#muffin oc liam

[trashedork]

A Taste of Hope

Note: Here's my other Ikemen Villains OC's introduction story. Just like with Amabel, Margery's is written in first person and visual novel format.

This world is filled with countless mysteries. I’m going to uncover them all.

The path towards it has brought me face-to-face with danger and someday, it will lead to my inevitable death.

I’ve accepted that fate.

Even so, I…

—

Margery: Good morning, everyone!

I walked into the dining room and spotted Liam, Miss Amabel, Lord Elbert, Sir Alfons, and William. With a smile on my face, I made my way to the table and took a seat next to Miss Amabel. I looked at her and then at the rest of the people in the room.

Whenever I saw the members of Crown, it always made my day better. They were like family to me, even if we didn’t always agree.

We were all grouped together because we were Cursed, but it was comforting to know that there were other people like me. I didn't like being alone.

Hearing the door open and the sound of footsteps, I lifted my head and saw Miss Kate, a girl who had been assigned as Fairytale Keeper. I smiled at her, excited that another woman had joined Crown.

Amabel: What are you standing there for? Come join us.

Kate: Y-Yes…

Miss Kate sat down in the chair next to me, and I smiled, trying to cheer her up a little. I understood why she felt nervous. After all, witnessing a murder and being surrounded by a bunch of people and then being whisked off to who-knows-where was pretty terrifying.

Margery: Good morning, Miss Kate. Did you sleep well?

Miss Kate looked up from her lap and smiled meekly at me.

Kate: Yes. Thank you very much, Miss Margery.

Margery: Hehe. You don’t have to be so formal. We’re around the same age, right? You can just call me Margery.

Kate: Okay… Margery.

The sound of the door opening again caught my attention and Mr. Jude and Ellis came into the room. I smiled brightly at them as they sat down, my gaze flitting from Mr. Jude to Ellis.

Margery: Good morning, Mr. Jude! Good morning, Ellis!

Jude: Shut your yappin’. You’re giving me a headache.

Ellis: That’s not nice, Jude. Miss Margery was just saying hello.

Ellis turned to look at me and my heart almost stopped beating when I saw his smile. He was so handsome and cute that I wanted to scream out loud.

Ellis: Morning, Miss Margery.

Margery: Hehe. Good morning, Ellis.

Ellis: You look happy today. That’s good.

Margery: Well…

I wanted to say it was because of him, but saying it in a room full of other people was a little embarrassing.

After breakfast was over, I stepped out of the dining room and into the hallway, noticing Ellis walking ahead of me. I hurried over towards him, my shoes thumping on the carpeted flooring.

Margery: Ellis!

Ellis: Hm? Ah. Miss Margery. Did you need something?

Margery: No. I just wanted to see you.

Ellis: Haha. I see. Hey, Miss Margery. How happy are you right now?

Margery: I'm very happy!

Margery: Um… Earlier during breakfast, I was happy because of you. Even now, I'm still happy because you're here with me.

I could feel my cheeks getting warm as I spoke and glanced down at the floor, too shy to meet Ellis's gaze.

Ellis: Really? Hehe. I want to make you even happier. I'll do anything to make that happen.

I looked up at Ellis, trying to think of what to say next. I wanted to be with him a little longer.

Margery: Do you… want to help me with some baking? There's a new recipe that I wanted to try.

Ellis: Yeah. Of course.

Margery: Okay! Let's go.

I headed towards the kitchen, with Ellis following behind me. We got to work on making muffins, gathering all the ingredients we needed. After pouring the batter into the tray, I carefully placed it in the oven using an oven mitt.

I glanced over at Ellis, smiling.

Margery: Hehe.

Ellis: Hm? What is it?

Ellis turned towards me with a smile on his face, tilting his head a little.

Margery: Nothing. It’s just that it’s fun doing this with you. Are you having fun too?

Ellis: Mhm. If you’re happy, then I’m happy. 

Margery: Me too.

Half an hour later, the muffins were done baking. I carefully pulled them out of the oven and set them on the countertop.

A warm, sweet aroma filled the kitchen, wrapping around me and Ellis like a cozy blanket. I set the tray down gently, the golden-brown tops glistening with a hint of melted butter. 

Ellis leaned in closer, his eyes sparkling with excitement as he admired our handiwork.

Ellis: They look amazing.

Margery: I know, right? They turned out better than expected! 

Margery: Let’s see if they’re as good on the inside as they are on the outside.

I grabbed a toothpick from the counter and poked one of the muffins, testing its softness. Ellis watched intently, his curiosity piqued. I pulled the toothpick out, and it came out clean, confirming that our muffins were perfectly baked.

Ellis: Good. Now we just need to add the glaze. 

He reached for a bowl and mixed powdered sugar with lemon juice for the glaze. Then, I helped him brush the glaze over each muffin with a pastry brush. Before long, the muffins were all set to go.

Margery: They look great! You did a good job, Ellis!

Ellis: Thanks, but I just followed your instructions. You’re the one who did a good job. 

I felt a warm blush spread on my face at his compliment. We layered the lemon glaze onto the muffins and then arranged them on a plate before digging in.

We each took a muffin, the warmth still radiating from them, and I could hardly contain my excitement. I took a big bite, the flavors exploding in my mouth— sweet, buttery, and perfectly complemented by the lemon glaze.

Margery: Wow! This is so good!

Ellis: Yeah. It’s delicious.

Margery: Hm… I think we made too much, though.

I looked at the mountain of muffins on the plate, feeling a bit uneasy. There were way too many for us to finish.

Margery: I’m going to give some of these to the others. Is that okay?

Ellis: Yeah. That’s fine.

Ellis: Do you want me to help?

Margery: No, it’s okay. I’ve got it. Besides, you’ve done a lot for me already. Thank you.

Once I was done with my muffin, I wiped my hands on my skirt and picked up a new plate. I piled most of the muffins onto it, saving a couple for me and Ellis.

I told Ellis I'd be back, then dashed out the door with the plate in hand, looking for the other Crown members. I handed one to Harrison first, then went on to William, Victor, Mr. Roger, Lord Elbert, and Sir Alfons.

Margery: I wonder where Miss Amabel is… I should give one to Miss Kate too.

I made my way down the hallway to Miss Kate’s room and knocked on the door. When she opened it, I greeted her with a smile.

Margery: Hello, Miss Kate. I baked some muffins with Ellis. Would you like one?

Kate: Ah. Yes. Thank you.

Miss Kate took a muffin and hugged it to her chest, her face lighting up with joy.

Margery: I hope you like it. If you want more, just ask me or Ellis.

Kate: Thank you, Margery. You’re so kind.

We said our goodbyes, and as Miss Kate closed the door, I continued down the hallway, pressing my lips together in thought.

Margery: Where could Miss Amabel be? Maybe she’s in the garden?

I went outside into the garden, hoping to find Miss Amabel. The sun was shining brightly, casting a warm glow over the flowers and greenery. As I stepped outside, the sweet scent of blooming roses and lilacs enveloped me, making me smile.

I walked down the path, glancing around for any sign of Miss Amabel. As I rounded the corner, I saw her standing next to some bushes with her back to me, and I hurried over, grinning.

Margery: Miss Amabel! There you are!

She turned around, looking a bit surprised to see me.

I stopped just a little away from her, still smiling.

Margery: Would you like a muffin, Miss Amabel? I thought I’d give baking another try and made these. Ellis helped out too, but I think we might have gone a little overboard. Hehe.

With a sigh, Miss Amabel closed her eyes for a brief moment.

Amabel: Oh, goodness… All right. I’ll have one.

I watched her closely, my heart racing with anticipation as she took a bite. The seconds felt like hours as I waited for her reaction. Would she like it? Had all my efforts been worth it?

As she chewed, I could see her expression shift from curiosity to delight. Then, she grinned playfully and said,

Amabel: You said you were with Ellis, right? Hehe. How romantic. Baking with the person you like.

I blushed and looked down at the ground, embarrassed by her teasing. I could feel the warmth creeping up my neck, and I fumbled with the hem of my blouse, trying to find the right words to say. But no words came out of my mouth.

After a few moments of silence, I looked up at Miss Amabel, my cheeks still flushed.

Margery: W-Well, I’ll let you get back to work now. Bye, Miss Amabel.

Amabel: Hehe. Bye.

I turned away, hurrying off while pressing my hands against my cheeks to cool them down. I was sure everyone could tell I had a crush on Ellis. Maybe even Ellis himself, but he was always so focused on making everyone else happy.

As I made my way back into the castle, I returned to the kitchen to tidy up. When I walked in, I saw Ellis still there, and the table was all cleaned up.

Margery: I’m back, Ellis. Sorry for taking so long.

Ellis: It’s alright. I cleaned up everything while you left.

Margery: Thank you. And thank you… for spending time with me

Ellis: You’re welcome. I’m glad I could make you happy.

After talking to Ellis for a little while longer, I made my way back to my room to unwind. I collapsed onto my bed with a deep sigh.

I was happy.

Happy being with someone I cared about.

Happy being surrounded by the people I considered family.

My real family had been gone for a long time.

The happy memories I shared with them had faded into the shadows, buried under the cruelty of this world. They felt like distant dreams now, blurred by time and the weight of loss.

Still, I held onto the hope that the memories I created with Crown could help heal the wounds of my past.

I closed my eyes, allowing the peace I felt to envelop me, and for the first time in a long while, I believed that happiness was still within reach.

[angelasscribbles]

Bad Parenting Chapter 2: Chaos for Breakfast

Series: Bad Parenting

Fandom: The Royal Romance/The Royal Heir

Pairings for series: (Riley x Liam x Max) + Riley x Drake

Featuring: Leo, Oliva, M!OC Hudson Rys and F!OC Lilith Nevrakis

Rating: PG

Warnings for this chapter: mild language

Word Count: 2,867

A/N: This chapter indulges my HC of Max as the domestic one of the group!

My other stuff: Master List.

Original series this spun off from: Bad Romance. More specifically Bad Romance Disney Adventure.

After the events in Disney Adventure, Leo finds himself in possession of his thirteen-year-old son Hudson for the summer. Unfortunately for him, Hudson isn’t that impressed with Leo’s newfound desire to be a father.

Being back in Cordonia stirs up old feelings for Leo and ignites new ones for Hudson. Leos strives to reignite an old flame, but Olivia is busy with her own parenting struggles as her aunt’s imprisonment made her the legal guardian to Lucretia’s daughter Lilith, who has plenty of Nevrakis attitude of her own.

Lilith Nevrakis is borrowed, and retrofitted as Olivia’s cousin rather than sibling, with loving permission from @harleybeaumont. She is also much younger here.

Leo woke to the smell of coffee and bacon and the sounds of dishes clattering, children laughing and people talking. He climbed out of bed, hurried through teeth brushing and the relieving of his bladder then wandered down the hallway and into the great room where the open floor plan meant that the living room, dining room and kitchen basically faded into each other.

Max was standing in the kitchen, pulling homemade muffins out of the oven. “Good morning, Leo! Want a muffin? I made blueberry, cranberry, chocolate chip and banana nut. You can have one of each if you want!”

The muffin tin in Max’s oven mitted hand clattered to one of the stone countertops as he lowered it onto a cooling rack.

The kitchen had exploded with activity. It was alive with noise and activity.

Liam walked calmly out of the master bedroom and into the chaos completely unphased. He was immaculate, as always, perfectly pressed suit, every hair in place, briefcase firmly in hand.

Max thrust a coffee mug into his hands, “Just the way you like it, babe. Your plate is ready, it’s on the table, next to Ellie.”

Liam gave Max a smile and quick peck on the lips as thanks before setting his briefcase down and taking his seat at the table with a smile. “Good morning, everyone!” He said brightly.

“Good morning, my love.” Riley was seated on the other side of Ellie, between her and Xander. She leaned around their daughter to kiss Liam good morning then gave both Ellie and Xander a flurry of kisses as she got up from the table, scooping the last of her food into her mouth as she walked to the sink to deposit her plate in it. She then hurried to both highchairs to kiss her little one’s goodbye before grabbing her glass off the table and walking back toward the sink.

She nodded at Leo from across the room, “Good morning!”

“Riley, I made you a lunch, don’t forget to take it!” Max thrust a paper bag in front of her face. “You can’t keep skipping meals!”

“I don’t skip meals!” She protested as she tipped her glass of orange juice up and drained it. She took the bag and sat it down on the counter as she rummaged around in her attaché case, “Do you have a copy of my itinerary for the day?”

Max produced a laminated, bullet pointed list with face to face meetings highlighted in blue, zoom meetings in green and time sensitive tasks in yellow.

“Thank you love bug!” Riley rewarded him with a kiss as she pulled the itinerary out of his hands.

“I wanted waffles!” Xander started to wail from his seat at the table.

“Right here!” Max slid a plateful of waffles in front of him, complete with a smattering of blueberries and a dollop of whipped cream on top.

