#she immediately became leo’s favorite person the moment she fell for it

[huntingrays]

headcanon: whenever leo meets someone new, he (at some point) tries to get them with the “updog” joke. he hasn’t gotten anyone to fall for it except (to his great surprise) annabeth

[fandom-imagines-stories]

Black Umbrellas

Josh Lyman x Reader

Words: 2277

Part One

Summary: The funeral arrives and everything seems to fall apart. Josh tries to keep his temper in check with Celia, but soon the reason behind their ongoing feud is revealed. 

Notes: Josh is definitely one of my favorite fictional characters and it seems like more of you are liking his imagines. As always, comments are always welcome!- Side note: I know that it’s been forever since I posted part one to this, and I’m very sorry. I hope to be writing for more West Wing, including more characters. 

-

It was just like he would have wanted. The morning was bright and sunny and began with laughter. Josh was standing in the kitchen with your mother and something he had said made her laugh, making the rest of you feel a little lighter on a day that would leave a great deal of weight on your hearts. It’s how your dad would have wanted his funeral to start. Not with sorrow, but with the sense of being together. 

Your mother made blueberry pancakes for breakfast using your dad’s famous recipe and  the three of you had coffee on the porch. Celia and Thomas were still asleep, so there was no danger of an argument breaking out for now. 

“It’s a beautiful day.” Marissa hummed, taking a sip of her coffee. Josh nodded in agreement, wrapping an arm around your shoulders, drinking in the morning sun as it rose over the trees. 

“How are you feeling?” He whispered as you rested your head on his shoulder. You shrugged. 

“Best that I can be, I guess.” He nodded in understanding and sweetly kissed the top of your head. 

“I’ll be here the whole time.” You placed a hand on his leg, drawing circles on the denim. You loved it when he wore jeans. It made him feel like he was yours for the day and not rushing off to assist in a national crisis. But even now, he was still the Deputy Chief of Staff. 

You probably noticed his pager buzzing before he did. He looked at you mournfully, his tone apologetic. “I’ve got a call from Leo.” 

You gave him a small smile and a node. “You better take it.” 

He moved out onto the lawn for some privacy and your mother gave your hand a gentle pat. 

“You picked a good one.” She smiled. You both watched as he ran a hand down his face, his expression morphing from saddened to angered to calm in a matter of seconds. 

“Is he seriously working right now?” Your sister’s shrill criticizing voice emerged from inside the house. 

“He’s the Deputy Chief of Staff for the President,” You scoffed, “the world didn’t stop just because he’s here.” 

“Sorry, I forgot. Not all of us are lowly small town journalists like me and dad.” 

“Are you serious, right now?” 

“No, you’re right, I’m sure it’s a matter of national security.” She spat and you stood up from the swing. 

“It very well could be!” You shouted. You wanted to slap her. Who was she to criticize Josh? 

“Girls!” Your mother finally interjected. You both turned your heads towards her and you immediately felt guilty, seeing the tears welling up in her eyes. “Don’t do this today. Please.” 

“Sorry mom.” You both said, hanging your heads. While you could feel everything start to burn up in your chest, you pushed it down. You had to be strong today. Luckily, your own pager went off before any more arguing could occur. 

“Hey Sam.” You sighed in greeting, grateful for a distraction. 

“Hey, how are you doing?” His voice was sympathetic and sweet. Typical Sam. 

“Okay, all things considered.” You laughed lightly, hoping to keep the conversation from getting too emotional. “How are things there?”

“Crazy as usual.” He chuckled. “I just wanted to call and check in.” There was something in his tone that told you there was more. 

“Sam… something is wrong with the speech, isn’t there?” 

“Well,” He blew out a breath, “Since you pushed it back, we’re speaking after Congress is handing us our asses which means that Toby needed to make some changes so we don’t sound like-”

“Kids trying to start a fight on the playground?” You finished. Josh had said the same thing. 

“Yeah…” 

You thought for a moment, but couldn’t focus on any one thing. “Just make sure that he sounds like we’re still coming out on top.” It was the only thing you could do. 

“We’ll try.” He paused, but you already knew what he was going to say. “And Y/N-”

“I know.” You smiled slightly to yourself. “Thanks Sam.” 

You strolled along the wrap-around porch, hoping to avoid Celia for at least a few more minutes, telling yourself it was the stress of the day. She would cool off eventually. 

“I hope everything is doing okay.” Your mother’s comforting tone helped to calm you down. You shrugged. 

“As okay as it ever is.” She nodded with understanding. She knew how messy the political world was. It didn’t stop because someone died. 

Josh came back, the stress clear on his face. When he locked eyes with you, he tried to brighten up, but you could tell that there was something weighing down on his shoulders. You implored him with a look, but he shrugged it off. 

“The usual.” He whispered, draping his arm around you again. “Don’t worry about it.” He turned to your mother with a sad smile. “Leo McGarry and The President send their deepest sympathies.” 

“I appreciate that.” She nodded and looked out over the orchards. How was she so strong through all of this? You felt ready to fall apart at the seams, but your mother was the picture of grace. She always did everything for everyone else and now she wasn’t giving herself the chance to grieve. 

Celia had gone inside to make calls to the funeral home and Thomas was in town picking up groceries. He wanted there to be one less thing for all of you to worry about. 

With a few hours until the funeral, all you wanted was to make it through the day without any more arguments. Josh had a few more calls with Leo and did his best to hide it from your judgmental sister but there was still that tension between them. You took a few sympathy calls from Donna and C.J.- both of whom were very kind in expressing their regrets in not being able to make it to the funeral. 

It was about noon when the President called. Your mother must have spent an hour talking to him in her office before she came back into the living room, passing off the phone to you. 

“Good afternoon, Mr. President.” You started, forcing yourself to keep it together. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t catch you the other day before you and Josh left.” He sighed. “I wanted to give my condolences in person.” 

“My family and I appreciate it nonetheless, sir.” 

“I am truly sorry for your loss, Y/N.” His fatherly tone made you want to cry. Truthfully, you’d always seen President Bartlet as your work-father more than your boss. “Bill was a good man and a good friend.” 

“He would have been honored to hear you say that, sir.” There was a long moment of silence between the two of you as you both let those words sink in before he concluded. 

“He was always very proud of you, Y/N. I hope you know that.” 

Your breathing hitched as you held back a cry. “Thank you, Mr. President.” As you hung up, you tried to keep the tears from falling. Your quiet moment to yourself was interrupted by the sounds of whispers growing into shouts on the front porch. Celia and Josh. 

As you approached, their words became more and more clear. 

“When are you going to stop treating her like a child?”

“I’m sorry, but I figured I would let her go on thinking that her sister is a crazy lunatic!” 

“Keep your voice down! She’ll hear you.” 

“Let her hear, Celia.” Josh’s voice became a growl. “Let her hear that after all these years, you’ve just been jealous of everything that she’s been able to accomplish and you couldn’t.”

“I don’t know why we’re even having this conversation.” Celia scoffed. You opened the door a crack and watched her step closer to him. “I’m not jealous, Josh. I’m right. Y/N has had everything handed to her since the day she was born. She doesn’t deserve her job.. And she doesn’t deserve you.”

“You’ve got to be kidding.” Josh ran a hand down his face and turned away, but she was persistent.

“We met first, Josh. We started seeing each other and then you fell for her little charms just like everybody else.” 

“You two were seeing each other?” You gasped, finally stepping out from behind the door. Josh let out a frustrated groan. 

“No, honey, we weren’t-”

“Is that why you two are at each other’s throats all the time? Because you were together?”

“We were never together!” He exclaimed. He reached to put his hands on your shoulders, but you stepped away, staring down your older sister. 

“You really think I don’t deserve my job… my husband… my life?” 

She said nothing. Her mouth formed a thin line as she gave you a silent, hard stare. You wanted to slap her. You wanted to scream. Instead, the sky let out a low, tumbling growl of thunder that served as the final straw. You looked up at the darkened clouds as the first raindrop landed on your cheek. 

“No no no no no. This isn’t what he would have wanted.” You cried, holding out a hand as more water fell. “It’s supposed to be sunny and beautiful and… and…” 

“Y/N,” Josh started, but you didn’t hear him. 

“I can’t deal with this right now.” Was all you said as you took off down the steps and towards the road. You didn’t know what to think, but the rain hitting your skin was enough to fuel your fury to hide your sadness. 

“Where is she going?” Marissa asked, feeling the tension in every thunder roll. Josh slammed his hand against the porch railing. 

“I don’t know. But I’ll take care of it.” He gave Celia a glare that could halt an army before running after you.

-

You ended up in an old tool shed somewhere in the orchard, your cries drowned out by the rain pounding against the wooden walls. Your clothes were soaked but you didn’t care. There was just an hour until the funeral and the storm didn’t show any sign of stopping. This was all wrong. 

Your dad was the only one who could have fixed this mess. Whenever either you or your husband fought with Celia, he was the one that could settle everyone down and make you all laugh until your sides hurt. What if you never laughed like that again? 

The rain turned into a soft- but consistent- drizzle and you were sure you heard the sound of a car approaching the shed. You heard your husband calling your name before you even opened the door. 

“How did you know I’d be here?”

He gave you a long, sad look. “When you ran off, your mother said it’d be best if I took a car so we’d have someplace warm to sit and talk. She said you’d probably come here.” He opened the passenger door of his car and just waited. 

Instead of running into the warm heat of the car, you ran into his arms. While you felt like you had no more tears to shed, your body just shook with silent sobs. After a while, he picked you up and put you in the car, quickly going over the driverseat so he could take you in his embrace again. 

“I feel so stupid.” You sniffed. “We’re supposed to be mourning dad and I’m running off like a child.” 

“Don’t beat yourself up.” He muttered into your hair. “Grief does something to our heads… everyone has to deal with it.” He pulled away to look at you. “I shouldn’t have argued with Celia.” 

“No.” You shook your head. “No, I’m glad I know what she really thinks of me. Of us.” 

He pushed a hair behind your ear and gave you a small smile. “You have to know that I would never hide something like that from you unless I thought it didn’t matter. Celia and I got drinks one time before I met you and now she likes to hold it over my head.” He sighed. “And don’t beat yourself up about what she said. You’re one of the hardest working, badass women that I know. You deserve everything that you’ve built.”

He kissed your forehead and you fell into silence again. Without any words, he knew that you believed him about Celia and that the whole thing was blown out of proportions by your sister’s need for attention. He just hoped that you and Celia could start over. As much as he despised her most of the time, he knew what it was like to lose a sister. 

“Why don’t we head back to the house and try and dry off before the funeral?” He suggested softly. You just nodded, laying your head on his shoulder as he drove back to your childhood home. 

-

It wasn’t the sunny day that you wanted it to be. Everyone stood with black umbrellas and somber faces and you did your best to keep it together. Josh held your hand the whole way through, his support not faltering for a single second. You knew this couldn’t be easy for him either and yet he was your rock through all of it. 

The clouds blocked the sun for the rest of the day but you told yourself that it was okay. They were the cloud-kingdoms your father always talked about. The ones he wrote in those little books tucked away in the house. And you took comfort in the fact that you knew, now, that he was up there with them. 

[chiliiscereal]

Too tall part 2

Raph x tall! Fem! Reader

——-

So here we are again lol I liked writing it so here’s part two!

——-

“Yeah he was a douchebag.” You agreed, tapping the seat nervously. Sure you were glad to have conversation but it didn’t need to be any info dumping. Quickly, you turned the conversation back around to him. “You kept calling yourself a monster earlier. Do you guys get called that a lot?”

You could easily see the nervous expression on his face shift to something more... bitter.

“You could say that.” He grunted.

Immediately you felt bad. It makes sense that he’s get called that. To be honest, the word ran through your head when he and his brother fell from the roof. But to call someone that to their face? That’s cold.

You straightened up, desperate to fix what you’d said. “I personally don’t see it. Well, other than you guys breaking my phone that is.”

He looked up at you with a glare, only for it to melt slightly when he noticed the grin on your face.

“Who knows, maybe that perv was on his way back with a few friends and you guys dropping down was exactly what I needed to get rid of him.” You shrugged, watching his golden eyes intently. Sure you just met him but you needed him to have the right impression, even if you might not see him again.

“Maybe.” Was all he offered.

Well, maybe sitting in the quiet was better. Running your mouth might have the wrong effect.

“Got a pretty good punch.” He commented after a moment of silence. He wasn’t sure what else he should say but he didn’t exactly want the conversation to die... purely because it would be awkward. “You...uh... you box at all?”

You examined the hand he’d previously wrapped, grateful you weren’t the only one talking. “No just had to learn to beat up guys when they messed with my friends. I’d like to in the future though.” You cleared your throat nervously. “Do you? Do you box?”

He nodded. “Yeah, a bit.”

You nodded as well. “Very cool.”

The conversation began to dwindle again so he picked it back up.

“If ya’d like... I could show ya a few moves.” He immediately regretted offering the moment he spoke. He.... he couldn’t help it! What was wrong with him? You’d said a few words he’d never heard before! That was it! And... well, you also cracked a few jokes with him... denied him being a monster... hell you even apologized to him. Apologies weren’t things he got often. “If ya ever in need ‘a course.” He covered himself quickly. “Got lots a spare time an’ a punchin’ bag.”

You blinked in surprise. A giant, mutant, teenage turtle... was offering you boxing lessons?

Raph mentally kicked himself for saying that. “Neva’ mind ya probably got other places to be-.”

“I’d like that.” You sat up a bit. “It’s not everyday that I get offered a boxing lesson by a mutant hero.”

The term ‘mutant hero’ threw him off. He was used to ‘monster’ or simply being referred to as ‘giant turtle’. But ‘mutant hero’? That was a title he could get behind.

“Can’t have ya goin’ around breakin’ the skin on your knuckles again.” He clarified quickly, gaining a bit of confidence back. “An’ I noticed that ya had your thumb in your fist when ya hit the guy. Coulda broken it.”

You snorted. “Yeah I wasn’t exactly thinking about that when he attacked me.”

“Impressive though.” He commented. “Thought we’d have to jump in an’ save ya.”

“Instead you jumped in after I did all the hard work and broke my phone.” You raised an eyebrow jokingly.

He looked down in embarrassment. “Yeah you can blame Mikey for that. Dumbass wanted to make bets about how long it would take for you to take the guy down.”

You flushed a bit at the thought of them watching you take your rage out on the creep. “I don’t really know what to say to that.”

He nodded, not really knowing what to say either. He was new to the whole conversation thing. Usually Mikey or Leo carried the conversations.

“Well looks like you’re all good.” He leaned back once he finished wrapping your hands. “Guess you can get your phone and we’ll get outta your hair.”

You stood up, backing up a bit when he did to. Man he really towered over people. “Well, except when I come back for that boxing lesson.”

He was surprised to be honest. You really wanted to come back?

You pointed your finger at him jokingly. “I’m holding you to it. You offered and there’s no backing out now.”

“Yeah... sounds like a plan.”

——

It was a plan indeed.

In fact, it became the plan for almost every afternoon.

You brought over your homework to finish up (with Donnie insisting he could help), chatted a bit with Splinter (he loved having new company), finally got to the boxing lesson (your favorite part), and then played video games with Mikey to cool down.

You had to admit, you were nervous the first few times you came over. They were to. You, of course, cracked many nervous jokes and accidentally made far too many cookies on your first trip back. You were excited and scared! Food was then way to peoples hearts right? They seemed nice and this was a once in a lifetime opportunity to make out of the ordinary friends.

They’d definitely been surprised when you showed up with about 3 tons of chocolate chip cookies but they were teenagers; it was eaten within the hour.

In your opinion it helped you break the ice. It was hard enough to find things in common when they’re completely different species! Cookies had become the common ground.

Being different species wasn’t the only thing. They were HUGE! For once you were the shortest out of everyone in the room.

Well, until you met April.

She’d been talked up so much that you couldn’t wait to meet the girl that helped them save New York.

She barely went to your shoulder.

But you two got along. Sure she was an adult and it was a bit awkward that she was smaller than you, but you managed. In fact you even liked having someone smaller than you around when you were with them. It made you feel more... normal.

“I was a bit awkward the first time I came here to.” She admitted as you two sat on the couch. You two were supposed to be trying to figure out calculus but it was fruitless. “They’re just so... huge!”

You nodded as you erased your work. “Yeah, I’m used to being the tall one. But now it’s like I’m gonna get stepped on!”

“Well you’re pretty tall yourself.” She waved it off. “Does that ever give you any trouble?”

You set down you pencil with a sigh. “A bit. It’s... hard to find a guy that will like all 6 feet and 4 inches of me.”

April shook her head. “Psh. Men. What do they know.”

“Absolutely Nothing.” You grinned. “The only thing they know is that they like small girls.”

“Eh, I can think of a few guys that like tall girls.” She hinted slightly, disappointed when you didn’t seem to notice. “You’d just have to... branch out.”

You shrugged and leaned back on the couch. “I’ve tried that.”

“Maybe you just need a different... angle.” She held up her hands to fully frame your face. “Maybe there’s a reaaaaally tall guy out there for you. Someone who won’t care that you’re 6 foot 4 inches.”

You snorted, wrinkling your nose at her. “Yeah, let me know when a seven foot guy shows up in New York. Preferably, he has to be my age, and my type.”

Just then, Raph walked into the room. “Done chattin’ it up or are ya gonna go for another hour?”

You jumped. “What in the hot tater tots, dude!” You put your hand over your beating chest as if that would calm your heart down. “I get that you’re a ninja but come on! You’re gonna give me a heart attack showing up out of nowhere like that!

“Ya gonna box or what?” He rolled his eyes, mentally facepalming himself.

You weren’t like his brothers.

You weren’t even like him.

He had to be more careful. But he wouldn’t make it obvious of course. Stealth was clearly his thing.

You rolled your eyes right back at him, grateful that he was at a point where he felt he could joke with you. “Can you let my soul return to my body first?”

He frowned, unsure of what that meant. “Uhh... you okay?”

You jumped up off the couch, breath finally caught. “Alright I’m good. I’d rather get another lesson in then have to deal with calculus anymore.” You kicked your notebook a bit.

“You could... I don’t know... get Donnie to help ya with it?” He offered half heartedly.

You shook your head. “Nah, I’d rather do boxing with you.” You patted his arm as you passed him on your way to the training area. “Let’s go!”

His face flushed immediately.

Shit.

April raised an eyebrow from the couch. “Damn. You got it bad don’t you?”

Double shit.

He glared at her as the blush on his face grew hotter. “Shut up. Don’t know what the hell youre talkin’ about.”

She pursed her lips and tried not to laugh. “Of course. Just can’t help but notice that you never offered me any boxing lessons. Strange.”

He turned before he could get anymore embarrassed. “I don’t know what you’re on but you’re dead wrong.” And with that, he left.

———

“So these are your katanas?” You asked leo curiously, holding the weapons as gentle as possible. He’d let you look at them while you waited for Raph to show up. Never did you think he’d let you actually touch the blades.

He did, however, stand cautiously next to you. “Yeah, Master splinter gave them to me. Wanna see a few moves?”

You nodded eagerly. “Maybe when I’m actually good at boxing you can teach me some as well.”

You watched as he swing the blades with ease, talking you through each move and it’s purpose.

“Mikey, I’m NOT using my tech to fit every cheese and meat in the world into one pizza!” Donnie stated firmly, walking in with his younger brother right on his tail.

“Why not?” He begged. “It would be genius! We could offer it to the world! Give it our blessing!”

“The world wouldn’t take it from us.” Donnie rolled his eyes.

“Then we give it to Y/n in our honor!” He gestured to you. “She could give our gift to the world.”

“The world don’t want no gift of ours.” Raph commented, finally walking in.

You perked up immediately, altho you were unsure why.

“That’s why we label it as y/n’s” Mikey protested.

“I’m not gonna argue with you about this!” Donnie brushes past him and you.

“Then just say yes!” Mikey exclaimed, accidentally shouldering you.

Now these guys are pretty big. When they shoulder someone, they really move them out of the way.

And unfortunately, out of the way was closer to where Leo was practicing with his katanas.

“Shit!” You hissed quickly when you realized how close you were.

You’d have been chopped up into finely slice pieces if not for the arms that wrapped around you and moved you away quickly. Your feet left the floor before you could even realize what was going on. All you could feel was your back pressed against something solid and hands at your waist.

“Mikey watch where you’re goin’!” Raph shouted, setting you down gently.

“Sorry bro!” He called over his shoulder.

You took a deep breath and squeezed your eyes shut, trying not to stumble when your feet touched the floor. “Wow, that was a little too close for my liking.”

“Ya good there, short stuff?

At this, your eyes flew open. “Short stuff? Excuse me?”

He saw absolutely no problem with the name. “What?”

You placed your hands at your hips. “Never, in all my years, have I been called short stuff.”

He snorted. “Get used to it. Around here, you ARE short stuff.”

You narrowed your eyes at him as he prepared the boxing gloves. How was he so casual about this?? You were never talked to like that! “If I were in the human world, I’d be treated with respect because I tower over all the underlings.” You attempted to joke to cover up your surprise.

He found your reaction... amusing. You reacted better than he thought you would actually. “Well you’re the only underling here, SHORT STUFF.”

You tensed, so very very VERY unused to nicknames. “Come on, you can’t make an exception for human standards of height?”

You didn’t hate it, you just hated that it caught you off guard. Being off guard was the last thing you wanted.

“Nope.” He tossed you a pair of boxing gloves. “Now let’s get to it.”

———-

Why did that name make you feel so... giddy? You couldn’t help but play that scene over and over in your head as you sat at the lunch table with your friends. Was this how all your friends felt when they got called stuff like that? Was this what you’d been missing out on?

And you’d never been picked up before. Not like all the other girls in your grade had.

It was strange... and you liked it.

“Hey, again, I’m sorry about what happened.” Your friend apologized. “I know it’s been a month already but it’s clearly eating you up!” She took your hand understandingly. “I know that whenever this happens you lock yourself away but I’m here for you.”

You snapped back to the land of the living. “Oh! Actually... I’ve been fine!” It was almost like you hadn’t had time to be sad about what happened when that guy stood you up. Like other stuff took his place in your head.

She frowned at you. “Are you sure?”

You nodded, a smile creeping on to your face. “Positive.”

She gasped suddenly. “Oh my goodness. You met someone didn’t you?!” She shook your arm before you could answer. “Don’t deny it! Who are they? What’s their name??”

You shook her off. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” But your blushing face said otherwise.

“I don’t believe you.” She pursed her lips. “Can I just have a name? Does he go to our school?”

You snorted. “Dude, I don’t like him. He’s just a friend I’ve been talking to lately. He’s been giving me boxing lessons-.”

“Oh my goodness you two are basically married now.”

“Wait what?”

“Personal lessons? Girl he’s got it bad!”

Her words stuck with you the whole day. Even when you walked into the lair that afternoon. They spun in circles like a loop, playing over and over.

Psh you didn’t have feelings for Raph!

No way.

And he had a bad for you? No. No, your friend just misread the whole situation.

Just friends, as you’d been for the past month or so.

But the moment you walked in and saw him... you weren’t too sure.

He glanced up at you and then back at his phone. “Hey, you’re here early.”

You shrugged, setting your bag down. “Didn’t feel like heading home right away.”

“Donnies in his lab area if you’re gonna do more a’ that math shit.” He offered, eyes not leaving his phone screen.

