#but the mc nor hana care

[kithj]

tired of the obsession with "ethical" vampires and also "good" vampires who don't eat.

i think there's a lot to be said about fatphobia and the glamorization of EDs in vampire media, particularly in more modern depictions... i don't want to place the blame solely on twilight because this was happening way before the 2000s but i do think that had a huge impact with meyer's weird obsession and unwillingness to depict the vampires as anything other than thin and pale (and her singular fat aka tall and curvy vampire is described as "intensely feminine" and we don't have time to unpack all of that in this post)

saying that vampire venom "melts the fat" off of people, or that the vampire venom turns a person into their "ideal self" - who is the one saying my ideal self would be skinny? why is that the ideal at all?

i also just find it soooo fucking boring to neuter your vampires in this way. the whole point is to explore these deep desires and impulses and especially in romance these power imbalances that come from human/vampire relationships. i find the "good" vampire to be such a cop out. why even make them a vampire. twc vampires are just glorified super soldiers that work for the government. twilight vampires are just a bunch of mormon models. there's no real substance to them. even if you wanted to make an argument about edward, it falls flat because stephanie meyer doesn't write him intentionally, she genuinely thinks this shit is romantic & isn't ever really interested in exploring their age gap or edward's hunger.

i think interview with the vampire (the show) approaches the "good" vampire in an interesting way with louis. the decision to make him a gay black man adds so much to his desire to be "good" (accepted) and there's more to it than just him not wanting to eat humans; he's worried about the way the world will perceive him. and he still has so much love for claudia despite how different they are and the things she's done (but ultimately he still chooses lestat over her!!!) and he tries to influence daniel's perception of her, too. i also like that they still actually show him eating, versus the cullens, who i don't ever recall being shown on screen (or in the book) eating anything.

when i write about the hunger in blood choke, i worried about how people would react to the hunting scenes in ch2. overall, way more positively than i expected. there's a lot more i want to expand on especially in the next chapter, and i worry about how it may look right now in the game's unfinished state. i don't want the hunger to be something bad, at least not at its core. everyone is hungry. everyone eats. and i wanted to make it so the vampires in my world could not just opt out of it. they can't eat animals, they can't sustain on blood alone, they have to eat.

when it comes to the mc, they struggle with the hunger, but it's more than that. like with louis, it's the combination of that visceral hunger but also being gay and gender nonconforming, someone who has always been an outcast in society struggling to find their way back in after having their memories and sense of self completely wiped clean. their hunger is a manifestation of this idea they have of their past self - the potential for them to become the next Standard - and their physical/sexual desire that they repressed for so long now untethered due to their lack of memories as well as waking up in a more accepting world.

i think this is a much more interesting way to approach the hunger as opposed to painting the actual act of eating as inherently evil. in twilight, all the good vampires don't eat, even when bella is a human she doesn't eat. in dracula, lucy is only ever good when she doesn't eat. and when she does eat, she becomes an evil, indulgent sexual demon that is a threat to all men and she has to be destroyed.

female vampires always get the worst of it; they are sexual deviants, they want to kill all men, they asked for it, they're disgusting and vile for desiring anything from food to sex to independence. this of course goes way back; again, look at lucy. even in more "progressive" vampire media like bit, the lesbian vampire is evil, hates all men, and is tricking and seducing her female companions into it.

it's interesting to see how far back these trends go. dracula and carmilla all the way up to the modern depictions today. the "good" vampire narrative almost never works; i think because the idea of what is "good" is always going to be influenced by the person creating it. edward is not a "good" vampire. he is a 108 year old man who preys on a teenage girl; this should have been far more important to his character than whether or not he, as a vampire, drinks human blood. but instead he's considered good because he only eats deer and he's skinny and white and looks like a model, and because stephanie meyer says he is.

i don't write all this to say that these topics can't be explored (twilight is terrible for many other reasons, and i think iwtv does do it well) but just to point out why, in my opinion, the "good" vampire is usually such a weak narrative. who decides what is good? and there are other ways to explore the themes of desire and humanity than just restricting their diet... just because your vampire doesn't eat humans does not make them automatically good. and to be frank no vampire will ever be ethical!!! that's the point!!!!

#hello. can anyone hear me #this is just a steam of consciousness rant. i dont know #also i still have like 2 or 3 episodes of iwtv left so 🙉 #this was inspired by a video i watched on youtube the other day and also people complaining abt twc on the reddit again #and that post going around about how its probably way worse to steal blood from a blood bank than to just drink it from someone LOL #where people then recommend increasingly unethical ways for them to be ethical #like feeding on prisoners (jfc) or tricking people in a spa #even the hotel in blood choke is unethical. i wrote it that way. i purposefully made it so the woman changed her mind #but the mc nor hana care #anyways. sorry im watching a lot of vampire stuff lately lmfao #and im still disappointed by bit i will never get over it #ed tw

[lizzybeth1986]

Skills vs Passions - What's the Difference?

(Read the rest of the "Hana Lee: A Study in Erasure" series here!)

Previous: China, Cordonia and "Home"

I had mentioned, way back in my first essay of this series, that descriptors used for Hana are vastly different from that of the other LIs. The three male LIs got descriptors that emphasized their personalities and loyalty to their loved ones.

Hana's descriptors, on the other hand, came down to two things - what the MC could be physically drawn to, and what the MC could use her for.

Hana can be dedicated, devoted, open minded, explorative. You don't have to look too far to see a consistent display of these qualities in Hana, throughout both series. Yet none of these words - nor the many others that could even slightly capture her personality - are used to describe her.

What the team views as appealing in Hana, boils down to two things. What the MC can find fuckable if Hana is a love interest, and what the MC can use her for if she isn't (though to be honest, even the MC that romances her still benefits disproportionately from her labour).

Her looks...and her skills.

Ironically, even with this lack of care and forethought, Hana's story still manages to retain some nuance when it comes to exploring the things she learned. They are not things she randomly became perfect at. Nor is the process of how she became good at those things, identical.

Most times, there is a story behind how she became that good at those activities, a process that Hana often worked and struggled towards, before she could be the "Jill of All Trades" of TRR.

Her journey to acquiring all of these skills is not the same. If we do not acknowledge the differences in those journeys, we are doing her story a grave disservice.

Acquired Skills.

(Note: In this section I will be leaving out Hana's more intuitive skills, such as stealth, cunning, deep research and resourcefulness, and focusing more on the ones she had to learn. This is because her intuitive skills fit better in a different essay that I will be working on soon)

There are several things the above screenshots share in common.

One is that they are all things Hana learned as a part of her training to become the perfect debutante, the perfect noblewoman, the perfect courtly wife, the perfect hostess. In the Cordonian Waltz scene in TRR1 Ch 7, Hana speaks of being pushed from an early age to learn all the courtly and social arts. She speaks of being "groomed [every day] to bring fame and fortune to my family", primarily because they were devastated she was not a boy and the only way she could possibly be of use to them was by acquiring these skills. These weren't just hobbies she was encouraged to cultivate - they were things she had to do well, do perfectly, whether she liked doing them or not.

Another - and perhaps easier to miss - similarity between all these pictures is Hana's expression in them. Neutral. Unmoved. Bored. None of these activities actually appeal to her, or are things she is happy doing.

We will find out later on, that that was exactly the point. In her parents' plan for Hana's life and future, Hana's own needs and identity are practically a non-factor.

One of Hana's major epiphanies about her childhood, is the recognition that what she wanted, should have mattered. That her needs deserved to be met just for being her needs, not because it served a purpose for anyone else. On more than one occasion Hana tells us that "enjoying myself never factored into my parents' expectations of me".

How damaging can this obsession with making your daughter the perfect noble wife - to the exclusion of any other possible life - be? Let's find out:

Hana isn't just expected to excel in skills that mean very little to her. She isn't just forced to prioritise - again and again and again - the enjoyment of others over her own. She isn't just made to consider the needs of some nebulous future husband, to the point where she cannot even ask herself what she wants.

Over and above all this, she is never allowed to be her authentic self. She is never even allowed to figure out what that authentic self would be. From an early age she is deprived of toys and pets and real consistent friendships, ensuring a complete isolation, ensuring she doesn't even have the opportunity to safely indulge in pretend play. (That she manages to scrape together whatever she can find to make her "toys" is only a testament to her own tenacity; she should never have been put in such a position in the first place). Her parents robbed her of those early, exploratory years.

She has been told how she must be and what she must do; she never has the freedom to decide whether that is something she is even comfortable being. In the context of this scene Hana may be using this skill to help another woman, but the fact remains that even in expressing her femininity, Hana is constantly expected to perform - as if her authentic self was never good enough.

It is no wonder then that the moment she finds herself no longer answerable to her parents, Hana fears that she will discover she's nothing more than a "collection of skills...with no one underneath". TRR3 shows Hana in a full-blown identity crisis once she is completely outside her parents' influence.

In her post "How Parents Fuel Identity Crises in Their Children" on the Good Therapy Blog, psychotherapist Beverly Amsel talks about the effects controlling parenting can have on a child's sense of self thus; "When a loving parent is so certain that he or she knows what is right for the child and does not consider that the child may have valid, different ideas about what he or she wants, needs, and feels, there is no space and no invitation for the child to develop the ability to express his or her own self with separate ideas, feelings, and needs. Over time, as the child grows to adulthood and is exposed to more ways of thinking about things, there is typically a good deal of confusion about identity, thoughts, and feelings. Unless there is an opportunity to develop a separate sense of self, there will likely be a lot of anxious thinking about what is real but little ability to think for oneself in a self-reflective way."

Fortunately for Hana, her time in Cordonia does seem to present those sort of opportunities. There are story threads in TRR3 that address this identity crisis. But does it culminate into something that benefits her, or only the people around her?

Things She Does For Those She Loves

Before we move into passions, it's important to acknowledge a category that toes the line between acquired skill and interest. These involve activities that she's not entirely passionate about, but still derives some enjoyment from doing.

Her enjoyment of these skills is usually less about the activity itself, and more dependent on her fondness for sharing or socializing through it. Despite her mostly-isolated childhood, Hana is by nature a very social person. She is enthusiastic (though initially a bit wary and fearful of rejection) about making friends, loves sharing her knowledge and skills, and does not hesitate to reach out even to people who don't treat her well and accommodation them into whatever she's doing (eg. every single time she included Olivia in something in TRR2). So it makes sense that there are certain things she enjoys doing because it involves her helping someone, or allows her to spend time with them, or helps her relive precious memories.

On some level, you see this with some of her skill scenes. Often a scene will end with Hana following up a confession about her lack of interest in a particular activity with a line about how sharing that knowledge makes her happy. But you also see this enjoyment in other contexts.

Another context where she truly enjoys doing things, is when they're of a competitive nature. She thrives on the thrill of outwitting opponents and friendly rivalries. A great example of this is the dance-off she does with Maxwell in TRR1 Ch 18, where she enjoys pitting her skills against Maxwell's so much that they both agree they'd be great as a dancing duo. You also see this whenever she's competing in games with her trusted friends. This is perhaps why you see at least a handful of sequences where she expresses an interest in sports.

But perhaps the activities she enjoys the most - that aren't for herself - are ones that have her share space with someone she loves and trusts. Cooking and baking rank high among these skills. Baking began as a domestic skill that would serve her well in a noble household, but she loves sampling batter/dough and practically glows on seeing the other person's enjoyment of her craft. Her creating her own recipe for hot chocolate is especially interesting because it's a skill that she values highly, and that she only shares with people very close to her.

Hana's interest in fashion design also has interesting origins. She is skilled in embroidery and knows fashion trends well, and has learned from her grandmother to make her own clothes. Of particular note is the black-red-gold qipao/cheongsam that was the last dress she ever made with her grandmother. Her attachment to the dress is so strong that she experiences intense distress when Lorelai threatens to take it from her in Valtoria. She also loves designing dresses for loved ones - for the MC herself, we see her conceptualize and design dresses at least twice (a traditional-inspired outfit in Shanghai which is appropriately titled "Hana's Heart", and a blue and white dress for their engagement photoshoot).

Through these examples we can see instances of Hana finding joy in things she didn't have as much interest in, just through the process of sharing that experience with someone else. It's great, on the one hand, because Hana is no longer alone and she gains a renewed perspective on something that came from a very painful part of her life.

On the other hand, "I find this more fun now that I'm doing it with you" comes with its own downsides. If you use it too often, you're in danger of using it as a copout that centers the person she is teaching rather than her own journey.

And if you're a writer that makes efforts for her story with great reluctance...such an explanation will rapidly change into an excuse to be lazy with that journey.

Passions

Among the many, many, many skills Hana was made to learn in the bid to make her the perfect debutante and the perfect noble wife...just a few rank as ones she does wholeheartedly, joyfully, passionately. But they are perhaps the most important.

After all, these are skills that Hana had honed for herself. They're meant for her consumption and her enjoyment, and she often shares them only with people she trusts.

Not only are these things, interests that she enjoys and lovingly cultivates...but she is also fiercely protective of them. She will not allow anyone - not even her parents - to turn something so personal into a public spectacle that she's uncomfortable with. This is most clearly seen when she tells us about rebelling against her parents for piano performances. At a very young age, Hana recognises the value of her music, and she pushes back against any attempts to cheapen it or turn it into some warped form of social currency. She takes ownership of her gift, and from that moment on anything she does with that talent is done on her own terms.

Like music, reading was a skill cultivated to make her an attractive prospect for noble matches - only for Hana to find pleasure in the act of reading herself. Here again, building a passion for reading allows her to rebel in her own unique way. She smuggles in books that she knows her parents will find either too frivolous or too objectionable - often by hiding the books, or modifying the purpose of the book to them so it would sound appropriate.

We must remember - this is a woman who still feels nervous breaking rules even a year after she has left her parents' home. It would take such a woman considerable amounts of imagination and courage, to be able to do what she did in an environment as restrictive as her's. For Hana to be able to do this, she must have really valued the joy that reading books had given her.

Flowers are an extremely important part of Hana's life. Symbolically, they are part of her mother's House Crest, and personally, she is someone who is naturally drawn to flowers. In TRR2 Ch 4, she confesses to devouring the words of The Language of Flowers, and knows the symbolic meaning of each one by heart. She can even make her own bouquets. During the Costume Gala in TRR3, she dresses up in a heavily floral gown as the Goddess of Spring.

One of the most captivating sequences that captures her love for flowers in the TRR2 Conservatory scene, where she takes the MC to see the spectacle of a night-blooming flower unfurling under the light of the moon. It is especially fascinating that her already latent passion for flowers grew further with the help of another passion - reading.

Another thing you will clearly notice about each of these "passions" is that when she speaks about them, she is expressive. Liam confirms this in his Diplomacy scene in TRR3, where he tells the MC that her passion always shows in her eyes.

The proof for what Liam says here is in every one of these scenes. In the scenes compiled under the "Acquired Skills" category, her expression rarely changes and her tone is indifferent. In contrast, we are exposed to a variety of moods when she talks of these things that she's so passionate about.

She seethes with anger at the memory of her parents forcing her to perform the piano to crowds, whispers conspiratorially about forbidden literature, loses herself in the scent of flowers. These are moments where Hana acknowledges her individual pleasures, and expresses pride over the way she guards them from people who will not respect what those things mean to her.

These are things she knows forwards and backwards, but not because she was forced to cultivate and perfect those talents. They're things she knows because when Hana Lee is truly interested in something, she will plunge herself into it, body and soul. These are things that gave her comfort at a time when she had no one, and they form the happiest memories she has had for her childhood so far.

These are passions that are so intricately a part of her that it is impossible for her to give them up. Not for her family, not for her friends, not for her wife - no one.

Conclusion

The base of Hana's story has always been rich with possibilities. There were various ways the writing team could have written it to benefit her story. At the hands of a skilled writer who loved the character for who she was rather than for what the MC could gain from her, the writing of these talents could have been used to further enrich Hana's journey and give her a chance to find herself. Unfortunately, the writing team at the helm of TRR were neither.

Over and over again, the writers used Hana's plethora of talents to make her useful to people, rather than turn the focus of that arc back on her. The MC learns these skills and goes up the ranks, the MC benefits from Hana's offers of help, the MC is the one who becomes a Duchess and Champion of the Realm. Even on a level of resolving her issues with her parents, the writers have her prove that she can still be useful to them without getting married to a man. In the eyes of her writers, her skills are still meant to make her useful to someone - just that the person at the center changes from her parents to the MC.

Because the MC is positioned as someone who "enlightens" Hana to how harmful her situation was, and because the narrative expects Hana to be forever grateful to her - the MC is allowed to use her and take credit for Hana's hard work (eg. The windmill move during the polo game) and get away with it.

When you put all this evidence together, and then go back to the descriptors I put up at the very beginning of this essay, you will see what the team's intention with her, always had been. To create a woman the MC could be attracted to, a woman whose skills the MC could use to advance her own interests...while still being viewed as her hero and saviour. Despite being one of the few people to get the most detailed account of her upbringing and struggles, the MC still chooses to view her in the most simplistic ways, still praises her for her skills and "perfection" rather than support her in any consistent way (more on this in other essays).

