#(I think he kinda regrets it since he’s being a hypocrite (technically) because of that one time someone missed Pepperman)

[whereismyhat5678]

may i kiss + hug vigi with permission? cheek or lips

He doesn’t mind the hug!

He hopes you don’t mind the spillage! 😅

And for the kiss… He had to think about it.

….

Alright give him air to breathe! Shoo shoo!!

[pucksnsticksnhockeyboys]

what do you say

summary: you never were the best at addressing your feelings with Matthew, and neither was he. 

warnings: mentions of smut, some steaminess, alcohol

word count: 4.7k

Your mother had always told you hindsight was 20/20 vison, but back then you just rolled your eyes and kept on complaining about how you regretted sending an embarrassing text to the guy you liked.

But now you knew what she meant. And the irony was not lost on you.

You should have made your friend tell you where she was taking you. You shouldn’t have let her pick your outfit for the evening, the lacy dark green bodysuit tucked into a pair of black skinny jeans a tad too revealing for your taste, even when paired with a jacket.

And you most definitely should have turned and walked out the door the moment you realized whose house party you were at.

“I’m leaving.” You stated firmly, turning to face Isabelle the moment you crossed into the apartment. Your back was to the crowd, and your friend shot you an innocent look before searching the crowd. “I thought you said this was a party by the guy you were seeing.”

“It is.” She looked a bit sheepish, and you raised a brow in question.

“Then why is half the Flames roster here?” It was pretty easy for you to recognize the players for two reasons. The only one you were willing to admit to was that you were a pretty big hockey fan and had dragged Isabelle to more than her fair share of games. Her sheepish smile grew, and you felt a wave of worry wash over you.

“What would you say if I told you he was on the team? And that I’m not just seeing him, but he’s kinda my boyfriend?”

You wanted to be annoyed, you really did. Annoyed that she didn’t tell you she was seeing a hockey player—not that you cared about his status, she just knew how much you loved the sport—and annoyed that she hadn’t mentioned her change in relationship status.

But that would make you a hypocrite.

See, a few months ago you had hooked up with Calgary’s very own Matthew Tkachuk. And then you kept hooking up. It was a no strings attached relationship that developed into a friends with benefits as a result of the sometimes hours of hanging out with him before actually hooking up with him. You hadn’t told Isabelle about it, because you knew things were too good to be true, and you had been right.

Because then you had to go and fall for the guy. To save yourself from having to explain why things couldn’t continue the way they were, you ended things with him. He tried to protest and salvage your relationship, but you thought the best thing for you would to be to cut him out of your life. It had been weeks since you had last seen him.

And now he was probably at this party, and you were going to have to spend your whole night avoiding him instead of getting to know your best friend’s new boyfriend.

“Who is he?” You settled on answering with, and if Isabelle saw the way all the color drained from your face, she didn’t comment on it. Instead, she seemed to find whoever she was searching for because a smile lit up her face and she was tugging you by the wrist into the party before you could make good on your threat of leaving.

“Noah! Hey!” She called, dropping your hand in favor of embracing the hockey player with a kiss and a hug. When she finally pulled away, she turned to face you with a grin, and her happiness did little to help the dread that was piling in the pit of your stomach. She introduced the two of you, and you had to pretend like you hadn’t heard so much about him from Matt.

“It’s nice to meet you.” Noah shook your hand, one of his arms swinging over Isabelle’s shoulders. “I was starting to think she didn’t want me to meet her friends.”

“If anything, she was hiding you from us.” You teased, keeping your gaze focused on him and forcing yourself to not search the party for any signs of the curly haired nuisance that had taken up residence in your mind rent free for so long.

“Protecting him from you, more like.” Isabelle shot back, earning laughs from both you and Noah. You rolled your eyes at her, and before you could come up with something to say back you were interrupted by someone calling Noah’s name and beckoning him over to the pong table.

“If you want to get a drink, everything’s in the kitchen right through there.” Noah told you and you nodded, silently cursing Isabelle for abandoning you for her boyfriend. You were stuck between deciding whether or not to follow them to the cup pong table, but you figured if you were going to spend the night wondering whether or not you were going to run into Matthew, you needed something to drink.

The kitchen was mostly abandoned, and quickly spotted the cups, alongside vodka and some mixers. You were in the middle of pouring the cranberry juice into your cup when you heard someone enter the kitchen, but you were so distracted by trying to make your drink strong but still palpable that you didn’t look up.

“What, not doing shots tonight?” You would recognize that voice anywhere. Smug, cocky, and somehow endearing all at the same time. You stayed facing the counter as if that would make him go away.

“Last time I did shots I had to sneak out of some guy’s apartment the next morning.” You shot back, cursing yourself for how easily you fell back into your banter with him. It had always been too easy with him.

“You didn’t have to run off, I would have made you breakfast.” There was a lightness in his tone that you honestly didn’t expect, since considering the last time you saw him you were telling him you didn’t want to sleep with him anymore.

“Matthew.” You warned lowly, finally turning on your heel to look up at the boy. You kind of regretted it, though, because you were reminded with just how handsome he was and how much you missed being around him. You didn’t miss the sneaking out of his apartment or the feeling of wanting more with someone who only called your name once the sun set. “That’s not what we do. Did.” You were quick to catch yourself, because your rendezvous were in the past tense and would stay that way for as long as you could help it.

Matt’s grin faltered for a second before his cocky front was back up. It hurt to watch; you knew that he was so much more than how he was portrayed in the media. Yeah, he was a pest and there was no denying that, but he was also incredibly kind and ridiculously funny. But that was part of his danger, funny guys were always the ones to watch out for because one minute you’re laughing and the next your pants are on the floor and you’re in his bed.

At least, that’s what happened with you and him.

“Is this new?” He questioned, and you only knew he was talking about your bodysuit because his hand slipped underneath your jacket and was brushing over the material at your side. His gaze was flicking back from the garment to you and it took all your willpower to not melt into him right then and there.

