#the royal romance au

[sfb123]

Hands Down

Chapter 1: "Dear No One"

Catch up here!

Pairing: Liam x Riley

All characters belong to Pixelberry

Summary: Can Liam and Riley still find their way to each other despite Riley turning down Maxwell's invitation to Cordonia?

Rating: G

Word Count: 2,591

Song Inspiration: Dear No One - Tori Kelly

A/N: We're officially off and running, thank you all so much for the warm reception of the prologue. Your excitement is making me even more excited to get this out to you!

A/N 2: Spoiler alert, there's no Liam in this chapter. But I promise it's still worth reading.

A/N 3: Thank you @txemrn for pre-reading.

Tags are below the cut/in the comments. If you'd like to be added or removed, please let me know!

Riley was on cloud nine as she walked the familiar path back to her apartment, making a mental checklist of everything she would need to do over the next month. She was excited and nervous, but this was everything she had ever wanted. 

Over the last few months, Riley had been focusing on school. It was her last year of college, where she majored in dance and minored in education. When she wasn’t studying, she was working. In addition to her job at the bar, she was assisting at the dance studio that she had attended as a child. 

The last month had been the busiest: finals, graduation, and the studio’s annual recital. Once all of that was finished, she jumped right into working the studio’s summer camp, all while spending her nights working at the bar. However, today was the day that made it all worth it. After the students had left for the day, the owner of the studio pulled Riley aside and offered her a full time teaching position when classes started up again in the fall.

This job was exactly what she had been working for. When she was growing up, the studio was her favorite place to be. The students and teachers were her friends, her extended family. When she was nine, she decided that she wanted to teach dance, and be what her teachers were to her for other kids who were trying to find their place in the world. She would have been happy teaching anywhere, but to be able to teach at her studio, her home, was the ultimate dream.

She entered her apartment, dropping her keys on the table by the door. She plopped down on the couch, her head falling back as she let out a wistful sigh. 

“Finally!” Her friend and roommate, Daniel said as he entered the living room. “I need your help,” he lifted his arms, each containing a dress shirt on a hanger. “Which one?” He held them up to his torso one at a time.

“Another date?” 

“You know it,” Daniel smirked. 

Riley rolled her eyes as she pointed to the green shirt. “That’s three dates this week.” 

“Four, you forgot about my double header Saturday,” He corrected her. “How was camp?” 

The corners of Riley’s mouth turned upwards, a wide grin slowly spreading across her face. “Pretty well, Christie offered me a full time teaching position when the season starts up in September.”

Daniel’s fingers froze in place on the button he was trying to secure. “Shut. Up.” Riley nodded her head, unable to contain her excitement. “Ri, this is amazing!” He rushed to the couch, she stood just in time for him to wrap her in a bear hug. “That’s my little Debbie Allen.” 

“So, now that I’m going to be teaching full time, I’m only going to need the one job.” She said tentatively as she pulled out of his embrace.

“Yeah, I kind of figured that was coming.” The moment was interrupted by the chime of Daniel’s phone. He pulled it from his pocket, and took a quick look at the screen. “Oh crap. Riley, you know I’d stay and celebrate, but I’ve gotta-” 

“No, totally. Get out of here.” She playfully punched him on the arm. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

“Oh please,” Daniel groaned. “If I did that, I wouldn’t be going out in the first place.” He leaned down, kissing her on the cheek before hurrying out of the apartment. 

Riley sat back down on the couch and picked up the remote, turning on the television and sighing to herself. Getting this job was the best news she had probably ever received, her dream was coming true. She should be celebrating, but she was sitting home alone, watching reruns. 

She understood; the world didn’t revolve around Riley Brooks. Her friends all had plans; she would never ask them to cancel for her. It was moments like this where she missed having someone to celebrate with. Since her last relationship ended, she had put dating on the back burner; she wanted to focus on her studies, but more than that, she felt she needed to take time to heal her heart. However, Riley had always been a hopeless romantic, waiting for Prince Charming to come sweep her off her feet. 

And when he finally did, she was too scared to pursue it. 

If she were being honest with herself, that was part of the reason she had kept so busy in her final semester. She was trying to ignore the nagging regret that had consumed her since she rejected the invitation to compete in the Cordonian social season. Not a day had gone by since her night on the town with Liam that she hadn’t thought about him. Missed him even. But she had blown her chance. The social season will be coming to an end soon. Liam was about to choose his bride. A woman that would probably make him forget all about her. Riley pushed past her thoughts of the man she could never have, and turned her focus back to the television.

***

A few days later, Riley was at her father’s house for a family dinner that had been put together both as a congratulatory gathering to celebrate her new position, and because her sister Danielle had an announcement to make. 

“Did you tell her to be here earlier than the rest of us?” Riley’s mother, Tina, asked her ex-husband as they sat in the living room of Riley’s childhood home. 

“I told her to be here thirty minutes earlier than I told you two,” Riley’s father responded. “She must have caught on.” 

As if on cue, the front door opened, and Danielle entered, followed by her girlfriend Sophie. They walked into the living room, unphased by their tardiness. “Hi everyone!” Danielle said to the annoyed and impatient faces of her family. “Jeeze, good to see you guys, too.” 

“It would have been better to see you forty five minutes ago, when you were supposed to be here,” Riley teased. “Can we eat now? I’m starving.” 

“No, not yet. We have an announcement!” Danielle said, raising her right hand to halt her family. “So as you already know, Sophie and I were out of town for the last couple of days. But what you don’t know is that it was to celebrate our engagement!” 

With that, she and Sophie each raised their left hands, showing off matching oval halo diamond rings. Tina sprung up from her seat, pulling Danielle and Sophie into a hug. 

“This is wonderful,” her grip tightened. “I’m finally going to be a mother of the bride!”

“Way to make it about you, Mom,” Danielle’s voice was muffled against her mother’s shoulder.

“Congrats, kiddo,” David said, prying the couple away from Tina. 

“Thanks, Daddy.” 

Riley approached them next, “Congratulations, Dani.” She pulled her sister into a hug before turning to Sophie. “My condolences.” She said to her future sister-in-law, who chuckled in response. “No, seriously. We’re stuck with her; you’re choosing to be with her.” Riley joked. 

“Ow!” She yelped when she felt a slap on her shoulder. Her head turned to the side to find her mother scowling at her. “Congratulations.” She muttered as she dramatically rubbed her arm. 

“Thank you,” Sophie replied. “Thank you all. You guys have always been so welcoming to me, and I’m really excited to become part of the family.” 

“Oh please,” David scoffed. “You’ve been a member of the family for years now. This just makes it official.” He patted Sophie on the shoulder. “Now let’s eat!” 

As everyone made their way to the dining room, Riley lingered behind. She was happy for her sister, she really was, and Sophie was perfect for her. A perfect addition to the family. It just served as another reminder that, despite her professional achievements, there was still something, or someone, missing. 

Throughout dinner, the conversation focused on Danielle and Sophie’s news. Everyone wanted to know how it happened, what Sophie’s family said, and if they had made any wedding plans. 

“We’re going to keep it pretty small,” Danielle explained. “Just close friends and family. It helps that Ri won’t need a plus one,” she joked. 

Tina and David chuckled while Riley narrowed her eyes at her sister. “I’ve been focusing on finishing school, and getting a job,” she protested. 

“We’re both still in school, and managed to get engaged,” Danielle shrugged. 

Riley crossed her arms over her chest. “Yeah, but I was in my last year, and I have been working toward a very specific goal. You have switched majors three times, and you’re only in your second year!” 

“Alright,” Tina’s mother interrupted. “That’s enough. This is supposed to be a happy occasion. You both have major milestones to celebrate, and there isn’t one that is better or more important than the other. Your father and I are proud of both of you,” she assured them. “And who knows? A couple of years from now, we will probably be sitting around this table celebrating Dani’s new career, and Ri’s engagement.” 

Riley and Danielle mumbled their apologies as they typically did when they would get into arguments. As their attention moved back to the meal, David decided to redirect the conversation. “So Ri, how many classes do they have you in charge of?”

“I’m teaching ten of my own, and assisting five.” She replied, pushing her food around on her plate. 

As much as she appreciated her father trying to bring things back to her, she couldn’t help but feel like she had been overshadowed by her sister’s news. Once again, she felt that pang of loneliness in her heart. 

At the end of the night as everyone was saying their goodbyes, Tina pulled Riley aside. “Ri, are you alright?” 

“Yeah, I’m fine. Why?” 

“You got quiet after your fight with your sister.” 

Riley sighed. “It’s just annoying. I came in here all excited about my news, and I just felt kind of overshadowed.” It was a half truth, she felt silly telling her mother the rest. 

“Riley, you have worked so hard to get where you are, and I couldn’t be prouder of you,” her mother assured her. “As for the other part,” Riley arched a brow, “I’m your mother. I know you better than you think.”  

“I know it’s hard to be alone, especially after having someone for a while. But you have been focusing on yourself, and that’s more important than anything else. You have to love yourself before you can love someone else.” 

Riley rolled her eyes. “Sure, Mom.”

“It’s a cliche for a reason. Besides, you and your sister are different people; you always have been. You’re the level headed one, the one who plans and worries. Your sister just,” she waived her hand back and forth, trying to come up with the right words. “She just goes with the flow. You’re doing everything right, and you’re going to get everything you want.”

“How do you know?” 

“Again, I’m your mother. I know things.” 

Riley chuckled and pulled her mother into a hug. “Thanks, mom.” 

***

The next night, Riley and Daniel entered the bar together for their shift. They were greeted by their manager Eli, his welcoming smile quickly morphed into a scowl when he realized that it was them, and not a customer. 

“It’s about time,” he hissed.

Daniel rolled his eyes while Riley took a deep breath. Eli was never in a good mood, so she knew there wasn’t going to be a right time to talk to him. She decided to rip the bandaid. “Eli, can I talk to you for a minute?” 

“You had better make it fast. We have customers that need to be taken care of.” Without another word, Eli stormed toward his office. Riley looked over to Daniel, who offered an encouraging smile. “Today, Miss Brooks!” Eli called from the back of the room, catching the attention of some of the patrons. Riley trotted in the direction of his voice.

Once she stepped inside, Eli closed the door behind her. “Let me save us both some time. The answer is no.” 

“The answer to what?” Riley asked, confused by the statement.

“I’m not a fool,” he began. “And despite what you and your friend think of me, I am not oblivious to the things going on around here. I know you just received a bachelor's degree, however I also know that it is not in a field that would benefit this establishment in any way. Therefore, your degree does not entitle you to a raise.” 

“Oh,” Riley replied in a surprised tone. “No, it’s not that. It’s about my graduation, but I’m not looking for a raise. I actually received a full time offer to teach, and it pays enough that I will only need the one source of income. So I… Well, this is my two week’s notice.” Riley had never quit a job before, and she hated confrontation, so the words spilled out of her at a rapid pace. “But I’ll have my regular availability, and I could probably do some extra hours if -”

Eli lifted his hand to halt her word vomit. “I don’t need your life story.” He said coldly. “Your resignation is accepted.” Riley let out a breath, she felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. “That doesn’t mean you just coast for the next two weeks.” He reminded her curtly. 

“Oh no, of course not.” She replied quickly.

“Then get back to work!” 

Riley exited the manager's office, the sound of the door opening pulled Daniel’s attention away from the customer he was waiting on. He locked eyes with her. She gave him a shrug and a half smile as she made her way to her post behind the bar. He scribbled down the order and hurried to Riley.

“Well?” He asked, nudging her with his shoulder. 

Riley chuckled as she slid a pint of beer across the bar. “It’s done. I will only be a waitress for two more weeks.” 

Daniel gave her a questioning look as he passed his customer’s order to the kitchen. “Then why do you look like your dog just died?” He placed his hands on her shoulders. “Riley, this is amazing! You’re starting your dream job, and in two weeks you’ll have your nights free, you’ll be able to have a social life again!”

“Right,” Riley scoffed. “A social life, because I’m so good at those.” 

“That’s what you’ve got me for.” Daniel grinned. “I’m going to get you out and having fun. Maybe even get you on a date or two,” he winked. 

Riley rolled her eyes at her friend. “Yeah, sure.” 

“Listen,” Daniel started in a more serious tone. “Baby steps, I’m not going to force you to go to parties every night, or surprise you with random blind dates, but you deserve to be happy, Ri. Not just dream-job-college-graduate happy, you deserve to be everything happy.” 

Riley smiled softly. “Thanks, Daniel. You’re the best.” She pulled him into a hug. 

