#ltaw snippet

[refinedbuffoonery]

28, “One person tracing the other’s lips with a fingertip until they can’t resist any longer, tilting their chin towards them for a kiss” pretty please my love! And I can’t decide if it would be cuter to have Mac to be the one mesmerized or Riley, so you pick 😊😘😘😘

we're not talking about how old this ask is

LTAW Snippet (Ch 20)

“You,” he murmurs, brushing his nose against hers, “are so beautiful.” He traces a fingertip around the outline of her lips, marking exactly where he plans on kissing her next, then tilts her chin upward. Deep in his chest, he feels this tugging sensation toward her, like the atoms in his body want to intertwine with the atoms in hers. She’s close enough that he feels her breath on his face. She’s so close. She’s so damn close, but even after everything he still needs her to be the one to finally close the gap between them. To step through that door.

#ltaw snippet #yes i saved this ask for this exact purpose #anna tag #macriley

[refinedbuffoonery]

Last sentence tag game

full disclosure my actual last sentence requires an adult content warning so here's a recent one instead

Harley sniffs through Desi’s bag and pulls out the small bottle of pain meds she has stashed. Harley brings Mac the bottle, and Desi frowns and says, “Your dog’s a narc.”

@holbytlanna what if I just uno-reverse you as my next move in the battle to make you work on amaranthine

#tag game #ltaw snippet

[refinedbuffoonery]

LTAW Snippet (17)

Not quite done with this chapter, but I think I can have it ready to go for next weekend. Until then, enjoy!

*****

Mac puts his hand on the back of Riley’s seat while parallel parking, squeezing their SUV into the tight space between cars. He doesn’t understand why people think parallel parking is so hard. It’s just geometry. There’s even a formula you can use to calculate whether a spot is the right size for your car before ever backing into it. You just need to know the width of the car in front, the length of your car’s chassis, the distance between the front wheel and the front of your car, and your car’s turn radius. Then, all you need to do is plug it in and—

The hungry way Riley is looking at him makes every thought about parking vanish, and Mac stomps on the brake. Heat licks up his body in the wake of Riley’s gaze as it travels from his hand, up his arm, then to his face. He bites his lip and her gaze lingers, darkening. 

The vehicle lurches, and Riley blinks repeatedly like the movement snapped her out of a trance. “Why’d you stop?” she asks innocently. 

This woman is going to be the death of him. 

“How,” he rasps, “am I supposed to focus when you’re looking at me like that?”

#beth writes #ltaw snippet

[refinedbuffoonery]

heyyy how are you?? i'm not kidding when i say i've been re-reading your fics 24/7, do you have a snippet or something you want to share??

HELLO I'M SORRY I'VE BEEN M.I.A. BUT I'M GOOD. how r u anon?

somehow i went from having 3 jobs while finishing college to graduating college to losing 2/3 jobs because I moved back home to two months later once again having 3 jobs. whoops.

i've written a whole bunch of LTAW except none of it is the next chapter so....double whoops. but i can give you a longer snippet from LTAW and a shorter one from Flawless.

LTAW ch 18

He flops back down beside Riley, close enough that their shoulders touch. He’s debating how to go about asking her to cuddle when she asks, “What are you hearing, instead of thunder?” 

Grateful she waited until that part of the storm passed before asking, Mac replies, “Gunshots. Explosions. Specific moments from the Sandbox, before I got used to those sounds.” Even now, all those years removed, it’s the best explanation he can bring himself to give her. 

“Why is it so much worse in the quiet?” Her voice is thin, and Mac gets the feeling they’re not just talking about him anymore. 

For her sake, he pretends that they are. “Adrenaline muffles things. It’s harder to think about all the past times those sounds meant imminent death when I’m actively trying not to die. There’s no room for it.” He sighs. “But when I’m safe. . . there’s entirely too much room.” 

She laughs bitterly. “Government jobs really know how to fuck you up.” 

As much as he believes in his job, it’s impossible not to agree with that.

Flawless ch 10

Nails drumming across glossy red paint, Riley sat on the sun-warmed hood of the truck, leaning back against the windshield, and waited. The truck was sleek. New. Well, it probably had fifty thousand miles on it by now, but the Coltons bought it to replace their previous gas guzzler right after she’d broken up with Billy, right before she’d gone to prison. 