You gripped his wrist, moving his hand away from you. He separated with no argument, and that almost made you want to scream even more. Of course, he had to be a gentleman and take being rejected so easily. If he had pitched a fit, it would have made ending things with him so much easier for you.

“It doesn’t matter.” You tried to keep your voice steady, but you couldn’t meet his gaze, not when he was grinning so devilishly handsomely and especially not when his simple touch brought back memories of your past nights spent together. Matt sighed, moving away from you to lean backwards against the kitchen island while you stayed rooted in your spot by the counter.

“What are you doing here?” He asked, and it was honestly a valid question. When you first started your whole no strings attached arrangement, you had made a rule to not mix friend groups. It was why Isabelle had no idea you had a past with Matthew and Noah had no idea who you were. You had some close calls, definitely—that one time Johnny had barged into Matt’s apartment while you were there and you heard him teasing Matt about having a girl in his room still made you flushed and you hadn’t even technically been caught.

“I’m here with a friend, apparently she’s dating your teammate, Noah.” You explained, finishing your sentence with a long sip of your drink and a wince. It was definitely stronger than you meant it to be but at this rate you didn’t care. Matt’s laugh was loud in the kitchen, and you hadn’t realized it before, but the other people that had been in there with you had long since left.

“That’s ironic, considering we used to—”

“Don’t finish that sentence.” You interrupted. Your threat was empty and both of you knew there was honestly nothing you could do to stop him, but he laughed at you anyways and held his hands up in innocence.

“I won’t say it, but you know, you could always come back to mine after tonight.” He smirked. You hated to admit it, but the offer was tempting. You hesitated, and as the seconds ticked by since he made the proposition his smug grin only grew.

“I can’t, Matthew. We ended things, and let’s just be civil for the sake of our friends.” You reasoned, and once again his expression faltered. Only, this time, he didn’t go back to being smug and instead studied you for several tense moments of silence.

“No, you ended things. I was perfectly fine the way things were.” His tone was colder than what you were used to hearing from him, he wasn’t harsh, but it was definitely clear that something was wrong. You chuckled dryly at him, the comment irking you because you were not fine at all with the way things were.

“We’re just friends now, nothing more.” You told him decisively before slipping past him and back into the rest of the party.

Oh, how you would come to regret saying that.

Admittedly, you were never really good at telling Matthew no. But now, with this whole friendship angle you had given him, he was taking things to a new level. He started texting you more often, claiming that friends had conversations. And as much as it hurt you to do so, you were responding to each and every one of his texts without fail. You figured, fine, he’s not doing any damage through the phone and there’s no way you’d accidently end up in his bed if he stayed in his place on the other side of Calgary.

But then he showed up at your apartment.

“Matthew—” You started to whine as soon as you opened the door and found him standing on the other side, heart skipping a beat as you catalogued just how attractive he looked. It wasn’t fair that he always looked so incredibly handsome, whether he was in his game day suit or a pair of sweatpants like he was currently.

“Friends can have dinner together and watch a movie.” He grinned innocently at you from your doorway. He had a point, but you didn’t think that applied to people who had seen each other naked.

“I’m not sleeping with you.” You narrowed your eyes at him, stepping aside to let him in. It probably wasn’t a good idea, but you weren’t one for making good decisions when it came to Matthew. He just laughed at you, making himself comfortable in your apartment.

“I mean, I wouldn’t say no, but that’s not what I’m here for.” He snickered, grinning at you despite the frown you wore as you watched him warily. He had found your living room, and quickly took up residence on the center of your couch, arms spread on the back, so you’d be within his reach no matter where you sat. He did it on purpose, if the self-satisfied grin he wore told you anything. “I’ll even pay for takeout to make it up to you.”

And you were never one to pass up a free dinner, so an hour later Matt was still at your apartment, empty Chinese food containers on your coffee table and a movie of your choice on the television. You had started on the cushion farthest from him, an action that did not go unnoticed. He sighed, assuring you with a grin that he didn’t bite, unless, of course, you wanted him to.

He earned a shove to the shoulder for that comment.

Calgary was cold in the winter, and your apartment was really quite cheap, so it wasn’t long before you were shivering. You pulled the blanket that was folded on the back of the couch over your legs, warming only a small amount.

You let out a surprised yelp as Matt’s arms wound around your waist and he yanked you across the couch and into his side. He was laughing at your reaction and you simply glared at him. His arm moved out from around you and back to resting in its previous position on the top of the couch, but you weren’t quick to move away from him.

“I’m cold, and you have a blanket, so we can share.” He stated, and you rolled your eyes.

“You could use your words, you know.” You shot back, keeping your gaze focused on the screen and hoping that Matt was doing the same so he couldn’t see the smile you were trying to hide. It was moments like these, where he was being an adorable pest, that reminded you just why you fell for him the way you did.

The thing with Matthew was that he was always able to get you exactly where he wanted. Or maybe, you were just so far gone for him that when he said jump you asked how high. Either way, as the movie resumed, and his hand found its way from the back of the couch to brushing against your shoulder absentmindedly, you found yourself leaning into him slightly. His touch was electrifying, and you felt an undeniable pull towards him. You could handle it; you were an adult and could stop yourself from jumping his bones.

But then the movie played a sex scene you didn’t remember it having. And if you had known it was there, you would have picked something else. Matt chuckled lowly beside you, and you felt the vibrations through your whole body.

The scene brought back memories of the dozens of times you were in bed with Matt and how he’d make you feel like you were on top of the world. Subconsciously, your thighs clenched together at the memory of how it felt to have his head between your legs, momentarily forgetting that he could feel you shift from where you were sitting pressed against him.

“Tense?” He questioned, and you whipped your head around to look at him and his ever-present shit-eating grin. God, you hated how handsome he was. The curls, the light scruff he had been wearing as of late, his playful blue eyes—he was everything you could ever want in a guy, not even mentioning his whole cocky persona that did wonders for you. It was like switch had been flipped inside you as you studied him, a ghost of your past relationship taking control.

