#sorry to interrupt the queen posting with this but i am taking advantage of the fact that everyone's on tumblr rn lol

[bipirate]

listen,

[darling-i-read-it]

My King

Nikolai Lantsov x fem!reader

Word Count: 2k

Warnings: burns, violence, injuries

Author’s Note: This was so cute omg, I hope you enjoy love!

Requested; by anon, Hi love I absolutely adore your writing and I was wondering if you could request the ‘who did this to you trope’ with Nikolai please Thank you

Summary: the request!

I don’t own these characters. They belong to author/director/creator

(not my gif)

Nikolai Lantsov, King of Ravka, was the only man in this world that could make you actually visibly flustered. Boy did he love that. He used it to his advantage whenever he could and even managed to make you laugh here and there.

You stood behind him, looking down at his radiant blonde hair. You brushed through it carefully, making sure there were no tangles. He looked at you through the mirror and you pretended not to notice.

“You have to talk more with the suitors today,” you muttered, focused on combing through his hair.

“No I don’t,” he said. “I’ve picked my Queen.” You rolled your eyes. He caught it and couldn’t help but smile softly.

“I can’t be Queen Nikolai.” You met his eyes through the reflection. He looked effortlessly handsome, though he always did. You were always amazed at his stunning looks. Nikolai was a regal man and if nothing else, looked like he was fit to be a King.

“Why not?” he asked.

“Because I’m not royal.” You put your hands on his shoulders and leaned down, tilting your head to see him face to face. He met your gaze, that charming look in his eyes. “And you won’t get any prospects from being with me. You won’t get any money. You won’t get any land. You’ll get only me and that is not enough.”

“It’s plenty!” he protested. “I don’t need land or money or prospects. I just need you.” You shook your head and turned around, walking over to his bed. You handed him the clothing that his people had picked out for him to wear.

“No you want me. Ravka needs someone suited for the job.” Nikolai hated when you brought Ravka into this. If he was a low servant boy the two of you would have been married ages ago. He stood and turned around, holding his clothing in his hand.

“I will convince you.”

“No you won’t,” you muttered absentmindedly. “I have to call Genya to get things prepared for next week. You get dressed.”

“I won’t get married to anyone else.”

“We can have an affair on the side, will that make you happy?”

“No. I will not produce a bastard and make our child suffer the way I have,” he grumbled. You met his eyes kindly.

“Who says I want children with you?”

“You can’t keep your hands off me, I’m fairly certain your actions betray your words.” You rolled your eyes and put your hand on his chest as you walked past.

“Get dressed Nikolai. I’ll be with Genya if you need me.”

You left the room and he was left alone with his mind and his clothes. He stared at the door for a second, shaking his head. He knew that you were right. He knew that you understood this situation better than most. But he also knew that as long as you were alive, he could never love another person. He didn’t want to and he didn’t need to. You would make a wonderful Queen.

He would convince you one day, he was sure of it.

====

Genya held a clipboard in her hand. You wondered briefly if she had different colors to match what she wanted to go for that day. You almost never saw her without some sort of planning ability.

“I wish you would just marry him, save us all the trouble,” Genya said softly. You rolled your eyes.

“Trust me, if I could I would.”

“You’re completely able. You aren’t repulsed by him like some of the women coming. You aren’t his cousin, you aren’t underage. You’re both in love and that should be enough.”

“It’s enough for him. Not enough for Ravka.” You let out a small sigh and was about to say something else when a guard entered the room. You raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t announced himself or anything which was unusual. You are one of the closest to the King and usually was shown that respect. But this man looked very worried.

“There’s a Grisha at the gates, demanding to come in.”

“Do you know who it is?” you asked. He shook his head. You pursed your lips and spared Genya a glance. You were a very talented Heartrender and could use your power for defense if necessary. “What kind of Grisha?”

“Inferni.” You let out a soft sigh. That wasn’t great news.

“Should I find Zoya?” Genya asked. You shook your head.

“Zoya isn’t in Ravka.” She was out with Nina, hopelessly spying on others. She had protested quite often but you made her go. She could do good out there and could come back to lead her post later. You turned to the guard. “Come.”

===

You didn’t bother stopping to tell Nikolai. You could handle this yourself, you were sure. It was one Grisha. You had fought plenty before. You could handle one Inferni. You did wish you hadn’t told Zoya to go though. She was much more powerful than you.

You reached the gates and saw the fire immediately. Your few Tidemakers were doing their best to battle the flames but the Inferni looked skilled. You wondered if they were a member of the Second Army before the war.

You saw him standing at the edge of the gates.

“Let me see the King!” he yelled at the guards, shooting flames aimlessly. You focused, slowing his heart rate at your will. He looked frightened as he realized what was happening to him. You approached cautiously.

“The King is busy today,” you said. He clutched his chest. “Can I help you?”

“I want…” he breathed heavily, “to kill the King.” You shook your head.

“That isn’t going to happen today.” He looked up at you and before you knew it he had shot a ball of fire in your direction. It knocked you down, causing you to lose your focus. Pain flew to your limbs as you put the fire out. You raised your hand to him and crippled him down to his knees more harshly this time. You took the air from his lungs, your own body singed and smoking as you did so. You guestered to a Tidemaker and some guards. “Take him.”

They did as they were told, dragging him to the dungeon. He gasped for air until he was out of your sight.

You sat in the courtyard for a moment, reveling in your pain. No one approached you for a moment, unsure if you were able to stand on your own or not. You wobbled to your feet and guestered to a guard.

“Send for Genya Safin.”

“Should I get the King?” the guard asked.

“Saints no,” you breathed.

You walked back inside the castle and soon enough saw Genya rushing towards you. Her eyes went wide in horror.

“Why didn’t you ask for a Healer?” she exclaimed.

“I wanted you to take me there,” you breathed, laughing gently. She held you up and started to walk towards the nearest Healer when you saw Nikolai coming down the stairs, a guard trailing after him. He ran up to you, putting his arms around your waist and holding you up. Genya let you go into his grasp. Your eyes narrowed on the guard. “You disobeyed me.”

“He insisted on knowing whenever you were hurt,” the guard said quietly. You shook your head.

“Who did this to you?” Nikolai almost growled. You tried not to think of the monster inside him as he spoke in an animalistic tone.

“Inferni at the gates.”

“You should have called for help.”

“I can handle myself.” He turned to Genya.

“Take her to the Healers, I’m going to see this Inferni.” You gave him a look as he put you back into her care.

“Nikolai don’t do anything stupid unprotected,” you muttered, wincing in pain.

“He’ll get what's coming to him,” Nikolai muttered as he walked away from you.

====

The Healers tended to your wounds quickly and were able to avoid having any serious burns. You had gotten lucky. Nikolai was right though, you should have sent for help. You rested in your room, bandages over your various injuries.

The door opened without a knock which meant it was no one but Nikolai. You looked over at him.

“What did you do?” you asked evenly. He quickly sat at your side, grabbing your hand in his. He leaned forward and brushed your hair out of your face.

“He will be tried for high treason.”

“He didn’t commit high treason. He can’t even be tried for an assasination attempt, he never got close to you.” Nikolai smiled slyly and met your eyes.

“First off, I’m the King and I get to say who is tried with high treason. Second off, it was not an assassination attempt on the King of Ravka, it was however an assassination attempt on the future Queen of Ravka.” You went completely silent for a few moments, his words hanging in the air.

“You didn’t tell him that, did you?”

“I did. In fact, I told Genya to stop planning for the suitors' arrival next week.” He paused for dramatic effect. “Then I told her to get an official announcement prepared.”

“Nikolai-”

“Be quiet for a moment,” he said, meeting your eyes. “You got rather lucky today. You’re very lucky actually that you happened to be at the castle where there are the best Healers around. If you hadn’t been, your burns could have been much worse and you could have died.”

“That’s a bit of a stretch.”

“Shh!” He cleared his throat. “I won’t lose you. You are the most fit to be Queen and we will secure the Lantsov line with our children.”

“I’m Grisha thou-”

“Darling, if you interrupt me one more time I will poke an injury.” You smiled a bit and rolled your eyes. “My decision is final. I am your King and I have made my choice.” He paused. “If you’ll have me.” You had a feeling that he was telling you the truth. There was no way to talk him out of this. Truth be told, you wanted nothing more than to marry him. You had wanted it since the moment he laid eyes on you. You closed your eyes for a moment and shook your head, laughing gently.

“Fine. Yes, Nikolai, I will marry you.” A bright smile went over his face as he clapped his hands together and then turned to you, kissing you gently. You moaned in pain and he pulled away.

“I’m sorry. Just excited. Oh Genya is going to love this. She’ll have a ball planning our wedding. Oh and I have so many ideas for the honeymoon, you’re going to love it.” You grabbed his hand and couldn’t help but feel equally excited.

“We can talk more about it in the morning. Right now, I’m exhausted.”

“Oh yes of course. Scoot over.”

“Nikolai, you have things to do today.”

“Scoot.” You rolled your eyes and did as you were told. He laid on the bed beside you, putting his arm around your shoulder. You rested your head on his chest.

“Goodnight my darling,” he whispered, kissing your forehead.

“Goodnight my King.”

Grishaverse Tag List: @elisaa-shelby

@chameleon-junkie

[cottoncandyjester]

Yan oc squad when jealous

Okay so I'm currently working on backstory posts for all the boys as well as kinkmas stuff so til those come out enjoy random quick headcanons about the boys or any request people want to give about..well anything

Theodore

He hates getting jealous

It's a bad feeling

When he sees you smiling and laughing cause of someone else a dark feeling fills him

He can't help but think of horrible thoughts like you finding someone else

These feelings control him and cause him to do foolish things or things he would seem as idiotic

If you're talking to someone he will quickly come to you and hold you simply staring

He is far too much of a gentleman to make a scene

He shouldn't be so jealous but as he watched you giggle with an old a friend during what was supposed to be a coffee date, he gripped his cup as he felt like some sort of third wheel. Everytime he would try to interrupt you he was cut off by your friend and their obnoxious talking

Soon fed up with it he stood up now grabbing your arm feeling you tense lightly, he simply flashed a sweet smile now holding your hand

"I'm sorry to interrupt this conversation but we really must go, right sweetie?"

Before you could speak the male was pulling you out the cafe and towards the car, his grip on you firm as his sweet smile turned to a friend now glancing over at you

"don't talk to that person ever again, she is bad for you okay?"

"I'm an adult I ca-"

Theodore pulled you roughly infront if him his eyes wild with rage but he simmered down now smiling as he reached out and placed a hand on your cheek

"what did we talk about hmm? You make bad judgements, you're too sweet and kind and everyone will take advantage of that..so trust me when i say they are bad okay?"

You gulped and gave a small nod, you did trust him since he always knew best but he still scared you. You had no choice but to agree and as the two of you went home you could feel the tense jealously coming off him..he truly wanted you to himself

Hikaru

Is a very very jealous person

He had a photoshoot in korea and of course he had to take you along for the ride

It was a lovely vacation

During the shoot his photographer would ask you questions

His photographer seemed to like you

And hikaru did not like that

Of course hikaru kept his cool but after a while he got fed up

He sent you back to the hotel so he can deal with this

After getting very violent he comes back blood soaked and takes his anger out on you

Hikaru has been gone for hours but you figured nothing of it, maybe photoshoots take a long long time. You sat on the hotel bed scrolling through your phone before you heard a click and the door opened

You rushed to greet your boyfriend only to see him covered in blood now using a cloth to wipe his face, his eyes still dangerous and wild. When his blue eyes landed on you a chill went down your spine before he reached out and gripped your wrist

"it's your damn fault y'know? Its cause people think your so fucking attractive. I'm all dirty cause of you, damn pig."

As hikaru now squeezed your wrist panic set in as you tried to pry him off of you and maybe calm him down before he get any more angrier

"b-babe I didn't know this would happen and plus, you know I love only you"

Your stumbling and stuttering only seemed to make him more pissed as he now yanked you to the bed before pushing you down now throwing his coat off and eyeing you with utter disgust

"then fucking prove it, prove that my piggy only loves me and maybe I won't be so mean anymore kay?"

Prince

Instantly gets into a fight

Just no questions asked gets into a fight

You two were just walking around the park with his dog, queen

Prince let you alone for a single minute just to grab some food

Did not take long for some Chad to get to chatting with you

Queen was not happy

And when prince came back he was not happy either

So he got into a fight

You scolded him while you were patching him up

"prince.."

"yeah my beautiful and amazing love who I adore everyday?"

You shot the male a glare as he lit a cigarette before taking a smoke, he clearly did not like upsetting you and was definitely stressed

"as much as I love your protectiveness, getting into fights isn't a good thing"

"I can't let someone steal ya away from me baby, just won't allow it"

You shake your head as you put the last band-aid on before feeling something crawl into your lap, you stare at the Pitbull who laid her head in your lap

"-and you! You were supposed to protect her queen! At least bite the son of a bitch or something!"

You couldn't help but laugh at the male's antics, you didnt really see much of the fight since prince told you to wait in the car but you figured the guy was fine

Prince on the other hand simply smiled as he though about how he took care of the situation, queen was such a good dog though he hoped that eating that bastard wouldn't make her sick.

Yuki

Also gets into a fight

You both were at a cat cafe enjoying your time

Yuki fell asleep..no surprise there

You knew he was tired so you let him nap while you played with the cats and ate more yummy snacks

Yuki did say you can order as much as you want and anything you want..

When a worker came to the table and saw yuki sleeping he decided to shoot his shot

Did not take long for your green haired boyfriend to wake up after hearing awkward laughing coming from you

One violent fight later and you two were home while you patched yuki up

He only responds in pouty grumbles and grunts cause you scolded him

Gives you the cold shoulder

But he can't stay mad at you

"yuki, stop being a baby"

"...."

"yuki, look at me"

With still no response you groaned lowly now sliding into the male's lap and seeing him tense up lightly but he simply turned his head away from you with a scowl as he tried not to give in, he was angry that you weren't taking his side on this

Someone tried to steal you away and he protected you! Yet you scold him and tell him not to do it again?! He doesn't get it at all

"yuki narukami you look at me!"

He jolted at the use of his full name and he looked at you with a shocked expression before you squished his face together causing him to get even more confused

"you were going to kill him if you kept punching him, that's why i was mad. Thank you for protecting me though I love you and it's sweet"

Yuki paused before simply wrapping his arms around you giving a low grunt now nuzzling his face in your neck as a dark Expression pooled his eyes.

So, protecting you is fine but he has to make sure he can't kill infront of you? Good to know. As yuki held you in his arms he couldn't help but smile

You were so interesting to him.

.

Axis

It's always the baby types you have to watch out for

You both were at a new amusement park that opened up a few weeks ago

You two were having fun

But after two big drinks axis had to pee while you both were waiting in line for a ride

He told you to hold the spot

You were of course worried your blind boyfriend is going to find a boyfriend on a crowded area but he reassured you that he will be fine

You let him go and It didn't take long for someone to come up to you and try flirt

When axis came back

He tried to play tough guy

But being 5'4" has its downfalls..

Axis was getting tunnel vision, they were laughing at him..he claimed to be your boyfriend and they called him a kid, how can he protect you if he can't even protect himself..how?!

"leave him alone! He's my boyfriend so just go away!"

You had to step in, it was embarrassing. Axis felt you grip his hand tightly now feeling nothing but anger and jealously bubble within him even as the situation diffused he thought about it

Did..you take him seriously?

"[y/n], am I hot?"

The question made you jolt and you looked at him with a choked laugh. You laugh only made him more upset but he tried to remain calm

"am I hot? Yknow like sexy and everything like that?"

"ax, you're adorable! So cute! I mean you were pouting when those jerks were talking to me and it was just so cute!"

Cute...? Cute..?!

He snapped and hugged you close, his face mask had a zipper and you never did know what the purpose of that was but next thing you knew you felt a sharp pain on your neck along with something trickling down your shoulder

You winced in pain now trying to pull the male off but with no progress, when he did pull back he had blood all around his mouth

"treat me more seriously, you're mine. I won't let anyone else take you, come on let's go home..I'm not done marking you up"

A sense of fear hit you and you never felt this before, axis has always been your adorable boyfriend but this..was new.

Axis Definitely show you just how much he owned you when you two got home and it was something you definitely never forgot.

[alexlabhont]

I didn’t mean to fall in love with you

Chapter Four.

Book: Queen B - Choices (Universe)

Pairing:  Poppy Min-Sinclair x Trans!Male MC (Beck Hughes)

Genre: Canon re-write (Because I can)

Rating: Anyone can read it, really

I´ll be posting this one over here because Tumblr, for some reason, thinks my secondary blog is a bot...

This is me trying to write by and for the Trans community, specially FTM community, meaning, trans guys, but I actually took the liberty to use They/them pronouns for everyone out there who´s interested (Also, the name Beck was the most neutral one I could find, trying to use the cannon Bea Hughes)

Now, about the PAIRING... I will be using choices style, kinda, because I want to give you choice at some point. If you have any comment, PLEASE BE RESPECTFULL and patient with me. This is also my first english fanfic and english is not my mother language, so... i’m sorry fo the grammar errors

CHAPTERS

The beginning

Chapter one 

Chapter two

Chapter three

ONE-SHOTS

Just a dance (Zoey x MC)

—————————————————————— 

“What the hell are you doing?”

Zoey Wade. The nerve of this girl of interrupt her meal. Poppy took the time to leave her fork down before bury her gaze into the other girl.

“I should be asking you the same thing. Who do you think you are to talk to me?” She asked exasperated.

So far she was doing good, the last details of her plan were tuned, the day to destroy Chloe and take back her very deserved number one place had come. The excitement she get every time she made a perfect move in order to obtain what she wants was in her veins, but of course, something had to happen. Or someone.

“Don’t play the fool, Poppy. It doesn't suit you. I'll ask once again: What are you doing with Beck?”

“Oh, what do we have here…?” She thought, intrigued.

“I’m sorry, did you crashed your head against the pavement or why do you think I owe you an explanation?” Poppy pushed her salad aside, her appetite completely gone because of the insolence. This Nobody thought she could come and disrespect her in her own spot of the cafeteria like they were in the same level. Zoey was seriously stupid. “Whatever me and Beck are doing is not you fucking business, Wade. Why don’t you just get a life a little less pathetic and go on with it.”

The spark in Zoey’s eyes changed, a little mix between anger and a cold serious look that, Poppy had to admit, scare her for a split second and then… jealousy? The other girl leaned on the table towards her, threatening, trying to intimidate her, but Poppy stood still, not giving her the pleasure to give in to her ridiculous games. Especially feeling all those eyes over them, people murmuring and whispering. She couldn’t let her have her way.

“Listen very closely, Min-Sinclair: I care about Beck and we all here agree you’re a selfish bitch. I know you’re not up to something good, so I will do everything on my power to make sure Beck’s far away from you claws.” That was so ridiculous that Poppy cracked a smile, making fun of Wade. She couldn't even be mad with a clown like her. “I’m telling you now, back off…”

The two of them kept that position a few second, a fight between wills neither of them wanted to loose. Finally, was Zoey the first to walk away, falsely believing her message was received.

Oh, Zoey… as if you could do something to stop her from her aims.

“Hey, Zoey?” Poppy called, the daggers in her mouth ready to hurt her really bad. “Why would anyone be interested in you while they have me?” Zoey stopped immediately, the strike hitting the spot. Poppy smirked, understanding everything right in the moment. Zoey likes Beck, it was so clear it actually felt cliché

“Ha! This must be entertaining.” Poppy thought, enjoying the effect of her words in Zoey.

“You’re just a three-digit fool who hasn't learn her place. Why don't you save yourself from humiliation and forget about Beck completely?” The strawberry blonde smiled at Zoey with a friendly smirk. “You know? My day with them yesterday was really good, so I'm feeling generous.” Poppy took her things and walked to be face to face with Zoey, who was getting red from frowning. “I’m forgetting about everything you just said and giving you a second chance. You see? I’m making you a favor! Your welcome, sweetie.” She added with an obviously pretentious voice before going out the cafeteria.

Even though she looked calm and perfect as always, inside Poppy was furious.

How she dares!

What the hell was wrong with that loser? Does she really was that horny for Beck?

“Well… if she was, I couldn't really blame her…” Poppy thought.

She wasn’t lying back at the shelter; she really thought they were cute. The way they looked at the animals, that stupid, goofy smile and congratulations Beck gave the puppies and kittens everytime Piper told them they did a great job. Poppy had a lot of fun doing the commercial, so much so she couldn’t help but be so honestly involved in the making, enjoying every part of it, in fact, Beck was different from how they’re act in Belvoire everytime they both meet.

They weren’t infuriating, insulting, a ranking climber, selfish dude who played the game even better than she expected. Actually, while having lunch, Beck was… fine. A big asshole from time to time but in a funny way. Pretending to be so nice and shit was actually easier than she thought around Beck, she was even glad to have them now at ten spot. Definitely she did a good choice.

But now, Zoey had to come and ruin her everything. And it actually pissed off Poppy badly. Beck didn’t need a personal protector, and Poppy didn’t need competition. She believed it would be easier to have Beck, at first she thought it was because they were trans, she read about it online: most people wouldn't date a trans person because… reasons.

But Belvoire proved to be different: it turns out Beck had a lot of friends, and a lot of girls daydreaming about them as usually they do around Alphas, admiring them secretly while doing exercises in the gym, trying to dance with them in parties… but Beck refused all of them. They were shy, they looked uncomfortable with anyone.

Anyone except Zoey Wade.

The both were really close, always together like Tweedledee and Tweedledum. Before all this, the very same Poppy had seen them hugging, flirting and practicing music together. Still, the strawberry blonde never thought of her as a threatening opponent. But now, Zoey Wade just make herself a target to eliminate, maybe not this time, after all, she did give her a second chance. She was a woman behind her own word.

But… She still had to do something. So she quickly took off her phone, typing a message to the matter at hand.

Poppy:

So here’s the plan

I'll need you to meet me at this address at 10pm sharp

Don't disappoint me, tushi-face 😏

She waited a few seconds, almost a minute. What took them so long?

Tushi-face🤡:

What? Why?

