to pour my heart out to your fans, to help you because of your psychotic stalker? I think I’m reliving the trauma enough than doing it publicly.”

Taking in a shaky breath, she turned to go, Ricky stood from his chair, this just reminded him about what Ava had said to him at the party, and this time, this time he asked.

“Talia, wait, what do you mean, your trauma?”

She glanced back at him,

“Do you think your fans are the first ones to call me insane for thinking you're my soulmate? No, that was most of my friends, my family, almost everyone in my life laughed in my face when I realised it was you. Thought I was ridiculous. Who really has a famous soulmate out there, really?”

Ricky frowned as she shook her head.

“Not even my parents believed me. My dad? He tried to have me committed to a specialised facility once for people who have soulmate-specific delusions, and that is when I decided to move in with Ava. I haven’t had much contact with my family since, as you can imagine, most of them would believe Grace in a heartbeat. Poor, poor, Grace, I came in, and destroyed her life with my psychotic obsessive delusion.”

Talia’s hands were as she wrung them in front of her, Rick stepped towards her, but she just shook her head taking a step backwards towards the door,

“No, I-”

“Talia, I’m so sorry-”

She swallowed heavily as Ricky’s computer made a ping sound, and he glanced back towards it,

“You should get back to that. That’s important.”

And before he could even get the words out that she was more important, the thought popped into his head before he even realised he would care, and maybe he did, a bit, because, why the fuck wouldn’t he? She was already out the door, closing it behind her.

Rick collapsed to his chair.

He was such a fucking asshole.

Even more of one than he had already realised he was before. Shit shit shit.

He hated this.

Fuck.

He hated feeling like this.

Everything was making him feel sick, and he didn’t know what to do.

He hated everything.

He hated that he couldn’t even have a conversation with his own soulmate without either driving her away or not wanting to be bothered and walking away himself, one or the other. Depended on the day.

He hated that he couldn’t sit in his own house and feel safe anymore. Upgrading his security had done nothing. Ever since he came back to find Grace still here it felt like the one safe space he thought he had had been invaded, she’d taken it from him. He’d even run off to Vinny’s today and look what the hell had happened there.

Grace had destroyed their whole day, plain and simple. He couldn’t beg to stay here because one, not only was it pathetic, and he was a grown man who had just upgraded security, but two, he could bet Talia was probably staying in the room he usually crashed in, the nights when they all hung out, and maybe partied a bit too hard and driving home wasn’t always the best idea, it happened.

He hated.. He hated.. He just.. God..

What the fuck was wrong with him?

Staring at the computer screen, Ricky reached for his mouse, he needed to finish his video. It wouldn’t fix everything, he knows it won’t, but maybe, just maybe, it would at least help limit some of the damage when it came to what was being done to Talia and Ava.

He was so tired. He hadn’t told any of the others he was barely sleeping, how could he?

Talia made her way downstairs, she could tell that Ricky wasn’t doing any better than she was, rubbing her neck, the pain from before she went up there hadn’t come back at least, and that was good. That made her feel better. Sighing, maybe that was promising.

Chris looked up as she came back into the lounge, most of them all had fresh cups of coffee now, considering she’d just made them all, she’d been fidgeting and needed something to do, so she’d gotten up to make them.

“How's he doing?”

Shaking her head,

“Not great, still working on the video.”

No, she wasn’t going to tell him about what she said, or about Ricky’s offer to include her story, she doubted he’d understand why didn’t want to include it, Ava might. Sure she could just include the parts about backing off and not wanting to meet Rick, but that wasn’t that bag, except, it was, she’d taken the moment she probably should have first met Ricky from them.

Chris shook his head,

“I should have seen this coming, I mean, ever since Grace was here waiting for him after we got back from the tour..”

Talia and Ava both looked at Chris like he’d grown a second head..

“What?!”

Vinny, sitting next to Ava tried to assure his girlfriend with his hand gently on her arm.

“Oh, don’t worry, babe, he’s upgraded security, it’s okay..”

Ava quickly shook her head..

“Oh hell no, she used to live here too, right?.. Yeah, no.. I wouldn’t feel safe here, especially with her targeting him right now, nope, nope, not at all. Stalker alert, just no. He lives here alone, just, no.”

Talia just sat there quietly looking pale as the guys all shared a look, come on, but then, Grace had been waiting there for him. Just like, she seemed to have been waiting for him to announce they had broken up to do this.

Shit.

She was right.

“Soon as the video is finished, I’ll get him to pack a bag, he can stay with me at my place for a while, till we can sort some shit out.”

Chris wasn’t going to let this keep going.

Divider by @saradika-graphics

46 notes · View notes

cookiesupplier · 5 months

Text

Every Rose Has It's Thorns - Part Eight

pairing: Ricky Olson x ofc (Talia)

warnings/tropes: slow burn, soulmates, strangers to enemies to lovers, betrayal, angst, fluff, smut, language, panic attack (unknown/undiagnosed). ❗PLEASE CHECK THE AUTHORS NOTE FOR THIS CHAPTER.❗

author’s note: This chapter includes description of a panic attack, please if you find this triggering, please skip the marked section, or this part entirely.

tags: @tearfallpixie @cncohshit @jordynyingling0219 @faceless-mirror @nyxthedestroyerofworlds @wild-child-7747 @witchyweeb34 @black-damask1999 @casangel1986

Please ask if you'd like to be tagged, to this story or in general.

Ava had been gone a little over half a week now, and Talia had been spiralling, just a little, admitting to it wasn’t easy, but she was slowly getting there. She hadn’t talked to Ava about it yet, but she was aware already that her best friend knew.. Ava had said as much, even if it was without words. Kyle and Jordan both knew, neither of them left her alone each passing day, they both checked in on her, making sure she was okay, even if it was just phone calls to chat.

Ava’s calls kept happening as well. Whether it was a random call from Ava in the morning, on her lunch break, even on the speaker in the middle of the day talking to the whole parlour yesterday. That had been a fun call, everyone had fun talking to Ava, telling her how much they missed her snarkiness and hoped she was having fun with her soulmate.

Today, Talia was calling Ava once she got home from work. She crashed on the couch, and curled up with her phone in front of her, video calling only when the screen popped up, it wasn’t Ava that came on screen. It was Vinny, and half of Ricky’s face. She swallowed a little at the sight, she hadn’t seen or really heard about him in days, and it had been, well, it had been both welcoming and had been..

It made her feel so empty too.

It took everything in Talia to stop herself from asking Ava from how he was doing. How he was coping right now.

She wanted him to be doing better, to be doing okay, but she knew better than to think he would be.

Talia doubted he’d ever forgive her for fucking up his life, but she did hope he could move on at some point, at least then he might stop hating her right. She’d really like to be able to at least be able to hold a conversation with the man, because Vinny and Ava were soulmates, and they would have to deal with each other sooner or later.

Also, it would be really nice not to go to sleep feeling like she was being ripped herself apart piece by piece a little at a time. Talia was a wreck, and what she was supposed to do about that, she had no idea right now.

“Hey Vinny, is Ava there? I’ll never hear the end of it if I miss our daily video call.. Even if it’s her fault. Especially if its her fault.”

Hearing one or both guys snort slightly as she said that she smirked, at least Ava seemed to be getting along with the guys, including Rick, okay.. She had still been worried things would be difficult with Ricky.

“I think she’s still in the shower, she should be almost done.. How are you, any cool tattoos today?”

She smiled, for a man that didn’t have any real tattoos on his person, he always liked hearing and seeing the work she did. One day she even threatened to design him one, even if he would never get it done, just to see what he thought of it, and turn it into a temporary tattoo for his skin, see how it would look on him even. Not for a while, she was still getting more of a feel for the real Vinny, and not the Vinny that she knew from the Motionless in White band version she knew, not that they were really that much different. Still, knowing someone personally, and knowing someone in the parasocial sense, were two very different things.

“A couple. You could also check out the shops insta, or even the tiktok, I think Rick has the apps accounts, don’t you Rick?”

Glancing to the other man who was trying to look like he wasn’t paying attention as he was playing with something on his own phone, but the moment she said his name, his eyes flew up from the screen to look to glare a little at her. How dare she say anything to him. How dare she mention him and bring him into the conversation on purpose.

Ignoring him was not going to get them anywhere. Treating him like he was invisible furniture was going to help.. Even if it might hurt less not to see that glare and deny the way it hurt her heart. At least she wasn’t in the same room as them. When she hung up this phone, she could go into her room, stick her face into her pillow and scream, cry, whatever it was she felt like doing.

Whatever worked tonight.

After a long, tense moment, of Ricky staring daggers at her through the video call, he finally gave in and tore his eyes away from the phone and looked back to whatever he was doing on his own, his voice low and frustrated.

“Yea, I’ll show you later.”

She let out a quick sigh, at least he hadn’t been as much of an ass to her this time, could that count as progress.. Still a bit of an ass, just, not as much of one.

Perking up hearing a door in the background, followed by a voice she knew one, she smiled brightly as Vinny handed over a phone to Ava,

“Talia, Sweetie, let me take you to my bunk so we can talk properly!”

Ricky felt like he was going utterly insane. Every day Ava was calling Talia, every single day. He couldn’t escape her even when she wasn’t even here. Not that she ever really talked about her, or even said her name, but knowing that she was calling home every day, and every time she mentioned having to call home.. Whether it was to one of those two guys, or Talia, it didn’t really matter, only one person came to mind for him, and he hated it.

Couldn’t he get a few moments of peace? When he wasn’t reminded about soulmates? When he wasn’t reminded every single day about her?