“Waffles are gross! I want-“

A plateful of chocolate chip pancakes cut Ellie off mid-sentence. Her face lit up, “Thank you Poppa!”

“Drink your milk, Ellie!” Max said, then turned back to the adults as Drake stumbled into the room looking rushed because he’d woken up late, “Drake, you want breakfast?”

“No thanks.”

“I have bacon-“

“No time, Max, I have to go!” Drake said as he filled his travel mug with coffee.

Max immediately threw together a bacon, lettuce and cheddar sandwich with mayo as he asked, “Tomorrow’s your mom’s birthday, have you called her lately?”

“Max, stop trying to mother me!” Drake scolded, but he took the proffered sandwich as he kissed Riley goodbye. “Love you, babe.”

“Love you, cuddle bear.” She pulled away to shove papers into her attaché case.

Drake grabbed a muffin and balanced it on top of his sandwich.

“Don’t forget about your mom’s birthday!” Max called as Drake headed out the door.

“I’ll call her!” He promised as he stepped out into the palace hallway.

“Leo, grab a plate, there’s plenty of food!” Max said as he spooned yogurt into Jace’s opened mouth. 

“I’m not sure there’s room.” Leo protested.

“Here, take my seat!” Liam said as he rose, “I have to get going.”

Liam made the rounds, kissing children and Max and Riley before retrieving his briefcase.

“Max, can you call down to housekeeping today and tell them to use just a tad less starch in my casual business shirts? I felt like a fucking statue they were so stiff this last time! Oh, and could you order me some more socks? I swear, every pair I pulled out of the drawer today had holes in them!” Liam said as he leaned over to kiss him goodbye.

“Yes, and here, take some coffee with you!” Max shoved a thermos at him.

Riley was right behind Liam as he opened the door when Max caught up with them, “Riley! You forgot your lunch!”

“Sorry, and thank you!” She told him.

“I’m going to call you at one o’clock to make sure you remembered to eat!” Max said.

“Okay, okay! Love you, bye!”

Hudson wandered into the kitchen rubbing his eyes, “What’s for breakfast?”

“What do you like kid?” Max asked as he cut up more French toast for Jax.

Jace was banging his sippy cup on his highchair tray as he babbled loudly. The corgis ran around the bottom of the hair chair, yipping and begging for more sausage to be dropped.

Xander was singing at the top of his lungs about four little speckled frogs, Jax was making car noises as he pushed apple slices around his highchair tray and Ellie was yelling at Xander to shut up.

“Uh…” Hudson’s eyes widened as he took in all the food. There were waffles, pancakes and French toast, bacon, sausage and ham, fried and scrambled eggs, toast and muffins, cereal boxes stood open next to the sink, milk, coffee, and carafes of both apple and orange juice littered the counter.

“If there’s nothing you like, I can make you something.” Max offered as he gave Jace more scrambled eggs, which the toddler immediately tossed to the floor and squealed in delight as the dogs went crazy racing around to get to them.

“No, that’s cool uncle Max, there’s plenty here, I can get it myself.” Hudson replied as he started loading food onto a plate.

Max started clearing away the dishes. He rinsed them in the sink then loaded them into the dishwasher.

“Ellie, if you’re done, wash your hands and put your plate in the sink. Your tutor will be here shortly.” Max said.

Ellie grumbled as she put her plate in the sink. She washed her hands.

“You too, Xan.”

Xander followed Ellie to the sink and placed his plate in it. Max supervised his hand washing and drying then he sat about cleaning up the little boys. He wiped hands and faces, removed highchair trays and placed them on the counter to be cleaned before removing bibs and pulling each boy out his respective highchair. Max then wiped down the highchair seats.

“Max, have you eaten anything?” Leo asked.

“Oh, I eat plenty while I’m cooking and getting it ready.”

“You know the palace has a kitchen, and a dining room, you could all eat in there, or have whatever you want sent up…”

“I know.” Max replied, “But it’s not the same. These muffins are made with love, Leo! Plus, most of that was sent up from the kitchen. I just plate it up and add the finishing touches, like Xander’s whipped cream and Ellie’s chocolate chip smiley face.”

“I just watched you make Drake a fucking breakfast sandwich!”

Max shrugged, “I just assembled it.”

“You had the bacon sent up just for Drake.” Leo sounded vaguely accusatory.

Max’s eyes flicked to him as he responded, “Yeah. So?”

“So what? You….like each other now?”

Max looked up at Leo in surprise, “We’ve always liked each other! He’s my best friend roomie!”

“I….” Leo’s eyes met Hudson’s and they both suppressed a smile. Hudson might be new to everyone, but a day had been long enough for him to recognize just how unlike Drake that statement sounded.

It did sound just like Max though. Leo widened his eyes at Hudson as he hid his smile behind a coffee cup. He was gratified by the conspiratorial grin he got in return. Maybe the kid was warming up to him after all.

Max whipped out his phone and tapped furiously away, “There! Socks are ordered, housekeeping has been advised about the starch issue and Martha has been told to remind Riley to eat lunch!”

“Who’s Martha?”

“Riley’s office manager.”

“Damn, Max! You’re on top of everything!”

“Thanks, Leo! My organizational skills are second to none. Why do you think Riley hired me as her personal assistant and top advisor in the first place?”

“Uh…” Leo’s eyes flitted over to Hudson then back to Max as he tried to water down his response, “To give you a valid reason to always be around without the press having a field day?”

Max gave him a wounded look, “Wow, really? I mean, yes, that was part of it, but I have always had superior organizational skills and Riley needs that, she’s total chaos most days.”

“Yeah, I get that.” Leo chuckled fondly, “But I never pegged you as the organized type.”

“Really?” Max huffed, “Did you think that those epic, days long Beaumont bashes just threw themselves?”

“Uh…”

“DJ’s just knew to show up? Caterers? All that fucking alcohol? People to assemble the champagne towers? Staff to clean up after the horses? The invitations put themselves in the mail? Customized placards on the doors?”

Leo was stunned, “I just assumed Bert did all that!”

“Ha!” Max barked out, “My brother? Mr. Stick in the mud himself? You thought Bertrand made sure the swords were sharpened for the champagne sabering? You thought Bertrand knows where the strobe lights are stored? You thought Bertrand-“

“Ok, ok!” Leo laughed, throwing his hands up in the air, “I get it!

“Personal assistant is still my job. I just work from home now so I can be here for the kids.”

Leo raised an eyebrow, “Don’t you guys have nannies for that?”

Max scoffed, “Nannies can’t replace a loving parent, Leo. We prefer to be hands on.”

“Yeah,” Hudson interrupted with his mouth full of bacon and waffles, “That sounds like something good parents do!”

“I…” Leo’s eyes cut sidewise to Hudson. There went what little progress he’d made. “I’m just saying, Max seems to be doing all the heavy lifting in that department!”

“Nah.” Max replied as he threw a piece of chocolate chip muffin in the air then caught it in his mouth, “Liam and Riley have a whole country to run, and Drake has the queen’s guard. My job provides the most flexibility. I can run Riley’s staff and juggle her schedule in my sleep at this point. Besides, I like being home with the kids!”

“Of course, you do!” Leo chortled, “You’re a big child yourself!”

“Oh, so real men don’t fuck with their kids, is that what you’re saying?” Hudson had dropped his fork onto his plate to glare across the table at Leo.

“What? No! I didn’t mean….I just meant….” Leo’s head swung around to take in Max, the kids running amuck, the food still strewn across the counters, “You know what? I can admit when I’m wrong. Max had to have been up before everyone else to get all this food ready and make sure everyone else’s day got off to a good start. It’s not a frivolous thing. It’s work. I’m sorry, Max.”

“It’s ok, Leo. You haven’t been around in a while. Things change. People change, they grow and mature and move into different stages of life.” Max said as he put the cereal away in the pantry and the milk and juice back into the fridge.

“I see that.” Leo admitted.

“Uncle, Max?”

“Yeah, Hudson?” Max answered.

“Can you show me around the palace today? I want to see everything!”

Max’s eyes went to Leo, “Uh…sure, but your dad would be even better at that. He grew up here, you know.”

Hudson’s shoulders slumped, “Fine. I’ll go get dressed.”

The two men watched him leave. Leo turned to Max and asked, “Maybe you could help me out with this parenting thing? You seem to have it down.”

“We’ll all help you, Leo. We’re family.”

“You really consider me family, Max?”

“Of course, I do! You’re Liam’s brother! Listen, I know you make fun of all of…this.” Max gestured around vaguely at everything. “But Liam is my husband in every way that matters. We’ve been together for over a decade now. We’re not just playing around and even though the official, legal marriage is between Riley and Liam, we all love each other, deeply! I’m not just a plaything to them, Leo. They both love me as much as I love them, and we are a family!”

“How the fuck does she do it?” Leo asked.

“Do what?” He didn’t have to ask who she was; Leo was talking about Riley.

“Bringing everyone together like that. Never in my life have I been able to maintain one real relationship! You and Liam juggle two each and Riley….” He trailed off, unsure exactly how many relationships Riley had in addition to Liam and Max. Drake, of course. But over the years he’d had his suspicions about Rashad.

“Well, she’s just fucking amazing, that’s how!” Max responded. He knew he and Liam would never have become a thing without her intervention. He was as grateful for that as he was for the woman herself. His life was perfect. Close to eleven years in and he was still just as stupidly in love with both of them as he had ever been. Not that it had been smooth sailing in the beginning. Anything but, actually.

“Speaking of relationships that didn’t work out…” Leo said.

Max blinked, “Were we?”

“What’s Liv up to these days?” Leo asked carefully.

Max laughed, “You’re not subtle dude. Liv is fine. You know Lucretia went to prison in Hidar?”

“What?”

“Something about being in a group that tried to overthrow the government. I don’t know. But anyway, turns out Lucretia had a teenage daughter named Lilith. Liv is her guardian now.”

“Wait, wait, wait, wait!” Leo exclaimed, “Miss I’m never having children because they’re evil little crotch goblins is raising a child?”

“Yep. For about a year now.” Max confirmed.

“I should call her!”

“Are you telling me you haven’t spoken to her in a year?”

“Well….see…last time I saw her, there was a…ah….disagreement and she…well, things were said, accusations were made, furniture was broken….I thought it was best to let her cool down for a while.”

“A while? It’s been a year! Jesus Leo! No wonder you can’t maintain a relationship!”

“Liv and I….we go all the way back, to like the age of six, ok? And things between us are…complicated.”

Max snorted, “I’ll say! Remember the time you crashed that party on the Prime Minster of Japan’s yacht because you thought Liv was there with his cousin and-“

“I don’t want to talk about that Max! It almost caused an international incident!”

“Yeah, I remember. Constantine was sooooo pissed!” Max chortled.

“It wasn’t funny! She lied to me about where she was that night, she wasn’t even on the damn yacht!”

“Yeah, well, you chose to date a crazy woman.”

Leo lifted a surprised eyebrow at that, “And you didn’t?”

“Ok, fair enough. No wonder those two are BFF’s.”

Xander and Jax ran through the room shrieking with laughter as Hudson chased them. Max laughed out loud, “Look at them bonding!”

Leo sighed heavily, “Now if I could only get him to bond with me.”

“Have you tried apologizing to the kid?”

“What?” Leo blinked at him.

“For not being around? He’s mad, Leo and he has a right to be.”

“I didn’t know how to be a dad, Max. My own dad was a piece of shit. I thought the kid would be better off without me.”

“You should tell him that.”

“Why? It doesn’t excuse a goddamn thing.”

“No. But it helps explain it a little. Hudson’s a good kid. Talk to him.”

“Yeah, maybe.”

There was a knock on the door. “Okay, that’s the tutor for Ellie and Xander. I usually give Jax and Jace a bath while the big kids are occupied. Do you want to have lunch later? I was thinking we could meet in the private family dining room and have lunch with Regina, so she can meet Hudson.”

“Sure, Max. That actually sounds good.”

“Oh, one more thing.” Max told him as he let the tutor in, “We’re having a dinner party tomorrow night and Liv will be there.”

Leo felt both dread and excitement shoot through him. If Leo Rys, the playboy prince, had ever truly loved a woman in his life, there was no doubt that woman had been Oliva Nevrakis. He just seemed incapable of making it stick, no matter how many times he’d tried.

But he was nothing if not persistent.

[loafthecat]

Some extra info about the HS Ocs I posted yesterday lol:

• Oliver, Tulip, Dan, Liam and Trevor all work for the CCC, the first four are average workers and Trevor is a higher up.

• Oliver and Mit are related to Quentin and Matteus, the four being siblings. (Mit, Ollie and Matteus were put into the foster system at some point hence the different last names)

• Oliver has a Boyfriend, although his BF is not a character owned by me and is owned by a friend on discord. (You know who you are. >:3)

• Plug was made to be a Topbot 2.0 of sorts more fitted for heists and hacking. Him and Topbot 1.0 don’t get along well.