“Actually I don’t have any homework today.” You started slowly. “And if you’re not busy...” you waited to see if he would catch on. You continued when he didn’t, “then could we skip ahead to the boxing?”

Now he looked up. “Really?”

“Yeah.”

He attempted to cover his reaction. “I mean, yeah I got time I guess.”

“Alright, then let’s get some water and get started?”

“Sounds good to me.”

Mikey, Leo, and master splinter were all in the kitchen.

“Hey didn’t hear ya come in!” Mikey grinned, patting your shoulder.

You jolted at the strength he put behind it, unready.

“Ay watch it.” Raph ordered, guiding you slightly away from Mikey.

It was just that he didn’t want Mikey to hit you too hard. Because... then you’d give up boxing too soon for the day. And then he’d have nothing else to do.

“It’s fine.” You waved him off, flushing a bit as you uncapped your water bottle. “Can I get through guys?”

Unfortunately Leo and Raph had started an arguement about the way Raph handled Mikeys action and now no one was really letting you get to the sink.

“Fine I’ll do it myself.” You tried to go around Raph, and succeeded. He backed away immediately when he saw that you had moved. But getting around Leo and Mikey? Not so successful.

With Leo’s strictness turned to Mikey, the two began arguing.

You tried to dodge them but Mikey took a step back.

“Oh my goodness your brothers aren’t making this easy.” You complained to Raph.

“Tell me about it.” He rolled his eyes. Suddenly.. he got an idea. “C’mon short stuff.” He grabbed you and set you on his shoulders so you wouldn’t get squished by one of his idiot brothers.

“Holy shit!” You squeaked suddenly. Now it was you that towered above everyone else. “Should I get used to you grabbing me randomly or is this only a temporary thing?” You held onto his shell as he shouldered past his brothers.

“Possibly.” He shrugged, “but it’s funnier if ya don’t.”

You hit his shoulder. “So you’re doing this for FUN??”

“That, and you gettin’ hit by Leo or Mikey would be an inconvenience.”

Wow where was all this joking coming from?

“Then I guess I gotta stop reacting.”

————

From then on it was a contest.

He would move you randomly out of the way and you’d do your best not to react.

You never did get used to it but he didn’t need to know that.

He never gave you any warnings either, which didn’t help.

You’d be standing in the tv area and he’d pick you up and move you out of his way, smirking while he walked by if he got a reaction.

You had fun with it though. It was fun... and you enjoyed having something like that in your friendship.

You flopped down on your couch after your hard day at school. Today you had no boxing lesson planned and only a few chapters to read. You WERE planning on relaxing by yourself but...

Mikey sent you a message.

Shreks_love_child: hey are you planning on coming over?

You frowned at it. Didn’t he know you had the day off?

You: I’m just going to relax at home today

Shreks_love_child: could you do that another day and come over? Raph’s in a mood

You: why would me coming over help anything? And why is he in a mood?

Shreks_love_child: no reason. He just doesn’t yell as much when you’re around

That wasn’t true... was it?

With a bit of thought, you responded back.

You: fine I’ll be there in a bit. But you better give me a better explanation when I get there. AND you owe me

“Mom I’m headed to my friends house!” You shouted, slipping on your shoes and heading out there door before she could make you do something like doing the dishes before you left.

You walked down the street, enjoying the scenery.

Why would Raph be in a mood?

And why would you being there make it better?

Well Mikey better have a good reason.

Just as you were about to come upon the sewer lid that lead you to their home, you recognized a person walking your way...

...the same guy that had stood you up.

His eyes widened when he seemed to recognize you to. “Hey, Y/n!” He shouted.

Nope.

Nope nope nope.

You began walking faster, turning the corner and heading towards the lid quickly. You had to act fast. You absolutely did NOT want to get caught face to face with him.

You lowered yourself and placed to too heavy lid over yourself as fast as possible, moments before he turned the corner.

You let out a sigh of relief.

Dumbass. Why has he wanted to talk? He made it clear how he felt and what he thought.

Whatever. You didn’t need to think about him now.

You could already hear the sound of shouting.

“Mikey I told ya not to touch it! It’s not finished and ya coulda broken it!”

You made your way down the ladder and through the tunnels quickly. From the sounds of it, Mikey was close to being murdered.

“I’m sorry! You left it on the counter dude! I didn’t know what it was!”

You rounded the next corner, coming face to face with two defensive turtle boys. Raph held a small object protectively in his hands and his brother backed away.

“That don’t mean ya gotta mess with it!”

“I already apologized bro!”

“Apologies are shit! Ya got pizza sauce all over it!”

You cleared your throat, letting yourself be known.

Both of them turned to you immediately.

Relief washed over mikeys face. “Hey! It’s y/n! Whatcha doin’ here angel cakes?” He rushed over quickly, practically standing behind you to protect himself from his older brother. “Today was your day off! Huh. Well now you’re here, right?”

You rolled your eyes at him, moving your attention to Raph.

His whole demeanor had changed. He no longer looked ready to kill. Instead he stood up straighter and held whatever the object was behind his back. “Why ya here?” He asked with a frown. “Today was the day off.”

You decided to not give Mikey an even harder time than he was having and not rat him out. “Thought maybe I’d just hang out with you guys if that’s okay?”

He nodded. “Yeah I’m cool with it.” He narrowed his eyes at Mikey as if he suspected what he’d done. Unfortunately he couldn’t hurt him in front of you so he turned his attention away from his younger brother.

“Cool cool.” You nodded as well. “Wanna watch a movie or something?” You leaned closer a bit to see what he had in his hands.

“Yeah, just let me go get my... my phone from my room.” He closed his fist over the object and moved aside.

“Whatcha hiding?” You raised a brow at him. “Candy?”

“Not hiding anything.”

You followed him to his room with a smirk. “If it’s candy you gotta share.”

“Nope. Not candy.” His face darkened as he grew embarrassed about the possibility of being caught before it was ready. “Just go wait on the couch.”

You rolled your eyes and held up your hands in surrender. “Fine. But I hope the shame of candy hoarding follows you forever.” You turned on your heel and walked to the couch.

Just as you sat down, your phone buzzed.

Hey, I just wanted to apologize for what happened. Are we good?

The absolute audacity. That guy ignored you for practically five months! And now he was apologizing? And he wasn’t even giving you a good reason??

You wrinkled your nose at the screen as if it were his face.

It was a stupid idea I just wasn’t ready for anything serious

You shut your phone off and tried to swallow the temptation of throwing it at the wall.

You know it’s rude to ignore people right?

The phone hit the brick wall with a thud.

It had an otter box case it was fine.

You took a deep breath and held your face in your hands, elbows resting on your knees.

“You good, short stuff?”

You groaned into your hands. “Just let me die.”

Raph frowned, unsure of what to say. One moment you were excited and bugging him. Now you looked like someone stole your dog.

“Somethin’ wrong?”

You sat up furiously. “Yeah this dipshit guy keeps texting me!” You paced the room, snatching up your phone as you went. “He stood me up the night I first met you guys and now he wants to talk?? And he’s calling me rude for not responding!” You shook your phone angrily. “Either I’m gonna die or he is!”

“The douchebag?” Raph attempted to clarify. “Ya still got his number?”

“I didn’t have time to delete it.” You admitted. “I got so caught up with you guys! And then he tried to talk to me on the way here!” You sat down beside him with a huff. “Fighting crime is your thing right? You think it’s justified if I run to his house and kill him? Would you stop me?”

“Wouldn’t try very hard.” He huffed. “He’s a dipshit. Don’t see what’s right in front a’ him.”

Crap out of room. To be continued!

@sophiedoodles-blog @fanlovedlt

[ofmargos]

chicago’s very own margo rosas has been spotted on madison avenue , with a striking semblance to camila mendes ! you may know them as @margo or hitting the front page of tmz as margo rosas is making her comeback on broadway ! according to tmz , you just had your twenty-third birthday bash . your chance of surviving new york is uncertain because you’re overdramatic , but being passionate might help you . things that would paint a better picture of you would be the sound of stilettos hitting the pavement , the thunderous sound of applause , and having the poise of a well-mannered lady but the mouth of a sailor . ( cis female + she / her )

omg hey y’all it’s ya girl lia back at it again with the broadway b*tch herself , margo ! fun fact : i’ve been writing for margo off n on for THREE years ?? that’s wild . no matter what i do i cannot get rid of this muse akjsdnk but i love her and i hope y’all do too ! under the cut is far too much info on her ( i’m sorry it’s long !! ) pls go ahead and give this post a like if you give me consent to come bug you in the im’s / discord ! <3

*+:｡.｡ 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐒 ｡.｡:+*

–;; 𝐅𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐍𝐚𝐦𝐞: Margaret Lucia Rosas – ;; 𝐍𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞(𝐬): Margo ( preferred name ), Mars, Mar, Pain in the Ass, Drama Queen – ;; 𝐀𝐠𝐞: Twenty-Three – ;; 𝐃.𝐎.𝐁: 31 October 1997 – ;; 𝐙𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐜: Scorpio sun, scorpio moon,  leo asc ( yikes ) – ;; 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫: Cis Female – ;; 𝐎𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Bisexual Biromantic – ;; 𝐇𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭: 5ft 2 – ;; 𝐁𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞: Chicago, IL – ;; 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: Luxurious apartment in Manhattan – ;; 𝐎𝐜𝐜𝐮𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Singer / Songwriter + Broadway Performer ( Julia Michaels VC ) – ;; 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐬: Passionate, creative, dramatic, distrusting, outgoing, ambitious, fun-loving, loyal, daring, sarcastic, stubborn, overconfident, impulsive, hard-working, petty, secretive, short-tempered, vindictive

*+:｡.｡ 𝐁𝐈𝐎𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐏𝐇𝐘 ｡.｡:+*

*TW: undiagnosed illness, death

grew up as an only child in chicago, illinois. her family was definitely in the middle class but her parents both worked hard to provide their pride and joy with everything she could’ve wanted out of life

and it became apparent early on that what margo wanted was to perform. she was always singing around the house, putting on one-woman shows for her parents, and following along to the choreography of her favorite DCOM on tv. and in order to keep her satisfied, and also out of the house while they were both working, her parents threw her into an abundance of performing arts classes: ballet, tap, and jazz classes + singing lessons + acting workshops-- you name it. it was a very expensive hobby but her parents were willing to put in the extra work hours to fund her passions

she honestly grew up blissfully unaware of the sacrifices her parents were making on her behalf. they just never made her feel like she was inconveniencing them in any way. if she wanted to spend her day turn acting, singing, and dancing then so be it. they supported her emotionally and financially 100%

*ILLNESS TW* but the rose-tinted glasses were ripped from her eyes around the age of fourteen / fifteen. her mom had always had a weak immune system-- the first one to catch a cold or the flu, knocking her on her ass and leaving her bedridden for days at a time. it only got worse as years went on and she avoided doctor appointments out of fear of being charged unnecessary costly fees. she downplayed her compromising situation for as long as she could until she physically couldn’t carry on any more and had to stop going to work

margo and her father urged the stubborn woman to seek medical attention for any sort of relief for months until she finally conceded. soon it became the new norm for her mother to be in and out of hospitals, getting tests done, trying various medications. but nothing helped in the long-term and they were unable to come to a strict diagnosis *ILLNESS TW END*

and she had been right, it was terribly expensive. their funds were short considering the family was down to one income. so margo took on more responsibilities by working part-time jobs as well as going to school. she was sixteen and teaching dance lessons at her childhood studio in exchange for a small amount of pay + free lessons as well as working at a local movie theatre 6 days a week. she cut back on extracurricular lessons to save some money, instead pouring all her creative energy into only school related clubs such as choir, theatre, and so on

honestly, if you knew margo in high school you’d likely not even know about her familial situation. she liked to keep her cards close to her chest and portrayed herself as this larger than life character that no one would believe had experienced any hardships. she distracted from her own worries by playing the role of ‘queen bee’ or more accurately rachael berry from glee ( a cursed character at this point but it’s true unfortunately )

margo had big dreams of making it to broadway one day and had planned to get there by going to college in new york and make a name for herself. but with her mother’s healthy declining the closer margo got to graduation, the more put off she was by the idea of moving away from home. she was willing to put all plans for her future on hold and take care of her mother but her parents wouldn’t let her. being as encouraging as ever, they convinced her that she needed to follow her dreams. she had already given up a majority of her teenage years to help them out when they needed it most. they wouldn’t let her miss out on anything else

so with a heavy heart but on a good scholarship, she left for columbia university without any idea of what to expect. new york was a whole new world for her and she was thrown off by how talented, beautiful, and wealthy her peers were. she had felt like a big fish in a really small pond during her high school days. but for once she was a tiny fish in the big wide ocean

her larger than life persona came back into play-- masking her worries and insecurities with a version of herself that was so confident that she even began to fool herself. she got a bit lost in the fantasy. her true self-slipping away. she almost had this alter ego ??? ( come thru hannah montana moment okay ) wannabe starlet rubbing elbows with the future CEOs and celebrities of the world by day and local pizza parlor waitress by the night, working to make a decent living while also sending money back home when she could

she also had to maintain good grades to keep her scholarship and participate in performances that her department put on in order to rise in the ranks

honestly the only time she got a little peace was when she was hanging out with her few GOOD friends. like the people that actually got to know her past her fake personality. they were also music people so they spent a lot of time together just messing around with instruments and vocals and writing songs in their own little makeshift studio / hangout spot

it started off as just fun and games, but with their help margo created some original songs and released them as an indie artist. she put herself out there on her social media profiles like “hey stream my new single!!!!!!” and people ate it up. after releasing a few tracks and establishing her own following, her music eventually got to the right people and she was given the opportunity to sign to an actual label which was wild ???

and while it was an amazing opportunity, releasing music under the label was also very demanding. when she was releasing music from the comfort of her friend’s studio it was purely a fun creative outlet and done on her own time. it was just... rough. but how could she complain when she was making a name for herself in the music industry + making bank from royalties + getting to meet all these cool famous people and go to parties with them and y’know ... spiral and slack off on other responsibilities

*DEATH TW* it was around her junior year that things started to go from bad to worse. she remembers exactly where she was and what she was doing when she got the call from her dad informing her of her mom’s extended stay in the hospital. things weren’t looking too good. there wasn’t anything they could do for the older lady and honestly she was done fighting. margo flew back home to chicago immediately and stayed at her childhood home for the following weeks until her mother passed. it was absolutely devastating. she stayed in chicago with her dad for months as they worked through their grief together *DEATH TW END*

columbia was pretty understanding of her situation and was willing to be accommodating so she could finish her degree plan, but margo put things off for so long that she eventually just withdrew from the university and was dead set on just living in chicago forever

i’m not gonna lie, margo was down and out for a little while. didn’t talk to anyone really, rarely left the house, stopped making music, and just sorta fell off completely. the only good thing that came out of the year or so that she spent back home was she stepped away from the false reality she created for herself in new york, which helped her realize that she didn’t love the person she was becoming or the things she was doing. she wasn’t even really involved with her one true passion which was theatre / acting

it was with a little boost from her dad ( literally her biggest fan , i love this man okay ) that she started acting like herself again. he told her that her mom wouldn’t want her to give up on everything and neither would he. so with a new found determination ( and a pretty exciting career opportunity ), margo put on her big girl pants and moved her ass back to new york to finally do what she loves to do

and here we are now ! she’s stepping into her break-out role onto broadway as lydia deetz in bettlejuice the musical

she’s only been back in new york for a few months at this point i’d say ??? and i can’t wait to see her come into her own and grow into the margo i know and love ... but also hate because she’s so so dumb :-) <3

*+:｡.｡ 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘  &  𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍𝐒｡.｡:+*

she has no chill, probably will never have any chill, and i am sorry for that ASJNDLK she’s just overdramatic as hell !!! she’s a theatre kid at heart and i would expect absolutely nothing less from her

generally good-natured though and has good intentions. just simply has piss-poor execution sometimes

down to clown and ready to have a good time all the time all in the name of enjoying life to its fullest while we all have a chance

the only thing she takes seriously is her work life. she’s on her grind okay, it took a lot for her to get to where she is today and she’s not going to just let it slip away that easily. she’s doing everything she can to make not only herself proud but her parents :’-)

still releases her own music under the label but her primarily focus is on her budding broadway career and the label is understanding of that ... mostly because she called an executive meeting ( against her manager’s better judgement ) and was super up front and threatened to walk out if they didn’t see reason ... but at least things worked out well !!!

she mostly writes songs for other people at this point in her career. some big names too ( just like ... google julia michael’s career and apply it to margo okay thank u )

honestly her management teams worst nightmare simply because she does not listen and will do whatever she wants and post whatever she wants and will not apologize for being her authentic self in media

like, she’s just starting to figure out who she is again and they want her to stop and act fake because she’s not being very “family-friendly” or because it doesn’t make her “look good to the public” ??? nah f*ck that !

while she is sociable and fun-loving, she’s also hard to seriously get to know sometimes because of all those years of putting up a front. like sometimes she doesn’t even realize that she’s not being 100% genuine ??? so you could be hanging out with her every single day and still not know her completely and she might not open up and that’s okay, she’s working on it

she is a pretty good friend tho ! super loyal, a true ride or die, will want to fight anyone that you have a problem with, showers you in compliments and gifts, truly 10 / 10

but if she doesn’t like you or if you’ve mistreated her in any way at all she will in fact hold it against you for the rest of her life. just petty as a mf and i hate her for it like sis pls leT SH*T GO !!!!

didn’t grow up rich so now that she’s making bank she’s one of those people that just buys dumb things just because she can ??? the size of her closet is absolutely ridiculous, just overflowing with clothes and accessories, and the amount of random packages that get delivered to her apartment that she doesn’t even remember ordering is even more so ... just ... irresponsible spender

stubborn ?? what is compromising ??? doesn’t know her but will try ( begrudgingly ) if she really likes you

hates being bored. can and will go to excessive lengths to avoid boredom

partygirl margo has not stopped, will not stop, and cannot be stopped much to my own disappointment

self-proclaimed dancing queen. really puts all those years of classical dance training to good use by hopping on top of tables / countertops at parties to shake some ass

surprisingly a responsible adult that can cook and clean and get shit done when she really puts her mind to it ??? this developed over the years that her mom was sick and bedridden and she stepped up to take care of household chores while her dad worked doubles

very family-oriented and talks to her dad all the time. like, calls him daily for really dumb reasons. any time she feels down the first person she wants to talk to is him ( well it’s actually her mom, who was her best friend in the whole world, but since she’s not here anymore they make do as just the two of them )

her ego is LARGE. GRANDE. thinks very highly of herself as a result of being praised too much as a child probably. not to mention she is very very good at what she does, has more talent in her little pinky then i do in my whole body. she’s secretly insecure on the inside but she presents as an overconfident bad bitch

a staple to her character that i wish she would shake is her inability to handle her own feelings in a healthy way ... she just sorta ... shuts down ?? runs away ?? acts like nothing is happening ?? it’s bad. would rather leave than get left and bottle up all her feelings and kick them under the bed then ever open up

has a terrible sleeping pattern and cannot stay on a solid sleep schedule to save her life. undiagnosed insomniac. when her mind just won’t calm down she often goes out to keep her occupied and avoid any overthinking that might occur when she’s in her own company

her life motto is #YOLO and does a lot of stupid sh*t because of it

probably uses tiktok too much both as a consumer and a content creator. vlogs her backstage experiences and also just posts dumb, amusing things

this is so long i’m sorry if you read this whole thing i just have a lot of feelings about her after writing her for so many years AKJSDK i’ll shut up now BYE

i have margo’s wc page HERE but just some ideas are best friends, frenemies, confidants, fellow music people, party friends, pr friends or pr rivals, crushes, on and off again, exes, roommate, childhood friends, family friends, good influence, bad influence, honestly truly anything and everything PLS i love to plot and write w/ all of you ! <3

[venomous--fics]

everything i wanted CH1

It’s a Date.

Relationship: Peter Parker x Robot!Stark!Reader

Words: 4.4k

A/n: The pacing seems kinda rushed, but trust me, it’ll work out. This chapter is setting stuff up. Feedback is appreciated! Requests are open! Shoot me a message if you want to be in the taglist for the new chapters!

STORY: 

Being a teenager was hard. It was even harder when you were never allowed outside of the famous Avengers Tower. You’ve been stuck here for 15 years. Every time you asked to go out and do anything relatively normal, your dad always shot you down. He almost seemed paranoid, like the very second you left, a meteor would fall from the sky and crush you.

Implausible, you thought, but not impossible. You haven’t brought it up in a while, because you knew your dad must’ve been getting so tired of hearing it. But you just wanted to go outside…. You can always see kids walking home, or to a deli shop with their friends and backpacks. They always looked so happy and looked like they were telling good stories. 

You wanted that. You wanted friends, but all you had was an old tattered rabbit named Cuppy. You loved him, and he’s been with you since day one, but, sometimes… His silence was harsh. 

You were told to stay out of Tony’s lab, especially today, as he was going to be showing the new recruit the rope, and talk serious business… But you were growing agitated in your room. You pushed yourself off your bed and marched your way to the lab, knowing full well that your dad has strict rules about you being in there, even if there was no important business to attend to. 

Somehow, you had mellowed out halfway there, and froze in front of the door. Should you really be mad at him? He only meant well. You froze when you heard voices coming into the living room area, and you panicked, not wanting to confront anyone anymore. You meant to move yourself to sit on the couch, but amidst your anxious state, you tripped over the coffee table and fell face first into the floor. 

“Are you okay?” a shocked voice asked, rushing over to you.

“I’m okay,” you said sheepishly.

You turned and saw the prettiest boy in the entire world. Of course, he was the only boy you’ve ever seen your age, but boy, he was still so pretty. You didn’t need a mirror to tell you that your eyes were probably wide and shining, mouth hung open in awe.

He was wearing Edith, the glasses you helped your dad design. You could still tell that behind the blue lenses, his eyes were brown, and his hair matched. he looked like a deer in the headlights for another moment while he helped you up, and then a smile spread across his face. You weren’t sure what was going on, but you felt warm inside. Almost like there were butterflies. 

You blinked a few times before looking over his shoulder at your dad, who just had his hand covering his face. Disappointed or in shame, maybe even embarrassment, you weren’t exactly sure.

“I haven’t seen you around..Are you new?”

You stared back at the boy, who was still awkwardly holding your hand, you looked down at your hands before looking back up at him, “N-no, I.. Uhm, I…Live here. I’m.. Uh, Y/n.”

“Oh!” he chirped, “You’re Y/n? I’ve heard so much about you!”

You smiled again, feeling your insides freak out. Golly, he was adorable. People from the outside must be cute, but this boy, holding your hand, looking so gosh darn attractive in those silly glasses… Was the cutest person in the world. Would it be weird to say that? To his face?

“And you are..?”

The boy seemed confused, almost like he didn’t hear what you said, before snapping back to reality, “Oh! I-Yeah, I’m.. Parker- PETER! My name is Peter. Parker. Peter Parker.”

“Nice to meet you, Peter..” You said kindly, almost like you were an old computer having to reboot. Funny.

Peter realized he was still holding your hand when he heard Tony clear his throat. He immediately retracted them and held them at his sides, and you could’ve swore you saw his cheeks turn red.

“Well, Parker, think it’s time for Happy to take you home?”

“Yeah, right. Of course.” Peter stammered, bumping into the same table to you had just tripped over a moment ago.

“I’ll..” you looked at him, “See you again? Peter?”