Right now, Rick was doing his very best to ignore the subject while he was playing some video games with Vin and Justin after Ava disappeared back to the bunks with her phone to talk to who he was trying to absolutely not think about. They were travelling to the next city, and they weren’t performing tonight so it wasn’t like they had anything to do anyway, so they were all just relaxing, and enjoying some downtime. Sure they were stuck on the bus travelling between towns, but it was something, and video games it was.

It was nice just playing the games with the guys, not thinking about anything else for a bit, and it worked, right until Justin got a call from his wife, and there was a joke on the phone about he was just hanging out with the soulmate guys, he was good. After all, Vinny has joined the club! Ricky stomach plummeted when he realized the way that they’d used to joke and tease. It used to be Justin and him.

“Just you an Vin.”

An awkward silence hung in the air, at least this time he didn’t snap at him, just reminded him that Ricky’s soulmate in question had been, well, fake. Grace wasn’t his soulmate, and had never been his soulmate.

“Man, come on, we all saw her tattoo in the greenroom Rick, it wasn’t fake.”

Justin spoke as he continued to play the game, they both did, only Rick’s focus on the game was slipping as his grip on the controller was tightening, and his fingers were jabbing at the buttons a bit too hard, a bit too angrily at the thought of what Justin was saying. He didn’t want to think about this. He just wanted all of this to go away, he wanted his life to go back to normal and to forget. Was that too much to ask?

“Dude, don’t break the controller.”

Vin beside him nudged his arm pushing Rick to ease up and he sighed.

“Fine, whatever. Look, sure, her tattoo wasn’t fake, so what, I have plenty of tattoos that don’t rub of. So do you Justin, but that doesn’t mean I have hundreds of soulmates out there does it?”

Glancing at his friend, raising an eyebrow waiting for him to say something, anything, silently demanding a response.

“Sure okay, maybe you can see it that way, but-”

“No buts, I don’t, I don’t give a shit about what other people think about it. I don’t care what she thinks about it, you, her friends, anyone else.. All I know is that everyone , all of it can just get fucked…”

He was starting to lose his breath. His chest was feeling tight as his heart was racing the more he talked.

“I don’t have a soulmate, I don't want a soulmate. I am DONE.

<<<<BREAK START>>>>

Ricky felt like he just couldn’t breath, and the more he tried, the worse it got, and he stood up suddenly completely helpless to it all, nothing but panic consuming him with the need to get away from there. A pressure so heavy on his chest was pressing down on him, it felt like he had a boulder just settling on his chest for absolutely no reason. Throwing the controller for the game across the way, only to stalk his way down the bus, which was thankfully clear, down to the bunk area, leaning on one of the empty ones. His fingers gripping the edge of the bunk, attempting to draw in breaths, that boulder on his chest, knowing it wasn’t real and being able to do anything about it, were two very different things, he just closed his eyes and just tried to clear his head, breathe, just break, he needed a break.

In, out, in, out, why couldn’t he catch a break.

Shit.

He wasn’t thinking about who else was back here, who had been back here earlier and he’d been avoiding, when the next thing he knew, Ava, who had been talking to Talia on the phone, was right there, sans her phone, talking to him. He wasn’t sure what she was saying, her voice sounded like it was underwater, but somehow it sounded soothing. Rick just turned his head, blinking, his eyes wide as he looked to her, not moving, but there she was, standing beside him now where he was leaning against the bunk, his arms in front of him.

“Okay, there you are, now you're with me. Rick, can you think of five things you see for me? Come on, you can do it.”

He frowned at her, what the fuck, why would he, but then she nodded earnestly, and he glanced around, five things, okay, um. A pillow, blanket, whoever's water bottle that was, a pair of shoes, and his hands. Looking back to Ava, he nodded curtly. Five things, he had five things just like she said.

“Good, good, now, four things, you can feel.”

Swallowing, focusing on the sound of her voice, and what she was asking him, four things he could touch, well, the pillow, the blanket, those were easy, right there. Moving his hand from the bunk he placed it on her shoulder for a second, and then moved it back to his chest, he could feel his heartbeat, it was racing. Nodding to her again. He could feel four things.

“Perfect. You’re doing great, Rick. Okay, now three things you can hear.”

Three things he can hear.. The ridiculous video games, the honking of horns from the traffic outside, and smiling slightly, the hiss of the brakes of the bus as they drove. That one he would have thought would be harder. Taking in a deeper breath, his breathing was getting easier, and Ava took that as a cue to keep going,

“Two things you can smell.”

“Smell? Ah,”

He took in another breath, this time not just to breath but to focus on what he could actually smell around him, his senses, that sense was different, more nuanced in a way. Sure he used it every day, but being asked to name two right his second, he wouldn’t have thought of it, closing his eyes as he focused, and letting things hit him,

“coffee…”

In the bus, he could always smell coffee from that machine, it was almost always running for someone. Pausing.. His eyes open as he glanced over towards Ava,

“Your shower wash.” She hadn’t been out of the shower long, that felt rude, but in the moment, the way he felt, Rick was beyond rude at this point, and way Ava looked to him with a small smile and a nod, she was okay.. That was two things.

“Okay, lastly, one you can taste.”

Raising an eyebrow, taste, without thinking he swallowed, he could barely taste his coffee from earlier, but it was so faint and stale on the back of his tongue it made him feel kind of sick. Maybe a fresh cup would help.

“Well, we can go make ourselves some coffee, how about that?”

Ava just laughed slightly, coffee of all things, a stimulant for someone who had just gone through that.

“Maybe some tea would be more calming? I think your stress levels are a bit high considering you just had well, I don’t know if it was an anxiety attack or a panic attack, but it was something.”

Rick took in a deep shuddering breath, slowly nodding, he felt so wrung out and trying to pull himself together, not just now but each day that passed lately was starting to take its toll. Tour could weigh them down near the end sure, but this time, felt so much worse

<<<<BREAK OVER>>>>

Standing straight from leaning on the bunk, he did feel much better thanks to her talking him through that though, he felt lighter than he had in days.

“I, Thank you.. Ava, for that. I mean, you didn’t have to help me. I know I haven’t been that kind to you, and I’m sorry, I just-”

“I get it, you’re important to Vinny, and I wouldn’t stand by and watch someone suffer.”

What she didn’t say was that he was also important to Talia, whether he wanted to accept that or not, whether either of them wanted to accept that right now or not.

“And, apology accepted.”

Ricky chuckled slightly, weakly, just feeling like he needed to sit down.

“Right, what was that, by the way?”

Ava just smiled slowly, glancing down to her hands before back up to him, remembering the times she’d not been doing so well after her parents died and needed help herself, who had been the one to help her through it.

“It’s an anxiety grounding technique, I think there are different versions I guess, but it works great for anxiety and stress. Talia taught it to me.”

Rick couldn’t help the way he tensed up a little hearing that, he didn’t mean to, but of course, it was her, it always came back to her. Nothing was free of her, nothing.

44 notes · View notes

cookiesupplier · 3 months

Text

Every Rose Has Its Thorns - Part Twenty-Five

pairing: Ricky Olson x ofc x Chris 'Motionless' Cerulli

warnings/tropes: slow burn, soulmates, strangers to enemies to lovers, betrayal, angst, fluff, smut, language, panic attack, stalking, online bullying.

author’s note: Unbeta'd, readers beware as always lol.

tags: @tearfallpixie @cncohshit @jordynyingling0219 @faceless-mirror @nyxthedestroyerofworlds @wild-child-7747 @witchyweeb34 @black-damask1999 @jilliemiw86 @ilovesamkiszka @lyschko666 @lacktoesandtoddlerants @bngurngheart @collapsedglasshouses @laurpartyprogram @sunsshinesunny @malerieee

Tag List is Open, please let me know if you would like to be added to it or in general.

Considering they had opted for the living room, they were just sitting around the coffee table when the food arrived, and dug into the boxes of Chinese, all of them passing the boxes back and forth in the end, trying a bit of each other's dishes, well, the vegan ones Chris could try anyway, Talia had chosen one herself, she was intrigued. He hadn’t talked her into it by any means, but some of the dishes sounded just as good as the meat options, when Ricky heard that he’d chuckled, only for Talia to roll her eyes and point out she didn’t think she could ever give up animal products entirely, sorry Chris. Now, they were talking about everything else under the sun, the week they had.. What they’d been doing.. Talia even was telling them about what Jordan and Kyle had been getting up to back home. Chris, he’d heard some of what she was saying as she was talking about her friends, about her week, from their afternoons having coffee with him, hearing about her exploring the town.. But Ricky hadn’t. It was good to see them talking, and getting to know each other.

They were all avoiding the elephant in the room.. Two elephants really if Chris was honest, Talia’s meltdown, and what was happening with Ricky’s video. Chris didn’t know if Talia had seen the video, he didn’t know if she’d been online at all since yesterday, and if he was honest, after the harassment in the first place, he wouldn’t blame her at all if the answer was a resounding no.

Glancing at Ricky, the fact that she hadn’t mentioned it, that she seemed calm, made him feel more and more certain, that he was right, no, she hadn’t been online at all, all day.

He couldn’t think about that now, not with her meltdown that morning. How she felt was entirely more important.

The real question was, which problem, was she willing to tackle first? The one with the entire world on her doorstep, or the personal one that was so heavy that had been on her doorstep, since she was eighteen years old.

Neither were excellent options. Sure the first one, they could be hopeful about, but Chris knew better, having dealt with the world of fandom, and seen the frenzy it could be whipped into, it could get nasty in a heartbeat, especially when soulmates were involved.