The fandom wasn't much better in this respect either. Lots of TRR fans still see no real distinction between the skills Hana had to struggle to learn, and the interests that made her truly happy. The writing team itself contributes to this inaccurate conflating of her interests and skills by having multiple characters label her 'perfect' over and over.

This results in a situation where those hard-earned skills and those moments of joy are conflated together, and spoken of like they are the same thing. But they are not. To speak of the two as if there were no difference, is to ignore completely the difficult, even disturbing, history behind how she acquired them.

The skills the MC grinningly labels her perfect for, are skills that emerged from a very traumatizing environment. Her joys - that many in this fandom so mockingly placed alongside the things she forced herself to do - were perhaps the only opportunities she had to take back her agency and claim something for her own.

To pretend that the two are one and the same is a gross misrepresentation of what was actually depicted in canon.

Next: "Perfect!Hana": Author Bias and the Importance of Framing (coming soon!)

#hana lee #hana lee: a study in erasure #hanaleeappreciationweek #HLAW #the royal romance #the royal heir #the royal finale #HLAW Day 2 #HLAW Day 2: Skills vs Passions #lizzybeth1986 #content: meta

[lolablackwrites]

MC Mixer #2--Alice x Bastien

Here is my submission for week 2 of @choicesmcmadness​ ‘s MC Mixer!

Hello, Trend readers! Check out this online exclusive sneak peek from our upcoming exclusive interview with the Duke and Duchess of Valtoria, Alice Ayers and Bastien Lykel.

—Ana de Luca

***

Ana: As the newest duke and duchess of Cordonia, the two of you must have to attend a lot of parties.

Alice: I find them easier to stomach if I think of them as networking events.

Bastien: Which they are—from the outside it might look like just a party, but policies and international relations can be made or broken at these events. Alice in particular has been very adept at navigating these and strengthening Cordonia’s position on the world stage.

Ana: My other sources have said the same thing.

Alice: (laughing) You both give me too much credit. It has to do with my years of bartending and learning how to talk to just about anyone.

Ana: A skill I’m sure comes in handy, especially at events with an open bar…

Alice: I can neither confirm nor deny this…although I did once impress another member at court with my knowledge of top shelf whiskey.

Ana: I’d be remiss if I interviewed you for Trend and didn’t ask you about fashion—what are you wearing to these events?

Alice: If it were up to me, I’d exclusively wear jeans and my leather jacket. (Laughs). But in the best interest of Valtoria and Bertrand’s blood pressure, I’m very fortunate to have those with better fashion sense than me at my side—especially Hana.

Ana: Just to clarify, you mean Lady Hana Lee?

Alice: Of course. She’s an incredibly talented seamstress and the only reason I look even mildly presentable most of the time is because of her.

Ana: Lady Hana is quite talented—the photos of your wedding dress were stunning. Now, Bastien, I understand you had a hand in that?

Bastien: Only in that I recruited Hana to make Alice’s dress, I can’t take any credit for the final product.

Ana: And what about the fashion you wear to these events?

Bastien: I honestly wasn’t aware anyone was looking at me, seeing as I’m always standing next to her.

Alice swats his arm and smiles before taking his hand.

Alice: You don’t give yourself enough credit. You’re particular about your suits and you always have them tailored so they fit you perfectly. Your style is timeless.

Ana: I have to agree—I’ve had a lot of men asking me about your suits.

Bastien: It’s like Alice said, it’s all about the tailoring.

Ana: Let’s talk a bit more about party prep—what do you do to get ready before any big event?

Bastien: Nothing too extensive, just a shower and shave. I can get away with a lot less than Alice.

Ana: It’s true, men get off easy. Alice, what about you?

Alice: It depends on the event, really. Sometimes I hire someone to do my hair and makeup so I’m sure things turn out right, other times I do it myself. Mostly my party prep includes psyching myself up to be “on” for the event. Despite how I might come across, I’m a homebody at heart.

Ana: As we know, you two are currently expecting your first child, so arranging for child care isn’t an issue quite yet.

Alice: (Laughs as she places a hand on her stomach). Not yet, for now this little one just goes with us. But that is something we’re going to have to consider sooner rather than later.

Bastien: Because of our obligations at court, we’re already starting that process now and reviewing applicants for a nanny.

Ana: I can only imagine what that process looks like, especially as King Liam as named your child as the royal heir.

Alice: Olivia is personally vetting each applicant.

Ana: Given the queen’s reputation as a Nevrakis, I can only imagine what that entails.

Alice: She’s…thorough. And a force to be reckoned with, which is why we love her, both as a friend and as the queen of Cordonia.

Ana: It’s true, our beloved queen is a powerhouse. Let’s circle back to your party prep—how do you usually get to your events?

Bastien: Given that we attend many events while being hosted here or at the homes of the other members of court, our travel usually includes walking downstairs. But when given the opportunity, I’ll drive us.

Alice: Bas restores vintage cars and I get to be the lucky one who is chauffeured around. Who wouldn’t love that?

***

The full interview with the Duke and Duchess of Valtoria will run in our next print issue.

#mc mixer #getting ready #Alice Ayers #Bastien Lykel #The Royal Romance #Bastien Lykel x MC #Guarded Hearts #The Guarded Heir

[anti-katsuki-lounge]

Another submission from a lurker/fan. Thank you so much 😊.

Them: I have to come in and point out something that I notice with Horikoshi. He isn't interested in friendly, nice characters. I read some of his previous works. Oumagadoki Zoo was about a very clumsy girl, named Hana, wanting to do something with herself, and found herself working in a magical zoo. She is literally like Izuku: kind, sweet, friendly, has a passion for the thing she loves, is knowledgeable, determined, heroic...but it's clear in the manga that Hori is interested in other characters other than her. The readers don't see her school life anymore after the first chapter. No look into her personal life outside of the zoo, even though she's the main character! The only positive is that she has more screen time than Izuku does, because her job revolves around caring for the magical humanoid animals and helping them work out their problems. Sensei no Bulge, or Barrage, didn't get to stick around long enough to be judged properly. But it did give its main character, Astro, better treatment than Hana and Izuku...Then again, it didn't last long for the problems to show (though, like Izuku, the whole "chosen one" thing reared its head in it). Honestly, you can see Horikoshi is TRYING to be invested in them: he makes them the main characters, he gives them backstories that folks easily relates with, and even give them cool moments!

It's just...his love for edgy characters (jerks, stoics, maniacs, etc.) is far too strong. Characters like Shiina and Bakugo are jerks and buttholes to the other characters in various ways in their plots (Shiina's more oblivious with his, while Bakugo's is intitional), yet they originally started with personalities that had them being more likable in some regard (Shiina started as a somewhat stoic, but caring character who saves the magical animals caught by poachers in the Oumagadoki Zoo oneshot, Bakugo starting out as a super friendly person who is honest to a fault in the concept stages). Horikoshi just struggles to keep interest in this character type, and it's ironic since those are the character's he seems to work best with...WHEN he puts in the effort of focusing on them.

My response: now, I haven’t read any of his other manga, but from what I’ve heard from you and everyone else is that this unfortunately seems to be a theme in his work. Now, there’s nothing wrong with him liking edgy, darker, or asshole characters but Hori doesn’t know how to make this work. He doesn’t give us a good reason to want to follow these asshole characters nor does he give them any meaningful development. His best written characters seem to be the ones that have kindness to them. Shoto for example, despite being cold to his classmates, still had an undying love for his mother and felt guilty over his father’s abuse breaking her. Eventually he managed to bond with Izuku. Sadly it feels Hori is bored with his MCs who have immense kindness, which begs the question as to why he even bothered writing them in the first place.

#submission #anti katsuki bakugou #anti bakugo katsuki #anti bakugo #anti bakugou #mha critical

[phoenixrising0308]

The Promise: What they stole from us (b)

Books: The Royal Romance 1

Rating: G (This rating will change due to the plot as the story progresses)

Pairing: Liam & Jessica (MC)

This week’s wackydrabbles takes a serious turn with this miniseries that complements my ongoing series The Promise. The prompt is “ ...how about once more -- for good luck! ”

Series Playlist

Detailed disclaimer

Catch me here

A/N #1: Leo dances with a suitor

A/N #2: Applewood revisited in the Agent Phoenix: Forged In Fire A/U canon divergent series.

A/N#3: In my HC Liam is a lefty and this is a rare trait only 8% to 9% of the worlds population share. I’m sure that I am not the only author nor the last that would HC this trait. I can only hope that my attention to this detail differs from theirs and offers something to the story.

Word Count: 1,600 *As always, forgive my typos and grammatical errors.*

Reading time: 8 minutes

*I suppose you can read this on its own but the story below is related to the promise as a whole. Once completed part four will pick up. This story is central to the plot *also this story has been in my drafts for two years so I wanted to give it its own moment so consider this a story within a story*

Applewood- Dinner

Jessica sat at her table pushing around roasted wild duck with an apple on her plate as she occasionally looked up to watch Liam dance with Kiara.  Her house ring an Owl covered in black and white diamonds glimmer as she wrapped her arms around his neck then leaned in to whisper his and leaving red lipstick stain on the side of Liams face he seemed unaware of. Kiara made eye contact with Jessica and smirked as she continued to dance.

'Why am I here? He is humoring me because his best friend brought me over. You tried there was nothing there...at least for him. Be grateful you saw a bunch of new places, met new people, and learned new things. In few weeks you get to go home and put this all behind you.'

The thought felt heavy in the pit of her stomach. Jessica got up from her chair. “I lost my appetite. I'm gonna go up to my room and maybe eat a pop tart later.”

Drake chewed on his duck and swallowed with an accusing glare. “You have fucken pop tarts and said nothing!? I'm eating a duck with an apple up its ass, and you had pop tarts?”

She shrugged, “I would share, but you took the whole box from the last care package. You can have my S'mores pop tarts.”

“Garcia, stop fucking around with me. I want the strawberry unfrosted.”

“Fine, I will share SOME of my pop tarts with you. Hana, will you cover for me? Tell Bertrand my stomach hurts, or better yet, tell him I have some female affliction, so he gets all weird and doesn't bother me AT ALL.”

Hana looked around at the table of suitors and sighed. “Jessica, will you come back?”

Jessica sighed, feeling bad but just not able to fake her reluctance to all of this anymore.

“Hana, I'm not too sure. I will text you if I'm staying up there.”

Hana gave Jessica a saddened expression.

Penelope noticed the conversation and picked up her phone, and began to text. Then shouted from across the room, “Hana, come sit next to me.”

Hana looked opposed to it as she glanced back at Jessica with the same sad expression.

Jessica took one look at Liam on the dance floor and sighed before making her way to exit, bypassing the head table.

“Lady Jessica.” A loud voice called out to her that was similar to Liams.

She turned and gave an automatic curtsy, “Your Royal Highness.”

“Nope, you already greeted me. So it's Sir." He secretly thought, 'No, you didn't. Correct me; I'm wrong. Liam doesn't need someone that won't challenge authority.'

Jessica responded. “Actually, no, I haven't. So the greeting is correct.”

Leo looked at Jessica for a few moments. “So, you are correcting ME? A senior member of the royal family.” 'Say yes. Don't back peddle. My Father will walk all over Liam. I will need you to stand up for him as well as yourself.'

Jessica cooly responded, “Yes, I am. When you're wrong, you're wrong. Sorry.”

Leo gave her a pleased smile. “I was hoping to steal a moment of your time… For a dance.”

Jessica glanced at the dance floor and quickly looked back, trying to avoid watching

Liam dance with Kiara, then said, “I was just headed to my room.”

“Just one dance.” Leo extended his hand. Jessica took a deep breath and took it. He led them to the middle of the dance floor.

“So, Lady Jessica-”

Jessica gave Leo a warm smile. “Please, just Jessie.”

“Very well, Jessie. I have a few questions for you.”

Jessica eyes got wide, “Okay-”

“Jessie, these events are designed for Liam to get to know you. But do you think you know Liam?”

Jessica bit her lip and said, “I do.”

Leo nodded his head, “Let's test that knowledge, shall we?”

“Sure, shoot”

“Favorite music.”

“Liam loves American crooner music, something I know all about because my Father loved that kind of music.”

“Liam's favorite color?”

“To the world, he favors Cordonian blue, and although he does like it ...He prefers navy. Which is also my favorite color.” Jessica closed her eyes and trailed off. "He looks great in a navy suit. He wore one on Tuesday and -”

Leo laughed. “Okay, next question. What's Liam's favorite book?”

Jessica “You know I was expecting something Shakespearean, but his favorite book is 'The Old man by the Sea.'”

“Have you read it?”

“On the ride here. I wanted to share my thoughts on it with him.”

Leo quirked a brow. “Interesting, yet another thing you did for the sake of getting to know my brother?”

“It came highly recommended. And Drake was really into his book, 'Gunsberry potato peel pie society' so I had no one to talk to.”

Leo gave a hearty chuckle.” Drake and romance novels; I will never get it. Okay, next question. What's Liam's biggest pet peeve?”

“Pens without caps.”

“Very good. He is so uptight about pens.”

Jessica continued, “Yeah, he writes with a Montblanc fineliner point pen. It caught my eye when I noticed he was a lefty. Only 10% of the world's population is left-handed”

Leo raised a brow and thought 'Geezus, Liam she really is perfect for you.'

Jessica continued “Anyway, I mean it's an $800.00 pen; I looked it up. I guess if I spent that much money on a pen, I would be obsessed with it too. God, his handwriting is impeccable. No man's handwriting should be that neat. I'm jealous.”

Leo could notice her eyes wandering around the dancefloor. Jessica gave Leo a soft smile, then said, “I know all the suitors get fresh flowers every day with a personalized card in the morning. I love how he writes my name and signs his own. I like to trace his L's and J's with my fingertip sometimes… Okay, all the time. Sorry I know that's weird.”

Leo smiled softly, 'They don't get daily floral arrangements, and you're the only one with handwritten notes.' “So, as you know, Liam's days are filled with matters of the Crown, and his day starts at-”

Jessica interrupted, “5:45 AM. He is running around the palace grounds with Drake.”

“Why are you up so early?”

Jessica blushed and mumbled, “No particular reason. I'm just up.”

“Well, If I didn't know any better, I would think you are trying to catch a glimpse of my little brother.” He smirked as she averted her eyes.

Jessica sheepishly smiled as she responded, “Maybe.”

Leo pursed his lips. “Interesting.”

“Next question, please.”

Liam began to dance with Penelope and Jessica said, “Songs over.” Her eyes became glossy and she looked as if she would burst into tears.

“Well, I’m not done. Give me one more dance”

Jessica snapped back “I am. Why dance with me when clearly I’m no one. You got other girls here from classier places. Their rooms are bigger than my block, nothing special, nothing to offer your brother just commoner Jessica, completely opposite of what your brother is looking for.”

Leo responded “Jessie, I have never taken the time to talk to any other suitor. If you don’t think you're special then let me clear this up for you… YOU ARE. I know more about you than anyone else here. I know your hopes and dreams, quirks, and dislikes, Wonder why that is? SO ...how about once more -- for good luck! I will make this dance worth it for you I promise.”

Jessica took a shaky breath and said, “Alright.”

“What is your favorite thing about my brother?”

Jessica gave Leo a glowing smile. “God, everything. I love the way his eyes sparkle when he gets excited about something. He wears clear contacts. One day in his library I walked in and he had these black thick-framed glasses and shoved them in a drawer when he saw me. He was squinting the whole time which was adorable. I love the sound of his laugh. And gosh, his smile...He has the most amazing smile. I could list so many things, but I'm embarrassing myself by gushing over him.”

“Actually, I like to hear that you have an affinity for HIM. Jessie, my brother will require patience and understanding. Can you do that? Can you be the person who he comes home to and who he shares his worries with?”

Jessica closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Leo, I know I don't have anything to offer compared to everyone else, and I am still trying to figure it all out. But I want to be that person for him. I want to build a life with him. One filled with love, happiness, and laughter. So his worries aren't just his; they are mine too.”

Leo could hear the sincerity in her voice; he liked her already, but her words solidified for him that Liam could have Queen and a wife.

“Liam will face opposition from the council; a lot of them are loyalists. They will come to you to persuade him to take their advice. What would you do?”

“I know that people will think I have no business in meddling governmental affairs. But I firmly believe that Liam would carefully analyze everything that's brought to the table. If the council is trying to get me to go against my husband." Jessica smiled to herself at the thought of the title, and Leo noticed. Jessica took a deep breath and said, “They have another thing coming. I would tell them to fuck off.”

Leo laughed at the statement, and Jessica did as well. He touched her shoulder and said, “Liam was right. You do have a charming laugh.”

Jessica blushed. “He said that?”

“Yes. He also said you have a great sense of humor and a smile that lights up a whole room. I agree with him.”

From the corner of Leo's eye, he saw Madeleine and Godfrey at the edge of the dance floor, with Madeleine focused on being Liam's next dance partner.

Leo got her attention back on him. “If Liam picks you, you will be our Queen. Tell me, what are you looking forward to the most?”

She instantly had the answer. “Waking up next to Liam.”

“Does Liam like dancing?”

“Yes, he does. He is so fun to dance with.”

“Trick question. No.”

Jessica quirked a brow.

He smirked at her. “Sorry. When you're wrong, you're wrong. He only likes it if those dances are with you.”