Poppy:

You'll have to trust me 😉

She looked at her screen, waiting for Beck’s answer. What were they doing? Texting Zoey? Her patience was running low when a little buzz alerted her.

Tushi-face🤡:

This can't be good. I'm not going

Were they serious?! Beck was playing with her kindness more than they should. No good at all.

Poppy:

Coward 🙄

Tushi-face🤡:

I'm not a coward

Quick answer. Poppy smirked mischievously. Beck always gave her a lot of information to work with, so transparent it was almost a sin to take advantage of it. Almost.

Poppy:

Prove it 💅🏻

Typing… typing… nothing… typing… typing…

Tushi-face🤡:

I’m going to regret this, am I?

Poppy:

Sending the location now

With a smug smile, Poppy send to Beck the location where the Club Malibu was. It was a exclusive place where only the elite could go. Yes, she said Zoey was temporarily off limits… but she didn't say she wouldn't be taking her chances up.

Tushi-face🤡:

Clubbing? Not my kind of place really

Poppy:

Ew, when you put it like that you sound so boring

Tushi-face 🤡:

Why do you want me there anyways?

Poppy:

All in due time, Farmsville

All in due time 😘

~~X~~

Poppy check the hour in her phone once again, it was almost 10 pm and she was already expecting Beck to show up because of the paranoia. Her foot tapping repeatedly against the floor it was the proof everyone around her needed to know she was nervous. What the hell took them so long? Did Beck decided to ditch her last minute?

Was it Zoey Wade´s fault?

She swore to god she´ll kill the girl after a humiliating and memorable reve…

“Could you calm down already? They already here” She heard Bradley say and immediately look right at the door, where Beck was being escorted to the V.I.P. area just like she asked for.

Damn, the dude knew their ways.

Beck was looking fucking hot, the black scheme really suits them and the way the shirt showed his muscles caused a lot of eyes stick to them as thirsty bastards. To top it all, the song playing in the back and Beck´s expressions were on point to make them look sexy as hell. Feeling a pang of jealousy, Poppy frowned. At what point will this bitches stop looking Beck like a piece of meat? Disgusted, Poppy stood up from her seat, very willing to show all these whores who they were competing against. With a sexy and confident smirk, the strawberry blonde walked towards Beck, sashaying her hips seductively, quickly catching Beck´s gaze.

And she loved it.

She could see the gasp, how the air escaped their lungs and redness taking over their face. Oh how she adored to cause that effects in Beck, all those girls didn’t have a chance. Embracing their strong arm, Poppy smile at them leaning her body against them, drawing a property line.

“Hey there, Tushi-face. I´m glad to see you´re not totally incapable of following directions.” She greeted them, leading the way to the exclusive section.

“Nice to see you too, Poppy.”

“Really? That was all?”

“I have to say… You´re looking fine tonight”

“Yeah, that´s what I thought”

“Is that your attempt at flattery, Farmsville?” She was not going easy on them.

“I´m not stupid enough to try and flatter you. I was just stating facts.” Oh god, that was so cliché she even scoffed. How many times have her hear that before? But something about Beck being the one to say it, turned her perfect pout into a haughty smile. As she was saying, pretending with Beck was easy, it came to her naturally, effortless.

“Maybe you´re more observant than I gave you credit for. I like it. And I have to say, I´m shocked. For once you don’t look completely unfortunate. And here I thought you were a total lost cause.” She joked, smiling just like before while having lunch.

“Wow, back to squared one already with sucking compliments?” Beck smirked, a total funny jerk.

“Try not to push your luck, Farmsville. You don´t want to be on my bad side, again.”

“Really? I don’t see the difference.” They pointed out, testing her. Poppy came closer to them, completely pressing her body against Beck´s arm, letting them feel her heat, her breast, her perfume. The distance between the two was so close that Poppy could feel their fresh breath, her own heart beating fast, excited as she whispered in their ear.

“Stay with me through the night and I promise I´ll give you a taste of the differences…”

Their dilated pupils, the small, imperceptible shiver in their body and that cute yet sexy gesture in their face that appeared after Poppy move away was all she needed to see. She actually liked them…

And she was gonna have them.

-----

Next

[literaryspinster]

The Trials of Not Being a Boyfriend (slightly nsfw)

I haven’t done a dickkory oneshot in a hot minute, and since @dickkorysource is keeping us all fed with their prompts challenge, I couldn’t help wanting to participate. This is based on the November prompt; Vulnerable (because as my readers know I am so very timely about everything). I will also be posting this on Ao3. This was fun and I’m sure I’ll do more of them, but not before the next Chapter of Said The Joker To The Thief, which should be up sometime this month. Summary:  “ If he was her boyfriend he’d tell her that everything was going to be okay, that Rachel would succeed at reviving Donna somehow, and that together they’d deal with the unholy disaster that was Kory’s sister. And he’d hold her and rock her until she started to believe it. But for now, he’ll settle for just making her smile.” He’s still half-dreaming when he reaches across the pillows, grasping for his lover and finding only cool, empty space.  His first impulse is to worry. Infinite scenarios involving Kory being taken in the night ambush his thoughts in the millisecond between sleep and waking, and he darts up to scan the semi-dark room.  “Kory?” his voice trembles out. His eyes dart from one corner to another, seeking the curves of her silhouette. There’s no one else around, the tower is soundless save for the light whoosh of early morning traffic outside. He manipulates his breathing to slow his heart rate, a technique he learned early in his training. If the worst has happened then he’s no use to her at all in his frazzled state. He needs to stay focused, and somehow calm in spite of the gnawing feeling that something is terribly wrong. There’s no logic in it, If he were being logical right now, he’d consider the fact that they would have immediately vaporized him in his sleep had they found him laying naked with their rightful queen. 

The bedside clock reads 511. Just four hours ago he’d been practically elated, nothing on his mind aside from how good her skin felt against his, the way her lips tasted, the musical sounds of her pleasure as he moved in and out, skillfully as if he were fighting. He wanted her again this morning, so she could take him back to that place where everything was somehow fine even though nothing was. He throws the covers off of his nude body and hastily finds his sweatpants. His shirt from last night is missing, but the slinky nightie she’d been wearing is crumpled up on the floor, right where it landed after she’d slipped out of it, inviting him to kiss her body and pull her closer. She can’t be gone, not now, not ever. Losing another person just isn’t something he’s prepared to handle. He moves through the dark to find her, peeking into her bedroom, knocking lightly on bathroom doors, praying for some source of light or sound to interrupt his worried thoughts, a tv show on mute or the light from the refrigerator as she fishes around for a snack. But there’s nothing but darkness. 

Today is Saturday, their one day to sleep in, and everyone is taking full advantage, completely unaware of the chaos going on inside of him.Before declaring an emergency to the rest of the team, he checks the training room last. 

A single light is on over the heavy bag, and he lets out a sigh of relief when he sees her there, in nothing but his shirt and her panties, focused and aiming squarely for the bag. She breathes in and out, in and out, her eyes closed tight, whispering some Tamaranean mantra as she tries to conjure the fire that still refuses to come. Not even a crackle of heat illuminates her lovely brown skin, and her posture wilts as if the final lingering traces of hope are leaving her body at once. 

It’s been three solid weeks without her powers, without Rachel, without Donna, without any chance of returning home. She’s as wounded as he is, likely even more, and he wants to take her back to bed, pull his shirt off of her and let her use him over and over until she can sleep again.

 “Are you seriously trying to light my punching bag on fire right now?” he teases. She jumps slightly at the sound of his voice before letting out a frustrated breath. 

“Don’t worry, doesn’t work anyway.” She wrings her hands, empty of flame but still capable of so much. If only he could convince her that she was still as strong and powerful as ever to him, that she didn’t need her super strength to make him feel weak. “I think it might really be gone, Dick.”

Her voice shakes with the words as if she might cry, or maybe she already was. If he was her boyfriend he’d know just what to say, but he isn’t. In fact, they don’t know exactly what they are to each other, only that a week ago she came to his room in the middle of the night, needing him, and the only option he could see was to give himself to her. They repeated that routine every night since and carried on with business as usual in the daytime like nothing was different.

 He couldn’t reach out and brush back her soft pink hair, or press his lips to her forehead, or even vaguely acknowledge how drunk and dizzy she could make him feel with just a look. 

The most they could manage with the others around were looks over the dinner table that lasted a second too long, or grappling sessions in the training room that could be misconstrued by dirty minds, a misplaced hand, a too gentle hold. 

If he was her boyfriend he’d tell her that everything was going to be okay, that Rachel would succeed at reviving Donna somehow, and that together they’d deal with the unholy disaster that was Kory’s sister. And he’d hold her and rock her until she started to believe it. But for now, he’ll settle for just making her smile.

He closes the space between them and slides his hands around her hips, smirking at her choice of wardrobe. “Don’t you have your own shirts?” 

It works, she smiles. It’s not as big and wide and Kory as it usually is, but it’s something. When he kisses her he can still feel the small curve of it. If he was her boyfriend, he’d keep on kissing her. But then he remembers that that never stopped him before. He lifts her up so she can wrap her long legs around him and he walks her to the mirrored wall, holding her up and hoping like hell that there are no other early risers in the house.

It gets out of hand fast, with her fingers in his hair and his lips everywhere, pressing firm and hot against her chin, her collarbone, the rapid pulse of her neck, those gorgeous, full lips. Pretty soon he has to suspect that it’s the air alone holding them up against that mirror. 

If he doesn’t stop now they’re going to desecrate the training room, but he can’t stop, not until the second he tastes the saltwater on her cheek. At that, he draws back in an instant and puts her down again. 

“Hey, Kory hey,” he says frantically, thumbing her tears away, pushing her hair out of her face. “What’s wrong? Baby tell me what’s wrong.”

He knows what’s wrong, what’s been wrong, it’s a stupid question. And he shouldn’t call her baby, he’s not her boyfriend he’s not her boyfriend he’s not her boyfriend.

And yet somehow in the next moment he finds himself sitting on the floor, holding her and rocking her and telling her that everything is going to be okay.

“I’m sorry,” she cries into his bare chest, and he only holds her tighter.

“Don’t be sorry.”

“But I am, I know you’re hurting too.” She’s right, but it doesn’t matter, not when there’s a team counting on him. What she doesn’t know though, is how much he counts on her, he has ever since they met, even if he can never quite admit it. Without her there, sharing the responsibility for no other reason besides the deep, inherent good in her, he knows he’d be slipping into that tortured place again. So making her feel better, in the long run, is the best thing for everyone.

“We can both be hurting,” he whispers softly.

 “But you don’t do this, you don’t cry,” her voice comes out in a sob that’s almost a laugh.

“That’s because you’re the normal one,” he says, making her laugh again.  

It’s quiet for a long moment after that, until her tears dry and her heartbeat slows back down.

“Are you ready to go back upstairs?” He says, and she nods against his chest.

They stand up together, and he leans forward to kiss her again, just because she needs it and he loves it. He doesn’t do this with anyone else, he doesn’t think he could even if he wanted to. It would feel off and unsatisfying, not cheating, just unnecessary. He’s not her boyfriend, but in some indescribable way, he’s still hers.

When he takes her upstairs he’ll show her again.

[emocean-is-trash]

hey!! i was really excited to post this oneshot for the prompt “Time Passing” today. i worked super hard on this one and i’m very proud of how it turned out.

you can also find this on my ao3 @emocean_is_trash

if you’d like to request a prompt (the list is on ao3 in chapter 1) you can send me a comment there or message me here~ :) i’ll get to your prompts as soon as i can. thanks!!

~~~~~~~

“Alright children, it’s time for recess.”

A chorus of cheers erupted from the several young children sitting in their desks as they stood up and raced towards the classroom door. One of the students in that frenzy was Yang Xiao Long, who was definitely one of the more “fearless” kids in her elementary school. She was the kind of child who would stand up for anyone, sometimes getting into fights if she had to. She always wore her heart on her sleeve and fought for what she deemed right.

But today wasn’t one of those days. The usual bullies in her school weren’t giving anyone a hard time. It was a nice change of pace. Her teacher, Ms. Glynda, led her class to the playground, opening the metal doors and letting the kids enjoy their hour of free time. Yang grinned from ear to ear and sprinted towards the jungle gym, her pigtails getting rustled from the physical activity. As soon as she reached the top of the structure, she pretended to be looking through a telephone and scanned the rest of the playground to see what everyone else was doing.

Cardin and Sky were playing tag with each other and running in the grass instead of picking on other kids. Weiss was sitting on the bench singing to herself; she never was very social. Ren and Nora were playing hide and seek, Nora stomping around the wood chips while Ren managed to hide under the slide. Jaune was crying like usual, the reasoning not important in the slightest.

But as Yang’s gaze passed over the swing-sets, she realized that there was a girl that she didn’t recognize. And she was crying! Yang immediately climbed down the jungle gym and rushed over to the dark-haired girl who was sitting on the ground next to the swing, clutching a scraped knee.

“Are you okay? Here, I have a bandaid you can use!” Yang grinned and held out the bandage for the girl to take. The girl sniffled and took it from Yang, putting it on and smiling back at her.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome! I’m Yang! What’s your name? Are you new?”

“I’m Blake, I moved here from Menagerie. You talk a lot.” Blake replied bluntly and looked up at Yang.

“Yeah, that’s what my mom and dad say! It’s nice to meet you! Wanna be friends?” Yang giggled as she held out her hand for Blake to take.

“Okay.” Blake replied as she took Yang’s hand and stood up, dusting the wood chips off of her legs.

From that day forward, they were practically inseparable.

~~~~~

“Truth or dare?”

“Truth.”

“Aw come on, that’s boring Blakey!” Yang hollered as she turned to look at Blake, who was braiding Yang’s hair. She was the only person who was allowed to touch it, and honestly the only person Yang wanted to touch her hair besides her dad and sister.

“You know that I’m boring, Yang.” Blake responded as she finished Yang’s hair off with two hair ties and moved to sit on Yang’s bed next to her.

“Of course you’re not boring, you’re my best friend. Oh! I have a good question. Do you have a crush on anyone at Signal?”

“Oh, well I guess that Adam kid is pretty cool.” Blake admitted as she looked out the window into Yang’s backyard and blushed slightly.

“Ohhhh, Blake has a crush! Blake has a crush!” Yang teased as she made a silly face and ran around the room.

“Stop it!” Blake shouted as she chased Yang around the room before they both fell on the floor laughing hysterically.

“What about you Yang? That guy Junior seems to like you..” Blake asked after catching her breath, turning over and looking into Yang’s eyes.

“Junior? Nah, he’s just a friend. I don’t...I don’t really like anyone.” Yang hesitated and stared up at the ceiling.

“I always know when you’re lying, silly. Who do you like?”

“Ugh fine, I’ll tell you. The truth is...I’ve never really liked boys. I think I like girls.” Yang sighed and felt her face heating up. She wasn’t sure how Blake was going to respond to this revelation. She’d known for a few months, but wasn’t sure how to bring it up to her.

“Oh really? I think that’s cool. Adam is really handsome, but Pyrrha is also very pretty.” Blake smiled at Yang and grabbed her hand, squeezing lightly.

“Ah, the transfer girl from Argus Middle School? Yeah, I guess so. Wait what did you just say?” Yang sat up and looked at Blake. She stared down at Blake’s hand and squeezed back, grinning at the dark-haired girl next to her.

“I understand Yang. We might only be 13 years old, but this is when we figure out who we are. I’ll always support you.” Blake smiled gently and wrapped Yang in a hug.

“I’ll always be here for you too.”

~~~~~

“He broke up with me.”

“Oh Blake, come here.”

Outside of Yang’s home was a teary-eyed Blake shivering in the cold. Yang pulled Blake inside and wrapped the girl in a tight hug. Blake sobbed into Yang’s shoulder for what seemed to be hours until she was finally calm enough to talk in full sentences.

“Do you want to go up to my room?”

Blake nodded. Yang grabbed Blake’s hand and took her upstairs into her room, closing the door and locking it. They sat down on Yang’s bed and continued to hold hands. Blake clearly wanted reassurance that Yang would stay.

“Do you wanna talk about it?”

“There..isn’t much to say. He texted me saying that he wanted a break this morning. Adam was never one for confrontation unless it really mattered, so I guess that I was never that important to him in the first place.” Blake sighed as she looked at the ground.

“Of course you're important Blake. You’re the most important person to me out of anyone. Well, you and Ruby are tied, but you know what I mean. Adam was always a piece of shit.” Yang responded by wrapping her arm around Blake’s shoulders and looking her in the eyes. She wiped away the tears on Blake’s cheeks with her thumb and smiled at her.

“Oh..thank you. Yang...I—” Blake started before pausing and cutting off her train of thought. No, this wasn’t right. They were in high school together, and they were best friends, but that’s all that they could ever be. Wishing for something more was pure stupidity.

“What is it Blakey? Do you need something from me?”

“Yang…” Blake shook her head and decided that actions were better than words in this moment. Before she could seriously think it through, Blake caressed Yang’s cheek and placed her hand on the side of Yang’s jaw, pulling her in for a kiss.

After the immediate shock of the situation wore off, Yang put her arms around Blake’s neck and kissed her back gently. Embers crackled to life in Yang’s chest, her heart beating incredibly fast and her stomach filling with butterflies. It was as if their two souls had melded into one during that raw, exposed moment. Running her hand through Blake’s hair, Yang sighed and kissed Blake again like it was the last thing she would ever do.

It was Blake. It had always been Blake. Blake was the one she was meant to be with. Adam was just some obstacle that had stood in the way of what was real.

It was after a few minutes of lapsed judgement that Yang finally pulled away, leaning her forehead against Blake’s and catching her breath.

“Blake...That was...wow.”

“Yeah.”

“I just…” Yang started, inhaling and exhaling a few times while deciding upon what needed to be said.

“Listen Blake. You’re really vulnerable right now, and I’m so sorry that I took advantage of you like that. If this is...If this is what you really want, then in three weeks, come talk to me. I’ll be waiting for you.”

Blake looked into Yang’s eyes and nodded after a minute of silence.

“Yeah. Yeah okay.”

A few minutes later, Blake left Yang’s house and Yang finally exited her bedroom, plopping onto the couch and staring out the window in solace. When she heard Ruby padding around the kitchen most likely looking for some cookies, she turned to face her with a solemn look on her face.

“You love her don’t you? You’re in love with Blake.”

“Ruby I...It’s complicated. You and Weiss were able to figure things out, and now you’re dating. Blake isn’t there yet. She might not ever get there. But yeah, I think..I think I do. Love her.”

Ruby walked over to Yang and wrapped her into a hug.

~~~~~

“Honey, I’m home!”

“Do you really have to do that every time you walk into our apartment?”

“Of course I do! What do you take me for?” Yang responded lightheartedly and walked over to her girlfriend who was standing in the doorway of their bedroom, grasping her face and giving her a swift kiss on the lips.

“You know you love me Blakey.”

“Yes, unfortunately I do.” Blake sighed sarcastically and wrapped Yang in a hug, nuzzling against her collarbone.

“I missed you.”

“Aw, I missed you too baby. Ruby and Weiss are taking extra long to decide on what movie to bring, but they should be here soon.”

“Can’t we just cancel? I wanna spend time with you.” Blake mumbled as she inhaled Yang’s calming scent of citrus and firewood.

“It’s so adorable when you’re clingy. Sorry kitten, it’s too late to cancel now. They‘re probably on their way by now.” Yang whispered as she kissed Blake on the top of the head and hugged her closer.

“I am not clingy. But can we at least cuddle during the movie?”

“Yes you are.” Yang chuckled to herself. “And of course we can snuggle, it’s one of the best things to do during a movie!”

“Oh? And what exactly is better than that?”

“Pranking Ruby and the Ice Queen of course! They fall asleep almost every time, I have so many pictures to blackmail them with.”

“I can’t believe you still call her that.”

“Watching Weiss get annoyed by something so unimportant never grows old.”

“You’re such a dork.”

“Yeah, but I’m your dork.”

The doorbell rang and Ruby and Weiss walked into the apartment, interrupting their train of thought. Ruby ran straight to the living room and popped the movie into the DVD player while Weiss followed behind her, setting her things next to the coffee table.

“What’s up Rubes? Ice queen. Good to see you.”

“Hey! Stop calling me that!”

“Hi Yang! Hey Blake! I brought Nightmare Zombie Town 5!”

“Haven’t we watched this movie like twenty times?” Yang asked as she and her girlfriend moved towards the living room, still holding hands. After Yang gave Ruby her usual noogie, her and Blake sat on the couch and huddled close to each other, the two of them almost constantly inhabiting the same space.

“That’s what I told her, but Ruby insisted.” Weiss sighed as she grabbed Ruby’s hand. “She can be quite persuasive though.”

Yang purposely pretended to gag at Weiss’ admission and kissed Blake’s cheek, settling in to watch the film for the hundredth time.

“How are your classes going Weiss? Have you made any progress on your thesis?” Blake asked Weiss genuinely; she did like hearing about how her friends were doing.

“Classes are fine. My thesis is almost complete, but I need to send it to Ozpin for his approval. What about you two? How are things?” Weiss replied with the utmost sincerity she could give.

“Being an engineering major is rough!” Yang interrupted and laid her hand on Blake’s thigh.

“Yes Yang, engineering is difficult when you sleep in class every day. Anyway, literature has been really enjoyable lately. We’re writing a short story this week.” Blake continued, placing her hand on top of Yang’s. Yang scoffed at her and pretended to pout.

“That’s good to hear. Well, shall we get started?” Weiss offered as she wrapped an arm around Ruby on the floor.

“Yes finally! I’ve been looking forward to this for hours!” Ruby announced, moving closer to Weiss and grinning from ear to ear.

A few hours had passed when Blake finally spoke again, despite Yang’s goofy comments and constant touching throughout the entire movie. Ruby and Weiss had passed out on the floor together, surrounded by a pile of blankets and pillows. However, Blake and Yang were still awake, holding each other closely.

“You know, I’m so glad that you offered to help me that day when we were kids. If not, then I never would’ve met you. I never would’ve fallen for you. You’re my best friend, the one person I would dare to call my soulmate even. I’m so happy that I met you.” Blake whispered, a genuine smile on her face.