He just met you, but he liked how you said his name. It was cute.

“Sure! I’ll be back tomorrow.”

“Okay.” you smiled.

You watched Peter leave and you ran to the window up front to watch Happy pull away in the dark car. You were already wondering if Peter was looking at you from the window. What was his favorite snack? Favorite hobby? Does he have friends? 

And much like the romantic movies you had stolen from your mom, you rested your cheek on the palm of your hand. This was the part in the movie where the love interests meet. 

Tony, who knew too much, and knew how this would play out, had to do everything he could to keep you away from that kid. For your sake. What would Peter think if he found out the truth about you? You didn’t even know what you were..

“So, are we reenacting Romeo and Juliet now?” Tony asked, sarcastically. “Original or Leo DiCaprio?” you asked, not tearing your gaze away from the window.

Tony thought for a second. He furrowed his brows in confusion for a moment before he just said, “No.”

“Why?”

“Come on,” Tony hesitated, what do normal parents do in this situation?

“Yes?”

“Well–….Peter is just…Look-” Tony sighed, he’s never done this before… If that wasn’t obvious enough, “Now, listen.”

“Listening.”

“Peter needs to focus on this internship thing.”

“Being Spider-Man isn’t an internship. It’s a full time job.”

“Y/n.”

You turned to look at your dad, “Dad, c'mon, how long did you expect me to play dumb? I know everything around this … house.” You paused, “I guess, technically, to me, it would be a house.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Dad, we live here. I’ve never left here..” You thought about it, “Guess it’s more like a prison.”

Tony crossed his arms, a bit offended. The tower wasn’t a prison. It was a safe haven. He had it built for everyone he cared about to take refuge in. 

You turned your attention back out the window, crossing your arms on the window sill and resting your chin on them. You looked down at the lights and winding streets below with longing. Why couldn’t you be where all the normal people were? Why did you have to be some sort of caged bird?

Tony opened his mouth to say something, sarcastic probably, but you cut him off, “Am I sick?”

“What? Heavens, no.”

“Is there…Something wrong with me?”

“No..”

“Then why can’t I go outside and be normal? Why do I have to stay in? Or on the Towers yard? That’s not very fair…”

Tony knew this was going to happen. Yet, even knowing that, he hadn’t prepared himself to handle it. He was hoping you’d just never actually question why. What the hell was he supposed to say? 

“It’s complicated.”

“You always say that.”

Pepper, to everyone’s surprise, stepped in, “What he means is..”

You glanced at her when she took a seat next to you and fixed your hair, “He’s just afraid of you getting hurt.”

You huffed, “That’s normal, though.”

“Maybe so…But, doesn’t mean we want it to happen.”

You figured the conversation was going to go in circles. It always did. You’d beg to go outside, into town, something. They’d promise you that they’d tak about it, but they never did. Rinse, repeat. Your mom took your silence personally this time.

She never said it, but it always hurt to have to pretend like she didn’t know why you couldn’t be normal. Part of her wanted Tony to just DO something about it. Even if his choice would hurt. In all honesty, you were never meant to stick around this long, but everyone got so attached… Tony was so proud of what he’d done, but now, Pepper seemed to be regretting it. She loved you, and that was the problem. 

It felt wrong, almost. It felt so cruel to string something as innocent as you along with their cruel game of house. She and Tony played the roles of mom and dad, even though, deep down, they knew that it couldn’t stay that way forever. How would they explain what was happening when they were old and dying, and you remained 15? 

How were they supposed to explain that you weren’t even a real kid? They figured you’d realize when you remembered that you’ve never eaten anything before. You’ve never gone swimming, obviously… But you always chalked this things up to different excuses. Some super powered alien. A special human who just never gets hungry.. Always something.

Pepper would lay awake at night, wondering if…You knew what you were, and maybe you were playing your part too. She wondered what it was like for you. Had Tony programmed you to actually love? Or were you just a super computer that just… Knew what to do. How awful this life turned out to be.

A life was created out of nothing, to fill a huge void, when in reality, they should’ve just adopted. But Tony knew that would’ve been wrong as well, seeing as the name ‘Stark’ would’ve pushed them to the very top of the list, moving parents who’ve been on the waiting lists for God knows how long. And Tony thought he’d humor himself.

There was no way he could make an AI THAT advanced. He swore he’d never do that again after the whole Ultron incident. But Tony has never kept his word, so, it was easy to go against it. It started as a joke, but then he stopped sleeping for days at a time. He became obsessed with finishing what he started.

He thought about all the things he’d do with the child he created. He’d take them to the park, to the library, hell, to the moon if they wanted to go. But all that changed when he actually finished the thing. What if someone who wanted to destroy him got a hold of the code? 

It could be the end of the world. Maybe people would think Tony was some sort of freak for playing God and creating life from digital files and spare parts. He wound up deleting the code after everything was complete. No even saving it to a back up drive or anything. You were a one and only type of deal. If anything were to happen to you, it would be permanent.

So he kept you inside. Nobody would hurt you. Nobody would use you. You couldn’t get broken… You’d be okay. You’d be just fine, he thought. Guess he was wrong. That’s a first. 

Both of them were so lost in thought, that they hadn’t notice you leave the room. You had gone to your bedroom, almost like routine. You crawled into bed, thinking about everything. 

You remembered the one time you overheard your Aunt Natasha and Uncle Bruce talk about the fair that was down at the pier. They were talking about it to Steve and Bucky, who had never gone to try any of that type of thing. They had left in the evening to go, and you remember watching from your bedroom window. 

You remember the big wheel with lights. It looked so small from where you were, but you were still hypnotized by it. You could see the rides that spun and carried people up in the air.. You wanted to go. You wanted to know what real fun was like.

You recounted another time of disappointment. You dad had promised to take you to Europe, because him and your mom had business there, so they promised that Happy could take you sight seeing. He even bought you a camera. But they left without you. You remember asking why you couldn’t go… “Change of plans, kiddo.”

And what about the time they had to fight Uncle Loki and the aliens? You helped as much as you could, and you had even showed off the mini iron suit you had built in your free time. What did you dad say? “No, you have to stay put.”

You remember destroying that suit. What was the point in having it if you couldn’t put it to use? Why did they always do this to you? Normally you’d let it go, but, after meeting Peter, you wondered why you couldn’t be like him.

You shut your eyes, forcing yourself to just cut it out. They weren’t bad people. They obviously loved you. They wouldn’t keep you around if they didn’t. You relaxed a little and everything just kinda slipped away as you fell asleep.

—

The weeks were passing rather fast, but that didn’t seem to bother you anymore. You had a friend now. You and Peter had started a new, exciting routine. 

Everyday, even if he didn’t have “intern” work with your dad, he’d find himself in your room. Activities changed from day to day. Some days you’d talk about what Peter did at school, or you’d help him with his homework.

Much like the cliche’d movies you loved so much, you found yourself wanting to be with Peter as much as possible. He never ceased to make you smile.. He always laughed at your jokes, and you laughed at his. It felt right.

“Oh!” Peter exclaimed, pulling his beat up phone out of his pocket, “Ned and I finished our lego Death Star set yesterday.”

“Ned?” you tilted your head like a confused puppy, “Lego?”

“You don’t know what Legos are?”

“The..” you paused for a moment, “Building blocks?”

“Yeah!” he smiled so sweetly, “Don’t tell me…you’ve never been allowed to have a lego set.”

You looked around your room, “I’ve never had one, no. Pretty sure my dad would think it’s a waste of time.”

“I’ll bring you one tomorrow. We can build it together!”

Together? A real project..?

“That would be really,” what did the cool kids say, “Groovy.”

Peter let out a little laugh again, “Groovy!”

You peeked over at his phone, “So, who is Ned?”

“Oh! He’s my friend! I’ve known him – Since forever, really.“ 

“That’s a long time.”

“You’ll have to meet him sometime.”

“I’d like that. Could always use more friends– N-not that… You’re not enough. You’re plenty- I mean, you’re…” you rubbed your arm nervously, “I mean you’re pretty cool.”

Peter put his phone away and lightly elbowed you, “Thought you’d say I was groovy.”

“I sense that you’re making fun of me. Does..Is groovy even a thing anymore?”

“It is now.”

You weren’t sure what to bring up now, so you shuffled through your mental index cards, but you came up with nothing. You two sat in a surprisingly comfortable silence while Peter shuffled through his text books and skimmed his notes. 

“Sorry that I don’t have much to talk about,” you said in unison.

You both looked a bit surprised and flustered at each other, your cheeks turning red as you both giggled. 

“It’s fine,” again, you both said, “Sorry.”

You both laughed. How silly this must seem to both of you.

“That doesn’t normally happen,” Peter smiled at you, “It’s alright. I don’t mind if it’s quiet.”

You moved closer to him and looked at his notes. his handwriting looked just as cute as he did. That didn’t surprise you at all. Peter got his phone out again and put on some music.

You’d never heard most of the songs he listens to. There was the occasional Led Zepplin, Queen or even AC/DC in the mix, but some of the songs were newer. Outside what your dad blares over every speakers in the tower, so his “creative flow” doesn’t get interrupted if he leaves his lab, you didn’t really bother with music. Of course, there were the rare times where you’d sit with your mom in the living room area and you enjoyed her music while she read. She was much more of a classical music type of woman. She enjoyed Tony’s music, but would often complain that it’s too loud, or it’s just noise. She did it just to rile him up a bit, mostly.

“Don’t mind most of these. Ned likes to add to the list.”

You’re learning a lot about Ned through the songs he’s obviously picked. You slumped against the side of your bed and looked at the ceiling. Peter noticed and immediately went rummaging through his backpack.

You were a bit startled when a light, papery item was dropped into your lap. You looked down at it. 

“What is.. it?” you asked, innocently.

“A comic book.” he replied, “C'mon… Really? You haven’t read a comic book?” You looked at Peter, and then down at the thin book, picking it up and opening it. Covered was much too dark for your tastes. Batman? Seemed a bit too…gruesome, didn’t it? Half man? Half Bat???

“I’ve heard of them, but, never got to look at one.” You said, flipping it open and reading over the first page.

“Well,” Peter started, setting his book aside and taking one side of the book, “This is about a guy named Bruce Wayne, but he’s actually Batman.”

“Gross.“ 

Peter adjusted your hand, and you weren’t sure if it was intentional, but your fingers were touching, and you were no longer staring at the book, or even hearing what Peter was saying. You were looking at him.

”-And that’s why he became Batman- But, I mean, if you want to read about it, I have the rest at home. My Uncle Ben collected them, so I have boxes full.“

“I think I’d like it.”

Peter had never looked so thrilled in his life. You wondered if that meant something, he was Spider-man after all. You still had so much to learn, but, a chime from his phone let him know that it was time for him to leave for the day. It got harder and harder watching him go, knowing that you had to stay behind. You felt like a lost puppy in that aspect. Everything became so mundane without him around, and that’s saying something.

You days were now spent waiting at the window for Peter. You learned the schedule. Based on what the internet told you, most schools got out at 3:15ish. And depending on how Peter gets here, it takes anywhere from 15-30 minutes. So if he arrived later than 4:00, you worried a little

But, much like clockwork, you saw the boy arrive right on time. And just as promised, Peter brought a lego set and more comic books the next day. It almost felt like Christmas. He welcomed himself in and the two or you went to your room, again, much like routine. 

You eagerly took the lego box from him while he set the stack of comic books on your computer desk. He watched you examine the box, and he had to be honest, it must’ve been a little weird, but.. He liked you. You were pretty cool. Most girls think the stuff he likes is weird or stupid or childish.

“A rocket ship?” you turned the box over and sat on the floor, “How exciting!“ 

Peter joined you a moment later, helping you carefully open all the little packages. “Yeah, Ned and I never got around to this one. I was planning on getting rid of it, but, I figured you’d enjoy it.”

You looked at all the little pieces that were scattered on your floor. You felt so.. Happy. You were so excited to finally do something normal.

Peter picked up the instruction booklet and opened it, “Now, this is going to take awhile, but let’s start at step one.”

“What is step one?”

“Find this piece.” Peter showed you the picture, “And it looks like we’ve made a mess.”

You looked at the picture again, and then at all the pieces, and almost as if it was an automatic response, you over excitedly snatched the correct piece off the floor, “Found it!”

Peter, who looked a tad bit afraid at your enthusiasm, chuckled weakly, “Good job! Now the next piece.”

“And we just keep doing this?”

“Yep. We find the pieces, then we snap them together until the rocket is done.”

“This is the greatest thing I have ever done.” you whispered in amazement as you looked for the next piece.

Peter snorted and helped you put the pieces together. The cycle repeated until half the rocket was done and Peter decided it was time for a break. He shimmied over to your desk and took a comic book off of it. 

You crawled over and joined him, “Is it the Batman again?”

“Of course.”

“Why is he called that, he’s not even a bat…Seems, incorrect to me.”

“Because he hates bats.”

“Why would he name himself after something he hates?”

“Well, technically, he’s afraid of them. So, he wants people to fear him.”

“Oh,” you said, “I get it.”

You didn’t get it.

Peter handed you the book, and you decided to actually read everything and not just skim it. You had to admit, whoever drew it did a pretty good job. You could already tell there was going to be a lot of drama.

“And if you can’t stand the books– There’s some movies too.”

You didn’t lift your eyes from the papers, “You think we could watch them together?”

You then remembered the bits in the movies where that would be an invitation to a date.

“I mean like.. You could.. Tell me stuff about.. Things.”

“Sure!” Peter replied, “I’d love to-” he started laughing, “Tell you stuff about things.”

“You’re making fun of me again.”

“That’s what friends do, Y/n.” he couldn’t stop chuckling.

“Friends?”

You had figured you two were friends, but you couldn’t have been sure. There were always people in the movies would who pretend to be nice.

“Yeah, we’re friends. Aren’t we?”

“Yeah..”

“Kinda surprised you’d want to be friends with someone like me,” you two had, once again, said in unison.

“We got to stop doing that.” Peter said.

“Why are you surprised?”

“Well, I mean, you’re you and I’m.. Me.”

“You’re so cool, though.” you said softly, lowering the book, “Like, you know all this cool stuff! And, hey, you like hanging out with boring ol’ me.”

“I don’t think you’re boring.”

“No?”

“Nah.” he replied, looking over at you, “If you were boring I’d be taking a nap.”

“Hey,” you chimed, looking away from the comic book and over at him, “Do…You think.. We could …”

How would you ask the rest? Could we hang out somewhere else? Not like the living room, but.. Outside? Your place? Is that creepy??

You awkwardly looked down at the comic book, “Ah, it’s dumb.”

“I won’t think it’s dumb. I swear.”

“I was going to ask if maybe.. You’d want to hang out somewhere else. Like.. The park? I…I’ve never been to a park before.”

“You’ve never been to a park?” Peter didn’t seem to think you were serious, until he realized that every time he has seen you, it’s always been here. It wouldn’t seem so weird to anyone who knew you, this was your home after all. But he also realized that you’d never once asked to go somewhere else.

“Oh,” he said after a minute or two, “Yeah! We can totally go to a park!”

“What’s a park like, anyways?” You look at Peter, “All the movies I’ve seen make them seem like… Fun places.”

“Guess you’ll find out tomorrow, huh?”

“Tomorrow?”

“Yeah! After school, of course!“ 

Oh boy, you didn’t have a lot of time to ask your parents. You knew your mom would definitely let you, but your dad? Whole ‘nother story. You could also just messed with the security system a bit and sneak out.. Because you’ve never told anyone, but you rewired a few security features back to your room. You had found a "super secret’ panel behind your bookshelf, so using your Stark brain, you may have broken a few of your dads rules.

It’s nothing major, just…Y'know, you have the ability to disable the cameras, Friday, JARVIS, and the alarms in just your room. Needless to say but you had thought about running away just to be able to get out, so, maybe you can just skip asking your dad and be spontaneous for once.

"What park would we go to?”

“Uuuuh…” Peter looked around for a piece of paper and a pen and he gathered some, scribbling down a name, “It’s near where I live- Few blocks, actually.”

He handed you the paper, and your fingers had touched again, so you were convinced that he was doing it on purpose. You felt that fuzzy feeling again.. Maybe you were getting sick. Was that bad? That’s never happened before. Peter looked at his phone, “I should probably get going! But, hey- Uh, if you want..”

You over to him again, “Yeah?”

“Maybe, again, if you want, I could take you for a swing around New York too.”

“Sight seeing with Spider-Man?”

“Sure! If you wanna call it that…” Peter began to ramble, “I mean, it’s more like your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man doing a favor for a–”

“Like a date?” you cut in, tone laced with curiosity and innocence. You felt oddly brave for some reason.

you watched as Peter clamped his mouth shut and his face turned bright red as he tried to find the right words to use. He just looked over at you and nodded shyly. 

“Like a date,” he said quietly after a moment of thinking.

You both chuckled about it, Peter’s more out of nervousness than anything else. You stood up with Peter and walked him to the door, seemingly talking about nothing and everything all at the same time. 

“So… It’s a date?” he asked, sounding like he needed confirmation that he wasn’t dreaming.

“It’s a date.” you replied sweetly, leaning on the door as he walked outside. He waved to you with a huge grin, and you waved back, like a love sick puppy. As soon as you shut the door, it dawned on you that you just did that. You asked Peter B. Parker on a date. After talking about being friends, you jumped the gun and asked him out…Technically, you literally asked him out- But.. Oh boy, you’ve really out done yourself this time.

You turned around to go back to your room, and you jumped when you saw your dad standing a few feet away, arms crossed. He didn’t look happy. 

“A date… Huh?”

TAGLIST:

@itsbebeyyy

[kiwisfics]

P. T. Barnum (TGS) x Reader - Feline Fatale

A/N - Don’t mind my inability to title things well. Also, yeah this exists because I’m garbage for Hugh Jackman, can you blame me? The man is fine. Reader is written as tomboyish/dresses in men’s clothes, sorry if that doesn’t apply to you!

X

You scaled the walls with ease, hopping between the two smooth, thin metal slabs until reaching the top. You gave yourself no time to adjust, launching yourself off into a freefall as what small security you had dropped from below you as those holding them steady releshed them.

For a instant, the cheering crowd grew even quieter than your ear plugs had kept them before, time slowing to a crawl as you fell, two feet, four feet…

And then Anne’s hands wrapped around your ankles, again, only a moment of security before you were free again. Before you could fall, you had hold of a rope and you drifted slowly down, smiling wide as you neared the floor and large feline bodies surrounded you.

×

Your hands smoothed down a cowlick in Rags’ mane through the bars of his large enclosure you’d insisted the circus invest in for each the lions. Your pointed nails easily ran through all of the knots in his mane, and he clearly enjoyed the loving attention. Rags, Prince, Taylor, Leo, and Scarlet - the show’s ferocious beasts - were given an opportunity just like the rest of the show’s preformers. Saved from the mistreatment of a traveling showman and their much too small cages when they were weeks old, you had been elected their primary caregiver as soon as your bond with them became clear.

You always had bonded better with animals than humans. Animals seemed to sense the empathy and understanding seeded deep in your person, while humans tended to use it to their advantage if they noticed at all.

If it wasn’t for you breaking the nose of the man who held the lions captive, he never would have sold the sickly creatures to Barnum. You knew you couldn’t leave the cubs with a man who had no concern for their wellbeing and, as such, that was how you’d become a member of the circus. At that point, you had no way of knowing if Barnum had better intentions than the man he’d gotten them from, you knew better now.

“How’re my favorite kittens doing?”

A wide grin spread on your face as a hand rested on your shoulder, “Why, Mr. Barnum, that nickname might lead people to believe something scandalous is going on, don’t you think?”

His grin faded, if only slightly, “I’m curious about this dinner your family is hosting. You’re sure everyone’s invited?”

You could understand the hesitation, but, even if your family hadn’t insisted they were all welcome, you would have. After all, they were as much your family as those of your blood and, to your parents delight, they were the first people you’d bonded with in years.

“Of course, Phineas, I wouldn’t have it any other way. My family is ecstatic to meet everyone, it is a shame I won’t be able to bring my cats though!” Rags cocked his head as you scratched behind his ear, offering a quiet grumble that shifted to a growl as scarlet approached from her enclosure. “Oh, don’t be selfish, big guy, you get plenty of attention.”

“I’ll leave you to them. I look forward to meeting those who raised such a lovely woman.” Your cheeks burned red in response to the comment as he made his way toward Lettie.

“You two are disgusting.”

With a roll of your eyes and a laugh, you turned to face some of your fellow performers, “Anne, Charles,” you grinned at the sight of Phillip with his arm wrapped around Anne’s waist, “Phillip, don’t you have anything better to do than meddle with my interactions?”

“Don’t you have anything better to do than dance around Barnum?”

You hesitated, but couldn’t offer much in the way of an argument, “Fair enough, Charles.”

“You’re not getting anywhere by keeping quiet.”

“Well,” you sighed, “men that look like him don’t go after girls like me.” You gestured to your clothes, men’s as was always the case out of the spotlight. Not that your clothing within was much compared to the others; skin-colored and skintight, the very minimum to play up the wild-girl aesthetic you were known for. “He goes after women like-like that Charity girl.”

“Charity is his friend,” the words gained Phillip a skeptical glance, “he hardly ever shuts up about you!”

You sighed, giving another roll of your eyes, well aware that they wouldn’t stop until you gave them an answer they liked, “Fine, fine, I’ll speak with him after dinner tonight. My parents are looking forward to meeting him, so I’ll wait to chase him off until after they get their wish.”

×

The suit you wore accented your curves, after all, it had been tailored specifically for you. While all members of the show knew of your unconventional style of dress, they couldn’t help but be surprised by the higher class than usual style when you opened the door to invite them in.

“Mother, father,” you introduced them to each of your friends as they entered, Phineas and Phillip being the last, “and of course the ringmasters, Phineas Taylor Barnum and Phillip Carlyle.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, [Name] speaks highly of all of you, you in particular Mr. Barnum.”

“Mother, please,” you gave her a light nudge, cheeks blossoming into a dark pink following the words. You’d asked that they keep your attraction quiet, but clearly she couldn’t resist. The grin she gave you was nothing short of devious.

“Please, call me Phineas. I’m glad to hear I’m on her good side, she does watch over the most dangerous animals we have in the show.”

“Clearly, you’ve never seen my daughter angry, Phineas, the lions should be the least of your concerns.”

×

Dinner was enjoyable, spent with all members of the circus playfully teasing each other and your parents watching your interactions fondly. You ended up between Lettie and Phineas, resulting in light nudges whenever they’d try to talk around you.

You couldn’t help letting your own fondness for the people around you shine through. You never would have thought you’d find yourself surrounded by so many people you were privileged to know as friends, but far be it from you to complain.

This was where you felt most at home.

×

As the hours wore on, you found your way to one of the balconies in your parents home, the time among loud chatting leaving you drained, and balanced haphazardly on the railing as you thought over how to approach Phineas.

You knew they’d never let it go if you claimed it slipped your mind.

“I thought I’d find you out here.”

Despite yourself, a smile immediately grew on your lips at the sound of his voice. And it grew even wider when he placed his coat over your shoulders.

“Thank you, though I believe the red suits you more than it does me.”

He situated himself aside you, “So, would you do me the honor of a night at the theatre?” While his first words came smooth, they were followed by a stuttering mess of syllables, “Whenever you’re free, only if you want of course, I just thought-”

“I’d love to, Phin,” you glanced down, “I just don’t want to embarrass you with, well- I’m not much of a match for you. Even though the people give you a hard time, I’m sure there’s someone much better for you than me. My entire act is being wild.”