• Mit doesn’t get along with Burt, the two have a sorta hypocritical hatred for eachother around how much effort and work they put in, they only ever go around eachother because of Sven, Earrings and Carol.

• Latte is a multiship child, I don’t think I’ve seen this concept before but Latte can be a ship child for any ship as long as Burt is in it, E.G. Curtsson, Curtmin or Curtpan

So Latte isn’t limited to being the child of only one ship. If Burt is in it, Latte can be the ship child for it.

• Rupert gives Cassidy full permission to swear at toppats. :3

• Trevor and Train guy where both based on different songs.

Trevor was Based on I’m sane, by Axie.

Train guy was based on my Trains, by lemon demon. (Hence his Unhinged nature)

• Rupert is Dan and Trevor’s cousin, although the three never speak for multiple reasons.

• Cassidy, Dan, Tulip, Oliver, Dan and Liam all originally where characters in a rp I’m in. For the most part they were all supposed to be background characters but-

I got attached and made designs for them. ._.

Yeah Oc rant over.

I love my lil Muffins <3.

[ronniehas-nomuffins]

IVE COMPLETED THE SKETCH.... OF THE TV HEAD SUPERSTARS!!!

i changed their names!! meet RA-3 and L1-4M (Rae and Liam)!

[bbrandy2002]

Fearless

Chapter 4: See the Lights, See the Party, the Ball Gowns

Book: The Royal Romance/The Royal Heir

Pairing: Prince/King Liam x MC (Riley Brooks), Drake Walker x OC (Alyssa Devereaux)

Series Premise: Riley Brooks and Alyssa Devereaux became best friends as freshmen at Syracuse University, a borderline-sisterhood that lasts forever after. When Riley meets a handsome prince and is asked to compete for his hand in a mysterious faraway kingdom, she invites Alyssa along for moral support.

What the girls think will be a crazy temporary adventure becomes two sets of happily ever afters … with twice the shenanigans to show for it.

A/N: This series is written in loving collaboration between @bbrandy2002 and @burnsoslow​.

Series Warnings: Smut 🍋🍋, language, canon violence (gun violence, bombing, terrorism), drug use, probably more stuff as we think of it. By reading this series, you agree that you are at least 18 years old and are prepared to deal with adult themes.

The girls spent their first morning in Cordonia with their respective sponsors, getting the first glimpses of courtly life and preparing for the Masquerade Ball taking place that evening. As much as they wanted to get out and experience all that this little Mediterranean country had to offer, there was just so much to do and little time to do it. 

That morning, while Alyssa worked diligently on learning the steps of the Cordonian Waltz and etiquette with Rashad, Maxwell finally got Riley out of bed in time for a late breakfast. This included meeting his brother, Bertrand, who was none too thrilled with the former waitress from New York. Riley discovered rather quickly that the duke was nothing like the free-spirited Maxwell; if ever there was a picture display of a killjoy, she was sure his scowling face would be plastered dead in the center.  

The day kind of went by in a dizzying blur, especially for Riley, who spent most of it either being lectured by Bertrand, or raiding the kitchen for stress snacks with Maxwell. And as far as anyone knew, Liam was still unaware that the quirky, raven-haired beauty he’d met two nights ago and never expected to see again was in his country, in his palace, and was about to come face-to-face with him.

If she didn’t die of anxiety first. 

Neither of the girls saw each other until much later that afternoon when they linked up in Riley’s room before heading to the palace's salon for last-minute hair and nail appointments. 

Later on in the boutique, Riley sucked in a deep breath and held in her stomach while Alyssa stood behind her, fighting to zip the back of the angel-themed costume she chose for the Masquerade Ball. 

Actually, "chose" was a loose description in this case. The ensemble was one of the last two dresses in the palace's boutique, and Maxwell insisted Riley wear it instead of the more provocative red devil attire to make herself more appealing to the King and Queen. The Beaumont sponsee didn’t give two shits at that moment about impressing the monarchs; her major concern was how she would fit that size-four dress over her size-six body. 

“What the hell did you eat, Ri? This zipper is not budging an inch," an out-of-breath Alyssa groaned as she attempted to pull the tight fabric closer together.  

Steadying her feet firmly to the ground, a jostled-around Riley answered quietly, in a still manner, so as not to undo what little progress her friend had already made, "You know I'm a stress eater. I've experienced many emotions since we left yesterday, and food therapy helps. And your judgment is making me hungry again, so thank you for making it worse."

"I'm not judging you; I'm simply stating a fact: Your ass won’t fit in this dress."

Riley straightened up a little higher, hoping to thin her lean frame out more. "Well, it's gonna have to," she scoffed. "I can't be the only suitor at this ball without the proper attire."

Alyssa tugged harder in frustration. "You know, it might help if I could remove the price tag from the zipper."

"Perhaps." Riley sideways glanced at the two inattentive boutique cashiers before turning her head slightly over her shoulder to acknowledge her best friend in a hushed tone. "But then I wouldn't be able to return it in the morning. $700 for a damn dress is highway robbery, and I won't be a victim to this place's jacked-up prices." She glared back at the fashionably dressed women running the register and hollered out, "You should all be ashamed of yourselves!"

"Shhhh!" Alyssa's face burned with embarrassment while she smiled sheepishly at the bewildered ladies. "Are you crazy? What the hell is wrong with you?"

"You mean aside from the usual things that are wrong with me? I'm a nervous wreck, Lyss. Liam still doesn't know that I'm here. I'm about to go wine-and-dine with snobby rich people, while my socially awkward-o-meter is on red alert. And Maxwell's brother didn't like me. How am I supposed to impress Liam, the press, this council, and his parents when my own sponsor hates me?"

"He doesn't hate you," Alyssa replied. "Suck in your stomach a little more ... Rashad told me Duke Beaumont is high-strung and takes all this court business very seriously. If you ask me, give ‘The Brows’ some time. I know he'll love you. And Liam already does!" Alyssa stepped back in delight after tirelessly sliding the last bit of the zipper to the neckline. "Voila! I got it."

Riley stiffly turned toward the full-length mirror -- her insides feeling like they would pop right out of her -- and surveyed the finished product. "Not bad, not bad. A slight muffin top on the sides, and my ass cheeks are packed in tighter than my family around the dessert station at a buffet, but ... I think I can get by with it." Turning to face Alyssa, she lit up with anticipation. "Okay, now it's your turn."

Alyssa plucked the bright red dress off the rack and headed inside one of the many dressing rooms. A moment later, she emerged with a beaming smile on her face and held her arms out to the side to do a show-offish twirl. "So, how do I look?"

"Oh my god, Lyss!" Riley clapped excitedly. "You look so hot in that! That color of red really suits you too. Although, you might want to cover up the girls a little more; I've never seen your boobs look so huge."

"Wha --" Alyssa glanced down at her fully rounded chest, a substantial portion of which was spilling out over the top. She crossed her arms over her breasts in horror. "OH MY GOD! You're right: They're enormous in this thing. I can't go out there like this! They'll be stuffing dollar bills into my cleavage and begging for a lap dance!"

"Well, just ... try to tuck them in," Riley suggested, demonstrating her advice on herself. “You know, the way guys tuck in their junk.”

Alyssa shook her head adamantly, attempting to slide the top of the dress up higher. "I don't think that'll work. It's already extremely tight."

“That’s what he said,” Riley quipped with a snicker, much to the chagrin of her longtime friend, who simply blinked back. “Wow, not even a smile. Come on, Lyss, it’s not that hard.”

Alyssa grinned despite herself, “That’s what she said.”

Riley stepped closer, reaching out to grab a portion of the garment covering Alyssa's bosom, and declared, "Alright, If I can squeeze my fat ass into this dress, you can cram those giant melons into yours. So, get to pushin’, girl.”

-----------

After 10 minutes of stuffing uncooperative breasts into a gown, Alyssa and Riley stepped out of the boutique and made their way to the bottom of the main staircase outside of the ballroom, where Rashad and Maxwell were waiting eagerly for them. 

A grim-faced Rashad approached the pair as they neared. “We were beginning to worry about you two. I hope you didn’t have any trouble.” He reached out and greeted Alyssa with a friendly kiss to the cheek as Riley made her way up to Maxwell, who did the same.

“No troubles,” Alyssa assured him, before staring down at her chest to make sure certain parts were still contained inside her dress. “Just some slight wardrobe issues that I think we’ve taken care of.”

Riley frowned, rubbing a soothing hand over her squeezed-in stomach. “Let’s just say we both feel like canned biscuits.”

“And I’m petrified of canned biscuits!” Alyssa shrieked, then spoke in a lower, punier voice in Rashad’s direction. “They make that popping sound that scares the hell out of me.” He nodded sympathetically at her admission, having no clue what canned biscuits were.

Maxwell let out a chuckle. “Either way, you both look awesome! Like two totally righteous peas in a pod and all that jazz.” He peeked over at Riley, who wasn’t appearing too sure of herself, or of anything for that matter, knowing she’d spent most of the day in a subtle panic. While she steadied her breath, he looped his arm through hers and leaned over. “Hey, it’s going to be okay. You’re going to go in there like the boss you are and knock them all dead. I just know it.”

Riley swallowed thickly, “But Liam --”

“Will be over the moon with excitement to see you again. Do you think I’d go through all the trouble of trying to convince you, and then Alyssa, to come all the way here -- not to mention, facing my brother’s wrath -- if I didn’t believe Liam would want to see you again?” Riley half-shrugged, but Maxwell could tell by the little glimmer of hope he caught in her eyes and the slight curl at the corner of her plush pink lips that she knew it was true. “If he’s not happy about seeing you, I’ll book you on the first flight back to New York, and you can punch me in the gut or something. But I can tell you with certainty: No man goes out with a woman and keeps his friends up most of the night talking about how amazing she was if he doesn’t want to see her again.”

Riley could feel a tinge of pink color her cheeks and looked away for a brief moment, knowing he was right. She was about to see her prince again. Simply knowing how happy Liam was when they parted ways that night made her heart flutter. The blushing suitor peered back at the towering man on her arm and smiled appreciatively. “Thanks, Max.” 

As they both stared straight ahead at the set of double doors where Alyssa was making her grand entrance into the ballroom with Rashad, Riley pointed out, “You realize if you had said all that stuff to me this morning and five bloated pounds ago, I wouldn’t have cried to you all day over pints of ice cream, half a sheet cake, and a bag of Mini Snickers?”

Lord Beaumont grinned without looking at her as the orchestral music inside erupted through the newly opened threshold that awaited their crossing. A gleam of anticipation glistened the cobalt hue of his eyes.”That’s our cue. Time to look alive, Twinkle Toes, it’s showtime.”

__________

It felt like a million pairs of eyes bore through Riley when the announcer spoke her name out to the guest in the ballroom. In reality, few paid much attention to the young woman dressed in pure white, from the feathery halo perched above her fancy swept-up hairdo to the tiny heels that sparkled like glittery specks of fairy dust on her feet.  

As Maxwell ushered her proudly through the spectacular crowd adorned in the finest silks and chiffons, faces concealed behind extravagant masks similar to hers, and opulent table spreads of gold and crimson, Riley searched the four corners of the room for one particular set of the bluest eyes she’d ever encountered -- she had Liam’s memorized by heart. However, the only ones she recognized came from her smiling best friend, standing casually beside the Lord of Domvallier at the bar, keeping her word to watch out for her. With a subtle grin from Alyssa to convey she had her back, the whirlwind of fear and chaotic thoughts that overwhelmed Riley quickly dissipated into thin air. 

Baby steps.

While Maxwell and Riley headed to the center of the ballroom to meet up with Bertrand, across the way, Alyssa ordered a cranberry vodka from the bar. She was wearing red and needed a drink that matched perfectly with the fabric in case of accidental spillage. As the bartender poured her glass, she tore her vigilant gaze from Riley when Rashad’s cell rang. Seconds later, he covered his phone lightly with a palm and lowered it away from his ear to speak with her. 

“This is my client in California. Will you be okay for a little bit while I take this out on the balcony?”

Alyssa nodded. “Of course. Take your time. Is there anything I should be doing while you’re gone?”

“Try mingling with the crowd. Get to know the other suitors. The best way to help Riley tonight is to get a feel for the competition. Figure out who you can potentially get on her side and who is going to cause her trouble.”

“With all due respect, this isn’t Survivor.”

Rashad grinned before excusing himself. “We'll see if you still feel that way by the end of the social season.”

What is it with all the Debbie Downers here? He sounds just like -- Before she could finish that thought, a stroke of irony occurred when she caught the denim-clad Drake, standing out like a sore thumb, making his way up to the bar. She quickly spun around on the barstool and hovered over her freshly poured beverage. 