“Me too Blake. If it weren’t for you, I may have lived my whole life thinking I was happy. But now I know the truth. You make me feel at home. And that will never change.” Yang whispered in Blake’s ear, bringing her girlfriend into a slow intoxicating kiss that was completely different from every single one before then. This one screamed pure love and adoration, stronger than ever before.

Many more words could’ve been exchanged in that moment, but all that mattered was that they were here, together. Their entire lives had led up to this very moment, hearts beating as one, emotions raw and real. Yang knew that Blake would always be with her. No one needed to tell her that. Blake knew that Yang was the one all along. No one needed to tell her that either. They may not ever get to have a moment like this again, huddled close together with their true emotions revealed and their hearts bared on their chests.

They were okay with that.

[doof-doofblog]

"I'm Leaving Tomorrow!"

Tuesday 8th September 2020

Good evening everyone! Hope you're all enjoying your week so far! I once again apologise for this post being late, I just want to let you guys know that I am not slacking in any kind of way, I want to assure you all that I am just as excited about EastEnders as much as you guys are and I'm really looking forward to what the soap has in store for us. I know in recent weeks/months that I have been late with posts etc etc, I just want to explain to you guys that this blog, for me, is truly a hobby ... I work two jobs as well try to have a social life, I do this during my evenings whenever I'm not working and I will always make sure I am up to date with episodes! I just wanted to clear the air about that just in case some of you might have been thinking.

Anyway, we all know on Monday the soap came back with a huge bang! Now is the only time I've had to catch up on last night's episode, so lets jump straight into it!

So last night ended with Dotty telling Sharon the truth about how her son died and exposing Ian and his lies, and of course it starts right where we left off .... surely Ian isn't going to get away with it? Clearly Sharon is shocked to be hearing what Dotty is saying, Max is over on the other side of Vic listening in, and even he pipes up and claims that Ian was the one who saved Dennis, as he was there! But Dotty is eager to make Sharon believe her, she claims that she has no reason to lie, why would she? And oh of course Ian would bring up the fact that she was in court for possession of drugs because Ian reported her, but even so, that would have nothing to do with it! That really wouldn't make sense! And yet Sharon falls for it!!!!  She calls her an evil little bitch and smashes a glass in front of her ... did you guys clock that horrible smug grin on Ian's face?! Poor Dotty then gets thrown out the Queen Vic, everyone looking at her! Does anyone else feel for Dotty right now? She's been hiding this secret for months, being terrorised by Ian and blackmailed to make sure she keeps Ian's horrible secret, and as soon as she tells the truth, no one believes her! Sharon threatens her with the glass bottle, and warns her to never approach her or her family ever again!

As she does so, Bobby can be seen looking from a distance, it's been known that he has had a crush on Dotty for some time, whether he still does, i'm unsure ... but seeing her making unbelievable claims about his Dad, it disappoints him. I'm sure he wondering, "Why is she lying?" ... but I'm sure at some point, something will be found ... Dotty called out that she had a recording of Dennis from the boat, but it got deleted, could that still be found somewhere? Could someone else potentially have a copy? Ian tells Sharon to ignore Dotty, she's just a messed up kid in his words. Sharon decides to leave the situation to get some head space, leaving Ian to wonder what she could be thinking about. 

Aww now we see Chantelle meeting up with Kheerat, he's managed to get her the money she asked for. He asks whether her whether Gray can't help with the situation she may be in, but Chantelle can't bare to tell the truth. She explains the money is for her and her children and nothing else. The more this goes on and the more she confides in Kheerat, I do believe eventually she will say something about the abuse she's been suffering before she passes, unless something happens and Kheerat will find out the truth. But will he be too late? This is truly a sad story-line to watch, but of course it's very important to portray and tell the story! Chantelle decides to confide in Kheerat and reveals that she's divorcing her husband, this is clear surprise to him as it's shown in his eyes and the look on his face, he looks as if so many questions are rushing through his head. "Why would she be divorcing him?!" ... he promises to get her the money she needs to divorce him, she thanks him with a sigh of relief. But the look in Kheerat's eyes made me feel like he just wanted to hold her, wrap her up in cotton wool and take her away from what she's been suffering. It's as if he's Chantelle's true knight in shining armour. 

Awww and meanwhile, Ben is in the hospital along with his Dad and Lola, ready for his appointment to have his implant. He's looking longingly waiting for Callum to show up, Lola asks what would be the first thing he'd want to hear if the implant works, perhaps Lexi singing one of her songs? It's devastating that unbeknown to Ben, Callum is at work - having seen him appear on CCTV and revealing him taking part in the job with Danny Hardcastle, I do feel as much as Callum wants to be there for his boyfriend, he needs to hide the fact that it's his partner in the CCTV. I feel there could be some upsetting Ballum scenes ahead. At his house, Gray is working on his laptop, suddenly a advertisement pops up! "Are you looking for a divorce lawyer?" ... it's incredible how realistic that is! I'm sure all of you would agree that there have been times you've typed something in search bar on the internet, and a few hours later you'll be back online and there'll be an advertisement for something you've previously searched! Instantly Gray views the history on the laptop and it reveals everything has been deleted. Is he aware of what Chantelle might be up to? If so, I'm dreading what's going to happen next for Chantelle! 

Back on the Square, Dotty is seen with her head in her hands, looking defeated. Bobby makes his way up to her, demanding to know what she was playing at. He tells her neither he nor anyone else believes what she's saying is true. She asks him that it doesn't even cross his mind that there might be some slight truth in what she is saying, again ... why would she lie? I mean, it's clear she and Ian have never gotten on in the first place, Ian basically sees her as Nick Cotton's daughter, which means with him as a father, she could be very much like him! Bobby then reveals to Dotty that Ian wants himself and Sharon to be more than friends, Dotty's face smirks into a huge grin, is she going to be able use that information to her advantage?! Dotty claims that Bobby thinks that she is just like her father, like everyone else seems to think to, and with the way things are going for her, she might as well prove them right! 

Next clip, Chantelle comes home from work, Gray is clearly waiting for her. He hears her footprints enter the house, he asks her how work was, she replies with "Fine" ... the next comment he makes is "I would've thought more than fine!" She makes her way into the living room, Gray watching her as she walks in ... she tries to lure him off the scent and says she's been with a client. The next thing which came out of Gray's mouth made my mouth drop ... "Is that what that's slutty top for?" ... He is clearly enraged, knowing that she's been looking for a divorce lawyer. But to call her slutty?! Sorry, but that is bang out of order! Is he making out that perhaps she's having an affair, which is why she may be looking for a divorce?! But then HE announces that he's actually seeking an divorce! Saying it's best for them to get HER out of everyone's lives! This clearly comes as a shock to Chantelle, to be honest, in all seriousness ... what actually has she done?! Chantelle has done NOTHING, she's the one who has been the victim of Gray's outbursts for years and years, and yet he's divorcing her?! I'd kind of wished Chantelle had told him sooner that she was divorcing him, but of course - in her situation, she had to it secretly. This is going to be such a blow for Chantelle, he's even letting on that she wont even be able to see her children. How the hell is she going to be able to turn this around?!

The next time we see Chantelle, she is in the bath, Gray's words clearly playing on her mind. Footsteps can be heard of Gray coming up the stairs and approaching the bathroom, she looks in fear to the door as the footsteps get closer. The door of bathroom unlocks and Gray appears, he again repeats himself and says he wants her out. She pleads with him to talk it through, saying the children can't be without their mother! He claims he can provide for them himself and keep them with him, she pleads for him to make their marriage work. He lets out a sigh and tells her to prove it! Prove what exactly?! She's curled up in ball in the bath as he slowly approaches her, with not even any form of emotion in his face. He leans onto the side of the bath and tells her "If you love your kids, prove it. Do this and we can call all this off!" ... At this moment in time, I'm thinking - what does he mean? "Do this?" ... Chantelle is begging him saying "Please not this!" ... does she have some kind of fear of water? Or is something darker about to happen? 

Next minute, we see Ian let himself into the Vic, he sees a light is on upstairs and he makes his way up, hoping to see that Sharon has returned. He finds her in the kitchen, they both share a look and Ian starts to make excuses for Dotty. Instantly Sharon interrupts him and says "What aren't you telling me?!" ... Sharon and Ian have friends for a very long time, you'd think she'd know if he had been hiding something from her. But once again he worms his way out of the big lie/secret, and instead informs Sharon that Dennis was posting abuse about Bobby instead. He explains that she was giving birth to Kayden while it was all going on and he thought he'd be able to handle it. But as a good point, Sharon says that that was then, so why has he kept quiet since then and not told her? It looks as if as soon as Ian is about to explain why, she answers for him ... He didn't want her to feel bad about him? Because she was going through enough already? ... Ian's eyes and ears are in absolute disbelief! Something else he's letting her believe, that he's being such a good friend to her ... when it actual fact, it's been lie after lie! She then thanks him!!!!! Oh my gosh!!! I am watching this with my face in my hands ... can Ian not stoop any lower?! How long is he going to worm his way out of this? The more he lies, the more worse it's going to be once the truth finally comes out! He even says "You've got nothing to thank me for!" ... hmmm - is that the guilt sinking in?! 

Suddenly, the scene goes back to Chantelle and Gray ... Chantelle can be seen lying underwater, with Gray watching over her. Gray is clearly timing her as she holds her breath underwater. She lets out a scream underwater and Gray raises his arm in a signal for her to come up. She is clearly gasping for breath. How long has she been having to hold her breath? He's pretty much nearly drowning her without actually physically touching her. Controlling how long she stays under water for. As she's gasping for breath and coughing, he shrugs it off and says "Wasn't so bad, was it?" Then as if nothing has happened, he tells her to get changed and go and pick up their children. I am absolutely baffled by this! Not only is Gray physically abusing his wife, but he's also playing mind games and controlling her. It's typical domestic abuse! 

Back at the hospital, Callum finally arrives to be with Ben for his appointment. Ben is seen with wires connected behind his ears, Phil watching and waiting, sat next to him. Callum bursts through the door, apologetic to his boyfriend, he asks them if he had missed anything. Phil says to him that he should've been there an hour ago, Callum explains that something came up at work - the next thing is really interesting - Phil asks him whether it was more important than being at the hospital with his boyfriend, Callum then pipes up to Phil and says "You tell me!" - there is clearly some tension between Callum and Phil, I can sense an atmosphere between them. Now Callum knows about the job they took part in, will he blame Phil for getting Ben involved? Which is way he seems so snappy at Phil! Suddenly Ben whispers "I heard you!" ... He turns to Callum and smiles and repeats himself "I heard you!" He laughs excitedly that the implant worked, could this mean that Ben's hearing could be returning?! Callum is thrilled for his boyfriend but can't help but feel let down that he had been lied to for weeks/months.

Oh!!!!! So that's how Ian got the money to spend on the Vic!!! He used the money from Max's share of the restaurant to buy the Vic!! It all makes perfect sense now! And of course, Max has absolutely no idea - that's someone else that's going to be annoyed with Ian when his lies and schemes come to light. Not only is Sharon going to be angry with him, but so will Max ... I have a feeling something is going to go very wrong for Ian and very soon. It's been revealed that Adam Woodyatt would be taking a long break from the soap, something to do with a story-line - is Ian going to flee before everything comes to light? Or are things going to be revealed and will he then make a run for it? Whichever way it goes, I don't think things will be the same for Ian, ever again. 

The last scene of the episode tonight, Chantelle is looking frail as she's walking the children home. She's scared, Kheerat calls over to her explaining that it's going to take him longer for him to get the money, if not days, a couple of weeks. She softly says that she doesn't have a couple of weeks, she then drops the bombshell and says that she is leaving tomorrow! You can see in her eyes she is desperate to get away from Gray as soon as she can! I do fear that somehow Gray will end up finding out - or she'll end up getting hold up and not being able to go through with her plans. It's also devastating too that right now she hasn't even confided in her Mum or Dad, we've seen nothing from Karen or Mitch - if only Chantelle could find the strength to tell her family and not suffer in silence! I do believe the next few episodes are going to be really hard to watch, as harrowing as it's going to be, I'm sure EastEnders will do a brilliant job in bringing it to the screen. It's a very important story-line and i'm positive both Jessica Plummer and Toby-Alexander Smith will do it justice! I hope you've all enjoyed my blog tonight, I once again apologise for posting so late. I'll be back again soon following the next episode. Enjoy the rest of your night folks! xXx

[the-small-one-to-rule-them-all]

Towers and Princes

summary: I based this off this post by @today-only-happens-once featuring Aro!Logan trapped in a tower, and eventual QPR Logince

word count: 6,712

warnings: homophobia, crying, I think that’s it but if I missed anything please let me know

a/n: so this ended up way longer that I thought it would ever be but im really happy with it. I had a lot of fun writing this. Thank you Grae for letting me write  this, I hope you like it! 

Logan looks up to see his father enter his room and sighs.

“Why would you scare her away like that?! I know you aren't like that normally and she’s a very nice lady!”

Logan sits up straight and looks his father in the eye, “Veronica is boring and we have nothing in common. A marriage between us would never work.”

The king starts pacing, “Gosh, Logan, I know you have high standards son but come on! If you’re going to be a good king one day you have to settle down with someone! You’ve read the history books, they're the one thing you like. You know that all the unmarried kings of our kingdom were horrible and went ballistic and threw the country into a downward spiral and I will not let you end up like that!”

Logan takes a deep breath, “Father, you know I would be good at ruling. I am level headed, skilled in war tactics, knowledgeable in economics, and good at negotiations. What standards do you have that I do not meet to be a good king?”

“You are not married! You will need a wife to keep you stable.”

“I don't want to be rude but-”

“Then don't.”

“You have to understand that i'm not just gonna marry any person that walks through those doors!”

The king storms out of the room and Logan lets himself fall back on his bed with a groan. He can't take another day of awkward suitors who don't even like him and make him uncomfortable.

Later that night Logan is pacing in his room talking to a strange man in a big dark cloak with a large walking stick, “You need to go talk to him tomorrow. You have to convince him that this is a good idea. He is upset I didn't want to marry Veronica, it’s the perfect time to persuade him.”

“Are you sure now is the right time?” the man asks leaning heavily on his walking stick

Logan crosses his arms, still pacing,“It has to be, he has to be willing to do this.  If not I will run away and this will happen anyway, but I do hope to get his approval on it so my mother is not so worried when I disappear. I mean, I would leave a note, but still.”

The man shifts, “I understand, Prince Logan. My parents were undoubtedly upset when I left, but seeing as they were looking to get me hanged I don't think they minded all that much.”

“Sorry if i'm intruding but why did your parents want you gone?”

The man moves the large stick into his other hand, “Let’s just say I have a preference for princes.”

Logan nods, “I see. If i'm being honest, even though i've never felt... attracted to anyone before, i'd say I do as well. Princes are much more tolerable and interesting than their female counterparts.”

The man sits, “I'd have to say I agree. But tell me, really, has no one struck your fancy?”

“Not in a way that is any different than friendship. No. Though you probably don't believe me.” Logan sighs finally stopping his pacing to take a seat at his desk next to the man.

“No, I believe you.” He assures Logan

“Really?”

The man sighs and turns to Logan, “I believe I understand you better than you think. Let me guess, you don't like anyone romantically. You would rather a person, if you were to have to live with them, fit the qualifications for a friend than look attractive. Attraction is something I would believe you find to be arbitrary and confusing. You would rather just be friends with someone than be in a romantic relationship and you hate that you are being forced into one. Am I correct?”

Logan blinks and gawks at him, “How? How do you know?”

The cloaked man chuckles, “I've arranged for at least a hundred members of high ranking families to take advantage of my services in an attempt to avoid marriage. Do you really think you’re the first and only person who has ever felt the way you do?”

Logan sighs, “I suppose that it would make logical sense that I am not alone. It’s kind of nice to know.. But enough about me, you remember the plan?”

“Yes.”

Logan nods, “Well then be ready tomorrow, because I'm not staying here being pestered with questions of marriage another day.”

“You have the plans I asked for?”

“I do.”

“Give them here,” The man demands extending a hand, “I will make arrangements for it to be set up. Be sure not to pack before the decision is made or people will get suspicious.”

Logan gives him the papers, “I understand.”

The man leaves in a puff of smoke and Logan sighs. He walks over and collapses onto his bed. He falls asleep hoping they can pull this whole thing off.

The next morning the King takes a meeting with an old man, a known sorcerer with a black cloak and a large staff, “Your majesty, i've heard your son has had a difficult time finding a suitor he approves of.”

“You could say that,” the king shrugs, “I’d say it’s more like he is being downright rebellious.”

“Well, Sire, I believe I know of a solution that could work to benefit you both. One that could help Prince Logan find a suitor he approves of.”

The king leans forward slightly, “... Go on.”

The man shifts his weight to lean on his staff, “Well, most people assume that when princesses and princes get locked in towers that they don't choose to be there, however that is rarely the case. Many princes and princesses come to a decision with someone like me. They decide to have the child locked in a tower, by someone like me who provides them with food and the like. The parents then claim they were kidnapped and say that whoever saves their beloved child can have their hand in marriage. Towers are often personalized so that the person who ends up doing the saving is someone suitable to the child’s preferences. And tada, the child gets married with no complaints.”

The king nods, thinking it over, “That is... smart. But I doubt I could get my son to agree to such a thing.”

“So you agree you would be willing to make an arrangement?”

“I would.”

“Then why don't we ask your son what he thinks?”

The king turns to one of the servants, “Bring Prince Logan down to see me please.”

Logan enters the throne room and takes in the scene before him, masking his excitement.

“Son, meet Virgil the Mysterious.”

“Good morning my Prince.” Virgil says with a small bow.

The king smiles, gesturing to Virgil, “He has a proposition to make. He thinks he knows about an arrangement that might work to find you an... acceptable suitor.”

“And just what might that be?” Logan asks crossing his arms.

“I place you in a tower where I supply you with your daily needs, food, water, letters from your parents, and the like. The tower would be... personalized with different traps and such that potential suitors would have to pass to get inside. You would of course have a say i'm what those are so that the person who “rescues” you will be someone you approve of. And if you at any time wish to leave because you have figured out who you want to marry and no longer require the use of the tower, that is easily done.”

Logan blinks and runs a hand through his hair, “You’re suggesting that you lock me inside a personalized tower and that whoever saves me can marry me. And the steps required to get inside are actually going to be test to make sure they’re a person I would approve of?”

“Yes, precisely.”

Logan frowns, “Father, are you serious?”

“Yes. The alternative is you stay here and we continue this search for suitors that we have been on for the past year in the same fashion as always.”

Logan slowly turns to face Virgil, “... You said I can leave the tower and come back at any time if I change my mind?”

“Yes of course,”

Logan thinks for a moment, “I’ll do it.”

The King smiles, “Really?”

“Yes father. I assume this happens soon?”

Virgil shrugs, “It can happen today if you can be packed by tonight.”

“I can be packed in two hours”

“Well then, today it is.”

Logan goes to his room and begins packing. He is soon joined by Virgil who shuts the door behind him.

Logan turns to Virgil, “I'm so glad that worked. This will be much easier than sneaking out would be!”

Virgil smiles, “I am glad that it worked out as well. I would hate to have your dad coming after me for taking you away.”

Logan snorts, moving his clothes from his dresser to a bag, “He wouldn't come after you, it would be my mom you would need to be worried about. So anyways, where is this tower i'm going to be staying in for what is hopefully a very long time?”

Virgil sits on a stool in front of Logan’s vanity, “Well, i'm going to be magicing us there but on horseback, it’s at least a three day’s ride. We will have a week to get your tower set up and for you to get comfortable.”

Logan frowns, “Do we need that much time?”

“For you to help me set up those complicated puzzles, yeah. We need a week. Honestly we might need more.”

“They aren't that complicated.”

“One of your riddles asks what the scientific name for a tomato is. I don't even know what a tomato is, much less the scientific name for it!” Virgil huffs.

“Okay, perhaps some of them are a bit much, but honestly. I just want to make sure that whoever saves me is an interesting person and has some similar likes to me.”

“That’s fair.” Virgil shrugs.

Two hours later Logan is standing in the middle of his room, bags in his hands and a backpack on his back ready to go.

“Do you want to say goodbye to anyone before we go?” Virgil asks.

Logan is silent for a moment, “I would like to talk to my mother, she should be in here soon-”

Logan is interrupted when his mother the Queen bursts in.

“Oh there you are Mother. I was expecting you to come a bit sooner.”

“Logan dear, why? Why are you doing this? I don't want you to leave me.” She exclaims, upset.

Logan sets down his bags and takes his mother’s hands in his, “I won't be leaving you, Virgil promised he can be a letter carrier for us, we will still talk. As for why, you know I do not like any of the girls father has chosen for me.”

His mother sighs, pulling away, “Yes but if you are locked in a tower princes will come after you. You would not want to disappoint them.”

Logan mumbles, “I’m sure some of them will be disappointed, but maybe I wouldn't mind a marrying a prince.” He doesn't dare look his mother in the eye.

His mother huffs, “How dare you. You have embarrassed me enough by choosing to go off to this tower over choosing to settle down, but this..? How could you dishonor us like this?! You are a disgrace. I'm glad I won't have to see you again for a long time.” She stalks out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

Logan flinches at the sound, his legs giving out as he drops to the floor.

Virgil slowly approaches and sits in front of Logan, “You okay?”

He ducks his head and closes his eyes. Logan gives no response.

“It was brave of you to tell her.”

“I thought she might’ve-” Logan’s voice breaks and he chokes back a sob.

“You had hoped she would be more accepting.”

Logan nods.

He sighs, “I understand, but now we need to get out of here. We don't know what she might say, or who she might say it too.”

Logan sits up and takes a steadying breath, hoping Virgil won't notice the tears on his cheeks.

Virgil stands and offers Logan his hand, “I'm sorry, Prince Logan, but it is no longer safe for you here.”

Logan takes his hand and stands. He grabs his bags and takes one last look at the door. He sighs, letting a few more tears fall, “I'm ready to leave.”