“I assure you, there’s nothing I want more in the world than for you to accompany me. If not the theatre than anywhere. I’ve put off asking from the moment you laid out that man and refused to let me take those cubs without proof they’d be cared for. Believe me, your being wild is part of the attraction.” If Barnum didn’t have the very definition of puppy eyes, than you had no other words to describe the expression he gave you.

You couldn’t resist. You leaned forward, placing a chaste kiss against his lips.

He almost slipped off the railing, and almost certainly would have if you hadn’t pushed him back.

“Why not after our first show this Tuesday?” You grinned, “and only if you don’t sit on balcony railings anymore.”

“Sounds perfect.”

×

“[Name] have you seen my- oh.” He cut himself off as he saw his coat, the item he was searching for, hanging on your frame, reaching below your knees.

“What can I say? Red might not be my color, but your coat is comfortable, and it smells like you!”

“It’s almost showtime.”

You hummed, “You can have it back on one condition, I get a kiss.”

“Well, I can’t have my favorite kitten upset, can I?”

“I am the most dangerous animal in the show.”

One of the lions growled, as if arguing that statement, but proceeded to butt his head against your leg.

“Yes, yes, you’ll get a kiss too, Prince,” you rolled your eyes, leaning towards Phineas and whispering, “don’t tell them, but you’re my favorite male.”

“Your secret’s safe with me.”

[romanticatheart-posts]

King Sized Revelations - 2

In this chapter, we will meet Liam’s mother by way of a letter she wrote many years ago. You are interrupted by a phone call from Liam and have a little family time with Regina and Constantine. 

NSFW! Pixelberry owns all characters but I do love writing about them! Enjoy!

You are in your office holding the letter Constantine gave you just minutes ago. It is a letter from Liam’s mother, written to the woman he chose to be his bride.

You slowly unfold it as your heart begins to thump wildly in your chest. Taking a deep breath… you begin to read…

My dearest daughter,

Let me start by saying it is not my wish to introduce myself to you in this manner and yet somehow, there is a feeling within me that I won’t be there the day my sweet Liam marries the love of his life. As dismal as this all may seem to you, I still want to be a part of your life. Even if only in memory. I’m sure you’ve been told many things about me by now, but I want you to know me as a woman and not just as a queen, wife, and mother. I suspect you and I share many similarities in our thoughts and overall character. I’ve tried to imagine the kind of person my son would fall in love with and ultimately marry and I must believe that even though he is bound by the expectations of being royalty, Liam will never let the court decide that direction of his life. Only his beautiful heart will control that outcome.

Since you are the woman he has chosen to spend the rest of his life with, I wish to give you my most heartfelt blessing. And if I know my darling son, he was most likely in love with you long before he would even admit it to himself. I have often observed how he will sit for hours carefully planning an activity. It amazes me how he considers every possibility before making any type of decision. When he realized his feelings for you, he quite possibly considered more of the impact his life would impose upon you than the attachment he felt. I am certain he left no stone unturned and when he finally confessed his love for you, there were no questions left to answer. His decision was unequivocal.

Liam has a kind and generous heart and he genuinely loves those closest to him, but I believe that falling in love means more than a casual emotion, and his vision of love is deep and abiding. Several months ago, he and his circle of friends were play acting, as most children do at this age. But, when it came time for him to choose a ‘wife’, he would not participate. He just walked away and as he approached me, I could see that he was troubled. When I asked him why he didn’t want to play with the others, he simply said, “Mother, they want me to choose a wife.” I explained that all children play this game in one form or another, but he was not going to be one of them. He said, “Being in love should not be a game and I won’t pretend to be married to someone I do not love.” I couldn’t argue with that. Even at this youthful age, he knows love and marriage are to be revered…

You sit back for a moment… thinking how Constantine had expected him to do that very thing. You ache inside at how close it was to becoming a reality and how miserable his life would have been. Thank God fate had stepped in and saved you both from a dismal existence. Turning back to the letter, you continue reading…

I was very proud of him at that moment and I couldn’t help but smile. He dashed up to his room and I followed. Right before entering I overheard him talking to his favorite stuffed animal, so I stopped to listen. “When I’m ready to choose a wife, she won’t be like any of these girls at court. She will be smart, beautiful and kind and she won’t care that I’m a prince. She’ll love me for who I am and not because of a dumb title.” Those words penetrated to the very depths of my soul from the moment I heard them spurt from his mouth. Instead of going in, I slowly backed away to give him this moment of privacy. He has such a beautiful heart and I’m sure that is just one of the many reasons you fell in love with him, to begin with.

Liam does have a beautiful heart and she is right, it is only one of the many reasons you fell in love with him. You marvel at how perceptive she was and is about him.

I must assume that you are not a noblewoman by birth, as I know my son and he has never taken an interest in the lifestyle to which he was born. He wants so desperately to just be a 'normal’ person and I can’t imagine that will ever change. Also, I have read that most men will marry a woman with qualities like their mother and women will marry similarly to their fathers. If this is true, then I will believe you are a commoner like myself and possibly quite tenacious and down-to-earth. Which brings me to the next point of this letter… I was determined to create a life of my own and the only way to do that was to move away from my home and family. They were not direct descendants of nobility, so I had no aspirations of ever becoming Queen of Cordonia. Upon arriving at the capital, I immediately secured employment as an assistant to one of the local florist’s. I became quite skilled at arranging and assembling the flowers, much to my own surprise.

There was to be a ball at the palace within the week and the royal florist had closed its doors for mourning, due to a death in the family. With over one hundred matching centerpieces needing to be created, our little shop was hired to complete this seemingly impossible task. We worked night and day for three days straight, only sleeping in shifts on a cot in the back room. As embarrassing as it might sound, I’m not sure I ever went that long without a full bath, or proper nutrition, but when we finished on time, the accomplishment far outweighed any inconvenience.

Two days after the ball, and our recovery from sleep deprivation and mal-nourishment, we were visited by the King of Cordonia. He wanted to thank us for accepting the job on such short notice and to offer an official request to become the new royal florist! Of course, the owner accepted, and I could see that Constantine wasn’t as interested in that as he was with me. I already knew that his first marriage had ended in an annulment after she abandoned him and their young son. My heart went out to him and how hard it must have been trying to raise his child alone… It wasn’t long after, that he began to frequent the shop, usually, around the time we would close for lunch. For weeks, we spent that time getting to know each other and one day, in front of the store owner and his own guards, he asked if I would be interested in spending some time with him away from the shop and I eagerly accepted. By then, I had fallen in love with him and I was convinced that he felt the same.

After ten months of proper courtship, we announced our engagement… much to the dismay of the nobles at court… They only saw me as a simple commoner who would most likely be the reason for the fall of the monarchy… To my surprise, Constantine didn’t let that deter him from making me his queen. It was hard, but in those few short months before the wedding, I had gained the support of most everyone in the court, not to mention the people. Now, I can’t take all the credit but what mattered the most to me was that I would be with the man I loved… nobles and their arrogance be damned! I know Constantine can be quite commanding in his duties as the king but in private… he is the most loving and romantic man any woman could hope for. It’s why I fell in love with him, to begin with.

After we were married, one of my primary duties as queen was looking after Leo. He is quite boisterous but is always polite and kind to me. I never tried to take his own mother’s place, but I never objected to him calling me mother either. It was very rewarding caring for Leo, but what I wanted more than anything was a child of my own. I’ll never forget the day I learned that my dream would soon become a reality. After the arrival of this precious gift, my life was complete. Having the title of the queen has its advantages, but there is nothing more rewarding than being a mother. Once you’ve experienced it for yourself, you will know exactly what I mean… Motherhood is bliss!

Just then, your phone rings. As you pick it up, you see it’s Liam and smile.

“Hello, sweetheart!” “It’s so good to hear your voice, my love.” “I miss you already.” “I missed you the moment I left this morning.” “Aww, Liam…you are so sweet.” “Only to you. So how has your day been My Queen?” “Okay I guess, but I did have an interesting conversation with your father this morning.” “Oh? What about?” “He mentioned your coronation and…” “Why would he bring that up again?” “I think he wanted some closure and maybe he just really feels bad about what he did.” “Only because you unveiled his scheme. He wouldn’t have given it a second thought otherwise.” “I don’t know Liam… I’m not so sure he didn’t want it to be revealed. He said he’d lost sight of the things that were important, and that he’d let power control his better judgment.” “That’s an understatement.” “He was very sincere Liam and asked for our forgiveness.” “Oh. And how did you respond?” “Well, speaking for myself I told him I already had.” “Things between us have been less tense but I’m not so sure I’m ready to just forget that it ever happened.” “I don’t think he expects you to forget it, but I think he would like the opportunity to apologize. If you could have seen him this morning… he was in tears remembering how devastated you were when you saw those pictures of me and Tariq. I think he truly regrets the whole thing.” “Catherine, I never doubted your integrity, not even for a moment, but it was hard for me to see you in the arms of another man…” “I can only imagine what was going through your mind at the time.” “I’ve thought the same about you… At that moment though, I was so conflicted… my happiness or your safety. In retrospect, there are many things I would have done differently… I have my own share of regrets from that horrible night Catherine.” “I know… and I understand all of it but what truly matters is that we’re together…. I wish I were in your arms right now Liam.” “So do I.”

There is a slight pause in conversation as you begin to imagine him holding you close, his breath gently caressing your skin… you sigh.

“Catherine, is something wrong?” “No, no. I was just… thinking about you actually…” “Oh? And what were you thinking exactly?” “I was thinking… how much I want you right now…” “Catherine…" 

Another pause… and when he speaks you can almost hear the smile in his voice.

"Tell the staff to add an extra place setting. I will be arriving in a couple of hours.” “But, what about the summit? Shouldn’t you stay and finish?” “I can leave early in the morning and make it back in time before the next one starts. They won’t even miss me.” “You’re serious, aren’t you?” “Of course I’m serious. You can’t expect me to neglect my queen in her time of need. And besides, I have a few of my own…” “Mmmm… what should I be expecting?” “Whatever Her Majesty desires…” “And what does His Majesty desire?” “Before or after we undress?” “After… of course.” “Hmm… let’s just say I won’t stop until you’re completely and utterly satisfied…”

His breath becomes shallow.

“… whatever it takes…” “Mmmm… I can’t wait for you to get here…” “I promise to make it worth the wait. I’ll see you soon my love.”

You hang up, your face flushed, and a smile slowly reaches your lips. Liam will be home in a few hours, and you have a few things to prepare. You take the letter and place it in the desk drawer and head down to the kitchen to inform staff that their king will be home for dinner tonight. Then you find Constantine and Regina in the sitting room.

“Liam has decided to join us for dinner tonight.” “Has the summit concluded already?” “My, that was prompt.” “No, not yet. He wanted to have dinner with us tonight and plans to leave first thing in the morning.” “I hope this won’t become his usual practice for heaven’s sake. The cost of jet fuel is astronomical.” “Now Constantine, surely you wouldn’t begrudge these two over a little jet fuel. After all, they are still newlyweds.”

You blush as Regina smiles and Constantine suddenly grasps her meaning.

“Oh! Well… I wouldn’t want a couple of thousand gallons of fuel coming between young love. I look forward to seeing him. Are we still on for six?” “Yes. And I need to finish a few things before he gets here, so I’ll see you two then.” “Certainly dear.”

You make your way upstairs to your bedroom suite and immediately start rummaging through your wardrobe. Finally, you find the perfect dress. It’s a low cut, wrap around that emphasizes your curves and allows easy access…

“Perfect!”

You hurry to the bathroom and turn on the water for a quick bath. Afterward, you get dressed and head to your office with the intent to busy yourself until Liam arrives. Upon entering, the familiar pile of documents still sits on the table, awaiting your attention and signature. Before beginning, you search the playlist of tunes on your phone and after placing the earbuds in each ear, you start. With the diversion of singing aloud and swaying to the music, time goes by quickly… and before you know it, you’ve reached the end of the stack. Just then your favorite song starts playing so you stand and reach for the stapler on your desk. Holding it as if it were a microphone, you close your eyes and start singing along while the beat of the music finds you dancing in perfect rhythm… as you are about to hit the high notes you to look up to see Liam standing in the doorway observing you with a smile. Startled, you immediately drop the stapler onto the desk and your earbuds right next to it… then you smile at him.

“Liam…” “Don’t stop on my account.”

He steps in and closes the door as you run toward him jumping into his arms. He immediately catches you and your lips meet in a sweltering kiss, sending currents of heat throughout your body.

“How long were you standing there?” “Long enough… I was quite enjoying your performance.”

You kiss him fervently as he carries you to the edge of the desk, quickly clearing a spot… his lips never part from yours. You reach to pull off his jacket and begin unbuttoning his shirt as he continues to bathe you in heated kisses.

“What about dinner?” “I have more important things to tend to at the moment…”

You remove his shirt, caressing his chest and arms and then down to his belt. He steps back for a moment and hurriedly pulls it off. You continue to remove his pants and underwear as they fall around his ankles and he steps out of them, kicking them to the side. He quickly loosens the first tie of your dress… sliding it over your shoulders and off…

“Mmmm…”

His hand grasping the curve, he kisses from your neck to your breast… drawing sensual circles with his tongue and nibbling at the tip. With your head tilted back, and your eyes closed, you relish every moment of his touch on your skin.

“Oh, Liam…”

His kisses trail up to your neck and then find your lips again. You reach down slowly, taking him in your hand, stroking his erection with fervor as his breathing becomes rapid and in a raspy voice he speaks your name…

“Oh, Catherine…”

As he removes the dress from the rest of your body, he lets out a deep groan when he discovers you are completely bare. His hand delves down, gently caressing your sweet spot and with tender strokes, he penetrates you with his fingers. You respond with a lively moan, moving against him until you are drenched and on the verge of spasm. With one hand gripping your thigh to pull you closer, he grasps your hair with the other and brings your face to his, thirst in his eyes. With your legs wrapped around him, you can feel the heat of his erection leaning near your wet folds, almost begging to penetrate… He kisses you, nipping at your lower lip then kisses a line to your ear and whispers softly…

“I love you…” “Prove it…”

Without hesitation, he plunges into you with such force that you yelp in surprise, grasping his muscled forearms… but soon pleasure overtakes you, and you release a soft moan as his hips rock steadily against yours… your body responding with equal rhythm.

“Oh, how I need you… Catherine… always…” "I love you, Liam, …so much…” “I love you…”

His kisses are deep and hot as he begins to drive harder, faster… his hands clutching your thighs until he feels you quiver in ecstasy and with one last powerful push, he releases inside you as a wave of warmth flows through your body.

“Liam…Ohhh, Liam…” “Catherine…you are so beautiful…”

You collapse into each other’s arms until the trembling subsides…When you both catch your breath, Liam lifts you off the desk and smiles. “Have you noticed how each time we’re together, it’s always better than the last?” You start gathering your clothes. “I have. What do you think it means?” “I’m not sure…it could be that our love is so strong that it allows us to connect on a much deeper level… as if you know what I need before I do and vice versa.” “Liam, I knew we were soulmates, from day one.” He kisses you and then smiles as you both get dressed and head to your bedroom.

After cleaning up you each put on fresh clothes, then make your way to the dining room where Constantine and Regina are waiting.

“Liam, good to see you son.” “Father, Regina, it’s good to be home tonight.” “We were just about to begin without you two. I wasn’t sure if you had decided not to join us after all.”

She smiles almost as if she knows what just happened in your office. Liam holds out your chair and once seated, he takes the one next to you. Servers bring out the spread and each of you begin helping yourself.

“We are only a few minutes late, but we appreciate your patience.” “Were you able to discuss the platform yet?” “Not yet. I will be presented immediately following lunch tomorrow.” “Oh, that might work to our advantage. Everyone will be more relaxed after a good meal. Keep me informed along the way. I’m anxious to see how Cordonia is received.” “Certainly father.” “I’m actually glad you came back tonight. I have a bit of news I would like to share.” “I’m listening.” “I saw my doctor this morning…” “And?” “And, you know I was placed on a new treatment plan recently and… well, the report came in today.” “What were the results?” “It seems there is a bit of improvement.” “How much of an improvement?” “Enough that my cancer has slowed in progression and with continued treatment, it’s quite possible to achieve remission.” “That is wonderful news father! And I just noticed that you’re not in your wheelchair. This is new.” “I would prefer if you didn’t refer to it as my wheelchair… that thing is such a nuisance. I decided to put it away and try walking more… to build up my strength. ” “So how’s that going?” “Very well actually. And as for my other issues, the lightheadedness is all but gone and the nausea is being well controlled with medicine.” “I am relieved to hear that father. It’s good to know that there is finally some hope.” “Enough about that. I have other news as well. Catherine mentioned the Apple Festival this morning and I had neglected to mention that your brother might be in attendance with his family.” “I don’t know if I can stand any more good news. It will be good to see him and meet his family after all this time.” “It will be wonderful having the entire family in attendance for a change. I have missed many opportunities with regard to that and I hope you won’t make that same mistake Liam.”

Liam looks at you with a smile, taking your hand and kissing it gently.

“Father, nothing is more important to me than family and spending time with the ones I love… And one in particular.” “I’ll make sure he doesn’t forget.” “Catherine, since this will be your first time organizing the festival, will you be needing any assistance with preparations?” “Actually, I was going to ask you about that. I’m not sure about the decorations and I want to keep it as close to tradition as possible. Would you mind giving me a few pointers?” “Of course not. To be perfectly honest, I have missed certain duties of being queen and it would be a pleasure to help any way I can.” “And, I can learn from one of the best in the process.”

Regina laughs appreciatively.

“Oh dear, I don’t know about that, but I’ll be at your disposal. And don’t underestimate yourself. You have done quite well without my help so far.” “I do my best but I’m sure there is a lot more to learn.” “You have mastered many tasks my love and I am very proud to have you as my queen.” “Well thank you, Liam. You’re not so bad yourself.”

Liam laughs, as does Constantine and Regina. Once everyone is finished eating, you all sit back and relax for a moment.

“That was a very satisfying meal, as is the company.” “I’ll second that father.” “Would you just look at us… I think you might say we’re behaving somewhat like a family.” “Yes…it’s quite refreshing isn’t it?”

Everyone smiles pleasantly at each other but no one responds to Regina’s question. Obviously, it is agreed. Liam breaks the silence.

“Father, do you need my assistance before Catherine and I retire?” “No, I still have my nurse you know. No need to make a fuss. And besides, you have an early day tomorrow, so you should get some rest.” “Very well. Regina, do you need help getting him upstairs?” “Actually, he’s walking quite well but thank you. We’ll manage.” “If you are sure then, we shall bid you both goodnight.” “Good night my children.” “Sleep well you two.” “And you as well dear.”

Liam stands, looking at you expectantly and you rise from the table, taking his outstretched hand with a smile. As you exit the dining room, you walk hand-in-hand toward the stairs.

“Hey, Liam?” “Yes, love.” “Would you mind if we took a stroll through the gardens?” “I think I can manage for a moment or two.”

You continue walking until you’re outside and in the palace gardens. The breeze of the summer air caresses your skin and gives you a peaceful sensation.

“So, why the gardens My Queen?” “I just thought we could both use some fresh air.” “Good idea. It is a beautiful night, but would you mind if we sat on the bench?” “Not at all.”

As you both sit, Liam drapes his arm around you and you lean against him laying your head on his shoulder. A wave of serenity falls over you and you sigh.

“Something on your mind?” “No, I’m just happy you came home tonight.” “You were very persuasive.” “Yeah, I have that effect on people.” “I’d call it a gift.”

You both look up to the stars dancing around in the open sky and listen to the crickets chirping and the leaves rustling in the trees.

“Liam, do you remember the Masquerade Ball?” “Of course I remember. It was the second time I laid eyes on the most beautiful sight I had ever seen…” “Aww, you’re such a romantic…”

“I’m only telling the truth, my love.” “What were you thinking that night when you realized I had come here as one of the suitors?”

Liam smiles fondly. “I spotted you long before you made your identity known… And to be perfectly honest, I wanted it to be you. But I had to keep telling myself that it simply couldn’t be. You can only imagine my joy and surprise when I realized the woman of my dreams had traveled all this way just for me. I mean, after that night in New York, I never thought I’d see you again.“ "So you thought about me after you left New York?” “I couldn’t stop thinking about you, Catherine. The truth is, I was in love with you then… even though I wouldn’t let myself admit to it. When I got back to the hotel that night, I felt so empty. I had let the most incredible woman I’d ever met, walk out of my life for what I thought would be forever.” “You know, after I walked back to my apartment that night, I remember thinking that same thing. How could I have fallen in love with someone I’d just met? Before I knew it, I was sitting on the edge of my bed laughing at the irony of it and didn’t even realize I was crying too until a few drops fell on my arm.”

Liam pulls you closer.

“Oh Catherine, I never knew…” “Even with no promise of anything more, I couldn’t stop thinking about you and how meeting you had changed my life. I felt alive for the first time and I was never going to be the same again. We truly had a special connection and I had to come here and find out for myself if it was real, because no one would have ever measured up to you in my eyes.“ "That’s exactly how I felt Catherine… That night was no accidental meeting between two strangers, it was preordained to bring us together.” “Yeah. I’m glad we didn’t disappoint the stars.” “Can you even imagine what things would have been like for both of us had you not followed your heart?” “I’m glad we’ll never know.” “My life would have been so empty without you…”

Liam reaches under your chin, tilting your head up and kisses you softly, slowly. You pull him closer, pressing against his body, wrapping your arms around him as the kiss quickly becomes inflamed with passion. He pulls back for a moment, a hunger in his eyes…

“Shall we take this upstairs?” “You read my mind.”

You both rise from the bench and make your way back into the palace, up the stairs and finally to your bedroom. As soon as the door closes behind you, he kisses you fervently and as if by magic the clothes begin to fall, piece by piece, all around the room. He leads you to the bed where you lie down pulling him with you. He blankets you with kisses as he slides down your body and pauses looking up at you. He smiles a devious smile as his hand delves to your inner thighs and watches your reaction to his roving fingers. You open your legs to accommodate him as he slowly kisses you to your core. He groans when he tastes you and with his tongue probing deeper, you let out a gratified whimper.

“Liam…” “Mmmm… you taste so sweet…”

His hands grasping your thighs tightly as he continues his pursuit of giving you pleasure, relishing every moment himself. When he slides back up to take your lips again, you shift your body, turning him over until he is laying on his back and you are balanced above him smiling confidently.

“What’s this?” “You’ll see.”

He smiles, eagerly awaiting your next move. You bend down and kiss him hard and he moans in approval. He urgently grabs your waist but releases when you begin tracing a line of kisses down his neck, over his chest and down until you reach his length. You take him in your hand and kiss the tip ever so slightly.

“Oh, Catherine…”

Then you let your tongue roll over the top for a moment before slowly taking him in your mouth. His breathing heavy and he groans deeply as you devour him repeatedly.

“Ohhh…Catherine, don’t stop…stop…”

As he struggles to keep from exploding, he reaches for you, but you’re not quite finished yet. You flash him a smile and slide your tongue from the bottom of his length all the way up and quickly draw the tip into your mouth, tasting him as a trace suddenly escapes. He urgently pulls you up as you straddle him and without hesitation, he guides your hips and slides inside you. You hold onto the headboard for leverage as you steadily move against him, he eagerly matches your pace. With the heat intensifying, you quicken the rhythm and once he feels you tremble, a fire bursts inside you with uninhibited power.

