( “ i won't. ” )

[roman]

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but even then i would love you all the same, even if everybody walks away,


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i. please don't steal plots, format, anything. it's not cool my dude
ii. comments are a-okay! *thumbs up* but if you're going to critici
ze, do it positively, alright? iii. enjoy my awful writing rip :''

prev. thread! | check this out ^^

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( “ now that we're here i guess you'll know: i was always on my own.
i couldn't ever think of letting go, oh no. ” )xxxxxixxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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i made this thing at 1:00am :)) pls kindly excuse the format *sobs*

Ｉ ＷＯＮ'Ｔ ! Ｉ ＷＯＮ'Ｔ ! Ｉ ＷＯＮ'Ｔ ! Ｉ ＷＯＮ'Ｔ !

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[roman]

“ i know who you are. ” | leda reddington : charles troyard
author's notes // rip this is not my best work pls just bear with me :''

indentwhat are you doing? i ran a slim, pale hand through my hair and tried to contain my fear. the building was filled with police. each one of them dressed like the law enforcement officer they were. all of them wearing a shiny gold badge at their hip or around their neck. a badge that had been taken from me once, a badge i got back. but now, each leo stared at me with cold eyes. suspicious eyes. eyes that haunted me. eyes that said, "you're one of them. you're one of them but you're in our house. what are you doing in our house?" what are you doing?

indentone stood out from the crowd, at the back of the room. he was leaned up against that door frame, crossed arms, gun sported at the side not leaning on the door. there was this look on his face. that look you get when you see something that disgusts you to no end. like finding a dead rat in your fridge or touching a piece of gum under a desk. what are you doing? he stared at me with a flame in his eyes no one else had. sure, they looked at me like i was a dog. like i was a criminal. like i was a murderer. but he looked at me like i was a dog that had bitten him. like i was a criminal that stole his life's savings. like i was the one that killed his family.

indent"detective leda reddington," he greeted through a clamped jaw. i stopped directly in front of him, crossing my arms and trying to look like this was my house. it was actually my house, before i spent too much of my time at a maximum security correctional facility. unlike the badge and freedom i had gotten back, my house hadn't been one of the things afforded an exonerated female cop like me. at least, not entirely. "looks like you're the new lieutenant of a special task force. congratulations."

indenti don't think he was really congratulating me at all. i shifted my weight to my left, making my right hip stick out a bit. it wasn't my hip i was trying to show him though. i wasn't that type of girl. it was my state-issued service weapon: a smooth black new pistol. my badge was right next to the holster. "do you see what that is?" i asked, meeting his gaze. "that's a gun. and there's a badge next to it. see that great little engraved number right there underneath where it says 'new york police department'?" i swear the guy looked ready to shoot me. "yeah, you have one too, don't you? look at that. what a coincidence. you're lieutenant troyard, aren't you? can i call you charles?" his frown deepened. "ah, so charles was your father, am i right? then can i call you charlie?"

indentcomplete silence. i could feel everyone looking at me. looking at me like i was covered in blood. what are you doing? "so charlie, it seems we'll be working together." i turned toward the room full of officers, uncrossing my arms. i shoved them above my head in a stretch, a good long one at that. i took a step away from the brunette behind me. my steps filled the silence. they made the only sound, until i shrugged and, without turning around, added, "it's not your house anymore, charlie. but it can't be no one's house, can it?" i moved my hand down to my holster, pointing to it. "this shiny gold badge and the gun next to it? they say that this is my house now."

indentwhat are you doing?

indentthe floor beneath my feet didn't seem stable. i prayed that no one could spot my still shaking hands. as a cop, i had been trained to deal with fear. it wasn't like cops never got scared. the adrenaline rush of entering a house where you might die isn't something anyone can train away. no one is fearless. but as a cop, i had been trained in how to deal with it. even with all those years in prison, i felt like falling apart in one of the safest places in new york.

indent"how does it feel?" a uniform standing to the right of me asked.

indent"excuse me?"

indent"how does it feel?" he repeated. "to kill five people? a wife, a husband, and their three young children. how does it feel to have all that blood on your hands and still have a badge?"

indenti stopped walking. the words hit me harder than i thought they would. i blinked a few times and breathed out heavily, trying to calm myself. i could feel the metal of handcuffs biting into my wrists. even though that had been years ago, the day i was convicted with murdering my friends was fresh in my mind. i could smell the courtroom, i could feel the anger, i could see the piercing gazes, and i could hear the judge's verdict echoing through the room. thing was, i hadn't killed my friends.

indent"what is your name?" i questioned, keeping my tone level.

indent"officer luke river," he answered confidently. then he tacked on, "detective reddington."

indent"you know, luke. in prison i learned a lot of things. and you want to know the most important thing i learned?" he scoffed. "i learned that guys like you just want to cause a fight. you can't make me feel any more guilty than i already have. and you also can't prove that i killed that family. aka, why i'm exonerated and why i have this badge."

indent"yeah, but we both know how guilty you really are. that judge should've just handed you the death sentence. you are a mur━"

indent"enough," growled charlie. when had he walked across the room? he was standing behind me, glaring daggers at officer river. luke looked ready to protest, but he bit his tongue and turned away. i stared after him, as he limped away like a wounded dog. i had seen that so many times, done it so many times. i knew what it felt like.

indenta snap next to my ear made me jump. "earth to reddington," charlie said. "you here?" confusion was clearly written on my features. he laughed, but it wasn't very funny. "look, i may not like you very much, but i know you. i know you're not guilty. plus, we're going to be working together, so i might as well just get over it, right?"

indentthe smallest hint of a small drew my lips upward. "so you're not such a tough guy, are you?"

indent"nah," he replied. "if you ask any of these jerks they'll tell you i'm just lazy."

indentmy smile deepened. i extended a hand, which he took in his for a firm handshake. "i think we'll get along just fine, then."

indent"yeah," he agreed gently. "i think we will."

indentindentthe end? i may or may not continue this aha