Virgil grabs Logan by the arm and the next thing Logan knows his vision is clouded by smoke and he feels as though he is falling. When he feels his feet hit the floor, he opens his eyes, they are standing in a clearing in front of a large stone tower. There is a wooden table on their left which Logan assumes is for planning out the tower’s puzzles.

Logan stares at the tower, saying nothing, just making mental note of its size.

Virgil, assuming the silence means something is wrong asks, “What, do you not like it?”

Logan shrugs, “No, I like it, it is just larger than I had anticipated it being.”

Suddenly a person comes running up to meet the pair, “Oh hey boys, i'm glad to see it all worked out!”

Virgil clears his throat and gestures to the man, “Logan, meet my husband, Patton.”

Logan shakes Patton’s hand, “Oh, uh, hi. I didn't expect to get to meet you, but it is a pleasure.”

Patton smiles at him then turns to Virgil, “Oh, Virgil, You didn't tell him?”

Virgil shakes his head spreading Logan’s tower designs over the table, “Not yet no. We were busy talking over the design of the tower and the different puzzles and such he wants.”

Logan frowns, “Wait, tell me what?”

Patton smiles wide, “I’m a shapeshifter!” he says throwing his arms out wide, “I can change into any form I want! And i'm going to be your dragon!”

Logan blinks, “Okay, wait what? My dragon? What does that mean?”

Patton shrugs “Well, towers tend to be guarded by dragons or surrounded by a moat or something, right. And because  we couldn’t find an open tower with a moat, you get me, your guard dragon!”

Logan nods slowly, still a little unnerved by the chipper man in front of him, “Oh, I see.”

Patton takes a bag from Logan “So,I hope i'm not intruding, but what makes you feel like the tower is a better option for you that staying at home?”

Logan shrugs, “Well,I don't like anyone romantically, never have. I guess I just have really high standards. And I prefer princes to princesses.” Logan raises a hand to his cheek, wincing at the feeling and pulling away.

“Considering the mark you got there, I take it that didn't go over well.” Patton remarks with a frown.

Logan shakes his head sadly, “No. It went over worse that I had expected.’

Patton nods, “As far as not liking anyone romantically goes, I have a few theories as to why that might be.”

Logan arches an eyebrow.

“I heard you like books and research.” Patton says with a small smile

“I do.” Logan admits.

Patton takes the jar, “Then I suggest considering taking a look into aromanticism. All one word, no dash after the a or anything. You might find it helpful.”

“And how exactly am I supposed to be able to do research from inside a tower?”

Virgil speaks up from his place at the table, “You will have access to my library. I will set up a system with you. Before you go up you choose about five books take them up to read. I’ll take your requests and input and provide you with more when you finish them. I can start with giving you some books on Aromanticism.”

Logan smiles, “That... that sounds like a fantastic arrangement.”

Patton smiles grabbing another one of Logan’s bags, “Why don't we go up and work on setting up your room with your things?”

Logan nods, grabbing the rest of his bags and slinging his backpack over his shoulder.

Logan looks around at the room, it was, decidedly unremarkable, but Logan was happy with it.

Patton places his bag down and urns to look at Logan, “I know this room is not as nice as your old room, we simply can't afford to keep these towers super nice. I hope it isn't a huge deal-”

Logan shakes his head, “I like it. It is nice. It is plain, simple, I can organize it however I desire and there are no unnecessary items anywhere. It has good light, a clear view of the stars, think I will be very happy here.”

‘I'm glad, you’re most likely gonna be here for a while.” Virgil says, Logan is unable to tell if he is actually happy or is being sarcastic, but he doesn't much care either way.

“So, how about you explain the puzzles to me so I can build them?” Virgil suggests, laying the papers out on the table in the middle of the room.

Three days later the puzzles are in place and Logan places the last book on his desk with a smile, “There, i'm completely unpacked.”

Patton claps, “Yay! You seem happy with everything.”

“I am. I am very happy to have a place to myself. If I am being honest, I am glad to be away from my family right now.” Logan admits sitting on his bed.

Patton frowns, “Do you want to talk about it?”

“I guess it couldn't hurt.”

“Well then, why don't you wanna be at home?”

Logan sighs, “The last thing I did before leaving was come out to my mother. I don't know if she ever told my dad. If she did, I am certain he will react worse than my mother did, and that was bad enough. I don't know if I can ever go home and face them again. Not when I left like that.”

Patton moves and sits next to Logan, “You mean... You left right after the argument?”

Logan frowns, “Well it wasn't much of an argument. I told her. She lectured me about how much of a disappointment and disgrace I am to the family. She slammed the door behind her. I left a note on my desk saying we left and then we left.”

“It was brave of you to tell her.”

“Maybe it was, but I wish I hadn't.”

Paton nods, “I encourage you, read those books about aromanticism, it may help you make sense of some of what has brought you here.”

Logan nods, “I will.” he says as Patton leaves.

He grabs the book and sighs. He doesn't really feel like having a big moment right now, but it’s the middle of the day and he is bored and has nothing better to do. So he opens the book and starts reading.

“This book is about aromanticism, and I figure, if you’re gonna read about it, I should explain what that is. Someone who is aromantic doesn't feel romantic attraction towards anyone of any gender. Now i bet you’re wondering what romantic attraction is, well don't worry, that’s what this first chapter is all about.”

Logan becomes engulfed in the book and in twenty minutes he has read half of the first chapter. He sets down the book and thinks over what he has learned, writing it in a journal.

“So aromantic is where you don't feel romantic attraction towards people. And romantic attraction is where you have a desire to be in a romantic relationship and actively wish to do romantic things with them.

I..... I don't think ive ever felt that before. I..... I think i'm aromantic.  That... that would explain why I never had crushes on anyone growing up and why i never really cared about marriage and... oh wow! This explains everything.”

Logan stares at what he wrote, a small smile on his face as the reality of what he just realised hits him. He isn't just choosy with his relationships, he doesn't just have high standards, he isn't broken or missing anything, he’s aromantic.

In a burst of excitement Logan spends the next few hours reading the rest of the book. When he finally finishes it, he sets the book and stares off a the wall. He just took in so much information that he doesn't know how to process it all, but what has sunk in has hit him like a punch in the stomach.

He is aromantic. He feels so happy but he feels like he could throw up at the same time. His head hurts but he thinks he could run laps around his room and not be tired afterwards. He sits and thinks it over, trying to imagine what he would want in the future, what kind of relationship he would want, what kind of house he would live in if he didn't live in the palace.

That night Virgil visits him, he appears in a puff of smoke by the window and Logan looks up from his seat at his desk.

Virgil holds up some papers, “Your mom insisted I bring you her letter. I haven't read it, but if it’s anything like the awful stuff she said to you earlier I will gladly burn it in my fireplace.”

Logan takes it from him, ‘Thanks Virgil.”

Virgil frowns, “Hey Logan, you seem a bit... off, you okay?”

Logan smiles, “I’m fine, I just read the book on aromanticism and i'm still processing it all.”

Virgil nods, “Well, okay.”

Logan looks at the papers in his hands, ‘I don't know if I can look at these right now. Could I read them later and give them to Patton or something if it’s awful?”

Virgil shrugs, “Sure, I won't rush you to open it. Whatever works. ”

“Is there anything else? Did... did my father say anything?” Logan asks.

“Your father.... He did definitely say some stuff. The summary of it is that he knows you like guys and he doesn't exactly approve.”

Logan sighs.

“I asked him what I should have you do if a prince is the one to rescue you. He said he refuses to marry you to a man. If that ever changes, I will let you know.”

The next day Logan decides to open the letter from his mom. He reads the first sentence and sets the letter down with a groan and a sigh.

“Hey Patton.” Logan calls, hoping he will hear.

Sure enough Patton appears at the window hovering on a pair of wings, “Yes Logan, is something wrong?’

Logan frowns at the letter, “Can you, umm, can you breathe fire?”

“The letter is that bad huh?”

Logan nods, “It’s worse.”

Patton grimaces, taking a seat on the windowsill, “Well i've never tried breathing fire before, but I am willing to give it a try.’

“Well, just don't hurt yourself.”

Patton nods, closing his eyes in concentration, Logan watches, but nothing visibly changes.

“Okay give me that letter and let’s see if this works.”

Logan hesitantly hands it over.

Patton takes it leaning backwards out the window. He turns to the side. He puts the paper in front of his face and takes a deep breath. As he breathes out they are both delighted to see flames come flickering out of his mouth.

The parchment catches flame and burns quickly. When it is all but a stub Patton lets go watching it fall and burn up in the wind.

Patton sits back up and gives Logan a small smile, “There, now you never have to think about it again.”

Logan frowns, but now what do i do if someone saves me? I can't go home.”

Patton shrugs, “You never said you were going to go back to your home, you could always go to theirs.”

Logan smiles, he likes that idea.

His father never took back his sentiment on gay marriage, so Logan is not worried when he realised when one year has passed and not one suitor has stayed after hearing that Logan is a man. Logan is content with his life in the tower, studying the stars, writing, journaling, and researching. He has grown to love the solitude.

One day Logan is journaling by his window when he hears a strange noise.

Logan looks up as he hears a voice calling from outside.

“Come out my darling princess,” the voice says, “show me your face that I may know who I am saving and so you may see the face of your rescuer, Prince Roman!”

Logan sighs, another suitor, this Roman fellow will probably leave as soon as he realises Logan isn't a beautiful princess, but he might as well know now. Logan sticks his head out the window, “Oh, good prince, I am not a princess but a prince. It has been decreed by my father King Cedric that whoever rescues me from this tower is the person I am to marry. If you aren't interested please, leave and find your princess and your happily ever after. If you still desire to save me, I wish you luck as the evil wizard who locked me in here has riddled the path to me with traps and tests.”

Logan pulls his head back inside, sitting back down to his work startled to hear the response, “Oh my dear sweet prince, I will do all I can to save you. I swear on it!”

Logan freezes for a moment before answering, “Doesn't it bother you that I am a man?”

He hears Roman give a hearty laugh, “No, believe it or not, i'm gay.”

Logan is pulled out of his shock and he looks out the window again, this time looking down at the man, “Prince Roman, I do believe we have that in common.”

Roman smile up at him, shading the sun from his eyes, “Well, that is great to hear. What is your name, oh beautiful prince?”

Logan rolls his eyes, “I am Prince Logan.”

Roman smiles, “I have heard of you Prince Logan. I did not know you like princes.”

Logan lets out a sigh, “Well I would rather you not spread it too far, there are people at home who do not know.”

Roman nods, “I understand and I won't tell a soul. Though, I think you should know, back in my kingdom, they do not hate people like us. We are accepted and viewed as equals.”

Logan leans on the windowsill, head in his hands, “As much as I desperately wish to believe what you are telling me, I find it hard to even imagine a place like that.”

Roma shrugs “Perhaps when I save you, I can bring you back to my kingdom so you don't have to imagine it.”

Logan nods, “Perhaps you may, but it is dark and I insist you leave. Go back to your camp or your home, wherever it is you came from. you can start on the puzzles later when you aren’t so tired, I will see you when you come back.”

“But Logan, how do I know you will be here when I come back?” Roman asks

Logan sighs, “You are the first one to stay after I announced that I am a man and not a princess, you have no competition.”

Roman smiles, “Well that is good to hear. I will return in two days time, and then I shall return with all the supplies I may need to save you from your prison.”

Logan smiles, “I look forward to our meeting again.”

“So long my fair prince, until I return.”

Logan waves and closes the window with a sigh. He had hoped to remain in the tower for more than just a year, but he is glad to know that when... if he gets out of here, there is a place he can go and be accepted.

When Roman shows up two days later Logan goes around to the back of the tower where Patton is waiting to show himself.

“Now,” Logan mutters.

Patton nods and Logan sees him fly straight up, and feels the tower shake a bit, he assumes Patton has landed on it.

“Who are you, that you seek to take this man from his cage?” Patton roars.

“I am Prince Roman. I seek to save Prince Logan from his solitude and bring him back to my kingdom, a place where people like us who like people who are the same gender as us are viewed and treated as equals.”

“So you do not wish to marry the prince?”

“Well, I can’t answer that yet, I don't exactly know him.”

Patton nods, “Those are good answers. I will let you be in your quest to save Logan, though, be mindful, I will not be so kind to any friends you may bring with you. This quest is for you to complete on your own.”

Roman smiles, “I am up for the task!”

Patton leaves and Roman spends the day trying to solve all of the puzzles, but he can't even get past the first one.

The days go by and Logan and Roman talk while Roman works, discussing their interests and families and swapping stories. Logan does take breaks to read and journal and such, but they spend a good amount of time getting to know one another. This goes on for a long time and Logan begins to grow fond of this prince fellow who calls him by every nickname imaginable from Lo to Specs to Teach. He rolls his eyes at the theatrics Roman will put on for him whether in frustration at the puzzles or just to entertain him, but he smiles all the same.

One day, Logan is sitting at his desk rereading the book on aromanticism again, more out of sentiment than anything else. He had memorised it long ago, but reading it again brought him peace.

Logan jumps, dropping his book as he hears a noise at the window. He watches as an arm clings to the windowsill. He realises with shock, that  Prince Roman just climbed in through his window.

Logan stares as dread settles into the pit of his stomach as he realised he is going to have to marry this man.

Roman looks up at Logan panting at the effort of climbing through the window and sighs, “It was proving impossible to get to you the normal way, so I climbed. I got to ask, why all the puzzles, Specs?”

Logan shrugs adjusting his glasses, “If I have to spend my life with someone romantically, I at least wanted to make sure they’d be an interesting person.”

“Do I qualify?” Roman asks raising an eyebrow at Logan.

Logan nods, “I guess you do. I mean you got in here, didn't you?”

“I did get in here.... wait, do you not want to get married?”

Logan frowns, “When did I ever say that?”

Roman shrugs, “Come on, Lo, you seem hesitant about it.”

Logan sputters, “I mean a romantic relationship, especially one that is intended to last one’s entire life is a big deal and a big decision and-”

Roman groans, “Oh my gosh, Logan! What is it? Why don't you want to get married? I'm not gonna be offended if you would rather get to know me better first or if i'm not your type or whatever. Please just tell me. I am not going to force you to marry me if you don't want to.”

Logan sighs deeply, looking down at his feet, “It’s complicated.”

Roman slowly steps towards Logan and takes his hand, “Well, no one knows I made it up here. We have all the time in the world. So please, just sit, take your time, and tell me what's bothering you.”

Logan walks with him to the end of the bed and sits. There is a long moment of silence.

“I don't know how to do this.” Logan admits.

“Well, what are you doing?”

“... coming out.”

Roman stares at him  for a moment before relaxing into a kind smile, “Hey, it’s okay. I promise i’m a safe person to come out to. I’ll listen and do my best to ask questions if there is something that I don't understand. And don't worry, I get it, coming out is hard, especially if you haven't done it before. So, just take your time to get your words together and we can do this when you’re ready.”

Logan nods. He sits and thinks over how he wants to say it, how he wants to direct the conversation, how to even get to the topic in the first place. Does he want to just tell him and explain after or guide the conversation and bring him to the subject?

Logan sighs, “So, how knowledgeable are you with LGBT identities?”

Roman considers it, “I would like to think i'm fairly knowledgeable.”

“Okay, have you heard of Aromanticism?”

Roman makes a few strange thinking faces, “If I have, I don't remember it.”

Logan nods, “Okay, umm, have you heard of asexuality?”

Roman thinks for a moment, “Yes, I believe so. Is that where you’re not attracted to anyone physically”

Logan nods, “If you mean sexually, then yes.”

“Cool, glad I knew something.”

“Yes, well, aromanticism is similar to asexuality. You see, someone who is aromantic doesn't feel any romantic attraction towards anyone of any gender.”

“Cool. i'm learning a lot. Why are you telling me this?”

Logan sighs, “I know I told you i'm gay, but that isn't exactly true. While I do have a preference for men, I am aromantic. My attraction is more emotional and aesthetic than romantic, or even sexual.”

Roman blinks for a second, “Oh, okay. Oh.... OH so that’s why marriage is uncomfortable for you.”

Logan nods “Yes. That’s why I am uncomfortable with the idea of being in a traditional marriage.”

Roman frowns, “Does that mean... you don't want to be in a relationship with me?”

“Now see, this is where things get complicated. Because actually Roman,” Logan admits, “I would love to be in a relationship with you, just not a typical romantic one.”

“Okay, i'm lost.”

“That’s okay. Can I explain?”

Roman nods.

“Feel free to ask questions if you need.” Logan clears his throat and sighs, “A queerplatonic relationship, or a QPR for short, is a relationship that is based on attraction that isn't romantic. It may or may not include feelings of sexual attraction and may or may not include elements of physical intimacy depending on the people in the relationship.”

Roman raises his hand and Logan chuckles, “Do you have a question?”

“Yes,” Roman answers putting his arm down, “Are you saying you would want to be in a QPR with me?”

“Yes Roman I am.” Logan says with a small smile.

Roman smiles, “I, I kinda like that. That sounds nice. What, what were you thinking that would look like?”

Logan smiles, “I'm glad you are okay with the idea. As far as what a relationship between us would look like, it’s hard to say because i'm not sure what your boundaries are and what you’re okay with.”

Roman frowns, like... physical boundaries or like? I'm not sure what you’re asking.”

“Oh, well, for example, i'm comfortable with the idea of kissing, but only sometimes and probably never with tongue. I am comfortable with cuddling as long as there isn't the pretense of it leading to anything more because honestly I don't know my boundaries with that. I uh, I would prefer that we hang out in more of a friend type context without the pressure of big romantic gestures-”

“I, umm, I would like to spoil you every now and again if you would let me.” Roman admits.

Logan considers that for  a moment, “Okay, well, I'm okay with romantic gestures in private but in public it starts to feel weird for me, so i'm fine with being ‘spoiled’ as you say, but just, not in front of others.”

Roman nods, “Can I go?”

Logan smiles and sits back, gesturing for him to speak.

Roman fiddles with his hands in his lap, “Well, I do like kissing, but I don't like kissing with tongue either so I think we’re both good there. Umm, cuddling is great, I love cuddling. As far as more intimate physical things go, I think we would agree that we can address those as they might come up, right?”

Logan nods, “I do agree.”

Roman sighs, “Would you be willing to act more romantic in front of like, parents and stuff?”

Logan nods, “Where it is required, at parties, whatever wedding type ceremony i'm sure we will have to have, that sort of thing sure. I'd just rather not have to put on a show of it like that everyday because that could get... difficult and would be rather uncomfortable.”

Roman nods, “okay, yeah. That... sure.”

Logan smirks at Roman’s loss for words.

Roman blushes, “Is it okay if I tell you I love you?”

Logan blushes this time, “oh, umm, i... yes. Yes.”

“Will you say it back?”

Logan nods, “I will.” He moves his hand and places it on top of Roman’s. “It may not carry the same romantic association as when you say it. But know that I mean it sincerely and completely when I tell you, I love you.”

Roman smiles and looks down at their hands, “I like this.”

“So do I. I just want to clarify something, Roman.”

Roman looks up to meet his eyes.

“I will do my very best to communicate my boundaries, my wants, and my needs in this relationship. Please, I ask you to do the same. Tell me if you don't like something, would rather do something different or if you want to try something new. I want this to work as well as possible, and that can only happen if we talk to each other.”

“Okay. I will. And with that, I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“Can I hold your hand and stare into your eyes more often?”

Logan blushes and smiles, “I would like that.”

They sat there for a moment, just staring at each other. Then Roman shifts to face Logan a bit more. “Before I help you pack all of this stuff up, I have one more question.”

“Yes?”

Roman blushes a bit, “What does it feel like for you? This... us, because when I look into your eyes it’s like my stomach explodes in butterflies I feel nervous and joyful all at once. I want to treasure you and keep you safe and make you feel special every day. I feel like I could take on a whole army at once if only you asked me to.”

Logan smirks, “I wouldn't ask that of you, Princey. I want you to be here with me, not off fighting some random army.”

Roman snorts, “Fine, I won't go off fighting an army, but will you answer my question?”

“Yes, of course I will, but I can't guarantee you’ll understand.” Logan says with a small sigh

Roman shrugs, “Just because I don't understand something doesnt mean I can't accept it.”

“Well, okay. Umm, when I look at you, I feel an emotion swelling in my chest. It’s a happy warm comforting feeling. I, umm, I feel overwhelming happiness and peace when i'm with you. I care for you so much, I don't know what to call that except love. I love you, in my own way. And I... I would enjoy sharing my life with you.”

Logan smiles as he sees a blush rise on Roman’s face.

Roman sputters, “i.. Thats.. Thanks... how am I supposed to respond to that? I thought I was supposed to be the romantic one!”

Logan laughs, “I suppose you are, sorry, i guess next time I won't try to romance you since it’s your thing.” Logan jokes.

Roman crosses his arms and sticks his tongue out at Logan.

Logan smiles, “Now come on and help me pack up my stuff, drama prince.”

[heauxplesslydevoted]

Sandpaper Kisses, Paper Cut Bliss

Pairing: Bertrand x Savannah, some minor Liam x MC

Inspired by this post here from @playchoicesficidea in which Bertrand catches Savannah cheating on him before their wedding. I’ve been in bed sick all day, so I’ve had nothing but time to write this.

Word Count: 3,00ish. Would’ve been longer because I had a Bartie Sr vs. Leona scene, that I cut once I realized I don’t give a damn about either of them.

Tag List: I’m just gonna tag everyone who expressed interest in this particular prompt period. @canknot @lapisreviewsstuff @kingliamsbitch @thecordoniandiaries @burnsoslow @ao719 @sirbeepsalot @whenyourheartskipsabeat @katedrakeohd @kingliamsbish @lovemychoices ~~

It’s the night before Bertrand and Savannah’s wedding, and thins at the Walker ranch are surprisingly calm. Queen Kendall truly cannot believe it. She was expecting them to be putting out a million fires, especially since that’s all they’ve done since they arrived on the ranch over two weeks ago.

“What’s on your mind, beautiful?” Kendall turns and sees her husband Liam standing in the doorway of their guest room, a glass of water in his hands.

“Nothing much,” Kendall muses softly as she looks out the window. “It’s quiet out tonight.”

