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#like babe it's the absolute bare minimum i promise it gets better you just live in a puritanical hellscape 😭
tinynebula · 9 months
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the more hilarious part of the reactions to the Barbie movie is seeing usamerican conservatives lose their fucking minds over something that barely even scratched the surface of a feminist narrative like if they're ever exposed to decolonial feminism it might obliterate them from existence
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markosmate · 4 years
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american money
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pairing; marko x reader
summary; even on the baddest days, there’s always the promise of running off into the night with him.
warnings; none
au; hiiii!! thank you so much for the support on my first few works. i’m working on a dwayne fic and the second part to baby blues now so look forward to those two coming at y’all soon! as always, requests are open so feel free to send in as many as you want - anon or not :)) thanks again <33
School had been awfully stressful lately. You didn’t have many friends to begin with and the ones you did have slowly began to distance themselves after you became close with the boys over the summer. Not many people wanted to be involved with them, which meant not being involved with people who started dating one of them.
It didn’t even take a week before you and Marko were all over each other. The first night you met had ended in a kiss, and a few days later you both had agreed to make it official. Weeks passed before you found out what they really were, the four of them agreeing that you should know that much before you and the curly blond took your relationship any farther.
You had taken it rather lightly, having guessed that something was up after they only came out at night and seemed to walk around with a dangerous aura surrounding all four of them.
So, months later when school started, mostly everyone already knew you were involved with the infamous boardwalk punks. This resulted in most of your friends steering completely clear of you. The ones who didn't, slowly distanced after you barely had time to spend with them anymore.
You couldn’t figure out why they expected you to continue hanging out with them, anyway. All plans that were made were filled to the brim with them throwing degrading words about your boyfriend and his friends at you. You found your nights were much more enjoyable when you spent them with your boys instead of old friends who always viewed themselves as better than you.
When Marko first told you about what they were, he had asked if you would be willing to change to spend eternity with him. You agreed, under the condition that you could finish your last year of high school first. You couldn’t for the life of you figure out why you made that decision now, school was absolute hell.
With all classes and lunches spent alone, you were more lonely than ever all day everyday. And as you laid on your bed staring up at the ceiling of your bedroom, you made the decision right then and there. Why wait nine more months to change when you could just do so that same night and never deal with the hell that is your school and home again? Your parents were constantly away for work, so you couldn’t even guess how long it would take them to figure out that you were gone.
You sat up, moving to grab a bag and pack it full of a few things you’d like to have at the cave with you. David had already informed you about what would happen once you changed. He wanted you to move into the cave with all of them. He informed that you and Marko could decide among yourselves whether you both wanted to clean out one of the rooms and sleep in there together or just sleep from the ceiling with the other three.
You knew in the end if you truly needed anything else besides the bare minimum of necessities, you could just buy it yourself or have one of the boys steal it for you. So you packed only what you absolutely needed before throwing it over your shoulder and hopping down the stairs to the ground floor of your house. The sun had set a good twenty minutes ago, meaning they should be arriving to pick you up any minute now.
Only a few short minutes passed before you heard the familiar roar of engines revving up outside your house. Your lips pulled harshly into a wide grin as you jumped off your couch and opened your front door. There they were, parked in your driveway. Star grinned upon locking eyes with you and she waved you over. "Hey babe! Need a lift?" She joked as everyone else turned to look at you with a chorus of greetings.
"Hey y'all." You laughed making your way over to Marko's bike. You gestured to the bag hanging off your shoulder with a small unsure smile. "Mind if I join the gang a few months early?"
Immediately a huge grin lit up your boyfriend's face. "Are you serious babe?" He laughed out breathlessly.
"Hell yeah!" Paul shouted in victory, leaning over to fist bump Dwayne. "Let the good times roll girl!"
"Of course you’re welcome early. You’re family too." David mumbled quickly, almost like he was trying to say it without actually saying it. You grinned at all of them before strapping your bag to the back of your boy's bike with his help, and then climbing on behind him.
"Hold on tight, baby. This ride's your first ride as a free soul. No more worries, no more responsibilities." Marko whispered back to you before revving his engine as the rest of the boys followed. "Just us, forevermore."
"Did you get that from a song?" You giggled, wrapping your arms tightly around his waist to hold on, knowing how fast him and Paul like to go. The first time they decided to race with you on the back of his bike, you’d almost puked. But you were far more used to the speed and vulnerability that came along with a motorcycle - though Marko was almost always a tad bit more careful when driving with you - after all, you weren’t immortal like the rest of them. A crash that would result in a few cuts and scrapes for them, could possibly mean death for you.
He grinned back at you, welcoming the kiss you pressed to his cheek. "How'd you know?" He joked before turning to watch the road as he pulled the gas and followed after the others.
The wind pushed your hair in all different directions as you laughed happily. You never felt more alive then when you were soaring through the streets of santa carla with your friends, and soon your family. Although you were nervous - what were your parents going to think? would it hurt? how many people would care that you were gone? - you knew deep down that you were always going to be happy as long as you were where Marko was. After everything you've ever been through, every doubt, every worry, he was what you had been waiting for. He was what you had been longing for since you were old enough to dream about future loves you were going to indulge yourself in.
You would learn later on that the pull you had always felt was a mating bond, something that would only get stronger between the two of you once you were a full vampire, but you couldn’t be bothered to focus on anything other than the freedom you felt in that moment.
It ended all too soon as you all arrived at the cave, and within moments the boys cut their engines and were climbing off their vehicles. You threw your leg behind you to climb off, using Marko's shoulders to balance yourself as he pocketed the keys.