You either really hated yourself and had no self-control or it had been longer than you thought since the last time you had been with someone because before you even knew it you had launched yourself into Matt’s lap. As soon as you were straddling his thighs, his hands came to rest on your waist and yours went to his curls the same way they had dozens of times before.

There was a split second where nothing happened and you simply looked at each other, and you saw what looked like hesitation in his eyes. But it was gone as quick as it appeared as your lips landed heavily on his.

Kissing him was familiar, like coming home, and that thought terrified you so instead of dwelling on it too long you focused on grinding down Matthew and slipping your tongue in his mouth. He was intoxicating, and you wondered if it was really such a bad idea if you reignited your previous no strings attached arrangement, feelings be damned.

It was a horrible idea. But you were never one for making the best choices, and you really didn’t feel like starting right then as you rolled your hips against his once more.

But then Matt pulled back with a groan, like he couldn’t believe he was making himself separate. His hands were firm on your waist, grip tightening just a bit more as you raised a brow at him questioningly.

“You said no sex, and I don’t want to cross that line.” He explained, and you leaned back, studying him for any signs of insincerity. This was your Matthew, sweet, caring, and thoughtful. No matter how the media framed him, you saw the man that gushed about his mom and sister to you for a half hour one night.

And though you had been the one to start things, you were glad that he was respecting the boundaries you had set in place when he arrived. Though, it wasn’t doing anything for the continuously growing feelings you were harboring for him.

Or the growing ache between your legs.

But you had to get over him—and getting under him wasn’t going to be any help.

“Thank you, Matty.” You whispered, and his responding smile, albeit tighter than it should be, warmed your heart. You climbed off his lap, settling into your previous seat to try and watch the rest of the movie. Admittedly, it was a little difficult, with the way you both were restlessly shifting to try and get comfortable.

“Okay, this was fun, but I have to go.” Matthew announced, a lightness to his tone as he jumped up from the couch. The movie wasn’t over, there was at least another forty minutes left, but he had already found his coat and was shrugging it on by the time you came to your senses and caught up with him.

“Why are you leaving so suddenly?” Your question was met with a chuckle as he stopped by the door.

“I’ve got to go take a cold shower.” He teased. Your face flushed at his words, gaze flicking down to his crotch to see he that was, in fact, half hard from your brief make out session on the couch. You flushed even more when you realized justwhere exactly you had been looking. He chuckled again, and you knew you had been caught. Just before he could slip out the door, he pressed a quick kiss to your cheek, the action making your eyes flutter shut for a moment on their own accord. And then he was gone, and you were left wondering just what the hell had happened.

But you knew one thing for certain—a cold shower sounded like a really good idea.

As weird as that night had been, it was the first of many. You found yourself back in your normal routine of going to his after games, except this time there was no hooking up and instead you would watch a movie, or you would cook dinner for him. Neither of you made a move, besides Matt’s obvious flirting and the quick kisses he’d press to your cheek or the top of your head when parting. And then he started asking you to go with him for coffee sometimes, which morphed into meeting him for lunch.

You were in unknown territory. Up until then, your relationship was clearly defined as being set in the bedroom and mostly physical. Now, you were spending time together in the light of day and in pubic settings where there was no chance of Matt getting lucky. It did nothing to help your feelings, it felt like you were dating and doing things the right way instead sneaking out of his bed every other day when he was home.

All these new developments in your relationship with Matthew was why you had easily agreed to meet him for lunch.

The restaurant was a little fancier than the casual places you usually frequented with him, but you didn’t mind. It was a bit packed, considering it was the lunch rush on a Saturday, but eventually you spotted his familiar mop of curls.

Except, he wasn’t at the table alone, and when he stood to greet you, the two other people sitting at the table turned. You recognized them instantly, and you were certain that the blood had never drained from your face faster.

Much like you should have done at that party weeks ago, you turned on your heel and promptly left the restaurant.

Your feet were carrying you outside fast, but Matt had the advantage of not only being several inches taller than you, but also a professional athlete, so you were only a few feet away from the door when he had caught up to you and was calling your name.

“Why the fuck are your parents in there!” You spun around, facing a guilty looking Matthew. His hands were raised like he was afraid you’d run off—even further—if he moved too quickly. Your heart was pounding in your chest, there was no way you could meet his parents and still carry on as if nothing was wrong. As if you weren’t falling for him harder and harder with each passing day.

“I should have said something about them coming—”

“Yeah, you think?” You cut him off with a scoff, not believing that was what he chose to lead with. Not an ‘I’m sorry.’ or ‘I didn’t know they were coming and by the time I saw they were here my phone was dead and I couldn’t warn you.’ The second one was highly unlikely, but you had a hard time thinking that he would drop a bomb like this on you without any heads up.

“It’s just, they were in town and I wanted you to meet them, but I didn’t know if you would show up.” He scratched back of his neck awkwardly, his gaze fluttering all around but never landing on you directly. And, okay, that was a lot to process, but you could only focus on his actual words and not any deeper meaning behind him.

“And what, introduce myself by saying ‘Hi, I’m the girl that used to sleep with your son, but now we don’t do that anymore except for that one time I made out with him and he shot me down.’ Is that what I should do?” You knew you were being dramatic, but you didn’t care in the moment. What mattered was that Matt realized that him bringing you to meet his parents was not a good idea. You were still trying to figure out where you stood with Matt, you assumed that you were just friends, but his actions completely blew that idea out of the water.

Annoyingly, Matt was not as panicked as you were. Instead, his grin only grew as you ranted and by the time you had finished, he was full-on laughing. You pouted, swatting his shoulder playfully to get him to stop. Your heart was fluttering at the sound, and that wasn’t very helpful in trying to figure out what was going on.