Their tender moment was interrupted by the ringing of the kitchen bell, notifying them of an order that needed to be delivered to a customer’s table. “That’s me,” Daniel said as he pulled away and went to the kitchen to gather his order, promptly returning with a plate in each hand. “Let’s get you through the next two weeks first,” he encouraged. “After that, everything’s going to change.” 

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TRR:

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Hands Down:

@imjusthereforliam @kristinamae093

@choicesficwriterscreations 

[txemrn]

King Liam Appreciation Day 5 👑

This has been such a fun week! I have enjoyed seeing everyone's creations, HCs, and general excitement over discussing all things Liam! Special thanks again to our amazing hosts @lizzybeth1986 and @sazanes. Thank y'all for working so hard to make everything so special for @kingliamappreciationweek!

In honor of KLAW #5, I thought I would share 2 different creations (2 different posts, you'll understand why!) about one of my AUs called Stay (Masterlist).

This is a short reel edit of the Prologue: A Shadow in the Dark, where we meet "Will the Thrill" (and if you are new, hi! Here is a little bit of background info if you just want to watch the video: Connie isn't too terrible; Eleanor is still alive; Leo didn't abdicate; Liam still found Riley; if you choose to read, this whole scenario is a very loose nod to an incident talked about in canon). Enjoy!

TW: gun violence

*I do not own the rights to the music; no copyright infringement intended. Characters and some plots belong to Pixelberry.

[sincerelyella]

Feelings Circle

Book: The Royal Romance (AU)

Pairings: Liam x MC (Ella); Drake x OC (Alyssa)

Characters belong to Pixelberry; Ella Brooks belongs to me; Alyssa Devereaux belongs to @burnsoslow and is used with permission

My brand spanking new and beautiful poster for The Loft was made by the amazing @gokushairgel ❤️ she is a gem and so dang talented. Thank you for creating this masterpiece!

Summary: An AU based on the show New Girl (my favorite can you tell??) Just a collection of one-shots and shenanigans that allude to the show. This will NOT be canon, that means this won’t be in Cordonia and Liam isn’t a King. If you have watched the show before, you know they are in Los Angeles, California.

A/N: This little chapter takes place after the birthday fic I wrote for Burnsy called Lifetime. You don’t need to read that one to know what’s going on in this fic though ☺️

A/N 2: It’s been a very long time since I’ve written anything - mostly because work has been crazy and studying related to work has also taken up a lot of my time. My taglist is very old so feel free to ignore should you not want to read this mess lol

Thank you Burnsy, my tumblr and real life friend, for letting me borrow your best girl, as well as looking over this fic and not saying it completely sucked big donkey balls lol I love you.

Warnings: Adult language; sexual innuendos; some overall inappropriateness because it’s the Loft 🤷🏽‍♀️

Words: 1258

Alyssa opened the door and to her surprise saw a large package that was on the floor addressed to her. She grunted as she pulled and pushed it inside the loft. “Ella!”

A voice came from one of the rooms down the hall. “Yeah?”

“Did you order something for me again? I just returned the freaking roundabout dildo!” Lyss shut the door with her foot and crossed her arms across her chest.

“What’re you talking about? I didn’t buy anything,” Ella bounced into the living room. “What’s that?”

“I don’t know,” Lyssa bent down to take a look at the label on the box. “It says it’s from Texas.”

The girls pawed and pried open the box and saw that it was a bread maker. “A bread maker? What the fuck?” Lyssa saw a note tucked on the side and tugged on it. “It’s from Drake’s mom!” Drake and Alyssa just got engaged and FaceTimed his family and her cousins and friends to give them the news. Drake, not being too close to his mom and Aunt Leona, still felt like giving them a call about their engagement was respectful. “‘Dear Alyssa, So glad we got to meet you even though it was when you and my son were already engaged,’” Lyss read out loud. “‘Please accept this as an engagement gift, hope to meet you soon.’”

“What the fuck kind of gift is a bread maker?” Ella asked as she poked the box. “She doesn’t even know you. Why not send a toaster or coffee maker or something?”

Alyssa gasped. “Maybe she thinks I can’t take care of her son!”

Ella’s brows furrowed. “What? Why?”

“I don’t know, I heard she treated Drake and his sister like shit and abandoned them,” she explained with a wave of her hand. “So maybe this is her way of being petty. Maybe she thinks I can’t cook!”

“But you can’t,” her friend pointed out.

“That’s beside the point! She thinks I can’t take care of her only son!”

“How can you say you don’t take care of people?” Ella put her hands on her hips in a huff. “You take care of me! You’re fierce and strong and you would stand up for anyone that you love. You’re like a big, scary, protective mama bear!”

“I just make sure you don’t kill yourself when we’re drinking El,” Lyssa’s eyes watered. “What if Drake’s mom hates me?”

The girls were interrupted by the front door opening and the guys of loft 4D barged inside, already mid argument.

“If I’m not having sex in this loft, then nobody is having sex in this loft!” Leo roared as he marched towards the kitchen.

“I am so aware of my nipples right now,” Maxwell hissed as he hugged his chest tightly.

Ella and Lyss glanced at each other, then turned back to the boys. “What in the fresh hell-”

“Just don’t make any sudden movements,” Ella whispered out of the side of her mouth.

It was Liam’s turn to speak as he turned to his fiancé. “Love, did you know about this?”

“I’m sorry, I have no idea what’s happening right now. I need context.”

Leo ripped open a box of condoms, dumped them onto the kitchen island, and pulled open drawers.

“What the fuck is going on?” Lyssa asked as she turned to Drake.

“I’ll tell you what the fuck is going on!” Leo answered as he lifted up what he was looking for - a pair of scissors. “I’m going to cut all these condoms up!”

Drake, Max, and Liam lunged toward Leo, Drake reaching him first and tackling him to the ground. Max kicks the scissors away from him and Liam tries to pull his best friend off of his brother.

“Get ahold of yourself, you crazy oaf,” Drake grunted as he struggled against Liam’s strong hold. “Just because you fucked up and aren’t getting laid anymore doesn’t mean you can fuck it up for all of us!”

Leo huffed, his face red. “If any one of you try to have sex up in this loft I’ll body block! No love making! All love making will cease!”

“Everybody shut up!” Ella screamed. Everyone went silent and turned their attention to the small woman in front of them. “All of you, just shut up and sit down at the table. We’re going to talk about this like adults.”

Alyssa grinned. “I’ll get the-”

“Aw,” Maxwell whined. “Not the-”

“You bet your ass!” Lyss waved the feelings stick in his face. As a teacher, she brought home a lot of popsicle sticks, yarn, felt tipped markers, and crayons. But the feelings stick was used religiously in case they needed to have a loft meeting. The girls usually bring it out when there are some kind of feelings involved and the guys don't want to talk about it.

“Feelings stick is in effect,” Ella began as everyone took a seat, grumbling as they went. “You know the rules, one person speaks at a time and no interrupting.”

“Everyone deserves to be heard at the table,” Alyssa continued as she stood behind her new fiancé and bent down to kiss his cheek.

Ella plopped herself onto Liam’s lap, his arms automatically settling around her hips. “Who wants to go first?”

Maxwell reached for the feelings stick now in the middle of the table. “We all were at the store and Leo saw Hana there with another guy. He got upset and jealous and was trying to follow them down the aisles! As a distraction, I told him that the store ran out of cheddar cheese blocks and he went into some kind of rage and twisted my nipples,” he turned to look at Leo as he wrapped a free arm around his chest. “That really hurt and now I’m pretty sure you ripped some chest hair out of my skin.”

Leo snatched the feelings stick out of Max’s hand. “I felt like that was the wrong time to yell about my favorite cheese, and you knew how distraught I’d been over my … situation with Hana!”

Drake leaned over the table and grabbed the feelings stick from Leo. “I feel like you are being a real bitch about this Hana issue, Rys!“ Alyssa and Ella flinched at the harsh words; Leo’s face turned a dark red color. “You cheated, and she dumped you. Come to terms with it and fucking let it go!”

Liam held his hand out towards Drake, motioning for the feelings stick, and like a baton, Drake passed it over. “Leo, I don’t think it’s fair that you purposely bought condoms for everyone with a plan to just cut them up since we’re all in relationships and you’re not.”

A knock on the door interrupted their feelings circle. Alyssa walked over, flung the door open and her brows raised in surprise to see Hana on the other side. “Hana! Hey … uh, what’s up?”

Wringing her hands together, Hana gave her friend a nervous smile. “Hi Lyss, is Leo here?”

A screeching of a chair and stomping of feet sounded a moment later, and an out of breath Leo stood at the door next to Lyssa. “Hi! Hana … hi! How are you?”

“Leo …” Hana chewed on the inside of her cheek.

An awkward silence settled between the two and Lyss became increasingly uncomfortable. “I’m … just going to walk away,” she bent down under Leo’s arm that was holding the door open and scampered off.

“Did you want to come in?” Leo asked softly.

Hana nodded. “I think we should talk.”

[findingdrake]

The Common Romance

I finally landed in Melbourne, Australia. I have worked my ass off to get this dream job as a Software Engineer in this dream city. Getting the job wasn’t as difficult as getting the Visa. Even though my employer has sponsored me, the last formality for the visa is still pending. After landing in Oz, I have to attend an interview and get my visa stamped by the immigration officer. Pheww... "Keep calm, it’s the last step, and there are hardly any rejections at this step... Deep breaths...", keeping my composure, I head to my sister’s place, where I’ll stay for the initial days.

The next morning, I hurriedly collect my documents, and then take a cab to the Immigration office. As I walk across the Immigration Office my clumsy and anxious ass drops a document or my mobile or wallet every few steps.

Drake Walker, Immigration officer, I read the nameplate outside his office. I wait outside in the waiting lobby, impatiently making E-O-E-O faces. It’s been 2 hours, and my name has not been called. Everyone seems to have a prior appointment except me. Waiting... And waiting...

It’s lunchtime now. I know this because I see the immigration officer move out of his office, and yes, also there is a display board that says ‘Office will be closed for a lunch break between 12:30-1:30’. But mostly the immigration officer. I didn’t get a good look but he’s ruggedly handsome. Tall, I guess 6 feet and a good build. I follow him as if I was charmed. “Pss.. stop following the immigration officer you idiot!”, says my rational self. They win this time, but I am already in the canteen following him. I head to the vending machine while he is, well, I lost him. I look around as I get my snack pack. Obviously, he’s eating a salad. “Handsome men don’t eat like pigs and you”, says my critical self.

“How about we sit next to him? He’s eating alone”, says my swooned self.

“Have it occurred to you that maybe he wants to, not like he can’t get a company”, says Miss rational.

“I’ll sit next to him and bring up my visa appointment”, says my smart self. “And we can ogle at his handsomeness”, says Miss Swooned. So after a detailed discussion with myself, I decided to head to him with my snack pack and a water bottle. I hope he’s not done by now.

I am at his table and he’s busy looking at his phone. My tongue seems numb, but somehow I mutter, “I sit here!”. I wanted to make it a question, but it came out as an exclamation in broken English. He looks up. Those gorgeous eyes filled with depth and annoyance? He looks around, and he can see a few empty tables. “Covid protocol, can’t share tables”. “That’s not a covid protocol!”, my ego frowns as I take a seat at the next table.

“Ok! We have lost hope of a romantic relationship because of this pathetic and desperate start. Now, he’s the immigration officer, and you are the applicant. Try it that way”, came Miss Smart for rescue.

“I have an appointment for my 186 application with you. I need to get it stamped before I can join the office, so how long does it generally take”, I am suddenly more confident when I talk professionally, in a totally unprofessional and inappropriate setting.

At first, the handsome officer tries to ignore me and pretend that the question was not directed at him. But taking a quick look at my leaning posture, question mark face and constant stare, he sighs. “It can take 1-46 days.”

“His voice is so raspy and the accent…. Shut up slut!”, fight Miss swooned and Miss rationality.

“46 days?”, I was seriously concerned until I saw him give a sly smile.

“Emm... I can keep coming here for 46 days, no problem. Not like I have a job”, I smile confidently at him. I’m sure he can sense the cockiness in my voice.

“Should I wait the second half of today, Mr Walker?”, I dare to ask him, while this is going in my head, “Mr Walker, that sounds so sexy!”

He finished up, and I think early, because of my irritating presence. “I’m afraid we are all booked today and won’t be able to take any on-spot cases. You got your appointment right? You can come when you get a call”

“I’ll definitely cum when I get your call”, I blurt out.

“I won’t be calling you, my office will”, he said with a straight face.

“Why don’t you just jump into his arms, that will be more desperate and embarrassing”, he leaves with his salad plate while I’m being slut shamed by myself.

…………………………………………………………………………

“Come in!”, Drake tries to stifle a giggle and keep a straight face as he calls in the next applicant. A few routine questions before he stamps the Chinese family’s Visa.