Chris was twirling his noodles around his fork, not only was it a fun way to eat them at home when you didn’t have to worry about being polite and neat, but he didn’t have the mental capacity tonight to focus on chopsticks, to poke at his noodles, so a fork it was. He glanced over as Talia put her dinner box, still half full, down on the table, rubbing her hands along her thighs, over her shorts,

“So, I suppose I should tell you about what this morning was about-”

“Jellybean you don’t-”

Talia pretty much cut him off with an audible sigh when she just looked at Chris as he started trying to comfort her and tell her she didn’t need to explain yet again, she knew it was coming, but she didn’t actually say anything. Instead, she smiled slightly, knowingly, as she glanced at Rick, and then seeing the guitarist blink at her like he’d been caught in the spotlight, swallowing his bite of food,

“What?”

“You told me off repeatedly this morning for making excuses for people. He might not be making an excuse, but he keeps telling me I don’t need to talk about my problems when I obviously have problems.. Hello..”

“Yeah, well, I happen to agree with Chris on this one. As much as I want to know whats wrong, talking about shit before you're ready, isn’t good. I think you know that already. Or were you not the one that taught Ava how to handle panic attacks?”

Talia’s breath caught in surprise when she heard that, just staring at Ricky for a moment as she tried to contemplate him even knowing that, glancing from him to Chris who shrugged and back to Rick,

“How did, how did you know about that?”

She watched as he frowned a little no idea what was going through his head, she had taught Ava about panic attacks sure, after her parents had died, she’d had something a bit like them, never diagnosed, but she had helped her learn how to calm herself down when she felt herself on the verge of a panic spiral so she could ground herself.

“Ava didn’t tell you?”

Talia shook her head slightly, Ava had talked to him about her panic attacks? She didn’t know that.. Not that she expected her to hide anything from the boys, but it was curious as to why it might have come up..

“I ah, while we were on tour, there was a moment I had an attack, not sure that it was panic, but it was something-”

“Rick-”

Talia reached for Chris’ hand without thinking when he went to comfort his friend, and Rick just shook his head,

“It’s alright Chris, there was nothing you could have done, nothing anyone could have done, I just, the guys were talking about soulmates, and kept talking about how we all had soulmates, and it kept feeling like constant pressure, the whole time we were on tour.”

“Yea, you know, none of us meant to make you feel like. I’m so sorry about that.”

Hearing Chris apologise, Talia’s heart clenched as she thought about how Ricky must have felt being stuck on that bus for two weeks, with no escape from the suffocating feeling of everything that had happening, no doubt thinking about it constantly, being reminded about it whether he liked it just seeing Ava, Vinny, every time soulmates were mentioned.

“Ricky I-”

“Seriously, Talia,”

Her eyes when wide looking over at Ricky, as he smiled softly, he didn’t snap, this time his tone actually sounded almost fond, and warm, and it surprised her,

“Are we really going to have this conversation again? No apologises for something that isn’t your fault, Sweetheart.”

Feeling Chris squeeze her hand gently, she looked over where he sat beside her, a warm smile on his face as he nodded ever so slightly towards her, only for her to look back towards Rick..

“Okay, so, sure, you both agree I need to stop apologising, I get it, but listen to this Richard Olson,”

“Oop, she full named you..”

“I’m in trouble.”

“I am allowed to feel bad that you were in that position because of the situation, I am allowed to feel horrible that you couldn’t get out of it knowing that Ava was stuck in her floofy soulmate bubble with Vinny.. And I’m allowed to be pissed.. At Grace for doing this to you.. Am I not?”

Watching his face, Talia had been sure he wanted to argue with her, as if he thought she blamed herself for the situation, and maybe she did, a little bit, if they hadn’t gone to the concert, he would have continued to live in ignorance, who knows when he would have discovered the truth. Vinny had known the truth, he had said as much.. He had been the one to really expose her, so Talia would like to think he would have exposed her before long anyway. It might have taken time, but it would have happened, and he’d have been alone

“Okay, yes, you are allowed all of those things, but my point still stands.”

Talia just smiled, shaking her head,

“I get it, but if you’re going to keep calling me on it, I’m going to start kicking you.”

Ricky sitting back in his chair shrugged and went back to eating another egg roll,

“I’ll invest in shin guards.”

Talia groaned with an eye roll when Chris just laughed.

Chris watched the two of them it felt so, refreshing, that they actually seemed to getting along now, enough that he was teasing her, even if she was groaning in frustration over his teasing.. But he saw that small smile on her lips and threw her head back when she did. He sighed, swallowing a little, letting her hand go so he could have some more of his noodle and twisted some more onto his fork and shove them into his mouth. It was nice when he could get vegan dishes alongside others at the same restaurants and didn’t have to go far out of his way. Before the band got bigger, it used to be harder, but, not to mention veganism, had grown more over time for various reasons.

Seeing the two of them together, he felt guilty, but there was a part of him that almost felt.. A little jealous. It was stupid, he knew, he didn’t feel this way with Justin and Laura, or Vinny and Ava, but seeing Ricky laugh with Talia now, it made him ache.. It was a twisted torment, wanting something he knew he couldn’t have.. Something that he was never going to have. No, no that wasn’t quite true either, when he looked at the pair of them, he yearned for, for.. God.. his why was his shoulder aching so much lately?

“Shit, Talia?”

Ricky gasped slightly, had just been laughing again, so he’d joked about getting a shin guard, and she’d made a remark about needing a different kind of guard instead. That's when they’d both started laughing, only for the next thing he knew, a surge to flare through his soulmate tattoo. A confused sound escaped him, as he dropped his now empty Chinese box on the table,

“Okay, so the joke was not that annoying, damn, why the upset Sweet?”

A soft wounded sound came from her as he glanced across the way, and he wondered what was wrong, noticing how she was rubbing her neck too, he couldn’t help but frown, what, what was wrong. Those eyes, those traitorously gorgeous eyes, traitorously so because there were moments he did think back to the party to watching her in the mirror just to see her eyes watching him.. And guilty he felt thinking about it, not to mention how tempted he felt thinking back on.. Not the time, Ricky, not the fucking time..

“I thought it was you?”

Her quiet voice brought him out of his mental scolding.. Wait, so, that little jolt to his tattoo wasn’t because she was annoyed at him, and he wasn’t annoyed at her..

“So now these things are just going to jolt us for no rhyme or reason? That makes no damn sense.”

At least before, he assumed that it was trying to send a message, trying to get them together.. Affecting him when he thought about her, when he was aroused by her, when she was aroused by.. Shit.. but this? This made no sense.. Rick saw Chris shifting next to Talia rubbing at his shoulder, frowning heavily like he was in pain,

“Are you alright, man?”

“Yeah, yeah, just, my shoulder’s been off the past few days.. I’m good, I’m good. So.. what’s going on, what was the joke?”

Ricky raised his eyebrow at that, glancing to Chris shoulder slightly, that, that was..

“Okay, no, no I really need to tell you guys about this, because if our tattoos are doing more than just being suped up on the soul bond, which was, admittedly, how I tried to think of it because I didn’t want to think of myself as going insane-”

“You weren’t going insane, I was going through it too.”

Talia rolled her eyes slightly at Rick interrupting her slightly, sure she knew that now, but she didn’t know that before, really wishing he wasn’t halfway across the room right now so she could slap his arm or something right now.. But, she had a feeling she knew exactly why he was over there. She knew from the moment he’d pulled away in the kitchen yesterday, just like she’d been itching to touch him the moment he walked in the door. The strangest part was.. It only eased when Chris had taken her hand, and right now, her fingers were twisted together in front of her, desperate to reach for him, for both of them.. What..

“I know that now Ricky, I didn’t know that then, and with what had happened..”

Swallowed,

“I told you how my dad tried to have me committed, right?”

While Rick nodded slightly, confirming he remembered, she expected Chris to be surprised, and when he reached for her hand, she realised Rick must have told him, glancing to Chris and seeing the look of understanding on his face,

“I’m sorry Talia, I told him this afternoon what you said to me yesterday, I suspected it might have to do with it, and I didn’t want you to be blindsided by Ava tonight. Our plan was actually to come to dinner to make sure she didn’t try to force you to talk about it if you didn’t want to yet.. Because she seemed hell-bent on it earlier.. So.. I told him, that way he’d know what I suspected and the stakes of what you could be dealing with.”

Talia’s eyes were tearing up as she looked at Ricky, how, for an asshole that had been doing nothing but thinking of himself..

“Oh shit, Chris, I can’t.. She, I’m making her cry..”

Ricky hated that he was on the other side of the room when Talia looked like she was about to start crying, he’d fucking upset her all over again. What the hell was wrong with him,

“Chris, man, can you..”

Seeing him already moving closer to her, his arms wrapped around her tiny frame and Ricky felt horrible that he fucked up, yet again as he watched the tears spill down her cheeks when she leaned into Chris as he leaned in and whispered to her. She nodded quickly, and he wished he could hear.. Holding on to the arms of the chair in the single-seater sofa he was in to stop himself from moving, his grip so tight his fingertips were turning white.. He didn’t want to make this worse for her. Fuck. When she leaned into Chris, pressing her face into his chest, Ricky just couldn’t stand it anymore. Practically vaulting himself from his chair,

“Rick, wa-”

However, Chris’ warning fell on deaf ears when he was already there, his hand running up her back,

“Sweetheart, I’m so sorry, I wasn’t thinking, I shouldn’t have sa-”

Before he could even finish Talia had twisted between both of their arms to almost throw herself around him, her arms wrapping around his shoulder, her face nestled in the side of his neck, with muffled words he could barely hear… but he heard them, and he looked over to Chris with wide eyes when he realised that he’d read this entire situation wrong.. The smile slowly spread across the other man’s face.

“Thank-You.”