“I mean, you could say that. But I would just give them your name. And I wouldn’t say I rejected you, you’re the one that said no sex.” His grin was bright, and you only pouted further at him. His expression faltered, morphing into a more serious one as he gestured with his head towards the restaurant. “Are you going to come inside?”

“What are we doing, Matthew? Because if you’re not in this to start something, then I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to stay.” You sighed, a bit defeated and a bit exhausted at not knowing where you stood with him. His brow furrowed, as if he was confused, before he smiled and he wrapped his arms around your shoulders, tugging you into his chest.

“I wanted you to be my girlfriend months ago, but then you said you didn’t want to sleep with me anymore, and I figured that was your way of saying you weren’t interested.” He mumbled into the hair on the top of your head as he kept you pressed into him. You went to interrupt, probably scream something incoherent about how you wanted something more back then, too, but he continued. “And when you showed up at that party, it kind of felt like I got a second chance, you know? I let you walk out the first time when I started things by hooking up, so I started hanging out with you without sex and somehow it was even better.”

“Matthew…” You breathed, pushing away from him so you could look up at him. It was too much, hearing him say all these sweet things you’d been wanting to hear for months without being able to look into his eyes.

“Don’t get me wrong the sex was amazing, but I love hanging out with you.” He joked, and you could tell from the look in his eyes that he was worried that you were taking his confession wrong. You chuckled at him, and it was then that you realized that you had a tight grip on his shirt, and he snickered when he glanced down and saw your white knuckles. “What do you say? Be my girlfriend finally?”

“I like hanging out with you, too.” You started slowly, trying to wade through all the feelings Matt had thrown you at you in such a short amount of time. “I’d like hanging out with you a bit more if you didn’t spring your parents on me.”

He tilted his head back and laughed at that, and you just admired him. You briefly entertained the idea of what it would have been like if he had just simply asked you on a date when you first met at the bar, instead of inviting you back to his apartment, but you dismissed the thought. That would’ve been too easy, and Matthew was anything but easy.

You let go of his shirt, hands moving up to cup his face and tug his head down to meet you for a kiss. His hands gripped your waist, steadying you as he kissed you back with a sweetness that had never quite been there before. It made sense, you were entering a new phase with Matt, the kisses would be better.

“My parents are waiting for us.” Matt mumbled against your lips, still unable to get himself to tear away from you. You grinned, linking your hand through his before he led you back inside. He kept glancing at you over his shoulder as he walked, his bright grin landing on you and each time you squeezed his hand.

When you finally got back to the table, his parents were still sitting there, and though they clearly were a little confused, they still smiled brightly at you.

“Sorry, we’re all good now.” Matt apologized. And though you were a little flushed from embarrassment, you couldn’t help the smile you were wearing as Matt leaned over and pressed a kiss to your temple. His parents shot him a confused look and you took the chance to extend your hand out for his parents to shake.

“Hi, I’m Matt’s girlfriend.”

[slightlyobsessedwithstories]

Suffering Alone (Together)

 So this is my second fic about corrupted Steven. I hope you guys like angst and a certain pink boi. :) 

Summary:The corruption’s getting worse and Steven hides himself in his mother’s old room, but corruption only affects gems right?What does that mean since he’s half human?

Warning: transformation

Steven is trapped in his mother’s room.

 He just wanted to hide from the gems before they find him.

 Earlier this morning, he was alone in his room, lying in a fetal position. His hands covered his gem and mouth trying not to attract any attention to himself. The corruption was slowly spreading, gem flashing erratically. He hoped that he could fix this before they find out.

 Except that wish wouldn’t be granted, when Amethyst suddenly ran into his room, wearing a rainbow colored party hat and cake in hand. She was about to say something when she saw the state that Steven was in.

 It is August 15, he is officially 17 years old.

 Right now, he’s more focused on getting out of his room while Amethyst’s in shock, dropping the cake and shattering the plate into pieces.

 He runs past her and accidentally trips on his newly formed claws on his way down stairs, tumbling down to the ground floor.

 Forcing himself from the floor, he rushes torwards the warp pad and tries to warp away.

 But it doesn’t work. There’s no bright light surrounding his body bringing him to a place far from here. In desperation he hits it over and over again, the hard crystal almost cracking from the force,but to no avail.

 He hears the door slam shut as he figures Amethyst would want to tell the others what she saw.

 That she saw Steven a monster and he needs help. being a burden as always

 He wishes to hide, to get to a safe place, where the gems couldn’t see him. and where he wouldn’t see the looks of horror, disappointment,and disgust in their faces as they gaze at his form

 A gem on the temple door glows, dim and flickering, but still opens to a familiar rose-colored room made of clouds.

 He runs inside just as the door to the beach house bursts open.

He hasn’t been here for a long time.

 It has been almost three years since he last went inside this room. He wanted to see his mother; he got an illusion of her as always. 

 He let out every repressed feelings of anger he ever felt torwards her. Wondering if the only reason he even exists in this world is so she could hide from her problems.

 He kinda feels hypocritical when he thinks about it now. He is doing the exact same thing, isn’t he? Keeping secrets and hiding instead of telling the truth.

 He’s just like her, because that’s all he’ll ever be, right? The hybrid son of a diamond, human son of a rose quartz.

 He is Steven Universe but every gem sees him with Pink or Rose in mind.

 He’s so tired of being associated with her. All because he has this piece of crystal embedded in him.

 His gem is pulsing, alongside its light flashing. He feels the corruption spread once again causing bolts of pain throughout his body. 

 He just wants this to end, all the pain is technically being caused by one thing and maybe, just maybe doing this would stop it.

 Corruption only affects gems, right?

 He forces himself into a sitting position, he breathes in and out, trying to ignore the pain. Then he forces his hand to grab his gem and pulls hard.

 It made a little pop sound like it did the last time this happened. He feels a bit thankful that he’s becoming unconscious as a glitchy pink duplicate forms in front of him.

   He wakes up to the sounds of screaming. No, not just any scream, it sounds almost like his own except it’s louder and inhuman.