“Come in!” he calls in the next applicant. “Fuck that idiot tiny woman! She ruined come in for me.”, Drake frowns, thinking to himself and the Pakistani applicant gets nervous. “Is anything wrong Sir?”, asked Ahmed. “No, Mr Khan, your papers seem just right. Welcome to Australia”. Drake goes about stamping his Visa.

“Next!”, Drake sighs tiredly as he calls the next applicant. 4 more hours of this before he glides towards his car.

…………………………………………………………………………

He likes taking the scenic route home. It’s long but has no traffic, it does remind him of a far land he once called home. This is a bittersweet path because Home is the beautiful memories, but home is also the pain and the betrayals. Some days, he can’t brace the memories, and either take a sharp u-turn to a different route or speed past this one. Today, was not such a day. Today he tried to distract himself. His hand reaches toward the car radio, but who is he kidding. Australian music doesn’t excite him like the Cordonian classics. It has been almost 2 years in Aussieland, but he still hasn't completely adapted. “Huh.. hmm. Hmm.. hmm..”, he tries to hum, but he knows he can’t do it. He’s clicking his fingers on the steering wheel. “Today was fine, that Syrian family totally deserves to move here. That’s what the humanitarian Visa is for. I’ll speak to Kyle to escalate the process tomorrow.”, he tries to think about something interesting in his day. “What else... the British journalist and that tiny lady can wait a few more days. The tiny lady, she was utterly annoying.”, he involuntarily chuckles at her naiveness. Then he freezes for a second. He clearly remembers how Naive Riley was. That’s exactly how she used to look at him, at Liam. He sharply crams the accelerator and speeds home, to his kids.

[minhosimthings]

A La Folie ft. Jay

Synopsis: Wounds came and went. All in the circle of life am I right? The greatest warrior among all the kings, Park Jay. For him, seeing blood was like seeing the sky. It was a daily routine which he could not escape. Yes sometimes he had grave injuries, which he wouldn't stop to take care of, with him being a workaholic. But sometimes healers do more than heal physical wounds, and for Jay, you did exactly that.

Pairings: King!Jay × healer!fem!reader

Warnings: angst, fluff, no smut (yet hehe), mentions of blood, violence, domestic abuse, mentions of cheating, mistresses (don't read it if you can't handle it), mentions of food, Jay has a REALLY tragic past sorry bout that, reader is an orphan, also this is really dramatic IM SORRY I CANT NOT WRITE DRAMA, open ending oohh

A/N: EYYY MR JAY PARK WOOHOO Ngl I was so excited to write this but the exams and all made this kinda difficult to write so if anyone has been waiting for this I'm sorry for the extremely long wait. Also yes this wil be in three parts yay. @yunabi436 this is for you baby 😽

Part 1 || Part 2 || Part 3

The French Quotes Series Masterlist

"And from Aphrodite's rotten lovesick blood did the white flowers turn into a darker shade of red, eternally forming the flower of love."

Aphrodite and the hunter Adonis' tale had been one of boars, blood, lust and love.

For the young king of the iron-kingdom of Vadronia (rightly given its moniker), the only thing he cared about in all of those four things were the boars and the blood.

Jay Park's kingdom wasn't the strongest in all of Paradoxica just in a penny's wish and a flick of a tail feather. It was quote unquote 'molten from iron itself' as all its rulers were.

From all of his brothers, Jay was probably the one who took his duties as a warrior seriously.

Well, a bit too seriously, according to the said brothers.

"Jay would you please stop running so fast?" Sunghoon panted, putting his hands on his knees and breathing heavily as beads of sweat dripped from his hair and skin.

The mud track was always the hardest one to trench upon, and with Jay on your trail? It was hell. Atleast that's what Jake and Sunghoon described it as.

"Are you going to be saying that when you're running from enemy horses?" Jay turned back and glared at Sunghoon, the light autumn breeze giving him peace as it whipped his hair around.

"For God's sake Jay, no one is going to invade us now." Heeseung walked into the scene, with much less sweatier clothes and an arrow clutched in his hand, indicating he had come back from his target practice, "Give the poor guys a break."

"Yes please give us a break I'll go down on my knees." Jake was close to collapsing on the floor, his hand desperately clutching onto the nearby flag pole for support.

"You'd go down on your knees for your best friend." Jay scoffed, throwing his head back to shake the sweat out of his hair follicles, because as glorious as they were, the stray strands still annoyed him, "And you." He turned towards Heeseung, who, even though was much taller than Jay, now looked like a dwarf in front of Jay's broad figure, "How many times do I have to remind you to come for practice?"

"It's not my fault." Heeseung jut out his bottom lip, he always loved acting cute in front of Jay even if he was older, "Little princess back at home has been spying on me. And not gonna lie, I am extremely aroused."

"Why did I even ask?" Jay rolled his eyes and stretched out his arms, the bright burning sun reflecting in his eyes like the moonshine he loved so much, which he drank by the fireplace as he penned down poetry he could show to no one.

"So Jayyyy" Sunghoon dragged his words out, "Felt any sparks lately?"

"Ask that question again and you'll be running twenty laps round this track." Jay promptly replied, cleaning his face with the lavender-smelling towel the nearby servant handed to him. He always loved the lavender scented things, it reminded him of the springs with his mother, oh how she would tease him with tiny flowers in his hair, and the clink of her ruby created dagger in her belt. The dagger lay soulless now, sitting in a secretive place in Jay's room, as he stared at it and remembered that moment again and again. His bastard father, no matter how many times Jay had cursed him, he still couldn't get it out of his mind.

His mother, his compassionate, kind mother, didn't deserve to bleed out from his father's turn of blade.

And no matter how many potions he took, the smell of the blood filled ballroom still lingered in his nose at night, when he would jolt awake in cold sweat, wanting to cling onto his mother, but then he'd remember that he wasn't eight anymore, she was gone.

"Jay you're my brother and I really respect you a lot." Heeseung started, sitting Jay down on the oak bench, while Jake and Sunghoon quietly sneaked out, running for their lives back to their horses, "But you've got to find someone to love in your life, you've got to get over your fear."

"Weren't you the one who was complaining about love to Jake and I a few days ago?" Jay raised a magnificently trimmed brow, to which Heeseung chuckled.

"Yep but then I fell into that rabbit hole and I seem to like it, a bit too much perhaps." Heeseung stared into the distance, instantly losing his dramatic moment as the setting sun hit his pupils.

"Yeah, someday when I'm older maybe." Jay fiddled with his fingers, he never could keep them still, "But for now, I wanted to ask if you'd want to come with me on a hunt tomorrow?"

"A hunt?" Heeseung quizzed, lifting himself with much difficulty off of the bench, bow in hand, "You haven't invited me to a hunt in ages."

"Necessity is the mother of invention." Jay got up as well, scented towel still in hand, "And in this case it's that wild boar our men have been hunting since last month, been terrorizing the border between Tarnow and Vadronia now. I'm surprised you haven't noticed yet."

"Consider me blinded by love." Heeseung threw a flirtatious wink at Jay, who visibly gagged, "I'll be there."

"I'll be waiting."

"No no no, Jay, we, under no circumstances, apply essence of Hibiscus to a water snake's venom." A lady with greying hair sighed, bending over a wooden cup, while a sturdy, black haired man gulped heavily and stared nervously at the herbs in his hand.

Jay was never very successful in his healing classes, and under the strict gaze of his teacher, old Mrs.Chun, he was far away from catching the train of success.

"I don't get it." Jay frowned like a child, setting the hibiscus flower down on the table filled with healing equipments of all kind, "Wasn't the essence of Hibiscus supposed to combat this snake's venom?"

The old lady sighed again and rolled her eyes, snatching the hibiscus from the table and setting it into a basket full of the bright red flowers. With her other hand, she picked up a wicker work basket of lavender and lifted it up to Jay.

"Lavender. I said lavender remember?" She smiled up at Jay like an encouraging teacher, "Lavender for the wounds which make a man turn purple, and hibiscus for the blood drops."

Jay mumbled the rule under his mouth before pressing the lavender petals to the venom splanched across the bown om front of him. The purplish colour immediately turned a healing shade of dark yellow, satisfying Jay and letting out a sigh of relief from the old lady.

"Just some more practice and patience and you'll be a good healer in no time." Mrs. Chun patted Jay's arm sympathetically.

"But why do I even need to be a healer?" Jay asked curiously, putting the box of potions up on the shelf where they belonged, "I'm already a warrior."

"Every great warrior needs to know how to tend to his own wounds." The old lady smiled, looking curiously at a green flask, "I made a vow to your mother to never let you fail in this subject."

Jay smiled fondly at the thought of his mother spending her hours in the infirmary along with Mrs. Chun. Mrs. Chun herself was like his mother figure, providing him the hugs his 14 year old self needed so bad years ago.

"And remember Jay!" Mrs. Chun called out just as Jay was about to leave the room, "I won't be here for the entirety of next month."

"But then who's going to look after the infirmary?" Jay turned back and raised a quizzical brow at Mrs.Chun, who smiled gently.

"My apprentice will." She promptly replied, "She's a nice girl, I told her all about your predicament of failing at healing." Jay let out a chuckle at Mrs.Chun's joke, "She'll take your classes alright?"

"Don't miss me too much Mrs.Chun!" Jay laughed, "I'm your favourite remember?"

Mrs.Chun laughed heartily to herself. Oh that boy, she thought, still a bit at heart even if he was a man to the world.

Only a bit of love perhaps, can truly lead him to show this side of him to the world.

Jay sighed heavily as he plopped down on his armchair, the most comfortable one by the fire.

Love, he scoffed, what a stupid, dangerous thing.

He believed his father to love his mother, he believed his mother to love his father even as he went out every night to quote unquote 'find himself'. Mistresses were awful buisness, and no Queen had ever objected her king having one. But of course, his mother had to object, she had to be different. She had to storm in to her husband and his lover and confront them. And his father, fire-filled man he was, had to strike a blade through her belly, making her bleed out in 14 year old Jay's arms.

And of course, Jay, blinded by his rage, had to strike his father back, skilled as his father was, Jay was more fleet footed, and in the blink of an eye, his father and his father's new toy were lying in cold blood on the floor, as Jay sobbed, clutching his mother's body, dead as a fish out of the ocean.

And his brothers had noticed, they had always noticed how Jay was never the same from that day. From the happy boy who loved to write stories and poetry and who hated to even step foot in the training yard, Jay became the mercenary king, ready with his sword clutched in hand, and his poems long forgotten to silence and withering darkness.

But it wasn't to say that Jay was a ruthless ruler, he chose not to take that path, especially not after half the kingdom starved under the rule of his father. It wouldn't have been a lie to say he was the kindest one in all of Paradoxica, except he didn't really show it in the way he spoke or acted, but by the way he controlled the administration and whatnot of the kingdom. This kept his busy, seldom leaving time for any other activities, much to the disappointment of his brothers, especially Heeseung, who had always been the closest to him, who had known what he was truly like, deep inside.

Clutching his eagle feather quill, one of his most dearest ones, Jay dipped the tip into his ink pot, letting the excess ink dry off before pressing it to his leather bound diary.

When he wrote the feelings he couldn't ever say out loud onto the softwood paper, Jay felt a sort of contentment, he had always been a clandestine philophile, so to write his proses on the idea of love, death and misery, was to create a beautiful choreography on his mindset.

Alas, if there was only someone he could show them to, someone who would understand what Jay meant in the lines, even with his messy loopy calligraphy, that would have been a dream truly come true.

But how could a man who wrote poems to challenge the angels of love themselves, ever find love?

But I am a mere narrator, what would I know?

And sometimes, just sometimes, Cupid lurked in the ballrooms of dancing princes and in the dark inkpots of oxymoronic kings.

"I have no idea what's happening, but I'm happy to be here." Sunghoon's beautiful Clydesdale horse pranced around on the grass, as energetic and as similar a persona as her owner.

"Would you tell her to calm down?" Heeseung's own chestnut's hooves guided him towards Sunghoon, "She needs the energy for the hunt." Heeseung easily managed to calm the mare down by scratching behind her eyes, to which Sunghoon drooped since he had been enjoying the prancing around a bit too much.

"Why are we going on a hunt again?" Jake adjusted his saddle, making sure he was buckled in properly to his Fox Trotter horse, "Aren't we above killing animals now?"

"Your best friend tell you that?" The clip clopping of Jay's magnificent Dutch Warmblood sent all of the soldiers to silence, "And if the animal is a wild boar, no we aren't above that."

"Whatever you say, oh great King." Sunghoon snickered, as he did a sort of bow on his horse, making everyone laugh.