“It is.” Liam places his glass of water on the bedside table.

“We finally get a moment’s peace and it’s right before the wedding. The calm before the storm.”

Liam walks up behind his wife and wraps his arms around her midsection, holding her close. “I’m sure the ceremony will be lovely and go off without a hitch.”

“You’re going to look so handsome in your fancy white tux when you officiate. I can picture it already.”

Liam chuckles, a deep, sound reverberating in his chest. “Down, girl.”

“Oh please. I’ve worn plenty of outfits that you’ve barely let me take off before you pounced on me.”

Before Liam can respond, there’s a small knock on their still open bedroom door. They break apart and spot Bertrand standing there, an almost shy look on his face.

Kendall smiles at seeing him. “Bertrand! What are you doing up so late? The groom should be asleep by now.”

“I’m sorry to interrupt you two, but I need help,” Bertrand says, wringing his hands together.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s Savannah. I went to her bedroom because I wanted to talk to her, but she was nowhere to be found. Can you help me look for her?”

“Where’s Bartie?” Liam asks.

“He’s sleeping with Bianca tonight,” Bertrand explains. “She thought Savannah and I needed a good night’s rest before the wedding and that wouldn’t be possible with a toddler in either of our rooms.”

Kendall glances at Liam, then turns back to Bertrand with a nod. “Sure, we’ll help you.”

After putting on her robe and a pair of slippers, Kendall takes off, Bertrand and Liam behind her. 

They check all of the main rooms of the house: kitchen, family room, dining room, and all of the guest bathrooms. No Savannah in any of those rooms.

“Have you checked the stables?” Liam asks. “Maybe she’s gone off for a midnight ride.”

“That’s a good idea. It would also be perfect because I have a gift for her.”

Kendall’s ears perk up at the mention of a gift. “Ooh, what?”

“I was able to find the person who bought their old saddle, and I bought it back. I wanted to give it to Savannah to use tomorrow if she wanted. I know how much that saddle meant to her.”

“Bertrand Beaumont, you are such a romantic,” Kendall teases, playfully knocking shoulders with the older man. A faint blush appears on his cheeks, and he quickly lowers his head so Liam and Kendall can’t see. It doesn’t work, but they don’t bring any attention to it.

Bertrand awkwardly pulls at the collar of his shirt. “Well, I want Savannah to be happy above everything else.”

“She’ll be elated!” Kendall says excitedly. “It’s a very thoughtful gift.”

They fall into a comfortable silence en route to the stables, Liam grabbing Kendall’s hand and interlocking their fingers. Bertrand notices the simple gesture. “You two are so...adorable.”

“I love this woman tremendously,” Liam says simply. “I can’t help but constantly show her affection.”

Kendall squeezes his fingers and turns to Bertrand. “I picked a good one, didn’t I?”

Bertrand smiles at them. After everything they’ve been through, they deserve to spend the rest of their days happily in love. He can only hope that he is so lucky to have such an...effortless and out loud love as the king and queen. “You picked one the best.”

They finally make their way to the stables. It’s quiet, but Bertrand hears faint rustling coming from the very end. “Hello?” He calls out. 

The noise gets louder and more defined. It sounds like...moaning? Do horses moan? Investigating it further, he creeps towards the back of the stables. 

The sight of his very naked fiancée tangled in a very lewd embrace with Chuck is the very last thing he expected to see, but here it is.

His heart drops to his stomach. His feet are frozen in place. He can’t move, he can’t breathe. Maybe he’s hallucinating, or having a very vivid nightmare because surely, this cannot be real, right?

A sharp gasp followed by a shocked “oh my!”  pulls him back down to earth and gets him out of his head. Oh yeah, he forgot that quickly that he isn’t alone. Kendall and Liam are there with him.

The noise gets the attention of Savannah and Chuck. They scramble apart, quickly searching for anything to cover themselves with, like roaches scattering once confronted with light.

So many things swirl around in Bertrand’s mind. He doesn’t know what to do in this moment. Scream? Throw a fit? Break down in tears? Punch Chuck in his face?

He does none of the above, and instead simply turns around and walks off.

“Bertrand, wait!” Savannah calls after him, still rushing to put her clothes on. After managing to get her shirt on — though backwards and inside out — she gets up and runs after Bertrand. Kendall follows, and Liam does as well.

Once back in the safety of the main house, Savannah manages to catch Bertrand walking through the living room, heading to the stairs. “Bertrand! Please, can we talk about this?”

“Savannah, I think we’re past the point of talking, don’t you?”

“Bertrand, I am so sorry.” She runs towards him and tries to grab his hand, but he flinches and backs away. “I can explain.”

“Oh sweetheart,” Savannah bristles at the sound of Kendall’s voice, “I think what we just witnessed needs to explanation.”

Savannah turns and sees that Liam and Kendall have made their way back into the house, along with a shirtless Chuck. “With all due respect, this doesn’t concern you, your majesty.”

“If you think I’m going to let you isolate Bertrand so you turn on the tears or give him some bullshit story, you are sorely mistaken.”

“What is with all this noise?” Another voice, Bianca’s, enters the picture. Bertrand looks up and sees everyone else come coming down the stairs. “We have a wedding to get ready for in a few— Chuck! What are you doing here?”

“It’s fine, mom,” Savannah says. “Everyone can go back to bed.”

Bianca crosses her arms across her chest. “It doesn’t look fine.”

Kendall looks to Bertrand to see if he wants to be the one to say something. But he looks so...broken. She’s never seen him so down before.

He sighs heavily, trying to keep his emotions in check. “I’m sorry to inform you all that there won’t be a wedding tomorrow.”

“What?” Leona shrieks. “Do you know how much money and resources we’ve spent to make this wedding happen?”

“Well maybe Savannah and Chuck can get married,” Kendall suggests, keeping her voice level.

“Why on earth would Savannah marry Chuck?” Bianca asks.

“I mean, why wouldn’t she?” Kendall asks rhetorically. “She was just having sex with him in the stables less than 5 minutes ago.”

The room grows so silent, you could hear a pin drop five miles away.

“No way,” Bianca says breaking the silence. “No way my daughter would do such a thing.”

“Let’s all use our detective skills, shall we?” Kendall starts. “Chuck is shirtless, Savannah is standing here, haphazardly dressed, clothes inside out, hair askew, and Bertrand called off the wedding. If it walks like a cheater, and quacks like a cheater, it’s a cheater!”

“Kendall, stop!” Savannah snaps.

“Oh I’m just getting started,” Kendall argues. “How could you? Bertrand is one of the best men I know, and all you’ve ever done is take advantage.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You never loved Bertrand,” Kendall continues. “You only loved the idea of him, the rich and sophisticated Duke, with the glamorous lifestyle sweeping the pretty commoner off of her feet. You were infatuated. You love playing games. You robbed him of knowing his child, unilaterally deciding that he wasn’t good enough to be a father to his son, but you accepted very generous sums of money from Maxwell, to the detriment of the estate and the relationship between brothers. You spent months playing a passive aggressive game of chicken with him before he finally proposed to you, at my wedding of all places. And now here we are. For weeks he’s been breaking his back, bending over backwards to appease you and your judgmental  family, without an ounce of recognition or reciprocity, while having to deal with Chuck always lingering around in the background. Chuck, the guy you knew Bertrand was feeling insecure about, because he told you! I told you!” Kendall stalks closer to Savannah, drawing herself up to full height. “And what did you do? You tried to gaslight him and invalidate his feelings, knowing full well he was right all along, you traitorous snake. You are insensitive, and selfish, and self serving.”

Drake gets in-between the women, forcing Savannah to take a step back but Kendall doesn’t move an inch. He glares down at Kendall. “Mason, that’s enough.”

“I don’t think it’s nearly enough.”

“I don’t care how mad you are, she’s my sister. I’m not going to let you speak to her like that.”

Kendall’s eyes darken, and Drake doesn’t think he’s ever seen her so angry. Even in her rage, she’s so calm and composed, that’s what makes it so unsettling. She points to Bertrand, who’s standing at the bottom of the staircase. “And he is my brother. He’s not going to defend himself and call her out, but I will.”

It becomes apparent that neither one of them is willing to break the stalemate. Liam steps up to his wife and wraps a protective arm around her waist, holding her close. Yes, Drake is his best friend but Kendall is his wife, they are a package deal, and even though she can hold her own, he doesn’t like the situation she’s in. “Drake…please stand down.”

Drake casts a quick glance in Liam’s direction before sighing and stepping back. He looks around the room, and runs a hand through his hair. “I need some air.”

Liam takes Kendall’s hand and gently pulls her out of the fray.

Bertrand clears his throat, getting everyone’s attention. “If you guys are done, I’ll be upstairs packing.”

Kendall reaches out, but decides to leave Bertrand alone.

Bianca sighs. “Alright guys, the show is over, everyone disperse. And Chuck, you need to leave.”

~~/~~

Bertrand is in one of the guest bedrooms, sloppily packing his clothes. He doesn’t bother folding, opting to just throw everything into the open suitcase on the bed.

There’s a tentative knock on his door. He looks up and sees Savannah.

“Bertrand, can we talk?”

“I’d rather not.”

“Bertrand, please. I need to explain myself to you.”

“I don’t see how you can possibly explain yourself, Savannah.”

“I messed up. I made a huge mistake, and I am so sorry.”

Bertrand stops packing for a second and strides over to where Savannah is. He scans her features, taking in how disheveled she looks. He’s instantly reminded of why she looks like this in the first place, and his stomach flips. “Was that the first time?”

“What?”

“Was that the first time you slept with him while engaged to me? Or have you been doing it the whole time we’ve been down here.”

“This was the first time, the last time, the only time. Bertrand, I swear!”

“What happened?”

“I don’t know. We’ve been...flirting ever since we got down here, and I thought it was harmless, but tonight, I was walking around trying to clear my head before the wedding and I found him in the stables. We were talking, and then it just...happened.”

“It didn’t just ‘happen’ as you so eloquently put it. You cheated on me. You made a conscious decision to do so, it wasn’t random, it wasn’t happenstance, it was a choice.”

“You’re right.”

“Kendall was right, all this time I’ve been worrying about Chuck, and my intuition was right all along, though you made me feel like I was crazy.”

“Nothing was going on though. Tonight was the first time.”

“That may be true, but it’s been brewing since we’ve been down here. You’ve let it simmer and fester until it all came to a head tonight. It may not have been physical, but you entertained the idea.”

“Is there any way we can work this out?”

“No. Because the sight of you disgusts me. Looking at you right now, the only thing I see are his hands on you, his lips on you. You’re talking, but in the back of my mind, I hear you moaning on a loop. And you absolutely reek of his cheap cologne, and even if you wash it off, I’ll never forget the stench.”

That gets a physical reaction out of Savannah and she stumbles back as if she’s been struck. “So what happens now?”

“I don’t know. I’m going back to Cordonia. I don’t know if you’re staying here, or going back to your apartment in Paris, or if you’ll want to show your face at court after this, because our queen doesn’t seem to be in a forgiving mood right now. We can figure out an appropriate schedule for Bartie, and I’ll still take care of him financially, but like I said, the wedding is off, and we’re done.”

“But–”

“Savannah!” Bertrand barks. “For God’s sake, go away!”

The outburst stuns her into silence. Her lip quivers slightly, but she bites down on it to keep from crying. She just nods. “Fine. I’ll leave you alone.”

He doesn’t respond. He just waits for her to leave the room. Once the door is closed, Bertrand falls back onto the bed, the exhaustion heavy in his bones. Every inch of his body, from his hair follicles down to his toes, is tired.

He closes his eyes tightly and opens them after a few seconds, hoping that this is just a bad dream. He even pinches himself, so hard, he’s sure he’ll be bruised by sunrise.

He closes his eyes again, but the image of Savannah and Chuck dances behind his eyelids and he feels like throwing up.

“Bertrand? Its Maxwell. Can Kendall and I come in?”

Bertrand goes silent for a while, hoping they’ll just assume he’s sleeping and leave him alone. 

Maxwell only knocks again, louder this time. “Bertrand? Come on, we know you’re up.”

“Come in,” Bertrand commands weakly after another beat of silence. The door creaks open, and in walk Kendall and Maxwell. They join him on his bed, trapping him in between them.

“We don’t have to talk,” Maxwell says. “We just didn’t want you to be alone.”

“Thank you.”

“Of course. The Beaumont Bros...and their sister, stick together, always.”

Bertrand sits up and scans the room. He eyes the saddle sitting in the corner of the bedroom, and his chest constricts at the sight. He chuckles humorlessly. “You guys wouldn’t believe the lengths I went to get that saddle.”

“Sell it again,” Maxwell says with a shrug.

“No. Even though I have the urge to burn it, my son is a Walker. It’s his family heirloom, I’d never get rid of it. It belongs here.”

Kendall gently squeezes Bertrand’s arm. “You’re a good guy.”

“The best guy,” Maxwell corrects.

“Absolutely. The best.”

“I was supposed to be getting married tomorrow,” Bertrand whispers. A tear rolls down his face, and he doesn’t bother wiping it away. “I loved Savannah with every fiber in my being, hell, I still do.”

“What can we do to help?” Maxwell asks.

“If you never want to see her face again, I can ban her from Cordonia,” Kendall offers. “I’m pretty sure I have the power to do that, and if not, Liam can make it happen.”

“That won’t be necessary. She’s still the mother of my child, I’ll have to see her. I’ll have to be cordial.”

“Well, I don’t,” Kendall says. “If you ever want to be childish and petty, you have full permission to do it via me. And the best part is, no is allowed to call me out on it.”

Bertrand manages to laugh. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“And if you ever need to be distracted, I’m your guy,” Maxwell adds.

“I appreciate the offers.”

“We should get some sleep,” Kendall announces. “It’s been a long day, and I plan on getting out of here bright and early. Unless you wanted to leave now? Because I’m fine with that as well.”

“No, tomorrow morning is fine. In all honesty, I’m too tired to move right now.”

“Okay.” Kendall stands up. “Come on Maxwell, let’s let Bertrand rest.”

Maxwell rolls out of the bed. “Seriously, in a few hours if you get the urge to get out of here, tell us. We’ll steal a bottle of their whiskey and be gone.”

“I’ll keep it in mind.”

“Are you sure you’ll be okay?” Kendall asks.

“I’m sure. Go get some sleep.”

Kendall walks over to Bertrand and wraps him in a tight hug. Soon after, Maxwell joins in. “We love you.”

Bertrand settles into the hug, embracing them back. “I love you guys as well.”

Tonigh might have been the worst night of his life, but Bertrand finds comfort in knowing that he’ll always have his family in his corner. And in this moment, that’s all the solace he needs.

[until-theend-oftheline]

Idiot Friends and Interrupted Kisses - Part 5: Earth Shattering

Pairing: Bucky x Reader

Warnings: Unplanned Hulk-out, Y/N is pretty savage too. Poor Bucky.    

Squares Filled: This chapter fills Trust on my @goodthingshappenbingo and this entire series covers slow burn for @marvelfluffbingo

Word Count: 1200ish

A/N: This series is written for @barnesrogersvstheworld 3k challenge - I hope you enjoy it Attie.  

Betaed by: @sebs-potato - thank you so much, Ida.

IFaIK Masterlist

***My fics are not to be saved nor posted on any other sites without my express written permission.***

You had woken up slightly disappointed in yourself that you had fallen asleep before Bucky had returned. You, however, couldn’t help but smile as you found the blanket that had been on your chair the night before was now wrapped around you. The bed still smelled like him too, and it made you not wanna leave.

After snuggling into the pillows for a few minutes longer, you dragged yourself out of bed to get dressed. You knew you had to get back into shape after your injury. Being out of commission for a few weeks and not being able to train had slowed you. You knew that so rather than heading straight for the kitchen like you had for the past couple of weeks you walked towards the gym.

You loved the compound at this time of the day. Everyone was up but not quite awake enough just yet to do much interacting. Except for Sam and Steve of course who had probably already returned from their run, but with any luck, they’d be showering and not bothering you for a sparring session just yet.

Most to your relief the gym was empty so you were free to start your routine however you saw fit. Today you started on the treadmill, before moving on to the weights and finishing off by pounding the boxing bag.

You had worked up a good sweat, but you were still full of energy as you noticed him out the corner of your eye. Bucky was leaning against the doorframe, watching you with a small smile causing you to stop and send him a grin as you struggled to catch your breath.

“A little out of shape there, agent?” Bucky teased you without moving a muscle.

“We can’t all be super soldiers now can we?” You laughed, before stretching your arms over your head, leaning from side to side. You pretended you didn’t notice how Bucky suddenly straightened or how his eyes trailed your body.

His admiring gaze made you feel good. Confident even. You straighten up, letting your eyes meet his with a playful smirk on your face.

“Wanna replace the bag Sergeant? I think it took enough of a beating.”

Bucky raised his eyebrows at you, clearly amused by your challenge as he took a step toward you.

“Depends. What’s in it for me when I kick your ass, doll?” he asked, causing you to laugh.

“First off. You can’t call me doll when you are trying to talk smack, Barnes.” You giggled as you started rewrapping your hands. “How about the loser cooks the other dinner?”

“I’m so ending up with food poisoning,” Bucky fake grumbled as he lifted the rope for you to get in. You playfully slapped his stomach with the back of your hand as you crawled in causing an umpf sound to leave him.

“HEY! I am an excellent cook,” you scolded, grinning as he followed you in.

Bucky didn’t answer, the look he sent you said it all and you stopped grinning, raising your brows at him. He was really pushing his luck this morning.  

“Oh, I really have to kick your ass now,” you warned making Bucky laugh as you got into position.

“Show me what you got, sweetheart,” Bucky challenged with a wink and you instantly felt all your blood rush to your cheeks. Damn him for being so stupidly handsome and annoyingly charming when he wanted to be.

Bucky was a lot bigger, stronger, and faster than you, but Natasha had trained you well. You knew how to use his size to your advantage. Plus you were agile, ducking out of his reach with relative ease.

“Come on Bucky,” you whined after planting a kick to his ribs and punch to his jaw, knocking him slightly off balance.

“Stop taking it easy on me. I’m not gonna break,” you scolded him. “If we are gonna train, fight.”

You saw the doubt in Bucky’s eyes. You knew he was scared of hurting you. The only people you had ever seen him completely let down his guards with while training was Steve, Thor, and Natasha. The latter because she would hand him his ass if he held back and not just in training.

“You’re not gonna hurt me. I trust you.” you gave him an encouraging smile. “Trust me!”

Bucky took a deep breath, clearly stilling himself before refocusing on you again. “Okay. Let’s see what you got, sweetheart.”

Bucky attacked fast and hard and you just barely managed to block one hit before ducking out of the way of the other. You ducked down doing a spin kick, taking his feet out from under him, but he was up as fast as you. An impressed smile lingered on his lips though as he gave you a second to reposition yourself in a defensive stance.

As Bucky attacked again, you grabbed a hold of his metal arm, using it to swing yourself onto his shoulder, but before you could get a punch in you felt yourself falling towards the floor. You landed on your back with Bucky hovering above you pinning both your arms down, smirking down at you.

“You’re spending to much time with Tasha.”

It all happened so fast you didn’t think. You just reacted on instinct, swiftly bending your knee, hitting him in the crotch. Bucky rolled off you with a grunt onto his back and you quickly followed him, placing a hand on his chest as you looked down on him.

“Oh God Bucky. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean too,” you apologized. You felt horrible as Bucky coughed and his color slowly started returning to his face.

“Oh, you’re definitely spending too much time with her,” Bucky mumbled, forcing a smile as he looked up at you. “I’ll live. You won.”

You reached up gently caressing his face. “I feel horrible,” you muttered, not able to look him into the eyes.

Bucky reached up, gently cupping your cheek. “It’s okay. It was fast thinking. I’m impressed,” he assured you.

He gently tugged your hair when you still wouldn’t look at him. “A kiss would make me feel better though,” Bucky smirked and you couldn’t help but giggle when your eyes finally met.

“Is that so?” you playfully teased, moving a little closer.

“Oh most definitely,” Bucky sighed dramatically. “I think it’s the only way I will survive really.”

“Ohmygod. You’re such a drama queen,” you laughed, leaning down to kiss his cheek. “Better.”

“It’s still touch and go.” Bucky grinned up at you and you felt the heat return to your cheeks as you slowly started leaning down. His breath felt hot against your lips and your heartbeat raised as your lips almost touched, when an earth-shattering roar sounded through the facility.

“Hulk out in the east wing. Avengers Assemble,” Steve’s voice sounded over the compound speakers and Bucky groaned letting his head fall back onto the mat. You hid your face against his shoulder, laughing. This was getting ridiculous, but there was nothing you could do about that right now.

You jumped onto your feet, reached down your hand to Bucky, pulling him with you.

“To be continued.” You winked at him before taking off towards the east wing with Bucky hot on your heels, still grumbling about your friends’ horrible timing.

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[sashatrr]

Breathe with me. Chapter 10

Chapter 9 here

It was an early morning when Liam woke up. He slept for fourteen hours but still felt tired and broken.

Lina.

It was first word on his mind, her face flashing through his memories.

Get it together, you just got used to wake up with her. It will pass.

Liam got out of his bed and after brushing teeth went to Palace gym for his usual morning workout. Drake was already there.

-Good morning. - Drake said. - I haven't seen you since we landed and you were hiding in a bedroom during a flight. Is everything all right?

-Peachy. - Liam barked starting his workout.

Drake didn't insist but felt insulted. It wasn't like Liam at all, he didn't return his greeting and his tone was rude.

After both completed their hour and a half in gym, Liam left gym without recognising Drake's presence. Drake shook his head confused with it but he suspected that he knew a reason for this grumpiness.

Doesn't excuse that asshole. Could have said good morning at least.

Liam took shower and entered dining room. He didn't feel like seeing Madeleine and Regina but he decided to follow routine.

Faster i get back to my normal life is better. Get it together.

-Good morning. - He greeted both women and sat down motioning to servant to serve his breakfast.

-Good morning, Liam.-both women replied in unison.