 He tries standing, trying to go torwards the sound, but as he tries to stand, his feet wobble and he hits his head on the soft clouds of the room.

 He remembers where he is and asks the room to bring him to where the sound came from.

 The room responded by lifting the piece of cloud he’s currently laying on and it quickly floats torwards somewhere.

 He can hear the blood-curdling scream getting louder as he gets closer.

 As the clouds around him get darker, he finally sees his other half

 Except he didn’t expect the corruption to happen this quick.

 It’s like he’s watching Jasper being corrupted all over again. 

 He can only watch as his pink duplicate’s form changes into a more animalistic one.

 He can only imagine the pain the other must be going through as jagged spikes grow all over his body.

 As the human half watches he can only make out two words out of all the howls and screams being repeatedly cried

 HELP ME!

  Both of them are crying when the transformation finally ends. One half regrets the decision he made, the other half’s confused, hurt, and scared.

 The pink one sees the weak-looking human and feels a sense to protect them from harm, so he picks him up, trying not to hurt him with his sharp teeth.

 They both feel a bit better when they’re near each other, but it doesn’t escape them from the pain they’re both experiencing.

 In the eye of the storm, are two halfs of the same person that are suffering.

It took a while before the gems managed to enter the room because of the link to it from the rest of the temple was well hidden. They didn’t expect what they found.

 In the center of the room surrounded by dark swirling clouds is Steven with tears streaking his face; something is holding him by his shirt, revealing the lack of a gem in his navel.

 A giant pink creature with long crystalline horns and spikes on its body has Steven by his shirt. If they focus enough on its face, they could see its eyes with pink diamonds and for reasons unbeknownst to them, the hint of tears on its face.

[msjr0119]

Hold my girl

Part 2 - Homesick

No one really knows about TRR Main characters past …. Most of this series is based on flashbacks from her childhood. I’ve changed the main characters name to, Freya Johnson as Riley Brooks is used in my other series.

Freya is in love with Drake, but he hasn’t returned the feelings- instead just acts horrible towards her. Will Freya return back to Cordonia with the court or will she stay in the USA after the UN party.

Warnings: swearing

Ive lost my tag list for this series 👎🏻

Just tagging everyone- if you want to be removed let me know 😊

@annekebbphotography @burnsoslow @drakesensworld @ladyangel70 @kingliam2019 @bbrandy2002 @butindeed @bascmve01 @drakewalker04 @pedudley @captain-kingliamsqueen @duchessemersynwalker @insideamirage @of-course-i-went-to-hartfeld @kozabaji @texaskitten30 @ibldw-main @kimmiedoo5 @nikkis1983 @dangerouseggseagleartisan @gnatbrain @walker7519 @lodberg @cmestrella @hopefulmoonobject @addictedtodrakefanfic @angi15h @liamxs-world @rafasgirl23415 @notoriouscs @whenyourheartskipsabeat @jovialyouthmusic @nz1091 @yukinagato2012 @indiacater @seriouslybadchoices @rainbowsinthestorm @cordonianroyalty @custaroonie @beardedoafdonutwagon @dcbbw @qammh-blog

********

Freya got ready for the UN party, although she felt like not attending due to Drake’s attitude towards her. She’s been through heartbreak before, so in the back of her head she knew she’d get over him. If she didn’t attend, there would be questions and gossip regarding her absence. Adding the finishing touches, she was disturbed from her thoughts as Maxwell came bounding into the room.

“Is my lady ready?” Wearing that cheeky grin he always wore, she couldn’t help but laugh before returning to a melancholy expression.

“Yes.” Maxwell wasn’t convinced with her tone of voice that was now matching her facial expression, as she responded to him.

“What’s up blossom? You can tell me anything.”

“Nothing.”

“You sure?”

“Yes Max, I’m sure. It’s just being back home. The home that I abandoned. The home that I should have stayed at.” She lied, hoping that Max wouldn’t see straight through her. “I just miss my parents too. I saw Daniel before, you know my colleague from the bar. I feel guilty leaving him in the shit- he’s looked out for me ever since we were four. When my parents died, he was my rock.”

“Why didn’t you tell me any of this before?”

“Simple. No one asked.” Maxwell felt guilty now too- she was correct. When she came to Cordonia she was the glue that held everyone together- always asking about each and everyone’s past, listening to them ramble on about their self pity. No one had actually asked about her, maybe because she seemed so strong they all believed that she wasn’t hurting deep down. Maybe they believed she was invincible.

“From now on, you want to talk about anything at anytime time of the day- I’m your man. I’m so sorry. But you’re like my sister, I’m always going to be here for you no matter what happens.”

“Even if I decide to stay here?” Asking the rhetorical question, she didn’t want him to provide an answer- she hadn’t made up her mind yet as to where her future would be. “Anyway, come on Lord Beaumont- people will be wondering where we are.”

*****

Arriving at the venue, the two of them walked in arm in arm. The usual gesture for any type of ball. Fixing a fake smile towards the rest of the nobles- scrutinising the room they found Hana.

“Freya! You look amazing.”

“As do you Lady Hana.”

“Are you okay? You’ve been extremely quiet.” Hana asked looking concerned at her friend. She wasn’t the usual Freya they knew.

“Homesick right blossom?” Maxwell confirmed, winking at her. Not wanting to spread gossip even if it was towards Hana. He knew when the time was right, Freya would talk about it to Hana herself.

“Right.” She smiled at Maxwell, hoping he would understand that was her way for saying thank you.

“I’ll be right back Ladies.” Freya and Hana decided to just people watch - both wishing they didn’t attend. There was a morbid atmosphere surrounding them.

“Freya. You look absolutely stunning. Same to you Lady Hana.” Turning around to Liam, she smiled softly- even though he was engaged to Madeleine he still knew how to charm the women.

“Thank you, your Majesty. Welcome back to my city.” The two ladies curtised, Liam shook his head laughing- he treat them both as close friends, he didn’t expect them both to curtsy every time they spoke.