"Oh shut up." Jay rolled his eyes, clutching onto his horse's hair, and leaning into his usual stance, "Come on now, don't want to keep a beauty waiting do we?" And with the mighty neigh of his horse, he rode off into the forest, followed by Heeseung, Jake and Sunghoon, who followed with dramatic sighs.

"Sometimes I wonder if he just wants to live in an adventure book and say cringey lines all the time." Sunghoon jested, making the others laugh.

"Where on earth is Sunoo?" Jay shouted out, completely ignoring the statement made about him, as the rest of the three managed to catch up to his horse's pace.

"Probably tending to his vineyard." The wind whipped Jake's hair around, "God knows if he'd ever accept coming to a hunt with us."

"Maybe a grape hunt-"

"Shh!"

Jay's action of stopping his horse, and shushing everyone startled the others, and as the clopping of hooves quietened down, they understood why Jay had stopped so abruptly.

The rustling of the nearby begonia bushes, combined with the noises of an animal which sounded extremely similar to a wild boar, alerted them, as they drew out their swords, daggers and metal tipped arrows, all from treasure chest of Vadronia's amazing metalwork, aiming them at the begonia bushes, as Jay held up his closed fist to give the command.

"Come on out." Jay whispered to no one in particular but himself, as the begonia bushes began shaking more rapidly and the sounds of an animal's footsteps came nearer.

"Hey maybe we should-" Heeseung bagan quietly to Jay, but was interrupted by the ripping of the begonias into shreds.

And there it was, what Jay had been waiting for.

A big wild boar in its full magnificence.

Ivory tusks in full gleam, swathes of brown fur all over its damaged skin, with wounds from previous hints. A ture display of its strength, Jay thought, it wanted to intimidate them, as if to say 'see how many people haven't defeated me yet, why do you think you stand a chance?'.

"Steady now, Lady." Jay patted his horse, which was ever so graciously named Lady, although the mare's personality in battle was far away from a lady's. Jay always preferred mares to horses, he though they were more faster and agile, while horses used their brute strength. And he had a hatred from brute strength. It was what got her killed after all.....

"Jake look out!" Heeseung cried out, snapping Jay out of his daze of staring into the boar's eyes. Of all the animals of the world, he hated this one the most, he hated the way his father loved to hunt them, and how he'd come home from hunts everyday drenched in blood with a boar skull im his hands, from which his mother would recoil from, what with her hatred of the smell of iron.

Hatred, that's all that was there in Jay's life. And that's all there will be.

"Jay, we have to get back come on!" Sunghoon cried, his horse already galloping away. The boar was far too big for them to contain. "Jay?" Heeseung peered back, "Jay no!"

But the sturdy built man's ears heeded no warning as he stepped along to the boar, his sword clutched tightly in hand, the carving of his name in the metal shining bright, as if to warn the spirit of the forest that he has arrived.

"Hyung what's happe-" Jake and Sunghoon's horses had turned back to see why the eldest wasn't coming, only to see Jay stabbing at the boar, while Heeseung tried to get Lady, who was close to prancing away into the depths of the forest.

"Help me would ya!" Heeseung cried, flinging his rope around Lady's magnificent neck, to which Sunghoon and Jake came quick and flung their own ropes, "One of you help Jay!"

"I'll go!" Sunghoon's horse galloped towards Jay, but to his shock, he saw that the boar was already lying, its movements still, and Jay standing drenched in blood.

It was dead.

Jay's sword was decorated with ribbons of maroon.

"Jay what the..." Sunghoon began, but he could find no words. The boar had been big, two times the size and strength of any ordinary man, and now it was kneeling at Jay's command, kneeling dead and cold as a fish.

"It's dead." Jay growled, his breathing too heavy, and his hand clutching a particularly dark spot on his stomach, as Heeseung and Jake came to the scene, having calmed Lady down, "The tusk...."

"The tusk? What about the- Jay!" Heeseung cried, before jumping off his horse and quickly moving towards Jay's graceful falling figure.

The last thing Jay felt was the feeling of wet grass underneath his head, Heeseung's hand over his wrist, and the familiar scent of feminine lavender pressing over him before everything went dark as he had always wished for it to be.

Jay never cared much about his injuries. No matter how big or small they were, no matter if it was a paper cut to the thumb or an arrow head to the shoulder, he would simply say "Injuries happen, it's a part of life" and move on. Which proved to be a source of annoyance for his brothers, especially Jake, who had an eye for healing.

But Jay was a firm believer in the notion that twenty four hours a day simply wasn't enough. He wanted more, he craved for more, more time, more work. Although he wouldn't admit it, everyone was in unison with the fact that he was Paradoxica's biggest workaholic.

And when it came back to the topic of injuries, Jay would still keep working, whether or not he was stuck in bed, because Heeseung had forced him to stay there.

Heeseung remembered Jay's younger days. How Jay would whine and do nothing if he got even the tiniest splinter in his finger. How he would beg for a day off from studies if he merely stubbed his tie against the kitchen ladder while sneaking out to steal pastries. But the horrible incident had changed every aspect of Jay, and now, he wouldn't stop working if every limb in his body was broken.

"All for the good of the people" he reasoned.

Usually Mrs.Chun had taken care of him, scolded him too many times about taking rests whenever he'd come back from battles or fights with blood flowing out his nose. But even then he didn't care. So the vision of waking up to Mrs.Chun's berry scent was a norm for him whenever he'd get injured.

But now, the room wasn't berry scented, and nor was Mrs. Chun sitting in the corner, waiting for him to wake up.

A girl?

A girl, wearing Mrs.Chun's apron, had her head rested against his table, her eyes fluttered close.

Were his eyes tricking him or did Mrs.Chun suddenly become thirty years younger?

Feeling something heavy on his waist, Jay tried to lift his head from his pillow, letting out a guttural groan as he did. God what was hurting him so much? He could feel something hurting at his stomach.

"Your Majesty, lie back down." He heard someone say, and as he opened his eyes, he saw the girl bending over him, forcing him to lie back down on the bed.

Jay stared at her for a few moments, trying to remember who she is before the candle went off in his mind.

The apprentice.

You were Mrs.Chun's apprentice.

"Are you Mrs.Chun's apprentice?" Jay groaned, feeling his head throb and his fingers were aching too.

You nodded promptly, before pushing Jay gently back onto the bed as he tried to get back.

"I'm sorry to inform you, Your Majesty, but you aren't getting up for another two weeks. You were stabbed by a wild boar's tusk." You stated firmly, shocking Jay at how casually you had addressed him, "His Highness Heeseung told me to handcuff you to the bed if you even try to move."

"Handcuff me?" Jay chuckled, moving his body slightly to lessen the pressure on his legs, "Where are you even going to get-"

Jay's sentence was cut off abruptly as your hands pulled out a pair of heavy metal from a secret pocket in the olive green dress you were wearing, and held it in front of Jay, effectively silencing him.

"I'm sorry if that was rude, but you are my patient, Your Majesty.." Your mouth let out a chuckle, sending a weird sensation into Jay's stomach, which he had never felt before, "So, I will do anything and everything in order to make you rest."

"So what may I address you by, My lady?" Jay quizzed you, his head now no longer throbbing for some reason. He studied your features for a while, he thought your eyes were pretty, decorated by a thin lining of kohl. Your figure was pretty too, wrapped in the striking colour of the dress you were in, combined with the beautifully familiar way you wore your hair.

"Definetly not by 'My lady'." You chuckled, picking up your dress, and sinking into a curtsy, "Y/N, you may call me Y/N, Your Majesty."

"Pretty name." Jay complemented, watching you stand up straight from your curtsy and smile impishly at him.

"You've got to take your medicine now." You reached into your apron's pocket and pulled a big vial, which was filled with a bubbling, golden liquid, "Now, according to Mrs.Chun, tricks by pretty people often work on you."

"Pretty people?" Jay scoffed childishly, thinking about whether or not he thought Heeseung was pretty, as you measured out the liquid into a cup, "Mrs.Chun needs to have a check for up there. And do you really think you're pretty?"

You strode towards him with the cup in your hand, and smiled widely. "Well, pardon me Your Majesty, but from the way you were staring at me five minutes ago, yes. I do think I'm pretty."

"Don't get your ego up." Jay warned, taking the cup from you, letting his mind linger for a few minutes on how your delicate fingers brushed his scarred ones softly, "Your parents mus'nt have taught you manners did they?"

"Well, firstly, I don't have parents." You smiled, "And secondly I need to check your bandages, they seem to be bleeding again."

So that was what the pain radiating from his stomach was, Jay thought, as he looked down to see his bandages streaked a darker shade of red. He quickly gulped down the golden liquid in the cup, a visibly disgusted expression forming on his face at how bitter it was, and looked up at you, with widened eyes.

"So...?" He said, expectantly, seeing you fumble with some clean cloth, another vial of what looked like cream, and a safety pin.

"Tell me where it hurts when I change them alright?" You said gently, making his lay down on the bed again, "and uh..."

"What?" Jay questioned, seeing your eyes linger at his wound or more specifically, his ab muscles, "Oh you can touch them it's fine."

"Oh. Oh yeah alright." You said, feeling your face heat up slightly. Bandaging him when he was still unconscious was easier than this, when he was awake. God his stare was so attractive to you, even now, as you gently touched his bandages, replacing them with cleaner cloth, you tried hard not to brush your fingers against his abs.

"Enjoying the view?" Jay asked, a cockish sneer to his voice. "There's a view to enjoy Your Majesty?" You fired back, although you most certainly were enjoying staring at him.

"You're an interesting one." Jay said, trying to make small talk as you lightly pressed against the smaller wounds with the cream, "Y/N wasn't it?"

"Yep." You said with a pop of your lips, finishing wrapping his wounds with a slight tap to check if they were secure, "And please do stay in bed and don't work. If you need anything, I'm right outside. His highness Heeseung has told me to rest in the chambers opposite yours."

The chambers opposite to his, his parents' chambers. God did Jay hate that room, all big and filled with skulls from hunts.

"If you want to you can go home, I can manage on myself." Jay said, his eyes set on yours. Why was it so hard to maintain eye contact with you?

"I know how that idea works." You smiled again, bringing that weird sensation back into Jay's stomach, "I'll go and then you'll order someone to bring you your work, so His Highness Heeseung specifically asked me not to leave. I guess you're stuck with me Your Majesty." You curtsied to finish off the impression.

"Jay." He spoke again, to your confusion, which made him stifle a chuckle, "Please, call me Jay."

"Jay." You smiled to yourself, "Well, ring that bell if you need anything."

As you left the room, quietly shutting the door behind you, Jay had the sudden urge to kick his feet in the air. The room was filled with lavender scent, your lavender scent to be specific, and it gave Jay a sense of calm, which in turn reduced the pain radiating from his stab wound.

Well this would be an interesting two weeks.

"Your Majesty what on Earth are you doing?"

Jay froze in his position at hearing a stern voice. Your stern voice, to be precise.

"Resting?" He said, trying to hide his cheeky smile, as he slowly backed away from his table. Rolling your eyes, you quickly got him back to the bed, worried that his bandages will open back again. But the only thing Jay was worried about was that his work wasn't getting completed.

"How about this?" You asked, as you finally managed to wrestle him back to the bed, "I'll do the work for you, if you agree to rest. It's in that diary right?"

"I can't let you do that." Jay grumbled, reaching for your arm, as you hurried to get to the diary on his table. The cold touch of his hand on your warmer skin made you flinch heavily, which in turn made Jay pull his hand away.

"I'm sorry." Jay quickly apologised, as you rubbed your arm, "I- That's my private diary, I don't really allow people to see it."

"Oh, my apologies then." You curtsied, still rubbing your arm, feeling extremely cold for some reason, even if the warm daylight was coming into the room through the window, "Your Majesty-"

"Jay." He corrected, shooting you the tiniest fragment of a smile.

"Jay." You said again, this time feeling more at ease, "You've got to rest, I'm begging you. Those bandages won't magically heal you until you rest. If there's anything I can do to get you to rest, I'll do it."

Jay's ears weren't actually listening to anything. His mind was too distracted again, by your scent. God damn his strong sense of smell, but you smelled like memories he wanted to forget.

"Tell me what perfume you use and then I won't work." Jay looked up at you with a cheeky smile. He didn't know why, but he felt comfortable to show you his smile, which he didn't often feel with the ladies in their paraffin socks.

"I- that's a peculiar question." You said, not knowing what to feel aboutthe actual King asking you about your perfume.

"I swear on my own grave that I will rest if the great healer Y/N tells me her perfume." Jay recited, keeping his hand on his chest for dramatic effect.