Tapping the bar's woodgrain top, Drake called for, “The usual,” before plopping down on the stool next to her. His woodsy scent filled the air and wafted in her direction; she wondered if he’d even recognize her.

Pressing the rim of the glass to her lips to take the first nervous sip of her drink, she wondered why she even cared if he did.

Alyssa set the vodka cranberry down on a cocktail napkin at the same time Drake reached for his tumbler of whiskey. A brush of their hands caused them both to retreat away before he bowed his head respectfully to her. 

“I’m sorry, my lady.” Drake was quick to apologize. He never knew which stuck up nobles would have an issue with a commoner’s simple touch.

Alyssa lifted a brow and smirked in response. “So you do have manners?”

He’d recognize that wily voice anywhere. Grumbling, Drake responded. “Aww, hell! Pipsqueak? Is that you?”

“Hello, Sunshine.” She dimpled.

Drake shook his head. “I should have known. Of all the damn people in this room, I still managed to find you.”

“I would call that a very lucky day for you then.” Alyssa lifted her drink and tipped back a gulp. “So what’re you doing here? Don’t you have some royal cows or chickens to herd around or something? Who wears denim and jeans to a fancy ball?” 

She would if she could get away with it.

His tight shoulder muscles bounced slightly with disingenuous laughter as his chestnut eyes took in her sultry devilish costume. “I could ask you the same about your own clothes. Suitors are supposed to dress up for these things. Not come as themselves.”

Offended, Alyssa arched back contemptuously. “Are you calling me a devil?”

“If the horns and pitchfork fit.” Drake retorted. He motioned with his glass across the room. “By the way, you see that blazing redhead who just stole your little friend away from Maxwell?” When Alyssa snapped her gaze protectively in that direction, he continued, “That’s Olivia. You might want to check in on … what’s her name again?”

“Riley ...” Her tone was resentful. He knows damn well what her name is. 

“Whatever. Just trust me on this, if the two of you know what’s good for ya -- and I’m betting you don’t -- you’ll stay as far away from Olivia and the rest of these social-climbing fuckers as possible.” His mood suddenly shifted as he drained his drink, then slammed it on the bar top, motioning with his hand to the bartender for another.

Alyssa was quick to notice the tension in his jaw and the immense throb of protruding veins in his forearm as he nursed his drink. “What climbed up your ass and died? Why are you even here if you hate everyone so much? 

He quickly snapped. “I’m here for Liam!”

“Well, I’m here for Riley!” The two of them glared at each other in a tense showdown that neither was willing to back down from. After a beat, Alyssa’s determination weakened somewhat; confrontations made her jittery. 

And with him in particular.

Letting her shoulders slump, Alyssa let out a soft breath as she relaxed. “I’m trying to give her some space … but do I need to go check on Riley?” The question was asked sincerely. 

Drake turned his head back, his vision crossing the vast expanse of the room and landing on a perturbed Riley in conversation with Olivia. He scowled, recognizing the expression impressed on her face all too well. “We’re outsiders, Alyssa. You. Me. Riley. That’s the only thing they’ll ever see. It’s the only way they’ll ever treat us.” He shifted to face Alyssa again. “Take that for what you will. If she were my friend … I would.”

_______

Riley shook her head emphatically. “There’s no way I’m supposed to kiss the king’s shoe. That’s weird, creepy, and-and- unsanitary!” She nodded toward a masked couple standing before the seated king who bowed, curtsied, and then exited to the left. “They didn’t kiss his shoe. I think you’re full of shit.” 

“Riley, Riley, Riley.” The duchess shook her head with an exasperated tone. “Those people are well-established and highly-regarded members of the court … you’re not. And while I admit it’s a rather unorthodox Cordonian royal custom, it’s part of our tradition that the newest members humble themselves before the king in an act of deep respect and reverence. I’m actually astounded Maxwell never bothered to tell you.” She flipped back a thick curly-q strand of hair that hung over her shoulders. “Do what you want. But don’t say I didn’t try to help you.”

Riley hesitated. “I guess I’ll keep it in mind …?”

“Great!” Olivia wrapped a firm hand around Riley’s wrist and pulled her toward the throne where the king sat. “You’re so lucky that I was here to warn you! Otherwise, you’d have looked utterly ridiculous.”

“Wait! Where are we going? Riley demanded, her feet barely able to keep up with the brisk pace. 

“To present you to King Constantine.”

“But I need to wait for my sponsor!” Riley protested. She struggled to break free, but the redhead’s clawlike grip was surprisingly strong. 

“Every second counts, Riley. These women have all known Liam for years. The early bird gets the Crown.”

“But I --” Panicked, Riley scoured the room for the Beaumonts and found them standing near the hors d'oeuvres table embroiled in what appeared to be a heated discussion.

“What the fuck?” On the opposite side of the ballroom, Alyssa spotted Olivia hauling Riley across the floor. Before Drake had the chance to warn her this wasn’t good, an enraged Alyssa was already sliding down off the barstool, stampeding off in hot pursuit of finding out what this redheaded troll was doing with her best friend. 

And for reasons he couldn’t fully understand, feeling frustrated beyond comprehension, Drake followed right on her heels.

Coming to a screeching halt before the raised dais, Olivia thrust Riley forward, who nearly tripped from the momentum into the bottom step at the sudden stop.

It took every ounce of restraint Riley had not to turn toward the woman who had forcibly dragged her across the room and to stick a pair of size-seven heels straight up her ass. She, however, liked the pretty, sparkly shoes she had on too much to ruin them … and wanted to end the evening outside of a hospital bed. “Asshole,” she muttered almost soundlessly.

“Your Majesty,” Olivia smirked. “I would like to present to you the suitor House Beaumont has chosen. Lady Riley.”

Riley gave her a cursory glare. It was the moment of truth. She plastered on her best smile for the King, who regarded her with a nod. 

Just … just do it. “Your Majesty.” Riley dipped into a low curtsy and held it in place for several seconds before contemplating the validity of Olivia’s outlandish claim and swallowing hard. “Here goes nothing.”

Placing both palms on the plush red carpeting that laid at the feet of the King, she lowered herself slowly until her knees rested on the top step.

“What the hell is she doing?” Alyssa questioned as she desperately weaved around a sea of faces, dodging server trays and tables along the way. “And where the hell is Maxwell?”

“I don’t know ...” Drake answered, practically pushing her even more quickly through the crowd, “ … but you better move faster. There’s no damn telling what Olivia told her to do.”

Riley paused briefly, staring at the simple black shoes that almost resembled a shiny boot. She wanted to be kissing Liam right now, not his father’s old fricking foot. Worst vacation ever.

Lowering her head gradually toward Constantine’s shoes, she scrunched up her face and reluctantly puckered up. 

Out of nowhere, a body with the vigor of a wild stallion in full sprint barrelled into her side, sending Riley hurling across the dais and causing her to land face-down on the marbled floor below.

"What is the meaning of this?" An enraged Constantine bolted up, his ire focused on Alyssa, hunkered down on all fours at his feet, striving to catch her breath.

Maxwell and Bertrand heard the commotion and came rushing to Riley’s side when they realized it was her sprawled out and jerking on the floor.  

"I'm so sorry, Your Majesty," an apologetic Alyssa said as she reached up for the hand Drake was offering. The King's glare at her was nerve-wracking as he waited for an explanation -- until Drake stepped up in front of her, blocking her view of the incensed monarch. "I can explain."

"I hope you can, young lady." Constantine glowered, baffled as to why Drake Walker was still standing between them … and mirroring every movement she made. When she shifted, he shifted. When she moved her arm, he did the same. Was this some type of game?

“Uh … um.” Alyssa's mind raced with excuses. She couldn't very well tell him the truth and make Riley or herself look bad -- she was still a representative of Duchy Domvallier. There was only one thing she could think of to say as she whipped around Drake and pointed at him. "This man pushed me!"

Drake's body stiffened at her accusation. "The hell you talking about?" 

She covered her eyes with a hand, pretending to sob. "I was on my way up here to pay my respects to you, sir, when this man ..." she paused to take in a fake stuttering breath, "... came out of nowhere and pushed me from behind. I tried to stop myself from running into anyone, but I couldn't. Too much momentum." Alyssa lowered her hand and stared at a wide-eyed Drake. "I’m just a small person, mister. Why would you do that? Why? What did I ever do to hurt you?"

"I never --"

"Drake?" The King eyed him sternly. "Is this true? Did you push this young woman?"

Drake’s defensive stance was no match for Alyssa’s pleading eyes, begging him to save her from this. “Please,” she mouthed.

He groaned, rolling his eyes. “I … I’m sorry, Sir. Lady Alyssa’s extremely long dress was dragging the floor and I stepped on it. When I lifted my foot off, she ... I don’t know … flung forward. I tried to grab her before she went flying, but she got away, and that must be why she thought I pushed her.” Drake lowered his gaze to Alyssa. “You really shouldn’t shop in the adult section, miss.”

“Is it possible you were mistaken, Lady ... Alyssa?”

She nodded. “Yes, that is surely possible,” she agreed in a rehearsed-sounding tone. “It’s all coming back to me now.”

“Well, then.” Constantine's contented glance drifted to Drake. “It’s good to know you didn’t push an innocent suitor on purpose, Drake. But just know this … I’ll be watching you.” 

“Looking forward to it, sir. Thank you, sir.” Drake quickly bowed his head as Constantine returned to his seat to greet the next guest. He grabbed Alyssa’s elbow and rushed her off to the side of the dais.

-----------

Maxwell knelt beside a disheveled Riley, helping her rise to her feet and dusting her off. 

“Lady Riley,” a scowling Bertrand glared, “what on earth is the meaning of this? The glory of House Beaumont is on the line tonight, and you’ve already made your first blunder. I told you, Maxwell, this was a mistake.”

Slightly dazed, Riley stumbled while massaging a sore wrist. Inclining her head so she could see him under the halo that drooped over her eyes, she retorted, “I was shoved, Berturd. It’s not like I did this on purpose. And thank you for your concern; I’m fine, by the way.”

“Shoved? By whom?” The three of them turned to see Alyssa and Drake scampering off to a corner. “It was Domvallier’s suitor?” Bertrand asked incredulously. “This is preposterous! It’s beneath Lord Rashad’s character to have his suitor and Drake Walker sabotage ours. I will have to go over there and put an end to this travesty at once.” 

“NO!” Riley and Maxwell barked.

"Bertrand. Why don't you let Riley and I handle them while you play damage control with the King? Unless ..." he smirked. " You want me to smooth things over with His Majesty? I have a lot to say about how Twinkle Toes just SAILED through the air at warp speed --"

"Dear God, no, Maxwell! There will be no need for your … input. But, you two, get results from Drake and that suitor. No funny business," he warned.

The two of them nodded in understanding. As soon as Bertrand turned his back and marched away, they both gave a knowing glance to the other before rushing over to Drake and Alyssa, who had just made it to a far corner of the ballroom, 

Alyssa yanked her elbow away from his vice-like grasp. “I believe we’re out of the clear; you can let go of me now.”

“Listen. I have to tell you something, ‘cause you need to know it ... “ Drake swallowed thickly, his rounded eyes focused squarely on the woman who’d just thrown him under the bus to King Constantine. He spoke as if he had something caught in his throat, “You--your-- uh -- ”

“And who made these damn shoes, anyway?” Alyssa complained as she hiked up the lower part of her dress and stepped out of her heels. Her already short stature lowered several inches. “They clearly hate short women and feet. Seriously, who thought walking around like a newborn calf was sexy?”

“Alyssa,” Drake tried again to speak through a strained voice, “You need to listen --”

“Hey!” Riley interrupted as she and Maxwell stepped up to them. “Why’d you push me off that stage thingy? And OH MY GOD, ALYSSA! YOUR --” Maxwell slapped a hand over Riley’s mouth, knowing exactly what her big mouth was getting ready to loudly announce.

Her frantic muffled words continued to blabber through his tightly clasped hand.

Alyssa gave him a confused look. “Maxwell, what are you doing?”

“Just stopping her before she told everyone within earshot ...” he paused fleetingly, lowering his gaze from the muddled expression on her face to her chest. “Your bosoms … well, they have emerged.”

“That’s what I was trying to tell you before,” a flustered Drake said as Alyssa let out a gasp and looked down. “You’ve been ... exposed … since --” He was quickly cut off again by her tiny wail as she fixed herself and dashed out of the ballroom, mortified, her arms crossed over her chest.

--------------------

Riley tapped lightly on the women’s restroom door. “Lyss? You okay in there?”

“No!” Her pouty voice rang back. “I’m the laughingstock of this entire court.”

Maxwell chuckled, hollering back. “You don’t have to worry about that, Lady Alyssa. I’ve already got that title covered in spades.”

“You two need to get back to the ball,” Drake said gruffly, referring to the girls. “Liam will be arriving any minute.”