Diviers by @saradika-graphics

45 notes · View notes

cookiesupplier · 3 months

Text

Every Rose Has Its Thorns - Part Twenty-One

pairing: Ricky Olson x ofc x Chris 'Motionless' Cerulli

warnings/tropes: slow burn, soulmates, strangers to enemies to lovers, betrayal, angst, fluff, smut, language, panic attack, stalking, online bullying.

author’s note: Unbeta'd, readers beware as always lol.

tags: @tearfallpixie @cncohshit @jordynyingling0219 @faceless-mirror @nyxthedestroyerofworlds @wild-child-7747 @witchyweeb34 @black-damask1999 @jilliemiw86 @ilovesamkiszka @lyschko666 @lacktoesandtoddlerants @bngurngheart @collapsedglasshouses @laurpartyprogram

Tag List is Open, please let me know if you would like to be added to it or in general.

Seeing her on her knees looking up at him like that, her eyes so wide, from the feel of the way her throat contracted around his cock as she swallowed, to the moans and whimpers as he fucked her pretty mouth, and shit.. shit.. a shiver ran down his spine. She was perfect like this, so trusting as she looked at him despite the way he’d been treating her, shit, why the fuck did she trust him?

No, no, no.. He couldn’t, he couldn’t do this. Not only that, he knew he shouldn’t be doing any of this. She deserved so much better than him, so much better. He didn’t deserve her or anything close to how understanding she’s seemed after how much of an ass he’d been, he knew that already. No matter what he’s been through, nothing gave him the right.

“Fuck, Talia, I, I’m sorry.”

“Rick, I.. what? What is this, what is happening right now? I..”

His voice came out in a rasp, and a strangled sound left his throat, even her voice, she was shaking, her voice, she sounded scared.. Fuck she sounded scared.. Of him? Of what was going on between them, scared of what? He didn’t know, all he knew was he couldn’t control anything of what he was feeling. He pulled back from her, breaking off contact as he let go of her completely, he needed to clear his head, and touching her wasn’t helping that. Shit. Every time he touched her, just thinking about it even, made his tattoo tingle, again, and he swore under his breath, what the fuck was happening. Yet pulling away right now, and fixing himself in his pants, he could swear the very thought of forcing himself not to touch her no matter how much he even wanted to reach out and help her up from the floor, had his soulmate tattoo on his neck flaring up and starting to burn. Not bad per se, not by much, but just enough that he knew it didn’t like what he was doing.

What the fuck.

Now he was thinking about his tattoo like it had feelings, like it was a fucking sentient being.

What was wrong with him?

He could hear Talia moving behind him as he turned to face the kitchen counter, his hands pressing against the stone top. Pressing down to keep himself there for the moment.

“Rick?”

“I’m sorry, we, I shouldn’t have done that, not again.. I mean.. We can’t do this, we can’t be… this, Talia. I just got out of the most fucked up relationship. She was a stalker for fuck's sake, and I thought I was in love with her, I bought a damn ring, how screwed up is that? I mean-”

His voice choked off, he wanted to be done with all of this, he’d talked about it all on that horrendous video yesterday, but that had been clinical, that had been precise facts for the story of what Grace had done to him. Making sure to refute everything she had claimed about him, about Talia, her lies. This, though, felt like reaching into his chest and ripping out.. He couldn’t even go online to read all the messages after the video because of the thought of what people would say. He wasn’t sure what would feel worse, people believing him and sympathising, hearing all the different ways people have been treated so horribly, or the people calling him a fucking liar and making up excuses to call it off with Grace, then there was the worst of all, calling him exactly how he felt, a damn fucking fool for not realising that she’d been lying all those years ago.

“I can’t even walk into my own fucking house right now. I changed the locks and upped the security, but it feels like it means nothing because she lived there for two years, and she’s everywhere in that place. I hate her Talia, and yet, I thought I loved her, but was it her? Who even was she?”

Looking at Talia, she was at least standing now, and he felt like fucking shit to see she looked so unsteady, like any moment she could start shaking and had her arms wrapped around herself, she looked about as good as he felt. He felt good when he was talking to her, he had, and yet, there was something, something so overwhelming out of his control, he didn’t know if he could trust…

“I was dating someone who lied to me from the very moment I met them, who stalked me, and didn’t blink the entire time, not once about any of it. Was I stupid, was I just, did I want to be blind so badly that I pretended? What’s going to happen now? I mean, my relationships are royally screwed now, how can I ever trust-”

“Me?”

“No, me, Talia, I can’t trust myself. For all the shit I’ve said about you, being a fake soulmate, I’m sorry I’ve been such a bastard. But it’s not you, it’s never been you thats the problem Talia, it’s always been me.”

Ricky didn’t even trust himself anymore, he’d been in a relationship that was nothing but lies and manipulation for years, and he’d believed it all, how could he trust his judgement now? As it was, admitting that he was the one that was the problem between Talia and him instead of his claims before now, well…

“Ricky,”

He swallowed as Talia moved to stand next to him, her back to the counter as he finished turning so they were both facing the same way as they talked.

“You don’t have to apolo-”

“Don’t, start with that again, please,”

Rick shut her down quickly, at least she seemed to have stopped shaking, and their tattoos had stopped tingling, calming down from that damned arousal. Talking, talking he could do, as long as he didn’t touch her.

“I have ripped into you so much, treated you like shit, and you have just waved it off like nothing, give me credit here, I was a complete asshole and a bastard, say it Talia. Say it, out loud. Admit it, and stop telling me I don’t have to apologise, like you’ll just let me off the hook again? Sweetheart, because, that is not what’s going to happen here.”

Even if it was just him, he wasn’t going to let it go, not this time. He felt guilty a little for a second when Talia seemed to shrink for a moment at his little rant, but he felt like she would just keep letting him keep doing it, and let him keep treating her like he had, and being an asshole. No.

“I,”

“Say it, I mean it. Go on.”

“You can’t be serious?”

“Listen to my voice, Sweetheart, Say it.”

Ricky crossed his arms in front of his chest, stopping himself from reaching for her hands to convince her to do it, to say it, maybe he was being an asshole even now, but he wanted to hear it, her admit, that she could actually say it, see it, and not just wave it off. Looking at her, stubbornly, as she pursed her lips slightly, a little bit stubborn herself maybe, as she huffed out a soft, fine almost, he wasn’t sure if she actually said it or imagined it, but here we go as she started.

“Okay, so you're a bastard, and half the time since I’ve met you I’ve wanted to fucking slap you every time you’ve opened your mouth.”

There we go, Ricky couldn’t help but smirk slightly at that, that was a little more than he asked for, but he liked it. Good. Maybe she would slap him next time he went too far. Not that he encouraged violence in relationships, but they weren’t dating, and he had been an asshole.

“Little bit colourful, feel better?”

Not that she had said that she was the one upset before, he was the one that seemed to be breaking down between the two of them, but he just couldn’t believe she was doing any better, not with how clammed up she was, not… not with what Ava said at the party. Damn Ava, her words had dug like a tick in his brain. Someone had hurt Talia because of him, because of their tattoo, and he’d made it worse.

“Maybe.”

She was smiling a little at least now, just a little, much better than her shrinking back before, Right would take that as a win.

“Well, one of us at least, then.”

Glancing back to the other side of the kitchen, he tsked slightly with his tongue with a sigh after a moment, his arms not relaxing across his chest as he thought about where this all left them. With freaky soulmate tattoos that were flaring up strangely, and…

“I can’t do another relationship, and screw me not wanting a soulmate, you, shit, I feel bad for you being stuck with me about now. I am beyond fucked up because there is something seriously wrong with me. Honestly, if I were you, I would be running so far, so fast it’s not even funny.”

“Rick-”

Before he could start to say anything about her tone, how it sounded like she was going to get all apologetic and forgiving on him again,

“Stop, this time you listen to me.”

He paused as she shut him down, regarding her slightly, it was fair play he guessed, holding his hand out and gesturing for her to continue without risking touching her, he’d listen, he’d been horrible enough not to listen to her plenty already.

“You were dealt a shit card, we’ve both been dealt shitty hands with this soulmate thing, and whatever is going on with our tattoos I have no idea what it is, the fact I’ve never heard about it before kind of scares me a little, but, that's not my point. My point, what was my point,”

He smiled a little at the cute way she rambled, her words running away with her as her mind went on a tangent. Rick had been there, he recognised it. He’d lost count of the number of times he’d edited his videos, repeatedly with the way he’d lost his thoughts when he’d talk, having to redo the clips, over and over. So he waited patiently for her to find what it was she wanted to say again.

“Shit, I lost it, anyway,”

Ricky couldn’t help but chuckle roughly, but otherwise stayed silent, letting her continue.

“You were dealt a shit hand, but that doesn’t define you. I’m not saying you should just jump right back into everything, I’m not, you need time to sort everything out, so take it. If you can’t trust yourself, trust others. Get outside opinions.”

Shrugging, then again, he hadn’t been all that welcome of that lately, and from the look on his face, he wasn’t that impressed with her advice.

“Talia, no, if I listened to everyone else, I’d probably have you knocked up by now, I swear.”

He was not laughing about it either, nor was she with her face changing a few different shades of red when he said that. Ricky couldn’t forget how it felt like everyone had been pushing him towards her ever since he’d broken it off with Grace and considering two out of three times he’d been alone with her, he’d not been able to keep his hands off of her. Everything was so overwhelming, and he swallowed, well, she knew what had happened.