"It's the lavender one we get in the town square from Marcella's." You raised your chin up high, "Now would you rest?"

"Hmmm let me think." Jay dramatically sighed, "No."

"Your Majesty, I will beg." You breathed desperately, "I will seriously-"

"Your collarbone." Jay interrupted, his attention diverting from your eyes to your shoulder, "There's something on your collarbone."

Jay took note of the way your eyes flickered quickly and worriedly to your collarbone, and how you rushed to pull the sleeve of your dress up to cover it, clearing your throat afterwards to clear the awkward air.

"Are you-"

"Your Majesty, I admire the way you hold so much strivance for your work but you really must rest if you wish to keep working for the rest of your life."

The atmosphere of the room had a drastic change, Jay could feel it, as you quickly curtsied, said a quick "excuse me" and hurried off towards the exit.

That wasn't a stain or a birth mark on your shoulder Jay knew it, as he leant back comfortably, and decided to follow your advice for a while.

He'd seen dark marks like that on someone he once knew and loved.

And something in him asked him not to rest (unless it was pretending for you) until he figured out where that bruise the size of a man's hand, came from.

Part 2 coming soon....

Tags: @amazzwon @heeseungshim @kvmariii @mwahvvis @hottiewifeyyyy @sacrificeatmeup @perfectnighttt @yawnzzhoon @yunabi436

[ao719]

What's Already Mine

A/N: This is a part of my Us Again series. Submission for @choicesflashfics using prompt #2. Not beta’d. Please excuse any errors.

Title Inspiration: Already Mine - Us The Duo

Book/Pairing: TRR; Liam x MC (Katherine)

Rating: G • Warnings: None.

Word count: 2500

Catch up here

Both my suit jacket and arm are draped over Katherine’s shoulders as we walk back towards the hotel from her old bar where I found her. 

We’ve walked in silence for a few blocks and it’s deafening despite the bustling city around us. We’ve seemed to have only a silent understanding of the situation; neither of us has said a word. 

My mind is too muddled to speak. I don’t know what to say because there’s so much to be said but nothing all at once. I don’t want to ask if she’s alright because obviously she isn’t. I don’t need to ask what’s wrong because I know. I know why she was there. I know why she broke down when she saw me. 

Despite knowing, I don’t know what to say … and I hate myself for it. 

I glance down at her when I hear a sniffle; she’s staring at the ground as she walks holding my jacket securely around herself. I watch her hand poke up from beneath the lapels to wipe a tear from her cheek and I feel my heart break a little more. 

I want to tell her it’s ok, that it’ll be ok, that we’ll be ok. I want her to tell me the same. But I know that neither of us can say that right now with certainty. 

So we continue to walk … in silence. 

****

Once back at the hotel, Katherine and I step inside our suite. I shut the door behind me and start to follow her as she walks into the bedroom; now that my arm isn’t around her, I notice that she’s a little wobbly on her feet thanks to her slightly tipsy state. She didn’t have much to drink, only a couple of glasses of wine at the gala, and based on the tab I paid at the bar before leading her out, I’d surmise no more than two drinks there, but I know she’s barely eaten anything today which is doing her no favors and she’s always been a bit of a lightweight as it is. 

When I enter the bedroom steps after Katherine, I see her draping my suit jacket on a chair. She then reaches back, attempting to grab the zipper of her gown, but she can’t quite reach it. When she becomes frustrated, evident by the small huffs of breath she keeps releasing, I step up behind her and gently cover my hand with hers. She goes completely still. After a moment, she glances over her shoulder; her eyes are rimmed red and still misty when she meets my gaze. I give a soft nod, and she slowly lowers her hand as she looks straight ahead again. 

As I lower the zipper of her gown, I let my thumb graze her spine, and I swallow thickly. When was the last time I touched my wife like this? The last time that my fingers brushed against her bare skin? I think back … it’s been a year. We were in Ramsford for the Beaumont Bash and we both had a lot to drink that night. I vaguely remember stumbling into our room, my hands tugging at the fabric of her dress and her arms wrapping around my neck as I kicked the door shut. Before that night, it had been months since we’d last been intimate, and before that, even more months. When we woke the next morning, we showered and dressed without a word, and when we arrived back at the palace, she went to the east wing while I headed to my study. It was awkward in a way and treated like it never happened. I think that’s when the deteriorating state of our marriage started to slowly consume my thoughts. 

Once her zipper is lowered enough, Katherine takes a step away and turns to face me, holding the front of her gown against her chest so it doesn’t fall. I slip my hands into my pockets to stop myself from reaching for her because I don’t know if that’s something I’m allowed to do anymore. We stare at one another, and my eyes are silently pleading with her. Talk to me. Please. Talk. To. Me. I can swear I see a similar plea in her own eyes. I open my mouth to speak but quickly snap it shut because I still have no idea what to say. 

“Thank you,” she whispers. 

“Of course,” I nod in reply. After staring at me almost expectantly, she lets out a soft breath and turns. “Katherine, I …” 

She stops and looks back at me; I see a flicker of something … of what I think is hope mixed with desperation and worry. “Yeah …?”

I hold my breath and her gaze for a moment before shaking my head. “Nothing …” 

Her breath subtly hitches in her throat as she drops my gaze and nods. When she disappears into the bathroom, I hang my head, squeezing my eyes shut in disappointment. 

Disappointment with myself, where we are, and my inability to grasp how to fix it. 

I begin to loosen my tie, but I freeze as my eyes shift to the bathroom door when I swear I hear a muffled cry from behind it. 

Where did it go? The love I once knew? It’s lost in the dark The light can’t shine through Where did we go? I can’t see it now I’m fighting the night To find you somehow…

*******

My fingers are steepled over my lips as I stare out the window of my study. My mind is in the same place as it has been for the past week since returning home: my marriage. Hell, my mind was here before our trip, but now, it’s all I can think about morning, noon, and night.

Katherine and I have yet to speak about what happened in New York. The morning after finding her in the bar, we sat through a silent breakfast followed by a few appearances that were scheduled before heading to the airport for our flight home. On the jet, I almost said something but decided against trying to have that conversation 35,000 feet in the air with no escape if we needed one. 

In hindsight … maybe that wouldn’t have been the worst idea. 

Since we’ve returned home, things have gone back to exactly how they’ve been. I work through the day and go to the east wing for our nighttime routine with the children. But instead of leaving the moment they go to sleep to go back to my study or the west wing … I’ve lingered. I think she believes I’m just waiting to be sure the children are asleep before slipping out, not realizing I’m there for her. I’m trying to give myself the courage to bring it up, but I find an excuse every damn time. It’s not good timing. It’s late. The kids are there. Whatever my mind can conjure up, it does. My fight or flight has turned to strictly flight; I flee every time. And either she’s having the same thoughts and coming up with the same excuses to not bring it up herself … or she’s completely given up, which after what happened in New York, it’s plausible. 

The bottom line is this: I know we’ve reached our limit. I know, one way or another, a very difficult conversation is eventually coming. 

At this point, it’s inevitable … and it fucking terrifies me. 

I’m so lost in thought that I don’t even register the knock on my study door. It’s not until I feel a shove against my arm and hear my name that I finally snap out of it and glance up to see Drake staring at me questioningly. 

“I’m sorry,” I say, shaking my head as I straighten in my chair. “I didn’t hear you come in.” 

“No shit,” Drake playfully scoffs. “I knocked a few times … called your name when I came inside, but you were zoned out.” 

I release a breath and nod, rubbing my eyes with the pads of my fingers. “Yeah … sorry. It’s been a long week.” I blink a few times to focus my vision and when I do, I see Drake now sitting across from me. His arms are folded across his chest and his brow is arched. “What?”

“Seriously, Li … what’s been going on with you?”

“What do you mean?”

“This isn’t the first time I’ve caught you like this over the last few months. You seem like you have a lot more than just the stress of running a kingdom on your mind.”

I look away, unable to hold his gaze. Neither Katherine nor I have ever mentioned anything to our friends pertaining to the state of our marriage. We’ve put on the same show in front of them that we have in front of everyone else. 

“Liam … talk to me.” 

I look at my best friend again, trying to rein in the sadness I feel. If I can’t talk to Katherine, maybe talking to someone will help. I clasp my hands together and lean forward against my desk as I let out a heavy sigh.

And I end up breaking down as I tell him everything. 

Drake listens without interruption, but he doesn’t hide the surprise in his expression. When I finish, I can see him still trying to process everything I’ve just told him. 

“I never would have guessed … any of that,” Drake finally says. 

“We’re good at hiding it,” I say. Too good. “It’s just … it’s become our norm. It’s like second nature now … putting on the front.” 

“Why haven’t you guys ever said anything?”

I can hear the hint of hurt in his tone. “I don’t … I don’t know,” I reply truthfully. “I can’t speak for her, but for me … I guess it’s … I feel like I’ve already let her down … and the kids. I didn’t want to let my friends down, too.” 

“Liam, you’re not letting any of us down.” 

“I’m supposed to maintain this image of my life. Acknowledging that my marriage had completely fallen apart to myself was hard enough. Saying it out loud to someone else …” I shake my head. 

“So what the hell are you going to do?” Drake asks. “I mean, you’re going to fix it, right?”

“I don’t know,” I scoff with a shrug. “I don’t know if it can be fixed.” 

Drake’s brow furrows. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that …” I trail off, chewing the inside of my cheek, not wanting to say my next words, but they come anyway. “I’m saying that perhaps this is the end of our story.”

“What the fuck, Li?” Drake barks as he abruptly stands from his chair. The reaction startles me, and I look at him, unable to hide my surprise. “How could you even say that?”

“Do you think that’s what I want?” I snap. “Because it’s not! But I can’t force us to get back to where we once were!”

“That’s bullshit and you know it,” Drake chides, and when I open my mouth to retort, he leans forward, getting right in my face. “It’s bullshit. And. You. Know. It.” He stands upright. “To just accept defeat is not only the easy, coward’s way out, it’s not you!”

“Drake—”

“No, I don’t want to hear it,” Drake interrupts. “What you and Katherine have … it’s the fucking dream, Li. And I’m not talking about the literal fairytale crap,” he says, waving his hands dismissively. “I’m talking about the real shit. I watched you two; I had a front-row fucking seat. I watched your story unfold. I watched you both fight like hell to be together. And here you are now, a decade later, and you’re ready to wave the white flag because you two hit a rough patch that you won’t acknowledge to each other? Fuck. That.”

As I stare up at him, I feel a tear slip down my cheek … because I know he’s right. I clear my throat and snap my gaze toward the window, trying to fight back my emotions.

“I know you both, Li, and neither of you would keep putting yourself through this if you truly wanted to walk away. That’s gotta stand for something.” 

My gaze shifts up to his again. “I don’t want to walk away,” I say through a cracked whisper.

“Then you fight.”

Where did it go? The passionate fire? We can’t find the flame And now we’re both tired What do we do When all we have left Is dying for life But on its last breath?

****

That evening, as I’m finishing up my work for the day and finalizing some plans I’ve set into motion, I hear a knock on my study door and call for them to enter. When I look up, Katherine steps inside. “Hi,” I greet her as I rise from my chair.

“Hello,” Katherine responds. She quietly closes the door behind her. “I’m sorry to bother—”

“You’re not bothering me,” I interrupt as I walk around my desk. 

Katherine swallows, holding my gaze as she subtly nods. “I, uh … I was just trying to get things in order with my schedule for next week, but it’s … did you have it cleared?”

“I did,” I answer, and my heart is pounding in my chest as I watch the confusion fill her expression while I try to keep mine impassive. 

“Why?”

“Because we’re going on a trip.”

Katherine’s brows raise. “We?”

“Yes,” I nod. “We … as in you and me.” 

“A trip for what?”

“That’s still to be determined,” I say cryptically. 

Katherine furrows her brow. “Is it a work-related thing?” 

Even though I expected her to think that, it still hurts when she asks. “No,” I shake my head. “It’s not.”

“I’m confused …” 

“About?”

“We … we haven’t gone on a trip that wasn’t duty-related in a long time,” Katherine says. “At least … not together.”

“I think it’s safe to say we’re a bit overdue,” I quip. 

“But what about—”

“Eleanor and Lucas are going to have some quality time with their Uncle Drake,” I interrupt again, knowing what she’s wondering. “I spoke with him and made all of the arrangements already.” 

Katherine lets out a sigh as she continues to stare at me. “I …” She trails off, shaking her head. “I don’t understand …”

My impassive wall drops and I sigh as I let the emotion I’ve been trying to conceal fill my features. “Katherine …” I speak just above a whisper. “You and I … we’re lost.” 