The point was that Riley had never ridden in it, and thus it was new to her. 

It was parked in an average suburban parking lot, part of an average suburban strip mall which housed an average suburban bank. It was one of the national chains, with locations in cities big and small. Riley kept her money in a better one, but she could see the appeal for a family who never stayed too long in one place.

#ltaw snippet #flawless snippet

[refinedbuffoonery]

Do you have any snippets you want to share of the fics you are working on? how are you doing? any life updates? :)

Hello! Thank you for checking in :)

In addition to the other two fic updates I have ready for this weekend (SWS and LTAW), I've been hard at work creating a new Halloween-themed AU. May I present:

I Put a Spell on You

Local bookstore owner hates Halloween, but when a persistent possible witch blows into town, she may have to change her mind.

(aka my attempt to convince you all to ship Desi/Cage)

a snippet:

The morning fog was thicker than usual the day the possible witch arrived in town. Where she came from, Desi had no idea. Perhaps she blew in with the swift ocean wind or the marine layer during the night. One moment their sleepy little beach town was dull and quiet and peaceful, and the next something changed in the air upon the woman’s arrival, like she brought something wild with her, something that didn’t fit into the townsfolk’s domestic little lives.

. . . in unrelated news, i'm in the process of buying my first car!

#desi x cage my beloveds #beth writes

[refinedbuffoonery]

Fic Tag Game

this is just a ploy to make me work on my fics. i see you @holbytlanna

Rules: post the name of all the files in your WIP folder regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that intrigues them and then post a little snippet of it or tell them something about it! And then tag as many people as you have wips.

5+1 R’s eyeliner

Aliens

dark MR (aka Broken Like Me)

Flawless

F: the beginning

married undercover (aka LTAW)

MD LTAW

Jealousy

PIRATE AU

Plastic Hearts

Riley + Brooklyn

superbowl

Thornton’s Revenge

I’m too lazy to tag people so if you see this I have tagged you. I want to know about everyone’s fics please and thank u

#tag game

[refinedbuffoonery]

Hii, I don't want to sound like an insistent anon, but I read your writing in the link below months ago, I may not have found the sequel, but if you haven't written the sequel, can you continue?

I certainly don't want to force it if you want, but you get the emotions in your writing so well and I'm sure I'll just enjoy reading more

https://www.tumblr.com/refinedbuffoonery/691709099236360192/since-i-owe-paragraphs-for-that-stupid-calvinball?source=share

Thanks

Hi, anon! I love getting nice requests like this. As for continuing that snippet. . .

How do I word this without being too spoiler-y? That snippet is an excerpt from a future chapter of one of my ongoing MR fics. You will see it, in context. . . soon? Eventually?

In the meantime, can I appease you with another intentionally vague excerpt from several pages later? (below the cut)

“Sit on the counter,” Mac directs, grabbing a clean washcloth and running it under the faucet. When she hesitates, he adds, “Do you want me to clean that for you or not?” Mac drags his gaze down her torso slowly, making sure Riley follows, until his eyes land on the bloodstained rip across the front of her shirt. Riley complies, but her narrowed eyes make Mac well aware of the fight that will ensue as soon as he’s done.

The wound is longer than he anticipates, carving across her abdomen in a shallow, bloody swipe. At least it’s not too deep—just a graze from a bullet she didn’t quite dodge.

The sight of it makes him nauseous in a way Mac doesn’t expect. He’s fine with blood, and he’s seen some nasty wounds over the years, but the fact that it's Riley’s blood makes his stomach flip.

Stupid. HIs plan should've been better. He shouldn't have left them so exposed. Stupid.

“This might suck,” he warns her. 

Tension lines her body, already bracing for it. “Just get it over with.”

i'm not saying you should read LTAW but i'm not NOT saying you should read LTAW

[refinedbuffoonery]

LTAW Snippet (13)

Riley’s breath catches as his hand slides to the small of her back, and just for tonight, Mac lets himself pretend it means something. Call him Cinderella at the ball—content to live out the fantasy until reality comes calling. 