Now, even now, the air felt so thick, he stretched his neck a little, fuck, the tingle was back as his hands flexed, and he gripped the counter on either side of him again, holding onto it, he wasn’t pushing that limit between them again.. But only so much he could ignore it.. He didn’t care how willing she seemed, either time, that tattoo, it didn’t feel right, he’d been so fucking stupid to think it was fine.

“Ricky! I’m being serious.”

“So am I! Everyone has been pushing me to get closer to you ever since I broke it off with Grace, as if finally having my real soulmate will magically fix all my problems. I’m sorry, but I don’t see it that way. Soulmates can be a wonderful bond, but they make you vulnerable, and to me, they are terrifying as shit too.”

Case in point, what was happening with their marks, she wasn’t wrong, it was rather freaky that he’d never heard this happening before. Now that he knew it wasn’t all in his head, and he wasn’t imagining it, it was tangible, he was going to do a deep dive to see if he could find out any information about it at all. Maybe he could even ask-

Talia suddenly let out a groan of slight disgust, her face scrunching up as she looked away, catching Ricky’s attention and pulling him away from his thoughts.

“What?”

“I just, I thought about how Kyle used to talk about soulmate couples having babies so soon after they get together, and thinking about the whole rush of it being like this, and it made me think about Ava and Vinny right now, and I just. No. I don’t. No.”

At that, Ricky couldn’t help but start laughing.

“Shit, well, Laura and Justin, they did, so, and Vin and Ava were stuck in a bus for two weeks, so we're on strict rules there, and tensions abound, how have they been here?”

Talia got a bit of a look he wasn’t sure he could read on her face before she started talking,

“I’ve been escaping to go have coffee with Chris every afternoon to give them alone time because I -”

She didn’t get to finish her sentence when a surge ran through both of their tattoos at the same time, but it was nothing like the pleasure that they had enjoyed earlier, and far more like the one Ricky had felt when he’d pulled away from her, only worse, a lot worse. The moment he heard her talking about escaping to have coffee with Chris, he remembered seeing her there in the café with him, laughing, looking so happy, and thinking about her sneaking off to spend secret time alone with him, and the next thing he knew, his hand was flying to his neck with the pain that was ripping through his skin.

“Fuck, what the hell, is going on?!”

Ricky glanced over to Talia, her words so much more shocked, having no idea why there was pain, just that there was, and she looked to be in just as much pain as him. Made him wonder if she always felt what he felt, or if it was when they were in proximity. Had she felt him when they were at the café? Was it only when they were together? Or maybe only when the feelings were extremely intense, like now?

Either way…

“I don’t know, but I think it’s about time we try to find out.”

Divider by @saradika-graphics

45 notes · View notes

cookiesupplier · 4 months

Text

Every Rose Has It's Thorns - Part Sixteen

pairing: Ricky Olson x ofc x Chris 'Motionless' Cerulli

warnings/tropes: slow burn, soulmates, strangers to enemies to lovers, betrayal, angst, fluff, smut, language, panic attack, stalking,

author’s note: Unbeta'd, readers beware as always lol.

tags: @tearfallpixie @cncohshit @jordynyingling0219 @faceless-mirror @nyxthedestroyerofworlds @wild-child-7747 @witchyweeb34 @black-damask1999 @jilliemiw86 @ilovesamkiszka @lyschko666 @lacktoesandtoddlerants @bngurngheart @collapsedglasshouses @laurpartyprogram

Talia looked up from her phone she’d gotten a message from Chris. Only instead of a silly meme like usual over the last few days, this one was about Rick, at first, she’d been upset, that another person had crossed that line, thinking she could be that person, she thought about what he was saying, and she hated to admit it, but he was right. Besides, as nice as it was hanging out with Chris at the coffee shop lately, she had been missing out on something else while she was here, and it wasn’t quite the same as it was back home.. She was starting to get the feeling that while things were so up in the air, it wouldn’t be the same. She missed her time, with just her, and Ava. So, Chris suggestion, that maybe she take Ava somewhere, give Vinny and Rick some time to hang out.. She messaged him back tell him she couldn’t guarantee Vinny would, and he just said he’d take care of it.. Talia nodded. Okay.

Of course, Rick was just plain painful to think about, and this was at the very least Rick adjacent.

Sighing slightly, there went her mark again, dammit. Little moments like that weren’t too bad, just the big ones that bothered her. This time, it felt no worse than a flick at her skin. Shaking her head, she needed not to dwell on it, she’d worry about it when she got home, and deal with it then. For now, she clicked out of the message and went to go find Ava.

Finding her with Vinny, she smiled a little, they were cuddled up on the couch, they’d all just finished breakfast, and already they were cuddled up. They’d been like this all week, it was almost nauseating, new relationship vibes. At least they were keeping the sex vibes behind closed doors, at least when she was here with them, for that she was thankful. No, she wasn’t assuming they weren't having sex, she wasn’t stupid okay, even she’d had sex since she’d been here, not that she’d talked about that, with anyone.

“Hey Vin, can I steal your girl for a while, I’m missing my Avie time… and I’m sure you could use some time with your friends ya know..”

She might have told Chris she couldn’t guarantee it, but she could at least drop a hint, couldn’t see, a vague one at least. Friend, like Ricky, Wink wink, nudge nudge, hint hint. She could go out with Ava, and Vinny could hang out with Rick, maybe even Chris. For all she knew Chris was holding the guitarist hostage and planned to drag him over here trussed up, she didn’t know his plan, and she didn’t care, he wanted nothing to do with her, and she wanted nothing to do with him. Except.. Don’t think about it, don’t think about it. Swallowing at the stinging at her tattoo, would it leave her alone?

Now, as Ava looked over to her, the fact that she perked up at the idea of spending time together really made Talia feel so much better. It wasn’t until that moment that she realised that she that this dark feeling inside of her was just as much about connected to Ricky, as it was to the fear of losing her friendship with Ava. She might be here, but considering how consumed she was with Vinny, and yes Talia had been trying to give them time together, but the alternative was Ava and Vinny together, all the time. Yes, Vinny was great, he was amazing, but time with the three of them together like Ava encouraged with her to get to know Vinny, wasn’t the same as time with her best friend.

She hadn’t realised until now how scared she was that she might really lose Ava over all of this. After all, that is what people say about new relationships isn’t it, that they cost you friends? Talia didn’t want to be one of those friends. Despite her being the most likely because her friendship was the most at odds due to her destroyed bond with Ricky, which was painful to think about. Wasn’t that why she wasn’t confiding in her about her soulmate tattoo, to not add to everything with her here?

Either way, with how excited she was now, Talia couldn’t help but smile.

“And Vinny could call one of his friends to hang out if he likes, Chris, or, ah, Ricky. I’m sure they miss Vin time since we’ve been hogging you.”

Talia smiled sweetly at Vin, knowing exactly that even if he called Chris first, the singer would have some plan up his sleeve already, this was his idea after all. He had suggested that she might want to spend some time with Ava, some girl time, so Vinny could get some time with Ricky. It was a funny thing, that when Chris was worried about Rick, Chris had turned to her, and, and she still helped after what happened. A part of her had been so tempted to tell him that Rick could shove it. She didn’t, why didn’t she? Not that she could even really give you a reason.

Say it, Talia, you’re a pushover, a doormat, and you can’t stop thinking about that stupid idiot of a man. Chris thinks he needs help, and you’re right there, helping.

She hated herself sometimes, but no. Nope. None of that. None of that. Taking in a deep breath. Maybe if she thought of it as doing Chris a favour, yeah, that was better, that felt so much better, doing Chris a favour made her feel nice and warm. Besides, this was her afternoon with Ava, they were going to go out and have fun, this had nothing to do with Ricky, that was what she told herself as she got into the car that Ava had been driving around. She wasn’t here for herself, she wasn’t here for Rick, she was here in this town for Ava, to support Ava, and that was the only reason she was dealing with any of this. Otherwise, she’d go home tomorrow, simple, that was what she told herself… and then ignored the painful ache in her soulmate tattoo at the thought. “Spa?”

Talia looked over to Ava with a grin at her suggestion,

“Read my mind.”

A pamper day sounded perfect to her. Hair, nails, chatting about anything but soulmates hopefully. She doubted the last part, hearing about Vinny was likely going to be a given, but all the same, she was excited as Ava pulled out of the drive to head into town.

Ricky was thankful when he heard from Vinny about hanging out. Getting back from the tour, it wasn’t like it was a surprise that they needed a time-out from seeing each other constantly every day. So not talking to each other a lot wasn't alarming, but at the same time, the band were the ones that could understand what made Rick so weary right now, and he wasn’t sure anyone else really would. In turn, when Vinny called, Ricky had accepted immediate when he asked if he wanted to hang out. That was until he’d said he’d come over to Rick’s, and Rick had quickly said no, no, he’d come over to Vinny’s.

Once he got there, Rick felt a relief, not that he was going to talk to Vin about that, it was just good to see him, and the grin on his face to know how happy he was.

“How’d you feel about a stream with me?”

Rick raised an eyebrow, he hadn’t been doing much at all with social media, especially not with everything that happened with Grace, he still hadn’t gotten it out that they weren’t together anymore. He should, he knew he should, but telling people that his relationship was over would bring so many questions, and changes to their personal lives always did, it could be intense.

“Instagram?”

“That's what I was thinking, do a live, Q&A.. it's okay if not, I just thought, dude, you gotta get it out there sometime.”

Ricky looked down,

“Chris told you about Grace?”

“About her hanging around, yeah, and okay, I was thinking, if we do it together, we can smooth your news over with my news and BOOM, they’ll get so distracted that your break-up with her won’t even matter man, it’ll be gone, so quick.”