I see her eyes slightly widen as she lets out a breath before she drops my gaze, but not before I see the pain fill her expression. It’s as if hearing me finally acknowledge the truth we’ve both known but have remained silent about out loud has gravely wounded her. 

“We’re lost and we both know it. And we can’t keep running from it. We need to face it. We need to … to talk about it and figure out if we’re going to find ourselves again — find us again — or …” I trail off, struggling to say the next words out loud. “Or if we’re going to walk away from this … from each other … because we can’t keep living this way.” 

When Katherine looks back up at me, tears trickle down her cheeks. She parts her lips to speak but stops as she lifts a hand and rests it against her throat to where I assume the lump is that’s stolen her voice. More tears fall and more confusion crosses her expression as she continues to hold my gaze. 

“I cleared both of our schedules for the next two weeks,” I continue to explain, “and made arrangements for this trip … just for us.” 

Katherine’s breath hitches. “Where … where are we going?”

“To the private island …” 

I hear the soft breath of acknowledgment Katherine releases. 

We can’t run there; we can’t hide or avoid each other. And she knows it. We’ll be left with no other choice but to face this … to face one another. 

We stare at each other, and I’m certain the worry and fear of the unknown of what this trip will bring that I’m feeling is the same thing she’s feeling. 

We both know we’re going into this completely broken. And we both know that we’re either going to come out pieced back together and on the mend to being whole again … or we’re going to come out irreparably shattered.

I can’t control you Or what your heart will decide But I’ll never stop Trying to fall back in love with what’s already mine…

***************************************

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[epiimetheux]

Icemav Royal Fantasy AU👑

The House Kazansky has been ruling the Kingdom of Miramar for centuries and was one of the most powerful families. The Kazanskys called themselves The Azure Children. As the tale’s been told from generation to generation, the bloodline was blessed by the fearsome ruler of the sky, the Thunderbird, who had bestowed them the power to wield weather as they willed.

However, with time, the pureblood has been washed away little by little. Mixed. Spoiled. Fewer and fewer children were born with the celestial gift. The House has grown restless for they couldn’t dare to think of what would happen to their sovereignty without the wrath of the Sky King in their hands. Challenges would come, from their conquered subordinates as well as their enemies. 

Until one winter, after years of waiting and suffering, during a heavy snowstorm. A newborn cried and the sky screamed.

Thomas Kazansky II was told he was the Hope of the clan since the day he understood words. Not every gifted-one was meant to be a powerful weather wielder but Thomas was the real Azure Children. As the winter welcomed him to the world, his power naturally attuned to the cold. Moreover, being the favourite child of the sky, the lighting, the weapon of their Winged God, also called him its master. Everyone in the castle learnt at that moment that none should upset their prince.

It was a precarious time and the King would do anything to ensure the safety of their saviour. Thomas thus spent his childhood caged inside the castle wall, inside the lecture room, inside his bedroom, between a group of nannies, and between a group of armed Royal Guards.

Thomas wasn’t born cold. But the gentle boy has gone with the early passing of his mother and the absence of paternal love. He was the Crown Prince and the Hope of the House. No one would bring harm to him including companionship. By the tender age of 12, Thomas found himself to be completely alone.

Peter ‘Pete’ Mitchell had so many things to prove to the world. Born to a small family on the outskirts of the Capital, having the captain of the Royal Guard as a father, Pete dreamt of an adventure and glory of his own. 

He grew up with tales of conquests, chivalrous knights, magic and monsters alongside the gentle tunes of his mother’s lullaby. This was Pete’s perfect little world until it was shattered by the murder of his father, rumours of his father’s treason, and shortly the death of his heartbroken mother. The newly orphan was taken under the wing of Michael Metcalfe, his father’s successor and closest friend, the only person who still trusted in Duke Mitchell’s loyalty to the crown.

“What do you want to be in the future, kid?” Metcalfe once asked on a calm summer afternoon. “I want to be a Royal Guard.” little Pete said, determined, only 9 years old. The old man nodded, understanding the implications behind that answer. “Then you shall be. I’ll make sure of that.” 

Pete Mitchell had so many things to prove to the world.

His world was a little bit brighter when he met Nicolas Bradshaw on the first day of his training, then Papa and Mama Bradshaw who reminded him of a family he once had and lost. Pete regained little by little a piece of a normal life.

But sometimes in the moment of weakness, Pete returned to the place where his old home once stood and walked around the forest nearby where his father loved to bring him, tracing the fleeting memory that he has been fighting very hard not to forget. And one day under the shade of the pine forest, Pete, recently 18, found a stranger on the spot where he used to sleep on the arm of his late father, with the coldest eyes he ever laid eyes upon.

[ponderingmoonlight]

Chapter 3: Entangled Ambitions - A Pact Sealed in Royal Halls

Pairing: Gojo x fem!reader

Warnings: reader's death, language

Genre: Isekai, Romance, Fantasy

Synopsis: Your life takes a tragic turn as you perish in a car crash, only to awaken in a whimsical world of fantasy with none other than Jujustu Kaisen characters as its main protagonists. But as if that wasn't enough, you're about to marry the prince version of Gojo Satoru. How will you navigate through this world of history and fantasy? Does your life take the same sudden twist of fate as that of your favorite characters?

<- Previous Chapter l Next Chapter ->

Satoru’s heart stops beating for a moment, eyes widen at the harsh words you just spit at him. How would someone like you know about his powers? He was always keen to hide them, never used his abilities in the presence of someone apart from Suguru and his family. He doesn’t even know you that well. You, the daughter of Naobito Zenin. How on earth did you find out?

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

You clear your throat, nerves threatening to fail you. This is the only chance you have left. If Gojo Satoru doesn’t rethink his decision…No, there is no way you’ll die again.

“I am talking about your ability to manipulate the area around you freely, the fact that you can distort space. You are also able to create barriers and voids that nullify any incoming attacks, which makes you almost invincible in battle and is responsible for your great reputation as a fighter. But if your followers get to know about the real reason behind your skills…You know how great the fear of people with special powers is in this country, that all of them get executed. Not even Your Majesty will be spared from this.”

You are walking on thin ice. He is the prince, after all. So much higher in his rank that it would be easy for him to get you executed due to false accusations. But this might be the only card you have left, your last spark of hope. If Gojo Satoru won’t marry you, your father will let you get killed. And apart from that, this might be the only chance you’ll get to meet your favourite characters. What about Geto and Nanami? If Naoya and Gojo exist, they are definitely somewhere in this world as well. You are literally living the dream of every anmie and manga fan.

Well, except for the stinging fact that you call Naobito your father and Naoya your stinky brother.

“That are some heavy accusations you’re throwing at me, Lady (y/n). You know as well as I do that I could get you executed right on the sport for your unwise words despite the fact that you are a daughter of the Zenin family”, he replies.

The way he crosses his legs while smiling down at you arrogantly makes the urge to fall onto your knees and beg him for forgiveness grow louder and louder. But no, this is exactly what he wants. At the moment, all Prince Satoru does is playing and testing you. You can’t allow yourself to be messed with. After all, he has absolutely zero clue about what he is in your old world, that you actually died and reincarnated here. He definitely does know that your life depends on his mercy, though. And that your proposal benefits both of you.

“Why did you decide on marrying me in the first place? Was it because you fell in love with my portrait or rather because your family forced you to choose a wife and you thought I wouldn’t cause trouble because I’m a Zenin, because you considered I would urge to get away from my possessing family as soon as possible?”

Threatening him any further has no use. After all, Gojo is aware of the fact that you know about his hidden talent. Instead, you should focus on things you can actually prove, things that are obvious.

“You are a very loudmouthed young lady. I expected you to be more sublime. As a member of the famous Zenin family, you sure got taught etiquette and obedience from a young age, didn’t you?”

He can’t help himself. Just one look into your glimmering lavender eyes makes him provocative you even further. Of course, every little thing you said is true. Yes, your words are a serious threat on his way to the throne. Yes, his family does in fact urge him every single day to decide on a wife. Your proposal is the best solution for both of you, allows him to carry on with his unbothered life without the responsibility to satisfy his finance’s needs. But still…

“I couldn’t care less about my ancestry, Prince Satoru. All I care about is my own freedom”, you clarify, determination dripping from each and every pore of your face.

“And if you don’t decide on helping me, I have to find another gentleman who suits my requirements better.”

“Another gentleman? You are aware of the fact that I’m the prince, right?”

Out of all the arguments you brought up in this conversation, this one is the one that bugs him the most. Out of some strange reason, the sheer thought of you getting promised to another man doesn’t sit right with Satoru.

“As a prince, you are far above my status anyway. If it weren’t for politics and the reliability when it comes to the advanced weapon technology of my family, I wouldn’t even be considered as your fiancé”, you argue in all seriousness.

“What if I don’t allow you to marry another man?”

“Then I will find my ways to do so.”

“Fine, I will propose to you at the ball this weekend.”

Wait…what? After all the arguments, the discussions and the stinging fact that he stares at you with narrowed eyes, he actually agreed on it? Just when you’re about to thank him and leave, he gets up and opens his full mouth.

“But I want to re-arrange the conditions to suit my needs as well.”

Your pounding heart almost stops inside of your chest. For a moment, you just sit there and stare at him plainly like an idiot. Gojo Satoru, having conditions? This definitely doesn’t sound appealing at all. But do you really have another chance? It might be true that you are able to find another gentleman, the anger of your father will carry on, though. And who knows if he wouldn’t kill you even if you marry another wealthy man. No, this engagement is your best and eventually only option.

“What conditions are we talking about, precisely?”

“Once a week, I am allowed to present you as my fiancée in a way I will decide on my own. As the prince and future ruler of this country, I need to reflect a strong relationship with my future queen to the outside. It has to be credible. Everyone must think that we are deeply in love with each other, Lady (y/n).”

Shivers run down your spine before you’re able to stop them. Just one look into his blue thirsty eyes…This man won’t touch you even in your sleep. Doesn’t he have multiple young women just waiting for a chance to hit on him? Playing his wife for an additional day of the week. How wasteful, considering that you’ll never be more than his fiancée, that this engagement will get cancelled the minute it doesn’t benefit both of you anymore.

“I will fulfil my role over the span our engagement last and accept your addition, Prince Satoru.”

“Great! Now that this is out of the way, let me tell you one last thing.”

Before you’re even able to react any further, he grabs your arm and pulls you close. For a moment, you forget how to breathe, your nose tingling by the exquisite scent that radiates from him. You actually never wondered about the way he smells. But now that he is so close you would be able to touch him, so close that you can feel his breath brushing over the bare skin of your face, heat begins to crawl up your spine. Suddenly you feel like fainting, the immense presence of him standing this closely to you simply taking your breath away.

“If you decide on betraying me by telling anyone about my secret, I will execute you. There are no real feelings between us, I won’t even bat an eyelash.”

“First, make sure you keep your end of the bargain, Prince”, you bite back out of instinct, holding his gaze without any mercy.

Does he really think you’re scared of him? He might be Gojo Satoru, the honoured one, the strongest, the prince of this country. You might have been surprised by the way he grabbed you out of thin air. You are still (y/n), still you.

Instead of backing up, you take another step towards him and grab the collar of his elegant jacket. But you know all of his dirty little secrets, parts of his past and future. You are definitely no one to be messed with as well.

“And make sure you don’t disappoint me.”

You let go of him as sudden as you grabbed him, creating a safe distance between both of you by crossing the room and coming to a stand in front of the exit.

“Send me an invitation to the ball along with a pricy bouquet of lavender flowers. It was an honour to visit you, Your Majesty. I am looking forward to our next meeting.”

One last polite curtsy, one last elegant smile. But just when you’re about to call the waiter in order to open the door for you, it swings open by itself.

And your cheek clashes into something particularly hard.

“Oh no, I am beyond sorry My Lady! I wasn’t aware of your presence!”

That voice…You get greeted by a pair of the manliest hands you’ve ever seen, hands gliding up his definitely toned arms. He lifts you off the ground as fast as you stumbled onto his, arms holding you into place tightly.

“You must be Lady (y/n), what a pleasure to finally meet you. I am Sir Geto Suguru, the steward of Your Majesty.”

“S-Suguru?”

Your widen eyes focus on his face in an instant, heart almost beating out of your chest. All those times you admired his drawing, the way he acted so elegantly. The countless fanfictions you’ve read with this exact first meeting.

Only to end up with him in bed later on.

“That is my name”, the man in front of you replies along with a small laughter.

That smile. That oh so charismatic smile. And that manly smell, a mix of mint and leather. You force yourself to gift him with a smile and create a safe distance between both of you. So this is him, the best friend of Gojo Satoru. Even in this world, you can tell how close they are to each other.

Will it stay like this, though?