“You’re right. There are probably five people in there who still haven’t gotten an up close shot of my breasts.” Alyssa swung the door open, bitterly hitching up the front of her dress as she stepped out, and glared up at Drake as she walked by. “And you let me walk around like that!”

“I did not!” He flushed a deep, dark red. “I told you, that’s why I was standing in front of you, so no one would see … ugh, fuck it. Just -- let’s go, okay?” 

A remorseful Riley hugged Alyssa. “I’m so sorry my dumb ass was what caused this to happen to you. Thank you for making sure I didn’t make a fool of myself.”

Alyssa squeezed tighter. “It was way better that it happened to me than you. We can definitely have a good laugh over this by the time I’m, like, 150.” When they let go of one another, she smiled at her friend. “Come on, we have a ball to get back to. And you have a prince to dazzle.”

“Oh, you guys go on ahead. I need a minute to straighten up.”

Drake, Alyssa, and Maxwell headed back inside while Riley spent a few minutes in the bathroom wiping away the dust off her dress and getting her hair back in order as best as she could. Plus, she just needed a moment to herself; it was the first time since she woke up that morning that someone wasn’t hovering over her shoulder or trying to impress someone. There also were some major jitters happening knowing the Prince was arriving at any second.

Stepping out a few minutes later, Riley headed back down the hallway, hopeful she still appeared as presentable as when she arrived earlier. 

Dotted along the walls that trailed back to the ballroom were portraits and artwork of kings and queens. Judging by the large periwigs, justaucorps, and stockings over breeches depicted, obviously they were quite old. One particular painting caught her attention enough to halt her steps before she plastered on a naughty grin.

“Ohhhh, what do we have here?” Riley snickered, leaning in closer to get a better glimpse. “I see London, I see France, I see a very hung King without his pants.” She fanned a hand in front of her face and spoke as if she were Scarlett O’Hara herself. “My, my, my, Fabian, I haven’t seen a lot of those, but I do declare, you put all the Yanks I’ve been with to shame. I’d be remiss to not ask if you were generous enough to pass on certain sizable traits, say to … Oh, I don’t know, the current Crown Prince?”

“Frankly, my dear … I don’t think he gave a damn,” a deep voice quipped over her shoulder.

Riley spun around, her body crashing into the portrait and causing it to rattle against the wall and lean heavily. Her face burned red-hot as soon as she heard his voice, even though every ounce of blood in her body seemed to rush to her wobbly feet. Liam reached out, grasping hold of her arms to brace her as she stared back, slack-jawed and weak-kneed, at his half-masked face, smiling warmly. “L-L-Li --”

“My sincerest apologies if I startled you, my lady. Are you okay?”

Her throat was dry, and surely no one in all history had ever been as embarrassed as she was at that moment, but she managed to answer feebly, “I think … I pissed my pants.” They both looked down at the floor simultaneously, relief washing over them that there were no puddles. Riley closed her eyes and let out a heavy breath. “Oh, thank God.”

Liam chuckled, his twinkling blue eyes glued to her flustered face. “You’re just as beautiful as you were that night in New York, Riley Brooks.”

“Wait … you know that it’s me? Are you surprised? Are you upset? Do you think I’m some creepy stalker now? I swear I’ve never even touched a weapon.”

“Really? What happened to your bag of Chinese throwing stars?” Liam teased lightheartedly. Riley tilted her head in confusion. “You remember, the ones you were going to throw at me in the alley outside of your bar --”

“Oh. Yes. Right,” she laughed awkwardly as the memory came to her. “Yeah, I may have embellished the truth there a bit. Twenty-pound hams seem to be more my weapon of choice.” Riley hung her head. Why the hell did I just tell him that? When Bastien cleared his throat and gave Liam a pointed look, Riley knew their time was short. “I know you have to go, but I just need to know something: How did you know I was here? Maxwell tried to get in touch with you and never heard back. I didn’t want you to be disappointed in me showing up here.”

“I’ve been quite busy since leaving New York with preparations for the social season and the Masquerade kicking off this evening. But it was Drake who came pounding on my door this morning to fill me in. You can imagine my surprise when he told me that you were here, and, I quote, ‘brought her small aggressive friend with her as guard dog.’”

Riley smirked with a shrug. “Can ya blame a girl? I came to win. Besides, I really like you, Liam.”

He smiled. “I really like you too, Riley. But this isn’t New York. As much as I wish we could just pick up where we left off two nights ago, this entire series of events is set up not just to give me time with my potential matches, but also to give my parents, the Council, and the people of Cordonia time to get to know the future queen. From now on, everyone will be watching you and ... Lady Alyssa.” Liam paused to chuckle and shake his head in amusement. “You actually got your friend to pose as a fake suitor and somehow convinced an honorable and highly dignified member of the court to sponsor her?”

“Yeaaaah, I still don’t know how the hell I did that. I should get extra points for my manipulation skills”

Liam laughed. "I believe you mean, negotiation skills."

Riley nodded. "Yeah, those too."

Already well past the time to make his grand entrance, Bastien approached Liam to give the final warning. Liam acknowledged him and turned back to Riley. “I hope I’ll see you again later tonight, if you’ll save a dance for me. But until then …” He pressed her willing body against the wall, tracing the back of his forefinger along her velvety cheek. “ … just know how very, very, happy I am to have you here, Riley.” His lips were fire and ice when he leaned down to meet her equally fevered ones in a lingering kiss. And she melted right into him.

With that, Liam was whisked away by the head guard and made his way into the ballroom. As a panting Riley brushed her fingertips over the tingling in her bottom lip, she felt so many things all at once: relief that he was happy she was there and already knew everything regarding Alyssa, and that same exhilarating bliss that swept her off her feet two days ago when they shared their time together. But he was abundantly clear, this wasn’t New York anymore, and he still had a duty and obligation to Cordonia regardless of his apparent feelings for her. 

Riley let a puff of air and pushed her backside off the wall to return inside. Just as she did this, the crooked frame bearing the likeness of the late King Fabian she admired earlier fell from its hook and crashed to the floor, causing the ancient glass to shatter beside her. With her head shrunken into her shoulders, Riley slowly peeked out one eye and saw the damage. Glancing down one end of the hall to the other to see if anyone saw her, she glanced down at the shards and still fully intact artwork. Normally she would have hightailed it out of there, but she couldn’t help herself from giving her destruction parting words. 

“I guess you’re not … hung anymore.”

Then she bolted the hell out of there.

--------------

Fearless tags: @dcbbw​​ @ao719​​  @texaskitten30​​ @janezillow​ @mskaneko​  @callmeellabella​ @queenjilian​ @sirbeepsalot​  @forthebrokenheartedthings​ @bebepac​ @kingliam2019​  @amandablink​  @choiceskatie​ @annekebbphotography​ @ofpixelsandscribbles​ @alyssalauren​ @mom2000aggie​  @princessleac1​ @kimmiedoo5​ @graceful-leah​ @thegreentwin​ @gkittylove99​  @pink-diamond13​ @tinkie1973​ @queenrileyrose​ @zaffrenotes​ @no-one-u-know​ @sammie0220​ @shanzay44​ @yourmajesty09​  @bitchloveskcbaseball​ @kat-tia801​ @openheart12​ @drakeandkatherine​ @marshmallowsandfire​ @masterofbluff​ @marshmallowsaremyfavorite​ @msjr0119​ @hopelessromanticmonie​ @sanchita012 @gabesmommie1130​ @charlotteg234​ @jessiembruno​ @debramcg1106​ @neotericthemis​ @iaminlovewithtrr​ @sweetest-marbear​ @darley1101​ @choicesstan650​ @shewillreadyou​ @emkay512​ @txemrn​ @lucy-268​ @axwalker​ @busywoman​

[empresskaze]

Ok here's the little Libriel drabble I wrote yesterday. A few prompts from stuff I've reblogged are used plus a cameo from another OC. Enjoy! Not really beta'd so sorry if there's any mistakes.

Rain Delays

The crisp fall air scattered leaves across the path as Liam and Gabriel walked through the park. They'd strolled down to the water in an effort to alleviate Liam's anxiety.  Originally Liam insisted on going alone as Gabriel had been nursing a head cold the past few days but the professor outright refused.

So bundled in his coat, sky blue scarf wrapped firmly around his neck, Gabriel accompanied his dearest.  They sat for a while letting the soothing sound of the riverfront wash over Liam.  However, the sky had been overcast when they left. After a few droplets of rain began falling, the two were now walking hand in hand back to the city.

Sniffling, Gabriel rubbed his red nose against a checkered handkerchief.

"Want to stop for something warm, love?" Liam asked as Gabriel, try as he might, couldn't hide his shivering.

"Splendid idea." Gabriel replied sniffling thickly again, his voice caked in congestion.

As much as Liam wished his boyfriend has stayed home in their warm bed, he couldn't deny having Gabriel here with him helped calm him.

Approaching the cafe, Liam's social anxiety bubbled in his stomach. Even with his normal script he used when out and about, sometimes Liam simply couldn't bring himself to speak, especially after a bad anxiety attack. Today was one of those times.

Pulling open the door to Cafe Arcobaleno, Liam silently thanked the gods the heat was on.  The bell dinged alerting their arrival. Liam ushered Gabriel to small table away from the door.

Gabriel removed his scarf but kept on his heavy coat while Liam sat his trenchcoat over the chair, his hoodie would be enough.

Hek'tsheww!

Gabriel brought his arm up covering the sneeze before retrieving his handkerchief.  Another heavy sniffle came followed by a sigh.

"Hey Liam." Emmett said walking up to the table, order pad in his hand. "Tea?" He asked, green eyes going from Liam to Gabriel then back.

Liam nodded.

"Honey and lemon, please." Gabriel's clogged voice said from behind his cloth.

"Anything to eat?" Emmett asked looking from the writer to the professor.

Liam opened his mouth but his throat felt dry, the words burning in the back.

"A bowl of vegetable soup would do nicely." Gabriel said. "Dear, would you be apropos to sharing a double chocolate muffin?" It was a ruse. Gabriel truly wasn't a huge fan but Liam loved them. This way he could enjoy some comfort food without needing to order.

"Yes." He managed to whisper at Gabriel.

Emmett nodded with a smile before returning to the front.

Liam let out a full body sigh and leaned back. "Thank you, love."

Gabriel gave a smile before rubbing his poor nose again.  Emmett barely placed the mug on the table before it was in Gabriel's hands. He brought the sweet warm liquid to his lips, taking a long sip, blue eyes closing as he savored it.

"Feel better?" Liam asked.

"Warmer." Gabriel said before sniffling again.  A few minutes later Emmett brought the soup and muffin.  The professor ordered another tea before delving into the rich soup.  Liam quietly ate his muffin but noticed the rain outside had picked up. Even though their loft was only a few streets away, Liam didn't much feel like taking his poor sick boyfriend back out in the cold.

So after they finished, Liam walked to the shelves that the cafe stored a few games, books, and puzzles on. First thing he grabbed was the chess set. Gabriel had taught Liam a few years back and they'd played a few times. Played might not be the proper word as Gabriel usually throttled him using only a few moves. 

The professor's pale tired face lit up when Liam set the board down.  After another few losses, Liam grabbed a puzzle of a bridge while Gabriel went to the bathroom to blow his bothersome nose.

Keeping one eye on the weather and another searching for pieces, the two spent a few comfortable hours in the cafe. However, it was becoming more obvious how miserable Gabriel was feeling. His sneezing sounded painful each time he muffled one into a handkerchief.  Finally Liam decided they needed to head home.

The rain had mostly stopped, only light drizzle still fell wetting their hair and coats.  Gabriel had his lapels up hoping to block some of it.

In the lobby of their building, Gabriel paused sneezing twice into the handkerchief that hadn't left his nose since leaving the cafe.

"Almost there." Liam said guiding his boyfriend to the elevator.  Sniffling thickly, Gabriel blew his nose again, angrily it flared red from the constant attention.

"I shouldn't have taken you out." Liam said sadly as they entered the loft.

"Nonsense, dear. Merely a cold." Gabriel quickly shrugged off his coat before grabbing the heavy blanket on the couch.

Heh'hhtsjuhh!

Ek'tshxjuew!

"I feel terrible." Gabriel moaned resting his head against his hands.  Liam sat down with cold medicine and water, which Gabriel thanked him for. 

Leaning his weary head against his dearests chest, Gabriel brought the blanket up around him.  "Not sure I'll sleep given this...pressure." He paused to rubbed his nose against his hand.

"Want to watch a movie?" Liam asked before handing Gabriel a clean handkerchief from the side table.  When he felt the nod, Liam pulled his laptop over so it was positioned in front of them.  "Any requests?"

"Something...soothing." Gabriel mumbled his eyes fluttering closed.

Liam browsed a few listings before settling on one. He wasn't sure if Gabriel was already asleep but he didn't mind.  He was ready to care for his boyfriend all night if needed.

[modernagesomniari]

Inner OC Circle - with gifs!