Rick laughed slightly, but it felt a bit hollow, he doubted that, he remembered his past breakups, and it could get obsessive online with the fans, Vinny didn’t even know, he didn’t think he’d ever really had to deal with any of his quite as publicly as he had before. When Vinny had invited him around to hang out, this wasn’t what he had thought this would be, but, maybe, maybe it would be better to rip this shit off and get it done, out of the way.

“You talk to Ava about this? Is she okay with you going public?”

Raising an eyebrow as they walked further into the house, towards the room where Vinny did all his streaming, whether he was gaming, playing his drum kit, or just streaming live on Instagram.

“Dude, of course, I wouldn’t have asked if she wasn’t good with it.”

It was on the tip of his tongue to ask about Talia, but, it wasn’t his place. “If we do this, Talia isn’t mentioned, at most, if, if you want to say how you met your soulmate, you say she was with friends. No elaboration.”

Ricky gave Vin a look, and Vinny just pressed his lips together and raised his eyebrows in the most faux innocent look he’d ever seen in his damn life, as if he’d never had any intention of mentioning anything at all. Honestly, he’d kick Vin if he got the rest of the fan base in on the constant pressure that came with all this soulmate tattoo stuff that it felt like the rest of the band kept bringing down on him, he’d had it. Plus, he was almost certain that wasn’t what would happen with Talia. Now Grace, what would happen considering her, fuck knows what she had done after she left.

All they needed to know was that they had broken up, Rick just wanted to move on with his life and be done with all of it, and he would be happy when this was done. It would be easier with Vin, easier to have something to sweep the attention away and not field a million questions…

Hopefully.

It didn’t work.

Once the live stream was done, and Vin was fielding so many congratulatory comments, and deleting the spiteful ones about Ava. Ricky ended up posting on his Instagram, turning off the comments, appreciating the concern, but asking for privacy. It didn’t feel like what was being said in the comments on the photos before, was born of merely concern, though. Some of it was downright nasty, some just rude with the suggestions. He’d turned his notifications off before the live stream though, assuming how this was going to go down, and tossing his phone down he looked over to Vin, ignoring the comments, and the countless DM’s that he wasn’t going to touch any time soon.. Vinny however, was smiling.

“What’s the verdict?”

“Man I love this, so good, though, some are still asking for me to finally post a picture of my real soulmate tattoo.”

Vin chuckled, of course, they wanted to know that, some of them probably still wanted to get the tattoo themselves knowing he had that mark somewhere on his body. Rick rolled his eyes, it was weird, so weird. He would never understand it. Now a normal tattoo was fine, but a mark that was purposely meant to connect him to his soulmate? Did they not think about how it was also on Ava’s body? Then again, Vinny didn’t have other tattoos, which was why they were so eager as Rick saw it, they all scrambled for something.

“Saying, since I’ve found her, there is no reason for me to hide it anymore, and they also want to know if my logo is connected to it, or completely different?”

He shook his head,

“If I were you, and be sure to talk to Ava about this, I’d keep your mark to yourselves, as long as possible, or at least talk to her about just saying it was your logo outright or something, because, you know they are going to get the tattoo of it, and that's just creepy to me. As the guy that's seen so many with a rose tattoo..”

He sighed, including Talia’s.

“They already get the logo anyway, that won’t change.”

Vin nodded,

“Good idea, if I was willing to get one, and I’m not, I’d totally get the logo to throw them off. You’d think Ava would get it?”

Rick shrugged,

“Maybe, her best friend is a tattooist, could always ask her, she might get a kick out of it, but really depends on how far you guys want to fool the fans, or, just let them assume. You’ve kept it to yourself for this long Vin, it should be fine.”

Sitting back on the couch, Vin sighed,

“How bad are the comments about Grace..

Ricky sighed,

“They all want to know what happened, especially considering you met your soulmate and I broke up with my girlfriend on the same tour.. They think there is some scandal involved. There is, just, not the ones they’re thinking.”

Vin shook his head as he looked down at his phone, he got an alert from a message, and he brought up the notification, only to look up at right in alarm.

“Ah, you’ve blocked Grace, right?”

He paused, looking over at Vinny carefully, he both didn’t want to know what he was about to say, and wanted to grab at his phone, he didn't, but that didn't change the panic that seized his chest for a second.

“Do you really need to ask?”

“One of my followers just tagged me, says she just announced she’s going live in an hour explaining her side of the break-up.”

Ricky frowned, her side of the break-up? Her fucking side? Great. She manipulated and lied to him for years. Now, she no doubt was about to manipulate and lie to everyone on the internet as well. Fantastic.

Shit.

Dividers by @saradika-graphics

40 notes · View notes

cookiesupplier · 2 months

Text

Every Rose Has Its Thorns - Part Twenty-Six

pairing: Ricky Olson x ofc x Chris 'Motionless' Cerulli

warnings/tropes: slow burn, soulmates, strangers to enemies to lovers, betrayal, angst, fluff, smut, language, panic attack, stalking, online bullying, mental health issues.

❗❗ author’s note: This chapter includes serious mental health situations in the past of a character, involving being unwillingly committed into a mental facility. Please beware of this potential trigger. Also, I am in no way a medical professional.❗❗

tags: @tearfallpixie @cncohshit @jordynyingling0219 @faceless-mirror @nyxthedestroyerofworlds @wild-child-7747 @witchyweeb34 @black-damask1999 @jilliemiw86 @ilovesamkiszka @lyschko666 @lacktoesandtoddlerants @bngurngheart @collapsedglasshouses @laurpartyprogram @sunsshinesunny @malerieee

Tag List is Open, please let me know if you would like to be added to it or in general.

Thank You.

She was thanking him, what, Rick as happy as he was that she wasn’t mad at him, she was thanking him, again, for something he didn’t think he deserved. It pained him that she thought she had to thank him for this, thank him for trying to look out for her. Especially when, a moment ago, he thought she was going to destroy him for invading her privacy.

“Sweetheart, you don’t-”

But before he could tell her, again, like this morning, that she didn't have to thank her for treating her with human decency, something he should have done from the start. Chris was reaching for his shoulder to stop him, fingers gripping him with a light squeeze to get his attention and cutting him off.

"It's okay, JellyBean, it's okay.. We're here for you."

When Ricky looked up over her shoulder at him confused, Chris just shook his head, and that gesture just made the feeling even worse. He didn’t get it, what wasn’t he understanding here, was he so out of the loop that he was just missing something entirely? Chris seemed to take pity on him after a moment, especially when it didn’t seem like Talia wanted to let him go yet, wanting to give her a moment to just breath..

Grabbing his phone, quickly working his fingers over the keys, typing out a message, and Rick picked up his phone to silence his messages before it came through and alerted her, assuming that was why Chris sent the message instead of just talking. His phone vibrating when the notifications started coming through, he glanced down to the screen.

Chris: she’s been fucked over by almost everyone in her life Chris: realised she can trust you to have her back with this at least Chris: just let it happen

Looking up from his phone at Chris, letting his face go completely slack for a second, he had got to be kidding him, just let it happen? Really, that was his advice right now, how was that supposed to be helping him, at all? Chris, however, was just smirking, his face all kinds of amused at the pure look of nothing but incredulity on Ricky’s face.. And Ricky just glared at him for it before he felt his phone vibrate in his hand, Chris had sent more..

Chris: don’t be stubborn Chris: trust me

This time he just rolled his eyes, he’d fucked her over in so many other ways though.. And yet, this one thing, just this, the thought of hurting her like this, made him feel fucking sick. Another glance at Chris.. Trust him.. Shit.. he had been right before.. Dammit, okay. Setting his phone back down, his hand moving back to rub down her back.

“We’re here for you, Sweetheart, no matter what.”

So they found himself holding her much like they had been this morning, sitting on the couch. Talia between them, not wanting to let go of Rick, but seeming to enjoy the comfort of Chris because when he’d gone to sit back from her, she’d made a strangled noise into Ricky’s shoulder prompting the other man to glance back at his friend and Chris to move closer to the pair again.

Still, she was far calmer than she had been this morning and so it took a far smoother time than it had then.. And Chris was grateful. Not because of how long it took, but because he never wanted to see her in so much pain like that again. It was soul-destroying to see anyone in that much pain, let alone someone he cared about, and Chris cared about Talia, so much. She had a delightful spirit, and even if she wasn’t Ricky’s soulmate, she was still Ava’s best friend, her sister, and the beauty in her heart, it was just… he swallowed, glancing at Rick over her shoulder. Smiling to him slightly as Talia sat up straighter now.

She shifted so she was no longer facing Ricky with her back to Chris, glancing to each of them on at a time,

“Maybe we should sit up at the table now, make this conversation easier to have, while we can look at each other more clearly?”

Chris raised his eyebrow, funny that she said it like that, considering while she was talking Talia was dead set on not looking at either of them, just staring down at her hands in front of her, twisting her fingers, avoiding both of them entirely.

“If that’s what you want, JellyBean.”

He glanced to Ricky, and sure enough, the other nodded, seeming to agree with him. Whether her reasoning was valid, considering she was the one that appeared to be the most uncomfortable right now, if she wanted to move from the couch, then they moved from the couch. Sure enough, soon they were relocated sitting up at the dining table, so they could all see each other easily, just like Talia had suggested, even if her eyes were still a little downcast towards her hands, but it was a start.

Talia took a deep breath, twisting her fingers in front of her, going over in her head what she needed to tell them, but needing to figure out how..

“I’m sorry I freaked out on you Ricky, don’t stop me, I know your opinion on my apologies. Just listen okay.”

Looking across the table at him, he was the one that had the most trouble with her apologising, she knew Chris told her she didn’t have to, but scolding her, and making her tell him off, he’d never gone that far!