“Liam… yes…” “Ohhh… Catherine.”

You collapse on his chest as you both lay breathless. Afterward, you roll to his side and he pulls you close… you lay your head on his chest as he strokes your arm affectionately. Both of you content and satisfied.

“You continue to amaze me, Catherine.” “So I take it you approve.” “Definitely.” “There’s more where that came from.” “I almost didn’t make it this time…”

He suddenly laughs.

“What?” “I just wonder what you would have done if I hadn’t resisted.” “You should have let me finish.” “How would I ever satisfy My Queen if I had let that happen?” “I’m sure you’d figure something out.” “I’m glad you think so.”

He smiles and leans over placing a sweet kiss on your lips. You sigh in contentment.

“Let’s get cleaned up and then try to get some sleep. I think two flights in one day has finally caught up with me.” “Not to mention other activities that might have contributed to your fatigue.” “I’ll never get enough of you Catherine, fatigued or otherwise.”

You both get up and head to the bathroom to freshen up. Once finished you climb into bed and curl up against Liam. He wraps you in the warmth of his arms and kisses your forehead, sighing in contentment.

“I’m so glad you came home. I sleep much better with you next to me.” “Me too my love.” “If only I hadn’t planned that charity brunch tomorrow I could have made the trip with you.” “We should coordinate our schedules a bit better in the future.” “At least I have you for tonight.” “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else love.”

You lean over kissing him and then lay your head on his chest as he pulls you closer and smiles.

“Goodnight, my queen.” “Goodnight, my king.”

Soon you are both fast asleep.

[hardfcclings]

cleo miller ( about )

warnings

trigger warning. suicide attempt, substance abuse, child emotional abuse/neglect

disclaimer. cleo does have borderline personality disorder and because of her parents’ emotional neglect it was not diagnosed until her 20s which created an added toll on her mental health. you may see cleo refer to herself as being “crazy” or say that her brain is “broken” and i want to be 100% clear that just because cleo feels this way about herself, it does not reflect my personal feelings about persons with bpd. cleo struggles with her personality disorder and how it effects her mental processing capacity both before and after her diagnosis and struggles to healthily cope which is why she says these negative things about herself. all that said, i do not personally have bpd ( though i do have friends who do ) so if you see something i have written for cleo that seems inaccurate to the behaviors of someone with bpd, please call me out on it, as i recognize that research / personal anecdotes is not necessarily enough to create a consistently accurate representation of personality disorders. 

stats

nickname(s). cle, miller lite, mills, princess

birthday/zodiac. august 12, leo sun, scorpio moon, sagittarius rising

orientation. pansexual/panromantic

hometown. thousand oaks, california, usa

appearance

tattoo(s). tbd

piercing(s). ears

family

father. vincent miller

mother. cassie miller

pet(s). duke (rescue greyhound)

health

mental. borderline personality disorder

physical. none

drug use. recreational use of marijuana

alcohol use. recreational

diet. n/a

personality

personality type. enfp

moral alignment. chaotic neutral

temperament. choleric

enneagram. 7w8

hogwarts house. gryffindor

history

born to two parents both on the business side of the entertainment industry, cleo was familiarized with hollywood pretty much from day one. she got her start as a toddler doing modeling gigs, commercials and small guest spots on the shows of her mother’s other clients. she already had a good collection of films under her belt and was well on her way to being a household name by the time she was 10.

because she was always working, cleo never attended traditional school. the entirety of her education has been homeschooling either with her mother or private tutors. cleo typically worked on serious film sets as a child, so she also typically didn’t spend much time around other kids her age, and never had any close friends. 

when cleo was 11, she landed a role on a disney show. she was cast as the best friend role and not the lead, so her mother initially didn’t want to accept the part, but cleo was desperate to be around kids her own age and basically begged to get to do the show. the show ran for the standard three years. cleo grew a big attachment to the show and it’s cast because it was her first real experience with socialization with kids her own age, not to mention it was the first set she was on longer than just a few months and as such her first real sense of consistency outside of her immediate family. 

the end of her disney show marked the beginning of more things for cleo than endings, but either way, cleo looks back at that point as one of the most significant moments in her life. cleo transitioned into more “serious” acting roles as well as entered into her first serious relationship with a boy who, other than family connections, was relatively unknown. 

things only really got messy when cleo was 18. an important note about cleo is that she has a tendency to lose track of her own fame and she doesn’t really think things through before she says them. she started to fall in with the wrong crowds and garner a reputation for being a bit of a partier. she also started to say some accidentally inflammatory things in particular about her former co-star alexa. after that things really started to spiral. as a result of cleo’s carelessness, she ended up losing both alexa as a friend and also her boyfriend. 

cleo REALLY spiraled after this. the combination of having lost the only friends she’d ever really had, partnered with her feeling of complete lack of control over her life, and her undiagnosed/untreated personality disorder, cleo attempted suicide following her breakup. she was admitted to the hospital and was quick to admit to what she had been trying to do. she was put on a psychiatric hold and began regular therapy after she was let out. the entire thing was covered up by her momager as just a health issue and it was never released to the public that it was a suicide attempt. beyond that, cleo’s stint in therapy didn’t last very long and got pushed to the side every time it interfered with her filming schedule so she ended up dropping it entirely within about a year.

the next big transition in cleo’s life happened the next year, when she once again temporarily forgot she was famous and uploaded a youtube video of herself singing a song she had written. after that she got a lot of calls from various producers begging to sign her, wanting to capitalize on what appeared to be a big name actress looking to transition into music. cleo ended up signing with connor mann, alexa’s best friend, because he was the only person she trusted to genuinely invest in her and didn’t seem to only be in it for her name. this whole thing ended up sparking a big fight with cleo’s mom and she ended up firing her mom as her manager, which ended up meaning cutting all ties with her family.

cleo’s life is pretty much perpetually a wreck regardless of verse so there’s not a lot to say there. girl is messy. she does have good intentions but it’s hard for her to sort through her thoughts and feelings and actually rationalize anything. especially because she doesn’t start therapy again until her 20s and learn to process her emotions healthily. when she does eventually get to that point, she ends up moving out of la, but not actually quitting music. she just takes a break from the hollywood lifestyle as she recognizes eventually that the fast pace makes it harder for her to process everything healthily and keep herself grounded. 

overall, cleo really is very kindhearted and friendly, if not a bit misguided. she can be harsh because she doesn’t think before she speaks, but she loves with her whole heart and she’s very kind to everyone she meets. she’s also,, remarkably humble despite being a world famous actress.

connections

alexa paige. ex-best friend. being cast as best friends on a disney show when they were eleven threw both cleo and alexa into the spotlight, and towards each other. for the years they were filming, the duo were inseparable, always having sleepovers and trips to disneyland together. after the show ended, though, things changed. alexa left acting behind for music and cleo had to deal with life in the film industry after disney alone. while alexa was out making new friends, cleo was feeling left behind on her new grown up film sets without her usual companion. not to mention the way the press always seemed to be pitting them against each other. in a couple of heated moments with the paparazzi, cleo said some things she lived to regret, and her friendship with alexa paid the price.

connor mann. producer / best friend. connor was alexa’s friend first. so naturally when things fell apart in her friendship with alexa, cleo’s budding friendship with connor got cut short. the two only reconnected recently after cleo made her first move onto the music scene. connor was in need of a client, and cleo needed someone to show her the ropes. cleo doesn’t know how to express how grateful she is for connor, and to him for putting her past mistakes behind them and beind such a great friend. they never expected to become so close, but connor quickly became cleo’s favorite person in the world. 

rylan maxwell. first love. as a kid, cleo tagged along with alexa to just about everything, including family gatherings. which is how she met rylan, alexa’s cousin. the two fell hard for each other as teens and maintained a serious relationship for a few years. but it was rylan’s family loyalty that drove them apart after cleo and alexa’s fallout. the two have very much been at odds ever since.

[casscutting]

Author Interview: David Viergutz

I had the pleasure of meeting David (online) by complete chance. I was mindlessly scrolling through my Instagram feed one night and came across a post from a writer that I follow. He had just finished reading this book with one of the most beautiful covers I’d seen in a while. I read the caption then immediately went to Goodreads to see what this book was about. I was HOOKED from the synopsis and added it to my “Want To Read” list.

I went back and commented on that post, gushing over the cover and saying how I needed to read this book. Sometime after I get a message request from this guy, David Viergutz, I am shit with names until I get to know someone (online and in-person) so it never dawned on me who it was.

But I opened the message and he was saying how he saw my post and offered to send me an e-book in exchange for an honest review and I JUMPED at the chance and I am glad I did. I knew from the first page of his book I was going to love it and I did. I also hoped that he would be down for an interview and I was elated when he said yes.

David is an amazing writer and author and I look forward to seeing his career take off because I know it will. I encourage every one of you to go and get a copy of his books you won’t regret it.

Why don’t we start off with an easy question, why do you tell us who you are and a little about yourself?

So, I’m a bit of an oddball in the writing community, or so I feel. I’m a father of two (15 and 2, yeah…I know…) and a Law Enforcement Officer. I joined the Army straight out of high school and became a LEO shortly after. I had ZERO idea I wanted to be a writer. It wasn’t until my wife came around, about 10 years later, who convinced me I COULD be a writer. It was interesting, she looked at me and said, “Write the damn book!” after we had discussed how I had wanted to write one since I was 12. Like so many others, writing fell to the wayside as work took over.

Besides work, and writing, I’m a personal trainer and have my own business, and I recently dove head-in to leatherwork. I’m still learning, but it’s fun.

My wife is also a LEO and a medical student. I’m just counting down until residency so I can retire at 32 and write full-time, haha.

You are the author of The Box And The Bird a novella that came out in October 2019 as well as The Demonic Compendium a wonderful novel that I've had the pleasure of reading. Can you tell my readers a little about these books?

The Demonic Compendium is my flagship into the world I am writing. I never set out to write a book, I set out to create a universe. Most of my favorite series end so soon and I wish there was more. In writing epic-fantasy, I wanted to make sure this wasn’t an issue for my readers. That being said,

The Box and the Bird is a taste of The Demonic Compendium Universe, also known as The Darkenverse. (Think Marvel Cinematic Universe or the Star Wars Expanded Universe). This book is a fast-paced intense read that follows Samantha Lawson as her husband Richard returns home from a business trip with something terrible. This book ties into the main universe, but is not considered on the main timeline. I offer it free on my website davidviergutz.com.

The Demonic Compendium is my bread and butter and the first of many in the series. While it is epic fantasy, I bring in some elements that I think set it apart. Anti-heros, doom-and-gloom, dread, epic-battles and a fully immersive world. One reader said he felt like he wasn’t just in the story, he was also watching my main character Shaw cast wild demonic-magic and tromp through the castle.

The Demonic Compendium takes place in the wake of a terrible tragedy that has befallen a budding kingdom. We follow Shaw as he is forced to make terrible decisions for the greater good, and hopefully, find his purpose in the process. Not to give too much away, but there’s a reason my personal mantra for writing is:

“The hero doesn’t always win. The good guy doesn’t always get the girl. Things are going to get a lot worse.”

What was your inspiration for these stories, where did the original spark come from?

Well, I truly wrote the book I wanted to read. I thought back to a few captivating moments from what I’ve read and seen in movies and wanted my readers to get chills as they read the epic moments. Think about when Gandalf stands on the bridge with his infamous line. Or King Leonidas when he boots the emissary into the hole. Or when the Red Ranger screams “Tyrannosaurs!” I wanted a book FILLED with those moments, so I focused on those big events, and built a world to fit it.

The Demonic Compendium is the first book in your debut series, how many books do you have planned for the series altogether?

It’s hard to say. I’ve purchased covers for three additional books, as well as a novella from the same timeline following another lead character. As long as my readers love it, I’ll keep writing it. That said, I have a new series flagship releasing this year in the urban-fantasy genre.

Steering away from the book related questions. When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

I spoke above about my wife giving me inspiration to write this particular book, and get to the end of it, but my overall spark came when I was about 10 years old. I carried a black notebook with a home-made floppy-disk holder on the inside cover. I’d write my story paragraphs out, then read them to my friends and transfer them to the floppy disk.

This was my art, because I had failed art…I couldn’t connect two dots, I would have just eaten the crayon because I thought the assignment was stupid. I find my ability to write is a carry over from my ability to speak, so I stuck with what I was good at.

From idea to publication about how long does it take you to write a book?

Planning and plotting are about a solid two weeks (part time, a few hours a night). After that, my pace is a steady 1000 words an hour. On a good day (I’m married with kids remember) I can pump out 10k if I’m left alone. Most of my books are planned and plotted for 100k, minus the novellas. So, math aside, I’d say 30 days. I wouldn’t say a month, because life likes to drop a dragon in my living room. Now that I have my business processes down, 30 days is an accurate guess. When writing TDC, I had to learn the business, hire a cover artist, formatter, etc, so that delayed my process.

Both of your current books are indie published why did you choose to go this route and not the traditional one?

I love working for myself, and as I see my books as my art, I am reluctant to give that up. I’m very much a self-made-man, and I feel when my writing is loved and only my own efforts are responsible, it’s just that much sweeter when I make a single sale.

Which authors inspired you to write?

This is a tough one, as a lot of authors I enjoy have a lot of overlap. I prefer their methods instead of just their stories so I’ll mention those. From Dean Koontz, I loved The Husband for the mind-bending twist. Michael Crichton for the adventures in Jurassic Park, and Garth Nix for his epic magic in The Abhorsen Series.

What is the best writing advice you’ve heard?

Write the story you want to read. You don’t need to please everyone; you just need to please your fans.

Can you tell us about your writing process? What’s a typical writing day for you?

I’m a musically motivated to write. When I sit down at my desk, I make sure the music I’m listening to matches what’s happening in the story. There cannot be any words however, it must feel like I’ve got my own theme-song as I narrate on paper what I’m seeing in my mind.

My process is that of a plotter. I start with my epic moments, then think about who I want to be a part of them, then build in my what-if statements.

What-if a dragon lands in my living room? What-if it looks terrifying?

Now, I’m forced to answer my own questions with more plotting.

And then it seems to be entirely confused. And then it has crippling self-esteem issues.

I then arrange these series of thoughts into an outline, expand on them, and use that to write pages.

If the perfected productive writing day existed what would it look like for you?

I’m an easy fellow. 5:00 AM-6:59 AM workout. 7:00 AM-7:59 AM post-workout shake, shower, get ready, chores at home. 8:00 AM-11:59 AM in the office with hot coffee. 12:00-12:44 PM break to warm up meals and walk around neighborhood. 12:45-3:45, edit what I just wrote 4:00PM-5:00 PM, marketing, social media and business functions. 5:01-8:00 PM family time to include dinner. 8:01-11:00 PM, read, more writing or hobbies.

Why do you write?

Because I can’t afford to pay an author to write books exactly how I want to read them. I love my own stories.

What is the hardest thing about being a writer?

Okay besides the usual gripe that I hear/read people hear/write about, self-esteem, doubt, anxiety, introverts, socially awkward etc.…

How about the fact that we’re trying to make money on a commodity that has fallen to social media, instant gratification, and the digital age? The average e-book sells for $2.99. That’s a lot of books to sell just to fill the gas-tank.

What are you currently working on?

Book Two of The Demonic Compendium: The Queen of Duska Cereal of Third City: A novella from the TDC series timeline

The Bullet Board: An action packed urban-fantasy heist.

Lastly, what is the best advice you can offer someone who dreams of one day being an author?

Fake it until you make it. Undoubtedly you know something I don’t about writing, even if you’ve only written a Facebook post. You are the expert of YOUR stories. Stop looking for validation from others on how THEY would change YOUR story. 

If they don’t like your story, they can write their own. Give yourself some credit and when you’ve finish something, anything, show it off, and be proud, it’s your art.

Author Links: Website Instagram Twitter Goodreads Facebook

Book Links: Goodreads Amazon

Question of the day:

If you could ask your favorite author a question what would it be?

[real-life-pine-tree]

Leo Will Never Know: A Butterfly’s Wings (1/?)

In an alternate timeline, Yugi indirectly prevented the events of Arc-V from ever happening. But how could this small change have an impact on a few selected people? A spin-off of the Arc-V Aftermath series. Based on the hilarious comic by @justanotherotakuandartist. Co-written with @violetganache42.

Leo Corporation. A gaming company that specializes in a popular card game called Duel Monsters, which was created by Maximillion Pegasus. The CEO of the company was none other than Leo Akaba, father of his daughter Ray. As a young girl, she was always ambitious and strong-willed while also deeply cared about him, having high hopes for his future…until that one fateful day.

An employee had already informed Leo of some tragic news that occurred. He called Ray into his office, worrying about how it'll affect her. Once she entered, she asked if everything was okay upon seeing his dismayed face. He broke the news about how his meeting with Seto Kaiba was abruptly cancelled, shocking and upsetting her.

"What?!" Ray asked. "How come?!"

"It appears Mr. Kaiba has mysteriously fallen ill," Leo explained. "But not to worry. Hopefully he will come to his senses soon. I really do think adding mass to the current Solid Vision technology will make the basic card game far more exciting than it already is."

"I hope so," the young girl said, sounding a bit sad. "I really want to take part in these Action Duels."

"And you will," Leo said reassuringly. "It will just be a bit delayed."

Several days after the unexpected cancellation was made, Kaiba visited the company to talk to Leo about something, surprising the latter. He had recently returned from a tournament to take care of personal business with Pegasus, so after that whole fiasco was dealt with, conversing with Leo Corporation's CEO was the first thing that came to his mind.

"I thought about what you said about adding mass to Solid Vision," Kaiba informed. "And I came to the conclusion that it's a stupid idea."

"What?" Leo asked. "But you said-"

"Forget what I initially said," Kaiba interrupted. "If you add mass to Solid Vision, what's next? The holograms become sentient and destroy the world?"

"Sir, I don't understand what you mean," Leo said.

"I have undergone a series of rather unexplainable events due to malfunctions in the current system," Kaiba explained. "And I realized that your ideas could doom the world to destruction. So I would advise you to stay out of the dueling business for the sake of everyone on Earth."

Ray overheard the entire conversation between the two CEOs when she noticed Kaiba heading towards his office a couple minutes earlier. She had secretly followed him until he entered through the office's double doors; one of them was left partially open, unfortunately allowing her to hear the world-shattering news. She was left in total disbelief after their talk had ended, turning around to lean against the door to process what happened. Kaiba walked out of the office to head to his limo and return to his company, KaibaCorp, not noticing the disquieted girl on his way out. The moment he turned the corner and disappeared from the hallway, she immediately got up and ran into Leo's office, completely heartbroken about how the deal was officially shot down.

"What are we going to do now?" Ray asked, hugging her father tightly as she sobbed.

"Don't worry, Ray," Leo said. "We're Akabas, and Akabas never give up. We'll find a way to make Action Duels a reality."

Sadly, Action Duels never became a reality as it soon became a forgotten fantasy. One day, news went all around Domino City on the newest craze from KaibaCorp: Duel Disks. They became immensely popular at a rapid rate among Duelists that it left Leo Corporation in the shadows to eventually crumble and fall. Because of the Duel Disks' success, Leo and Ray soon lost the company due to bankruptcy. They struggled to avoid living the rest of their lives in poverty, forcing the young girl to sell all her cards to make some money; she even might have ended up with the possibility of cutting and selling her hair as well. Whatever tactic she resorted to, it was all for one purpose: to make her father happy again. She was willing to give her title as a Duelist up just so they can be closer to living normal lives.

Fortunately Leo recently managed to find a stable job within Domino City that had a good minimum wage during the week before the upcoming Battle City tournament began. Ray got super excited because it means he'll be able to save enough money to buy a house for the two of them. It didn't matter to her if the Akaba family name was overlooked by the general dueling public; as long as they pull through this conflict, that's all that matters to her.

"I'm so sorry we had to go through this," Leo said, realizing his daughter gave up her dreams for the sake of happiness. "Maybe some day we'll be able to afford cards for you."

But Ray shook her head, her now-shoulder-length hair moving slightly. "What matters is us rebuilding our future," she decided. "It's like what you said: Akabas never give up."

To Ray, family was what's important to her and always comes first in her jurisdiction. Not everyone is a Duelist and she is okay with that; she still loves the card game and will check out some duels when she wants to, but even her interest in Duel Monsters pales in comparison to the strong bond she has with Leo. She clearly remembered those words he told her several days ago was definite evidence on how they will stick together through any situation, regardless if it is worse than their current one or not.

Leo chuckled. "That's my girl," he happily said, ruffling his daughter's newly-cut hair.

A few days later, Battle City has begun. One of the first duels that initiated was between Yugi Muto, the King of Games, and someone named Seeker; he was one of the many Rare Hunters that are scattered all over Domino City to infiltrate the tournament as part of orders from their leader Marik Ishtar, who was unknown to everyone while his Rare Hunters were. As the duel progressed, a young boy was watching. He had side-parted hair with a silver color scheme with light green highlights. Many of you would recognize him as Zarc Nightstone from Timeline B, but due to the failed idea of Action Duels in the main timeline, he was still just called by his real name: Michael Lindonson. He wasn't taking part in Battle City because he doesn't want to wager his Odd-Eyes Dragon and end up losing him.

Michael looked at Odd-Eyes Dragon. "Don't worry, buddy," he said. "I'll make sure no one ever takes you away, not even those Rare Hunter creeps."

He continued watching the duel, holding Odd-Eyes in his hand. Seeker had just summoned Exodia's head, enabling Yugi to activate his Trap card Chain Destruction to destroy every copy of Exodia's head his opponent had in his deck and hand in order to prevent him from summoning Exodia the Forbidden One. He then played his face-down Dust Tornado to destroy Swords of Revealing Light. Once it was his turn, he used Monster Reborn to revive Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast in attack position  and had it destroy the Head of Exodia that was on the field. Summoned Skull and Alpha the Magnet Warrior then attacked Seeker directly—with Alpha gaining 200 ATK during the Damage Step after Summoned Skull attacked—and reduced his LP down to 0, resulting in Yugi winning his first duel for Battle City and without losing any of his LP. Michael was amazed at what he witnessed and wanted to talk to him, but before he could, he saw that Seeker was acting weird, almost as if he was being mind controlled.

Michael looked at Odd-Eyes Dragon. "What's that?" he asked, holding the card up to his ear. "You're saying there's something evil going on? Like what?" He paused, then he smiled. "Then it's a good thing we're not in this tournament."

After Marik used Seeker to introduce himself to Yugi and his friend Joey Wheeler and declare he will be a pharaoh by taking some kind of puzzle and the three cards Michael never heard of, his mind-controlled puppet's body fell to the ground; either Seeker passed out or his soul was sent away to some kind of wasteland were all the lost souls wanted revenge. Regardless, after the two friends conversed with each other, Michael walked over to Yugi to talk to him.

"Can I help you?" Yugi asked.

"I... I heard what that creepy guy was saying," Michael said. "Odd-Eyes even told me he was sensing something evil. What's going on?"

"Odd-Eyes?" Yugi questioned.

"Yeah," Michael answered, showing Yugi the card. "I know he's not much, but some day, I'll get some friends for him so he won't feel lonely."

Yugi looked at the card. "I see," he said. "May I take a look at it?"