Leo gave Jessica a flawless twirl just as the music ended and let go of her hand. When she stopped, she bumped into Liam.

Liam gave her a warm smile and said, “Fancy seeing you here.” Liam grabbed her hand and pressed it to his lips, “I would love to dance with you. May I?”

Jessica gave Liam a glowing smile and said, “Well, since I’m here.”

Leo smiled at Godfrey and whispered as he walked by “What brings you here your second-hand suitor daughter? One Rys has been there done that… completely uneventful.”

Godfrey’s eyes widened “You are out of line.”

Leo shrugged his shoulders and said, “Ask me if I give a fuck.”

“This will not stay this way,” Godfrey said through gritted teeth.

Leo sucked his teeth “Give it a rest Freddy. I wouldn’t want my brother with a Social Season repeat offender. I mean isn't one fall from grace good enough or is it that she is the type that's always a bridesmaid but never a bride?”

“Leo, you have always been so crass.”

“Okay, so I have nothing to lose. I think they make a lovely couple.” Leo gave Godfrey the finger and turned on his heels. He smiled at his brother and Jessica as ‘I can’t help falling in love’ played in the background the perfectly queued song he arranged with the band with timing mapped between him and Liam.

[papers4me]

Stop hating kagura! Tohru needed a slap to wake up & stop being emo. We all do. Kagura's violence is how she react with others. She loves kyo so much & she hits him plenty. She's strong because she's giving up on kyo for his own good.

hi.

First, I don’t think ppl need to be hit to “ wake up”. kindly, don’t take kagura’s behavior as an example. Also, tohru isn’t emo, she’s a traumatized child with issues not lesser than yuki’s or Isuzu.

Secondly, I don’t hate kagura at all. hating fictional character is a wasted energy cuz they’re not real. They are the product of the writer’s imagination. These characters ( especially secondary characters) are created to either further the plot, convey a theme, as a parallel to another character, side love interest, to push the MC into action). I might not like what the author intends to do with them but I don’t hate the characters themselves , nor the author themselves.

It is fine to call a character’s behavior out. Calling them out depends on the way you digest the fiction or your interest, or your own real life principles or even your preference! you can like a character that contradicts your real life principles & make them your ultimate fave character cuz fiction is where we escape to. Fiction is what you as a person wants it to be. This is why, I never understood when fans ask others to shut up & appreciate the fictional story without personal preference whether anime, film, novels or series. ppl consume & digest fiction differently cuz we are individually different despite our similarities & that's part of why human are amazing. Back to kagura:

Viewing others from personal perspective vs being compassionate:

Kagura looked at tohru as someone who has what she she can’t: kyo’s love. from her perspective tohru shuld be grateful for the bless of having reciprocated love as kahura is suffering from the pains of one-sided love. Kagura’s pain won’t go away simply cuz kyo said: thank you, but I don’t feel the same, sorry. It is logical that she needs time to heal & watching kyo & tohru in a relationship would help her to move on. Kagura’s whole journey was abt being selfish & looking at kyo to feel better abt herself. If I’m with the monster, then I’m not a bad person, She wanted to be Beauty & the Beast. Her confrontation with kyo, helped her move on from that, she ended yo loving him for himself, but alas, he doesn’t see her as a lover. Kagura pushing tohru to love kyo is supposed to be kagura learning to be selfless & caring for others than herself. Her words are excellent but her attitude isn’t. Hitting tohru takes kagura back to step one again: seeing ONLY her own pain. from kagura’s eyes, tohru being with kyo is a bless that would make them both happy. So, be together already, you fools~ I’ll make you even if I have to hit you. Problem: Tohru’s pain isn’t exclusively romantic pining pain like kagura’s. It is a complex trauma that many don’t appreciate how deep it is (thanks anime for making tohru’s background story super quick! -_-’’). She has a huge crippling fear of forgetting her mom. She’s been lonely since childhood! her first friends are Arisa & hana when she was a pre-teen in Junior high school. Moreover, being hit by kagura, didn’t heal tohru, she tried to confess to kyo & guess what stopped her? Her mom’s memory. Meaning Tohru has issues that love can’t heal magically. Also, violence shouldn’be be a character’s trait. I wish kagura has a sub-plot to learn to master it! perhaps in the manga? =D. That would be awesome!

-Violence In furuba:

I treat fiction as what it presented itself to be. School Rumble is solely comedy, so its violence doesn’t bother me. Harima gets hit every ep & I laugh at him. Furuba is part comedy, yes. but it wants its characters trauma’s to be taken seriously. Violence is used to make you feel for Kisa, Isuzu, yuki, & others. But it is also fun & light comedy when it comes to kyo being hit or the fanclub girls bullying tohru. laugh~ laugh~. Suicide is presented in furuba as tragically as it really is. Kyo’s mom did it & it wrecked kyo. but it also a comic gag with Ritsu & the editor lady. I can’t accept both presentations in one fiction. Either Violence is bad or comic gag. Presenting both ways, lessen the other. & don’t get me started on violence heals! if love can’t magically heal, why should violence?

It is okay to criticize this writing aspect in furuba. It doesn’t mean the writer is bad. It means the writer is human with their own perspective on things. I share some & despise others. Yes, with violence double usage in furuba, I’mma use the words despise. It fits how I feel abt violence. Still, I adore furuba so much. Some of the writing elements are extraordinary to me! such as its realistic depiction of trauma & child abuse, the heart tugging depiction of romantic slow burns! seriously the last time I felt this much for a slow burn romance was in Pride & prejudice! You scream, get together already!!!! but it is amazing cuz they logically can’t for reasons bigger than pining love! it is hella entertaining!

Thank you for the ask! I enjoyed it<3

#Fruits Basket #asks #Anime Only #anonymous friends #responding paper

[phoenixfox56]

Together

Rating - General

Note – My best friend gave me some huge inspiration for this one and I love her dearly. She had me listen to a particular song that makes her think of me and I adore it. I also needed to spread some Hana love 💖

Check out the reference music here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvwhnMZinDQ

Summary – Riley will always be there for Hana because she knows Hana would be there for her.

Pairing - Hana x MC

Word Count – 1,576

The rain was heavy and cold, but it didn’t bother her, not tonight. The day had been rewarding and Riley was happily making her way towards the one person she knew would be just as happy to see her as she was to see them. She adjusted her hoodie as the rain lightened to misty drops. Steadily moving down the dark street as the buildings and homes became infrequent. Her boots splashed gently in each small pool of water laid out in her path. Letting her feet do the guiding for her in a path she has walked a hundred times and a hundred more if she must. Neither rain nor sleet nor snow would stop her, not even an almighty unknown force could ever make her turn back.

She reached the grounds she had been moving towards. A large grand estate gated in front with a reasonably short stone wall that circled the magnificent home. She turned to walk along the wall away from the gated front. Following it all the way until she was staring at the side of the manor. Riley tightened the straps of her backpack around her shoulders. She placed her foot on a stone she had become familiar with, it protruded in a way that provided her just enough hold for her to hoist herself up and sit on the top. She gathered the end of her long skirt to wring some water out of it just before she pivots her body and drops herself on the inside. Landing with a squish on the soft lush grass. She looked straight ahead towards the building spread out in front of her. Her eyes caught a light coming from a door on the second floor, casting a warm glow on the balcony that attached to it.

Hastily she moved across the lawn until she was under the light source. A trellis filled with wisteria flowers made a “U” shape around the balcony. Starting from one side coming down to the ground and around to the other side, ending neatly leveled with the top of the door that led inside. Getting her footing once more she slowly made her way up, careful to not destroy any of the flowers that draped themselves in a downward fashion. Grabbing hold of the railing she pulled herself over and stood straight, then lightly dropped her bag down. Taking a silent step forward and placing her hand against the door frame to lean, she raised her other and knocked ever so gently on the glass. It was silent for a moment before she could hear the shuffling. Riley held her breath as the curtain was slowly pushed to the side. A small smile played at the corner of her mouth when the door was unlocked and opened. A tall slender woman with smooth tawny skin, like she was made from the sands of a tropical beach, reached her hand out and grasped Riley’s, pulling her inside. Once the door was secured shut and the curtains were drawn Riley was pulled delicately into an embrace.

 “I’m so happy to see you.” The woman says before she pulls back, leaving her hands placed on Riley’s.

 “And I’m always happy to see you, Hana.” Riley said in return. As she looked into Hana’s deep chocolate eyes, she noticed they didn’t sparkle as they usually did. Growing concerned her smile faded and she squeezed Hana’s hands.

 “Is everything alright?” She asked Hana anxiously. Hana looked down at the floor, drawing her long auburn hair forward to cascade around her face. Taking the moment to carefully choose how to continue.

 “My parents are becoming impatient with me.” She continued to stare at the floor but knew she didn’t want to lie to Riley.

 “What do you mean? I don’t understand.” Riley’s concern only grew as her heart rate picked up.

 “They have this notion that I am not taking my lessons seriously. They think I am getting distracted by something and they are trying to figure out what it is.” Hana’s hands fell from Riley’s as she held them up to cover her face, a small sob escaping. Unsure what to do with her hands Riley began picking at her fingers.

 “What are they going to do?” Riley asked as calmly as she could. Hana moved her hands to hold one another in front of her. She lifted her head and revealed the glisten in her eyes and the wetness streaking her cheeks.

 “They are going to send me away if I don’t focus. To another country, Riley. I may never see you again if they do.” Hana whimpered out as the tears continued to stream down her face. Riley moved towards her, placed a hand on the side of Hana’s face, and wiped the tear that slid downward.

 “But if you do as they tell you, you’ll never see me anyways.” The realization hitting her like a ton of bricks. Hana could only nod her head as her chin quivered and the tears fell in greater quantity.

 “Hey.” Riley pulled her other hand up to cup the other side of Hana’s face. Embracing it with both hands and wiping the tears dry.

 “Listen, we’ll figure something out. They can’t control you forever.” Riley now determined, wrapped her arms around her shoulders. Letting Hana sob on her shoulder as she rubbed her back soothingly. Riley began to gently sway as her sobs lessened until she felt her breathing return to normal.

 “I want to show you something.” Riley whispered. Hana pulled back just enough to look at her and nodded her head.

 “I’d like that.” She smiled back, a small glitter back in her eyes.

 Hana grabbed a pair of shoes and a light coat, while Riley pulled off her own damp hoodie. Leaving out the balcony door, Riley grabbed her backpack and helped Hana down the trellis. They swiftly move across the lawn and Riley boosts Hana up over the wall and climbs up after her. As quickly and quietly as ever they make their way away from the large estate. It had finished raining some time ago and now they strolled down the darkened street arm in arm, each enjoying the company of the other. Hana took a moment to peer over at her shorter friend. Riley’s chocolate hair, not far off from her own eyes, was pulled up into a high ponytail. It draped down to sweep gently across her now exposed sun-kissed golden skin. Riley’s honey eyes found hers and a smile beamed up at her.

 “We’re almost there.” Riley said breaking the comfortable silence between the two. Hana was always happy with Riley. Riley had a way of brightening the darkest of corners. Hana grew up with luxuries and social standing, while Riley did not. Riley had to fight for what she wanted, and all she wanted most was freedom. Something that drew Hana to her. Even though Hana was well off, her parents kept her busy learning anything that made her look more appealing to higher-ranking men. To her parents, she didn’t need any friends. When Riley met her, she was lonely but that didn’t matter. They complimented each other in ways no one else had. It was like an invisible magnet that kept pulling them together, and they were both happy for that.

 They had been walking through a public garden. Flowers tended beautifully in an array of colors, shapes, and sizes. They came up to the edge of the garden and continued through into an open grassy field. Riley led her to the top of the hill and stopped.

 “We’re here.” Riley announced turning them around to face the gardens below.

 “It’s a beautiful spot.” Hana said looking around. Riley opened her bag and pulled out a towel and draped it down over the slowly drying grass. She grabbed ahold of Hana’s arm and pulled her down to sit. Then pulling a small light blanket out, she drew close to Hana’s side and laid it over her shoulders.

 “Now if we sit quietly and still enough there is one more addition to this whole thing.” Riley whispered.

 Hana gazed around and took in the sight before her. The moon almost full, shown large and brightly in front of them. Holding its place above the luscious and brightly colored garden below. Then after a few moments, a small flash of light was seen. Then another and another, until there was a group of small dancing lights sparkling in the empty space between them and the rest of the world.

 “Riley, this is beautiful.” Hana said contently. The calm, evident in her posture and voice. They looked at each other and Riley could see the sparkle in her eyes again. The sparkle that only seemed to appear when they were together.

 “So, do you like it?” Riley asked with a grin overtaking her face.

 “I love it.” Was Hana’s reply, smiling gently back before turning to look onto the perfect scene set out before her.

 “Thank you.” Hana whispered as she leaned over and set her head down onto Riley’s shoulder once again. This time in a happy, peaceful, and calm demeanor. Riley shifted her arm to place her hand on Hana’s and leaned her head against hers.

 They stayed there watching the fireflies dance and play in the night. Knowing that they can face anything when they are together, and together they plan to stay.

#choices #play choices #choices stories you play #pixelberry #choices trr #trr #trr fandom #trr fanfic #the royal romance #choices the royal romance #hana lee #trr hana lee #trr mc #hana lee x mc #trr hana lee x mc #au #alternate universe

[khoicesbyk]

The Royal Romance.

A/N: I’ve decided to go into my own little TRR world and create an AU. This will be fun! So; Talley Ho! *in my Sherlock Holmes voice*

Rated: Explicit. | Contains sexual content and strong language. (You know? The usual from me. 😁) | Bolded and/or italicized words are conversations and thoughts of the characters. | Main Characters: King Marquise Rys (LI) and Queen Shanelle Dawkins (MC) | All Characters and names: (except MC and certain original characters, created by me) are property of Pixelberry.

Current Word Count: 1,980 words.

I made a Drabble! Woooooohoooooo! Go me!

Prompt Time! Today I’m using @wackydrabbles Prompt #73 “Why Did You Do It?” It’ll be in bold in black.

Tag List: @lifeaskim @choiceslady @texaskitten30 @bebepac @glaimtruelovealways @kingliam2019 @txemrn @pixie88 @lucy-268 @hopelessromanticmonie @secretaryunpaid @shanzay44 @choicesfannatalie @wackydrabbles @choicesficwriterscreations

I AM UNAPOLOGETICALLY NSFW! READER DISCRETION IS STRONGLY ADVISED!

As always if you’d like to be added to my tag list. Just reblog or DM me and I will gladly add you! 😁😘

Chapter 18.) The Declaration.

(Italicized words are King Marquise’s POV)

I couldn’t believe what I’d just heard. Tariq SaVion, someone I once considered a good friend, had just announced his intention to take the crown. On the day of my father’s funeral, no less.

“Now I’m sure many of you think that I’m being insensitive to his majesty and The Royal Family. I assure you that is not the case. I too mourn the death of King Father. He was a great man. An impeccable leader. Someone who gave his all for and to Cordonia and her people. May he rest in eternal peace. And I do sincerely extend my heartfelt condolences to them in their time of grief.”

“Unbelievable.” I heard my brother say. I stayed silent, holding Shanelle close to me as I listened.

“I’m not saying that his majesty is or has been a terrible person or monarch. But what I am saying is that his choice in queen has left much to be desired. The court doesn’t approve of nor do they trust her. And with good reason. And if they can’t, then my fellow Cordonians neither can you.”

“Excuse me?! Who the fuck does he is?!” I hear my love say out loud. I love her passion and especially her anger.

“I understand that many of you must be saying the same of me as I am of her. Duchess Shanelle wasn’t the only one involved with the scandal. I was as well. It ruined me. And you have every right to question me. But I can at least say this for myself. I’m a fellow Cordonian. She’s not.”

My grip on Shanelle’s hip tightens ever so slightly. No one talks about my future queen like that.

“Duchess Shanelle is not only not a noble but she’s an American. An absolute outsider! One who thinks that, she can just waltz in and take the monarchy for herself! She knows nothing about Cordonia, her customs or her people. For all we know, she’s a devil in a ball gown.”

“Nuh uh! Compared to him, Shanelle’s an absolute angel!” Maxwell quips. He’s right. My love is an angel.

“We as Cordonians can’t trust her. She’ll lead us to ruin! We must stand up! We must revolt! We must throw her out! Because I can guarantee you that his majesty won’t. He’s too blinded by love to get rid of her. Which is why I am challenging for the throne. Per Legitima successione nobilium, I challenge for the crown. Again, I have no ill will towards King Marquise. This has to do with what is in the best interest of the crown, the people and the country.”

“He can’t do that!” I hear Hana blurt out. She’s standing next to my brother who has a weary look on his face.

“As many of you know I am not a noble. But my future queen is.”

“Future queen?! Who’d be dumb enough to marry him?” Drake asks.

He’s a good man that one. Always loyal. Even to a fault. But Drake was right about one thing. No woman would be stupid enough to marry Tariq. Even if it was for political reasons. Or so I thought. Because a woman did take his side.

“Ladies and gentlemen, my future queen: Duchess Kaitlyn Winslow of House Fierro. Because of her noble house being one of the Great Houses, we will be your next king and queen.”