"I’ll never get over how amazing it is to ride at night." He grinned at you as he stood off his motorcycle and began walking it over to their hiding spot after you had unstrapped your bag from the back.
"Neither will I. It’s amazing." You smiled happily as you followed after him. Once the bikes were all hidden from view, he reached over to interlock his fingers with your own.
"Well, then I guess it’s a good thing we have eternity to do it over and over again huh?" You laughed at his words.
"I guess so." You pressed a kiss to his lips, but you were both interrupted before he could even try to deepen it.
"Come on lovebirds! We got vampire to turn!" Paul practically screamed up the staircase causing a bunch of birds to flock away upon hearing the sudden noise.
Marko rolled his eyes as he pulled you along with him down the stairs. "Yeah, that will get old fast."
You threw your head back in a laugh, moving to hold his forearm with your other hand - holding yourself impossibly close to his body. "We'll live. Or - I guess we won’t." You joked with a mischievous giggle.
"What was that? A vampire joke?" He raised an eyebrow at you in disbelief.
"Maybe it was." You squeezed his hand in retaliation. "And there’s a lot more where that came from."
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pug-bitch · 5 years
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That’s not why I’m going (40)
Team Peacock
Book: The Royal Romance
Pairing: Drake Walker x Amara Suarez
Rating: some foul language, some extremely suggestive. This is absolutely NOT appropriate for people under 18.
Word count: around 5,500 - oops (once again I’m on my iPad and can’t figure out the ‘keep reading’ thing, I’m sorry for the huge post!)
Notes: This picks up pretty much where we left off, after Drake, Amara, Max, and Michael leave the Ball, starting with Michael’s POV. This is the last chapter of Book 1, I will come back soon with the 1st chapter of Book 2, with a slightly altered title :) Thank you everyone for your awesome feedback, I’ve been super spoiled with you all! ❤️
*****
Michael has been silent the entire car ride. As soon as Amara suggested she and Drake get out of there, Max offered to give everyone a ride back to Ramsford. Michael knows his sister; there is no way to make her change her mind when she’s sure of something.
She and Drake had a contingency plan, and they are heading to Paris as soon as they can get a flight out. They’re going to find Drake’s sister, who has dropped off the face of the Earth a while ago. Amara apparently found out where she lives, and now they’re going there.
That’s his girl, the woman who puts her awesome detective skills at the service of those who need it.
But he worries that she’s leaving for the wrong reasons. That she’s acting out of fear, out of anger, out of all those impulsive feelings that got woken up when everyone got a glimpse of the night when she almost got assaulted.
Right now, she and Drake are in the backseat, on their phones, looking up flights. Drake’s brow is furrowed, and so is Maxwell’s, which lets Michael believe that they are on the same boat as he is: worried about the reasons why Amara’s so adamant about leaving.
Again, he knows her. She is as stubborn as Sergio was, and there’s little to no way to make her change her mind.
But he’d sure like to try.
*****
‘Babe, do you have space in your bag for this?’ Amara asks him as she holds out a bulky toiletry bag, filled with lotions.
Drake nods. ‘Sure. Give it to me.’ He pauses. There’s no right way of telling her about his doubts. ‘Suarez, are you certain you wanna do this?’
She snorts, as she energetically zips up her suitcase. ‘Yeah, fuck that. I’m not staying one more minute in this toxic place.’
He understands. Of course he understands. But he also knows that running away is not the solution, and maybe she will regret doing that, as soon as they’ve found Savannah and she no longer has a short-term goal. They’d been happy here, hadn’t they? Of course they were sneaking around, but they made amazing memories with their friends, and life was pretty good here. He knows that Amara agrees with that. He knows she loves Cordonia, probably even more than Drake does.
Maybe they should just stay put, wait until this blows over, and live at the cabin or something.
Amara stops moving for a second, and sighs. ‘I know what you’re thinking. You think I’m running. But what else can I do? Keep letting myself be victimized by this whole fucking country? No, I’m done turning the other cheek.’
Drake nods. ‘I get it. I can’t take much more, either.’
She smiles and approaches him to give him a warm hug. ‘Babe, this is temporary, we’ll see everyone again, you know that? We just need to find your sister, she needs you more than anyone here.’
He smiles and places a soft kiss on her lips. She kisses him back, deeper, until they’re so far gone in their bubble that they forget what they were even talking about. Amara breaks their kiss for a second, and says, ‘I love you, Drake.’
He smiles. ‘I love you too.’
At the end of the day, he’ll do whatever she wants him to do. This is the woman he loves. This is the woman who brought him back to life. Whatever she wants, she’ll get.
But he can’t shake the feeling that giving up on clearing her name means that the people who wanted to bring her down have won.
*****
Olivia swings the door to Ramsford open. She and Hana heard by Bertrand that the others had left and Amara and Drake were on their way to Paris, and Olivia was furious. She demanded that Bertrand drive them back to Ramsford immediately, and when his driving was way too slow for her liking, she took it upon herself to be the pilot. Upon entering his mansion, Bertrand’s coloring was very similar to that of his sweater vest. Olive green.
‘Where the fuck is she?’ Liv groans as she spots Michael and Max having a drink in the living room.
‘In her bedroom,’ Max responds, ‘they’re packing.’
Olivia stops right in front of Maxwell and points an angry finger at him. ‘And you’re letting this happen? What the fuck, Beaumont? Weren’t you supposed to be the voice of reason? She’s running away from her life, again? No offense, Michael.’
‘None taken,’ Michael says, visibly terrified.