Last week I made a post about having a room in your mind with all your primary OCs in it, just hanging out being all primary and stuff (which you can see here).  And I thought to myself - who are mine?  Who’s in there?

And then I thought I’d tell you guys about it.  But then I thought that might be a bit dull on its own, so today we are having:

OC TRAIT - GIF EDITION

Aim: sum up an important aspect of your OC’s personality/relationship in one gif

***********

Earydh Amell - DAO.  Protectiveness

Rose Hawke - DA2.  Aggressive positivity

Ellana Lavellan - DA:I.  Done.  So done.

Rafe Hutchings & Niccolo Farrell - Original Work.  Friends to enemies to lovers.

(Alec playing the part of Nicci here, Rafe is a shit)

Arin Nalara - Original Work.  Angst muffin.

Dartagnan (Liam) - Original Work.  Hates everyone.

Lilu Sakurasa - Guild Wars 2. Exciteable.

Adrienne Riddle - Harry Potter. Burdened.

Edi Shephard - Mass Effect.  Stubborn.

Rosemerri Bellmonte & Rylaerion Farblood - World of Warcraft.  Know they’re the shit.

Lyra - Skyrim.  Takes NO shit from anyone. 

And finally, the li’l lady that started it all - my newbie...

Ava’li Mhaya - FFXIV Very Confused

Ok I wanna see some folks’, how about @darlingrutherford​ @sopml​ @noire-pandora​.  I went TOTALLY OVERBOARD here cos I got uber inspired by them all but even if you just want to do one or two I’m so up for seeing them!

[l0calcryptid-beetle]

Oc List

SFeral:

-Finn

-Spots

-Gizmo

-Lavender

-Midnight

-Echo

-Dream

-Rex

-Ana

-Bitts

-Pretzel

-Penny

-Jackal

-Peanut

-Blue -Bailey

-Archer

Anthro:

-Liam

-Pandora

-Olive

-Cherry

-Sunny

-Nikki

-Vivian

-Shadow

-Loki

-Evan

-Daniel

-Bree

-Creampuff

-Amber

-Dolly

-Jay

-Egg

-Crystal

-Luna

-Candy

-Aurora

-Zoey

-Luke

-Poppy

-Butter Pecan

-Peach

-Cookie

-Juliet

-Pip

-Eric

-Lily

-Sky

-Waffle

-Shelly

-Cotton

-King

-Zero

-Dusty

-Starry

-Snow

-Owen

-Muffin

-Poncho

-Nova

-Zack

-Karma

-Valentine

-Nanna

-Pixie

-Cora

-Lila

-Dax

-Prism -Cinnamon

-Oreo

-Olivia -Ethan -Emma -Daphne -Fae

-Mochi

-Ray

-Holly

-Pepper

-Enzo

-Omelette

-Mischief

-Amy

-Ghost

-Froot loop

-Nana

-Neva

Clowns:

-Baby

-Ashley

-Bella

Nekos:

-Miko

-Honey

-Roxy

-Ema

Sonic ocs:

-Unknown

-Damian

-Pastel

-Maki

-Soar

-Zuri

-Prime

-Robin

-Aqua

-Lucas

-Hex

human-like:

-Ash

-Jesse

-Dizzy

-Crow -Saturn

-Rouge

-Sakura

Demons:

-Lucifer

-Mello

-Narvi

-Aaron

-Levi

-Jester

-Siren -August -Lian

Skeletons:

-Hunter

-Grim

-Comet

-Vichy

-Kylo

-Orion -Angel

-Chip -Maverick

-Moon

Humans:

-Pc

-Ziva -Henry Coleman

-Bun

Aliens:

-Cream

-Cosmo

-Noodle

-Sugarplum

-Skully

-Romen

Fnaf:

-Dusk

-Minty

-Kenzo

-Rocky

Shapeshifter:

- Zane

-Normen

-Stella

Robot:

- Duke -Bumble -Neon

Comfort:

-Pen -Ozzy

-Plushie

[imaramennoodle]

my ocs explained fast

Kiara:

* Sarcastic

* fLeXiBlE

* Brown hair

* Greenish brown eyes

* steals hoodies

* power: making the air move

* one half of the sarcasm squad

* was friends with Abigail then wasn’t and now is again

* my favorite

Clayton:

* other half of the sarcasm squad

* TALL

* Plays basketball

* Blonde hair

* Blue eyes

* Basically Keefe but also not

* power: fLeXiBlE bOi

* will never get his hoodie back

* marvel movie obsessed

* other favorite

Abigail:

* ginger

* Brown eyes

* Fancy

* that one girl

* Knows all your secrets

* power: speed

* She is speed

* Had like 16.3 billion friends but then lost them all

* Secretly loves drama

* Hates protein shakes

* Chick Fil A is life

* absolutely amazing, I love her

Liam:

* glasses guy

* Black hair

* Brown eyes

* quiet

* Is never noticed

* Awkward

* hangs out with little bro on a daily basis

* Power: invisible

* Where did he go?

* Probably a killer baker

* Has a muffin recipe stashed somewhere

* Hoards Halloween candy until April

* all in all one of my faves

Emi:

* loud

* Wakes up at approximately 5:30 in the morning

* Goes to sleep at three am

* power: Change appearance

* Doesn’t care anymore

* eats shredded cheese at every meal

* Wants to dye her hair

* Tan (?) hair

* Blue eyes

* Doesn’t actually tan

* Zero social skills

* literally amazing. My favorite.

[drmuffindick-blog]

Simon with babyTM

[choicesfanatic86]

TTS:  Part 4 (Liam x MC)

DISCLAIMER:  All characters belong to Pixelberry Studios, except characters unique to my story.  Those belong to me. ;)

PAIRINGS:  Riley (MC) x OC, Riley (MC) x Liam, Liam x Riley (MC) x OC, Olivia x Drake, Bertrand x Savannah, Maxwell x OC

SUMMARY:  Riley must accept that to move on to a new future, she must confront her past.

TAGS:  @herladyshipxx @theroyalweisme @blackcatkita @devineinterventions2 @hopefulmoonobject @captainkingliam @pbchoicesobsessed @queencatherynerhys @mfackenthal @cocomaxley @crayziimaginations @grapefrults @pessimystic-fangirl

Hi guys! Thank you again for your kind words about the Through the Storm series.  I’m so happy it’s getting such positive feedback.  Part 5 will likely be released late Tuesday/early Wednesday. :)

I received a question about Riley’s age in this book.  In my mind, I have Riley as 28.  She left Cordonia when she was 26.  Andy is currently 26.  Paul is 39, so that puts him around 10 years older than Riley.

PART 4 - The Return

Riley awoke the next morning with a terrible hangover.  She didn’t normally drink  . . . let alone drink a whole lot of whisky.  In fact, she couldn’t remember the last time she had a drink of whisky, but if she were to guess right, it was probably with Drake back in Cordonia while on the engagement tour.  Her head was pounding, she felt nauseated, and her thoughts were fuzzy but not fuzzy enough to forget what happened the night before.  She sighed as she walked to the bathroom rifling through the medicine cabinet . . . looking for something . . . anything to ward off the colossal migraine she had woken up with.  She found the nearest pain reliever and popped two into her mouth.  

Searching for something to eat, she wandered into the kitchen, pulling a muffin out of the container.  Sitting down at the table, she started to scan through the messages on her phone.  She noticed that she had a new email.  She smiled slightly when she saw Maxwell’s name as the sender.  She clicked into the message.

MY DEAR LITTLE BLOSSOM,

I can’t believe you actually responded!  Bertrand said I’d be wasting my time (and money) trying to send you an invitation.  I’m so happy I get to prove him wrong.  I can’t believe my best friend is coming back to me.  The prodigal Beaumont returns!

Of course you can bring someone!  The more the merrier.  After all, this Beaumont wedding will be the party to top all parties.    Although, I’m afraid their reception will be missing one crucial piece of any Beaumont party.   Savannah has requested that no  weapons be present at the reception.  She’s worried about the influence it might have on little Bartie, so I’m afraid our fancy champagne opening will have to wait for another occasion.  She really doesn’t know what she’s missing.  ☹

Please don’t worry yourself about airfare or hotel accommodations.   I insist that you stay at the house while you’re in Cordonia. After all, you are an honorary Beaumont, and your room is still waiting for you.  I can’t have you staying just anywhere.  I can also arrange to have a private jet fly you here.  Finances have been much better since we’ve last spoken, and I couldn’t possibly have you flying commercial.  I’ll be sure to set up the arrangements and email you once they are confirmed.  

And don’t you worry about you know who.  I can keep your return under wraps until the wedding.

Your Best Friend, Maxwell

Maxwell was still so very Maxwell.  Time hadn’t changed him at all.  He was still the lovable goofball who tried his very best to make everyone and anyone happy.  Riley could just picture him gleefully smiling and bouncing up and down as he wrote his response to her.  She was glad that he was exactly as she remembered him.  She was also glad that he didn’t seem to have any sort of resentment toward her.  At least not that she could decipher in the message.  

As she was closing out her email app, she heard rustling from Andy’s bedroom.   No sooner than a few seconds later did Andy come gliding out of the room with a huge smile on her face.  “Good Morning, Sunshine.”  Andy sang cheerily as she walked into the kitchen.

Riley cringed and groaned at her cheerfulness.  “Shut up,” she said.  “I just took some Advil.  Let it kick in before you get all cheery”

“I see somebody had a bit too much whisky last night.”  Andy pointed to the half empty bottle on the kitchen counter.  “Wonder what brought that on?” Andy snorted.

“You’re hilarious.” Riley said sarcastically.  “You know, if the whole grad school thing doesn’t work for you, you could probably make it as a stand up comedienne.”

“Touché.”  Andy nodded.  “So, how’d last night go with Paul?”

“Pretty good.  It was nice to spend some time with him.  He did kind of catch me off guard though.  He told me had to talk to me about something . . .” Riley started to explain before Andy cut her off.

“Did he pop THE question? The question that gets you a shiny new ring on that left hand finger?”  Andy excitedly squealed.

“What?”  Riley exclaimed.  “No.  God, no.  We are nowhere near that.  He asked me to move in with him.”

“Oh.”  Andy paused, taken aback.  “I’m guessing I’m not included in that equation, huh?”  She said softly, her cheerful excitement waning.  “So are you going to?”  She asked nervously.

Riley sighed, shaking her head.  “I told him that with everything going on lately, I needed some time to think about it.  So don’t worry, you’re not out of a roommate just yet.  I told him I needed some time to consider all the factors involved.  I mean, he dropped a bombshell on me . . . I dropped a bombshell on him.  It was an intense night.”  Riley continued.  “I told him about the wedding.  About Cordonia.”

Andy raised her eyebrows.  “You did?  How did he take things?”

“Surprisingly well,” Riley said.  “I honestly thought he’d be pissed that I kept it from him.”  Riley rubbed her hand across her face as if to rub the sleep out of her eyes.  “He wasn’t upset at all.  He was understanding and sweet.  He didn’t judge me or ask why I didn’t tell him sooner.  I really think I found the last decent man in New York.”  She smiled softly.  “He told me he supports whatever decision I make about things.”  

“And have you?  Made a decision that is?” Andy asked.

Riley nodded slowly.  “I have.”  Riley started to rub the back of her neck, massaging the knots out that had formed with all the stress of the previous day.  “I went back and forth about it a lot last night, but I couldn’t get your words out of my head.  It kills me to say this, but you’re right.  I do need closure.  And now that Paul wants me to move in with him, I think it made me realize that maybe things in Cordonia weren’t as finished as I had wanted to believe them to be.”  She shrugged lightly.  “I think if I’m going to have any sort of future with Paul, I have to accept everything that happened and really move on from it this time.  So I’m going . . . I’m gonna try to leave on Friday.  I emailed Maxwell last night, and I just got his response this morning.  He is going to arrange for a private jet to take me to Cordonia.”

“A private jet?”  She gaped at Riley.  “Who are you right now?”  She exclaimed.  

“Out of everything I just said you only walk away with the fact that I’m going to be going on a private jet.” Riley admonished.

“Yeah.”  Andy said.  “That’s kind of a big deal.”

“Anyway . . . I have few things to tie up with the business.  I’ve already phoned Alicia and asked her to hold down the fort while I am gone for the next few weeks.  The Mitchell Group’s Grand Opening isn’t for another month and a half, so I’ll have enough time to work on things with them when I get back.”

“Wow, it seems like you have pretty much everything figured out already.”  Andy noted.  “So how does Paul feel about traveling on a private jet?  I’m sure he’s had his fair share of rides on them considering he travels so much for business.”

Riley shook her head.  “Oh, Paul’s not coming with me.  He has to fly out to Boston in a couple of weeks to work on that merger he’s been dealing with for months now.”

“You’re going alone?” Andy asked with surprise.