“It’s good to be back.”

“Freya is feeling a bit homesick.”

“Oh. Well maybe we could all do something together after the party finishes. What would you suggest?”

“Well you’re in the city that never sleeps. There’s a few things you could do.. Times Square, a walk around Central Park. I’ll let you all come to a conclusion. As a local I’ve done everything a billion of times.”

“Very well, excuse me- duty calls.”

Hana watched Liam walk away and her eyes caught Maxwell waving frantically towards them. Walking over to him, they could see the panic written across his face as well as sweat dripping from him forehead.

“Hana, Frey thank goodness you are both here.”

“What have you done? You’re acting very suspicious.” Maxwell explained how he got the country flags all mixed up and in a flap he couldn’t concentrate on rectifying his mistake. Drake confirmed this and elaborated on what else he had done incorrectly in a sarcastic manner of tone- as if Maxwell was some kind of idiot. Mistakes happen.

“Oh Maxwell.” The Ladies said in unison. Freya had avoided all contact with Drake until now- she knew she was stubborn, after all he always got ‘lumbered’ with her.

“How about you Sir Walker? Caused any diplomatic disasters yet?” She asked in a sarcastic manner, revenge for him talking the way he did about Maxwell.

“Johnson. Can we speak in private please?” Just apologise to her, that will be the first step.

“Whatever you need to say you can say in front of Max and Hana.” Maxwell and Hana looked at each other, they knew Drake wasn’t the type of person to need to speak to someone in private.

“I need to go to the bathroom.” Hana ran off towards the bathroom. Freya knew Hana, and she knew this was an excuse. At least she had Maxwell she thought.

“I need to check up on Bertrand.”

Not you too, for fuck sake. Freya thought.

“You look lovely. I just wanted to apologise for before.”

“Thank you. Apology accepted. Excuse me.”

“Why are you so stubborn?” Freya raised her eyebrows, thinking about how much of a hypocrite he sounded right now.

“Why are you such a jerk?”

“You know what, ignore what I said. I’ll leave you alone. I shouldn’t have apologised.”

“Have a good life Walker.” A good life? What’s she going to do ignore me for the rest of her life. Just tell her you love her you moron.

******

Leaving Drake, Freya decided to mingle with the guests- trying to regain her courtly friendships prove that she wasn’t the person that she had been stereotyped as. Adelaide waved her over, holding the bottle of champagne ready to pour it into Freya’s empty glass.

“Duchess Adelaide, it’s so lovely to see you.”

“As you dear, now I know technically we shouldn’t be allies- but I think you’re good for court. I’ve been watching you and I believe that you have gained many friendships during your time. Is that correct?”

“Yes, your grace. Some friendships, some enemies- but that is life.”

“Tell me some things about you. I’d love to know the real Freya Johnson.” Feeling slightly tipsy, what had she to lose? The more she thought about it the more she didn’t care anymore. After much deliberation, she had decided that she wasn’t returning to Cordonia- so the gossip about her may as well spread like wild fire. Who’s best to spill all her secrets out to? Duchess Adelaide- the gossip girl.

“The real me.. let’s see... my life has been a rollercoaster. I’m not American, well I am but I was actually born in England. I was adopted after my birth mother tragically passed away due to an overdose, then my adopted parents passed away when I was a teenager. I’m a qualified nurse- so if there are any medical disasters I’m your girl. There you have it. Nothing much more to say.” Adelaide for the first time was speechless, not knowing what to say- wondering if anyone else knew or had she just confessed all of this due to the drunk mind.

“Oh dear, you have been through so much. I didn’t know. Regina and Madeleine have painted such a negative image of you. Now you have this scandal hanging over you. If you ever need to talk we can talk over wine. Just let me know.”

“Thank you. Excuse me. I’ll have to mingle with some other people - but i will take you up on that offer at some point.” Lying knowing she would never take the Duchess up with this offer, she left keeping her head held high.

******

The champagne was being swallowed easy as if it was water, slowly beginning to affect her. Finding Maxwell, he explained how he had accidentally hit the Turkish ambassador with some bruschetta- regretting missing the scene, she comforted him. Freya then noticed Drake in the corner, her drunk mind was encouraging to jump into his arms- she had a school girl crush on him even if he was an ass with her- always getting ‘lumbered’ with her.

“Why do you keep giving Drake dirty looks, then change it to a swoon?”

“Max shut up please.”

“Am I missing something here? I thought you was feeling down because we were back in New York?”

“It’s me that’s missing something- I’m missing brain cells. I’m in love with him and he hates my guts Max.” Maxwell tried to gain her attention by waving his hand next to his neck.

“In love with who?” The familiar voice asked as he crept up to the two friends.

“Oh, erm. Daniel. My ex colleague. I’m in love with him, in a best friend kinda way- always have been we’ve known each other since we were four. I saw him before and he’s still pissed that I abandoned him without any goodbye.”

“Oh, I see. Why do you look sheepish Maxwell?”

“Erm. Erm. Well the truth is Liam.... I just threw bruschetta all over the Turkish ambassador. Freya here, was just explaining that she lost her brain cells that day she left here, and that Daniel is mega pissed still.” Feeling thankful that Maxwell had agreed with her impromptu excuse- she knew he was going be demanding questions once they were alone.

“Very well. Don’t worry Lady Freya, I’m sure he will forgive you in time. I’ll see you both soon.”

Watching Liam leave, Maxwell grabbed her hand- leading her out of the venue and up to the rooftop for some privacy.

*****

“So?”

“So?” Freya mimicked Maxwell, in an annoying tone of manner, knowing he was going to be persistent until she told him the truth- the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

“Come on blossom, you can’t drop a bombshell like that then not talk about it.”

“There’s nothing to say Max, I’m stupidly in love with someone who would never return the feelings.”

“When did you....you know gain feelings for him?”