Maxwell takes a deep breath. ‘Liv, there is no convincing her. She is adamant. Plus, can you blame her? Two nights in a row, she is put on the spot and humiliated in public. Tonight was the last straw.’
Liv chuckles. ‘Oh, that’s rich. The last straw was when this one—‘ she gestures to Hana— ‘was outed at court. We should have just thrown in the towel that day, because it was the last fucking straw, but we stuck it out! The country is at the hands of a manchild and a psychopath, and now she’s leaving?’ She strides to the staircase and makes her way upstairs.
*****
Hana sits at the table with Maxwell, Michael and Bertrand. She grabs a tumbler and pours herself a large dose of whiskey. Tonight, she needs it.
‘Guys,’ she says softly, ‘Liam told me he still plans to give her Valtoria. But she needs to clear her name. We need to investigate and make this right.’
Maxwell throws his hands up. ‘I know, hun, but she doesn’t want to. She kept saying that Cordonia can go fuck itself, and that she’s outta here.’
Bertrand scoffs. ‘Oh! That can’t be right. It’s not Cordonia’s fault if some...bastards are taking pleasure in humiliating nice ladies.’
Hana smiles and puts her hand on Bertrand’s forearm. ‘She’s angry, Bertrand. She’s tired. I get it. But she can’t give up. We have to convince her. This whole affair needs justice, we can’t let them win.’
Michael nods curtly. ‘Agreed.’
*****
Amara and Drake are in the middle of getting undressed. Drake’s belt is undone and his shirt open, and Amara’s dress is on the floor. As Drake took it off her, she said ‘Take that fucking thing off me, I don’t wanna see another stupid gown ever.’ Now he’s working on unhooking her bra and kissing her neck, drawing low groans from her.
‘Suarez!’ Olivia screams as she flings the door open.
Amara jumps up and Drake gasps in surprise. ‘Liv!’ Amara screams, covering herself with her discarded gown.
‘Oh please,’ Liv says as she closes the door behind her, ‘nothing I haven’t seen.’ A pause ensues. She continues. ‘What, too soon? Come on. What happened tonight was a fucking disgrace, and if you’re leaving town because of it, it’s the dumbest fucking thing you’ve ever done. You need to face your demons for once in your fucking life, Amara.’
Amara freezes upon hearing her friend’s cutting words. ‘You—you don’t mean that, Liv. I’ve been doing my best—‘
‘It’s not enough!’ Liv screams. ‘You can’t just up and leave. You’ve been so worried about Walker ruining his friendship with Liam, and now you’re forcing him to come to Paris with you, and miss his supposed best friend’s engagement tour? Please. All you’ve ever cared about is yourself.’
Drake steps toward Liv, not even bothering to cover his bare chest. ‘Liv, you’re crossing a line. We’re going to Paris because Amara has found my sister, and you call her selfish?’
Liv rolls her eyes. ‘Please. You two aren’t going on a normal trip to reunite with little Savannah, no, you’re fleeing, there’s a difference.’ She looks down. ‘And you didn’t even have the decency to say goodbye. If I hadn’t come back—‘
Amara feels tears coming up. She fights them down. ‘Liv, I was gonna call you…’
‘Bullshit. Call me? Pff. That’s the fucking bare minimum. Just say it, be honest, Amara. You didn’t even think about how I would feel.’
Olivia’s voice cracks on the last word, and so does Amara’s heart. Olivia’s half-right. Amara didn’t want to see her before leaving, because she knew this very thing would happen: she would try to convince her not to give up. Except that she’s tired. She doesn’t have it in her. She takes a deep breath and says, ‘That’s not true, Olivia. I did think about it, and frankly, I didn’t think I could take the confrontation.’
Olivia gets up and heads for the door. ‘Well, I was wrong about you, Suarez. I never pegged you for a quitter.’
*****
After a tense goodbye session with Maxwell, Michael, Hana, and Bertrand, Drake ordered a car to the airport. They managed to get last minute tickets to Paris, with a million connections. The trip will be tedious, especially since Amara is still upset from her fight with Olivia. Drake knows how close the two women had gotten over the past few weeks, and their fight today was very ugly. He wishes he could do more, to make Amara feel better, but she doesn’t seem to be open to conversation.
He flashes back to when they first met, and she refused to tell him anything about her old life. At the time, it was mysterious, endearing, and even sexy. Now, as they’re in a committed relationship, her silence is grueling. This isn’t how she’s been ever since they got together. During the months she spent in Cordonia, she had opened up to the world, had laughed more, and had talked about her trauma. Now, she was silent, and on the verge of tears, in the back of an Uber.
He strokes her hand. She smiles faintly, and rests her head on his shoulder. He kisses her hair.
‘I promise I’ll be more fun when we get to Paris,’ she whispers. ‘It’s just a little hard right now.’
He gets it. It’s hard for him, too. Amara is his home now, obviously he’ll follow her wherever. But these circumstances… He hates to admit it, but it really feels like Olivia is right. They’re not travelling, they’re fleeing.
His phone buzzes. He reaches inside his pocket and takes it out. Liam.
Drake, tonight was crazy. Hope you guys are ok. Call me when you can.
He sighs. After everything, he does feel bad for Liam. He’s been manipulated into a toxic engagement, and if nothing changes, he’ll be stuck in an awful marriage.
They’ve had their differences, and Drake sure doesn’t appreciate his change of personality, but he still feels responsible. He was supposed to be there for him. He texts back.
Everything ok for now. I’ll call you soon, I might have gotten a hold of Sav.