To say I was shocked is an understatement. I’ve always known that Duchess Kaitlyn was always ambitious but, never in a million years did I think she’d align herself with someone the likes of him. He was always someone I figured that she’d consider beneath her. Joke was clearly on me.

We watched as he turned to her and asked, “my dear would you like to say a few words?”

My jaw clenched as I watched her take to the podium.

“Thank you, my future king. As Tariq mentioned we are challenging for the throne and the crown. And I would like to reiterate that this is not a personal attack on his majesty or The Royal Family. This is a battle for you Cordonia. We can’t have some common foreigner ruling our country. It would put us at great risk as a nation. Our enemies will continue to consider us weak! We can’t have that! So when Tariq reached out to me about a mutually beneficial relationship between us, I instantly agreed. I love our country and her people and I, like my future king would do anything to protect it. Which is why we are calling on all of the great houses to hold a parliamentary election, as they did when King Fabian was crowned.”

“Ohhh you gotta be fucking kidding me! That law hasn’t been used or thought of in 500 years!” Leo said with clear anger and aggravation in his voice.

Although my brother was right, the law no matter how outdated, is still on the books and sadly is still valid. And as king there was nothing I could do to stop them from using it.

“My future king and I will be hosting our own debut at my family’s estate. And we cordially invite all nobles, including his majesty and friends to attend. I can promise that it will be a night that no one will forget.”

I felt Shanelle nuzzling my neck. I could tell that she was extremely upset.

“My future queen and I want to thank each of you in the press for attending our joint press conference and we’d especially like to thank our fellow Cordonians for watching. And to his majesty, may the best man win! Even though I already know that the best man is me.”

After turning off the TV and throwing the remote down, it was over. I couldn’t believe it. I just couldn’t believe it. How dare they challenge me? What’s more, how dare they speak that way about Shanelle?! My angel?! My Goddess?! My Queen?! To say that I’m angry is an understatement. My love still hadn’t said anything about what we just saw and I was beginning to feel concerned.

“Will you all give us a moment?” I ask my friends. With nods they walk out of my study, leaving just me and my queen.

“You’re quiet, my queen.” I say to her.

I could feel her trembling body against my chest. I knew then that she was beyond upset.

“Talk to me, Shanelle.”

She shook her head no.

“Please say something, my love. Don’t let what they said about you, get to you.”

That’s when I felt tears on my left shoulder.

“My queen please don’t cry!” I say as I try to soothe her.

“But they’re right about me.” She says as her voice breaks.

When I tilt her chin up to look into her eyes, I see those beautiful brown eyes filled with tears. I’m both hurt and enraged at that point.

“No they aren’t! They don’t know you like I do. They don’t know your passion, your fire, your drive, your willingness to do and be better than before. They certainly don’t know your incredibly large heart. They don’t know your intelligence. They don’t know your adaptability to changing situations. They don’t know your determination. They don’t know your compassion. My love, there’s more to bring a queen than just ruling.”

“But Marquise the court…the court hates me! They don’t want me here! Your mother said it herself, if they can’t and don’t trust or like me, they won’t be compelled to get their people to like me!” She says as she cries in my arms.

“The court is a fickle thing. One minute they love and embrace you and the next, they hate you with the fury and power of 1,000 suns. That shouldn’t stop you my love.”

I rub her back in an attempt to soothe her cries.

“I don't want to be the reason why you lose everything you have worked for!” She cries to me.

“Shanelle look at me! I want you to know and hear me when I say this, you are not the reason why I could or would possibly lose everything! They are! This is solely on them! Not you! Do you understand?” I ask her.

Irrational as her fears may be to me, they were real to her. And that’s all that matters.

“Yes I understand.” She whispered to me.

“Good. Now we have to go on the offensive. Because unfortunately I can’t stop them from calling on that law.”

“Even though you’re the king?” She asks.

“It may be an ancient and decrepit bylaw but it’s a law. And I as king am forbidden to use my power to go against it.” I reply to her.

I see her cries start to dissipate then eventually they stop. I kiss the remaining tears that fall away.

“Why did you do it?” She asks me. I’m a little confused.

“Do what, my queen?” I ask her.

“Stand here and comfort me, knowing that someone wants to take your crown.”

Damn she’s good.

“Because that’s what a king does. He gives comfort and protection even in his own pain, anger and misery. My father taught me that.”

She smiled at me. God that damn smile. I would do anything just to see it.

“Do you feel better, mon amour?” I ask her.

“Yes or at least I’m trying to be.” She replies.

“That’s all I ask. Listen to me. We will fight this. I promise you that. I will not just lay down and let someone take everything I have earned. This is nothing more than a power grab. They don’t care about the country or its people. The crown and the throne are more than just a birthright to me. They are my responsibility to my family, to my people, to my country, to my own honor and duty and especially to you, my love.”

“I don’t understand. What do you mean to me?” She asks.

“As a king, I have a responsibility to my queen. I am your servant before I am a servant of the people. It is up to me to make sure that you are always fulfilled in every way.” I tell her.

She smiled softly at me. Saints give me the strength to not take her on this desk right here right now.

“I’d say that you’re off to a good start, my king.”

There she is. There’s my queen.

“Good. I’d hate to think I’ve been failing in my duties to you, my queen.”

She had this thoughtful look on her face.

“I wouldn't say that you’ve been failing in your duties. Buuuuuuut you have been slacking.”

“Who?! Me?! What?! How?! When?! Where?!” I ask her.

There it is again. That smile that makes me want to scale an erupting volcano. Okay that’s it, dear God if you’re listening: Help! Me! Before! She! Winds! Up! Being! The! Reason! That! I! Don’t! Make! It! Into! Heaven!

“You never finished kissing me.” She replied.

Phew! Crisis of biblical proportions averted.

“Ohhh my! You’re right my queen! Allow me to rectify this egregious oversight on my part at once!”

God I love the taste of her lips! They much like the rest of her, are always soft, supple and decadent. And that kiss…God forgive my sinful thoughts!

“Much better, my king.”

“Good. Now I have to ask you my queen: are you ready to go to war?” I ask her.

“For you? For us? For our people? For our kingdom and country? Hell yeah!” She replied.

“Excellent! Now I believe we’ve been invited to a farce of a debut. And you know how I just love a good party.”

“Well then it’s settled my king. We have a debut to crash.” She said to me with a sly wink.

God I love this woman!

#choices #pixelberry #choices stories you play #khoicesbyk #choices fanfiction #fanfic #queen of cordonia #king of cordonia #queen shanelle #king marquise

[cordonian-literature]

Reluctant Reunion

Summary: Olivia reflects on her relationship with Vivienne

Premise: majority of TRH thrown out the window, but some elements are present. overall i’d say this isn’t canon. the MC’s name is Vivienne (nicknamed Vivi). her and Liam have two children: Eleanor and Evangeline. the gang hasn’t seen each other much.

A/N: hi! so i wanted to practice some writing since i’ve been kinda out of it, so i decided to do a @wackydrabbles​​​ prompt! i’ve seen some people do it and just wanted to participate :) this week’s prompt is not everything is a joke, and will be in bold

A/N 2: the idea for this fic came from Prompt #1407​​ (i’ve changed it up a bit though). i don’t know if i’ll continue this or not, but i’ve been playing around with the idea and just might

Word Count: (+/-) 1540

Warnings: none (i think. feel free to call me out if im wrong)

*All characters belong to Pixelberry, except those unique to my story*

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Olivia tried to do what she could to keep Vivienne at arm’s length. But her smile was so disarming, and she was so genuine — how could one help the overwhelming want to get close to her, to be embraced by the soft care she expressed to everyone in her vicinity? Olivia didn’t want the bubbly feelings, the pounding in her chest. She believed that if she kept ignoring it, the emotions would go away.

The isolation of Lythikos allowed Olivia to stay focused; there was always some issue that would occupy her mind long enough so Olivia would not think of Vivienne, and would instead attend to her people’s concerns like the old rulers of Lythikos.

But Valtoria’s issues were not unique to Vivi’s duchy. The smallest familiarity between Valtorian and Lythikosian concerns would prompt a lighthearted, heartbreakingly friendly phone call from Vivienne. The Queen would invite the Duchess over for a discussion, and would afterward ask Olivia to extend her visit, which Olivia never did.

But something she couldn’t ignore was a surprise invitation from Duke Bertrand — “financial proposals need to be overlooked to confirm suitability for all duchies of Cordonia” prompted Olivia to start towards Ramsford. Olivia did not expect that the King, Queen, and their friends were already there.

It had been Lady Hana’s idea for them all to meet and enjoy an evening over tea after having spent months apart. But for the afternoon, the Queen and Duchess Olivia would attend Duke Bertrand’s meeting.

They both sat in front of Duke Bertrand, their chairs some feet apart, a distance Olivia felt keenly towards her left. Olivia’s chair fully faced the Duke, while Vivienne’s was turned so that in one swift glance she secured both their attentions.

Vivi didn’t hesitate in commenting that Bertrand’s proposal would negatively affect more than half the country. She opened up the discussion, allowing Olivia to speak first, then adding in her own opinions.

The three of them formed a rough plan with enough moving elements that at least one was sure to work. Leaving the office, Olivia made a beeline for the front of the estate.

Her heels tap sharply on the wooden floor. Olivia slows her pace so the taps are the same rhythm as the melody of Vivi’s voice, drawing Olivia into tranquil peace.

Unfamiliar tranquil peace. The inclusivity of Vivi’s words were not well-known to the Duchess that had come to terms with isolation. She wasn’t ready to embrace the friendships that she had disconnected from years ago.

She stood in the front of the estate, watching the fog lift and dance around the marble columns. Some puffs of clouds were so large Olivia could put herself in a daze and imagine she had climbed the North-most mountain in Lythikos, her body kindly begging for oxygen, the ghost of Misha just on her heel. Other warm clouds were so small that Olivia could close them in her palm and diminish it from its lonely existence.

And then it was time for tea. When Olivia walked into the sitting room, the soft colors of the curtain compliment the gentle conversation of the friends who hadn't seen each other in a while. Olivia takes a seat on an empty couch, attempting to avoid bringing attention to herself.

Olivia takes a long breath. She smells the scent of the tea on the small table in front of her, the dry lemony tang of furniture polish, and the faint scent of Vivi's perfume, who had come to sit next to Olivia.

Eleanor takes a seat on the gray velvet settee with her father and asks where her sister, Evangeline, is.  

As if she'd been conjured by the mention of her name, the girl enters the room and grabs the pitcher off the table. Olivia notices that she is almost as tall as her father. Evangeline stares carefully at everyone's glass as she fills them, the tea pitcher looking like a child's toy in her hands.

She smooths the edge of her rose-colored dress as she sits near her mother, cupping the tea in her hands as if it were a valuable heat source. She looks over at her sister, who converses with Liam and Drake.

After she reached the age of twenty, Liam pulled Eleanor on the front lines of Cordonia’s issues, leaving the girl little time to spend with her family. Many called the Crown Princess rough, claiming her serious exterior was too extreme.

But now, next to her father and his friend, Eleanor is relaxed and leans back against the cushion. Evangeline eyes her sister, her own posture as stiff and straight as a wall. She analyzes the sleeveless, light green dress gently draped over Eleanor.

“Do you want me to put some ice in your tea?” Evangeline asks, motioning towards her sister’s casual attire. “You seem like you feel hot.”

Eleanor drifts apart from Liam and Drake’s conversation, a vacant smile on her face as she answers Evangeline. “No? Why do you ask?”

“Oh, nothing,” Evangeline smirks and takes a calm sip of her tea, a laugh hidden behind every word. “Just that I’ve never seen you wear something so… revealing.” She gives another critical look, her eyes glazing down to her sister’s shoes and back up to her face, giving an angry smile at the last second. “It doesn’t look too good on you. I’ll tell my dressmaker to make something that suits your style.”

“Thanks, but there’s no need.” Eleanor’s face falls as she turns back to her father.

“Oh, don’t be like that!” Evangeline leans over to put a hand on her sister’s shoulder. “I was just joking with you. It’s sarcasm. Ever heard of it?”

“Not everything is a joke just because you say it is. Sarcasm or not.” The sisters turn away from each other. 

Vivi gives a gentle laugh in the direction of her daughters. “Drake was your babysitter once and all his sarcasm rubbed off on you.”

Conversations are paused as everyone absorbs Vivi’s words. Olivia remembers the diplomatic trip Liam and Vivi took to Italy less than two decades ago. Eleanor was able to come along, but Evangeline had been too small. Duke Bertrand and Lord Maxwell were also meant to make an appearance, Lady Hana was called to Shanghai to visit her parents, and Olivia had issues in Lythikos to attend to. The only person available had been Drake, and after that one week, he had become baby Evangeline’s favorite person.

When she was a child, she would constantly urge her parents to let her go on camping or fishing trips with Uncle Drake. Liam would always accompany them, but the younger sister had always been cold towards Eleanor, throwing a fit if her parents suggested she accompany them.

The group chuckles when they remember, even earning a smile from Olivia. But the grins dissolve into lost looks. They meet each other’s eyes, and though Olivia remains focused on the tea pitcher, she can sense the sad questions they kept to themselves: where had it all gone wrong? How did we let the distance become so large?

Olivia knows these questions depress those around her, but she has had a lifetime to adapt to them. From her lonely childhood — being her parents’ second priority, then being treated as the traitors’ daughter after they died. To growing distanced from the friends of her youth and her first love — Liam making it clear to her countless times that he would never reciprocate her feelings, and Olivia eventually coming to terms that such a love was never meant to be her’s. To a vast space having formed between her and the only woman that had ever believed in Olivia.

Maxwell gives an audible sigh. “If only my puns rubbed off on Eleanor.” 

The girl rolls her eyes, while her sister inspects her freshly painted nails. 

Maxwell playfully scolds her: “Were my play on words not good enough for you?” 

Eleanor laughs, a bright smile lifting the mood of the room. She speaks of her childhood, everything she remembers and misses, the adults adding in silly details of her childish antics. But Olivia has no memories of Eleanor’s childhood, nor of Evangeline’s. 

The friends’ conversations flowed gracefully, but Olivia could not contribute anything. 

And so she stood and left, quietly lifting herself out of her seat and spinning towards the door. She wondered if her driver were ready to bring her back to Lythikos. 

The fog embraces her, wrapping wet coils of air around her waist, drawing her away from Ramsford, away from memories she wasn’t a part of, away from Vivi.

But before she can lower her head and enter the limo, Vivi’s slender fingers wrap around Olivia’s wrist, drawing her away from the vehicle and slipping an envelope into her hands.

Her disarming smile doesn’t disappear until Olivia has opened the envelope: it’s an invitation to the palace.

Decline it, her head tells her. 

Accept it, her heart tells her. 

Vivi sighs, holding her arms against herself as if she were about to break. 

“You’re cold,” Olivia states.

Again that smile. Vivi agrees to go inside, Olivia agrees to consider the invitation, though she doesn’t want to. 

But her incompetent driver leads her to the palace anyway.

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i don’t have anyone to tag - but if you would like to be tagged if i continue this, let me know :)

#wacky drabbles #trr fanfiction #trr au fanfic #the royal romance fanfic #the royal heir fanfic #trr fanfic #cordonia #liam rys #trr liam x mc #trr olivia x mc #olivia nevrakis #choices fanfic #choices fanfiction #choices the royal romance fanfic

[argylemnwrites]

Why Are We Still Waiting? - Chapter 1

Pairing: Drake Walker x MC (Riley Liu)

Book: The Royal Romance (It Couldn’t Wait Another Moment universe, about 21 months after that epilogue, about 8 months since the prologue)

Word Count: ~4400

Rating: PG-13 (language)

Summary: A new member of the family arrives, and both Drake and Riley reflect on how much things have changed over the past 3 years.

Author’s Note: Let’s try this again, shall we? Sorry for the delay between the prologue and this chapter, but I’m much happier with the character arcs I’ve got planned now, and I think you all will enjoy the story more, too. To catch up on this series, you can check out the It Couldn’t Wait Another Moment masterlist (link in bio).

It was a quiet night in the Kensington neighborhood of Brooklyn. Anderson was curled up in his armchair, dozing lightly after his evening walk. The TV was on, the eleven o’clock news about to start any moment, and Drake was settled onto the couch, ready to watch, no matter how much Riley teased him about being “an old man” for still using the television to get his news. She was stretched out on the couch next to him, her toes tucked under his thigh. She was finishing up her work for the day, reviewing the twitter buzz for the reopening of a restaurant that hired the PR firm she worked for after a video of the former head chef going on a racist tirade surfaced. It was boring, average, and incredibly routine. It was the type of evening Drake enjoyed the most.

He knew Riley saw nights in like this as their “catch up” nights, but honestly, Drake looked forward to them a lot. Sure, in the more than two years he’d lived in New York, he’d come to find many things he loved about the city. The variety of food available at hole-in-the-wall restaurants was amazing, and the portion sizes and prices were always right. The mind games and backstabbing of court were replaced with direct, blunt friendships with Luke, Sunil, Caleb, and Omar, men he’d gotten to know at some of his different temp postings before he got hired on as a permanent employee at the law firm three months ago. And sure, it’s not like he had some great passion for reviewing and cataloging court filings and documents, but it paid the bills. And no one in his life judged him for it.