“Honestly, probably Lythikos I started to fall for him. I know I was supposed to fall Liam, and I did try - honestly I did Max. Then when I was thrown out of the coronation- I knew I was madly in love with Drake Walker. We have this love/hate relationship. Sometimes he’s a good friend, then he’s an arrogant pig...”

“Have you told him?” Shaking her head, she began to cry before composing herself. “When you guys were sleeping before, I saw him and we went shopping then ended up in my old bar. I told Daniel that Drake was ‘my hot date’ and he looked disgusted at me. Said that ‘he didn’t like me that much and always got lumbered with me’. Asking him if he couldn’t take a joke and asking why he was an ass with me- he was just cruel. So I left him- Max there’s something I need to tell you.”

“Shoot! I said I was always here for you. Drake’s just being Drake.”

“I know. Erm. I’ve been thinking a lot since we arrived back here...” Maxwell looked concerned, not knowing what she was going to say- but vibes were informing him that it wasn’t positive. “I don’t think I’m going to return to Cordonia. I’ve had a fantastic time, meeting you all- I’ve loved every second of it even with the scandal- life has to have that bit of drama in it right?”

“What? No you have to come back! You’re my sister. Fuck Drake. Please tell me it’s not to do with Drake? You have me and Hana.. and Bertrand... and Liam...”

“Max I will come and visit, I promise. But I can’t be around someone that I love who doesn’t return the feelings. I can’t be around Liam when he has confessed that he loves me. I’m a qualified nurse Max, earlier on I applied for a job in Vegas.”

******

Maxwell escorted Freya back to the hotel after her heart to heart with him. Furious that she didn’t want to return because of one person especially. Heading back to the party- everyone tried to reach out to him wondering where Freya was. His mind was set on finding Drake and giving him a piece of his mind. Anger building up inside of him- he knew he had to escort Drake somewhere private.

“Walker. I need a word. Follow me.” Drake looked bewildered to Maxwell’s out of character personality- he had never witnessed him looking like he was about to explode.

“What’s up Beaumont?”

“You see here? I’ve just had Freya emotionally break down here, confess things to me that I never knew about.”

“So what? Where is she anyway? You’re usually both glued to each other. At least I’m not lumbered with her tonight.” Drake needed to keep his feelings towards her a secret- knowing that everyone was trying to clear her name, if they managed to do this Drake knew that Liam would instantly propose to her. Before he could think about it anymore- he felt Maxwell’s fist against his jaw.

“She’s gone back to the hotel crying over you! I’ve lost my sister because of you. What has she ever done to you? I hope your jaw hurts, but it won’t be as much pain as what she’s going through!”

“Why have you lost her because of me? She was probably drunk, hence why she was emotional. She’s done nothing wrong to me Max.... it’s all a facade.” Drake rubbed his jaw- before furrowing his eyebrows. Maxwell noticed the change in expression before Drake elaborated. “The truth is... once her name gets cleared, Liam is going to propose to her. If she had any brain she would say yes...”

“No, she wouldn’t say ‘yes’ Drake. She’s madly in love with you.”

“I’m a nobody Max, she may think she loves me but she will soon realise it was never me that she apparently loves. I keep acting like a jerk, to push her away from me- because I don’t want to get hurt, or get my ‘ice cold heart’ shattered when she marries the King. I’m a jerk that is madly in love with Freya Johnson.”

[sharyrazade]

Day -320

I’m gonna do something a little different here; part writing practice, part shameless self-promotion, and part gauging interest in future projects I’m playing with, I’m gonna start posting previews- excerpts from projects of mine.

While technically a flashback in-story, here, we’ve got Makoto and Yuuki in marriage counseling in the Children of Men!verse; so you know how big a dumpster fire that relationship was.

Tapping his fingers against his tablet nervously, Kentaro Masamura, while never a religious man in the slightest, prayed silently for one half of the estranged couple to at least begin to speak. Even if their first instinct was to explode on each other- he’d seen that with more than his share of couples in his line of work and he was trained to defuse said situations. But this tension- this unspoken enmity between in the room was enough to (figuratively) choke an elephant.

Fuck it, I can’t take this anymore. “So, first things first.” Masamura began, his tone unnaturally cordial. “When did you first begin to notice problems in your marriage? Mrs. Mishima, why don’t we begin with you?”

“Ms. Niijima.” Makoto corrected sternly, only glancing at her estranged husband through the corner of her eye. “And I couldn’t tell you; probably the day after the wedding.”

Yuuki scoffed in frustration, rolling his eyes. “Oh, yeah, why don’t we ask Makoto?” he began frustratedly. “After all, she knows EVERYTHING. Something she just LOVES making you aware of.”

Makoto grasped the couch’s armrest in irritation. “Well, Mister Tech Billionaire, I don’t see how it’s any different than those fancy cars you insist on driving or that penthouse you insisted on.”

At this, Yuuki’s expression was more angered than annoyed. “Only because you wouldn’t stop going on about how much you loved it!”

“I WAS TRYING TO BE SUPPORTIVE!”

The therapist rubbed his temples in exasperation. “I hear a lot of talking past one another, but no real communicating.” remarked Kentaro upon the obvious. “Mr. Mishima- since your wife already went, why don’t we get your thoughts on when the problems started?”

Somewhat cooled off, Yuuki exhaled in exasperation. “I’m going to say...about a couple of months in?” he said tentatively. “After the ‘honeymoon phase,’ appropriately enough. I guess I noticed Makoto putting in even more hours at work than usual- kinda like she was avoiding me.”

The brunette scoffed dismissively. “Please!” she remarked, a noticeable hint of defensive cruelty in her tone. “You knew my job wasn’t exactly a part-time thing when I started. If you were going to be such a baby about it, maybe you shouldn’t have married me.”

“Oh, THAT’S the understatement of my life!” Yuuki complained. “You know mom tried to warn me about you? I SHOULD have listened to her!”