Dots appear right away.
Wow!! That is great. Some good news in this ocean of shit… Keep me posted.
He puts his phone away. Amara snuggles up to him more, and whispers. ‘I’m sorry. I ruined everything.’
He kisses her head. ‘How can you ruin everything when you are everything? Relax. Everything will be ok.’
*****
‘I’m sorry you came here to see Amara, and now she’s gone,’ Maxwell says sadly.
Michael smiles and takes another sip of his whiskey. ‘It’s fine, I can change my flight.’
Maxwell waves him off. ‘No, you should stay and enjoy. Plenty of space here. Hana, same for you, honey. Please stay as long as you want.’ He pauses and looks into his glass. ‘I’m not ready to lose everybody at once.’
Michael sets down his glass in a loud thump, which draws a gasp from everyone at the table. ‘Yeah, Max, you’re not losing anyone. Feel like a good old-fashioned airport chase?’
Maxwell gasps excitedly. ‘OMG...always.’
*****
Liam sighs as he puts his phone aside, anxiously waiting for a sign from his best friend. He can’t shake the feeling that he fucked up badly. He glances at the mirror, not ready to get out of the bathroom. Madeleine is waiting for him in the study, and he doesn’t want any of the options that are going to be presented to him.
‘Li, open up,’ he hears his brother’s voice say.
Liam opens the door to see Leo, his bow tie undone, and a chilled bottle of white wine in hand.
‘Dude, let’s pop this open. You’re gonna need it if you wanna survive your engagement. I should know.’
Liam chuckles as he takes the bottle to open it. Yes, Leo knows how Madeleine is. But does he, though? He fled as soon as their engagement was pronounced, and plus, Madeleine seems to have gotten a lot worse this time around. Liam pours two glasses and hands one to his brother. ‘Leo, this whole thing—‘
‘It was very messy, I’m not gonna lie,’ Leo interrupts as he grabs his glass and raises it before bringing it to his lips. ‘Any news from everyone who fucked off before it was over?’
Liam nods. ‘Yes. Maxwell called me, and Drake texted, I’m waiting for his call, actually.’
Leo nods and opens his mouth to say something, but closes it immediately. Liam frowns. Since when does he brother think before he talks? Leo takes another sips and says, ‘What about Lady Amara? Did you have any idea she was boning Tariq?’
Liam shakes his head vigorously. ‘No, and she isn’t. Those pictures were staged. She was almost assaulted by him, and I suppose someone took those photos at the exact right moment.’
Leo frowns. ‘So that’s why she looked on the verge of tears. Wow. Whoever did this is a fucking bastard.’
Liam nods as he takes a sip. ‘Agreed. I just don’t know what to do now, Leo. I don’t want her to leave, but I also don’t blame her.’ He pauses. ‘I want to give her Valtoria, still. But right now, the press is having a field day, and it wouldn’t be received well. This needs to be sorted out. I need to make this right.’
Leo nods. ‘How are you gonna do this all the while being engaged to Regina George?’
Liam chuckles. Leave it to Leo to make obscure references that no one understands. ‘I can’t make waves right now,’ he replies. ‘But I can guarantee you that if I could break this engagement right this second, I would.’
*****
‘Here you go,’ Drake smiles as he hands Amara a cup of coffee. Probably not the most indicated before hopping on a multiple-layover flight, but she insisted.
‘Thank you,’ she says softly. She sips in silence.
Drake sits down next to her and rests his hand on her knee. They passed security very easily and are now at their gate, with some time to spare. Drake bought them beverages and a bunch of snacks, while Amara was sitting in silence.
What he wouldn’t do to rewind back to earlier today, when they were at the pool. He wouldn’t make the same mistake again, he wouldn’t let her go to the ball. They’d go to the cabin instead, and she’d be happy right now. She’d be catching up with Michael, and Drake would get to know him. No one would have been humiliated and exposed in public.
He keeps flashing back to the moment when the lights went off. For the first couple of seconds, his heart stopped. It was exactly like the day when his father died. The total blackout. The assassination attempt that led Jackson Walker to push the King out of the way.
The last time Drake had seen his father.
What had happened tonight broke his heart. Seeing those pictures up on the screen, and Amara’s facial expression upon seeing them, the trauma, the humiliation, the desire to get the fuck out.
He understands.
Of course he’s happy to be on his way to Savannah.
Of course he’s happy to be with Amara. But he would be, regardless of the plan. He’s not going anywhere without her.
Maybe she thinks he wants this. Maybe she thinks he’s so sick of the court that they both need to get out. Maybe she thinks this is the perfect opportunity.
But it’s not. All it will accomplish is take her away from the little stability she’s known recently. From the connections she’s made with her friends. Olivia is already pissed. Not that it’s a reason not to go, Liv is always pissed. But never at Amara.
He kisses the top of Amara’s head. She squeezes his hand, ever so slightly, her head still lowered. Drake could swear that she’s sniffling.
‘Amara!!!’
They both jump up in surprise, as they see Maxwell and Michael running towards them, out of breath.
‘Guys!’ Drake exclaims, suddenly as relieved as he’s ever been, even though he has no idea what’s going on. ‘What are you doing here?’
Maxwell stops in front of them, completely out of breath. ‘I—‘ he huffs and puffs, as if he’d been smoking a pack of cigarettes à la Don Draper, ‘Jeez, I’m out of shape.’ He sits on the floor, clearly about to die. ‘We got here as fast as we could. We bought the cheapest tickets to go past security, don’t tell Bertrand.’