-Well done. Look at yourself. Those circles under eyes. Did you spend all three days drinking? How are you going to meet with people looking like that? - Madeleine asked.

Regina sent her an annoyed look.

-He is tired after a flight, Madeleine. Everyone will understand that. So was your vacation good, Liam? - she smiled at him.

-Can't complain. - Liam replied. - Maxwell and Drake had fun…me too. - He finished with uncertain voice completely ignoring Madeleine's remarks.

-Father and his partners will be expecting for you in blue salon after breakfast. - Madeleine said. - I will come with you.

Liam didn't reply and kept eating.

Hold still. Think about something else. She will shut up eventually. Lina…

Liam's body tensed and he pushed plate away.

-Then let's go.

-But I didn't finish my breakfast. - Madeleine said annoyed with his behavior.

-And I didn't finish my vacation. But I came back for your father. It's what you wanted. - He pushed his chair back and fast left the room, annoyed Madeleine behind him.

They entered blue salon and four men raised from chairs to greet them.

After introductions Liam sat in one of chairs motioning to others to do the same.

-It's informal meeting, gentleman, but let's get straight to the point if you don't mind. I have only thirty minutes.

Everyone agreed with that and Geoffrey began to tell him all details of a deal. Liam wasn't really listening, he already knew it all from papers. A hour and a half passed in useless debates and arguing, off course everyone kept a polite tone but Liam was annoyed nonetheless. Any time he would try to finish conversation, Madeleine was pushing it further making it nearly impossible for him. Finally he had enough, he abruptly pushed his chair back and stood up. All talks immediately stopped.

-Excuse me but I must take my leave now. I have a new meeting to attend. I am sorry that you lost time coming here but the answer is still no. Madeleine, darling, would you come with me, please.

Geoffrey stood up as well.

-Your Majesty, I was hoping to have a moment of your time, privately so to speak.

-I am sorry, Your Grace, but I already spent here more time than my schedule allows. Speak to Madeleine, I am sure that she can pass your message to me later.

Liam nodded to everyone in the room and left with Madeleine.

Once in his study, she loudly kicked the door closed and crossed her hands on chest shooting daggers with her eyes at Liam.

-We agreed that you will talk to my father privately. What happened to that plan?

Calmly Liam walked around the table and sat in his chair inviting Madeleine to do the same but she ignored.

-If he needed to speak privately, he had plenty of time to do so. We are not discussing it anymore. If your family hopes to use your status for their advantage, Madeleine, then forget it. Never try to manipulate me again. If your father was going to ask for loan from Crown, and I assume that that's what it was about, then no. Naturally, banks won't give them a loan if he came to me, and I am not doing it as well. Are we clear.?

Madeleine tried to interrupt but he stopped her.

-Now, we need to discuss our relationships.

Madeleine arched an eyebrow but sat Infront of Liam finally.

-What do you mean?

-I mean that I can't stand your behavior, I don't have any feelings for you and I am not enjoying your company. I am asking you to leave for Fydelia. You don't have to stay in Palace for all this time. You can come for special occasions and public events, but rest of the time I would ask you to spend at your home.

-No, Liam. I am not doing this. I must to arrange everything for a wedding since you clearly not going to help me. And I need Regina's help. It would be a waste of time to do it from Fydelia.

Madeleine didn't expect this. She quickly went through all the options in her mind.

-I am sorry if my behavior upset you at some point. It's a stress from wedding preparations. I promise to make my company more pleasant for you in the future.

She stood up, walked over to Liam and placed a hand in his shoulder.

-We need to learn to live and coexist together, Liam. We will be married in no time.

Liam removed her hand trying to do it as gently and polite as possible and turned in his chair to face her.

-If that's the case, you could stay. But remember, don't try to manipulate me ever again and don't try to give me orders. I am your King, not the other way around. When you will become my Queen it will remain the same. I am a King by birth and you will be a Queen only through marriage. I will treat you with respect and I am asking for the same in return. Now, if you don't mind I have a work to catch up on.

Madeleine nodded and left the study.

—————————————————————

Madeleine took a hint and her presence became more tolerable for Liam.

Day by day, he felt better. Lina's image was always there, in the back of his mind, but he learned to live with it. It wasn't that bad, every day he was thinking about her less and less but she never left his mind completely.

Twice a month Liam flew over to London spending his weekends with Vivien. She was his long time lover but she never demanded more than he was ready to give her. Her company was pleasant, she was intelligent and funny, excellent lover and good listener. If Liam believed that friendship between man and woman was possible, he would call her a friend.

As the time was coming close to a wedding, he had less and less free time. He had to do as much as possible so he could leave a country for a month with Madeleine. They were planning to spend honeymoon on secluded Island.

Sometimes he would check Facebook, he tried to resist the urge but couldn't. Lina wasn't posting any pictures unlike one of her friends who was posting their pictures and tagging Lina all the time. Through those pictures he learned that she was doing fine. She looked well and it seemed that she had fun. Most of pictures were taken on parties and in clubs, a few from camping. Liam wasn't sure if any of the guys he saw on the pictures was her boyfriend, it didn't look like that but he remained uncertain.

Liam couldn't say what was so different about Lina and why he couldn't completely forget about her. He was with many women before her but none of them left such a deep print in his mind. He used to forget his ex passies quick, it was always him who was ending relationships but not this time. He was convincing himself that this time it was different only because of it. He didn't want to end it yet and it wasn't him who did so.

In a month and a half after leaving, Hana returned to the court, her parents had to follow her and arrive later, closer to the wedding day.

Liam was keeping his distance with her and she didn't seem to mind. Only sometimes he would catch her looking at him with unreadable expression but each time she would quickly turn away.

Finally, before he knew it, a wedding day was there.

—————————————————————

Liam, Drake and Maxwell were sitting in a waiting room of cathedral drinking champagne.

Drake was clearly unhappy with the fact that there was no whiskey but Liam insisted.

-Why are we even drinking anything? It's not a happy occasion. I can't believe that of all women it has to be Madeleine, Liam-Drake said.

Liam only shrugged.

-I am getting married, Drake and in a year I hope to be holding our child in my arms. Marriage will bring stability to monarchy and country. You know that we need it. Even if there was no more attacks, we still need to demonstrate strength and stability. I must provide a future for a crown.

Drake put away champagne glass and.

-Whatever you say, Liam. I wouldn't want to be in your shoes.

There was a knock on the door and three men turned to see Bastien entering.

-Your Majesty, Countess is almost here. It's time.

Liam nodded and put his glass away. Bastien held a door and three men left the room.

A short time later Liam took his place in the end of aisle. He turned to see Rashad standing behind him. Men smiled to each other.

-Ready, Your Majesty? - Rashad asked in a mocking tone?

-As ready as I'll ever be. - He replied.

A loud music filled cathedral, all heads turned to see flower girls and Madeleine walking down the aisle with Geoffrey.

Procession came close to Liam, Geoffrey gave Madeleine's hand to Liam who laced his fingers with hers.

They stood face to face while Leo was leading ceremony.

And finally

-Do you, Madeleine, take this man, Liam. to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and health, to love, honor and obey, in good times and woe, for richer or poorer, keeping yourself solely unto him for as long as you both shall live?

If so, answer " I DO. "

-I DO

-Do you, Liam, take this woman, Madeleine, to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, in good times and woe, for richer or poorer, keeping yourself solely unto her for as long as you both shall live?

If so, answer " I DO."

-I DO

Madeleine and Liam exchanged the rings.

-I now pronounce you husband and wife.

Next chapter

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[captain-kingliamsqueen]

Knight in Shining Armor

just something ive been dabbling with.

Pairing: Liam x Riley

Summary:…Riley's having a hard time dealing with madeleine…will Liam be her knight in shining armor? 

Based on the episode at Kiara's estate.

Word Count: 2,641

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  Due to the time that the court arrived at Kiara’s estate, everyone just headed to their rooms to settle in for the night. Once Riley reached her room, she showered then changed into her nightwear, as she pulled her shorts up there was a gentle knock at her door. She smiled to herself guessing who it was, she headed over to open the door to be greeted by her fiancé, King Liam

“hey” she whispered drowsily as she made her way over to the bed, sitting down at the end, pulling her feet up under her.

“Hey, are you okay?” He asked concerned as he sat beside her wrapping his closest arm around her.

“yeah, I’m just not feeling too great”

Riley whispered as she leaned her head on his shoulder. He gently placed his palm on her head 

“you feel a little warm” he sighed

“Mmmm”

Riley mumbled as she started to doze off on his shoulder

“Do you need anything?”

he whispered as he ran his hands through her hair.

“no, I’m okay, thank you” she yawned

“Why don’t we get you to bed” he whispered as he reached behind him and pulled the duvet back then turned and lifted Riley like a princess before putting her into bed, he covered her with the duvet “I’ll come back and check on you in a few hours” he whispered then placed the most gentle kiss on her head.

“Goodnight Liam” she whispered

“Goodnight sweetheart” he smiled before leaving the room closing the door behind him.

The next morning, around 6 am Riley was woken by a loud knock on her door.

“go away” she mumbled tired from her rough night’s sleep. She groaned as she heard the door open then slam shut.

“How are you still in bed? You should have been up hours ago to prepare!!!” Madeleine nagged.

“Madeleine…its 6 am…the sun isn’t even up yet”

“Not the point! Get up! Meet me in the boutique in 20 minutes!” She demanded before walking out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

“Why…why…why” Riley mumbled tiredly as she climbed out of bed keeping the duvet wrapped around her, she was heading over towards the closet where her robe hung when she suddenly felt the urge to throw up, she dropped the blanket and ran towards the bathroom instantly dropping to her knees before emptying her stomach.

An hour later Riley lay on the Sofa in her room exhausted. She had been down to meet with madeleine to decide on her outfit for the event, she was going to meet with her again later to prep her for the day, she closed her eyes for a moment trying to take her mind off of the sick feeling. She was startled by a knock at her door.

“who is it?” she called

“Its Liam”

“you can come in its fine” she replied. Liam walked in closing the door behind him, he walked over, instantly kneeling beside Riley on the Sofa placing his palm on her cheek.

“Hey, how are you feeling?” he asked

“Exhausted” she sighed “sick”

“maybe you shouldn’t go to the art exhibit” he worried

“no! I’m going, I’m sick not dead, I’ll be there” she whispered

“are you sure?”

“100%” she smiled weakly

About 30 minutes later, Riley had gotten dressed and been prepped for day. Once she was ready she headed down to the sitting room to meet with Liam so that they could go to the gallery to make sure everything was set up and ready, whilst she waited for Liam she sat talking to Kiara’s Father about past exhibits they had done. Their conversion was interrupted when Francesco came running into the room Panicked.

“Francesco what’s wrong?” she asked standing to her feet immediately. He took a shaky breath as he ran his hands through his hair. “I went for a walk to the gallery just to make sure everything was going okay…but there’s been a terrible disaster!”

“no, no, no!” she whispered to herself before calling Liam and their friends down whilst Francesco caught his breathe.

“Riley said there was an emergency. What happened?” Liam asked panicked

“The gallery…the whole floor has been completely flooded!!...and it was no accident!!”

“You think it was sabotage? But who would do something like that?” Hakim asked

“I bet it was the attackers…this is just the kind of event they would target!!” Riley sighed

“Wasn’t Bastian investigating a ‘sons of earth’ group?” Hana asked

“He thought they might have been connected to that video…but the investigation didn’t turn up any useful leads” Liam sighed

“If not them then who?” Hakim asked

“The liberal core perhaps. If they saw this event as a rallying point for the people…”

“That’s all the invitation they would need to ruin the party!” Drake finished Liam's sentence.

“I’ll have the kings guard secure the area at once!” Liam stated

“In the meantime, we must cancel the festival” Francesco sighed

“There are representatives from over a dozen different countries here. I promised them a chance to showcase their work…but I suppose I’ll have to let them down” Hakim frowned

“Maybe we don’t have to cancel” Riley thought out loud

“Perhaps I haven’t conveyed the full extent of the flooding…” Francesco stated confused

“No, no, listen…we can spin this as an art installation! We can say it’s an interactive piece…about the rising tide of Cordonia's future!! Despite the turbulent waves of fortune, we sail on toward a brighter tomorrow!”

“That’s exactly the kind of message Cordonia needs to hear right now!” Liam smiled

“I can help spread the word…maybe a hashtag!!” Maxwell walked away talking to himself.

“The more exclusive it sounds the better!” she called after him

“Okay…plan of action…I will change out of this lovely dress into some other clothes and head down to the chateau to start clearing it up a little, drake…you need to go with Olivia and pick up rain boots…different colours…bright! Liam…-”

“I will start making some calls!!” He smiled

“Hana…we need Banners…”

“On it” she smiled as she walked away.

“Hakim…keep those guests occupied!” Riley smirked

“Francesco…”

“Yes?”

“…breathe…just make sure that where ever your help is needed you’re there!” she smiled

“Okay…we have 5 hours…let’s go!!” Riley smiled as she watched everyone disperse everyone except Liam. He just stood and looked at her smiling. Once everyone was out of the room he took her hand in his.

“Are you feeling any better?” He asked

“A little…but I’m still exhausted” she sighed

“Are you sure you should be doing this?”

“Yes” she smiled

“You don’t even know how proud of you I am…you handled that like a true queen” he smiled.

“I was brought up to make do with what you’ve got…these are the cards that were dealt to us…now we must use them to our advantage”

“I love you so much” he smirked before kissing her

“I love you to…now go! March!! On the phone!!!” she giggled as she shooed him out of the room. she headed to the kitchen where she found some cleaning supplies that she would need. Once she had everything, she headed out to the chateau with Mara on her tail.

by the time it hit 1 o’clock Riley headed back to the estate to change then she met Liam outside to head down to the gallery. Once they reached the door, they were handed a pair of rain boots each, they quickly pulled them on then stepped inside. As they entered the building Liam gasped.

“Riley…this place looks…you wouldn’t think that this wasn’t supposed to be here” he whispered the last part as he smiled

“You’ve done amazingly!” He added before pecking her lips.

“C’mon let’s go have a look around” he smiled as he squeezed her hand, they started looking around.

Once the guests started to leave, the stalls and merchandisers started to pack their things up.

“Are you ready to go?” Liam asked smiling

“No, I’m going to stay and help them clean up…this was more than all of us bargained for including the staff here”

“Are you sure? You weren’t feeling too good earlier, are you feeling better?”

“No but I don’t want to leave the staff to do it all, they’ll be here all night, I know what it’s like when your left to clean up after everyone, the more help they get, the better” she sighed

“Would you like me to stay?” He asked smiling

“Yes, but you can’t you have a meeting in 30 minutes” she smirked before leaning in and pressing her lips to his

“I’m sorry” he chuckled

“Its fine” she giggled

“You better go, I don’t want you to be late”

“Okay I’ll see you later?” He smiled

“Maybe” Riley giggled as she gently kissed him then waved goodbye as he left.

*3am*

After getting all the water out, getting the place dried as much as they could, and just generally getting the place cleaned and locked up it was hitting 3am Riley headed back to the estate where she was met with darkness, everyone but Mara and herself were sleeping or at least in their rooms.

“I’m sorry for keeping you up till this time Mara” Riley Apologised

“Don’t worry about it” Mara smiled. Both women headed upstairs to the bedroom, as they came to Riley's door they stopped

“Thank you, for keeping me safe” she smiled

“No need, it’s my job”

“Yes, but it’s a job that has your put your life in danger for someone else, so I look up to you for that” she smiled causing Mara to smile

“thank you...your grace..Okay…goodnight your grace” she bowed slightly then headed away, “good night Mara” she replied, once she was in her room she changed then quickly washed her face and brushed her teeth then she headed to Liam's room next door, hoping he would still be awake.

Riley quietly opened Liam's door to see the room in darkness, she could just make out his shape on the bed, she smiled to herself then closed the door, tiptoeing over trying not to wake him then she lifted the duvet and climbed into the bed, lifting his arm so that she cuddle into his chest then he instinctively wrapped her arms around her.

“What time is it?” He mumbled…crap.

“Its 3 am go back to sleep” she whispered

“I wasn’t sleeping…I was only half asleep” he whispered

“Is something wrong?”

“No, I was just waiting for you to get back…what happened? How are you just getting back?”

“We were removing all of the water and getting the place dried…we didn’t want anything happening to the artwork from the moisture in the room”

“Ah I see…you know you and I could get into trouble for this” he smirked

“I know but…I’m so tired and madeleine is going to be banging on my door at 6 am so I’m hiding out here…no funny business I just want to sleep, I’m sick and I’m tired”

“6am?” He asked, “why is she getting you up at 6am?”

“She always does…she says “I can’t believe your still sleeping its 6am…I can never understand your commoner ways” I sighed

“She’s just jealous she lost the crown” he smirked “there’s no need to be up at that time …I’m the king and I don’t get woken up until 8am, I’ll speak to her” he whispered before pecking her head.

“Did you enjoy the festivities?” He asked unknown to him that by this point Riley was already fast asleep when she didn’t reply he looked down at her confused

“Riley?” He called then he realised she was sleeping.

“Poor thing” he whispered sympathetically as he held her tight “get better soon” he added before he fell asleep.

 *6:10am*

Riley was woken up to madeleine knocking on Liam's door well knocking isn’t really the word for it…the door was nearly off the hinges.

“Riley? I know you’re in there!”

“Lady Madeleine! The king doesn’t get woken up until 8! He won’t be happy if you wake him!”

“She’s in there isn’t she!” She retorted to Bastian

“That doesn’t matter…that’s no longer your business!”

“Let me past!” She replied loudly

“No…you can’t go in!” he stood tall.

“Bastian!! Let Me Past!” She emphasized every word. As her voice got louder Liam started to wake up.

“What’s going on?” He mumbled

“She found me” Riley whispered still half asleep cuddled into him. “I’m sorry for bringing her to your door” she sighed

“Hey…don’t ever apologise…this isn’t your fault” he leaned over and kissed her head “go back to sleep…ill deal with it” he climbed out of bed, he pulled a t shirt on and some lounge pants then he walked over to the door. Once he threw it open she shut up quickly.

“Duchess Madeleine WHAT is the meaning of this?” he scolded

“Your Majesty” she whispered taken back as she slightly bowed her head. “I apologise I didn’t mean to wake you” she clamoured

“Well you did! What is it?” he asked annoyed

“I’m looking for Lady Riley…”

“I think you mean Duchess Riley and she’s sleeping…hiding from you actually so that she could actually get some sleep she came here last night so that you wouldn’t wake her up…its 6 in the morning madeleine!”

“Your Majesty I understand that, but she needs to be prepped about-”

“No madeleine…she can be prepped when she wakes at 8 o’clock! Can I ask you something?”

“Of course,”

“What time did you return from the festivities yesterday?”

“Umm…10 o’clock like everyone else” she looked confused

“No madeleine not like everyone else… Riley didn’t return until 3 am this morning because she refused to leave until all of the water was gone and the art was secured…she stayed there all night to help clear up and to make sure no harm came to any of the paintings”

“Well isn’t that the cleaners jobs?”

“And that madeleine is exactly why Riley will be the better queen…she doesn’t see the world the way that you do…the ways she sees it is…she is just like anyone else it’s not below her to help in a disaster!! She isn’t well at the minute and she still refused to leave until everything was done…she needs to rest…from now on she will not be woken until 8am…she can be prepped then…she isn’t stupid… she spends her free time learning about what she needs to know…if you want her to be a good queen…she has to have the energy to do it…you can’t expect her to go on only a few hours’ sleep and still do her best…she can’t do her best if she can’t focus because she’s tired.”

“I know your trying to do your job madeleine, but you must be considerate of other people”

“Now…I’m a very busy man…I only get so much time to sleep…may I return to my room?”

“Of course, I’m sorry I woke you” she whispered then bowed before walking away. Liam closed the door then let out a sigh on his way back to bed. He climbed under the duvet, wrapping his arms around Riley, causing her to cuddle into his chest

“thank you, Liam” she whispered with her eyes shut, still half asleep.

“go back to sleep, you need to rest”

“Sweet dreams Liam” she whispered

“Sweet dreams Riley”

[queencatherynerhys]

Tell Me You Love Me - TRR AU Part 3

A/N: I tried so hard to wait to post this, but I couldn’t. I love this chapter! I have been in a writing high these past couple of days! Let me just say how fun this was for me to write! It is the longest one that I have written so far, 4043 words! Crazy! I had fun with this emotional ride! I hope you do too! Thank you for all the love, encouragement and kind words!

Summary: Liam and Catheryne’s friendship have been strained by her revelation. Is there hope for them?

Song Inspiration: Tell Me You Love Me by Demi Lovato (can you tell that I’m a fan of her?)

Tag List: @captainkingliam @decisso @devineinterventions2 @madaraismtheroyalweisme @drakewalkerwhipped @laniquelove @drakesfiance @hhiggs @hellospunkiebrewster @alicars @mrswalkerreynolds @mfackenthal @simplyaiden-blog @hopefulmoonobject @blackcatkita @cocomaxley

Previous Parts:

Ruin the Friendship – TRR AU Part 1

Delicate – TRR AU Part 2

Panic starts to rise in my chest. Why the hell am I on boat? Where in the hell am I? I can’t breathe. Strong winds hurtle my hair, slapping me in the face. Water enters the ship and the terror from my impending doom engulfs me. Waves upon waves crash against my craft. I hang on for dear life against the railing, but to no avail.  I am thrown off violently crashing into the merciless ocean. I swim to the top for air only to be met by another violent wave submerging me underwater. I rise to the surface once more, locating my raft in the darkness. I catch a glimpse of the sail and I put all my energy into my strokes. The current is so strong. I’m almost there. The boat is within arm’s length. I’m almost there. I was about to grab hold when the current sweeps me underneath pulling me into its ruthless clutches. No, please, no. I scream with all the energy and breath I had left. I scream my pain and anguish. I am swept undersea, letting go of the tiny ember of hope I had held onto, I submit into my despair with open arms.