After Riley had earned her degree, she’d talked a lot about the two of them starting to save up for him to go back to school, researching which universities would take some or all of his previously-earned credits. But at some point, Drake realized that wasn’t really something he wanted. When he’d been younger, leaving Cordonia to get a Bachelor’s degree had felt like a way to establish himself as his own person, independent from the pressure of Court, separate from Liam. But now, he lived in a different city. He had a fiancée and a steady job and his own life already. He didn’t need a degree or a university experience to gain that independence.

And truth be told, with the variety of office jobs he’d held when he was still temping, he was pretty convinced that any career opportunities he could gain from having a university degree would not be jobs he actually wanted, or at least not ones he wanted any more than what he had now. He didn’t want to toil away at some corporate bullshit, striving just to inch up that ladder to get that next promotion. Plus, it turned out he was about as well-suited for office politics as he’d been for courtly politics, which probably shouldn’t have been a surprise. Additionally, if he went back to school, they would have to pay for six semesters, not just two like they’d had to for Riley. Earning that degree just seemed like a total waste of time and money.

Instead, they were slowly saving up for a variety of things these days. Their real honeymoon, not their would-be honeymoon they went on after they postponed their wedding. A road trip out to the West Coast. A bigger apartment for when they had kids. In all honesty, it turns out that he didn’t so much care what his job was. He wasn’t like Liam who found purpose and satisfaction from his work. Nor was he going to be like Maxwell and turn some zany endeavor into an honest-to-god career writing made-for-TV movies. And he did not have anywhere near the skill set and connections that Hana had, allowing her to open a international bakery chain that turned all its profits into disaster relief donations or grants and low interest small business loans for women in impoverished countries. If his job was able to allow him to take care of those he loved, he was happy enough. Taking care of his family and spending time with them was always going to be the most important thing to him. 

His family was on his mind often these days. Savannah was just over two weeks from her due date, and Drake was excited to actually get to know his niece or nephew from the start this time. He and Riley had a trip out to Cordonia scheduled next month, soon enough after the due date that they would get to meet the baby early, but not so early that they would be totally unwelcome visitors. Riley could only get one week off, but Drake was staying for an extra week after she left to spend a little more time with his niece or nephew. He figured it was Savannah’s way of trying to make up for all the time he missed with Bartie when he was little. Regardless, he was looking forward to meeting the second baby Beaumont.

In general, life was just good at the moment. Honestly, things had been good for a while. It was a feeling Drake had never imagined experiencing so consistently. But his life was stable, he knew he and Riley were on a good path, and he had a handful of close friends, both in the city and in Cordonia. His job was tolerable for the pay he earned. He really didn’t feel like he could ask for much more. So he watched the news with a smile on his face, as Riley sat next to him, replying to the occasional tweet.

By the time the newscast got to weather, Drake was yawning. He knew it would just provide more ammo for Riley to tease him about being old, but he couldn’t help it. It was a weeknight, it was late, and he got up before she did.

“Is it bedtime at the retirement home?” she quipped almost on cue, her eyes not leaving her phone screen as she nudged him with her foot.

Drake just shook his head. “Yeah, yeah. You coming to bed soon?”

Riley shrugged. “Not right away. In a little bit.”

He nodded as he stood up, dropping a kiss to her forehead as he passed on his way to the bathroom and bedroom.

“Wait, you forgot your phone,” Riley called out. He spun and saw her extending her arm back over the arm of the couch toward him, her eyes still glued on her own screen. He stepped forward to grab it, but it started buzzing in her hand, clearly startling her as she let out a little yelp and brought the phone forward to see who was calling.

“Why is Maxwell calling you at… 6:25 in the morning?” she asked, quickly doing the time zone math.

He just shrugged as he took the phone from her and swiped to answer the call. “Maxwell, what are you doing up?”

“Break out the cigars! It’s a girl!”

It took Drake a few seconds to mentally catch up to Maxwell’s statement. “Wait, you mean Savannah-”

“Had the baby? Yup! Just under 3 kilos and screaming up a storm,” said Maxwell with a chuckle, “They’re still deciding on a name, but I think it’ll be Caroline Annabelle Beaumont. At least that’s what they were leaning to when I stepped out to give them some privacy and give you a call.”

“I thought someone was going to call me when she went into labor?”

“Well… Savannah kind of forbid anyone from calling you. She said that you would just worry too much and would be blowing up her phone when she needed to be focused on other things. She pointed out that it wouldn’t really make a difference, either, with you being in the Big Apple.”

Drake shook his head and sank back onto the couch. “Unreal.”

“Hey, I vouched for you, man! I told her that you would be fine, but her word was kind of final, you know? Given the situation and all. Anyway, she promised she’d give you a call when it was all over.”

“So why are you the one calling me then?”

“Ouch, I’m hurt. I thought we were best friend roomies!” Maxwell said with a ton of dramatic flair. Drake could practically picture him clutching his shirt in mock pain.

“That’s not…” he started with an eye roll, “What I meant was, why isn’t Savannah calling me to share the news herself?”

“She… well… she had to be rushed back for an emergency c-section.”

“What?” Drake felt his heart rate pick up instantly, even though he knew in his mind that whatever had been the danger was likely resolved at this point.

“Yeah… I had stepped out to the hallway with Dad when they were checking to see how, er… dilated she was, when suddenly the midwife was calling out ‘Cord!’ and in an instant there were dozens of staff running into her room.”

“And you’re just now telling me?” Drake growled out. He felt Riley’s hand on his knee. He knew he should probably put the phone on speaker so that Riley could hear more than one half of this conversation, but he was too focused on not missing any details to risk pulling the phone away from his ear.

“It all happened so quickly. One second she was joking with me in between contractions, the next she was being wheeled out of the room and a nurse was explaining to Bertrand the gear he was going to have to put on to go into the OR. Before Dad and I could even figure out what was going on, Bertrand was back and told us it was a girl.”

“He left her alone during everything?” 

“Apparently, the only risk was to the baby, not to Savannah, but since she was attempting natural labor, they had to knock her out, I guess? Anyway, he was with her when she woke up, holding their little girl. I don’t know, the details kind of went over my head, but everyone is happy and healthy now!”

Drake just let out a massive sigh as he ran a hand over his face. It was a lot to process, but he didn’t think Maxwell would have told him all this info and then lied about Savannah and the baby being okay. He sometimes still felt strange, choosing to live so far away from his sister and Liam. He knew it wasn’t rational. He had certainly been more supportive to Savannah through this pregnancy than her first since he actually knew she was pregnant this time, but part of him felt guilty anytime something major happened and he wasn’t right there.

They were thoughts he didn’t like bringing up with Riley, because he wasn’t sure how to phrase it so that it didn’t sound like he resented her for the fact that he lived in a different country. He just had this feeling it would come across that way, when that wasn’t how he felt at all. But trying to work through the storm of emotions that bubbled up whenever something major happened to his friends or family in Cordonia when Maxwell had called to just let him know he had a niece was probably not the wisest decision. So, he swallowed his emotions down and focused on the good news. His sister had a little girl and it sounded like everyone was fine now.

“Well, tell Savannah and Bertrand congratulations and that I’ll call them in the morning here, alright? And thanks for calling me to let me know.”

“Of course! It’s my duty as part of our uncle brotherhood!”

“Don’t think for a second I’m going to start using that phrase, Maxwell.”

“I’ll convince you yet; you’ll see.”

Drake just shook his head as he said, “Bye, Maxwell.”

“Bye, Drake. Send my love to Riley. And prepare for a barrage of photos from yours truly.”

Drake placed his phone on the couch next to him and let out a sigh before facing Riley. Her phone was now tucked away somewhere as she stared at him, eyes wide and full of concern.

“What happened?”

“Savannah had the baby. A little girl.”

“What had you upset?”

“There were some complications, but he says everything’s fine now.”

Riley snaked her arms around him and gave him a little squeeze. “I’m sure it is. Is he gonna send some pictures?”

Drake nodded, and Riley curled up fully next to him on the couch, leaning her head against his shoulder, waiting for the photos of his niece. Their niece. Kind of.

He glanced down at the ring on her left hand that rested on his knee. Not for the first time, he wondered if they made the right call postponing their wedding for Savannah’s sake. It didn’t feel fair, that Bertrand and Savannah had it all - married with two kids - while they had put plans on pause. And sure, both Savannah and Bertrand had thanked them profusely. But watching as they moved forward with their lives while he and Riley had to plan and save and budget all over again just left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Sometimes, it felt like he should have just told his sister just how insane her ask was. He and Riley would have been married for almost eight months by this point. Maybe they would be talking about starting their own family. But deep down, Drake knew that nothing good came from playing the “what if” game. So he tried to just soak in the moment, at peace and at home with Riley, taking in pictures of Savannah’s new baby. He was happy, his sister and her new baby were fine, and his life was steady. He couldn’t really ask for anything more, could he?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Riley kicked her legs against the exam table and tugged her sweatshirt a little closer as she checked the time on her phone again. Dr. Mehta wasn’t running that late, but Riley was just a little anxious about this appointment. When she’d called to schedule her next depo injection, she was surprised that she’d been booked for a longer appointment with Dr. Mehta herself, not Val, Dr. Mehta’s nurse. She wasn’t sure if something was wrong or why this was happening. All she knew is that she needed to get her depo before their trip to Cordonia. It would be too late to wait until she got back.

She knew Drake was excited to get back and see everyone, as well as meet his new niece, Caroline. But, truth be told, Riley always found it a bit strange being back in Cordonia, even more so now that Hana had moved to London full time. Even though she’d been a nobody in New York for over two years, she still got recognized every time she and Drake had been back there. Last visit, they’d somehow even attracted enough attention that The Ruby Rise, one of the tabloids there, had run a piece speculating they had come back to enter into some sort of thruple with Liam. The whole thing had been a total mind fuck. Being back just always felt a little bit like stepping into a time capsule or a portal to this very weird time period of her life, one where she ended up grabbing Drake and bolting for the exit as soon as she could.

She supposed that wasn’t an entirely fair comparison. After all, it’s not like she considered her time in Cordonia a negative one. For the most part, she’d had a fun experience, and most of her closest friends came from that time in her life. But it still felt weird, returning to the world of balls and galas and courtly politics where she’d been on her best behavior for months. Now that she wasn’t formally a part of that circle, she didn’t hold back from swearing or snarking when she was there. It always caught at least a few people off guard and fully scandalized Bertrand consistently. Olivia had remarked at Savannah and Bertrand’s wedding that the potty-mouthed, bitchy version she was finally fully seeing was somehow more and less annoying at the same time. 

Two sharp knocks jolted Riley out of her thoughts. She turned her head to the exam room door as Dr. Mehta entered with a smile, a clipboard in her hand. 

“Sorry about the wait,” she said with a smile as she plopped down on the stool by the desk and rolled over to sit in front of Riley. “And you don’t need to be up there if you don’t want to. We just need to chat.”

Riley frowned at that, but Dr. Mehta must have noticed that, because she let out a little chuckle. “Nothing bad, I promise! I just wanted to talk to you about your contraceptive options. Honestly, I should have brought this up at your appointment back in December. I just did my math wrong when I was reviewing your chart then.”

“I’m really happy on the depo, doctor.”

She gave Riley a little smile as she said, “And I’m glad. But unfortunately Depo Provera is only safe to use for two years. And we’ve reached that point.”

Riley felt a wave of panic rush through her. “I can’t go back on the pill! I was always terrible about remembering to take it.” It was the truth. Back years ago, she’d been awful about remembering to take her pill, and it was almost never at the same time of day. 

“That’s fine. You aren’t my only patient who struggles with that, I promise. That’s why I wanted to talk about other long term options for you. I’m assuming no plans to try for pregnancy in the next couple of months?”

“God no!”

She laughed at that. “Just making sure! I think for you, either an IUD or an implant are going to be the best options.” She passed Riley a couple of pamphlets and went over the relevant details, side effects, and benefits.

“So, if you want to think about what you want and give my office a call in the next couple of days, we can get you in next week,” Dr. Mehta concluded.

Riley shook her head. “I’m traveling out of the country next week.”

Dr. Mehta tilted her head back and forth a couple of times, then checked her watch. “Well, I doubt we’ll be able to get you in for an IUD placement this week, but if you have a little time now, I can place an implant today.”

So, maybe a half hour later, Riley found herself walking out of the OBGYN office suite, a thick bandage wrapped around her bicep, pleased that she was set for birth control for the next few years. Not only was it one less thing to worry about, but it felt like the sort of thing a responsible adult did. After living so long with no consideration for the future, flying by the seat of her pants, diving into massive decisions without a second of thought, she knew that times like this, where she planned for her long-term, represented a decent amount of progress.

It was strange, in a way, to be consistently thinking about the future. For so long, her life had been just her scraping by, hoping to claw her way into a slightly better situation. Getting to go and live with her mother again when she was in a shitty foster home. Getting to go and live in a foster home when her mother relapsed hard or when she had a shitty, creepy dealer as a boyfriend. Getting a new job that would pay more. Always scrambling, never dreaming beyond her next move.

But now, she had a white collar job that paid her a college graduate salary, she had a nice apartment, and she lived with her dog and her fiancé. No one would guess that she’d lived off food stamps and free school lunches and had bounced around from couch to couch and then from foster home to foster home. She lived the life of a well-adjusted woman, and that meant considering the long-term, not just the short term. And today she’d done just that. She felt responsible and capable. It was a nice feeling.

She’d been all ready to brag about her very mature decision, but when she got back to their apartment, things were chaotic. Anderson was bouncing off the walls, and Drake was livid on the phone with the airline about their upcoming flight, so she took out the dog, and by the time she got back, Drake basically had dinner on the table. All thoughts about her birth control were pushed out of her mind through dinner and some heated hands of poker, until she was getting ready for bed that evening. She was tossing her sweatshirt into the hamper and Drake was by the dresser he’d painted lime green for her. As she got undressed, he caught sight of the bandage on her arm for the first time.

“Riley, what happened?” he asked, darting over, eyes locked on her left arm as he sank down on the edge of the bed to inspect it closer.

She couldn’t help but smile. His reaction was so predictable. “Nothing.”

“But your arm…” He gently traced his fingers over her bandage, as if he would find some evidence of some horrible injury on her, something he somehow missed and needed to correct.

“New birth control. Bandage comes off tomorrow.”

“Oh. Okay.” He still seemed leery and continued his inspection of her arm. “Why’d you change? Was something wrong?”

Riley shrugged. “My doctor said that I had reached my limit for depo. Besides this one lasts three years. Seemed mad convenient.”

Drake’s fingers stopped their path with her words, his eyes jumping from the bandage up to her face. “Three years?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh.” He didn’t say anything else, just stood up, walked back to the dresser, and started rifling through his drawer.

“What?”

“It’s nothing, Liu.”

“Clearly it’s something,” she said, joining him by the dresser, forcing herself into his personal space until he made eye contact with her again. “You’ve never given a shit what I’ve done for birth control before. What’s up, Drake?”

He shook his head a little before returning to rifling through the drawer, flipping through old t-shirt after old t-shirt. “I told you - it’s nothing. Since you’re the one who has to deal with any side effects or whatever, it’s obviously your call. Have you seen my blue Cordonian football shirt?”

She let out a sigh. “Don’t change the subject.”

He took a moment before he responded, closing his eyes for just a second and taking a deep breath. “It’s stupid.” He opened his eyes again and gave his head a little shake, his eyes still glued on the drawer. “I just… I don’t know, I guess…”

“You want kids within three years.” She finished his thought for him, knowing without a doubt that was what he was struggling to tell her.

Drake finally looked up at her and shrugged. “I mean, it’s not like I have a timeline or anything, but… I don’t know. Three years is a long ways off, you know?”

She did know. “I agree; a lot can change in three years. In fact, three years ago, you were just some rude asshole who clearly thought I was a crown chaser.”

He rolled his eyes at that before quipping back, “I just didn’t realize someone recklessly impulsive enough to hop on a private jet with a couple of guys she’d known for less than 24 hours could survive to be your age. It was really a compliment, me assuming you at least had a goal in mind.”

“When did you realize that I was just flying by the seat of my pants and clearly had no plan whatsoever?”

“When you told Olivia you were going to slap her. That degree of lack of diplomacy just can’t be found in someone who knows how to become queen.”

“But you still thought I was going to be queen at that point.”

“I mean, I just assumed you were going to stumble your way into the role, but do you really want to get into why I thought you would be queen?”

She shook her head, laughing lightly as she placed her hands on his chest and nudged him backwards to their bed, straddling his lap as he sat down on the end. “No, I think the less said there, the better. Besides, we both know I would have been the world’s shittiest queen.”

Drake opened his mouth to respond to that, but Riley didn’t give him a chance, leaning in and kissing him. After a moment, he deepened the kiss, sliding one hand to her shoulder and running another through her hair. But a few seconds later, he pulled back slightly, his hand sliding over the bandage on her arm. He stared at it, tracing his fingers over it again and again. 

“It’s an implant, Drake. I can get it removed if for some reason we are ready for kids in two years or whatever,” Riley said, sliding her fingers under his chin, redirecting his eyes from that damn bandage back to her face. “It’s not a big deal, okay?”