“You look beautiful tonight,” he murmurs as they sway to the music. Riley is beautiful all the time, but tonight especially so in her elegant black gown. Modest in the front, completely open in the back, with sleeves that stop midway down her forearms. Her jewelry is simple—a pair of thin, but long, diamond earrings—making the tattoo on her back stand out even more. All night, Mac has noticed people staring at it, a few in distaste but most in awe and appreciation. 

He’d be staring too if he wasn’t already enraptured by the way her eyes held so much warmth and light every time she looked at him. 

“Thank you,” she says. “You don’t look too bad yourself. Definitely better than Jack would’ve in that suit.” Mac laughs. 

“He’d resent that.” 

“He doesn’t need to know.” 

Mac presses his smile into her skin in the form of a cheek kiss. Hopefully Riley’s peripheral vision isn’t good enough to see the blush coloring his face afterward.

#new chapter next weekend #ltaw snippet #looking through a window au #beth writes

[refinedbuffoonery]

LTAW Snippet (14)

Holding his breath, Mac allows a trembling hand to creep toward her thigh, and the first brush of his fingers sets his whole hand ablaze. Sounds from the party, Ethan and Cody’s voices, all of it fades to the background until all he can hear is his own thundering heartbeat and two sets of shallow breaths. His hand travels down, down, cupping the back of her knee, lifting her leg to hook around his hip. 

There’s no coming back from this. Even though it’s just for show, even though it’s to save their asses, there’s no returning to how things once were between them. Not after his confession mere moments ago. 

The lines between them, drawn and redrawn. 

Letting go of her dress, Riley covers his hand with her own. Squeezes. The fabric pools around their wrists. She whispers, “Look at me.” 

Mac is looking. Doesn’t think he could ever stop looking. 

“At my eyes.” 

Lifting his gaze, Mac isn’t prepared for what he sees.

#i wrote this immediately post-bridgerton binge and it ended up so much hornier than i originally planned #clown on clown violence #beth writes #ltaw snippet #LOOK AT ME UPDATING TWO WEEKENDS IN A ROW

[refinedbuffoonery]

Something you want to share with us / any sneak peeks for next chapter of LTAW?! I'm dying with that 'sexual' cliffhanger

LITERALLY ALWAYS.

While they’re on the subject, he asks, “What color did you get?”

Riley blinks, taken aback. “You care?”

“Isn’t that the question I’m supposed to ask? Because if you report back that I’m a terrible fake-husband, Matty will definitely put it on my permanent record.” That earns him a genuine laugh, low and melodic. A soft smile lingers on her face afterward, and Mac wishes he had his phone so he could take a picture and keep her expression with him forever.

“You’re not a terrible fake-husband. And I got metallic dark blue.” She holds out her hand for him to examine, then her bare foot. “My toes match.”

There it is again—that comforting wave of domesticity. He sees these moments so clearly sometimes, timestamped with a future date and slightly altered. Moments just like this—him and his wife sitting on the bathroom floor, soaking wet after a disastrous attempt to bathe the dog. Not for the first time, Mac feels like he’s looking through a window to what could be the rest of his life.

“Looks nice,” he says.

#i'm writing ch 11 12 and 13 all at the same time #that's why there's no update yet #and I had to do a full reread to make sure ch 11 ties up any loose ends so that ~things~ can happen in ch 12 #ltaw snippet #beth writes

[refinedbuffoonery]

@holbytlanna i see u. i see that tag. and in exchange i give u this

share the last line of your WIP

“Put your hand up my dress.” 

tagging: @improvidus liz babe i am specifically requesting a line from the pb au

#tag game #let's see who loses their shit bc #ltaw snippet

[refinedbuffoonery]

I can’t wait for ch.14! This is getting so good! I’m in love with this story! AAHH!! LOVE YOUR WRITING! 😍🤩

I HAVE A PRESENT FOR YOU. behold: a snippet (unedited)

“Put your hand up my dress,” Riley hisses, already hiking the slippery black fabric up on one side. Mac would’ve choked on his own spit had his mouth not already gone dry. He glances down, unable to look away as her skin is revealed to him, inch by inch. Why must she torment him like this?

“Are you sure?”