“This is going to be hard enough for me to get out, so I need you to just listen, please?”

She took in a shuddering breath when he seemed to nod in agreement, and she smiled, nodding back, grateful that he was willing to accept that she wanted to do this her way this time.

“When I told Ava, Kyle and Jordan that my father tried to commit me, for a short time.. For a short time, he succeeded. Well, six months.”

“Six Months?!”

It wasn’t Ricky who burst out in surprise, and Talia glanced over at Chris who had been the one to speak up right then, only to see Ricky reach out to press a hand to his arm, seemingly as a means of comfort.

“How did Ava and the others not notice anything? I’m sorry, if my best friend disappeared for six months, I’d damn well notice.”

Talia smiled softly, he was so passionate about protecting those he loved and seeing Ricky press his hand tighter against his arm, holding onto him, showing how much he cared for Chris there, she nodded a bit to herself. He might seem so very difficult to deal with, but it was obvious that he had a softer side in there, somewhere.

“Um, well, we were in college, and my family took ski trips to Europe every year. I always hated it, its lavish, and pointless because I couldn’t bring any of my friends, family only and all of that. Usually its only about two months, but that year, instead of leaving for Europe, my parents intervened on my part of the trip.. And as far as my friends were aware, I was off having a wonderful love affair with the gorgeous sights and beauty that is Europe..”

Swallowing, she took in a deep breath,

“And you never thought to correct them.”

When she looked towards Ricky at his question.. She paused, words caught in her thought..

“It took me six months to get out of the facility, six months of being convinced I wasn’t your soulmate.. Six months of therapy and conditioning in how to live a more open and free life.. It was so painful, because the worst part was that, you see, there comes a point.. Where you start to believe it. You start to wonder, would you really be in there with all these people, these people with delusions, if you don’t have delusions either? Would a sane person really be stuck in there?”

Shuddering, she just shook her head for a moment, needing a second to just soothe herself,

“Once I was out, and I moved into Ava’s apartment before my parents could stop me, Ava was too excited to see me to ask why.. Sometimes I wonder if maybe she at least suspects the truth, or something like it, but I don’t dare say it out loud for fear of triggering something, like... like yesterday.”

Her eyes shifted back down to her hands, considering how Ava had pushed for dinner, but then backed off, she wasn’t sure either way anymore whether she thought Ava knew or not.. Maybe she didn’t, maybe thinking she knew was more wishful thinking in the hopes someone, anyone had noticed something had changed her. Of course, there were some people that knew, but the problem was the three friends who knew her well enough, had been excised from her life during the process, and fed so many lies, the web her family had woven, and Talia so easily continued rather than think about the pain after the fact.

“So when you, Ricky started talking about finding out about what was going on about the tattoo, I flashed back, I had been considering talking to my father about the people in the facility thinking the sensations were connected to my claimed delusions and for a moment, I thought I should tell you about talking to them. The moment I thought that I started spiralling, and after that, I just kept slipping further and further the more I tried to come back from the initial kick in the metaphorical gut.”

She took a deep breath now, not looking up from her hands as she talked about her episode that morning, still feeling so drained despite her nap during the afternoon.

“While that admittedly isn’t the start of my trauma, the nuke that dropped, as it were.”

Rick, all he wanted was to move around the table and wrap her up in his arms, but knowing that touching her was a dangerous game right now. Yes, the hugs on the couch had been fine, but that had been while she had been in tears, or near tears, and now she was neither. He did however reach across the table and rest his hand over hers that was clasped in front of her on the table.

When she looked up from her hands, he could almost feel the way her breath caught, and the shock of the sting of his tattoo was of little surprise this time when her wide eyes met his.

“It’s alright Talia, I promise, whether we’re together or not, I won’t let you have to go through any of this alone again.”

Chris looked between the pair,

“Would it help, if I could confirm, that you two are, without an absolute doubt, soulmates.. Because doctor's false diagnosing, parents' stupidity, and fake tattoos, it can all happen, but this effect from your tattoos can’t be faked right here, and you two are struggling with it something awful..”

Chris half cringed at the look Ricky gave him then,

“You knew?!”

“I suspected. I still can only suspect really, there is no proof for this kind of thing. It’s only theoretical, the theory, is that it's a trauma response for soulmates. Your soul bond has responded to both of your suffering, once you met, it must have triggered something, and now it's gone into massive overdrive.. Theoretically, it’ll calm down once the bond has formed naturally.”

And before Talia telling them what she’d gone through, he had no idea her side of it.

“Theoretically?”

He cringed again when Talia asked softly,

“I don’t know anything for certain, JellyBean.. I only know the theory, I have read everything I can get my hands on about the bond between soulmates, ever since.. Well..”

“Ever since when?”

He sighed as he looked at her, now it was his turn for a bit of a confession, wasn’t it? Glancing at Ricky, he knew the story, but Talia didn’t, and it wasn’t an easy one to tell. He supposed she might know of some of it as a fan, but a lot of it was missing, a lot of it never got out, thankfully.

“From my own time being committed.”

Dividers by @saradika-graphics (roses) & @cafekitsune (trigger)

40 notes · View notes

cookiesupplier · 3 months

Text

Every Rose Has Its Thorns - Part Twenty Two

pairing: Ricky Olson x ofc x Chris 'Motionless' Cerulli

warnings/tropes: slow burn, soulmates, strangers to enemies to lovers, betrayal, angst, fluff, smut, language, panic attack, stalking, online bullying, mental health issues.

❗PLEASE CHECK THE AUTHORS NOTE FOR THIS CHAPTER.❗

❗❗ author’s note: This chapter includes description of an emotional breakdown, I am not including skipping points this time as it is very integrated in a characters thought processes. However if this is triggering to you, please be aware of this.

tags: @tearfallpixie @cncohshit @jordynyingling0219 @faceless-mirror @nyxthedestroyerofworlds @wild-child-7747 @witchyweeb34 @black-damask1999 @jilliemiw86 @ilovesamkiszka @lyschko666 @lacktoesandtoddlerants @bngurngheart @collapsedglasshouses @laurpartyprogram

Tag List is Open, please let me know if you would like to be added to it or in general.

“I don’t know, but I think it’s about time we try to find out.”

Talia looked at Ricky with wide eyes when she heard that, she could tell him, tell him about her father’s connection to the clinic back home, the one with the doctors that he was friends with. She’d mentioned that he’d tried to have her committed to Ricky already, she remembered that, but not that he knew the people there who could possibly help them, personally. People that he could ask for help. Would they, help them? Would she even want her family's help after how they’d treated her for years? She’d been right, the very soulmate that they claimed she was delusional about having, was standing right here… Swallowing, hell, a sinking feeling in her stomach, she could just hear her mother now. Claiming that this feeling coursing through her veins never happened to them, not in her parent’s soulmate bond, or any of her siblings, cousins, aunts, or uncles, so obviously it's not supposed to happen. If it didn’t happen to any of them, why would it possibly have happened to her?

Her so-called delusion that he was her soulmate must have destroyed this poor man.. Fuck fuck fuck.. Talia’s eyes flew to the floor, she remembered her mother ranting about all the things that could happen if she were to ever succeed in meeting Ricky, how he would have to pretend for her, if only for a moment, how that ‘poor man’ would have to let her down gently, feed her delusion while they called security on her so she didn’t make a fuss before they had her taken away. Then gone into detail about how she’d end up in a worse facility than the treatments her father was trying to get her admitted into if she ended up being dragged away by the officials.

Talia didn’t even realise she was crying until Ricky reached for her and lifted her chin back up from where she’d looked to the floor. Tilting her face up had one of her hot tears falling from her face and hitting the hand that she had wringing before her. Taking in a soft, almost inaudible gasp of breath as she tried not to meet his eyes, she didn’t want to do this.

What if her mother had been right? Had they all been right? What if she was broken? Had she done this to their soulmate bond? Was there just something wrong with her? Something that happened that she’d caused that had fundamentally destroyed them? Or worse. What if her parents had been right, and she’d been delusional about her tattoo all along?

Ricky had been fine until he met her, hadn’t he? Hadn’t he!? Yes, Grace hadn’t been his soulmate, but there were those that were happy with people who weren’t their soulmates all the time, and she’d ruined it. If she’d never come into his life, if Vinny had met Ava on her own, if Talia had never existed in this, he’d have been fine. Ava would have a new best friend, Grace. She felt more tears fall, and she couldn’t look at him, she couldn’t even focus on the noise in her head, the pain in her neck as she started to panic, the noise that was his voice trying to get her attention.

“Talia, Talia, Sweetheart, look at me, please?”

The tears just fell harder, faster, feeling his fingers against her skin in her panic..

“Shit shit shit,”

Ricky pulled back as Talia cried, he couldn’t get through to her, and she wasn’t listening to a word he was saying, what was he supposed to do to get her to snap out of it? Slap her? No way in hell, after the shit he’d already done to her there was no way he was going to fucking hit her that was barbaric! Pulling out his phone, he called Ava,

“Pick up, pick up… shit Ava Pick… why won't you pick up..”

It rang out.. So he tried Vinny.. And he had no luck there either..

“The one fucking time I need you to pick up the damn phone and you idiots are probably sucking face, shit.”

Scrolling on his phone, he came to another name and selected the number, and this time the tone barely rang twice before the call was picked up,

“Chris, man, I need your help, it’s Talia, she’s, she’s just.. Shit just get here, I don’t know, please. Help.”