She jolts awake, breathing hard. Her head pounded, and she can feel the intense throbbing pain behind her eyes. She’s been in Hana and Maxwell’s apartment plenty of times that she knew where they kept their pain meds in their kitchen. She notices a note on the kitchen table with her name on it. She recognizes Hana’s elegant handwriting immediately. Hey Cath, Maxwell has headed into class and I left for work, but I made you some breakfast before leaving. You can find it in the fridge. You can also borrow some of my clothes just in case you want to take a shower and get out of your nasty ones. I’ll talk to you later. Love, Hana. Responsible to a fault, that girl, this is a trait of hers that she is grateful for. She took advantage of her offer and hopped in the shower. She took a long shower, staying under the stream water so long that her fingertips turned prune-y. She had hoped that the hot water would cleanse away all memory of the previous night. It didn’t.

She stepped into living room after getting dressed and checked the clock in the living room. It read 9:23am. He should be in class by now. She felt relieved knowing that she won’t have to face him…yet. I’m not ready. I don’t think I’ll ever be ready to face him. She steps into the lively streets of New York City, slowly treading the path back to her apartment. She arrives at the flat she shared with Liam. The internal storm of misery and torment finally subside, leaving nothing but a scar tissue where her heart used to be in its carnage. She is numb, and she is actually thankful for that.

She makes her way to her room, passing Liam’s on the way. He left his door open. His usually very neat, making his bed every day before he left. Today was the exception, his room was a mess. Blankets and pillows strewn about as if he had a restless night. His uniform thrown on the floor messily, as if he woke up late. Her best friend was never the one to leave things disorganized. I wonder if he slept alright. Probably not. He found out his girlfriend was cheating on him, then I had to go and be a drama queen and tell him how I felt. Worst anniversary ever. Fucking whiskey! I should really learn to not mix anger with a bottle of Jack Daniels. She shakes her head to put a halt on her train of thoughts as she continues to make her way to her room.

She didn’t have classes today, so she had a few hours to herself before she had to get ready for a long shift. She decided to pour herself into her homework and finishing the papers for her finals to distract herself from Liam. It’s so difficult to do when she’s surrounded with pictures and memories of him. Every where she looks, there he is. He’s even on her nightstand. It was a picture of the 15-year-old version of them. She grabs the picture and gazes at it. She couldn’t stop herself from flashing back to that memory.

It was the first birthday she was celebrating after the death of her parents. Catheryne was two days younger than Liam, so it became a tradition to celebrate their birthdays together. For once in her life, she was sad that their birthdays were during the summer break. At least if she was in school she could be distracted with work, but there was no escape. She dreaded this day. She missed them. She missed their mini traditions; her mom was a great baker and always made her a cake, her dad would sing to his own version of the Happy Birthday Song with his guitar.

She had asked the Rhys’ to not throw a celebration for her birthday. For this birthday, all she wanted was some time alone. No friends to entertain, no fake smiles, no pity looks from everyone. “Liam, you can still throw yourself a birthday party. Don’t let me sour your special day.” She felt awful for ruining their tradition, but she just couldn’t do it this year. “Ryne, you are not souring anything. You’re my best friend and I can’t imagine not celebrating our birthdays together. So, whatever you wanna do, we will do.” She looked at him with grateful eyes.

She will never forget that birthday. She was awakened by the sounds of a strumming guitar. Liam walked into her room singing happy birthday. He didn’t have her father’s angelic voice, but it sufficed. What in the world is he doing? He finishes the song as she sits up on her bed. “Happy Birthday, Ryne.” Upon hearing her nickname, her eyes welled up. There were only two people in the world who called her by her nickname, her father and Liam. She misses her dad.

“Liam…” she was left with absolutely no words. “Is…Is this why you asked for my dad’s guitar two weeks ago?” asking him with her early morning voice. “Yeah, sorry I lied about my reason. I really wanted to surprise you. You don’t wanna know how many YouTube videos I had to watch to learn this simple song,” He says, sheepishly. She stared at him, awestruck at the effort he has put into this. “Oh, wait here, I have to get the second part to the surprise.” He ducks out of the room. There was a second part? How much work did he put into this? Her trance was interrupted when he walked in with a birthday cake in his hands. It was chocolate, just like her favorite, and it was topped with 15 lit candles. It didn’t look store bought so she asked, “Liam, did you make this?” She inquired her friend. “My mom guided me through it, but it was mostly me. Well then, make a wish.” She closed her eyes and thought of a wish, I wish to never forget this day or this feeling, and with that in mind she sends it to the universe with a blow of her candles.

“Liam, thank you, seriously, this means more to me than you could possibly know.” He grabbed her hands with his and replied, “You’re very welcome, Ryne, but the day is only getting started. Now, go get a shower and get dressed. I’ll be down by the beach when you’re done.” He squeezed her hand as he stands up to leave.

She met him down by their safe haven. She was so thankful that their little beach, the small place where she found peace, wasn’t a tourist spot. They had the freedom to run around, their parents never had to worry about them disappearing for hours when they go off on their explorations. She stood there admiring his tall physique, his blonde hair being ruffled by the summer breeze. She thinks to herself, He looks like a prince from a book when he stands there like that. I think if he desired it, he could be a Disney prince, he definitely met all the criteria. He had the biggest heart out of everyone I know. And not to mention he was incredibly handsome! She feels a stirring in her heart, something she’s never felt before, but she didn’t dwell on it. She walked up beside him and said, “So, what now?” He jumped when he heard her; he was so concentrated on the horizon that he didn’t register her presence at all. “Well, I have one more surprise for you, but we’re gonna have to travel there.” His eyes twinkled, just like it always did whenever they were about to embark on an adventure. “Liam, seriously you’ve done enough for today.” “I am not taking a no for an answer, Ryne, now follow me.”

They marched back up to the house. He instructed her to wait out front while he grabbed something. A few minutes later, he shows up with a bicycle in tow. “Is that Leo’s bike? Why is there a basket attached to it?” He holds up a picnic basket to answer her question. “Uhhh, why do we need to go somewhere to have a picnic when there’s a perfectly undisturbed beach right here where we can do the same thing?” He heartily laughs at her and replies, “Ryne, would you just trust me for once in your life and get in the back.” She shakes her head and hops on the bicycle’s pegs. Demanding, as always, somethings never change.

She wrapped her arms around him as he pedaled their way to an unknown location. After 6 miles, they finally get there. It was the memorial where her parents are buried. They weave their way to their tombstones. Liam sets up the picnic while Catheryne cleaned her parents stone and its surroundings, clearing it of twigs and leaves.

“Hi, Mom, Dad. It’s me, Catheryne,” she felt a little silly talking out loud, but she needed to be close to them. “It’s my birthday today. Liam is here with me. I just want to thank you for bringing me into this world. You’re the best parents a child can ask for. I miss you every day.” She allowed a tear to fall from her eyes as she knelt before her parents. Liam’s hand finds its way to rest on her shoulder. How can this simple gesture bring so much comfort? It’s as if his hand held her, preventing her from being blown away by the winds of her despair.

They sat on the picnic blanket, laughing and talking the day away. This isn’t how she imagined this day would go. She thought she would spend the whole day lying in bed, surrounded by her depression from the loss of her parents, but here she was with the only family she had left. Liam had given her the best birthday gift, and she couldn’t be more grateful for her best friend and his big heart.

They watched the sun set in the horizon. She basked in the last glimpse of the sunlight until it disappeared, signaling that the time has come to return home. He looked at her as she stood there, eyes closed, facing towards the sunset. She looks content and happy. I guess I did my part well. I’m glad to have given her this day. She deserves so much happiness after all that had happened with her family this year. He smiled with satisfaction. He hated to break that surreal moment, but he announced, “Hey, we should head back. It’s gonna get dark soon.” She opened her eyes, acknowledging him and nodding her reply. “Liam, thank you so much for this day. I…It…I’ll never forget it.” She felt embarrassed that she couldn’t find the right words that she was feeling. She admired him in the orange rays of the sunset. He looks like a dream in this lighting. The flutter in her heart and stomach came back. What is that? Stop being an idiot, Catheryne. Liam is probably looking at you like you’re stupid for looking at him with goofy eyes. Her best friend replied by giving her the softest kiss on her cheek. He lingered there for a moment. He pulled away, saying “It makes me happy to see you happy, Ryne, happy birthday.” With that, he walked away to get his bike leaving her all alone to her emotions. The flutter in her heart became an intense warm sensation emanating from her heart. The sudden realization of what her feelings had hit her like a bullet train, quick and sudden. I am in love with my best friend. I am in love with Liam Rhys.

Her loud alarm pulled her back to her reality. It was time to get ready for work. She places the picture back on her nightstand, facing down. She couldn’t bare to look at it anymore. Her birthday wish from that memory, was just that, a wish. Life clearly loved to remind her of her aching heart. She gets up from her bed to her vanity and put on her everyday make-up. She smiles at the mirror, hoping to cheer herself up, but even with effort her smile never reached her eyes. She sighs in defeat.

She grabs her shoulder bag and keys from the hook by her door and heads for work. She loves walking in the midst of the hustle and bustle of New York City. It is where she truly feels like she can disappear.

The mediocre dive bar she works at come into view. Before she entered, she inhales a deep breath steeling herself for the long night ahead. You can do this, Catheryne. Just take it one foot at a time. You can make it through this. She releases her breath and trudges forward, head hanging low. She walks back to the locker area, shoving her items in her locker. She lazily puts on her disgusting apron and puts her hair up in a bun. “Catheryne, stop standing there and gawking like an idiot and get out there!” Her asshole of a manager, Declan, barked at her. She pinches the bridge of her nose and closes her eyes as she uses her hand to lean forward against the lockers. You can do this. You can do this. Even as she repeats it in her mind, her resolve is slowly dissipating.

As if she didn’t have enough on her plate at that moment, life decides to pile on to her mess. “Hey, Ryne.” Hearing his voice made all the blood rush into her face. She balls her fist on her side, remembering the night before and all the anguish he . “I can’t do this with you tonight, Liam.” She whispers through gritted teeth before stepping out into the floor without looking at him. She is already frustrated with her boss. She can’t handle him, too.

She went about the motions of being a waitress. Her feet are screaming with pain from running back and forth to the kitchen and the room, handing and taking orders. Her emotional health is strained from the barrage of harassing customers. It was a busy night. It was a Friday after all. When she would get a break from the flow of customers she had to attend to, she would catch him looking at her from the corner of her eye, concern carved on his chiseled face. She was hanging on by a thread. She didn’t know how long she could keep up the feigned strength she conveyed to the world.

She is making her way back to the kitchen to pick up an order when a loud, rowdy customer stops her in her track. “Hey, doll, why don’t you and your purty self come here and let me tell you somethin,” This is the nature of her job, rude people mixed with alcohol is a concoction for disaster. She turns and makes her way to his table full of raucous men just like him. “Yes?” she replied politely, hiding her anger for his insulting demeanor. “I ain’t never seen someone as beautiful as you. I was wonderin’ if you’d like to come with me to my hotel after your done from here. I think I can blow your mind.” He is clearly drunk off his ass; his slurred country accent makes it difficult to understand him. She was fuming with rage at his insulting comment, but nonetheless she replies with a calm tone, “Thanks for the offer, but I must decline.” She turns to walk away when he slaps her right on the ass.

The tiny thread she held onto finally snapped. She whirls around, letting her anger fuel her. Before she even knew it, she slaps the rude man squarely across the face. Her hand stung from the impact, but it was nothing compared to the fury coursing through her veins. How dare he?! Disgusting, insulting, perverted bastard! The man stands up, hollering at her, “WHAT THE HELL?! I’LL MAKE YOU PAY FOR THAT, YOU BITCH!” His hand recoils behind him, getting ready to take a shot at her

Liam watches her with careful eyes as she goes about this encounter. He has known her a long time, he can read her tells. He can read the anger that was hidden behind her smile and eyes. The way this man is treating her enrages him, but he tries to concentrate back to tending the bar. His work was halted when he sees Catheryne walking back to the man slapping him in the face, she was shaking with anger. What the hell just happened? His instinct to protect her guides him across the bar to where the conflict is unraveling. He steps in front of her, putting himself between them, his arm blocks the blow that he was about to throw at Catheryne. He retaliates by punching him hard on the stomach, and using momentum and rage, he punches the man in the face, knocking him out.

Declan comes out from the kitchen, witnessing the commotion that just happened. “What in the hell is happening? Liam! Catheryne! You insufferable morons! What the hell…” Liam stops him mid-sentence, “You know, Declan,” enunciating the syllables of his name, “you just may be one of the worst goddamned person in the planet. We quit!” He goes to the back to grab his and Catheryne’s belongings. He grabs her hand and pulls her, a little too violently, out of the bar back to their apartment.

When they arrive at their place, she finally speaks up, “What the hell did you do, Liam?” He is making his way to the cabinet where they kept the strong rum. He skips the glass and downs a gulp straight from the bottle. “Liam, what the fuck?! You shouldn’t have done that!” He couldn’t believe what she just said, and he stared at her with incredulous eyes. Is she really angry at me after I just protected her from that god-awful man?

Her body trembles from all the emotions racing within her. What just happened? I’ve never lost my senses like that before. Oh God, what is happening to me? Her feelings for Liam is ruining her. She watches as he sets down the bottle on the counter. She sees his white knuckles gripping the countertop. “What did you want me to do, Catheryne, hmm?” He speaks quietly, his tone almost felt like the calm before the storm. “I don’t know, Liam, but you shouldn’t have interfered. Now, we both have no jobs.” She responded, matching the tone of his voice.

“So, you’re saying I should’ve just let him hit you?! Is that it, Ryne?” his voice gradually rising in volume. “Well, I’m sorry that I couldn’t just stand there and watch him treat you like that. I’m sorry that I couldn’t be a bad friend.” Friend, there is that word again. Such a simple word, but it cuts through me like a double-edged sword. She paces across the room, grabbing the rum and consumes a considerable amount of it. She stomps athwart in their living room. Her panic, rising to the surface. He continues his rant, “I’m sorry that I all I wanted was to protect you!”

“We’re not in high school anymore, Liam, ok,” she snaps at him. “I’m not the weak, little girl you had to protect from her bullies! I can stand on my own two feet!” Her hands flail around her as she speaks, and her tears get the best of her, staining her face.

The storm has arrived as they both explode. “I don’t know what you want me to do, Ryne?! I just want to take the past couple of days and pretend it never happened! Then, we could continue just as the two best friends living in the city of dreams, happy!” He screams at her.

She has taken aback by the timbre of his voice. Not once, in the 16 years, that they have known each other has he treated her this way. Happy, is that what he thought our relationship was? “Happy, really? Liam, have you been really that blind all throughout this years?! I have loved you since we were kids. I fell in love with you when we were 15! Happy, isn’t the word I would use to describe this relationship.” All her frustration and anger poured out of her, she couldn’t keep them in anymore. I am so tired. I am so tired of hurting. She meets his eyes across the room and she let go, “I was miserable, Liam. I am miserable! My heart broke every time I saw you with other girls, wishing I was them, wishing you looked at me like the way you do with them! The anger I would feel towards them for breaking your heart scared me! I don’t know who I am anymore. I lost myself because of you, because of my love for you. I am so tired, Liam. I am tired of hurting. I am tired of crying myself to sleep. Loving you is more painful than when I lost my parents. I don’t know what it is about you. I tried so hard, Liam. I really did. I tried to stop my feelings for you, but clearly it didn’t work.” She laughs bitterly. She was done. She was done waiting for the day he’ll love her, too.

She heads towards the door, leaving to stay at Hana’s for the weekend. He suddenly steps in front of her, blocking the way to the door. She tries to weave her away forward, but his broad physique compared to her petite frame always had her at a disadvantage. “I’m sorry, Ryne! I’m so sorry! How can I make this go away? Tell me, please! How can we go back to the way it was?” He pleads with her. “We can’t.” She simply stated. “No, I refuse to believe that!” He is trying so hard to hang on to his best friend, his confidant. He grabs her arms refusing to let her go. “There must be a way to fix this! There has to be! Tell me how I can fix this! Tell me how I can stop you from hurting.” She wiggles out of his hold, heading out the door. “CATHERYNE, PLEASE!” He is begging her to stay. “Just tell me what to do and I’ll do it.” She loses what sanity she has left and yells at him, pouring all of herself and her love for him into her words,

“I WANT YOU TO TELL ME YOU LOVE ME, TOO!” She turns around to look at him. She didn’t need to stay to hear his excuse or whatever retort he has planned. She could see the answer written all over his face, and she finally accepted defeat and walked away.

[faetheralrecs]

Isn’t Life Strange? || Chapter III

Hey guys! Hope y’all are fine! I was ill again last week but fortunately I’m feeling better now! I modified this chapter a bit, I added some descriptions and removed some dialogues, I’m currently writing the 6th chapter, but every week I come back to the previous chapters to check if they are not too hum bad? And since they are, I take some time to make slight modification and I can’t progress on the chapter I was supposed to write but anyway hopefully someday I won’t have to come back to old chapters! 

I’m a bit worried about the pace I write the chapters honestly, I have to concentrate on college right now cause my second semester started and I don’t want to fail! Hope I’ll make it!

Anyway! Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Genre: Mature (strong language, mentions of drugs use, suicide, death) but still a bit of fluff in the future.

Members: Yoongi x Reader

Word count: 2625

Summary: You wake up in class after a far too realistic dream and discover you can now rewind time.

You made your way to the dorms. When you arrived, you noticed Eunjin and her friends (or should you say minions?) sitting on the red brick stairs of the building, in front of the door, blocking the way. Of course... You took a deep breath to gather your courage and walked up to them.

When you where close enough to make your presence noticeable, Eunjin was the first one to speak.

“Oh look, it’s Y/N   Y/L/N, the selfie whore of this college.”

She got up and turned around you like a vulture, observing you from head to toe and then proceeded. 

“What a lame gimmick. Even Ji- Mr.Kim falls for your waif hipster bullshit. ‘The Daguerreian Process, sir!’ You could barely even say that. I guess you got your meds filled.”

She sat down again and laughed with her petty gang. 

“Since you know all the answers, I guess you have to find another way into the dorm. We ain't moving.” She marked a small pose before her face lit up from a sudden brilliant idea “Oh wait, hold that pose!”

She pulled out her phone from her short black skirt suit, and took a picture of you. You were just awkwardly standing there, your right hand holding your left forearm, your timidity clearly showing and all your previous courage vanishing from your body in front of your bully.

“So original. Don't worry Y/N, I'll put a vintage filter on it right before I post it all over social medias. Now, why don't you go fuck your selfie?” She ended curtly.

You walked away from the entrance of the dorm and tried to find a solution. Oh yes Eunjin, I'll get your boney ass out of my way.

You looked around you and saw Young Gu, the janitor, getting out of the custodial room and leaving the door open.  You entered and activated the watering system. You looked through the door and saw Eunjin’s clothes and the dorms’ steps being drenched by the high pressure of the watering system. Eunjin got up from her spot but she was still blocking the way.

You looked around and saw Young Gu climbing a ladder with a paint can in his right hand to get to a scaffolding which was right above the dorms stairs. You remembered that a few moment ago the man was occupied in his custodial room, so you decided to rewind time. Everything that happened in the last 2 minutes replayed backward in front of your eyes, tingles tickling your fingertips and the palm of your right hand. Now that Young Gu was back in the custodial room and Eunjin on her stairs, you discreetly tampered with the paint can to make it fall when Young Gu would hang it on a hook on the scaffolding. You waited for him to get out of the room and then you quickly made your way to it to activate the watering system. You peeked out to see the scene. Eunjin was soaked again and, few seconds later, the paint can that Young Gu had just fixed on the hook fell to the ground and stained Eunjin’s once immaculate skirt and blouse with white paint.

The said girl started to scream and curse in terror, her minions asking frightened if everything was fine and if they could be of any use. Eunjin ordered her friends to get her towels to clean up the mess that were her closes and the two girls complied, running as fast as they could inside the dorms. The poor Young Gu walked up to her to apologize but Eunjin only screamed at her to leave her alone. She sat down on the cold, wet stairs and waited grumpily for her saviors to come back with the well needed equipment.

You were happily celebrating your victory in your mind, having a small victory dance inside your head before you approached Eunjin slowly after she had calmed down from the accident. This time, you started the conversation since you were the one in superior position now. Still, you talked to her with a smooth, calm voice to avoid any argument.

“Uh... Hey, Eunjin.” You started. “ What do you want, Y/N?” She replied bored “I am sorry, that's an awesome outfit… “You said truthfully. “It was, but there will be another. “She replied sadly. “ Well, you always seem to know how to pick the right outfits. “ “ I do have some talent, Mr.Kim told me- “

She decided not to end her sentence. So instead you decided to compliment her about her pictures and how she had an ‘Avendon-esque’ style. She seemed really flustered, telling you he was one of her heroes, a kind smile adorning her lips. At least she seemed less angered about the incident and you weren’t arguing anymore, for now. You were surprised to see this soft side of the girl, but it quickly disappeared with her next sentence, filled with anger. “I hope those sluts get me a towel before they hang a sign on me. “

Eunjin pulled her phone out and shifted on the right side of the steps before she spoke to you again carefully, as if looking for the right words.

“You deserve a better shot. Sorry about blocking you and...and the ‘go fuck your selfie’.” “That was mean… but pretty funny.” You lied with a lip tight awkward smile. “Just one of those days, you know?” Eunjin asked. “I know exactly what you mean, Eunjin. I'll see you later.” “Au revoir.”

Since Eunjin wasn’t in the way anymore, you climbed the small steps and finally entered the building after few minutes of hard work to get into the building. The dorm rooms were pretty comfortable, large and especially individual. As you entered your floor’s hallway, you saw Jayeon and Minju running with towels toward the door you had just come from. You were walking past Jimin’s room when you noticed the message on his whiteboard had been changed by someone, and its new content was insulting to Jimin. Okay, this is just mean and stupid. You cleaned the whiteboard and put a peace sign on it instead, at least the poor boy wouldn’t have to read such absurdities.

You entered your room and searched for the flash drive, but all you found was a post-it paper.

Hey girl, I borrowed your drive so I can watch some flix while I study. If you need it back, just track me down in my room. XOXO, D.