Michael, so far still silent, walks up to Amara and wraps her in a tight hug. ‘Don’t go,’ he says.
Maxwell smiles at Drake. Drake smiles back, and says, ‘Guys, Max and I are gonna go to that bar over there. Max needs a drink. We’ll catch up with you later.’
*****
‘Michael, come on,’ Amara says, breaking away from their hug. ‘You’ve seen what happened, you know I have no choice.’
He holds out his hand and gestures towards the seats. She obliges. He sighs and says, ‘Hear me out. I know this is fucked up, I know this was not okay, what happened tonight.’
‘Fuck no it wasn’t,’ Amara says, suddenly worried her voice might break. ‘I can’t look any of them in the eye.’
Michael’s eyes widen. ‘Who’s ‘them’? People at court?’ She nods. ‘All of them?’ She shrugs. Michael throws his hands up. ‘You can’t rule out everyone just because a bunch of dicks did something terrible. Plus, by running, you’re kind of accepting their narrative.’
Amara pauses. No, he can’t be right. ‘I’m not running,’ she protests. ‘I’m going to Paris to find Drake’s sister. Max told you, right?’
Michael smiles and takes her hand. ‘I know the official reason. But I also know that Savannah isn’t going anywhere, and that you could very well go to Paris in a couple of weeks once you have processed this whole thing.’ He looks down and squeezes her hand harder. ‘I know your MO, Amara. You block it all out, you don’t want to hear about anything, and you think things are gonna go away if you proceed like that. But they’re not.’
Amara fights back tears. Second time today someone confronts her in a friendly intervention. She’s not gonna cry, dammit. ‘This has nothing to do with...with two years ago.’
Michael smiles at her, in a way that breaks her heart. She knows that, despite what she’d like to believe, he understands her more than anyone. He saw her at her low point. He whispers, ‘You can’t even say the words, Amara. That’s how running away feels. You can’t confront it, two years later. You say ‘two years ago’, or, as I call it, when Sergio was shot. And I lost my sister, because she couldn’t face me, and I made mistakes, and I wasn’t there for you like I should, and I let you isolate yourself. Well fuck that, I’m not doing that again.’ His voice is louder now, and he catches himself almost shouting. He continues, calmer now. ‘You can’t run away from what you’ve got, here. Drake is wonderful. I know he’s coming with you, wherever you decide to go, but you know what I mean. You fell in love here. There is something for you in Cordonia. You found amazing friends. Maxwell took it upon himself to fix our bond, and he did it. That’s the kind of friends you surround yourself with. Are you willing to not see them for a while because you can’t face, what? Two people at court? The media?’
Amara can’t fight the tears anymore. They’re falling down no matter what. She knows he’s right. ‘But—‘ she protests, ‘but everyone thinks I was sleeping with Tariq, and I wasn’t, but on some level, I kinda did what they accuse me of, you know. I am in a relationship with Liam’s best friend.’
Michael makes an annoyed face. ‘Oh, and you owe the court your body and your heart? Honey, by leaving now, you are giving everyone the impression that you’re ashamed. When really, what happened is that you were almost sexually assaulted by a dirtbag who has now fled the country. You are the victim here. Of that Tariq, but also of the people who staged this whole thing. Don’t you think you deserve justice?’
Damn, Amara thinks. Being a lawyer really was Michael’s calling. She sighs. ‘I can’t abandon Drake, I promised him to find his sister.’
Michael smiles. ‘And you will. But don’t leave now, please. It would mean too much if you did. To others, yes, but mostly...to yourself, hun.’ He kisses her hand. ‘You have to face this. You’re Amara Motherfucking Suarez, you can face anything. Stop believing that you can’t.’
*****
Amara and Michael are still talking near the gate, and Drake can’t stop looking over to see what’s going on. Maxwell puts his hand on Drake’s arm, reassuringly. ‘Hey,’ he says, pushing his beer towards him, ‘drink this, you didn’t pay airport prices for nothing.’
Drake smiles weakly. ‘Max,’ he whispers, ‘I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to go to Paris just yet, I wish we could stay. Amara will regret it if we just run, you know. And...maybe I will, too.’
Maxwell nods. ‘I know. We all agree. But let Michael work his magic,’ he gestures towards the gate, ‘he’s a lawyer, he knows what he’s doing.’
Drake chuckles. ‘True.’
Maxwell pauses and continues. ‘Drake, are you ok? I thought of you, too, tonight, when the lights went off. It must have brought up terrible memories.’
Drake sighs deeply. ‘Yeah, it did. But I have to move forward, you know.’ He takes a sip of his overpriced beer. ‘Thank you for thinking of me, though.’
Max smiles broadly. ‘Of course. We’re co-uncles, after all!’
‘Right! Well, don’t get me wrong, I can’t wait to meet the little guy and to see Sav again, but…’
Maxwell nods. ‘I know. Now feels rushed. Plus, I don’t know what you think, but I believe it would be more fun if we were all to come with you guys. Make a trip out of it.’
Drake smiles. A few months ago, a collective trip would have sounded like a nightmare. Now, he would love it. Of course, being alone with Amara is still what he wants most, but that’s what locked doors are for.
Maxwell continues. ‘Plus, there might be a way to arrange for that to happen. Two birds, one stone.’
Drake raises an eyebrow. ‘Do tell.’
‘Well, we can all go on the engagement tour. We can arrange it with Liam. It goes through Paris in a couple of weeks, we can look for Sav then. It would allow for Amara to clear her name and to show she’s not hiding. And also…’ He pauses, a guilty look on his face.
‘What, Max?’ Drake asks, worried.