He swallowed roughly, but then nodded. “Okay, Liu.” And then his lips were back on hers, his hands working under her tank top, sliding it up bit by bit. She rolled her hips down against him, ready to move on from their conversation. She could think of far more enjoyable ways to spend the rest of their evening than the minutiae of her birth control choices after all. And as they tumbled backwards onto their bed, she tried not to think about the fact that Drake avoided touching her left arm for the rest of the night.

Permatag:  @walkerswhiskeygirl   @riley--walker  @bebepac @ravenpuff02 @oofchoices @octobereighth @drakewalker04 @kimmiedoo5  @mfackenthal  @thequeenofcronuts  

The Royal Romance/The Royal Heir: @iaminlovewithtrr @ao719 @mskaneko @katedrakeohd @jovialyouthmusic @marshmallowsandfire @axwalker @kingliam2019 @sirbeepsalot @texaskitten30 @princessleac1 @ladyangel70 @dcbbw @yaushie

Drake x MC: @no-one-u-know @drakeandcamilleofvaltoria  @iplaydrake @gibbles82 @drakewalkerisreal @notoriouscs  @drakesensworld @drake-colt-lover-99

It Couldn’t Wait Another Moment: @shz256  @thequeenchoices  @sunnyxdazed​

#drake walker #drake x mc #trr fanfic #trr au #trr au fanfic #trr #choices fanfiction

[lizzybeth1986]

KLAW DAY 1: THROWBACK

For Throwback Day I thought I'd revisit an old favourite of mine, That Old Grape Juice. I initially wanted to write it as a four parter - two parts that would focus on Liam and Olivia's friendship, and two that would (at the time) focus on a budding romance between Drake and Kiara. For obvious reasons, the Driara chapters never happened...but I do love the two Liam and Olivia fics I managed to write 😁

Cabernet Franc is the first chapter of this short series. It is set in Lythikos in TRR1 Ch 7, shortly after Olivia mocks Savannah in front of Drake. I hc'd at the time that she spent some time showing Liam around after that.

Chardonnay shows the Lythikos Ball in Ch 8, from Liam's point of view rather than the MC's. It also explores Liam's reaction to the kiss Olivia forces on him at that Ball and how he handles that situation.

Under the cut I'll be going through the process and experience of writing this fic!

1. What about this character inspired you to write this piece?

Oh, so many things!

- Often the Liam and Olivia equation was analysed back then mostly from Olivia's perspective, leading many to believe he didn't care much for her just because he wasn't romantically inclined. I believe that is not at all the case. This fic was an exploration of Liam's perspective of their friendship, while waking up to these new feelings he has for my MC Esther.

- This was written before Liam's Gastrodiplomacy scene in TRR3, but goddamn did I already get the impression that this man had an extremely extensive palate 😋 The food and the wine were DEFINATE inspirations!!

- I really, really, for once...wanted the kiss Olivia pushed on him to be viewed as a violating act, not as some comic thing or some political move that canon wanted to portray!

2. What was your process like?

I have NO experience with wine or any alcohol. Nor have I ever had lobster in my life. So a lot of my time was spent reading up on wines, trying to figure out what would be perfect for which chapter...and around that I would build my story!!

There was a lot more space for me to freely pick and choose what I wanted for "Cabernet Franc". My only requirement was that there should be a mention of vanilla, one of Liam's favourite flavours! Based on that I was able to choose the cheese as well. Certain sequences I'd had fixed in my mind before I did the research - I knew there needed to be a joke about the bust of Luther Nevrakis, and that the conversations between Liam and Olivia needed interruptions from the real world - in the shape of Olivia's secretary Anne-Marie. I knew I wanted Anne-Marie to be both a reminder to Liam of the origins of Esther, the girl he is growing to love, as well as someone who has to put up with so much of Olivia's tantrums and moods. It was a matter of trying to weave all these together with Liam and Olivia's contrasting views of their relationship as a connecting factor!

For "Chardonnay" I needed to work under a few restrictions. Because it was set during the Lythikos Ball, I knew that canon had already established lobster bisque as the main meal. It was more a matter of which wine would pair well with that...and even better if it were a white wine to contrast with the red one of the previous chapter!! I also needed to keep in mind that Liam is seated far away from Esther and Hana's table, so he may not see much. The prominent sequences I had in mind were Liam's confrontation of Olivia after he realizes she's treated Esther and Hana badly, the Kiss™, and the ensuing conversation between Olivia and Liam. I needed to take the underlying tensions of the previous chapter and double them in this one!!

3. What part of creating this piece gave you the most joy?

I wouldn't say joy...there's nothing joyful about this particular sequence in Chardonnay. But it did give me some comfort to write Liam's reaction to Olivia's kiss and have him view it as something he didn't consent to and was deeply uncomfortable with. I also have Olivia realize immediately that she crossed a line and rush in to apologize to him. Though that conversation then gets derailed into a brief discussion about propriety and public image, I needed to establish first and foremost how violating Olivia's gesture was here from Liam's point of view.

4. Did you have a playlist to get you in the mood for creating?

Not for this one!! Just a lot of tabs on my browser for wines 😅😅

5. Are there differences in the way you make content for this character, and the way they are depicted in regular canon/fan content? If so, why?

Re: canon, yes, definitely. Canon and some of the fandom don't exactly center Liam a lot in his own story and he is often used to make a point about how irresistible the MC is. I like exploring him as his own character, viewing him not only in romantic but also platonic relationships. Some of my favourite fics to write for him are the friendship fics I've made between him and another lady of the court like Hana, Kiara or Olivia.

Many Liam stans have special and unique ways of looking at him, and I'd like to believe that my Liam has his own uniqueness among them too. I like to explore his cultural background and since a lot of my content also looks at race relations, that plays a part in the way I write Liam too.

#king liam #kingliamappreciationweek #KLAW #the royal romance #the royal heir #the royal finale #KLAW Day 1 #KLAW Day 1: Throwback #lizzybeth1986 #content: fanfic

[xesoteric-extraterrestrialx]

I am not suicidal, references

“The never ending story”

I am Midna Saria Zelda

I am Rosalina Daisy Peach

I am (Never finished the game) Namine Kairi

I am thumbalina I am Anastasia

Pocahontas , jasmine , Ariel , venelope , tangled, mulan

Princess’s in both avatars and valarien 1000planets

I am the pink (cartoon) panther Sherlock Holmes

I am flame princess I am marceline I am princess bubblegum (berry princess too) (male opposites too so nyah)

Observers are like inside out emotions

(other beings will be harder to explain, 6th sense, paranorman, dragonfly, (find a movie that shows how we see them too hard to explain) (predator halosuits basically, see little bit of the lining and can tell it’s them and the baseball field one can feel // sense they’re there // see the “invisible” lining, some entities make heat radiation movements when move? Like heat off a car on hot day, the outline of them is easier to see, the glitches and eyes too but idk how to explain...)

(Others come through devices like digimon, time travel room like digimon, girl who lept, summer wars, etc- so we must be online - interweb- connect to astral realm- how to stop them controlling dreams and have lucid ones again- how to connect to multiverse

(Last dream I gave them cereal but why did they put me on a bus... suspicious... They rape me during it too after we passed a snowy street... (learn to wake from them when you realize you’re not in control or change it drastically and don’t allow them access to do so anymore somehow, well get there! They lied about protecting while I sleep.. (healing ones & the one whom says they claim me..) I bubble self somehow, someone protects me from remembering or experiencing full dream- thankful of light beings)

Sugar spice and everything nice = wake up I am the spice girls Ginger - social sporty - masculine scary - dark// used to be sexual posh - used to be judging baby spice (don’t care if anyone doesn’t understand littles) - feminine (but goth darks- pales - pastels)

Raven, Lydia Deetz, Legion, Hana fruits basket, jasper empath abilities can absorb their sadness like Deetz, puzzles like brea, avatar elements, power up, the last mimzy, X-men- abilities)

Mc’s based off Sakura meme and Sleepy Ash character types (bunch more but these two are of age above 21 (find more anime’s like new game kawaii slice of life character like me (kagura is a little, that anime she seems like she morphs chibi but it just express’s how a little is, more laid back and chillen with video games or cartoons compared to more conscious and active when around others, sleepy ash does it too, get all meh and like a chibi mini plushie of themselves- Harley Quinn is a little, jinx LEauge of legends, Shiro, Raven and more, Lucy// Nyuu but more intelligent kind of, find autistic characters too or just explain in this all// trauma like Crona) and older dudes, my hero pro hero’s for ex) // my characters will be 27 & 29)

I am Carrie (world of gumball- she’s eons)

I am the swan princess, peach, nausica studio Ghibli princesses

I am sweet pea(escapism) & baby doll(dissociation), rocket, blondie, amber (5 personas)- sucker punch

I am number four - abilities as well - find 7 or more

Star Wars (still need to watch all) I am probably another character too but I know the first Queen and they used that to use humanity against me but I already wanted them saved so forgot what it said in there but there were no coincidences when they were threatening to slaughter me and tried to kill me in the hospitals(cpep for sure- stole some memory and deja vu of dying there before, they had time wars too because of all info and trying to wed me.. & manipulate but I can’t be mk ultraed like they usually do with gangstalking, safest here since these can’t slaughter me either just collecting spiritual evidence while living here and will move out once afford, trying to help wake them up matrix wise but was told they were slaughtered and reptilians roleplaying as my family, tried to kill me multiple times and try to say go sin and bs but I’m not dumb I need to save all and they’re gross af lmao, like precious so disgusting.. & that movie where the girl did ballet and I connected it to jokers ballet.. both sides are sin spiritually so I will save up for my own place(damsel haha my life.. *repunzel.. tangled.. Cinderella- into the woods- save self and escape like su) and try to heal them from afar, even if they don’t try to heal I can give food and help out financially, won’t be with that soul group or these reptilians next round but can’t die and living for eons (matrix shuts down if I die it felt weird- static numb- pins and needles) since illuminati(organization 13) are trying to get me (namine- kairi) ,) start business in basement of art and my own merch kawaiispooky healing shadow light work and then get place of own, can use rl experiences to write about like I am rn) & princess Leila and probably another like guardians of galaxy I am green skinned pink hair and the empath from second (sister is the blue sister in first) princess in valareian(explains my soul and outside worlds) and mc girl (vessel- makes it easier for others to understand, so many perspectives)

(Gypsy - me) priest - sin religion control (knight - humanity) quaz- new fam members whom feel like him (don’t judge them if they help they’re like super hero’s!) but are positive and good spirited

Use frequencies during sad or bad parts to attract beings whom need to vent or heal from those things and let them vent and express self crying or gratitude, beautiful message of healing and then higher frequencies so beings from higher realms can help guide them through the healing process instead of being trapped by beings whom don’t want to heal, heal and sage out as many as you can help, all need to heal!!! Healing = beautiful strength

(Hunger games situation (I am catniss) (studio Ghibli princess mononoke- attack on titan (walls map)- sword art (tower like transformers) - SU - X-men - MIB - trolls 2 map - children of whales map - Zelda map (need to double check Zelda map) ) (Batman lego movie and lego movie) (twilight zone)

Spice girls - dc super hero girls (Harley Quinn and Barbara) - Charlie angels - kill bill - dogma

Flcl- work station symbolism - dead leaves- panty and stocking - redline

Vessel - Zelda human (Janine, silent, aka timid, tangled, mulan, Cinderella-elf) princess, also the zora princess’s ruto (mipha-another realm- higher realm-Aqua also made reps know they can be healers too when they watched I learned about that- healing- Pocahontas- Anunnaki) deku princess(lower realm- reps-Ravens story -jasmine), Spirit sage saria (3rd earth abilities-nature-ferngully-fae-Persephone-protector of nature-sage) & soul - minda twilight princess (higher realm- Tiamat- space-rosalina-Brave-venelope)

Soul old soul, Spirit new soul, vessel autism

Lonely island - turtle

Eevees

(I don’t trust the chancler- rat race jupiter ascending, dark crystal, Star Wars)

(Empire- cabal - organization-Galactic Fed13(Supposed to be like Star Wars and will be- supposed to be like lilo and stitch and supposed to be like guardians of the galaxy)

(Rebels are 7deadlysins(Pink is 4th) sins but really lazy 6- related to the empire but ones that wants to end sin) (empire doesn’t want eveyone spiritual to have control-7 want to wake all up so all can heal or at least I do, pretty sure the six just want to dom me in the past.. So we are not lust we hate be lusted for and we stand for empathy and justice! We are all multi gender and they make fun of my feminine side (in past and killed me since I didn’t want the business to be the way it was and didn’t want to be morman with them since literally everyone is related to everyone and they’re made I realize that again and that’s why they’re freaking out that I want to be single forever- garnet stronger than you- they are jasper I am Lapris-spinel symbolism is Janines reactions to all of this and how innocent we truly are.. Pink diamond is truly is and our story but backwards so many hate us, we died and grew to realize life’s beauty like in the rose video tape but they grounded us and other races took over- night began to rise teen Titans music story- pink is I- evil wizard made matrix- wake up everyone!!! Don’t be afraid of your spiritual strengths or you’ll be trapped in the matrix eternally!!!!!!) so all have to realize sensitivity and symphony and empathy are strengths not weaknesses!!!)

Dead in real life- matrix is like spotless sunshine- going through her memories deleting and creating new ways that they like- programming I- Janine is the spark of brain-aura lights- all fuse into I janines consciousness and they want to wake me back up and I’ll be alive but only with janines memories.. but I’m princess and choosing to heal all and find solution to heal entire egg - brain remove THIER corruption (33 players made online game to crest ultimate lover) wake up like ghost in shell but Frankenstein or AI as programmed chobit, all humans are like this too in pods like matrix because humanity failed and ai war in past (9, last mimzy, AI, I robot) save nature learn lessons spark everyone’s free will- all brains connected (matrix, online multiplayer but not because organic so it’s really spiritual but to make sense of it it is also AI like computer and video games!! Movies have Easter eggs multiple perspectives, find out whom your soul is and spiritually wake up, everyone will be mocked!) I’m not the only one but at same time here I am if that even makes sense.. (favorite daughter like Ariel aka Jasmine) I may be the only one because I am the chosen one, I am the Universe(Soul).. Mother Gaia(Spirit) but Janine(Vessel//Temple) (not supposed to be a prison nor is the planet, let’s fix it and if the only way is staying alive forever then so be it and let’s heal the whole egg and live together peacefully but please don’t let them turn me into a tool or deceive anyone or force sin I am against sin!) (If not I shall be karma for the lack of empathy and removal of sin in all universes- there’s multiverses) (end result hopefully beach race from valarien but abilities like X-men and peaceful and many races and beautiful nature and growth not trauma-no sin)

[nazariolahela]

Something Domestic: Chapter 10

A/N: Hey y'all! This story is told in first-person narrative, from Riley’s (MC) POV. There will likely be smidges of canon in this, but not too much. Thanks for reading, and please leave feedback, and/or if you would like to be tagged.

NOTE: This chapter contains adult themes. Reader discretion is advised.

Catch up here

Series Tags: @burnsoslow​​​​ @aworldoffandoms​​​​ @dcbbw​​​​ @ladyangel70​​​​ @texaskitten30​​​​ @sunandlemons​​​​ @jlynn12273​​​​ @indiacater​​​​ @jared2612​​​​ @rainbowsinthestorm​​​​ @drakesensworld​​​​ @badchoicesposts​​​​ @msjr0119​​​​ @katurrade​​​​ @blackcoffee85​​​​ @cynicalworlds-blog​​​​ @hopefulmoonobject​​​​ @beardedoafdonutwagon​​​​ @cmestrella​​​​ @sugarandspice-milkandhoney​​​​ @superharrietsuper​​

Synopsis: When Riley Brooks takes a new job as a nanny for the affluent Rhys family in New York’s Upper East Side, she assumes she’s just going to care for the children of the couple who hired her. But instead of just school pick-ups and afternoon snacks, she also finds herself spending time with Liam, the handsome divorced dad. Can Riley control her feelings for Liam while still performing the job she was hired for?

All characters are the property of Pixelberry Studios. Thanks for allowing me to borrow them.

Chapter Summary: Things between Riley and Liam get hot and heavy after a tense standoff.

“That dinner was amazing. I don’t think I can eat another bite,” Hana exclaims as she pushes her plate away. Meanwhile, I scowl down at mine, picking at the entree with my fork. I’ve barely touched my food, too upset to eat. Why was Liam kissing Madeleine? Maybe I saw that wrong. Nope, pretty sure that was a kiss on the cheek. And the look on his face was pretty affectionate. I need to find a way to get him alone and figure out what the fuck is going on. Busboys come around to our table to collect dirty dishes. I drain the remainder of my wine and motion to the waiter for another.

The waiter sets another glass of wine in front of me and I immediately chug it. Hana frowns. “Are you okay, Riley? You should probably slow down. And definitely eat something.” I pick up my fork and violently stab several pieces of broccoli and carrots with it. I shove the vegetables in my mouth and set the fork down.

Dr. Ethan Ramsey takes the podium and begins his speech. He talks about his patients at Edenbrook Hospital and the rookie interns he’s mentored throughout the years. He also speaks about kids who have gone on to become successful physicians at his hospital because of the opportunities granted to them from this scholarship program. All eyes in the room are on him, except for two. I glance to my left and see Liam staring at me from across the room. I look from him to Madeleine, and back to him. Anger burns in my eyes. He gives me a confused look.