“Your hands have been all over me all night. Literally no one would be surprised to catch us like this.”

Oops.

#ltaw ask #ltaw snippet

[refinedbuffoonery]

LTAW Snippet (12)

The day before the fundraiser, Riley calls him into the bedroom, asking for a favor. “I need your help,” she says, sitting on the unmade bed wearing shorts and an oversized t-shirt. She’s holding something behind her back. “How thoroughly did you read the binder on my cover’s backstory?” 

Unsure of where this is going, Mac replies, “I read most of it. Why?” 

“Genevieve Turner has a tattoo.” 

“Okay?” he says slowly, still not following. He vaguely remembers reading something about it. But only vaguely. 

“A large one. On her back.” Riley reveals the massive and intricate stick-on tattoo on the sheet in her hands, and Mac suddenly understands why she called him in here. The tattoo is stunning, all graceful lines and lifelike details. But Mac doesn’t miss the way Riley ever so slightly recoils from it. 

“It’s a—”

“Snake,” she finishes, looking anywhere but at it. “Bozer and Desi thought it was funny. Assholes.”

#beth writes #ltaw snippet #it's a short update but it's something!

[refinedbuffoonery]

LTAW Snippet (10)

The sudden knock on the door is loud and imposing, just like the middle-aged woman who made it. 

Mac groans. “I got it.” Even so, he mimes shooting himself in the head on his way to the door, earning a chuckle. Unsurprisingly, their neighbor is standing too close to the door, a bottle of wine in each hand. Her combination of a hot pink turtleneck and blue pants makes her look like the human embodiment of cotton candy, and she has the overeager personality to match. “Hello, Carrie Ann. How are you?” 

“Just fine, thank you.” When he doesn’t step aside immediately, she adds, “Now are you going to make me stand out here all night, or are you going to let me in?” 

For the record, it’s been maybe six seconds. 

“Of course.” Mac steps aside, gesturing for her to come inside. “Welcome to our home.” 

#in which carrie ann has become my favorite part of ltaw #beth writes #ltaw snippet #looking through a window au

[refinedbuffoonery]

LTAW Snippet (9)

Mac pulls out his phone, opening up Netflix, and starts strolling through the recommendations. It takes him twenty minutes to make it through the entire list, but only twelve before the intrusive thoughts come knocking. 

Good parents don’t seem to live long around you, do they? What are you, cursed?

Mac gets up. He needs to do something with his hands. That’ll keep his brain busy. 

Afraid you’ll be next?

He spots the toaster still sitting in the middle of the kitchen counter; he forgot to put it away earlier. 

Maybe you’ll die early too. Maybe you’ll leave your kids behind too soon, while they’re still too young. 

Even as he pries the toaster apart, Mac adds that thought to his running list of reasons why he won’t be a good dad. 

#i should've named this fic 'look how slowly i can kill you' #ltaw snippet #looking through a window au #beth writes

[refinedbuffoonery]

LTAW Snippet (4)

When they arrive at the warehouse, Riley backs into a space right in front of the loading gate, bracing a hand on Mac’s seat while she looks out the back window. Mac doesn’t understand why that move is so universally attractive, but he definitely agrees. 

By the time they step out of the SUV, Conrad is outside, waiting for them. Not bothering to say hello, his eyes glitter hungrily as Riley opens the back, and Mac can’t decide whether the expression is aimed toward the rifles, Riley, or both. All three are equally unsettling. 

Shaking off his discomfort, Mac helps Riley set up the makeshift ramp and pulley system he built earlier to load the heavy crates into the car. They work together seamlessly—they always do—but what Mac likes best is that he doesn’t have to tell Riley what to do; she listened carefully when he explained it the first time, and now she’s repeating those same steps all on her own. Pride blooms in his chest. 

Perceptive as ever, Riley nudges his side. “What are you smiling at?” 

Busted. “You.” 

Riley ducks her head, and Mac swears a faint blush spreads across her cheeks. Flirting with her is so easy, always has been, even just as a ruse. But this isn’t a ruse. This is real, and her reaction makes Mac want to try again. For science, of course. 

#beth writes #looking through a window au #ltaw snippet #macgyver #macriley #literally the only non-spoilery part of the whole chapter