“I’m sorry, I must have hit my head a little too heart”, you comment, finally ripping your eyes away from his brown ones.

“Do you know each other?”, the firm voice of Prince Satoru interrupts.

A look into his face tells you that he isn’t amused by this sudden meeting at all.

“I’ve never seen Lady (y/n) apart from the portrait that was sent to you, Prince Satoru. But may I say, you look even more mesmerising in person.”

“Weren’t you about to leave when Sir Geto arrived, Lady (y/n)?”

Gojo smiles at you without his eyes, a cold glare decorating his face that is definitely supposed to intimidate you.

But instead of backing up, you take a risky step towards Geto Suguru and bow oh so sweetly.

“Oh Sir Geto, I don’t deserve your kind words. After all, it is you who is a feast for my eyes. No excuse me gentlemen, I still have lessons to attend. I hope we’ll meet each other again this weekend, Sir Geto. Have a nice week, Prince Satoru.”

Without gifting him another single look, you turn on your heel and walk out the door.

You did it. You convinced him to propose to you. But…is this really what you want? Is Gojo Satoru really what you want? Just the way he stared at you with arrogance dripping from each and every poor. Urgh, you fucking hate him. There’s no way to deny that he’s driving you over the edge. Why on earth does it have to be him? Why not Geto, what about Nanami?

Why does it have to be Gojo Satoru?

“She seems like a really nice young lady”, Suguru comments visibly amused while sitting in your former place.

“What your tongue, Suguru. She will me my fiancé after this week is over.”

Tags: @m0k0k0 @lees-chaotic-brain @sanicsmut @risuola @fire-loving-siren

@sunshine7queen @gatitam @kentocalls @hellkaiserinphoenix @skylarlyn823

@livmarauder @nothisispatrick300 @haileycannotcometothephonern @xstom @byakuya61085

[sparklingchan]

Serendipity || Seo Changbin (Stray Kids)

Pairing: Reader(fem.) X Changbin

Word Count: 5.4k+

Warnings: Suggestive, mentions of pregnancy (the reader is not pregnant) , mentions of poison, Changbin is sweeter than sugar. Set in the Joseon Era.

Genre: Royal AU, Arranged marriage AU, fluff with very slight angst.

Description: The King of Joseon had chosen you as his queen. But there are those that wish for this union to fail. Will your love be enough to overcome the competitiveness of the Palace?

A/N: Hello everyone! Back with another installation of the SKZ Royal AU. I am genuinely in love with this one ngl. King Changbin is a rizzler y'all. Hope you guys have fun reading this <3

Do check out the other fics in the skz royal series. (The stories are not interrelated)

Here's the link to the masterlist.

Being a woman in this country is not an easy task. Especially when one is a candidate for the position of the country's Queen.

You'd dreamt of this for years, the idea sewn into every thought by your father even since you were child. With time, you'd welcomed the thought without a complaint.

"My lady, the Royal messenger is here." Somi informs you, and your nervousness just goes up by a thousand.

Did you manage to become the Queen and make your father proud? Or did you get disqualified and were now just a daughter of some minister and free to marry any other commoner like yourself?

You run down the hallway and enter the pavillion in front of your house, the colorful banners of the Royal entourage shine under the bright sun.

You straighten your robes and kneel down, head almost touching the ground, as a mark of respect for the King's verdict.

The chief Eunuch opens up the scroll in his hands.

"Please find enclosed the Royal Edict from the King's Court:

I, Seo Changbin, the King of Joseon, have chosen Miss y/n of House Kim as my wife and, by extension, the Queen of our beloved country. I have consulted the three High State Councilors and my mother- the Queen Dowager about the same and we have all unanimously agreed that she would be the best choice for the country as well as the Royal family, owing it all to her wits, beauty and manners.

Congratulations to Miss y/n and her family.

The Royal family would also like to extend an invitation to the bride-to-be to shift into the Detached Palace at the earliest as part of the customary pre wedding ritual. "

It feels as if someone had punched out the air from your lungs, you couldn't speak nor stand, while your parents and brother continuously thanked the Royal Eunuch, accepting all the gifts sent by the Palace for you.

But you couldn't move. You just stayed there, frozen. For life as you had known it has come to an end.

And thereafter begins a new, Royal chapter of your life.

*

"I'm going to miss you, my child."

The days since the Edict pass by in a heartbeat. All the members of your family were busy with packing your belongings while you were busy with mentally preparing yourself to leave your family and house behind forever.

Yes, you'd always wanted to be a Queen. Yes, you'd spent years getting ready for this role. Yet when the time finally comes, it hurts you to think about leaving behind twenty three years of your life.

"I'm going to miss you too, mother." On hearing your words, your mother cries harder.

But as usual, your father shows no emotion. His face is calm.

"Remember, y/n, there are no friends in the Palace other than your husband. You cannot confide in anyone but him. The other concubines will do anything to gain his favor, but you shall always be a step ahead. Be vigilant and loyal. You will make a great Queen." He says. Like the strategist he'd always been.

"Yes, father." You reply, swallowing the lump in your throat.

Your mother clinges to your arm.

"We will try and visit you whenever we can. I'm sure his Majesty will allow."

"Yes, of course. You can visit me anytime. The Palace is only a few hours from here."

"Oh, my child! How will I ever live without you!" Another sob tears out from your mother's throat. You hug her with all the love and care you could muster up in that moment.

Your father walks out of the room, hands behind his back and face twisted into a frown.

*

The Detached Palace is to be a temporary residence for the bride-to-be. For over the next thirty days, you would be receiving lessons on various subjects like history, Royal Etiquette, sewing, cooking and most importantly- lessons on intimacy. The last lesson is considered most important, according to Somi, since it allows you to birth as many healthy heirs as possible.

After helping you dress up for the night and setting up your bed, your maids take your leave for the night, only Somi remaining by your side.

"Do you think I'll see the King tomorrow? It's queer but I'd like to know what my future husband looks like, at least."

Somi sighs, "I don't think it's allowed, my lady. I believe you can only see his Majesty on your wedding day. A month from now."

You're oddly disappointed. You had dreamt so many nights of seeing the King, holding his hand, being by his side, yet the King in those dreams often never had a face.

Was it wrong to yearn to look at your future husband's face? Just once?

A subtle knock on your door startles the both of you.

"Yes?"

"My lady, the King is here to see you." Your handmaid almost whispers the words through the door.

With unparalleled urgency, Somi helps you straighten your clothes and rushes off towards the door.

"Your majesty." The maids and Somi greet him with the customary bow, while you purse your lips in a line, head hanging in a subtle bow.

Your heart hammers against your chest. It's so loud, you're sure even the King could hear it.

"Please give us some privacy." The King commands.

And you heart beats faster on hearing his voice for the first time. Gentle, yet authoritative, just like you'd dreamt.

When Somi closes the door behind her, you almost regret wishing to see your future husband. The proximity makes you nervous and you could only hope you'd not faint in front of him.

"My lady, you may rise."

You'd almost forgotten you were still bowing to him. You mentally slap yourself.

"Y-yes, your majesty. " your voice comes out as an embarrassing squeak, your eyes still on the ground.

You'd prayed for this moment for years, y/n. Why couldn't you just meet his eyes?

As if sensing your inner conflict, the King takes two long strides towards you and hooks his index finger under your chin, sending a chill down your body.

"My lady, please look at me."

And you do.

And he's like everything you'd ever wished for.

Perfect, like a beautifully crafted sculpture.

His soft brown locks, his rosy lips, the subtle mischief in his eyes. Everything is perfect.

"Y-yes, your majesty. Sorry." You mumble.

The king smiles, rubbing circles into your cheeks.

"You may call me Changbin when we're alone."

You nod.

"I just came to ask if you're finding your new residence comfortable. We both shall be busy with lessons tomorrow onwards so I figured tonight would be a good time to visit my bride."

His bride? His bride?

Your legs feel weak.

"I'm finding it extremely comfortable, your majesty. Thank you for your hospitality. "

Changbin let's out a low chuckle, leaning towards you. His lips hover inches above yours. And when he speaks, you feel hot air on your lips, "I told you, y/n. Call me Changbin."

You frantically nod.

"Good. Better be careful next time, my bride."

*

When you wake up the next morning, you're sure you'd dreamt everything that happened last night.

But apparently not.

"The King is a dashing young man." Somi teases as she lathers a concoction of herbs into your hair. "You're lucky, my lady. He seems to be a gentleman."

But you are too caught up in your thoughts to reply to her.

Did the king of Joseon really come all the way to the Detached Palace to see you? What if he's disappointed with how you had reacted? But he shouldn't blame you at all.

You had not been expecting anyone yesterday night, especially not him. But he did come to you. And he touched your chin. If you focus hard enough, you could feel his touch lingering in the area.

"My lady?" Somi clicks her fingers in front of your eyes, "Come back to earth. We have to get you ready for the classes today."

Blushing, you reply, "What classes do I have today?"

You had three classes today: Palace etiquette, literature and what Somi insists most important: lessons on reproduction.

While Palace etiquette mostly includes lesson on how to behave with Royal elders, ministers, maids, the King, literature includes important pieces of literature that are important for a woman.

And lastly, the most dreaded time arrived.

The reproduction lessons.

The tutor shows you all sorts of obnoxious hand movements and some drawings of couples in intimate positions. You feel uncomfortable from the beginning till the end.

A woman at least five decades older than you is teaching you about intimacy? Very awkward, to say the least.

But you heave a sigh of relief when the classes end for the day and you make your way to your room in the Detached palace.

"It's just the first day, Somi and I'm already tired to the bone." You say, kicking your shoes off.

"Well, it's going to be a lifetime of time this now, my lady. And you best be prepared for it."

You reply Somi with silence. But her words make you wonder. If this palace life would ever be less tiring someday? Would it even be worth it?

Perhaps not.

But King Changbin 's face flashes in front of your eyes; his sparkling eyes, mischievous grin, his feather like touch- maybe he is what will make everything worth it.

That night, after your maids get your bed ready while Somi is combing your hair, a familiar announcement echoes through the corridors of the Detached Palace.

"My lady, the King is here to see you."

His smiling face peeps through the doors as your maids hurry out of the room. He wears blue silk robes, and you feel weaker in his presence than you did yesterday.

"Did you miss me, y/n?"

And thus begins a month of secret nightly visits by the King of Joseon to the Detached Palace.

Everyday, you wake up looking forward to the time when King Changbin would come knocking at your doors, always up to some jesting.

Sometimes, he brings you fruits you'd mentioned you liked or he tells you stories from his childhood. At other times, he tells you about that one teacher he will hate till the end of time.

But most times, he spends his time listening to you talk- about everything and everyone, about the skies and gods, about ghosts and afterlife, about favourite foods and literature. After you'd overcome the initial shyness, opening upto Changbin was as easy as breathing, almost natural. Of course, you were still nervous around him, but it's a feeling you'd come to like.

Is this what the writers and poets describe as 'butterflies'?

"Do you think I'll make a good Queen?" You ask him one night. He sits in front you on a cushion, across the room, a position you told him is appropriate for two unwed people (although he did not agree to it initially).

If your nightly shenanigans were to be ever discovered by anyone, you would not want to be found in close proximity to each other even though you were betrothed to each other. He's breaking Palace rules everyday as it is.

He hums, "Of course! I think you'll make a great Queen. You're so good at your lessons already."

"That does not guarantee anything. I might not be good at taking the responsibilities."

"Do you trust my judgment, y/n? I think you'll make a great Queen. And even if you are overwhelmed, I shall always be here."

That night he leaves earlier than he usually does, owing to the fact that tomorrow is the day where his concubines are to be welcomed into the palace. Five of them.

The thought leaves you feeling bitter and dejected, but you make sure to not make those feelings obvious. This is a rule for Kings, to take as many concubines as possible to ensure the continuation of the blood line.

"Don't worry, my lady. Your rank in the palace is above these petty concubines. They will not mess with you." Somi comforts your thoughts the next day.

"But what if Changbin favors them more?"

Somi does not reply to that question.

*

On your 18th birthday, your father had promised to you that he would make you the Queen of this country. He kept his promise because here you are, after five years, getting dressed to be married to the most powerful man in the country.

Your father always insisted that powerful men do not love but Changbin's sparkling eyes always contradicted everything your father had taught. Nevertheless, you know the competitiveness among the concubines for the King's affection is mad. More often than not, even the Queen gets involved in petty fights.

But you try to remove all thoughts of your father and the concubines today. Because today, you are to be married to King Changbin. From today, your name will be written in the historical logs of the Royal family. From today, a new life begins.

"Are you okay, my lady?" Somi asks, "You look worried."

"I'm fine. Just hope the ceremony goes well."