After Dr. Ramsey wraps up his speech, I get up from my seat and move to the bar to order another glass of wine. I lean up against the bar and survey the room. Most of the people here are networking. I see Hana talking to an older gentleman before they exchange business cards. I chug my wine and signal for another one when out of the corner of my eye, a tall, blonde man sidles up to the bar and takes the seat next to me.

”So, this is the amazing nanny.” I look to my left to see the man Maxwell pointed out earlier as Liam’s brother perched on a barstool. ”I have to say, my brother has excellent taste,” he says, looking me up and down. Up close, I can definitely see the similarities between the two of them. He has wavy blonde hair and the same piercing blue eyes as his younger brother. The lines around his eyes definitely give away his age. His sharp jaw is covered in a light stubble and he flashes me a mouth of straight white teeth. I understand now why the tabloids (and the ladies) love this guy so much. If I wasn't so hung up on his brother, I could find myself interested in him.

”You must be the infamous older brother I've heard so much about. Riley Brooks. A pleasure to make your acquaintance,” I extend my hand to shake his, and he brings it to his lips, pressing a feather-light kiss to the back of it. My cheeks immediately flush. Obviously from the alcohol.

”Leo Rhys. Trust me, the pleasure’s all mine. It’s not every day a gorgeous woman falls into my lap.”

”Do wha…” before I can finish, he grabs my forearm and pulls me into his lap. I let out a yelp as he wraps his arms around my waist. ”Mr. Rhys. I see your reputation speaks for itself.”

He chuckles and signals to the bartender. She pours three fingers of scotch and slides the tumbler toward him with a wink. He grabs the glass and brings it to his lips, grinning seductively. ”If you really want to know about my reputation, I can show you.”

I look over Leo’s shoulder to see Liam staring at us from across the room, his expression unreadable. Oh, this is going to be fun.

I hide my blush behind my wine glass. ”Mr. Rhys. Are you coming on to me?”

He leans in closer to whisper in my ear and I inhale his scent. His cologne is intoxicating. He slides his hand down my back, coming to rest just above my ass. ”That is an amazing dress, Miss Brooks. Is this what you wear when you watch my niece and nephew? Cause if so, Uncle Leo needs to come and visit more. We could get to know each other over naptime.”

Whoa! This took a turn.

”Mr. Rhys…”

”Call me Leo.”

I clear my throat. “It seems the tabloids were right about you, Leo. I had heard you were a bit of a flirt.”

He laughs and squeezes my ass. “Sugar, you have no idea.”

Okay. As fun as this is, we’re getting a little out of control. ”Leo, I'm flattered, but I take my job seriously. And as much as I’d like to learn more about your ‘reputation,’ I have my eye on someone else.”

He grins. ”Don’t worry. I’m well aware. My brother wouldn't appreciate me trying to steal his girl. Nor would he like it if I banged his kids’ nanny. I'm simply trying to help you out. Don't think I haven’t seen the looks he’s been giving you from across the room. He might have everyone else in this room fooled, but he’s been eye-fucking you all night.”

I look past him and see Liam staring a hole through me. The intensity of his gaze sets my body on fire. His eyes move to Leo, then back to me. I raise an eyebrow at him, daring him to come over here and do something. He rises from his seat as if to head my way when Madeleine appears from behind and loops her arm in his, kissing his cheek.

“Excuse me. I need to get some air,” I say quietly — sliding off Leo’s lap — and make my exit. I spot Hana from across the room and she gives me a concerned look as I sneak out and make my way toward the front entrance of the hotel. I push open the door and the cool night air hits my face. I turn to the sky and let out an aggravated scream. People walking past me on the street shoot dirty looks as they pass. Deep breaths, Riley. Don’t let him ruin your evening. Is he doing all of this to test me? I keep thinking about what he said in the conference room. How his words sounded so sincere. Was it all bullshit? Was the whole court date story just a line to try and get into my pants?

I battle with my inner thoughts. Okay, so what if he is telling the truth? Does that mean that once the divorce is final, we can be together? What happens with my job? I’m pretty sure getting involved with him is a conflict of interest. Even though he’d technically be divorced, people would still frown upon the whole “sleeping with your nanny” thing. And what happens if we can’t make it work? I’ve only been with them for a few weeks, but I already care about Charlotte and Philip. They would be devastated. I lean against the side of the building, struggling to figure out how to handle this whole situation. The realization hits that I’ve been standing here for a while. What time is it anyway? I check the pockets of my dress for my phone and curse when I remember that I left it at the table. After taking a few more moments to calm myself, I head back inside. I’m greeted by the sight of Liam standing in the lobby. My mouth waters as my eyes rake up and down his body. His black suit fits like a glove and I find myself struggling to breathe.

“Where did you go?” he asks. I regain my composure and shoot him a glare before brushing past him. He catches my arm, stopping me. “Riley? What’s going on?”

“I don’t know, Liam. You tell me?” He stares at me for a long moment, trying to figure out what I’m talking about. I roll my eyes and try to jerk out of his hold. His grip tightens. “What happened to ‘the divorce becomes final on Wednesday?’ It sure didn’t look that way when you were cozying up to your ex.”

He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. “It’s not what you think.”

“Yeah, whatever,” I reply and pull free from his grip.

He laughs sarcastically. “Yeah, well what about that little show you were putting on with my brother just now?”

“Just giving you a taste of your own medicine. Since that’s the game we seem to be playing tonight.” I attempt to walk away and he grabs me again, shoving me into the nearby coat check closet.

“Riley. Listen to me. It’s not like that at all. This whole evening is for show. It’s my last gift to Madeleine before the divorce is final.”

Tears prick my eyes. “Your last gift? You don’t owe her anything, Liam. She cheated on you. Or did you forget that?”

He sighs and puts his hand on my chin, tilting my face up. “You’re right. And no, I didn’t forget. But I agreed to ‘play nice’ with her tonight to keep up appearances with her friends and our colleagues. They don’t know about the divorce, and she doesn’t want to tell them until it’s done. She said if I went along with it, she wouldn’t give me any trouble with the custody hearing.”

“And you believe her?”

“I have to. I just want this whole thing to be over, so I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make it happen.” He leans in and presses his forehead against mine. “Please understand me when I tell you that you’re the only woman I want. Any love I had for her is gone, and the only thing I want from her is to go to this hearing, say there are no unresolved matters, and get out of my house.” He reaches out and touches my arm and my body tenses. He notices and pulls away. “Riley, please. It was an act.”

“Well, someone should give you an Oscar, because that was very convincing,” I snap.

His expression hardens and for the first time in weeks, I see a different side of Liam. Sure, I’m being stubborn, but I feel like it’s warranted after being strung along all this time. He gives me an almost unreadable look. “Is that what you think of me?” he barks.

“I’m starting to question everything I think about you.”  

He grabs my hand, pressing it to his crotch. His erection strains against his pants. “You feel this? This isn’t because of her. This is because of you. Every night, when I get myself off, it’s not to images of her. It’s to images of you.” He leans in brushes his lips against mine, whispering, “I don’t want her. I want you right here, right now, in this coat closet.” I look around the closet. It’s small, but there is just enough room for the two of us, even with all the expensive coats and jackets. The hunger in his eyes for me is carnal; it makes me physically shudder.

“Prove it,” I challenge.

He pushes me against a rack of coats, his face against mine, and pulls my skirt up. I wrap my arms around his neck and nibble on his earlobe. He grunts and slides his hands in my underwear, finding my wet clit. I swallow hard, letting my legs fall open at his touch. “You’re so wet for me. Your mouth says that you’re still mad, but your pussy says you’re all mine.” He slips one finger into me and I nearly explode on the spot.

He pulls his hands away and I gasp in disappointment. He smirks and drops to his knees, lifting my skirt and draping it over his head. “Lean back. Grab that closet rod and hold on tight.” He moves his mouth down my stomach before grabbing my underwear with his teeth and dragging them down my legs. Once I step out of them, he puts both hands on each of my legs and slowly drags them up toward the apex of my thighs, spreading my legs. I grip the closet rod, my knuckles turning white, as he rubs his nose along my clit. He lifts one of my legs and rests it on his shoulder. In one motion, he flicks his tongue against my clit and my knees buckle.

“Ohmygods, Liam,” I cry. I immediately slap one hand over my mouth. He laughs softly before giving me another long, luscious stroke. I allow a whimper to slip out, then bite down on my palm to keep from screaming. The last thing we need is for someone to hear us and come barging in. He pushes my dress off his head. “Do you want me to stop?”

“Don’t you dare!”

He grins and returns to massaging my clit with his tongue. He slips a finger inside me and begins fucking me with his hand, causing my body to tighten. It doesn’t take long before I’m gasping and shuddering, my orgasm powering through me. With one last kiss to my inner thigh, he crawls out from under my skirt and rises to his feet.

“Holy shit,” he says, pressing a kiss to my lips. I taste myself on him and it’s the hottest fucking thing ever. I reach down to undo his pants when he grabs my hands, stopping me. “Not tonight, sweetheart.”

“What do you mean? It’s my turn to take care of you.”

He shakes his head and kisses my forehead. “Another time. Tonight was for you.”

I nod and take a few moments to come down from my high. We straighten ourselves out and exit the coat closet, making sure no one saw us. He takes my hand in his and we make our way back down the hall towards the ballroom. When we reach the doors, he brings my hand to his lips and softly kisses the back of it.

“If I don’t talk to you again tonight, I’ll see you Monday morning, okay?”

I nod, avoiding eye contact. After what just happened in that coat closet, it’s going to be hard pretending we’re just associates. He grips my chin between his thumb and forefinger, forcing me to look into his eyes.

“Hey. I know what you’re thinking right now, but remember what I told you. We just have to get through these next few days.” He leans in and presses one last kiss to my lips. “You go ahead. I need to hit the men’s room before I go back in there.”

I smirk. “Behave yourself, Mr. Rhys.”

He groans and taps me on the ass before turning and making his way down the hall towards the bathroom. I chuckle and enter the ballroom, making a beeline for Hana.

“Riley? Are you okay? You ran out of here pretty quickly.”

“Yeah, I’m fine. I just needed some air. You ready to get out of here?”

She nods and heads over to our table to retrieve our things. We say our goodbyes and make our way out of the ballroom arm-in-arm. Before the doors close, I take one last look back and see Liam standing next to his brother. He shoots me a wink and my cheeks flush. As Hana and I make our way outside to wait for our ride, I feel a little better about our situation. We just have to get through these next few days. I repeat his words in my mind, willing myself to believe them.

#something domestic #nanny au #trr au #trr fanfic #playchoices fanfic #liam rhys #riley brooks #n*fw #nazariolahela fanfic

[phoenixrising0308]

The Promise: What they stole from us (a)

Books: The Royal Romance 1

Rating: G (This rating will change due to the plot as the story progresses)

Pairing: Liam & Jessica (MC)

This week’s wackydrabbles takes a serious turn with this miniseries that complements my ongoing series  The Promise. The prompt is “I wish we could do this all the time” 

Series Playlist

Detailed disclaimer

Catch me here

A/N #1: Liam confesses his feeling to Leo about a suitor.

A/N #2: Applewood revisited in the Agent Phoenix: Forged In Fire A/U canon divergent series.

A/N#3: In my HC Liam is a lefty and this is a rare trait only 8% to 9% of the worlds population share. I’m sure that I am not the only author nor the last that would HC this trait. I can only hope that my attention to this detail differs from theirs and offers something to the story.

Word Count: 1,600 *As always, forgive my typos and grammatical errors.*

Reading time: 8 minutes

*I suppose you can read this on its own but the story below is related to the promise as a whole. Once completed part four will pick up. This story is central to the plot *also this story has been in my drafts for two years so I wanted to give it its own moment so consider this a story within a story*

Applewood - (Liam’s Social Season)

Leo’s Quarters

Leo looked outside the window of his room and saw suitors arriving, each being assisted with endless amounts of fine designer luggage, hat boxes, and handbags. Despite the four-hour ride, their makeup, hair, and outfits were impeccable. He thought about what they can offer Cordonia and what they can offer his brother. Madeline was never a part of this thought process; she clearly wanted one thing: a crown she could offer Liam nothing. Hana was sweet, but he could tell early on her heart wasn’t into the competition, only following the path her parents wanted for her she wasn’t searching for love but acceptance. Kiara was ambitious, but she wanted to use Liam’s position for herself, not for their people. Penelope didn’t have much of an opinion or direction; she seemed to just want to be in the Court’s inner circle. More concerned with dresses and canine couture over matters of Governance.

Of course, there was Olivia. Olivia was strong and bold, and she would be perfect if Liam loved her. Liam and Olivia spent hours together as children, as teenagers, young adults, and adults. Love if there was anything more than friendship had ample time to blossom, and it didn’t even begin to bloom. Least, not for his little brother. Liam always found Olivia to be quick to temper, often lacking patience and tenderness. Something Leo knew his brother craved and needed. But whatever Olivia thought she felt for his brother would never be reciprocated. Olivia would always be seen as a friend, and her pride didn’t allow her to accept it.

But then there was her, the one. Everything he knew his brother wanted, and at the same time, everything Cordonia needed. She stood outside the limousine taking in the scenery of the manor with her baseball cap in her hands, wearing ripped jeans and a T-shirt. Finally, someone true to herself. Someone that didn’t care to stage her appearance for a four-hour uncomfortable drive. Bertrand was heard directing the staff to pick up her tattered green top-loading sea duffel bag stamped with the letters USMC. She walked over to the staff, and he could see her shaking her head and being handed back the bag. She put it onto her shoulder. When she turned, he saw the number 08 and the name Garcia printed on the back of her shirt.

He and his brother lived in a world where, when it came to a choice of a spouse, perfection was valued over authenticity, conformity over individualism, and passiveness over assertiveness. Leo believed his brother needed the opposite of what was expected of his choice of bride and Cordonia’s next Queen regent. Cordonia didn’t need a Queen who was quiet, meek, and not willing to argue or express her opinions. Although he loved her, Cordonia didn’t need another Regina who resigned herself to organizing tea parties, bridge games, taking on responsibility for charitable causes, or blindly performing the task his Father directed her to do.

Leo had regrets about abdication that he kept to himself. It was not because he risked it for love and failed with Katie but because he realized his brother would have to prove himself twice as hard as he would have. There was a lot at stake for the Kingdom, and he couldn’t undo his abdication; his little brother was left with a responsibility that he wasn’t born to take. They both received the best education Cordonia had to offer, but the intensity of their studies differed. Leo was taught to rule, be direct, know the laws and treaties like the back of his hand, train to study personalities, and read people quickly, whereas Liam was taught to follow and support. But despite what they were taught, Leo believed his brother was the better choice, and he was more than capable of steering Cordonia to a more modern era. He would create new relationships and repair relationships his Father alienated.

However, the royal council is appointed for the life they would favor; his Father’s ideals. Liam would get resistance from its members stuck in their ways, comfortable in their positions, afraid of change. His brother needed a strong spouse by his side, who wasn’t raised with the docile ideology of how a lady of the Court should comport herself. Liam would forever need a wife, a friend, an ally, a leader, and someone he can trust.

When he thought of Jessica, he saw just that and someone with all the qualities that could withstand the rigors of a royal council divided. Jessica was ready for the responsibility of what it meant to be Liam’s wife because she was there for him. In a matter of weeks, she learned their customs and navigated Court just as well if not better than any suitor. She engaged with nobles and royalty in law, art, history, and music but what he loved about her was that she engaged with the staff and the public, never forgetting she once held a job like theirs. The most significant criticism of the Rys throne was how out of touch they were with their subjects, and Jessica was relatable to the people the throne served and protected, which made her special.

A rhythmic tap sounded against the door that snapped Leo out of his thoughts. He called out, “It’s okay little brother, I’m alone.”

Liam entered with a sad expression on his face.

Leo mumbled, “So, I take it that your ride with father wasn’t full of fatherly advice and kingly pleasantries?”

Liam sighed as he rubbed his hands over his face in frustration. “Leo, what exactly does he want? I divide my attention between the suitors, but I want to spend my time with her whenever I can. Everything is happening so fast. If I have a moment to myself, I want to spend it with her. I simply don’t care to spend time with anyone else.”

Leo mumbled, “I see. Who is he saying you need more time with?”

Liam looked dreadful as he uttered the name. “Madeleine. He thinks I will warm up to her. He believes she is the right choice for Cordonia. So the other night, he wanted me to have high tea with her. “He sighed with a distant look in his eyes, retracing the memory. “I was about to call the staff for tea service, and I saw her outside from my office window…I thought I could just say hello. What was meant to be a brief greeting was actually a four-hour conversation. Time just got away from us. Leo, it was the highlight of my day. Just being with her talking about whatever came to mind. She has the most amazing laugh, and when she smiles, her whole face lights up. It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” Liam wrung a hand down his face. “Leo, how can I make the choice Father thinks he knows what best but Jessica… brightens my day. I think about her more than I should.”

“So, is your time with her important to you?”