“Actually. . . “Riley trailed off.  “I was hoping you would be my plus one.”  Riley said.  “It was your bright idea for me to go back there, and there’s no way in hell I’m doing this alone.   I need some back up here.  I know you’ve got your thesis to worry about, but we’ll be gone for like maybe three weeks at the most and you can even bring your –“

Riley’s sentence was cut off by a loud shriek.  Andy ran over to Riley enveloping her in a huge bear hug.  “Thank you, thank you, thank you.  EUROTRIP!”  She yelled.

Riley smirked.  “Don’t thank me yet.  You haven’t experienced court yet.”  Riley sighed.  “I just don’t want you getting caught up in all of the glitz and glamour of Cordonia.  It’s really easy to get swept up in court politics and the fancy balls.  I don’t want what happened to me to happen to you.  Okay?”

“Ri, we’ll be there for three weeks.  I don’t think the world can end in three weeks,” she said sarcastically.

“I fell for him in a matter of weeks, Andy.  I didn’t even see it coming,” Riley whispered sadly.

Andy placed a comforting hand on Riley’s shoulder.  “Things are going to be okay, you know.  You’ll see.  You’re making the right decision.”  Riley could only nod as she headed back into her bedroom to start coordinating their travel plans.

The days passed by quickly as Riley and Andy prepared for their trip to Cordonia.  Riley had worked tirelessly to make sure her assistant was prepared for any possible scenario that could arise during her time away from the business.  She knew Alicia was fully capable of handling things on her own for a little while, but Riley needed a distraction to keep her mind from wandering to all the “what if” scenarios of what could happen while in Cordonia.  She considered herself fortunate that Paul and Andy were so patient with her fears, and let her vent out her frustrations and worries to them, even if they seemed a bit over the top.  The anxiety she felt had grown as their departure date neared.  She had emailed back and forth with Maxwell in the days before the trip, and their short email conversations seemed to help keep her anxieties at bay.  She was glad that their friendship seemed stable despite how they last left things.  They spoke as if no time was lost, and it helped to think that she’d at least have one friend back in court that she could rely on.  

Friday came far too quickly for Riley, and she found that her nerves hadn’t improved.  Paul had offered to take them to the airport, and Riley happily accepted.  The drive to the airport was quiet, and it was making Riley’s anxiety worse.  She fiddled with the radio’s buttons trying to find something, anything to distract her from the thoughts that kept pulsing through her head.  Paul must have realized how anxious she was because he took one of his hands off the wheel to hold Riley’s hand loosely.  The small gesture put Riley slightly at ease.  Ten minutes later, Paul pulled into the drop off at JFK International Airport.  As they got out of the car, Paul pulled Riley off to the side.  

“You’re gonna be okay right?”  Paul kissed her forehead, pulling her closely into his lean body.

Riley nodded.  “Yes . . . Maxwell has assured me that he and Bertrand are the only ones who know I’m coming.  He’s going to try his best to keep the press out of the loop about my arrival.”  She adjusted her backpack on her shoulders nervously.  “They didn’t tell him I was coming, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

He shook his head firmly.  “I’m not worried about him.  I’m worried about you.”

Riley nodded.  “I’m fine.  I promise to call you once we get settled there.”  She snuggled into his embrace.  “I wish you were coming, too.”

Paul nodded in agreement.  “I know.  I do, too.  After everything that you’ve told me, I wanted to be there for you in case you ran into him.  I’m glad you’ll at least have Andy with you.”

As if on cue, Andy yelled behind them, “Alright lovebirds, we gotta get moving!” Paul laughed at Andy’s eagerness and gave Riley a soft kiss on her lips.  “I love you.  Be safe out there.  I want you back in one piece.” Riley returned the kiss a bit more forcefully.  “I’m going to miss you, babe.”  She tightened her hold on hi a little before reluctantly letting go.  She took one last look at him and smiled before entering through the airport’s sliding doors.    JFK was a mess.  Luckily, because they were going to be traveling on a private plane, there was a special TSA line that expedited security clearances.  Once they had passed through TSA, they found the aviation bay where their plane was scheduled to depart from and patiently waited until one of the staff members told them they could board.  

Once on board, Riley’s nerves seemed to settle . . . maybe it was her body’s way of accepting that there was no turning back now.  Whether she was ready or not, she’d be in Cordonia in a little under eight hours.  While Riley had been hemming and hawing about their arrival, Andy had been in sheer bliss.  She had never flown on a private plane before and she was going to take full advantage of all the free little amenities the jet had to offer.

Somewhere along the line, Riley had fallen asleep, only to be jostled awake by Andy’s nudging.  “We’re going to land soon.”  She said quietly.  “I think you can see Cordonia from here.”

Riley looked out of the plane’s window.  The beautiful, lush mountains could be vaguely seen from their altitude.  “It’s hard to believe that such a beautiful place could cause such heartache.”

Andy looked over at her friend’s forlorn expression, grabbing her hand and squeezing it.  “I’m with you ever step of the way, okay?”

Riley nodded, turning her attention back to the window.  “It’s hard to believe I’m even back.”

[sickdaysofficial]

Day 2: Anywhere but here... too late

I’m on mobile so unfortunately can’t cut for read more :-( I hope that’s okay! These are OC characters.

Part two up on @anonyony1

CW vomit.