“Great, Now I have to go get the flash drive from Darya's room.” You sighed but still walked to Darya’s room, which was on the other end of the hallway compared to your room. When you got out of your room, you saw Juliet, Darya’s best friend, locking Darya’s up in her own room.

“You can't get out now, Darya! So tell me the truth, or rot in there!” Juliet screamed loud enough for her friend locked inside to hear. “Welcome to "The real Drama Queens of B.A.C” You whispered, your eyes tolling in the back of your head and an annoyed sigh leaving your lips.

“Hey Juliet, is everything cool?” You asked “Oh, yes Y/N, I've locked Darya in her room because we're ‘cool’.” “What did she do ?” you asked, curious.

She explained how she found out that Darya was sexting with her boyfriend behind her back, and when you asked her how she had found out about all this matter, she quickly snapped at you, insulting you of being a loner with your camera, but the remark didn’t hurt you since she wasn’t totally wrong and you were kind of  intruding her private life. But then, after she took a deep breath to calm down and apologized for her behavior, she eventually told you.

“According to Eunjin, Darya would do anything to date a dancer.” “According to Eunjin, huh?” This new info peaked your interest. “She saw the sext! And Yugyeom won't answer his phone. Once Darya admits, she can go. Straight.To.Hell.” The silence was suddenly interrupted by Darya talking through the door. “Y/N, I swear I didn't do ANYTHING! But I bet Eunjin did! I know the proof is in her room!”

Honestly, you had enough of Eunjin and the repercussions her actions had on B.A.C and its students. You got to Eunjin’s room and sought for a proof. You searched on her computer and find the mail you needed. It was a conversation between Eunjin and Minju explaining how Eunjin had made everything up and how Juliet had believed the whole thing, even making fun of her in the meantime. Boom! This is the e-mail I need to show Juliet. Now I have to print this fast and get the hell out of here... Once the e-mail was printed you showed it to Juliet who freed Darya from her prison. The two friends reunited after some apologizes and a hug. You entered her room and took your flash drive, Darya took this as an advantage to thank you.

“Seriously, thanks again. I can't believe Juliet lock me in my own room. Real mature.” “Eunjin is not nice, I don't get it, she has everything. And to pull that prank on a friend.” Darya scoffed “Just because they're in the Vortex Club doesn't mean they're ‘BFF's’, I'm in it and Eunjin creeps me out. Y/N, you're smart to be a loner here, though Hoseok obviously likes hanging with you...” “What do you mean?” you asked incredulously Darya mentioned a folder made by Hoseok and named with your first name, but you quickly ended the conversation, feeling uneasy. You were walking out of the dorm area when you got another text from Hoseok.

Hobi: I don't mind waiting out here forever, I love this parking lot, I can’t count all the cars ... Y/N: The more I text the longer a take. Y/N: On my way. Hobi: bye.

You walked through the gates of the dorm area and saw Gwon Minsang, the security guard bullying Jimin. This was the second person he would take his anger on today, and you were quite fed up by his behavior, so you intervene. “Hey, why don't you leave him alone ?” “Excuse us, this is official campus business-“ the security guard answered “Excuse me, you shouldn't be yelling at students, or bullying them.” “Hey, hey, nobody is bullying anybody, I'm doing my job.” “No, you're not.” He approached you and looked right in your eyes. “You're part of the problem, missy. I will remember this conversation.”

He left the scene and Jimin thanked you multiple times, which you only acknowledge with a small nod in return. You made your way toward the parking lot and saw Hoseok in the distance.

“And there's Hoseok!” “Hey! What's up Y/N!” He said cheerfully, he extended his arms to hug you, but you didn’t notice the gesture and took out his flash drive from your bag. He quickly crossed arms on his torso as if nothing had happened. You took out the flash drive from your jean’s back pocket and handed it to him, thanking him for letting you borrow it. He delicately took the device from your fingers and put it in his jeans front pocket. “No problem. So, hum, you okay?” “It's been one strange fucking day.” You said with a tired sigh. Hoseok asked you if you had gotten a chance to check out the movies he had on his flash drive, and thankfully you had, so you talked for at least 10 minutes about all the great new movies he had stocked on his flash drive. You even debated and laughed for few minutes about the fact that Hoseok indeed was a thief for having illegal copies of those movies, but the boy preferred the term “cultural pirate connoisseur”. It sure sounded better than thief. After some time Hoseok offered you to go out for a movie night in his new car this week but you weren’t really listening. You were thinking about what had happened today because Hoseok had put yourself in a calm and reassured state so your brain could wander and create theories about Kim Namjoon and this mysterious boy in the toilets.

You friend noticed that you were distracted and made you come back to earth by pressing his face in your cheek with a high piercing scream and a huge smile adorning his lips. You gently pushed his face out of yours with your hand and took a quick look at your friend. His hair was parted in the front, probably a result of the tiring day, and his forehead was showing between the strands of hair. He was wearing a long sleeves shirt, but he had rolled them on his forearm since the weather was still warm. His light blue jeans were covered in stylish wholes and scratches and he was wearing his usual huge and colorful Balenciaga sneakers, the ones you one day had the misfortune to call “ugly”, to which he had replied that they were comfortable.  

After some time you told your friend that you needed to talk to someone, to vent about your crazy day. Hoseok was a bit worried by your more than ever serious tone, his tone losing all playfulness and ready to listen carefully to everything you had to say. “I need to talk to somebody... just to get it out of my system… For real Hoseok, this is between you and me.” “Y/N, go on.” “I had this incredibly bizarro experience in Mr.Kim’s class today... I mean, life changing. Have you ever had a dream, so real it was like a movie?”

You were talking about your strange experience when your heard someone’s steps approaching your way in a frightening fast pace. You looked up and saw Kim Namjoon.

“Y/N  Y/L/N , right ? You’re one of Kim’s photo groupies.” The male said furiously. “I'm one of his students.” You corrected. Hoseok sensing danger, tried to move in front of you but Namjoon pushed him out of the way. “Whatthefuckever. I know you like to take pictures, especially when you're hiding in the bathrooms. You better tell me what you told me the Principal. Now !” “I told him the truth. A student had a gun.” “No, you told him I had a gun, that's why he dragged me into his office.” Namjoon retorted angrily. “And did what? Give you a stern lecture?” You replied with the exact same ferocity “Nobody, nobody lectures me. Everybody tries though... they try ...” “You should talk to somebody, Namjoon.” You said with pity. “Do not analyze me, I pay people for that, worry about yourself, Y/N  Y/L/N.” You were feeling oppressed now that Namjoon was right in front of you, few centimeters from your face so you told him to take a step back, but Namjoon wasn’t having it.

“Oh, you're telling me what to do?”

He took out scissors from the pocket of his jeans, Hoseok tried to intervene but Namjoon stabbed him on the cheek, Hoseok fell on the floor and Namjoon approached him. You tried to divert Namjoon from your friend, but he took out his anger on you instead and grabbed you by the neck, putting enough force to block any air from getting in your lungs. His grip was getting stronger and stronger, so to get out of his hold you scratched him in the face and he finally released you. You fell on the floor and heard a car braking quickly behind you. You turn around and used the rusty car’s hood to get up when you saw a familiar face in the driver seat. Both of your eyes widening.

“Y/N?”

[calligraphist-artemisia]

I’ll Take Her Place (Chapter 2)

Summary:  AU. When Allura breaks the news that she is to wed Prince Lotor in order to continue the peaceful relationship between Altea and Daibazaal, Pidge knows that she has to do something to change that. And so, with a little help, she comes up with a new plan. A better plan Pairings: Keith/Pidge (main) ; Shiro/Allura (minor), Hunk/Lance (minor) ; Lotor/Allura (one-sided)

Chapter 1 - Chapter 3 - Masterpost

Also posted on AO3 and fanfiction.net

A/N: Alright, here we go! A little earlier than I'd planned, but I'm pretty excited about how everyone will react to this chapter.

I named Allura's mom after my all-time favorite female protagonist, Alanna of Trebond. (The Song of the Lioness by Tamora Pierce. If you've never read this series and you're into the fantasy genre, then I highly recommend everything she's written, but especially this quartet.)

Chapter 2

“Pidge, this is crazy.”

She told Hunk about her plan.

After all of their late night chat sessions. After all of the times they'd lured one another away from projects to take a break. After everything they'd been through together since leaving Earth, how could she not tell Hunk? He was her rock; the one she went to when she needed to voice her worries without feeling judged.

“I know. I know. But what else could I do, Hunk? I can't stand by and watch Allura sacrifice herself like that. Besides, maybe this way I can keep a close eye on Lotor without it being weird. We'll finally find out if there's any truth to the rumors we've heard,” Pidge said, trying to inject some sort of logic into her plan. It was still all about giving Allura the freedom to be with Shiro, but that didn't mean she couldn't also find a way to use it to her own advantage.

Hunk gently took both of her hands in his own. “I'm gonna go on the record, right here and now, and say I think this is a terrible idea and doing this probably means giving Lotor exactly what he wants, but...” He gave her a hard look when she opened her mouth to argue. When she unhappily settled down, he continued, a bit more gently. “But, I'm going to be there for you. You're one of my best friends, Pidge, and I'm not going to leave you alone to handle this. Whatever you need and whenever you need it, I'll be there.”

“Hunk, I...” Pidge looked away, unable to handle the sincerity in his eyes. “Thank you.”

He squeezed her hands and then let go so he could get back to preparing a delicious breakfast.  It wasn't long before Shiro finished his morning training and came down to join them. Like clockwork, Land wasn't far behind, though he was still dressed in his pajamas and had clearly just woken up.

“Ugh, please tell me I dreamed that awful conversation we had last night,” Lance groaned as he sat down across from Pidge. He took one look at everyone's downcast faces and sighed loudly. “So it's really happening? Allura's really going to marry Prince Jerkface? Shiro, are you sure there's nothing we can do?”

“Allura has made her decision, and we all need to respect it,” Shiro said.

“But-!”

“Enough!” Shiro said sharply. “This is happening, Lance. The princess needs our support and we're all going to give it to her. I don't want to hear any more about this, understand?”

Lance looked at him in concern, but obeyed his leader and said nothing more on the subject. After a few minutes of awkward silence, he turned his attention to Hunk. “Hey, good lookin', watcha got cookin'?”

Hunk rolled his eyes, but couldn't stop the smile from spreading across his face. “You are so lame.”

Lance grinned. “Well, that doesn't answer my question. Hey, Pidge, do you think I need to ask again?”

“Please, no,” Pidge begged.

“Hey, good loo-”

“Bacon!” Hunk interrupted, dropping a plate of something purple and green on the counter. “Or, you know, the closest alternative I've found. It tastes mostly like bacon.”

Lance stood up to peer closely at the offered food. “Looks squishy. And what are those green bits?”

“Are you going to stand there and criticize my cooking or are you going to eat?”

Lance hesitated a moment before picking up a fork to cautiously stab the food. Little bits fell off as he lifted it to his mouth. “Well, here goes nothing.”

Everyone watched Lance take that first bite, using his facial expressions to determine whether or not they would be eating it as well.

“Huh,” Lance said, going in for another forkful. “That's not half bad.”

Hunk looked delighted.

While breakfast had been lighthearted and full of jokes (at least between Hunk and Lance), a mere two hours later, the paladins found themselves standing in their full armor, waiting with everyone else to hear Emperor Zarkon's proposal for a stronger alliance.

It was a unexpectedly small gathering, comprising largely of those from the Altean court and the few nobles who had traveled with Zarkon for the occasion, but Pidge could spot several familiar faces among the crowd, specifically Grand Duchess Trigel of the Dalterion Belt and King Gyrgan of Rygnirath, which meant that Prince Blaytz of Nalquod was somewhere nearby. The three of them were good friends of Alfor and Zarkon, as well as strong supporters of the Voltron Coalition, so it was hardly a surprise to see them there.

She almost wished they hadn't come.

Three years was a long time to keep her true identity hidden from everyone except the other paladins. How would they react to the news? Trigel had always expressed a fondness toward her in the past, but would that change when she learned the truth?

If it wasn't for Hunk's firm presence at her side, Pidge was sure she'd be panicking. As it was, she was having trouble keeping her emotions in check.

“Just breathe,” Hunk reminded her, keeping his voice low. “Deep breaths. In through your nose, out through your mouth. It helps.”

In a horrible way, she was thankful that Shiro and Lance were too preoccupied with their own worries about Allura. Neither of them paid any attention to her, though Lance did cast a curious look in their direction when Hunk began to whisper.

“The goo bacon is disagreeing with Pidge,” Hunk explained in undertone, covering for her the best way he could think of.

Pidge felt a wave of gratitude towards her friend. It lasted until Emperor Zarkon stepped forward to address the crowd and a heavy weight of dread settled in her stomach, overpowering any other emotion.

Everyone quieted down to hear what he had to say.

“For many years, I have worked tirelessly alongside King Alfor and other leaders to unify the planets in our quadrant of the universe in a peaceful alliance. We have forged unbreakable bonds between our people, but none more strong than that between Daibazaal and Altea, with my marriage to the beautiful Honerva.” He paused to gaze fondly at his small Altean wife, whose sweet smile encouraged him to continue. “I am please to say I have recently been given the opportunity to fortify the alliance between Daibazaal and the Voltron Coalition.”

Pidge couldn't help but glance at Allura, who stood between her parents, King Alfor and Queen Alanna, looking every inch the regal princess that she was. She never would have known just from looking at her that she had no desire to be there or even that she was truly dreading what was coming next.

Or rather, what Allura thought was coming next.

Pidge breathed in deeply.

“Lady Katherine Holt, Paladin of the Green Lion, has offered her hand in marriage.”

As Emperor Zarkon spoke, Pidge stepped away from her friends, slowly walking forward just as King Alfor had instructed her to do. She could see Lance making a move to stop her, but Hunk held him back and shook his head. Shiro made a quiet, startled sound, barely catching himself from following her.

Pidge stopped a respectable distance from Zarkon and removed her helmet, tucking it under one arm. She held her head up high, waiting to hear what Lotor had to say about the change. Everything relied on what the Galra prince would say.

Emperor Zarkon acknowledged her with a nod and then looked to his son. “Prince Lotor, will you accept Lady Katherine's proposal?”

Prince Lotor's face and body language betrayed nothing of what he truly felt as he bowed to her. “Sadly, I cannot. My heart has long been claimed by another.” Cold blue eyes flickered to Allura, traveling up and down her body before returning to Pidge.

Her heart sank at the flicker of a tiny smirk on his face. Her plan never stood a chance.

'I'm so sorry, Allura,' she thought, her heart aching for her friend.

“I see,” Emperor Zarkon said, his eyes boring into his son, who looked completely unaffected by the intense gaze.

Pidge was about to step back and rejoin her fellow paladins, prepared to face their judgement, when Zarkon spoke again, addressing another in the crowd.

“Prince Keithir, will you accept?”

A low murmur broke out in the room from all sides, but the loudest chatter came from the Galra. From among them, a slender figure in black armor stepped forward, unusual dark eyes focused on Pidge. A pair of fluffy ears stuck up through a mess of black hair, twitching subtly as he gazed at her. His fur was a hue of light lavender common to most Galra.

For a moment, she forgot how to breathe. Prince Keithir was an anomaly – a mystery – she had no data on him. She had even less than rumor to go on. It was only by chance that she'd even learned about him. She'd certainly never included him as a factor when devising her plan or when calculating the multiple ways in which things could go awry, but it was obvious to her that Emperor Zarkon had factored him in. Which meant one thing: Zarkon knew Lotor would never accept her.

He knew, and made a plan to account for that.

All of Pidge's hopes were on the unexpected second chance she'd been given. If Keithir refused, then there was nothing more she could do. Allura would marry Lotor.

Without taking his eyes off of her, Prince Keithir spoke the words that would seal their fate: “I accept.”

NEXT

[narcisskanotfrisk]

BeyondFell: Part 20 (updated)

Two months passed. Frisk was made aware of Gaster's existence but decided not to worry too much for the moment. After all, he hadn't done anything to her until now, except to observe her. Sans, meanwhile, continued to be suspicious, while making sure that nothing happened to Frisk, for the baby she was carrying. Undyne gradually became the best friend of the human, one could not have hoped for better as a bodyguard! She was the former head of the royal guard, but her friendship meant a lot to our human. Papyrus, on the other hand, had to go to New Home to give the letter of succession to the post of Chief of the Royal Guard. Obviously he said nothing about the human, quickly letting the king go about his business. Frisk's stomach had grown considerably, so she avoided making too much physical effort. Nevertheless a person was going to upset her daily life again ... Walking in the snow, her steps were silent. Her face covered with a hood, you couldn't make out the head of the newcomer. However the monster seemed to know its way like its pocket, It arrived in front of the village of Snowdin preparing to fight! ... But nobody came to meet it ... At the same time surprised but reassured, it continued it’s way before call a monster in the street. "Excuse me," she said in a voice that wanted to be soft despite her intonation, "do you know where I could find the human? ..." The monster turned around before looking at the arrival, a little confused by his request. He seemed slightly drunk, blinking slowly but several times before answering her dryly. "Well then River! Did you forget that she lived with the skeleton brothers at the end of the street? Bouahahahah! I don't recognize you anymore! Anyway, this little girl will go far considering how she changed us ... " Still hooded, she nodded in thanks, before continuing on her way to the end of this village. She stopped in front of the house before taking a deep breath. She didn't know how the little girl would react and that made her really nervous. Nevertheless she needed her, need her help .... Knocking now on the door, she waited a moment before a large skeleton opened the door for her, placing himself in front of it. He was wearing a chef's hat and apron, which was far from scary. "I DON'T RECOGNIZE YOU ... WHAT DO YOU WANT? Papyrus asked suspiciously. -I'm looking for a human ... Frisk ... -Mom Toriel is it you ?! cried Frisk hurriedly, recognizing the voice at the door. " Frisk got up a little too suddenly and almost fell. She put her arms forward to try to catch up ... Before realizing that she was floating gently in the air. Sans keeping her in the air, before watching her tenderly. "Hey ... why so much rush? We are not on a rainy day. Mouahaha » He placed her on her feet very carefully before coming to the door behind his brother, in the company of his beloved. The stranger then removed his hood revealing the face of the former queen of the Underground. Papyrus and Sans displayed a head full of surprise as Frisk made his way to Toriel. She tenderly took Toriel in her arms, who did the same for her. Raising his head to see his face, the human smiles. "I thought you would never leave the Ruins .... What good wind is bringing you, mom?" -Wait ... You call the queen of the Underground "mom"? .... No wonder you managed to bring Snowdin back to life. Well done, my princess! Sans said, smiling warmly at his partner. -I missed you, my child ... I would have a concern that I would like to share with you. But what you seem to have grown! Are you doing enough sports at least ?! " The former queen detached herself from Frisk while observing her ... She finally understood that it was not fat, but indeed an infant who lodged in the human's belly. Taking a frightened head, she placed her hands over her mouth. Flames appeared on both sides of Toriel. A few tears of rage ran down her face before she cried out: "Who dared to rape my child ?! Answer me !! I will destroy everything from him !! -No one raped me, this child was born from the love I have for a certain skeleton ... " Frisk then began to look Sans lovingly, which made him blush slightly despite the fact that he had no cheeks. However, as soon as Toriel understood who had taken the first time from the one she considered her daughter, the two fireballs headed for the skeleton. The human instinctively grabbed Toriel's hand. It was then that the flames calmly disappeared. Smiling happily, she simply added: "I know how to defend myself Toriel, you no longer need to worry about it." " This movement shocked both the former queen, but also the skeleton brothers who knew nothing of the power of Frisk. The human allowed herself to bring in everyone. Toriel settled down on the sofa with Papyrus, who wanted to watch her after this act of violence. Sans remained standing in front of the goat while Frisk brought something to eat while she explained. Waiting for the tension to come down a bit, she was the one who spoke first, despite everything. "I guess you are wondering how I could have done that, especially you, Sans and Papyrus, who have been by my side almost at all times. Well, about a month ago, I was just walking in the Snowdin forest with Chara for only company. I slipped on a sheet of ice and I fell into a precipice ... At least that's what should have happened. Drawing on my determination ... (Sans and Frisk heard an "Ahem" from Chara) Yes, I'll explain to them, Chara, I'm coming! - Do you know that first name ?! then interrupted Toriel, surprised that Frisk knew as much. -... Yes, she has been following me since the beginning of my journey in the Underground. But please let me finish, mom. -Okay ... she replied a little reluctantly. - So, I thought I was falling, but drawing on Chara's determination, a platform appeared under me. I was then able to control it to get out of this bad step! " Everyone in the room was surprised at the revelations. Sans straightened his jacket against him before speaking. "How would Chara's determination have saved you?" -Well once safe, I wanted to test this power. Making all kinds of things appear and disappear. However, after a while, Chara felt tired while I still felt good. I deduced from this that part of Chara's soul kept me alive when I should have died from my fall. To put it simply, I'm already a dead woman, I'm sorry, Sans ... I didn't want to teach you that ... " Sans's skull seemed to turn black following this revelation. But he looked up, tears now flowing from these empty sockets. "Let's take advantage of the present, princess, while you still can!" " He said smiling at his soul mate. Only the tears that flowed show the sadness that had invaded him. Papyrus bowed his head while Toriel muttered insults. Nevertheless, she looked at Frisk before telling her the truth about his presence here. "I..I would like to go back to Asgore, at least to apologize ..." The human simply answered her with a smile before stroking her own belly. Knowing that she was dead didn't bother her any more than that, after all she carried the future within her. Smiled discreetly at Chara before looking at Toriel tenderly. "Before that, I would like you to let me give birth to this child. It is everything I always wanted ... And it will make Sans a memory of me. I don't know how long Chara's determination will keep me alive. But for now, I am sure that I will reach the end of my pregnancy ... Oh and Sans! That way I will be more natural " The skeleton didn't understand immediately what Frisk was doing. She ran a hand over her body and all the notches disappeared ... Wanting to look a little more beautiful, she made a flower appear in her right eye having accustomed to seeing only one and because it mattered to her and Sans. After an afternoon of various and varied discussions with the queen, they gently said goodbye to her, leaving her to return to the Ruins while waiting for the day of the birth of the child.