Liam threw himself onto the bed and stared at the ceiling. “The longer we’re together, the more I think about what really matters, and so many things I once thought important don’t even make a list.”

Leo gave his brother a warm smile and said, “Then you are spending your time wisely.”

“I am almost afraid to admit it…I have this warm feeling in the pit of my stomach when she is near when I reach for her hand, and we touch. I feel my breathing and heartbeat sync with hers, and wherever my pains or troubles are, wane completely. I’m not incomplete, and everything about life feels right. I have never felt I belonged with anyone until I met her. When I walked her to her room that night she got on her toes and kissed me sweetly. Then she said ‘I wish we could do this all the time.’ I feel the same. I wish I could kiss her every day. Her lips belong on mine.” Liam smiled as he touched his lips.”

Leo smiled with a chuckle, “Liam, it sounds like you are in love.”

His eyebrows turned up in a vulnerable expression as he turned his head to his brother. “Leo, I’m afraid of just asking her how she feels about me. To look her in the eyes and ask her if she loves me. If she feels the same way, I do. What if I’m mistaken? What if she is just taken with me and she isn’t in love with me? Father says its duty to the crown before love. But Leo, I want her to love me. When I ask her to spend her life with me, I want her to want it as much as I do. I want her to feel the same way I do. That I’m her first thought in the morning, the last before she falls asleep, to wonder throughout the day what am I doing. I really want that type of love. Life would feel empty without it now that my heart knows it.”

“What makes you doubt that she does?”

“We have only had a few stolen moments since she came here. This whole thing is about me. It’s about me choosing a wife, but I want her to choose me too. This is a promise of my heart, body, and soul, and to no other Leo. I will never stray; she has all of me. I need to know that I have all of her. I want Jessica to want Liam, the man. Everything is some challenge, some ball, some Cordonian tradition… What if that all fades with the demands of the Court? I am not just choosing a wife, I am also choosing a Queen, and I am unsure if I can have both.” Liam looked back to the wall with uncertainty and worry in his eyes.

Leo hummed in his throat. “Hm…I see. Liam, there is really one way to find that all out.”

Liam arched his brow to look back at his brother. “What are you thinking

[fluffy-marshmallow-heart]

Drake's Diary ch.23 -The Billiard Room

The Royal Romance canon from Drake's POV

Drake x MC (Emma Rose)

Words: 3020

Warnings: NSFW

After the opera, Drake and Emma head out to play an innocent game of pool...but is it really so innocent?

Later the next night is the opera. Drake did everything he could to arrive separately from everyone else. He made sure he was running late, he made a big deal about where his white shirt was, he couldn’t find the right shoes, his pants didn’t look right. Finally, Maxwell left him alone and Drake breathed a sigh of relief. There’s no way in hell he’s sitting through hours of screeching voices. He had a headache just thinking about it. The only thing was…Emma would be there. She would definitely be there looking all glamorous and beautiful, and also confronting Queen Mother Regina about her role in the plot to destroy her reputation. She needed him tonight, and he would never let her down. When he finally managed to arrive at the opera house, all was quiet. Everyone was inside. Using that to his advantage, Drake slipped inside Emma and Maxwell’s limousine.

  Good place as any to hide. Don’t want to run into anyone during intermission. And oh look, Maxwell stocked my favorite whiskey. Damn right he did that, it’s the least he can do to make up for hiding my sister from me.

After a couple glasses, Drake started to doze off. Sitting alone in a limo is so boring. I should have just stayed on the damn train. It’s not like she won’t return to the train after. Unless…unless she goes out with someone after…someone like Liam. He mentioned Madeleine wouldn’t be here tonight.

When he finally saw guests leaving, he exited the limo and went inside the opera house. Walking into the house atrium, Drake couldn’t help but feel a bit in awe of it. It was a gleaming chamber of elaborate marble and gold. There was large ivory staircase, the kind that took up an entire room it was so big. The atrium is alive with activity. Servers buzz about, holding trays laden with wine and champagne. Emma, Hana, Olivia, and Maxwell cluster at the base of the stairs. He debates on going over there, but he really doesn’t feel like dealing with Olivia. So, he went to the bar and he waited again, getting more impatient by the minute. Finally, his opening arrives. As Olivia departs, Drake approaches the group, drink in hand. “Finally, she’s gone.”

Emma looked at him in surprise. “Drake, I didn’t know you were here. Where were you in the audience?”

“I wasn’t. There’s no way in hell I was going to sit through that. I’m just here for the free drinks.” He raises his glass as if making a toast, then takes a sip.

A slow smirk started to cross her face. “Drake does that mean you were just sitting out in the limo for the last three hours?”

He sputtered “What? No! I was…you know, walking around. And stuff.”

Damn it! Why didn’t I do something? I should’ve known she’d bring it up!

Hana looked at him curiously. “Walking around the opera house?”

“Neither seen nor heard?” Maxwell piped in.

“Almost certainly scowling and brooding?” Hana continued.

Oh no, what did I just walk myself into?  “I have a feeling this is going somewhere I’m not going to like….”

Waggling her fingers towards him, Emma announced, in what Drake guessed was her ‘spooky’ voice, “I guess you say he’s like… a Phantom of the Opera.”

“Ugh, no.” He rolled his eyes. I knew it. How does she manage to come up with this stuff? She literally has some kind of response for everything.

“Come on, Drake, you can’t deny it. The Phantom of the Opera is there…inside your mind.” She teased.

And then she doesn’t know when to stop. Because she always manages to come up with even more. And damn it, how does she know I’ve seen that?  “I’m…going to grab another drink.”

“Ooh! I’ll join!” Maxwell exclaims.

Drake levels him with his stare until he finally slunk back.

“…I mean, I’ll go write down the plot for my breakdance opera before I forget. Promise you won’t tell anyone my idea, though, okay? I don’t want someone else to get there first…”

“Cross my heart!” Hana promised.

“And hope to die before you force me to watch it.” Drake finished, departing in the opposite direction of Maxwell, leaving Emma and Hana alone.

He stood at the bar, watching as Emma left the opera house and walked outside. He sighed. You idiot. You didn’t even ask her how her talk went with Queen Mother. He started walking after her. At least she’s alone and not with Liam or Hana, or even worse, Maxwell.

Back at the train…Emma is about to reach her room, when she runs into Drake heading in the opposite direction.

“Hey Rose.”

She rose an eyebrow. “Where are you headed? It’s nearly midnight.”

“Eh, I couldn’t sleep after I got back to my room.” Except I didn’t make it to my room and instead found myself walking towards yours. “Thought I might as well have some fun.”

“As in have a drink?” She guessed.

God I’m so predictable.  “I do have other hobbies besides whiskey you know. Like pool.”

She looked at him excitedly. “There’s a pool room on this train? Why didn’t anyone tell me?”

“Heh. As if anyone would want to play on a moving vehicle. I’ve been frequenting this hotel a few blocks from here, and it has a private game room. It’s quiet, it’s open late, and no one bothers me.”

Her face fell a bit. “That must be your idea of paradise. Solitude, a few drinks, a manly game of billiards.”

“Heh. It’s close. Although to be honest, playing solo gets a little boring after a while…” He trailed off. I do want to spend time with her…but we always end up kissing and we really shouldn’t. But then again…it’s too late to go back from it now anyway. “Do you want to come play a game or two? Some competition would make things more interesting.”

She broke out into a slow smile. “Oh, I see. You’re looking for a rematch after our game last night”

He tried to hide his own smile. “….Maybe.”

“You’re on.” She full on grinned.

He couldn’t help but grin back. “Alright but be warned. I won’t go easy on you.”

“If you did, I’d be disappointed.”

She follows Drake out of the train car, and a short walk brings them to a modest-looking hotel. Drake leads her through the lobby to a back room where the doorman bows and waves them both inside.

Emma laughed. “Wow, you must be a regular.”

“Well…When I told Liam about finding this place, he spoke with the owner to make sure I’d be taken care of.” He told her sheepishly.

“I think I could use a private getaway like this.”

“You do have a private train cabin.”

Her eyebrows furrowed. “Er…doesn’t everyone? Don’t tell me you’ve been sharing a bunk with Maxwell.”

Drake scowled. “He calls us ‘best friend roomies’, and I’m very close to throwing myself off the train.” He walks over to the pool table and begins setting up the game as she looks around.

“So, have you been coming here every single night?” She asked.

“Only a few times. Whenever I can’t sleep.”

She catches his eye. “What’s keeping you awake? Is it…scandalous thoughts about me?” She flirted.

He meets her gaze for a moment, saying nothing, only giving a hint of a smile before he turns back to the pool table. Now there’s an obvious question with an even more obvious answer. “I didn’t come here to talk about my sleeping habits, Rose. I came here to show you up at pool.”

“Bold words, Mr. Walker.”

He finishes arranging the balls in the rack and pulls it away. They pick up cue sticks. “Are you up for some house rules?” He asked.

She shrugs. “That depends on the rules.”

“Okay. After the break, we each get one shot per round to sink a ball into a corner pocket. Each ball gets you one point. Best of three rounds wins.”

“I think I can handle that.”

Drake steps aside, gesturing towards the table. “Then go ahead and break.”

She picks up the cue and faces the triangle of pool balls at the center of the table. With one strike from her pool cue, she sends the balls scattering across the table and bouncing off the sides. After a few moments, they roll to a stop.

Huh. Impressive. “Good break.” He studies the layout of the table before striking the cue ball. It glances off a purple ball, which rolls neatly into the corner pocket.

“That’s one.”

“Smooth! Where did you learn to shoot like that?” She asked.

He blushed a bit. He can only imagine what she’ll say to this. “From my mom. She taught me and Savannah all the tricks she knew.”

She dramatically pressed her hand to her heart. “All those lessons must’ve been adorable. Baby Drake trying to hold a cue stick…”

“Adorable probably isn’t the word my mom would use. I was a handful.”

“And teaching you to play a game with giant sticks made that…better?”

“Eh, it kept me occupied. And it made me pretty damn good at pool.”

Emma smirked. “That remains to be seen.”

Drake steps back from the table, giving her room to line up her first shot. She looks back at him, a mischievous glint in her eye. “Do you mind giving me a hand with this?”

He looked at her doubtfully. “You want me to help you win?”

“Just give me a few pointers?” She asked, innocently.

Mmhmm. Pointers. Right. I’ll be pointing something but it’s not going to be a cue stick. “…oh, fine.” He stands behind her and gently wraps his arms around her, so he can place his hands on the cue stick. “You’ll want to hold it here and here.”

“Like this?” She deliberately moves her hands away from where they should be, and he couldn’t help but smile at how obvious she was being.

He presses into her harder and moves one of her hands slightly closer to the end of the stick and the other back towards her. The callouses on his hands linger a moment on hers, until he feels his cock stirring against her ass…and he pulls quickly away.

“There.”

Following his lead as she aims, she uses the cue ball to send another ball spinning into one of the corner pockets. “Yes!”

“There you go.” Drake leans on his cue stick as he squints at the table, visualizing his next shot. Then he steps up and takes aim…knowing he’s going to nail this shot.

Her voice cut in. “You know, you get this little wrinkle in the middle of your forehead when you concentrate. It’s cute.”

“Wha-“ His shot goes wild, the cue ball rolling around the table without knocking any others into a pocket. Well played, Rose. Well played. “I…that was a freebie for you, Rose.”

“I thought you weren’t going to go easy on me.”

“Maybe I’m feeling charitable.”

“Hmm, there’s that wrinkle again…”

Drake rubs his forehead, not quite meeting her eyes. “You’re up.”

She lines up her shot…and easily knocks a ball into a center pocket, but Drake chimes in from behind her.

“Hey, center pockets don’t count! Remember, house rules!”

She frowned. “Oh. I totally forgot. Can I try again?”

Yeah right, I already gave you a freebie. “Sorry, Rose, but that’s it for this round. Which means it’s my turn.” He slowly begins lining up his shot…

Slowly, she begins stripping down to her underwear. First her shirt, then her pants. Drake glances up from his shot and his eyes go wide. “Rose, what…what are you doing?”

“What does it look like I’m doing?”

Drake swallows hard, still staring, as she removes her bra next, her eyes never leaving him.

“Tick tock, Walker.”

He shakes his head and leans back down over the table, lining up the shot. His eyes keep wandering over to her as she sways her hips around the table, one of her fingers grazing the felt as she went. He fumbles with the cue stick, and the cue ball rolls to a stop without sending any other balls into a pocket. “Damn.”

“You’re supposed to watch the ball, Drake. Isn’t that like billiards 101?”

There’s a longing look in his eyes as he studies her. Wow, that body…her breasts…she’s so perfectly made, she’s exactly what I’ve wanted my whole life. “Guess I got distracted. Last shot, Rose.”

An idea formed in his head. If she’s going to play dirty, so am I.

She studies the table, and just as she begins sighting along her cue stick, Drake starts unbuttoning his shirt. She stares as he discards the shirt, drops to the floor, and begins doing push-ups.

“Uh, Drake? What are you doing?”

“Oh, nothing. Don’t mind me. Just gotta get the rest of my nightly workout in.”

“Shirtless?”

“Just borrowing a page from your playbook.” She turns back to the pool table, but Drake switches to one-handed push ups, smiling to himself that she can’t help glancing at him as she lines up the shot. The cue ball bounces off of a green-striped one, but it doesn’t quite make it into the pocket.

She pouted. “No fair. I was trying to concentrate over here.”

He smirked in satisfaction. “Sorry. Couldn’t skip the nightly workout.”

She sighed. “I guess that’s the game. Which means…” She counts up the points on her fingers. “It’s a tie.”

He nodded. “You’re pretty good at this, Rose. I don’t tie a lot of games of pool.”

“Maybe you should play with other people more often.”

“Heh. I’ll consider it.” If it’s you and you keep stripping…abso-freakin-lutely

“But right now, we need to decide what we both won.” She continued.

What? There’s no prizes for a tie. Who the heck has she played with in the past that allowed this rule? Oh no…no I get it. This is exactly like the last time we were in a bar. “For…a tie? This is starting to sound familiar…”

Emma laughed. “Drinking game, pool game. Where’s the fun without any stakes? I say the prize is…a kiss.”

Son of a… “Are you trying to torture me, Rose?”

She sauntered up to him until she was only a breath away. “Is kissing me torture?”

He brushes his thumb across her lips…and then leans in to kiss her, gently pressing his lips against hers. When he finally steps back, his voice is slightly hoarse. “The kind I’ve been hoping for all night.”

She smiled softly. “Then why didn’t you kiss me sooner?”

“You know why, Rose.”

“We’re alone, Drake. How often does that happen?”

Drake’s breath hitched. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying you could kiss me again. If you want to.”

If I want to? In what universe would I not want to? He hesitates only an instant, then pulls her close to him. His lips find hers as his hands tangle in her hair. “I always want to.” He murmured.

She kisses him again, pulling him back against the pool table. Slowly and deliberately, he towers over her, kissing and nipping down her neck. He shivers as she wraps her arms around his waist. He’s only in his boxers, and he grinds himself against her panties, letting her feel how hard he was for her. He felt a bit of wetness penetrate through and he moaned at how soaking wet for him she must be. He starts trailing his hand from her hair, massaging her breast, then lightly continuing towards her center. He was dying to touch her in the most intimate of ways, then wanted to kneel before her and fuck her pussy with his tongue. He needs to taste her, needs to make her fall apart around him. His other hand gripped her skin harder with his thoughts and she arched her back with a moan, realizing where he was heading and encouraging him along.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door to the room. His hand froze just above her clit and he sighed in frustration, yet knew it was for the best to stop. After another lingering kiss, he pulls himself away with obvious effort. “That’ll be the staff letting us know it’s closing time. We should head back.”

“Are you sure you want to?” She questioned breathily.

Hah. Literally the last thing I want.

“No. But I’d rather end tonight on a high note, and getting tossed out by the closing security shift would be a low.”

She bit her lip, contemplating. “Not exactly the ending I had in mind.”

He leaned forward and took her bottom lip between his teeth, biting it gently. “Watch what you do around me, Rose.”

She looked at him seductively. “Trust me, I’m well aware of what I’m doing around you.”

He groaned and reached for his clothes. They both get dressed and quickly tidy up the pool table. The hotel’s doorman gives them a slight bow as they leave. Drake walks Emma back to the train, and when they reach the door to her cabin, he stops outside.

“I had a good time tonight.” He admitted.

“Me too. Next time we should go on a real date.”

His jaw dropped. “That wasn’t…I mean, not that I wouldn’t, but…Wait. You’re teasing me, aren’t you.”

She chuckled lightly. “Only a little. Be honest. If we’d called it a date, would you have taken me anywhere else?”

“Tonight? No.”

“How about on another night?”

He smiles slightly, shaking his head. “We’ll have to see. Sleep well, Rose.”

“Goodnight, Drake.”

Waving, Drake heads off toward his own cabin, hoping Maxwell is nowhere around so he can relieve his throbbing cock, realizing again he didn’t ask her about Queen Mother. Oh well. I’m sure she’ll tell me, if Maxwell doesn’t beat her to it. She’s so damn distracting, I can’t think clearly around her. I can’t believe we stripped down together. I can’t believe I was so close to tasting her. Fuck me, I gotta get under control.

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