The second they pulled up outside, the horn was blaring.
“COME ON, HURRY UP!” Porter yelled through the window. Ozzy sat through the rolled down window on the passenger side. Vera was in the backseat, hiding her face in embarrassment, it seemed.
“I’m coming! Stop honking idiot! You’re gonna wake the whole neighborhood!” Liam laughed, hurrying across the front yard of his house. It was still dusk, the moon still going down and passing duties over to the sun.
“We’ve got a five hour car ride ahead of us! No time for worrying about the sleeping!” Porter yelled again.
For no real other reason than to shut him up, Liam picked up the pace.
When he reached the car, he reached through the window and pushed Porter’s head to the side playfully.
“You guys are dumbasses. Not you V,” he said quickly, saving himself from a scolding. He leaned over to give her a kiss on the cheek and she rolled her eyes, laughing.
“Everyone buckled? Oz, put it in the GPS,” Porter said, and Ozzy started typing away before giving a more accurate ETA.
“Okay in five… and a half hours,
We’ll be camping!” 
Liam and Vera settled into the back seat getting more comfortable.
—–
“Okay guys, we’re stopping here and then we’re not stopping again until we need gas, we’ve got to check in in five hours, before the camp manager leaves,” Porter said, pulling into the gas station at the edge of town. They weren’t even ten minutes from Liam’s house, and already Porter and Ozzy had huge disagreements about the radio station.
Liam’s stomach growled when they pulled in, and Vera’s eyes widened.
“Wow, you hungry, babe?”
Liam blushed, “Yeah, I meant to grab a granola bar but I was being rushed,” he said, directing the second half of his sentence towards the front.
“Grab something in here, Fast Track gourmet!” Porter joked, referring to the gas station they were at.
Porter hopped out of the car to pump gas, Liam handed him a ten dollar bill for gas and headed in the store with Vera.
“Hey guys! Look at this stuff,” Ozzy called them across the store, pointing out the snacks and sandwiches sat on a display.
“Banana nut muffins are my favorite,” he said excitedly.
Vera laughed, grabbing herself a bottle of water and an apple.
“If you’re really hungry you should grab something big, Liam. We’re gonna be on the road a while,” she said, kissing his cheek and walking past him towards check out.
Liam’s stomach growled again and he made note of how hungry he was. He was at soccer late and had missed dinner the night before.
He perused the snacks and then moved on to the sandwiches, noticing a decent looking steak and cheese sandwich in a plastic container.
He grabbed the sandwich and a bag of chips from the rack and walked towards the register.
“Got everything?” Vera asked him, and he nodded, desperately wishing the cashier would hurry- he was starving. Once back in the car, Porter snacked on a bag of chips while Ozzy threw M&Ms in the air and tried catching them with his mouth.
“Hey, you drop those you clean ‘em!” Porter scolded.
“What- you wanna try?” Ozzy teased. Porter rolled his eyes, shifting the car into drive and pulling off.
“Alright! Last stop til’ camp!” 
Liam smiled, taking a giant bite of his sandwich. “Hey, look at the horses,” Ozzy pointed out, about twenty minutes later. They were out of town now, and there would pretty much only be cows and fields for the rest of the time, unless they went off course towards the interstate.
Liam closed up the box from his sandwich and gave a contented burp into his fist.
“Oh, sorry,” he said, cheeks turning red.
“It’s okay, you ate quick! How was it?” She asked. Liam thought about that. He’d finished the entire sandwich in such a hurry, he wasn’t even sure. He was just glad to not be hungry anymore.
“It was good! How’s your… apple?”
Vera laughed.
“The best gas station apple I’ve ever had.”
She leaned over to rest her head on his shoulder and he smiled.
“C'mon, Ozzy, we are NOT listening to that again, it’s played like three times already,” Porter insisted, grabbing the tuner button from Ozzy’s grasp. Vera and Liam got comfortable enough to fall asleep soon after. But when Liam woke up about an hour later, he realized his hunger was replaced with an uncomfortable fullness.
He shifted in his seat.
“You okay?” Vera asked, sitting up and blinking herself awake.
“Yeah, I’m fine, just… I think I ate too fast,” he said, stifling another burp.
“I’m sorry, I’m being gross.”
Vera shook her head.
“It’s okay, you want some water?”
She snapped the lid off her water bottle and offered it to him. Hesitantly, he took it and forced even more into his already full-feeling belly.
“You okay back there? Carsick, Liam?”
Liam shook his head, embarrassed.
“No, no, I’m fine, just ate too much. I’m okay.”
Porter met Liam’s eyes in the rear view mirror. He looked skeptical but, noting how embarrassed Liam was, looked away and dropped it.
Liam’s stomach gave a gurgle, much different than the ones before. He felt so full, but knew he hadn’t eaten that much. There was no way he was this stuffed from a little steak sandwich.
He leaned against the door, pulling the hood of his jacket onto his head and resting his head against the window.
Vera settled back in cautiously, obviously still worried about him. Liam couldn’t fall back asleep, though. The minutes seemed to take hours and he felt more and more bloated as they went on. He was sipping tepid swallows of water and trying desperately to make it go away.
A cramp shot through his belly and he held a firm hand on it, grimacing. He was trying extremely hard not to draw more attention to himself. He was already mortified.
They hit a bump in the road and Liam’s stomach jostled everything in him.
Vera was sleeping soundly on his shoulder and Ozzy was snoring soundly, too in the front. Porter’s eyes were focused solely on the road ahead.
Liam couldn’t move, for fear of stirring Vera. He closed his eyes tight as an uncomfortable new feeling started up: nausea.
Liam’s stomach turned and flipped as he sat there, praying Porter would magically know without him having to tell him.
No such luck. Liam sucked in a breath and held it as long as he could. 
“Hey, uh,” he spoke up with a shaky voice, “how much longer do we have?”
Porter checked the GPS.
“Oh, looks like another three hours. Good news is we’re out of the hustle now, just fields until we’re there. Might not even see another car.”
Great, Liam thought. He pressed his sweaty forehead into the window, trying to cool down.
Another thirty or so minutes passed before Porter swerved in order to miss a turtle. The several cars behind him, and the ones coming towards him all honked. He was surprised they had found traffic in the middle of nowhere. A giant sign marking the “Tulip Festival” in the upcoming town gave him some sign of what was going on. Vera sat awake immediately and Ozzy took a moment to stir. Liam grimaced as his stomach flew to his throat, suddenly aware that it wasn’t because he ate the sandwich too fast, but because he ate the sandwich, period.
“Jeez, Porter! You could have killed us,” Vera scolded.
“I’m not gonna kill a turtle just to save you guys, what do you think I am, a monster?” He joked.
“We coulda had turtle soup at camp! How do you expect to be a real outdoorsman?” Ozzy laughed.
“They have grills at the campsite, dumbass,” Vera said, smiling.
“Really? Do they? I want a Survivorman experience! We’ve been gipped.” They turned to Liam, seemingly all realizing at ice that he had not contributed to their banter. Liam was a sickening shade of green, sitting with his eyes closed and his mouth slightly open, breathing hard through his nose. He didn’t dare speak. “Liam?! Liam what’s wrong?!” Vera asked, calling attention to him, but he was too far gone to be upset about that now he gripped the fabric of his jeans and groaned.
“’M… I… I’m gonna be sick,” he said, marking the end of his proclamation with a convincing burp. “Oh, shit,” Porter said, 
“Pull over!” Vera yelled.
“I can’t! It’s too steep here!” Porter said, and he was right. If they pulled off on the steep shoulder, his car would end up in a ditch. Then they’d have worse problems than some ruined interior.
Porter sped up as much as he could, but he was in a precarious situation, jammed between two cars. “Hold on, Liam! Does anyone have a bag? Give him a bag!” They all shifted around, looking for a bag. But because of Porter’s environmentally friendly approach to everything, there were no bags from the store. He was kicking himself for that now. “Liam, can you just hold on another minute?” Vera asked the sick boy. His face was ashen and his jaw was quivering.
“I don’t… I don’t, think so,” he said, gagging.
He leaned forward, folding his arms over his lap and ducking his head.
“I feel so sick…” he slurred.
“I know, I know you do,” Vera rubbed his shoulders, “Porter, come on!” 
“I can’t go anywhere! I can’t stop here!”
They hit another bump as Porter sped to reach an even shoulder up ahead.
“Ohh… I can’t,” Liam said, but then lurched forward, and with a wet burp, a thick wave of predigested Fast Track Gourmet was on his lap. He gagged at the sight of it, adding more to the mess.
“Oh, Liam,” Vera sympathized.
“Fuck,” Porter said, but not in an angry way. He felt bad for Liam. It wasn’t his fault.
“Oh, god,” Ozzy grimaced, having a particularly weak stomach himself. He pulled his collar of his shirt over his mouth and nose and stuck his head out the window.
Porter rolled down the back windows for Liam and Vera.
Liam spat into his lap, realizing now that there was already a mess. He may as well stop holding back.
“Are you okay? Do you feel any better?” Vera asked gently. He shook his head, pressing the back of his hand into his lips and biting at the skin.
“Here! The shoulder!” Porter exclaimed, finally. He pulled over and Vera hopped out of the car, running over to Liam’s side. She opened the door and he wearily fumbled with his seatbelt.
“Oh, Liam, you poor thing,” she said, rubbing a hand through his sweaty hair and clicking the seatbelt for him.
He staggered out of the car, leaning against the pole of a fence which held back some sort of animal in a pasture.
He gagged silently and another wave of food followed, then the water he’d been sipping. His stomach was fairly empty since he’d skipped dinner, but what he was fairly certain was his lunch from the day before came up.
Liam retched into the grass and grimaced at his messed up clothes. He felt disgusting. Drool hung from his bottom lip as he leaned over, expectingly.
Porter was by his side, leaving Ozzy to try to keep his own stomach under control in the circumstances. “Liam, it’s okay, you gotta breathe, baby,” Vera soothed. Porter grabbed the water bottle from the car and brought it to Liam.
“Here, man, get a drink, wash your mouth out.”
Liam shook his head, holding a hand up.
“’M not done… I can feel it… it’s all turning inside me,” he groaned, retching unproductively. “Shit, babe, you’re really sick,” Vera realized, biting at her nail and looking at Porter worriedly.
They were still an hour and a half away from the town holding the Tulip Festival. “I feel sick, I feel so sick,” Liam said, swiping at his nose. “What do we do?” Vera asked Porter.
“We’re almost three hours away from home,” she reminded him.
“I know, I know… let me think,” he plead, heading over to Ozzy. “Vera, I’m gonna puke again,” Liam assured her.
“Liam, I don’t think you have anything left, baby.”
“Well then I’m gonna send up my liver,” he said, being cut off by a particularly strong retch. “No cell phone signal,” Porter reported back to them.
And no other cars around anymore.
Vera’s concern rose.
“What are we gonna do?” She asked,
“Do we even have enough gas to get back to where we came from?”
Porter frowned, “I didn’t think about that, I don’t know.”
Liam retched again, this time, a foul wave of bile came up through his nose and mouth. Tears flowed freely down his cheeks from exertion, and, if he wasn’t being too proud, probably a little from misery. “Okay, first things first, let’s get you out of that shirt,” Porter said, stepping into the leader-role. Liam stood up straight, shakily tugging at his shirt.
Porter grabbed his shirt from the bottom and carefully pulled it over his head, successfully managing to do so without making a bigger mess on the poor boy. He stood there, shirtless, and his normally toned belly was visibly bloated.
“Oh, God, Liam,” Porter gasped. “Hurts,” Liam said, hiccuping miserably.
“I’m sure. God, okay. Let’s, uh, get some water in you. You think you can handle some water?” He asked. 
Liam gave him a disgusted face.
“You gotta try baby,” Vera said, holding his swaying body steady.
Porter popped the cap off the bottle and handed it to Liam, who took it in a shaky hand.
He lifted it to his mouth and swished it around in his mouth before spitting it out.
He took a swig, swallowing it like a brick.
“Ugh, I can’t,” he scowled, squeezing his eyes shut and pushing the water bottle back towards Porter. He promptly doubled over and gagged the water back up.
“Okay, new plan. We’re gonna get you back in the car, and we’re gonna get you somewhere that can help you or find you some medicine, okay?”
Liam pressed his fingers into his eyes.
“I’m gonna puke again,” he whined.
Porter ran to the car and instructed Ozzy on what to do. Ozzy made quick use of himself, laying out the towels they’d brought along for swimming in the back seat. Ozzy emptied out an old beach bag for Liam’s use.
He grabbed his own pillow and sat it against the door of the car, forming a make-shift bed for Liam. He grabbed a sleeping bag, and unzipped it so that it formed a blanket.
By the time Porter and Vera convinced a very hesitant Liam to get back in the car, the back was set up for maximum comfort — given the current situation, anyways.
Liam stopped by the trunk and Vera helped him pull a pair of gym shorts from his bag. He pulled his messed up jeans from his hips and weakly pulled the shorts and a new t-shirt on.
Porter placed the ruined clothes in a large trash bag he’d brought along to keep up with the garbage from their camping trip and tied it closed.
He took a rag and attempted to clean the mess from his car seat with water. Most of the mess had landed on Liam, so it wasn’t hard to clean, but he would definitely need to take care of that later, once they were out of immediate danger. Liam laid, trembling in the back seat with his head in Vera’s lap on the pillow. His teeth were chattering. He curled in on his stomach, pulling his legs towards his chest. 
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I ruined this trip,” he said, moaning as a pain hit his stomach.
“Don’t apologize! You couldn’t help it,” Ozzy assured him.
The car smelled like sick and all windows were kept down to alleviate the stench. Liam was sweating into the pillowcase, shaking hard. Vera rubbed his back, trying to soothe him, to no avail.
“I’m so sorry, baby,” she whispered.
He nodded weakly, his stomach turning once more.
Porter cranked the car and raced forward. He had to have been going at least 80 miles an hour when Liam retched again, into the bag this time. A disgusting splattering sound filled the car and Liam’s friends were more surprised than anything to know he had more left in him. Liam spat, in clear pain and only growing weaker from dehydration and the vomiting.
“Shh, it’s okay, Liam,” Vera rubbed his back. “It’s not, I’m gonna die,” he coughed. 
“You’re not gonna die, dude. You just have food poisoning. No more questionable sandwiches from gas stations, okay?” Ozzy quipped.
Liam grimaced at the mention of food, particularly the offending sandwich. Porter had never been one for speeding, in fact, he was terrified of speeding, and driving for that matter, but his friend was seriously sick at this point. He only hoped that the town with the Tulip Festival had more than just one stop light, but he was unsure. He only had a little over a half a tank of gas left. Not enough to get him back home, but just barely enough to get him to the upcoming town, Taversville. After careful deliberation, he and Ozzy had decided to move forward instead of turning back. He drove as quickly as he could, and no other cars were on the road for miles it seemed. Liam was worse for wear by the time an hour had passed. He had vomited twice more, and only now the nausea was intensifying with nothing in his stomach.
He laid still, curled up on himself and moaning loudly.
The attention he was drawing to himself was certainly cause for concern, as they knew if his pain was manageable, there was no way he’d be making these sounds.
Vera laid a hand across his angry stomach, which churned violently under her hand. He held his hands over hers, pressing into his stomach, trying to get some relief.
“Liam, sweetheart, it’s okay, you’re going to be okay,” she promised, terrified she might be lying to him. If there wasn’t a store or a doctor in this town, she didn’t know what they would do. Liam burped queasily, but it seemed as though he had absolutely nothing left to come up.
“Liam, just another hour, we’re so close,” Porter assured him, keeping an eye on the lowering gas gauge.
He had a little over a quarter of a tank by now. His tank didn’t hold much gas, which, he guessed, was the downsides to having an environmentally friendly car. He kicked himself for that too, just a little. Liam responded with another burp, seemingly unable to control them. He pressed his hands into his stomach again. “Liam, do you want to try more water?” Vera begged. Liam shook his head defiantly. “No.” “Liam, please-” her voice cracked, and she was on the verge of tears. Her nerves were on edge seeing her boyfriend this way.
That got his attention. He blinked blearily at her and grabbed the water bottle. Timidly, he turned it up and swallowed some water, enough to satisfy her, he hoped. He laid his head back down and covered his eyes with his hand, increasingly nauseous now. He wanted to will himself to hold it down, but he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to. “Try and hold it down, Liam, you’re really getting dehydrated,” Porter reminded him. “Ugh,” he frowned, furrowing his brow. Sweat beads were formed on his face now, as he kneaded at a cramp in his stomach. He wished someone would knock him out. “Forty more minutes, Liam. We’re almost there,” Vera soothed, rubbing his hair. Porter and Ozzy spoke quietly amongst themselves.
“We’re getting really low on gas…” Ozzy noted.
“I think… maybe we can make it,” Porter sounded unsure.
He pressed the gas a little more for good measure, speeding up to 90. “Look, Liam can survive a bout of food poisoning but we will not survive a wreck at 90 miles an hour,” Ozzy said, bringing Porter back to reality. “Calm down, it’s okay, we’re gonna be okay,” Ozzy said, turning the radio on the station Porter initially wanted to listen to before Ozzy commandeered it. Porter smiled and nodded. 
“We’re gonna be okay.” Liam groaned again, dry heaving into the bag, ruining the moment and bringing back some severity to the car. “Oh, God! It feels like, like my insides are trying to come out,” he said, body stiffening.
“I swear to God, I’ll never eat again,” he swore. Vera rubbed his stomach, trying with all her might to soothe his aching belly. “Look!” Ozzy shouted, pointing out the first sign they’d seen in a while for Tarversville.
“Oh, only 30 miles. We’re so close, Liam,” Porter said. Liam said nothing, but pressed his head deeper into the pillow as his cheeks filled with another burp. He was astoundingly pale, and Vera couldn’t believe how terrible he looked. She had never seen him this way. His eyes were closed, and soon his shaky breathing evened out. She was thankful he had finally worked himself into sleep. About twenty minutes later (it should have taken forty), they pulled into Tarversville.
It was a tiny town, only houses around as much as they could see. He slowed his driving accordingly. Then, they pulled up on a convenience store. “Thank god,” Porter said, jumping out of the car as soon as it was stopped. He walked in the tiny store, the bells on the creaky glass door jingled announcing his arrival. “You sure look like an out-of-towner!” Exclaimed the lady behind the counter with giant, curled hair and red lipstick. “I am! My friend, he’s really sick. We were going to the mountains but he’s… I think he’s got food poisoning, and he’s really sick. Is there a hospital? Or a doctor?” “Oh, that’s awful, honey,” she lady said, “but there’s no doctor near here and the closest hospital is forty miles away… there’s an inn down the street you should be able to stay at for the night, it’s on Main Street.” She wrote the notes down on a piece of paper.
“And go, look at the medicine aisle, there might be something to help your friend,” she gestured towards shelves in the middle of the store containing various generic medicine. Porter grabbed a giant bottle of Pepto-bismol, the biggest one he’d ever seen, some antacids, and some sort of stomach relaxer. He walked towards the fridge and grabbed several bottles of Gatorade. He walked up towards the lady again, Betty, as her name tag announced, and pulled out his wallet.
“Oh, no honey, take ‘em and get your friend in a bed. I wrote my number on the bottom in case y'all need help,” she said, her southern drawl particularly standing out.
“Thank you, thanks so much,” Porter said, hurriedly stuffing the things into the plastic bag she handed him. As much as it pained him, he had no time for moral objections right now. He hurried into the car and typed the address into his GPS.
“The doctor?” Ozzy asked.
“No, no doctor.”
Ozzy’s eyes grew wide, and they weren’t sure if Liam or Vera had heard as there were no shouts from the back. “No doctor for miles. He has to get out of this car. There’s a hotel up the street. I think maybe we can handle this if we just get him comfortable.” Ozzy blinked at Porter, but then checked his phone for signal, which there was none. “God, okay then, let’s go,” he said, peeking into the back to check on Liam. He really hoped they could handle this.

[ronniehas-nomuffins]

Oooh for the prompts uh 5 with you and liam cause >;3c

tis but a sketch!!!!

[drmuffindick-blog]

So the blonde boy in the middle is the main character of the story! His name is Liam and he’s an ‘adventurer’. The boy on the left is NOT my oc it’s actually my friends oc Chio UwU.

Rn you can see Liam defending Chio from the woods. Even if Liam is a little bit of a coward it’s okay.