Talia was virtually hysterical by the time Chris got there, and Ricky, well, he was freaking out internally. But at least, this time, touching her didn’t have their soulmate tattoo distracting him, driving him to, questionable ends with Chris on his way. Rick had at least managed to get her from the kitchen and into the living room, sitting her down on the couch. For some reason she was not even pulling away from him, after everything that would be what he’d expect, her to pull away, shove him away.. But instead, she had shocked him to no end in that she was clinging to him, her hands gripping his shirt, and crying against it, sobbing uncontrollably. Just as he realised what, the sobs were coming from her,

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry-”

That was when heard Chris’ car pulling up out front of the house.. What in the world would did Talia have to be sorry for that would cause this kind of reaction, of all things?

“DOORS OPEN!”

Ricky had made sure it was when he’d brought her into the lounge, not wanting to leave her alone again in her state, looking at her now, he was glad of it. Glancing up at Chris, as much as he’d felt such a severe intensity seeing him with his connection with Talia just days ago, there was a fresh wave of relief washing over Ricky right now. Relief that there was someone who could help him with her, right here, now. Someone who cared about her here with him now. Yes, he was his best friend, but seeing them together, he could tell Chris cared enough that it mattered what happened to her.

“What the fuck happened, Ricky, you were supposed to talk to her, you said you were going to come over and talk to her.”

Rick knew he wasn’t going to be in Chris’ good books over what had happened between them in the kitchen. He wasn’t sure how he could explain what had happened with the way the soulmate tattoo seemed to be affecting them both the way it was, not that it could excuse it.

“I know! I know, just help me calm her down, and I’ll explain, please Chris?”

He knew the odds were that Chris was going to be royally pissed at him for what had happened between them earlier, but the truth was, Ricky didn’t even care anymore. He’d deserve it, and more, what he cared about right now was that Talia was going to be okay. Furthermore, he might be fucked up right now, but that didn’t mean he wanted to hurt her, that he wanted to have her fall apart into a complete wreck like this.

It was when Chris sighed and got a better look at Talia as he walked around the couch, focusing on the way she was clinging to him, the sobs against his shirt, that was when Chris gave in. Rick always knew he’d agree to help, it was why he’d rushed over here, but whether he’d rip into him demanding an explanation first had been a question. Honestly, Rick was not sure if he could explain why she was like this, one second they’d been talking about figuring out the mark, and the next she was freaking out. If he was a paranoid person, he’d wonder if she knew whether she’d done something to cause this, but Talia seemed to be just as confounded as he was by their soulmate tattoos.

Chris moved by them to sit by them on the three-seater couch, his hand rubbing down Talia’s back. She didn’t seem to want to let go of Ricky’s shirt or pull away from his chest, so they settled her between them. Ricky was massaging lightly up and down her arms, holding her close, and Chris stroking little circles down her spine, talking to her softly. Chris had his cheek resting on the back of her shoulder almost, and the three of them huddled together on the couch. It would be awkward if Ricky wasn’t so worried about what had set her off in the first place. Slowly she was starting to calm down, her sobs soothed, and her tears dried, and eventually, she was just leaning against him until he almost wondered if she was asleep.

Sure enough, as Chris leaned back, and just let his hand soothing run up and down her back lightly, glancing at Rick as he sighed, she was out like a light.

“I could take her to her room, but I don’t want to just leave her here alone. Not after that.”

Chris nodded slightly, which he could agree with, talking low, not wanting to wake her, after all that crying, she needed sleep, she would have worn herself out.

“Alright, well, we stay here, but start talking Rick, out with it.”

Ricky sighed, what to say, but he knew he had to say something, he was the one that had called Chris for help.

“Well, I came over, we talked, we talked Chris.”

Ricky saw the incredulous expression on his face.

“I apologised for the way I’ve been treating her, I swear I did, and we got to talking about everything. She thanked me, she thanked me, for apologising.”

Yeah, he saw the frown on Chris’ face, and he agreed with the sentiment exactly. No one should be thanked for apologising for being a fucking asshole and acting the way he had. He’d been treating her like she was worthless, and nothing, like she didn’t even exist because she wasn’t his soulmate, and she was.. Had wanted nothing to do with her, hadn’t even wanted to hear her out. He knew Grace was a bitch, but not even talking to Talia was on him.

Not Grace.

“But then ah.. Things started happening..”

“What things?”

Chris shifted, but Ricky couldn’t really move, Talia was still leaning against his chest, asleep, and he didn’t want to disturb her, and where her head was against his shoulder, she mumbled slightly, shit.. He stilled, not wanting to wake her, and watched as Chris rubbed his hand lightly down her back again to soothe her, waiting until she was calm again before he continued.

“Well, yesterday, since the party actually, I’ve noticed my soulmate tattoo has been doing strange things-”

“Ricky-”

“Wait, I know, it sounds insane it does, but it's been happening, and yesterday, I noticed, that Talia was reacting the same time my tattoo was getting these strange sensations. I didn’t say anything because of the video and needed to get it done, but then, when it started happening again today, I said something, I, well, I asked her if she could feel it.”

Hearing what Ricky was saying had Chris raising his eyebrows, looking down at the sleeping form of the tiny woman between them. He had heard things about soulmate tattoos potentially doing things like this, but never seen it, and it was only ever rumours from the people that he’d talk to. Some things could never be proven, some things that none of the doctors wanted to admit that they just never could know for certain. Like why, and how, the tattoos chose the people they did. They always talked about those kinds of things like it was down to a science like it was never wrong, but Chris was never sure, because if that was the case, why did some never even get the chance to meet their soulmates, and so many lived with so much pain from a loss of a bond that probably should never have been forced on them in the first place.

Chris had strong opinions about that, especially because he knew first-hand.

“And?”

“And it ah.. It got heated, extremely.. It was both of us, Chris, neither of us could help it, I fucking swear.”

Ricky remembered the way she told him how much she needed him, she just needed to touch him, and he swallowed slightly, shuddering, glancing down at her, what were they going to do, how were they going to handle this if he couldn’t be around her, alone with her, without their tattoos, doing that to them? Everyone said they could at least be friends, and how, how could they even be friends when that happened? Anyone that said it was just about self-control, Rick would personally take a fire poker and stick it in their eye because the feeling from his soulmate tattoo was like a fucking brand sometimes, and how was that not overwhelming?

Chris frowned just the same, it didn’t make it better to hear it, it didn’t make it better at fucking all that they were both been affected like this, that they were both being driven, and then his eyes flickered down to Talia, if she was driven to do something, and she thought, and Ricky..

“Did you walk away again?!”

Oh, the only thing sparing Ricky right now was Talia asleep against him, Chris’ terse words were only hushed for her benefit,

“Is that why she broke down Ricky? I don’t care what happened, I don’t care what she might have done, you both are going through this, and you need to figure this out together, not you walking away all th-”

“I didn’t walk away! I pulled away yes, but only to stop touching her, every time I touched her, even close to that, I couldn’t stop.”

Swallowing. He took in a slow breath, Chris still didn’t look happy, not in the least,

“This, this seems to be okay, I guess around other people, maybe I guess, seems to be okay.. But when we’re alone, it just, it’s like everything kicks into overdrive Chris, and these feelings from the soulmate tattoos, they’ve been building up, it’s just, it’s immense Chris, I, I can’t-”

Ricky choked off, he didn’t know how to handle any of this, he had been struggling even before this development, and now what the hell was he supposed to do? No, no, what were they were going to do? Shit. No, no they weren’t together, and even Talia agreed, they didn’t have to be, but dealing with this alone led them here hadn’t it? Sighing, if they kept going like this, they were just going to destroy each other, he wasn’t so stupid he couldn’t tell that.

“Then what caused this Rick, why’d she break down?”

Closing in his eyes, trying to focus on before, Talia had her meltdown even if all he could think of was that fear, that pain in her eyes as she started to cry and he couldn’t calm her down before he called Chris.

“I pulled away from her, okay yes I did that, not touching her, we talked, about how we couldn’t be, together”

Ricky sighed heavily,

“Chris, we were talking about this fucked up bond, and everything that happened with Grace, and how I can’t even handle being in my house let alone a relationship, how she deserves a better soulmate-”

“Rick-”

“Yeah, don’t worry Chris, she shut me down too. She gave me a talking too, told me to listen to all of you, and that just if I couldn’t trust myself, I should trust you-”

“Such a smart girl, our Talia.”

Ricky rolled his eyes at the smirk Chris gave him at that, which just made the singer laugh softly as he reached over and punched his upper arm lightly.

“Smart arse. Unfortunately, that brought up a thought that I really didn’t want to think about..”

The curious look on Chris’ face was clear, he wanted to know what Ricky meant.

“How everyone has been encouraging me towards her since I broke it off with Grace, it’s been feeling like you’ve all been pressuring me, pushing me as much as this fucking soulmate tattoo is now. It just -”

“Shit, Ricky, that isn’t what we -”

“I know, I know you guys only meant good things, but it didn’t feel good. I felt like shit, so in turn I took it in the worst way, in turn I spiralled with everything you said. Then with Talia saying I should trust you, and feeling like everyone was pushing her on me, thinking every time we were alone we couldn’t control ourselves, the whole conversation brought up the soulmate tattoos and thinking about them.. It all basically led to shit skyrocketing and the tattoos reacting pretty badly.”

Ricky didn’t want to admit that it was Talia talking about her time with Chris that had the tattoo reacting the way it had, because it made him feel like an even bigger asshole. He had no problem with her having friends, he didn’t, hell, right now, Chris sitting here with them, his hand rubbing up and down her back like that, didn’t both him at all, so where was the line? What was going on here?

“So, I said we should find out what’s going on, and the next thing I know, she starts getting upset, and soon it’s a full meltdown. I don’t know Chris, I just don’t know.”

Dividers by @saradika-graphics

43 notes · View notes