Michael handed his card to Yugi for him to see. Odd-Eyes Dragon was a Level 7 DARK monster with 2500 ATK and 2000 DEF. His effect allows him to inflict damage equal to half of the original ATK of an opponent's monster that was sent to the Graveyard. Aside from his effective stats, the tri-color-haired teen was more curious about how the young boy treated Odd-Eyes as if the card was real. Does he have some kind of unique ability that no one else had?

"You said this card was lonely," Yugi said, giving Odd-Eyes back to Michael. "Don't you have a deck?"

"Yeah, but it's a Magician and Sorcerer deck," Michael explained. "Odd-Eyes is the only dragon I have, but I want to get more dragons to keep him company."

Michael's deck consisted of regular effect Magicians and Sorcerers, so they don't really stand out. However, all their abilities worked well together with each other and with Odd-Eyes, leading him to his deck construction. He also mentioned on how he wasn't taking part in Battle City because he doesn't want to lose his favorite card, especially at the hands of Marik and the Rare Hunters.

"Odd-Eyes is special to me," the young boy explained. "I saw him in a display case at a card store and it felt like he was calling to me."

"So your dragon chose you instead of the other way around," Yugi realized.

"I guess you can say that," Michael said.

Yugi smiled softly. "You are different from other kids your age," he said. "But know this: never forget to follow your heart. If you continue to stick to what you believe in, you could end up becoming someone extraordinary."

Michael became starry-eyed after hearing these words of advice, almost as if this moment is what changed his life. "Thank you, sir!" he said, sounding too happy. "I'll never forget your advice!"

The next day, Michael was sitting at a park bench, analyzing the cards he currently has. He was determined to trust his instincts from now on after his encounter with Yugi. At the same time, Ray walked down the park's pathway; with her father working to buy a house, she figured she needed a quick walk after everything the two were going through. Her eyes caught a glimpse of the onion-haired boy, causing her to stop walking and turn her head to where he was sitting. She noticed he was scanning through his deck; she may not be a Duelist anymore, but she couldn't resist seeing someone who also enjoys Duel Monsters. She walked over to the bench with a double desire: she didn't to disturb him with what he was doing, but she also wanted to talk to him.

But Michael quickly noticed Ray. "Hi," he said. "Wanna duel?"

Ray looked a bit saddened. "I can't," she sadly admitted.

"Why not?" Michael asked.

"My dad lost the family company," Ray explained. "And in order to help him get enough money, I had to sell all my cards and..." She gently tugged on a lock of her shoulder-length hair.

This was an indicator to Michael that she used to have long hair, but she had to sell it to raise some money. She then explained how her dad recently found a job and how they will soon search for a house to live in and start living normal lives.

"So you gave up on being a Duelist just so your dad could have more money?" Michael asked.

Ray nodded in response. "But I'm not giving up," she said. "Akabas never give up!"

"Akaba..." Michael mused. Then his eyes widened. "So that's what happened to Leo Corporation!" he realized. "Those KaibaCorp Duel Disks must have put your dad out of business!"

"They did," Ray said. "We might have lost everything, but we're trying to improve ourselves."

"Don't you miss your cards?" Michael asked. "Didn't you hear them crying in pain?"

Ray paused what she was about to say after hearing those questions from Michael. She never knew monster cards had emotions…or maybe they really do emote and only a few can communicate with them. She asked what he meant by that and if he can tell how they were feeling.

"It's the reason why I didn't take part in Battle City," Michael explained, holding up Odd-Eyes Dragon. "I'm a good Duelist, but I would have risked losing Odd-Eyes forever, especially to those Rare Hunter creeps. He chose me for a reason, so I want him to stay by my side."

"So you can actually hear your cards speak to you?" Ray asked.

"Just Odd-Eyes," Michael clarified. "We have a special bond. Sure he doesn't fit with all my Magician and Sorcerer cards, but I'm gonna get more dragons so he'll have friends."

Ray was surprised and amazed at how distinct Michael is from the rest of the boys and how much he cares for his Odd-Eyes. She never thought she would encounter a special person in her life, even if she and Leo were in a slowly easing heat of the moment. Maybe they can get to know each other more and help him find some more dragons to include in his deck so that his favorite card won't feel lonely.

"I could help, but I'm not sure," Ray admitted. "My dad has been a bit protective of me ever since we lost the company. He doesn't want me to get hurt."

"It's okay," Michael said. "Your dad will never know." He held out his hand. "Michael Lindonson."

Ray looked at his hand before smiling and shaking it. "Ray Akaba," she said.

And from that moment on, Michael and Ray became friends. They spent the entire day hanging out with each other as they watched a couple Battle City duels and developed a powerful bond with each other throughout the next few days. It was even emphasized not long after the tournament was over when the Duel Monster Spirit World was forced opened into Earth by a mysterious new threat, causing the monsters to spill into the human world and all kinds of bizarre weather events to occur globally. During that time, Ray and Leo still haven't gotten enough money yet despite the work and hours her father was doing; then again, it was a job he was recently hired into, so it will take some time. However, they did save enough money for her to get a new deck that focuses on an archetype called Hope Dragon. She had a total of four aces—Hope Dragons Flower, Bird, Wind, and Moon, all with effects that can help her gain Life Points and select monster card zones on her opponent's field to prevent them from summoning their monsters.

"I activate Polymerization!" Ray declared. "And I'll use it to combine my four Hope Dragons to summon Hope Dragon Nature!"

She and Michael were in a tag team duel against two employees from Doma, an organization with the intention of capturing human souls with a Spell card called the Seal of Orichalcos. This threat was virtually life or death because the two kids can't afford to lose any duels as they risk their very souls to try and defeat the employees. Right now, Ray finished Fusion Summoning Hope Dragon Nature and was getting ready to activate her effect.

"I activate Hope Dragon Nature's special ability!" Ray announced. "All of your unoccupied monster card zones are blocked! And for every blocked zone, I regain 400 life points!"

Since she was referring to her opponent, he only had three empty zones, which became blocked as she gained 1200 Life Points. She was then ready for her Battle Phase.

"What?!" the Doma employee asked. "How could you obtain that kind of card?!"

"Because I am an Akaba," Ray answered. "And Akabas never give up!"

"And we're doing this for my friend," Michael said, referring to Odd-Eyes Dragon. "He won't forgive anyone who brings harm to his home world!"

They could tell that Odd-Eyes was absolutely livid at Doma for putting the Duel Monster Spirit World in danger like that. Even if he now resides as a card on Earth, it was still his home and any threat that endangers it must be thwarted at all costs.

"But that's not all," Ray added. "I activate the Spell card Union Attack, allowing me to share my Battle Phase with my partner!"

Both Doma employees were shocked at the Spell card she used. They couldn't believe that something like that exists and it was bringing them one step closer to their defeat. Together, Ray and Michael declared their attacks.

"Feel the rage of my dragon!" Michael declared. "Spiral Flame Strike!"

"Natural Energy Bloom!" Ray added.

Odd-Eyes and Nature unleashed their signature attacks, with Ray destroying one of her opponent's monsters—the one in attack position was sent to the Graveyard while the other in defense position remained intact—and Michael wiping out the other employee's only monster. He then immediately followed it up by activating Odd-Eyes' effect.

"Now I activate Odd-Eyes Dragon's special ability!" Michael exclaimed. "You lose life points equal to half of the monster's attack points he just knocked out, which is enough to finish you off!"

Odd-Eyes directed another attack towards the Doma employee, bringing his LP down to 0. Due to the overwhelming power of the Seal of Orichalcos, it captured his soul and sent it back to Dartz's main organization, leaving his body to collapse on the ground.

"Don't celebrate yet," the remaining Doma employee said. "You've still got me."

"I know," Ray replied. "So hopefully this Hinotama card should be enough to finish you off as well."

Ray activated Hinotama, causing fireballs to rain down towards the other employee, draining his lingering Life Points and losing his soul to the Orichalcos. Both bodies laid on the ground, soulless and unconscious as the two kids were relieved to win this duel, but also horrified that they witnessed as something so scary as that.

"Are we doing the right thing?" Ray asked.

"We are," Michael answered. "Odd-Eyes' home is at risk. We need to protect it."

"But what if we end up losing?" Ray asked. "Could we lose our souls forever?"

"We'll be fine," Michael reassured. "And as long as we keep winning, your dad will never know what had happened."

Eventually, the Doma threat was vanquished and both worlds were now at peace, relaxing Odd-Eyes Dragon. About a decade later, almost one year before the King of Games' influential legacy began with a bisexual soon-to-be Slifer Red male teen, Ray and Michael were now 14 going on 15, with the young Akaba girl having her hair now past her shoulders. Leo has saved enough money to buy himself and his daughter a house, finally putting an end to their struggle with poverty.

On one peaceful evening, Michael and Ray were at the local park, excited about things to come. "I can't believe we're going to Duel Academy in a few days," Ray said. "What do you think the school is like?"

"I'm not sure," Michael admitted. "But I heard the training varies depending on the rank system."

"Rank system?" Ray asked.

"Yeah, Kaiba created them based on these powerful cards from Battle City," Michael explained. "The best Duelists are in Obelisk Blue, the second best Duelists are in Ra Yellow, and the third best Duelists are in Slifer Red."

Ray heard those three names before and guessed they were named after the rumored Egyptian God Cards. She became more certain about her assumption because she recalled hearing about Kaiba and Yugi's duel during Battle City when they summoned Obelisk the Tormentor and Slifer the Sky Dragon respectively. She then thought it was unfair that Obelisk Blue was ranked the highest and Slifer Red the lowest; she wondered just how egotistical the CEO was.

"Guess Kaiba is still bitter about Yugi defeating him," Ray commented.

"Probably," Michael agreed.

"But he definitely deserved that," Ray added. "That's what he gets for ruining my dad's business!"

Although Ray was glad that she and Leo now have a place to live in, she never forgave Kaiba for letting them go bankrupt. Speaking of which, she hasn't gotten a chance to figure out what her future will be since her main intention was to endure and help get out of poverty. She gave up her dreams of being a Duelist by selling her old cards and here she is right now, playing Duel Monsters once again and attending the first ever duel school with Michael. Her thoughts shifted topics and she started thinking about him and how much they have been through together.

"Michael... What are your dreams for the future?" Ray asked.

"Duh!" Michael replied. "I'm gonna be the World Duel King so I can keep the world entertained!"

"Entertained?" Ray asked.

"Yeah," Michael answered. "I'll do that by putting on performances as I duel."

"You don't care about winning?" Ray asked.

"Not really," Michael admitted. "As long as the crowd is entertained and smiling, that's a perfect victory for me."

Michael loved the thought of hosting Entertainment Duels and being what he called a professional Dueltainer. It made Ray remember the rejected concept of Action Duels due to the claim that monsters could gain emotions and cause an apocalypse. Her face then grew depressed because it was the true source of where she and her father were at and how much they suffered over the years. It was more upsetting to know that they would have been perfect for her friend to use to achieve his dream.

"I'm sorry," Ray said, sounding a bit hurt. "It sounds like those Action Duels would have been perfect for you. But now..." She let out a sob, being unable to speak.

Michael wiped a tear away from Ray's cheek. "Don't start crying on me," he said. "Sure I won't be able to interact with Odd-Eyes Dragon during duels, but I can still entertain the crowd through other methods."

Ray looked up at Michael's face after hearing him speak. There was only one type of duels and everyone has been doing these standard duels for a long time, whether it was a single match, a tag team, a 2-on-1, or even a battle royale. She was then reassured on how he knows there will be new methods introduced in the near future, making her pleased to know she had someone like him for a friend. …Or maybe more than a friend. Just then, the two leaned forward and locked lips with each other, sharing their very first kiss together.

Ultimately the two parted for air. Ray had a glazed look in her eyes, almost as if she enjoyed the kiss. But she quickly realized what just happened and she looked away, embarrassed. "I'm so sorry!" she said. "I don't know why I did that! I-"

Michael shushed Ray as he gave her a second kiss. "Don't worry," he said. "Besides, Duel Academy is on an island far away from here. Leo will never know."

[melissahappyplace]

HAPPY PLACE:  Melissa Benefiel

You do not get many chances in life to start again… a fresh beginning!  In March of last year, we sold our home in less than 24 hours and soon our new adventure in Granger, Indian began.  We packed up our lives and our stuff and moved one- hour west.  We have a new home, a few new friends, a new school, new neighbors, new favorite stores and restaurants, and while this is incredibly exciting and positive… its also very overwhelming.  The need for a space of my own, my Happy Place, has never been more important.

When we moved into our current home, several rooms needed immediate attention including our upstairs bathroom that had bright blue and purple paint with a surfboard border … like we live near water when we indeed do not.  Eventually I painted my daughter’s bedroom, a powder room on the main floor and spent months trying to find a way to update our flooring and kitchen without spending more than we’ll ever see again when we sell our home.  I now understand the reason why so many homes never get updated and the appeal of a turn key home has never been more appreciated. Fortunately, our flooring/kitchen remodel is now almost complete.

This whole moving in and updating process has kept me distracted from the stress of everything outside our home being new and foreign.  A lifelong homebody, I take even more comfort in my new home where I feel safe from the new world around me.  As I venture out more and more into the unknown, my return home has taken on greater importance and makes me feel even more comforted.  There are many rooms in this home that I enjoy  and appreciate, but one room started bringing me more joy than the others early on and has become my Happy Place.

As time went by this summer, I found myself gravitating to the safety and coziness of my home office. I’ve never had an office that wasn’t a bedroom turned office space.   This luxury has become the place I turn to when I want to write, read, reflect and get in a good head space.  I turn on one soft desk light and begin turning my dreams into plans, into a strategy.

My home office is where this blog, Happy Place, became more than a dream.  Its where I get in communion with God as he guides my creative process. I cannot describe writing as anything less than holy.  I’m not a religious person, but I do believe we are never closer to God than when we are using our gifts to create, to make the world a little better, a little more beautiful.  A new friend recently shared that she enjoys my blog because it’s such a positive escape from the division and negativity we currently face in the U.S.  That’s what the Happy Place blog is for me, but I didn’t appreciate that it could serve my readers in a similar manner.  

I was born and raised in Indiana.  I met my husband while getting my master’s degree at Purdue.  I met Jeff at a party I didn’t want to attend.  He was a lowly undergraduate and I was way too sophisticated to go to an undergraduate party.  Fortunately, I ended up having nothing going on that Saturday evening and this party was my only option besides PJs and a movie.  I know its cliché to say this, but bare with me…. I knew the moment I saw him.  At Last, My Love Had Come Along as Etta James sang….  Less than 3 years later we were married and 3 years after that we had our daughter.

Who am I besides who I share my life with … that’s an important question for any woman.  I AM the mom of a 40-year-old in a 14-year-old body and I AM the wife of a quiet, introverted man who works harder than anyone I know. But beyond that?  I am a 42-year-old woman who enjoys writing, reading, and working every day to get closer and closer to living my best life.  

I am at that age where you realize half of your life has come and gone in a flash.  I am no longer under the delusion that this is some sort of dress rehearsal.  I realize that living with intention has never been more important because if I really want my dreams to come true… the clock is TICKING!  This is a curse and a blessing.  When I’m not in a good head space, it fells like panic to the end of the race we call life.  When I am in a good head space, it feels like the awareness I need to get super motivated and turn my dreams into a strategy.

When I’m in my office, I feel like anything is possible.  Any dream can indeed become a reality.  And whenever I begin negative self-talk, I am reminded of what’s possible by two quotes! Right in front of my laptop is a small canvas and written in a chalk like calligraphy is “Good Things Are Going to Happen.”  On a similarly small magnet that I’ve placed on a rose gold cell phone holder appears my favorite quote that is saving my middle-aged life right now:  “just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly . . .”  That is a mic drop moment for me every time I read it!  I am a weird combination of introvert/extrovert and pessimist/optimist. I am someone who must fight my natural inclination to climb into my crab shell and put myself out there anyway and I fight off my pessimist inclinations in order to stay in the belief that I am capable of and deserve BIG, good things.  As I’ve said several times on my social media, I do not like words on the walls from a design perspective, but…  I strongly believe we need reminders of the person we are and the life we are trying to live.

The lighting and quietness of my office makes me feel protected and safe.  Good lighting is probably better for a work space, but I enjoy mood lighting in general and in my office especially.  My L-shaped frosted glass desk is full of one of my favorite things in the whole world….  OFFICE SUPPLIES!  When I tell you that I have a minor addiction to office supplies much like the addiction I once had to school supplies…  I am not overstating this!  Anyone who knows me well knows Melissa likes a good pen, pretty journals, fancy notecards, colorful post-its, etc., etc., etc.  I don’t know how to explain to you the endorphin rush I get when I’m in the office supply section at Target or enter a Staples.  Whatever makes you happy, right?  Right???

To personalize this space further, I have pictures of our recent trip to California on one wall.  If my Happy Place were a state, it would be California!  Yosemite, Big Sur, San Francisco, Monterey, Oh My!  So, my Happy Place had to include my favorite vacation spot.  On another wall, I have a piece by a friend and artist who lives in Valparaiso, Indiana.  Melissa Washburn’s image of an Elephant and a fork with the words, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time” reminds me that all good things take time.  You rarely realize your dreams overnight.  I need this reminder because patience has ALWAYS been a challenge for me.  

On a small wall near the entrance to my office are pictures of the English alternative band, Gomez. Jeff and I have seen them perform at the Vic Theatre in Chicago literally every time they’ve been on tour since our daughter was a toddler.  They’re ‘our band’ and having them in my Happy Place seems especially appropriate.

The book shelf!  All my most loved books are housed in a tall IKEA bookshelf.  I only keep books that I know I will read again.  I have never had a hard time passing on a book that I didn’t love to a local library or other charitable organization.  This means all that is left on my bookshelves are books that truly captured my heart and mind, books that I will read again and again in the years ahead.  Reading is my escape!  Reading is how I would spend most of my time if life allowed it.  Anywhere my books are is naturally my Happy Place.  And fortunately, I can bring them with me wherever I travel and create a temporary Happy Place in an airport, hotel, or anywhere else I bring my books.

Some people don’t care what the space around them looks like.  They work just as productively in an ugly cubicle as they would an expansive corner office in a high-rise building.  They live just as comfortably and fully in a dated apartment as they would a luxury flat.  I will never advocate the necessity of luxury to enjoy one’s life, but I fully appreciate the value of living and working in a beautiful space.  It often doesn’t cost a lot to make your office or other living spaces beautiful to you.  And I can personally attest to how uplifting and inspiring a beautiful space can be.  

Since we know life is short, why not agree that beauty does matter, and we indeed deserve a beautiful space in which to launch into each day ready to live our best lives?  It’s a simple truth that can make a huge difference. Start small. Pick the colors, fabrics, art work, photographs and décor that will make your space comfortable and beautiful to you.  Then, get to work at creating a space that will fill you up and inspire you to make your dreams a reality.  

I join you in the endeavor to make the next chapter of your life the best.  I began my new work as a full-time Grant Writer at the University of Notre Dame this week in their Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO).  Their mission is finding solutions that move people out of poverty permanently.  I continue to make exercise and healthy eating a priority for the first time in my life.  To stop complaining and do something instead, I’ve joined the local chapter of the League of Women Voters. Each day, I take my homebody out into my new community to discover restaurants, stores, parks, and more.  In all this newness that scares the introvert in me who often wants to climb into her crab shell, I find refuge in my Happy Place.  In its quiet, dark, cozy recesses, I take refuge and find the peace and energy to return to the world ready to be bold and live . . .  like there’s no tomorrow.

[romanticatheart-posts]

King Sized Revelations - 2

In this chapter we will meet Liam’s mother by way of a letter she wrote many years ago. You are interrupted by a phone call from Liam and have a little family time with Regina and Constantine. 

NSFW! Pixelberry owns all characters but I do love writing about them! Enjoy!

Master List

You are in your office holding the letter Constantine gave you just minutes ago. It is a letter from Liam's mother, written to the woman he chose to be his bride.

You slowly unfold it as your heart begins to thump wildly in your chest. Taking a deep breath… you begin to read…

My dearest daughter,

Let me start by saying it is not my wish to introduce myself to you in this manner and yet somehow, there is a feeling within me that I won't be there the day my sweet Liam marries the love of his life. As dismal as this all may seem to you, I still want to be a part of your life. Even if only in memory. I'm sure you've been told many things about me by now, but I want you to know me as a woman and not just as a queen, wife and mother. I suspect you and I share many similarities in our thoughts and overall character. I've tried to imagine the kind of person my son would fall in love with and ultimately marry and I must believe that even though he is bound by the expectations of being royalty, Liam will never let the court decide that direction of his life. Only his beautiful heart will control that outcome.

Since you are the woman he has chosen to spend the rest of his life with, I wish to give you my most heartfelt blessing. And if I know my darling son, he was most likely in love with you long before he would even admit it to himself. I have often observed how he will sit for hours carefully planning an activity. It amazes me how he considers every possibility before making any type of decision. When he realized his feelings for you, he quite possibly considered more of the impact his life would impose upon you than the attachment he felt. I am certain he left no stone unturned and when he finally confessed his love for you, there were no questions left to answer. His decision was unequivocal.

Liam has a kind and generous heart and he genuinely loves those closest to him, but I believe that falling in love means more than a casual emotion, and his vision of love is deep and abiding. Several months ago, he and his circle of friends were play acting, as most children do at this age. But, when it came time for him to choose a 'wife', he would not participate. He just walked away and as he approached me, I could see that he was troubled. When I asked him why he didn't want to play with the others, he simply said, "Mother, they want me to choose a wife." I explained that all children play this game in one form or another, but he was not going to be one of them. He said, "Being in love should not be a game and I won't pretend to be married to someone I do not love." I couldn't argue with that. Even at this youthful age, he knows love and marriage are to be revered…

You sit back for a moment… thinking how Constantine had expected him to do that very thing. You ache inside at how close it was to becoming a reality and how miserable his life would have been. Thank God fate had stepped in and saved you both from a dismal existence. Turning back to the letter, you continue reading…

I was very proud of him in that moment and I couldn't help but smile. He dashed up to his room and I followed. Right before entering I overheard him talking to his favorite stuffed animal, so I stopped to listen. "When I'm ready to choose a wife, she won't be like any of these girls at court. She will be smart, beautiful and kind and she won't care that I'm a prince. She'll love me for who I am and not because of a dumb title." Those words penetrated to the very depths of my soul from the moment I heard them spurt from his mouth. Instead of going in, I slowly backed away to give him this moment of privacy. He has such a beautiful heart and I'm sure that is just one of the many reasons you fell in love with him to begin with.

Liam does have a beautiful heart and she is right, it is only one of the many reasons you fell in love with him. You marvel at how perceptive she was and is about him.

I must assume that you are not a noblewoman by birth, as I know my son and he has never taken an interest in the lifestyle to which he was born. He wants so desperately to just be a 'normal' person and I can't imagine that will ever change. Also, I have read that most men will marry a woman with qualities like their mother and women will marry similarly to their fathers. If this is true, then I will believe you are a commoner like myself and possibly quite tenacious and down-to-earth. Which brings me to the next point of this letter… I was determined to create a life of my own and the only way to do that was to move away from my home and family. They were not direct descendants of nobility, so I had no aspirations of ever becoming Queen of Cordonia. Upon arriving to the capital, I immediately secured employment as an assistant to one of the local florist's. I became quite skilled at arranging and assembling the flowers, much to my own surprise.