‘Well, I know Liam has been a dick. I know he’s been very self-centered and all, and I haven’t forgiven him for his attitude towards Amara. But…’
Drake nods. ‘I know. I feel the same. I don’t feel good about leaving him to be engaged to a woman who manipulates and forcefully outs people.’
Maxwell smiles. ‘We’re on the same page, then.’
Drake gasps. Amara and Michael are walking over to them, a faint smile on their faces. They are both holding Drake and Amara’s carry-ons. Maxwell grabs Drake’s arm excitedly.
Without saying a word, Amara plants a kiss on Max’s cheek, and goes straight to Drake. She wraps him in a tight hug, which draws a relieved sigh from him. She kisses his neck a million times, and whispers in his ear, ‘I’m sorry babe. I acted like a coward, when you clearly told me that you were partial to staying. Please forgive me.’
He breaks away from her hug, only to kiss her passionately. ‘I know this was hard for you. I didn’t want to push you. And for what it’s worth, you could never be a coward.’
Michael chuckles. ‘That’s what I said. She’s Amara Motherfucking Suarez, after all.’
Drake laughs. ‘Exactly.’
Amara pulls Drake closer again. ‘Do you mind if we stay? I want to face this head-on. We’ll find Savannah soon, but leaving now…’
Maxwell smiles broadly. ‘We were just saying the exact same thing. In fact, we have a plan.’
*****
Amara listens carefully and nods. Maxwell is right. She needs to clear her name, even if she doesn’t care what other people think. She needs to stand up for what’s right and she won’t accept the blame for something she was a victim of.
She’s sitting as close to Drake as possible, not wanting to let go of him. She feels like a terrible partner right now. He clearly expressed his opinion earlier, and she brushed him off with her desire to get out as fast as possible. They’re a team, and she kinda forgot that for a second. She’s not used to people being on her team, not since two years ago. Not since Sergio died, and she isolated herself.
But now, she has other people to think of. Drake, the man she loves. Her family. Her friends.
Drake strokes her arm lovingly, his other arm around her. ‘So, what do you say, babe? We completely get it if you don’t want to go on the tour. You can say no at any time.’
She nods. ‘I’m in. Let’s do this.’
Maxwell squeals. ‘Woo! Overpriced beer for everybody!’
Amara laughs. ‘Plus, it will feel like an undercover mission, you know. Old times.’
Michael smiles. ‘You’ve missed it, huh?’
Amara blushes. Yes, yes she has. ‘Yup.’ She plays with Drake’s glass absentmindedly. ‘Captain Braugher would be impressed, an undercover job with royalty…’
Michael laughs. ‘That man always terrified me, but he had a real soft spot for you.’ He reaches for Amara’s hand. ‘I’m glad you’re staying, hun. You’re running out of continents.’
Amara lets out a throaty laugh and playfully swats his hand. ‘You bastard,’ she jokes.
Drake laughs along and says, ‘Guys, keep my expensive beer cold for me, I have a phone call to make.’
*****
The phone doesn’t ring for long. Drake can’t help but think that Liam has been waiting for his call, which breaks his heart a little bit. ‘Hi, Drake,’ Liam says.
‘Hey, Li. Sorry it took me so long. I was making some last minute decisions regarding Sav,’ he lies. Well, half-lies. It’ll do, for now. ‘How are you holding up?’
Liam sighs. ‘Not great. I’ve been with Leo, I’m delaying meeting Madeleine, I just don’t know what to do.’
‘Look, I’ve talked to Max, and we want to help you break your engagement. We think we can pull it off, along with clearing Amara’s name. All we need to do is some sleuthing, to find out about who leaked all those pics. Maybe find Tariq, he’s gotta be somewhere. As you know, Amara’s a detective, and she can do that sort of stuff.’
Liam quickly replies, ‘That sounds great. Do you think you can all come on the engagement tour? It starts on Friday, so you have a few days to move things around. We’ve commissioned a train, we’ll go to Rome, Paris, and London. Then, we’re all flying to New York for the last leg of the trip.’
Drake nods. ‘We’re all in. To tell you the truth, I’m happy we’re going to Paris. It’s, um… it’s where Savannah has been.’
Liam gasps. ‘Oh my God, Drake, really? Well that’s wonderful. We’ll be in Paris two weeks from now. You’ll see her then. Is that ok?’
Drake smiles. ‘Yeah. And Liam?’
‘Hm?’
Drake pauses. ‘I’m sorry I’ve been distant. I want to make up for it. I’m gonna help you get your life back.’
Liam sighs. ‘Thank you, Drake. Oh, and you can tell Max that I’m hiring a PR person for Amara. We’re all in this together, she’ll have her name cleared in no time, and she’ll be able to claim Valtoria.’
Drake swallows hard and slow. ‘That’s great,’ he forces himself to say. ‘I’ll let Max and Amara know. Hey, Li, don’t sweat it, ok? Just be normal with Madeleine, don’t force yourself to do or say anything. Be yourself, everything will be fine.’
‘Thanks, man, I appreciate it. I’ll be in touch for the planning of the tour.’
*****
‘Bertrand, pop the champagne!’ Maxwell shouts out as he plops down on the couch back at Ramsford.
Bertrand comes out of his study wearing a burgundy silk robe with so many tassels that Amara can’t even count them. ‘Maxwell,’ he whispers, ‘it’s very late, I was worried about you all. Hana just turned in, please keep your voices down.’
Maxwell mouths ‘I’m sorry’, and walks to the kitchen with his brother to fill him in.