“So even when she’s not here, you’re such a mama’s boy, you bring in your passive-aggressive cunt of a mother to fight your battles?”

“How fucking DARE you talk about her like that?! And that’s rich coming from the woman who spent the past ten years giving her ‘best friend’ the cold-bitch routine on a regular basis!”

Once again sensing an impasse (or rather an impeding cliff), Kentaro gave a series of exaggerated coughs to interrupt the couple. “This is getting us nowhere.” he said, again remarking on the obvious. “I’m just going to be blunt about this question- how are things between you two- you know, in the bedroom?”

Immediately, the therapist regretted breaching the topic; the cold, hostile glares shared by both husband and wife told him he’d just skipped gleefully into a goddamned minefield. “Okaayyyy...when did you first start having issues there?”

“The wedding night.” Makoto and Yuki said in reflexive unison.

The therapist was visibly taken aback by said candor. “Wow, okay. So what caused such a rocky start to your sex life?”

Yuuki shrugged. “Ah, you know, the usual-  it was always ‘I’m too tired,’ ‘I have a headache,’ or ‘maybe on the weekend.’ Basically, she’s a frigid, unavailable bitch.”

Makoto crossed her arms across her chest. “Maybe if you could stop being a thirsty little twerp for ten minutes, you could learn to take a hint. I actually am tired most of the time- it’s not JUST because you’re about as sexually appealing as that plant over there.”

Yuuki, while suspecting it on some level for some time now, wore an expression of genuine hurt at having Makoto’s true feelings confirmed by the woman herself. Kentaro, on the other hand, was justifiably perplexed. “Wait,” he began, furrowing his brow. “you NEVER discussed this kind of thing with each other?”

Both halves of the quarreling couple gave each other an equally-perplexed look before responding in kind once again. “No, never.” they both confirmed.

Kentaro scribbling away at his notes and becoming increasingly pessimistic as he did so, Makoto was the next to speak. “Besides, it’s not like you were suffering SO much.” she said carelessly. “We BOTH know you got plenty from those golddigging sluts all over you.”

Genuinely wounded and offended by this accusation, by this point, Yuuki was now more angry than anything. “Never, not once!” he exclaimed.

“Really? You never cheated once?”

“No! And that’s REAL fucking rich coming from you- remember when we went to Patong back in the summer?! The first actual orgasm you had in this marriage, you called me Akira, for fuck’s sake! And that’s not even getting into why we’re here in the first place!”

“It was a slip of the tongue and you KNOW it, you tiny little man!”

As a marriage counselor, Kentaro was privy to quite a bit about the lives of his clients, but it was still at their own discretion- understandably, he was feeling quite lost now that other names were being dropped. “Wait, who’s Akira, again?” he inquired.

Yuuki was still quite offended by his wife’s casual assertions of his infidelity- as though it were a given. Particularly hypocritical given the situation with a certain lady friend of hers, he fumed. For all those romantic, chivalrous-sounding vows they shared, Yuuki could feel his blood boiling- after all the pain and insecurities he’d shared with his wife, only to have her blurt them back in an effort to consciously belittle him-  No, he wanted to hurt this woman sitting next to him.

“A mutual friend of ours who Makoto spent the past fifteen years carrying a torch for.” he informed smugly. “Got involved with another mutual friend of ours about as long ago and married her- Makoto’s been a condescending, passive-aggressive bitch to her ‘best friend’ ever since.”

Her expression momentarily betraying her wound at this divulging of some of her dirtiest social laundry, Makoto quickly reverted to a couple of her tried-and-true responses, among them her rather aloof default expression.

“Well, it can’t be THAT great a marriage.” she remarked snidely, wanting to change the subject but feel some self-righteousness from her venting. “You know he- they bring other women into their bedroom sometimes, right? Doesn’t sound a man too happy in his marriage if you ask me.”

Yuuki scowled, not having nearly the emotional skin as his wife did in this game. “What makes you so sure it’s for him?” he barbed, glowering at Makoto. “She was pretty upfront about being bisexual with him- kinda important information to have going in, you think?”

“Wait, hold on-” interrupted Kentaro, holding a hand up. “We’re discussing YOUR marriage right now- not theirs.”

At this statement, Makoto lost her composure, shooting upright and looming over her husband angrily. “Oh, and here we go!” she complained. “Yes, I fucked my best girlfriend and left you for her! Yes, I admit it! And you know something, I’d do it again! And again! And again! Do you know why? Because you know something about Haru? She is kind, she’s loyal, she’s humble, she’s caring- all for the sake of it! Everything you’re not! And by the way, she’s more of a man and lover than you could EVER be!”

“If I’m so pathetic and disgusting to you,” Yuuki raged. “why did you even bother to show up today?!”

“I don’t know! I’ve made so many mistakes with you, that would just be the latest!”

“Then why don’t you just get the hell out?!”

“MAYBE I WILL!”

“GOOD! Go on back to your poor little rich girl and your snotty, pretentious cafes, and your weekends in Paris and- whatever it is the fuck you two do to each other every night!”

Even before Makoto stormed from the office, slamming the door behind her, as a therapist and professional in general, it was pretty clear to Kentaro Masamura that he’d lost control of the situation completely the second their friend Akira came up- it had been undeniable once the word “bisexual” entered into the conversation.

Having cooled down somewhat, Yuuki sighed tiredly. “Sorry about that, doc.” he said apologetically. “What do I owe you for all the sessions- I kinda think this was a wash.”

“No, no, it’s fine.” Kentaro replied.

“Nah, I insist- I subjected you to the oil fire that is my marriage, I’m going to compensate you for it.”

Hmm, an “oil fire.” That was a pretty good way of describing that utter disaster, the therapist conceded to himself. Kentaro Masamura did this job because he genuinely did believe in trying to preserve relationships when possible. Trying to preserve this one however, was not so much rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic- it was more attempting to bail out the ship with a drinking glass- from the bottom of the Atlantic.