There was to be a ball at the palace within the week and the royal florist had closed its doors for mourning, due to a death in the family. With over one hundred matching centerpieces needing to be created, our little shop was hired to complete this seemingly impossible task. We worked night and day for three days straight, only sleeping in shifts on a cot in the back room. As embarrassing as it might sound, I'm not sure I ever went that long without a full bath, or proper nutrition, but when we finished on time, the accomplishment far outweighed any inconvenience.

Two days after the ball, and our recovery from sleep deprivation and mal-nourishment, we were visited by the King of Cordonia. He wanted to thank us for accepting the job on such short notice and to offer an official request to become the new royal florist! Of course, the owner accepted, and I could see that Constantine wasn't as interested in that as he was with me. I already knew that his first marriage had ended in an annulment after she abandoned him and their young son. My heart went out to him and how hard it must have been trying to raise his child alone… It wasn't long after, that he began to frequent the shop, usually around the time we would close for lunch. For weeks, we spent that time getting to know each other and one day, in front of the store owner and his own guards, he asked if I would be interested in spending some time with him away from the shop and I eagerly accepted. By then, I had fallen in love with him and I was convinced that he felt the same.

After ten months of proper courtship, we announced our engagement… much to the dismay of the nobles at court… They only saw me as a simple commoner who would most likely be the reason for the fall of the monarchy… To my surprise, Constantine didn’t let that deter him from making me his queen. It was hard, but in those few short months before the wedding, I had gained the support of most everyone in the court, not to mention the people. Now, I can’t take all the credit but what mattered the most to me was that I would be with the man I loved… nobles and their arrogance be damned! I know Constantine can be quite commanding in his duties as the king, but in private… he is the most loving and romantic man any woman could hope for. It’s why I fell in love with him to begin with.

After we were married, one of my primary duties as queen was looking after Leo. He is quite boisterous but is always polite and kind to me. I never tried to take his own mother's place, but I never objected to him calling me mother either. It was very rewarding caring for Leo, but what I wanted more than anything was a child of my own. I'll never forget the day I learned that my dream would soon become a reality. After the arrival of this precious gift, my life was complete. Having the title of queen has its advantages, but there is nothing more rewarding than being a mother. Once you've experienced it for yourself, you will know exactly what I mean... Motherhood is bliss!

Just then, your phone rings. As you pick it up, you see it's Liam and smile.

CATHERINE "Hello sweetheart!" LIAM "It's so good to hear your voice my love." CATHERINE "I miss you already." LIAM "I missed you the moment I left this morning." CATHERINE "Aww Liam…you are so sweet." LIAM "Only to you. So how has your day been My Queen?" CATHERINE "Okay I guess, but I did have an interesting conversation with your father this morning." LIAM "Oh? What about?" CATHERINE "He mentioned your coronation and…" LIAM "Why would he bring that up again?" CATHERINE "I think he wanted some closure and maybe he just really feels bad about what he did." LIAM "Only because you unveiled his scheme. He wouldn’t have given it a second thought otherwise." CATHERINE "I don’t know Liam… I'm not so sure he didn't want it to be revealed. He said he’d lost sight of the things that were important, and that he’d let power control his better judgement." LIAM "That's an understatement." CATHERINE "He was very sincere Liam and asked for our forgiveness." LIAM "Oh. And how did you respond?" CATHERINE "Well, speaking for myself I told him I already had." LIAM "Things between us have been less tense but I'm not so sure I'm ready to just forget that it ever happened." CATHERINE "I don’t think he expects you to forget it, but I think he would like the opportunity to apologize. If you could have seen him this morning... he was in tears remembering how devastated you were when you saw those pictures of me and Tariq. I think he truly regrets the whole thing." LIAM "Catherine, I never doubted your integrity, not even for a moment, but it was hard for me to see you in the arms of another man…" CATHERINE "I can only imagine what was going through your mind at the time." LIAM "I’ve thought the same about you… In that moment though, I was so conflicted… my happiness or your safety. In retrospect, there are many things I would have done differently… I have my own share of regrets from that horrible night Catherine." CATHERINE "I know… and I understand all of it but what truly matters is that we’re together…. I wish I were in your arms right now Liam." LIAM "So do I."

There is a slight pause in conversation as you begin to imagine him holding you close, his breath gently caressing your skin… you sigh.

LIAM “Catherine, is something wrong?” CATHERINE “No, no. I was just… thinking about you actually…” LIAM "Oh? And what were you thinking exactly?" CATHERINE "I was thinking… how much I want you right now…" LIAM "Catherine…" 

Another pause… and when he speaks you can almost hear the smile in his voice.

LIAM "Tell staff to add an extra place setting. I will be arriving in a couple of hours." CATHERINE "But, what about the summit? Shouldn’t you stay and finish?" LIAM "I can leave early in the morning and make it back in time before the next one starts. They won’t even miss me." CATHERINE "You're serious, aren't you?" LIAM "Of course I'm serious. You can't expect me to neglect my queen in her time of need. And besides, I have a few of my own…" CATHERINE "Mmmm… what should I be expecting?" LIAM "Whatever Her Majesty desires…" CATHERINE "And what does His Majesty desire?" LIAM "Before or after we undress?" CATHERINE "After… of course." LIAM "Hmm… let’s just say I won’t stop until you’re completely and utterly satisfied…"

His breath becomes shallow.

LIAM “… whatever it takes…” CATHERINE "Mmmm… I can’t wait for you to get here…" LIAM "I promise to make it worth the wait. I'll see you soon my love."

You hang up, your face flushed, and a smile slowly reaches your lips. Liam will be home in a few hours, and you have a few things to prepare. You take the letter and place it in the desk drawer and head down to the kitchen to inform staff that their king will be home for dinner tonight. Then you find Constantine and Regina in the sitting room.

CATHERINE "Liam has decided to join us for dinner tonight." CONSTANTINE "Has the summit concluded already?" REGINA "My, that was prompt." CATHERINE "No, not yet. He wanted to have dinner with us tonight and plans to leave first thing in the morning." CONSTANTINE "I hope this won't become his usual practice for heaven's sake. The cost of jet fuel is astronomical." REGINA "Now Constantine, surely you wouldn't begrudge these two over a little jet fuel. After all, they are still newlyweds."

You blush as Regina smiles and Constantine suddenly grasps her meaning.

CONSTANTINE "Oh! Well... I wouldn't want a couple of thousand gallons of fuel coming between young love. I look forward to seeing him. Are we still on for six?" CATHERINE "Yes. And I need to finish a few things before he gets here, so I'll see you two then." REGINA "Certainly dear."

You make your way upstairs to your bedroom suite and immediately start rummaging through your wardrobe. Finally, you find the perfect dress. It's a low cut, wrap around that emphasizes your curves and allows easy access...

CATHERINE "Perfect!"

You hurry to the bathroom and turn on the water for a quick bath. Afterward you get dressed and head to your office with the intent to busy yourself until Liam arrives. Upon entering, the familiar pile of documents still sits on the table, awaiting your attention and signature. Before beginning, you search the playlist of tunes on your phone and after placing the earbuds in each ear, you start. With the diversion of singing aloud and swaying to the music, time goes by quickly… and before you know it, you've reached the end of the stack. Just then your favorite song starts playing so you stand and reach for the stapler on your desk. Holding it as if it were a microphone, you close your eyes and start singing along while the beat of the music finds you dancing in perfect rhythm… as you are about to hit the high notes you to look up to see Liam standing in the doorway observing you with a smile. Startled, you immediately drop the stapler onto the desk and your earbuds right next to it… then you smile at him.

CATHERINE “Liam…” LIAM "Don't stop on my account."

He steps in and closes the door as you run toward him jumping into his arms. He immediately catches you and your lips meet in a sweltering kiss, sending currents of heat throughout your body.

CATHERINE "How long were you standing there?" LIAM "Long enough… I was quite enjoying your performance."

You kiss him fervently as he carries you to the edge of the desk, quickly clearing a spot… his lips never part from yours. You reach to pull off his jacket and begin unbuttoning his shirt as he continues to bathe you in heated kisses.

CATHERINE "What about dinner?" LIAM "I have more important things to tend to at the moment..."

You remove his shirt, caressing his chest and arms and then down to his belt. He steps back for a moment and hurriedly pulls it off. You continue to remove his pants and underwear as they fall around his ankles and he steps out of them, kicking them to the side. He quickly loosens the first tie of your dress… sliding it over your shoulders and off…

LIAM "Mmmm…"

His hand grasping the curve, he kisses from your neck to your breast… drawing sensual circles with his tongue and nibbling at the tip. With your head tilted back, and your eyes closed, you relish every moment of his touch on your skin.

CATHERINE "Oh Liam…"

His kisses trail up to your neck and then find your lips again. You reach down slowly, taking him in your hand, stroking his erection with fervor as his breathing becomes rapid and in a raspy voice he speaks your name…

LIAM "Oh Catherine…"

As he removes the dress from the rest of your body, he lets out a deep groan when he discovers you are completely bare. His hand delves down, gently caressing your sweet spot and with tender strokes he penetrates you with his fingers. You respond with a lively moan, moving against him until you are drenched and on the verge of spasm. With one hand gripping your thigh to pull you closer, he grasps your hair with the other and brings your face to his, thirst in his eyes. With your legs wrapped around him, you can feel the heat of his erection leaning near your wet folds, almost begging to penetrate… He kisses you, nipping at your lower lip then kisses a line to your ear and whispers softly…

LIAM "I love you…" CATHERINE "Prove it..."

Without hesitation, he plunges into you with such force that you yelp in surprise, grasping his muscled forearms… but soon pleasure overtakes you, and you release a soft moan as his hips rock steadily against yours... your body responding with equal rhythm.

LIAM "Oh how I need you… Catherine… always…” CATHERINE "I love you Liam …so much…" LIAM "I love you…"

His kisses deep and hot as he begins to drive harder, faster… his hands clutching your thighs until he feels you quiver in ecstasy and with one last powerful push, he releases inside you as a wave of warmth flows through your body.

CATHERINE "Liam…Ohhh Liam…" LIAM "Catherine...you are so beautiful…"

You collapse into each other's arms until the trembling subsides…When you both catch your breath, Liam lifts you off the desk and smiles. “Have you noticed how each time we’re together, it’s always better than the last?” You start gathering your clothes. “I have. What do you think it means?” “I’m not sure…it could be that our love is so strong that it allows us to connect on a much deeper level… as if you know what I need before I do and vice versa.” “Liam, I knew we were soulmates, from day one.” He kisses you and then smiles as you both get dressed and head to your bedroom.

After cleaning up you each put on fresh clothes, then make your way to the dining room where Constantine and Regina are waiting.

CONSTANTINE "Liam, good to see you son." LIAM "Father, Regina, it's good to be home tonight." REGINA "We were just about to begin without you two. I wasn't sure if you had decided not to join us after all."

She smiles almost as if she knows what just happened in your office. Liam holds out your chair and once seated, he takes the one next to you. Servers bring out the spread and each of you begin helping yourself.

LIAM "We are only a few minutes late, but we appreciate your patience." CONSTANTINE "Were you able to discuss the platform yet?" LIAM "Not yet. I will be presenting immediately following lunch tomorrow." CONSTANTINE "Oh, that might work to our advantage. Everyone will be more relaxed after a good meal. Keep me informed along the way. I'm anxious to see how Cordonia is received." LIAM "Certainly father." CONSTANTINE "I'm actually glad you came back tonight. I have a bit of news I would like to share." LIAM "I'm listening." CONSTANTINE "I saw my doctor this morning…" LIAM "And?" CONSTANTINE "And, you know I was placed on a new treatment plan recently and… well the report came in today." LIAM "What were the results?" CONSTANTINE "It seems there is a bit of improvement." LIAM "How much of an improvement?" CONSTANTINE "Enough that the cancer has slowed in progression and with continued treatment, it's quite possible to achieve remission." LIAM "That is wonderful news father! And I just noticed that you're not in your wheelchair. This is new." CONSTANTINE "I would prefer if you didn’t refer to it as my wheelchair… that thing is such a nuisance. I decided to put it away and try walking more... to build up my strength. " LIAM "So how’s that going?" CONSTANTINE "Very well actually. And as for my other issues, the lightheadedness is all but gone and the nausea is being well controlled with medicine." LIAM "I am relieved to hear that father. It's good to know that there is finally some hope." CONSTANTINE "Enough about that. I have other news as well. Catherine mentioned the Apple Festival this morning and I had neglected to mention that your brother might be in attendance with his family." LIAM "I don't know if I can stand any more good news. It will be good to see him and meet his family after all this time." CONSTANTINE "It will be wonderful having the entire family in attendance for a change. I have missed many opportunities with regard to that and I hope you won't make that same mistake Liam."

Liam looks at you with a smile, taking your hand and kissing it gently.

LIAM "Father, nothing is more important to me than family and spending time with the ones I love… And one in particular." CATHERINE "I'll make sure he doesn't forget." REGINA "Catherine, since this will be your first time organizing the festival, will you be needing any assistance with preparations?" CATHERINE "Actually, I was going to ask you about that. I'm not sure about the decorations and I want to keep it as close to tradition as possible. Would you mind giving me a few pointers?" REGINA "Of course not. To be perfectly honest, I have missed certain duties of being queen and it would be a pleasure to help any way I can." CATHERINE "And, I can learn from one of the best in the process."

Regina laughs appreciatively.

REGINA "Oh dear, I don't know about that, but I’ll be at your disposal. And don’t underestimate yourself. You have done quite well without my help so far." CATHERINE "I do my best but I'm sure there is a lot more to learn." LIAM "You have mastered many tasks my love and I am very proud to have you as my queen." CATHERINE "Well thank you Liam. You're not so bad yourself."

Liam laughs, as does Constantine and Regina. Once everyone is finished eating, you all sit back and relax for a moment.

CONSTANTINE "That was a very satisfying meal, as is the company." LIAM "I'll second that father." CATHERINE "Would you just look at us… I think you might say we’re behaving somewhat like a family." REGINA "Yes…it's quite refreshing isn't it?"

Everyone smiles pleasantly at each other but no one responds to Regina’s question. Obviously, it is agreed. Liam breaks the silence.

LIAM "Father, do you need my assistance before Catherine and I retire?" CONSTANTINE "No, I still have my nurse you know. No need to make a fuss. And besides, you have an early day tomorrow, so you should get some rest." LIAM "Very well. Regina, do you need help getting him upstairs?" REGINA "Actually, he's walking quite well but thank you. We'll manage." LIAM "If you are sure then, we shall bid you both goodnight." CONSTANTINE "Good night my children." CATHERINE "Sleep well you two." REGINA "And you as well dear."

Liam stands looking at you expectantly and you rise from the table, taking his outstretched hand with a smile. As you exit the dining room, you walk hand-in-hand toward the stairs.

CATHERINE "Hey Liam?" LIAM "Yes love." CATHERINE "Would you mind if we took a stroll through the gardens?" LIAM "I think I can manage for a moment or two."

You continue walking until you’re outside and in the palace gardens. The breeze of the summer air caresses your skin and gives you a peaceful sensation.

LIAM "So, why the gardens My Queen?" CATHERINE "I just thought we could both use some fresh air." LIAM "Good idea. It is a beautiful night, but would you mind if we sat on the bench?" CATHERINE "Not at all."

As you both sit, Liam drapes his arm around you and you lean against him laying your head on his shoulder. A wave of serenity falls over you and you sigh.

LIAM "Something on your mind?" CATHERINE "No, I'm just happy you came home tonight." LIAM "You were very persuasive." CATHERINE "Yeah, I have that effect on people." LIAM "I'd call it a gift."

You both look up to the stars dancing around in the open sky and listen to the crickets chirping and the leaves rustling in the trees.

CATHERINE "Liam, do you remember the Masquerade Ball?" LIAM "Of course I remember. It was the second time I laid eyes on the most beautiful sight I had ever seen…" CATHERINE "Aww, you’re such a romantic…”

LIAM “I’m only telling the truth my love.” CATHERINE “What were you thinking that night when you realized I had come here as one of the suitors?"

Liam smiles fondly. LIAM “I spotted you long before you made your identity known… And to be perfectly honest, a part of me wanted it to be you. But I had to keep telling myself that it simply couldn’t be. You can only imagine my joy and surprise when I realized the woman of my dreams had travelled all this way just for me. I mean, after that night in New York, I never thought I'd see you again." CATHERINE "So you thought about me after you left New York?" LIAM "I couldn't stop thinking about you, Catherine. The truth is, I was in love with you then… even though I wouldn’t let myself admit to it. When I got back to the hotel that night, I felt so empty. I had let the most incredible woman I’d ever met, walk out of my life for what I thought would be forever." CATHERINE "You know, after I walked back to my apartment that night, I remember thinking that same thing. How could I have fallen in love with someone I’d just met? Before I knew it, I was sitting on the edge of my bed laughing at the irony of it and didn’t even realize I was crying too until a few drops fell on my arm."

Liam pulls you closer.

LIAM "Oh Catherine, I never knew…" CATHERINE “Even with no promise of anything more, I couldn't stop thinking about you and how meeting you had changed my life. I felt alive for the first time and I was never going to be the same again. We truly had a special connection and I had to come here and find out for myself if it was real, because no one would have ever measured up to you in my eyes." LIAM "That's exactly how I felt Catherine... That night was no accidental meeting between two strangers, it was preordained to bring us together." CATHERINE "Yeah. I'm glad we didn't disappoint the stars." LIAM "Can you even imagine what things would have been like for both of us had you not followed your heart?" CATHERINE “I’m glad we’ll never know.” LIAM “My life would have been so empty without you…”

Liam reaches under your chin, tilting your head up and kisses you softly, slowly. You pull him closer, pressing against his body, wrapping your arms around him as the kiss quickly becomes enflamed with passion. He pulls back for a moment, a hunger in his eyes…

LIAM "Shall we take this upstairs?" CATHERINE "You read my mind."

You both rise from the bench and make your way back into the palace, up the stairs and finally to your bedroom. As soon as the door closes behind you, he kisses you fervently and as if by magic the clothes begin to fall, piece by piece, all around the room. He leads you to the bed where you lie down pulling him with you. He blankets you with kisses as he slides down your body and pauses looking up at you. He smiles a devious smile as his hand delves to your inner thighs and watches your reaction to his roving fingers. You open your legs to accommodate him as he slowly kisses you to your core. He groans when he tastes you and with his tongue probing deeper, you let out a gratified whimper.

CATHERINE "Liam…" LIAM "Mmmm… you taste so sweet…"

His hands grasping your thighs tightly as he continues his pursuit of giving you pleasure, relishing every moment himself. When he slides back up to take your lips again, you shift your body, turning him over until he is laying on his back and you are balanced above him smiling confidently.

LIAM "What's this?" CATHERINE "You'll see."

He smiles, eagerly awaiting your next move. You bend down and kiss him hard and he moans in approval. He urgently grabs your waist but releases when you begin tracing a line of kisses down his neck, over his chest and down until you reach his length. You take him in your hand and kiss the tip ever so slightly.

LIAM "Oh Catherine…"

Then you let your tongue roll over the top for a moment before slowly taking him in your mouth. His breath heavy and he groans deeply as you devour him repeatedly.

LIAM "Ohhh…Catherine, don't stop...stop…"

As he struggles to keep from exploding, he reaches for you, but you're not quite finished yet. You flash him a smile and slide your tongue from the bottom of his length all the way up and quickly draw the tip into your mouth, tasting him as a trace suddenly escapes. He urgently pulls you up as you straddle him and without hesitation he guides your hips, and slides inside you. You hold onto the headboard for leverage as you steadily move against him, he eagerly matches your pace. With the heat intensifying, you quicken the rhythm and once he feels you tremble, a fire bursts inside you with uninhibited power.

CATHERINE "Liam… yes…" LIAM "Ohhh… Catherine."

You collapse on his chest as you both lay breathless. Afterward, you roll to his side and he pulls you close… you lay your head on his chest as he strokes your arm affectionately. Both of you content and satisfied.

LIAM "You continue to amaze me Catherine." CATHERINE "So I take it you approve." LIAM "Definitely." CATHERINE "There's more where that came from." LIAM "I almost didn't make it this time…"

He suddenly laughs.

CATHERINE "What?" LIAM "I just wonder what you would have done if I hadn't resisted." CATHERINE "You should have let me finish." LIAM "How would I ever satisfy My Queen if I had let that happen?" CATHERINE "I'm sure you'd figure something out." LIAM "I'm glad you think so."

He smiles and leans over placing a sweet kiss on your lips. You sigh in contentment.

LIAM "Let's get cleaned up and then try to get some sleep. I think two flights in one day has finally caught up with me." CATHERINE "Not to mention other activities that might have contributed to your fatigue." LIAM "I'll never get enough of you Catherine, fatigued or otherwise."

You both get up and head to the bathroom to freshen up. Once finished you climb into bed and curl up against Liam. He wraps you in the warmth of his arms and kisses your forehead, sighing in contentment.

CATHERINE "I'm so glad you came home. I sleep much better with you next to me." LIAM "Me too my love." CATHERINE "If only I hadn't planned that charity brunch tomorrow I could have made the trip with you." LIAM "We should coordinate our schedules a bit better in the future." CATHERINE "At least I have you for tonight." LIAM "I wouldn't want to be anywhere else love."

You lean over kissing him and then lay your head on his chest as he pulls you closer and smiles.

LIAM "Good night My Queen." CATHERINE "Good night My King."

Soon you are both fast asleep.

[romanticatheart-posts]

King Sized Revelations - 2

In this chapter we will meet Liam’s mother by way of a letter she wrote many years ago. You are interrupted by a phone call from Liam and have a little family time with Regina and Constantine. 

NSFW! Pixelberry owns all characters but I do love writing about them! Enjoy!

Master List

You are in your office holding the letter Constantine gave you just minutes ago. It is a letter from Liam's mother, written to the woman he chose to be his bride.

You slowly unfold it as your heart begins to thump wildly in your chest. Taking a deep breath… you begin to read…

My dearest daughter,

Let me start by saying it is not my wish to introduce myself to you in this manner and yet somehow, there is a feeling within me that I won't be there the day my sweet Liam marries the love of his life. As dismal as this all may seem to you, I still want to be a part of your life. Even if only in memory. I'm sure you've been told many things about me by now, but I want you to know me as a woman and not just as a queen, wife and mother. I suspect you and I share many similarities in our thoughts and overall character. I've tried to imagine the kind of person my son would fall in love with and ultimately marry and I must believe that even though he is bound by the expectations of being royalty, Liam will never let the court decide that direction of his life. Only his beautiful heart will control that outcome.

Since you are the woman he has chosen to spend the rest of his life with, I wish to give you my most heartfelt blessing. And if I know my darling son, he was most likely in love with you long before he would even admit it to himself. I have often observed how he will sit for hours carefully planning an activity. It amazes me how he considers every possibility before making any type of decision. When he realized his feelings for you, he quite possibly considered more of the impact his life would impose upon you than the attachment he felt. I am certain he left no stone unturned and when he finally confessed his love for you, there were no questions left to answer. His decision was unequivocal.