‘If you’ll excuse me,’ Michael says softly, ‘I’m gonna go to the kitchen too to see if I can find a snack… Is it just me, or is the food at court a little scarce?’
Drake’s eyes widen. ‘That’s what I’ve been saying for YEARS, Mike.’
Amara smiles and sits down on the couch. Drake follows suit. She stares at her phone and puts it away, sadly.
Drake looks at her and raises an eyebrow. ‘Still nothing from Nevrakis?’
She shakes her head. ‘Nope. She won’t take my calls, or answer my texts. I really pissed her off.’
Drake smiles. ‘You’ll find her tomorrow. Once she sees you listened to her and stayed, she’ll cool down.’
Amara nods. ‘Thanks for being there for me,’ she says. ‘I’ll never thank you enough.’
He kisses her tenderly. ‘I’ll always be there.’
She nods. ‘So will I. I need to tell you something.’
He looks panicked for a second. ‘What?’
She smiles and strokes his cheek. Her heart feels full. ‘I was a shitty girlfriend today. Only thought of myself and the quickest way out of here. There’s a bunch of things I didn’t see.’
He smiles and takes her hand. ‘Suarez, you had something traumatic happen to you tonight. You’re allowed to think about your own feelings for…’ He glances at his watch. ‘What, five hours? It’s a pretty sweet deal.’
She smiles and kisses his lips. ‘Still. When the lights went dark, I heard several people freak out, and I realized that they must have thought it was some kind of attack…’ she pauses and strokes his hand with her thumb. ‘Like the one that killed your dad.’
He blushes, and looks down. ‘Babe, I’m fine. I promise. It did cross my mind but then, all I wanted was to protect you.’
‘I know, and I want to protect you, too. We’re a team, Drake. Partners. I just want you to know that you can talk to me about anything, anytime, like I can do with you.’
Drake smiles broadly, his face beaming. ‘What the fuck did I do to deserve you?’
Maxwell barges in with a bottle of champagne, followed by Bertrand and Michael, each holding a tray of snacks. ‘Woooo!’ Maxwell says softly. ‘To Amara fighting back!’ He says as he pops the cork. ‘Team Peacock for the win.’
Bertrand chuckles. ‘Team Peacock? Who is that?’
Maxwell shrugs. ‘It’s us, Bertrand! We’re Team Peacock! They’re the best animals, plus no one takes them seriously because they’re fabulous, but they are smart as hell.’
‘Are they?’ Drake asks, dubious.
‘Who cares?’ Maxwell laughs. ‘They’re awesome. Like Bertrand’s robe.’
Bertrand blushes and grumbles, ‘Well, no one was supposed to see it, you know.’
Amara grabs the glass that Maxwell is holding out to her and raises it. ‘To you guys. To Drake, the best partner I could dream of, and to the three of you, the best brothers a bitch can hope for.’
Maxwell clinks his glass with Amara’s. ‘To brothers!’
*****
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hotchzier · 5 years
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louis hadn't exactly planned on waking his boy up until it was exactly half an hour before he had to leave. but with how entangled they were it was deemed impossible to get out of harry's bond without waking him up.
"darling." louis called softly, turning his head a bit back so he could look at him.
"darling, i need you to wake up." louis continued softly, reaching out to move his boys hair back and out of his face. he left his hand to gently rub circles in harry's temples.
he really didn't want to leave.
louis leaned over and gently layed his lips against harry's forehead, attempting to wake him up with his kisses.
"hmph", is all he got out of him.
"baby, i gotta get up."
"mmm". harry dived his nose into louis' neck, inhaling deeply.
louis smiled fondly and moved his hand into harry's gorgeous curls. he always loved playing with them, especially during small moments like these where the both of them are intertwined deeply into their bed. voices never higher than a whisper.
louis gently pulled on his curls in order to lift harry's head up a bit so he could move his lips down to his ear. he nudged it a bit and then whispered at him to wake up once again.
"nnnh-not going to." harry mumbled, still nestled into louis' neck.
louis let out a breathy sound, somewhere remotely close to a chuckle.
"and why is that, my boy?"
"if i keep sleeping, you wont leave." harry eventually whispered with his smallest voice he had.
louis' fond smile slowly morphed into a small frown. he knew how hard these moments were on not only harry, but himself too. he quickly turned the mood to a happier setting by letting out a small chuckle after thinking about the "logic" behind harry's words.
"i wish it worked that way, love." he said quietly, and then leaving a peck on the top of his head to seal his words.
"wanna stay here forever". harry whispered as he moved his head to nose louis' cheek.
louis' chin tilted down a bit so his and harry's noses met to rub against eachothers.
butterfly kisses.
their lips eventually found each others as it seems it's impossible for them not to when their faces are this close.
the first kiss of the day, and most definitely not the last.
they layed there and kissed for a bit. as corny as it sounds, the time always feels endless and that their souls have suddenly turned to immortality when their lips have morphed into each others.
when louis reluctantly pulled pack, harry finally opened his eyes. his usually bright green eyes were a bit dull today but they never failed to catch louis' breath.
their eyes didn't pull away until the realization that the time for louis' departure would be here sooner than later.
louis pulled back to look at the analog clock that rested on their bedside table.
9:22 AM the digital, red letters read out.
he'd have to get going at the latest by 11 and considering how this had been going, it'd be a struggle to get him out of the door until he absolutely had to.
when he turned back to harry his eyes layed upon the frown that had came across his face in the past few seconds. he felt himself frowning shortly too.
god, he hated this. he hated leaving his boy.
louis leaned into leave a lingering peck against harry's lips.
"i love you." he whispered against their touching lips.
all harry did was let his lips curl up to a small smile. he knew he was choking on his emotions deep down inside and he was trying his hardest to conceal them.
"gotta take a shower, love." louis started to get up but harry caught onto his arm before he could even swing his feet off the bed.
"lay with me for a bit longer, please, louis."
his hearth ached. his boys voice was so small and sad. he longed to just quit his job as the aspiring journalist he was becoming and lay with harry in a bed forever.
"can't, darling."
water came across to filling the already glassy, emerald eyes of his.
fuck.
louis didn't realize how hard it would be this time. he'd only be gone for five weeks into the states in order to research on a piece he was doing for the different ways life is lived. but it would be the longest they had ever been away from eachother in the span of the 4 years they were together. he wanted nothing more than to take him with him but they just couldn't.
he leaned in to quickly wipe harry's tears, but he refused to lie down again, knowing he wouldn't get up if he did.
"we'll facetime every fucking day. you can call me whenever you need to, no matter what. and we'll text every minute we can. i promise you, my love." louis stated as his hands held onto harry's face.
harry's hand came up to wrap around louis' dainty, but firm wrists. he continued to look louis in the eye as he nodded slowly. "okay." he whispered softly.
"okay?" louis wanted to hear it again to confirm harry got it.
"everyday." is all harry whispered back.
-
as louis stepped out of the steamy bathroom, he found the still ruffled sheets of the bed to be empty. he followed his feet to the kitchen to see the coffee pot incessantly boiling and harry at the table with his journal.
he seemed to be stuck on his thoughts and aimlessly writing in it, more than likely to calm him.
louis came up behind him from where he was seated and wrapped his arms around his shoulders, inhaling harry's scent and then kissing him once more.
"let me make you some coffee before you leave. or tea? you always prefer tea in the mornings, i just thought maybe you needed some caffeine as you do have a long trip ahead of yo-"
"coffee's fine, sweetheart." louis cut his frazzled rambling off with yet another kiss to his lips.
harry turned around to pour louis a cup and handed it to him as he sat back down with louis.
"nothing for you, babe?" louis asked, genuinely curious as harry usually had a cup as well.
"dont think i'd keep it down to be quite honest". he said as his voice trailed off into some distant land of his mind.
louis sighed and turned his body towards harry's seat. he sat there, drinking his coffee, while reviewing all of harry's features. he never, ever could get over how unbelievably lucky he got with this godly gorgeous boy of his.
"stop staring at me". harry said, his voice fining entertainment.
"i cant". louis knew harry could hear the smile in his voice.
harry disregarded the comment, even though is knowing smile stayed on his face as he turned to asked louis if his toothbrush was packed.
"yes, darling, everything i need is ready to go." he said a but, exasperated. he knew harry was just stalling louis' time but they'd gone over his packed bags at least a million times in the past few days.
"okay, love, just checking." harry said, his voice seemed a big lighter now that he was fully awake, but it still had a sad tinge to it.
10:39 AM the clock hanging against their wall now read.
his ears picked up on harry's breath faintly hitching as he turned to see that harry looked at the same time as he did to.
"still got a good 20 minutes, baby. you'll be okay", he said trying his best to calm his boy down.
he got up to put his cup in the sink he turned back around to harry already standing. his eyes had trailed him the few steps to he sink and now to where louis was walking in his direction.
louis slowly wrapped his arms around harry's long and thin torso. harry felt a bit tense in his arms but he slowly relaxed as louis held him tighter once harrys arms wrapped around his neck and his head fell into his shoulder.
they stood their wrapped up into eachother tightly for a good while, both pulling back with glossy eyes.
it really would be a good time to get going then, but louis couldn't find himself to doing it. he wanted to stay here with his boy as much as his boy wanted him to stay too.
when he looked back up again his face contorted into a frown and his eyebrows pulling together at the sight of a tear rolling down harry's face.
louis took his hands and squeezed them. he leaned up to kiss all over his boys face even has the taste of his salty tears made his way into his mouth.
"i'm sorry." the end of harry's words were slightly cracked by his emotions.
"no, don't be, baby. i just hate seeing you so sad."
"i feel selfish for crying. this is your thing that you've been looking forward to for so long and i just- i don't know we've never been away for this long and im gonna miss you so fucking much." now harry's voice cracks were surreal and tears were unstoppable as he chocked on his sobs.
louis' heart was breaking and he felt his eyes fill up to at his darling boy who was a whole emotional wreck. he wasn't any better himself though.
"you're breaking my heart, baby", louis let go of their intertwined hands to wipe harry's tears out of his face. his hands stayed there to rub circles into his cheeks to calm him down. "i promise you i'll be back before no time and when i get back we can lay in bed and watch movies the whole day like we always do, okay?"
harry just nodded as he tried to suppress his sobs even more. it was pretty much time for louis to be leaving, as he should've been at the airport about ten minutes ago.
"i'm so sorry, darling, but i really gotta get going. ill text you the soonest second i can and you can text me every damn time you want to. these five weeks will fly, my boy."
harry was still keen on saying the bare minimum as he leaned into louis' touch and closed the gap between them to kiss louis' lips for the last time in awhile.
they wrapped eachother into their arms one more time, squeezing extra tightly before louis turned to grab his bags to put them in the car.
harry insisted on helping him but louis refused. he just wanted his boy to rest up for now.
as soon as the doors to his taxi closed his phone dinged with a message from harry, he smiled to himself at how extra his boy was.
"miss you so fucking much already xx"
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