Liam has a kind and generous heart and he genuinely loves those closest to him, but I believe that falling in love means more than a casual emotion, and his vision of love is deep and abiding. Several months ago, he and his circle of friends were play acting, as most children do at this age. But, when it came time for him to choose a 'wife', he would not participate. He just walked away and as he approached me, I could see that he was troubled. When I asked him why he didn't want to play with the others, he simply said, "Mother, they want me to choose a wife." I explained that all children play this game in one form or another, but he was not going to be one of them. He said, "Being in love should not be a game and I won't pretend to be married to someone I do not love." I couldn't argue with that. Even at this youthful age, he knows love and marriage are to be revered…

You sit back for a moment… thinking how Constantine had expected him to do that very thing. You ache inside at how close it was to becoming a reality and how miserable his life would have been. Thank God fate had stepped in and saved you both from a dismal existence. Turning back to the letter, you continue reading…

I was very proud of him in that moment and I couldn't help but smile. He dashed up to his room and I followed. Right before entering I overheard him talking to his favorite stuffed animal, so I stopped to listen. "When I'm ready to choose a wife, she won't be like any of these girls at court. She will be smart, beautiful and kind and she won't care that I'm a prince. She'll love me for who I am and not because of a dumb title." Those words penetrated to the very depths of my soul from the moment I heard them spurt from his mouth. Instead of going in, I slowly backed away to give him this moment of privacy. He has such a beautiful heart and I'm sure that is just one of the many reasons you fell in love with him to begin with.

Liam does have a beautiful heart and she is right, it is only one of the many reasons you fell in love with him. You marvel at how perceptive she was and is about him.

I must assume that you are not a noblewoman by birth, as I know my son and he has never taken an interest in the lifestyle to which he was born. He wants so desperately to just be a 'normal' person and I can't imagine that will ever change. Also, I have read that most men will marry a woman with qualities like their mother and women will marry similarly to their fathers. If this is true, then I will believe you are a commoner like myself and possibly quite tenacious and down-to-earth. Which brings me to the next point of this letter… I was determined to create a life of my own and the only way to do that was to move away from my home and family. They were not direct descendants of nobility, so I had no aspirations of ever becoming Queen of Cordonia. Upon arriving to the capital, I immediately secured employment as an assistant to one of the local florist's. I became quite skilled at arranging and assembling the flowers, much to my own surprise.

There was to be a ball at the palace within the week and the royal florist had closed its doors for mourning, due to a death in the family. With over one hundred matching centerpieces needing to be created, our little shop was hired to complete this seemingly impossible task. We worked night and day for three days straight, only sleeping in shifts on a cot in the back room. As embarrassing as it might sound, I'm not sure I ever went that long without a full bath, or proper nutrition, but when we finished on time, the accomplishment far outweighed any inconvenience.

Two days after the ball, and our recovery from sleep deprivation and mal-nourishment, we were visited by the King of Cordonia. He wanted to thank us for accepting the job on such short notice and to offer an official request to become the new royal florist! Of course, the owner accepted, and I could see that Constantine wasn't as interested in that as he was with me. I already knew that his first marriage had ended in an annulment after she abandoned him and their young son. My heart went out to him and how hard it must have been trying to raise his child alone… It wasn't long after, that he began to frequent the shop, usually around the time we would close for lunch. For weeks, we spent that time getting to know each other and one day, in front of the store owner and his own guards, he asked if I would be interested in spending some time with him away from the shop and I eagerly accepted. By then, I had fallen in love with him and I was convinced that he felt the same.

After ten months of proper courtship, we announced our engagement… much to the dismay of the nobles at court… They only saw me as a simple commoner who would most likely be the reason for the fall of the monarchy… To my surprise, Constantine didn’t let that deter him from making me his queen. It was hard, but in those few short months before the wedding, I had gained the support of most everyone in the court, not to mention the people. Now, I can’t take all the credit but what mattered the most to me was that I would be with the man I loved… nobles and their arrogance be damned! I know Constantine can be quite commanding in his duties as the king, but in private… he is the most loving and romantic man any woman could hope for. It’s why I fell in love with him to begin with.

After we were married, one of my primary duties as queen was looking after Leo. He is quite boisterous but is always polite and kind to me. I never tried to take his own mother's place, but I never objected to him calling me mother either. It was very rewarding caring for Leo, but what I wanted more than anything was a child of my own. I'll never forget the day I learned that my dream would soon become a reality. After the arrival of this precious gift, my life was complete. Having the title of queen has its advantages, but there is nothing more rewarding than being a mother. Once you've experienced it for yourself, you will know exactly what I mean... Motherhood is bliss!

Just then, your phone rings. As you pick it up, you see it's Liam and smile.

CATHERINE "Hello sweetheart!" LIAM "It's so good to hear your voice my love." CATHERINE "I miss you already." LIAM "I missed you the moment I left this morning." CATHERINE "Aww Liam…you are so sweet." LIAM "Only to you. So how has your day been My Queen?" CATHERINE "Okay I guess, but I did have an interesting conversation with your father this morning." LIAM "Oh? What about?" CATHERINE "He mentioned your coronation and…" LIAM "Why would he bring that up again?" CATHERINE "I think he wanted some closure and maybe he just really feels bad about what he did." LIAM "Only because you unveiled his scheme. He wouldn’t have given it a second thought otherwise." CATHERINE "I don’t know Liam… I'm not so sure he didn't want it to be revealed. He said he’d lost sight of the things that were important, and that he’d let power control his better judgement." LIAM "That's an understatement." CATHERINE "He was very sincere Liam and asked for our forgiveness." LIAM "Oh. And how did you respond?" CATHERINE "Well, speaking for myself I told him I already had." LIAM "Things between us have been less tense but I'm not so sure I'm ready to just forget that it ever happened." CATHERINE "I don’t think he expects you to forget it, but I think he would like the opportunity to apologize. If you could have seen him this morning... he was in tears remembering how devastated you were when you saw those pictures of me and Tariq. I think he truly regrets the whole thing." LIAM "Catherine, I never doubted your integrity, not even for a moment, but it was hard for me to see you in the arms of another man…" CATHERINE "I can only imagine what was going through your mind at the time." LIAM "I’ve thought the same about you… In that moment though, I was so conflicted… my happiness or your safety. In retrospect, there are many things I would have done differently… I have my own share of regrets from that horrible night Catherine." CATHERINE "I know… and I understand all of it but what truly matters is that we’re together…. I wish I were in your arms right now Liam." LIAM "So do I."

There is a slight pause in conversation as you begin to imagine him holding you close, his breath gently caressing your skin… you sigh.

LIAM “Catherine, is something wrong?” CATHERINE “No, no. I was just… thinking about you actually…” LIAM "Oh? And what were you thinking exactly?" CATHERINE "I was thinking… how much I want you right now…" LIAM "Catherine…" 

Another pause… and when he speaks you can almost hear the smile in his voice.

LIAM "Tell staff to add an extra place setting. I will be arriving in a couple of hours." CATHERINE "But, what about the summit? Shouldn’t you stay and finish?" LIAM "I can leave early in the morning and make it back in time before the next one starts. They won’t even miss me." CATHERINE "You're serious, aren't you?" LIAM "Of course I'm serious. You can't expect me to neglect my queen in her time of need. And besides, I have a few of my own…" CATHERINE "Mmmm… what should I be expecting?" LIAM "Whatever Her Majesty desires…" CATHERINE "And what does His Majesty desire?" LIAM "Before or after we undress?" CATHERINE "After… of course." LIAM "Hmm… let’s just say I won’t stop until you’re completely and utterly satisfied…"

His breath becomes shallow.

LIAM “… whatever it takes…” CATHERINE "Mmmm… I can’t wait for you to get here…" LIAM "I promise to make it worth the wait. I'll see you soon my love."

You hang up, your face flushed, and a smile slowly reaches your lips. Liam will be home in a few hours, and you have a few things to prepare. You take the letter and place it in the desk drawer and head down to the kitchen to inform staff that their king will be home for dinner tonight. Then you find Constantine and Regina in the sitting room.

CATHERINE "Liam has decided to join us for dinner tonight." CONSTANTINE "Has the summit concluded already?" REGINA "My, that was prompt." CATHERINE "No, not yet. He wanted to have dinner with us tonight and plans to leave first thing in the morning." CONSTANTINE "I hope this won't become his usual practice for heaven's sake. The cost of jet fuel is astronomical." REGINA "Now Constantine, surely you wouldn't begrudge these two over a little jet fuel. After all, they are still newlyweds."

You blush as Regina smiles and Constantine suddenly grasps her meaning.

CONSTANTINE "Oh! Well... I wouldn't want a couple of thousand gallons of fuel coming between young love. I look forward to seeing him. Are we still on for six?" CATHERINE "Yes. And I need to finish a few things before he gets here, so I'll see you two then." REGINA "Certainly dear."

You make your way upstairs to your bedroom suite and immediately start rummaging through your wardrobe. Finally, you find the perfect dress. It's a low cut, wrap around that emphasizes your curves and allows easy access...

CATHERINE "Perfect!"

You hurry to the bathroom and turn on the water for a quick bath. Afterward you get dressed and head to your office with the intent to busy yourself until Liam arrives. Upon entering, the familiar pile of documents still sits on the table, awaiting your attention and signature. Before beginning, you search the playlist of tunes on your phone and after placing the earbuds in each ear, you start. With the diversion of singing aloud and swaying to the music, time goes by quickly… and before you know it, you've reached the end of the stack. Just then your favorite song starts playing so you stand and reach for the stapler on your desk. Holding it as if it were a microphone, you close your eyes and start singing along while the beat of the music finds you dancing in perfect rhythm… as you are about to hit the high notes you to look up to see Liam standing in the doorway observing you with a smile. Startled, you immediately drop the stapler onto the desk and your earbuds right next to it… then you smile at him.

CATHERINE “Liam…” LIAM "Don't stop on my account."

He steps in and closes the door as you run toward him jumping into his arms. He immediately catches you and your lips meet in a sweltering kiss, sending currents of heat throughout your body.

CATHERINE "How long were you standing there?" LIAM "Long enough… I was quite enjoying your performance."

You kiss him fervently as he carries you to the edge of the desk, quickly clearing a spot… his lips never part from yours. You reach to pull off his jacket and begin unbuttoning his shirt as he continues to bathe you in heated kisses.

CATHERINE "What about dinner?" LIAM "I have more important things to tend to at the moment..."

You remove his shirt, caressing his chest and arms and then down to his belt. He steps back for a moment and hurriedly pulls it off. You continue to remove his pants and underwear as they fall around his ankles and he steps out of them, kicking them to the side. He quickly loosens the first tie of your dress… sliding it over your shoulders and off…

LIAM "Mmmm…"

His hand grasping the curve, he kisses from your neck to your breast… drawing sensual circles with his tongue and nibbling at the tip. With your head tilted back, and your eyes closed, you relish every moment of his touch on your skin.

CATHERINE "Oh Liam…"

His kisses trail up to your neck and then find your lips again. You reach down slowly, taking him in your hand, stroking his erection with fervor as his breathing becomes rapid and in a raspy voice he speaks your name…

LIAM "Oh Catherine…"

As he removes the dress from the rest of your body, he lets out a deep groan when he discovers you are completely bare. His hand delves down, gently caressing your sweet spot and with tender strokes he penetrates you with his fingers. You respond with a lively moan, moving against him until you are drenched and on the verge of spasm. With one hand gripping your thigh to pull you closer, he grasps your hair with the other and brings your face to his, thirst in his eyes. With your legs wrapped around him, you can feel the heat of his erection leaning near your wet folds, almost begging to penetrate… He kisses you, nipping at your lower lip then kisses a line to your ear and whispers softly…

LIAM "I love you…" CATHERINE "Prove it..."

Without hesitation, he plunges into you with such force that you yelp in surprise, grasping his muscled forearms… but soon pleasure overtakes you, and you release a soft moan as his hips rock steadily against yours... your body responding with equal rhythm.

LIAM "Oh how I need you… Catherine… always…” CATHERINE "I love you Liam …so much…" LIAM "I love you…"

His kisses deep and hot as he begins to drive harder, faster… his hands clutching your thighs until he feels you quiver in ecstasy and with one last powerful push, he releases inside you as a wave of warmth flows through your body.

CATHERINE "Liam…Ohhh Liam…" LIAM "Catherine...you are so beautiful…"

You collapse into each other's arms until the trembling subsides…When you both catch your breath, Liam lifts you off the desk and smiles. “Have you noticed how each time we’re together, it’s always better than the last?” You start gathering your clothes. “I have. What do you think it means?” “I’m not sure…it could be that our love is so strong that it allows us to connect on a much deeper level… as if you know what I need before I do and vice versa.” “Liam, I knew we were soulmates, from day one.” He kisses you and then smiles as you both get dressed and head to your bedroom.

After cleaning up you each put on fresh clothes, then make your way to the dining room where Constantine and Regina are waiting.

CONSTANTINE "Liam, good to see you son." LIAM "Father, Regina, it's good to be home tonight." REGINA "We were just about to begin without you two. I wasn't sure if you had decided not to join us after all."

She smiles almost as if she knows what just happened in your office. Liam holds out your chair and once seated, he takes the one next to you. Servers bring out the spread and each of you begin helping yourself.

LIAM "We are only a few minutes late, but we appreciate your patience." CONSTANTINE "Were you able to discuss the platform yet?" LIAM "Not yet. I will be presenting immediately following lunch tomorrow." CONSTANTINE "Oh, that might work to our advantage. Everyone will be more relaxed after a good meal. Keep me informed along the way. I'm anxious to see how Cordonia is received." LIAM "Certainly father." CONSTANTINE "I'm actually glad you came back tonight. I have a bit of news I would like to share." LIAM "I'm listening." CONSTANTINE "I saw my doctor this morning…" LIAM "And?" CONSTANTINE "And, you know I was placed on a new treatment plan recently and… well the report came in today." LIAM "What were the results?" CONSTANTINE "It seems there is a bit of improvement." LIAM "How much of an improvement?" CONSTANTINE "Enough that the cancer has slowed in progression and with continued treatment, it's quite possible to achieve remission." LIAM "That is wonderful news father! And I just noticed that you're not in your wheelchair. This is new." CONSTANTINE "I would prefer if you didn’t refer to it as my wheelchair… that thing is such a nuisance. I decided to put it away and try walking more... to build up my strength. " LIAM "So how’s that going?" CONSTANTINE "Very well actually. And as for my other issues, the lightheadedness is all but gone and the nausea is being well controlled with medicine." LIAM "I am relieved to hear that father. It's good to know that there is finally some hope." CONSTANTINE "Enough about that. I have other news as well. Catherine mentioned the Apple Festival this morning and I had neglected to mention that your brother might be in attendance with his family." LIAM "I don't know if I can stand any more good news. It will be good to see him and meet his family after all this time." CONSTANTINE "It will be wonderful having the entire family in attendance for a change. I have missed many opportunities with regard to that and I hope you won't make that same mistake Liam."

Liam looks at you with a smile, taking your hand and kissing it gently.

LIAM "Father, nothing is more important to me than family and spending time with the ones I love… And one in particular." CATHERINE "I'll make sure he doesn't forget." REGINA "Catherine, since this will be your first time organizing the festival, will you be needing any assistance with preparations?" CATHERINE "Actually, I was going to ask you about that. I'm not sure about the decorations and I want to keep it as close to tradition as possible. Would you mind giving me a few pointers?" REGINA "Of course not. To be perfectly honest, I have missed certain duties of being queen and it would be a pleasure to help any way I can." CATHERINE "And, I can learn from one of the best in the process."

Regina laughs appreciatively.

REGINA "Oh dear, I don't know about that, but I’ll be at your disposal. And don’t underestimate yourself. You have done quite well without my help so far." CATHERINE "I do my best but I'm sure there is a lot more to learn." LIAM "You have mastered many tasks my love and I am very proud to have you as my queen." CATHERINE "Well thank you Liam. You're not so bad yourself."

Liam laughs, as does Constantine and Regina. Once everyone is finished eating, you all sit back and relax for a moment.

CONSTANTINE "That was a very satisfying meal, as is the company." LIAM "I'll second that father." CATHERINE "Would you just look at us… I think you might say we’re behaving somewhat like a family." REGINA "Yes…it's quite refreshing isn't it?"

Everyone smiles pleasantly at each other but no one responds to Regina’s question. Obviously, it is agreed. Liam breaks the silence.

LIAM "Father, do you need my assistance before Catherine and I retire?" CONSTANTINE "No, I still have my nurse you know. No need to make a fuss. And besides, you have an early day tomorrow, so you should get some rest." LIAM "Very well. Regina, do you need help getting him upstairs?" REGINA "Actually, he's walking quite well but thank you. We'll manage." LIAM "If you are sure then, we shall bid you both goodnight." CONSTANTINE "Good night my children." CATHERINE "Sleep well you two." REGINA "And you as well dear."

Liam stands looking at you expectantly and you rise from the table, taking his outstretched hand with a smile. As you exit the dining room, you walk hand-in-hand toward the stairs.

CATHERINE "Hey Liam?" LIAM "Yes love." CATHERINE "Would you mind if we took a stroll through the gardens?" LIAM "I think I can manage for a moment or two."

You continue walking until you’re outside and in the palace gardens. The breeze of the summer air caresses your skin and gives you a peaceful sensation.

LIAM "So, why the gardens My Queen?" CATHERINE "I just thought we could both use some fresh air." LIAM "Good idea. It is a beautiful night, but would you mind if we sat on the bench?" CATHERINE "Not at all."

As you both sit, Liam drapes his arm around you and you lean against him laying your head on his shoulder. A wave of serenity falls over you and you sigh.

LIAM "Something on your mind?" CATHERINE "No, I'm just happy you came home tonight." LIAM "You were very persuasive." CATHERINE "Yeah, I have that effect on people." LIAM "I'd call it a gift."

You both look up to the stars dancing around in the open sky and listen to the crickets chirping and the leaves rustling in the trees.

CATHERINE "Liam, do you remember the Masquerade Ball?" LIAM "Of course I remember. It was the second time I laid eyes on the most beautiful sight I had ever seen…" CATHERINE "Aww, you’re such a romantic…”

LIAM “I’m only telling the truth my love.” CATHERINE “What were you thinking that night when you realized I had come here as one of the suitors?"

Liam smiles fondly. LIAM “I spotted you long before you made your identity known… And to be perfectly honest, a part of me wanted it to be you. But I had to keep telling myself that it simply couldn’t be. You can only imagine my joy and surprise when I realized the woman of my dreams had travelled all this way just for me. I mean, after that night in New York, I never thought I'd see you again." CATHERINE "So you thought about me after you left New York?" LIAM "I couldn't stop thinking about you, Catherine. The truth is, I was in love with you then… even though I wouldn’t let myself admit to it. When I got back to the hotel that night, I felt so empty. I had let the most incredible woman I’d ever met, walk out of my life for what I thought would be forever." CATHERINE "You know, after I walked back to my apartment that night, I remember thinking that same thing. How could I have fallen in love with someone I’d just met? Before I knew it, I was sitting on the edge of my bed laughing at the irony of it and didn’t even realize I was crying too until a few drops fell on my arm."

Liam pulls you closer.

LIAM "Oh Catherine, I never knew…" CATHERINE “Even with no promise of anything more, I couldn't stop thinking about you and how meeting you had changed my life. I felt alive for the first time and I was never going to be the same again. We truly had a special connection and I had to come here and find out for myself if it was real, because no one would have ever measured up to you in my eyes." LIAM "That's exactly how I felt Catherine... That night was no accidental meeting between two strangers, it was preordained to bring us together." CATHERINE "Yeah. I'm glad we didn't disappoint the stars." LIAM "Can you even imagine what things would have been like for both of us had you not followed your heart?" CATHERINE “I’m glad we’ll never know.” LIAM “My life would have been so empty without you…”

Liam reaches under your chin, tilting your head up and kisses you softly, slowly. You pull him closer, pressing against his body, wrapping your arms around him as the kiss quickly becomes enflamed with passion. He pulls back for a moment, a hunger in his eyes…

LIAM "Shall we take this upstairs?" CATHERINE "You read my mind."

You both rise from the bench and make your way back into the palace, up the stairs and finally to your bedroom. As soon as the door closes behind you, he kisses you fervently and as if by magic the clothes begin to fall, piece by piece, all around the room. He leads you to the bed where you lie down pulling him with you. He blankets you with kisses as he slides down your body and pauses looking up at you. He smiles a devious smile as his hand delves to your inner thighs and watches your reaction to his roving fingers. You open your legs to accommodate him as he slowly kisses you to your core. He groans when he tastes you and with his tongue probing deeper, you let out a gratified whimper.

CATHERINE "Liam…" LIAM "Mmmm… you taste so sweet…"

His hands grasping your thighs tightly as he continues his pursuit of giving you pleasure, relishing every moment himself. When he slides back up to take your lips again, you shift your body, turning him over until he is laying on his back and you are balanced above him smiling confidently.

LIAM "What's this?" CATHERINE "You'll see."

He smiles, eagerly awaiting your next move. You bend down and kiss him hard and he moans in approval. He urgently grabs your waist but releases when you begin tracing a line of kisses down his neck, over his chest and down until you reach his length. You take him in your hand and kiss the tip ever so slightly.

LIAM "Oh Catherine…"

Then you let your tongue roll over the top for a moment before slowly taking him in your mouth. His breath heavy and he groans deeply as you devour him repeatedly.

LIAM "Ohhh…Catherine, don't stop...stop…"

As he struggles to keep from exploding, he reaches for you, but you're not quite finished yet. You flash him a smile and slide your tongue from the bottom of his length all the way up and quickly draw the tip into your mouth, tasting him as a trace suddenly escapes. He urgently pulls you up as you straddle him and without hesitation he guides your hips, and slides inside you. You hold onto the headboard for leverage as you steadily move against him, he eagerly matches your pace. With the heat intensifying, you quicken the rhythm and once he feels you tremble, a fire bursts inside you with uninhibited power.

CATHERINE "Liam… yes…" LIAM "Ohhh… Catherine."

You collapse on his chest as you both lay breathless. Afterward, you roll to his side and he pulls you close… you lay your head on his chest as he strokes your arm affectionately. Both of you content and satisfied.

LIAM "You continue to amaze me Catherine." CATHERINE "So I take it you approve." LIAM "Definitely." CATHERINE "There's more where that came from." LIAM "I almost didn't make it this time…"

He suddenly laughs.

CATHERINE "What?" LIAM "I just wonder what you would have done if I hadn't resisted." CATHERINE "You should have let me finish." LIAM "How would I ever satisfy My Queen if I had let that happen?" CATHERINE "I'm sure you'd figure something out." LIAM "I'm glad you think so."

He smiles and leans over placing a sweet kiss on your lips. You sigh in contentment.

LIAM "Let's get cleaned up and then try to get some sleep. I think two flights in one day has finally caught up with me." CATHERINE "Not to mention other activities that might have contributed to your fatigue." LIAM "I'll never get enough of you Catherine, fatigued or otherwise."

You both get up and head to the bathroom to freshen up. Once finished you climb into bed and curl up against Liam. He wraps you in the warmth of his arms and kisses your forehead, sighing in contentment.

CATHERINE "I'm so glad you came home. I sleep much better with you next to me." LIAM "Me too my love." CATHERINE "If only I hadn't planned that charity brunch tomorrow I could have made the trip with you." LIAM "We should coordinate our schedules a bit better in the future." CATHERINE "At least I have you for tonight." LIAM "I wouldn't want to be anywhere else love."

You lean over kissing him and then lay your head on his chest as he pulls you closer and smiles.

LIAM "Good night My Queen." CATHERINE "Good night My King."

Soon you are both fast asleep.