The ceremony does go well and in all honesty, you were not worried about the ceremony itself. You were worried about the aftermath.

The maids guide you to your new palace, and get you dressed in white robes for the wedding night. The night when you will finally meet Changbin as his wife. The butterflies swim around in your belly.

The bed is decorated with flower petals and a few candles are lit. Everything is perfect.

"The King is here." One of your ladies in waiting announce and you get up to greet your husband.

The maids leave the room as the doors slide open and Changbin steps in, also dressed in white robes. He looks dashing, but his signature grin is nowhere to be found.

When the doors close behind him, he walks past you to the bed, the scent of liquor evident in his breath.

"Have you been drinking, your majesty?" You ask him, worried by his odd behavior.

What was wrong with him? Why wouldn't he even bother to meet your eyes?

"Changbin." He slurs, wrapping the blankets around him, "Call me Changbin."

He turns away from you and is snoring away in no time.

The butterflies in your stomach flutter around before dropping dead.

*

You did not sleep that night. Even though you were sleeping next to the man you love, you felt lonelier than ever.

Many times during the night, you consider walking out of the bed chamber to the servants quarter so you could talk to Somi. But you couldn't do that. Because you were now the Queen of this country and every single step you take will have its repercussions.

When morning comes, Changbin wakes up in a haste and greets you with a subtle nod and walks out of the chamber in long strides.

You well the tears back. It's your first day as Queen and hadn't he always promised to be there when you were overwhelmed? Had he lied? Or was it Changbin's doppelganger who visited you every night in the Detached palace?

Somi comes in a few minutes later with an excited smile on her face.

When she does your hair for the day, she asks, "So, how was the wedding night?"

You want to answer her truthfully - how cold Changbin had been, how he had not even looked at you let alone touch you, how you think he had changed almost overnight. But you see the prying eyes of the other palace maids and swallow your sadness.

"It was perfect. Like everything I'd ever hoped for."

"He was gentle, I hope." She says through a grin, but it feels like someone pouring alcohol on an open wound.

"Yes. He was."

As part of royal customs, the new bride is supposed to visit the senior most female member of the family and greet her. In your case, the member happens to King Changbin's mother.

Somi dresses you in the most exquisite silks and adorns your hair with the most precious flower but you feel nothing at all when everyone compliments you on the way out of your new Queen's palace.

Your mother in law's palace is a little far from the Queen's palace yet it is as beautiful as any other palace. From inside as well as outside.

"Greetings, your majesty. It is nice to meet you." You bow in front of the Queen Dowager.

The woman-not more than sixty years of age- looks at you with a gentle smile.

"Come in, y/n. Please be at ease."

You're seated in front of her on a cushion while the Queen Dowager's maids serve you breakfast.

"I hope your first day here goes well, my child. Our family is thrilled to have you." She says.

"The pleasure is all mine, your majesty. I am honored to be a part of this family." You say.

In the back of your mind, you wonder if Changbin is thrilled to have you or not. Probably not.

The mere thought of yesterday's rejection stings.

"Y/n, truth be told, my son is a quite a troubled man. His father was murdered in front of his eyes. He was made the king when he was only 16 years old. It's been 7 years since then, but the burden only gets worse. I hope you, as a Queen and as his wife, can help him lessen these burdens. Can you do that?" The Queen Dowager asks again, sipping tea from a small cup.

"I will do everything I can to help him." If only he'd let you.

"Good, good. I'm glad. And one more thing, y/n, you know as Queen one of your primary duties is to produce an heir for Changbin's throne. I hope you're working on that, yes?"

Heat reaches your cheeks. If only the poor woman knew what her dear son had done last night. If his behavior continues, perhaps it will be long before the Queen Dowager sees the face of a royal grandchild.

"We are trying, your majesty. We will not disappoint you." You reply, sipping tea from your own cup.

"Great! I shall send all types of herbs and tonics to help you conceive as fast as possible. I shall also draw up a chart after consulting the astrologer..." the Queen Dowager's voice fades into the background as your mind drifts off to the nights in the Detached palace, when Changbin would come and spend all his free time with you, against the rules of the palace. At that time, you had been sure that producing an heir would be a beautiful process, not a chore.

But Changbin does not even treat the thought like a chore.

Did he not love you? Did his Royal duties burden him too much?

When you leave the Queen Dowager's palace, you walk past The King's palace. It is as beautiful and majestic as they say. But you wonder if you'll ever be able to set foot in the same.

As if on cue, you see Concubine Jung walking out of the King's palace, her maids behind her. The butterflies in your stomach burn with jealousy.

She has a smirk on her face when she sees you.

"Eun, did you know there's a rumor around the palace that the King refused to sleep with the Queen last night? Sad, isn't it?" Concubine Jung says.

One of her maids giggle and nod, "Of course! How could the Queen even live with this shame?"

You cry yourself to sleep that night, while Somi does everything in her abilities to soothe you.

Needless to say, nothing worked.

*

"My lady, wake up. The King has invited you to breakfast with him." Somi informs one morning, six months after your wedding.

"Tell him I have a bad stomach bug. I cannot go."

You'd be found dead before sharing a meal with him and that obnoxious Concubine Jung. You'd shared enough meals with them already.

The past months, the King had not visited you even once but often you'd see him walking the gardens with Concubine Jung at his side.

After the first few weeks, you had no tears left to shed anymore so when the rumor came in last month that Concubine Jung might be pregnant, your eyes do not water no matter how much you force yourself to cry.

"I do not wish to congratulate them." You say, true and plain.

"My lady, he's invited only you. Not anyone else."

So you agree. As a last attempt to make your marriage work, even if it's just for your own sake.

Somi dresses you in green robes- The King's favorite. You quickly make your way to his palace, as if someone else would take your place if you didn't hurry. It's sad your thoughts had turned so negative in just half a year in the palace.

Your father had told you the King would take in many lovers during his lifetime, and that being Queen is about having power, not being loved.

But you think he didn't warn you enough. He didn't warn you how lonely it would be to sleep on the cold bed every night, how painful it would be to see the King smile at someone else.

Even if you did wish for a child, how could you produce you a child without Changbin?

"Good morning, your majesty." You say to him when you enter his bed chamber. It smells like cinnamon, a smell he'd often carry with himself back when he used to visit you at the Detached palace. Back when you were sure the king had been in love with you.

"Hello, my Queen. Please have a seat."

The butterflies dance around for a split second.

"Did you sleep well last night?" He asks, taking a seat in front of you.

"Yes." Lies. "Thank you for inviting me over."

When the maids leave the both of you alone, his demeanor changes.

"Actually, y/n, I had something to talk to you about." He says, casually, as if he hadn't been hurting you everyday for the past few months.

"What is it?" You ask.

He sighs, "It's mother. Ever since that rumor of Concubine Jung being pregnant spread. She wants the first grandchild to be of the Queen."

His words do not faze you, "How can I help you, Changbin?"

He frowns. Since when had your tone become this melancholic?

"Um, so if I have your consent, I'd like to try for a child tomorrow night. We'll see how that goes, yeah?"

"Okay. I will be honored." You say.

You finish up the food quickly and almost slide the doors open when he grabs your arm from behind.

"Y/n, what is it? Did something happen? Are your parents well?"

"My parents are well enough, thank you for asking." You say, keeping your eyes on the ground.

"Then? What happened? Is it Concubine Jung? Really, you did not have to be jealous of her. She's not pregnant. I can assure you of that. I have not consummated my marriage with any one of the concubines."

His words seem to have an effect on you. Your heart blossoms with hope but you keep your face and voice neutral.

"I am not jealous, Changbin. If one of the concubines get pregnant, I shall wish you both well."

You force your arm out of his grip and walk out the palace, not looking back once.

Changbin's stares at your leaving figure, now worried beyond relief that he might have broken the one person he cared for the most by his pursuits of a greater good.

*

While the past few months for you had been filled with loneliness, for Changbin it was almost the same-if not worse.

The first night of your marriage was filled with as many butterflies for him, as it was for you.

He had fallen in love with you and he wasn't afraid to show the world how much you meant to him. He wanted to hold you, kiss you, make love to you. And he had all plans to do that on the first night.

But that was until he had overheard a secret conversation between Concubine Jung and her father- Minister Jung.

For all he knew, Minister Jung had always wanted his daughter to be the Queen but being the dim-wit that she was, Concubine Jung could not even get through the first stage.

"Father, it's been two days since I'd been in the palace and that man has not visited me once. He had not even asked for my name the day of the welcoming. What kind of man is he? And you say I am to be Queen!"

"Hush, child. In this palace, even the walls are listening. Be careful. And as far as the position of Queen is concerned, you need not worry. If the King does bed the Queen tonight and she get pregnant, we shall make sure her pregnancy terminates before maturity. I have connections with all sorts of medicine vendors in the country, be assured, she shall never see the face of a child. After we weaken the Queen, we can take her throne as easily!"

Changbin had wanted to laugh at the man's foolish plans but deep down, he was worried as well. For you.

Which is why he pushed you away for so long and kept Concubine Jung close. While she tried everything in her power to seduce him, he refused her under the pretense of keeping an oath of abstinence for a year.

Every time she tried to even hold his hand, Changbin thought of you; your innocent eyes, your talks, your wit, your hands, your beautiful hair. No woman could make him feel like you do.

Changbin's secret informants had confirmed that Minister Jung had not one but two houses full of gold and cash he'd collected as illegal taxes from the local people. He'd also sometimes force husbands to send their wives to him in exchange for money. Even the thought nauseated Changbin.

Every time Concubine Jung visited, he made sure to collect some sort of evidence through her. He even visited her every night and while she snored away, he stole some of her gold jewlery and clothes to get them checked as evidence of the illegal taxes her father had been collecting.

And sure enough, after a few months of spying on her and her father, Changbin had gathered enough evidence by now to expose both of them at the court.

But he realised quickly that Minister Jung had a few tricks up his sleeves as well. The rumor of his daughter's pregnancy would make it difficult for Changbin to expose him easily, and so Changbin waited every night that the rumors would die down so he could run to the Queen's Palace and hug you with all his might. You were not safe unless the father and daughter were deposed.

And for some selfish reasons, Changbin had hoped you'd understand the reason behind his distance. But no woman could find a logical reason behind her lover being absent and it was horribly wrong for him to expect you to do the same.

"Are you stupid?" His friend, the eccentric dancer Minho had asked him.

Changbin had told him how coldly you'd behaved this afternoon when he'd asked you if you wished to try for a child. Most women would giggle and blush. But you were like a statue.

"You push her away for months and make her feel lonely and not loved and what not and you have the audacity to ask her that?"

"Well, yes. Mother had been pressuring me for a child and obviously, even with the pressure, I would never do anything that y/n would not have wanted but I thought it would be a great way to reconnect with her. Even if it didn't end in child making or whatever."

Minho let's out a frustrated groan, "You have to learn so much, Bin. But let's start with this- be honest with her. She's your wife and you ought to tell her everything. Give answers to all her questions and hold her hand if she let's you. Small steps first, a child can wait."

Changbin nods, " Okay, should I go to her right now?"

"Yes, you idiot!" Minho says, earning a slap on the arm from The King of Joseon.

He should be glad he's not being beheaded for calling the King an idiot.

*

You're almost done getting ready for bed when the lady in waiting makes an unexpected announcement .

"My lady, the King is here to see you."

Your heart leaps and the butterflies come alive again only to die down once you realise why he might be there. For a child. Isn't that why he's here? Isn't that why people get married in the first place?

"Y/n." He sighs when he enters the room, almost out of relief. He purses his lips.

"Is there anything I could help you with?" You ask.

Oh, how badly he'd hurt you. He could see the hurt in your eyes, in your voice, in your mannerisms.

"Y/n, I'm sorry. I really am. I know I have caused you pain and I cannot imagine how lonely it must have been. But I hope you know that I really do love you and only you."

"Then why the distance? Why visit Concubine Jung every night?" You ask, hands on your hips.

The tears that had left you threatened to return again.

And he tells you everything. From the conversation he overheard to how insistently Concubine Jung asked him for a child to how much solid proof he'd collected over the months and how he'd sent those evidences to the Minister of Security, who in turn ensured that by tomorrow the Jungs will out of the palace and be imprisoned for life.

It all makes sense to you now, of course it does. Yet you feel guilty. He'd been trying to protect you, all this while.

"I'm sorry, Changbin. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. I only-"

"Don't apologize, y/n. It's me that should apologize. I should have somehow tried to contact you and tell you about everything. I'm-"

"No, no, Please. Don't. You only tried to protect me and-"

"No, y/n, it's all my fault, please-"

Somi overhears the entire conversation through the door, her mind finally relaxing after the misunderstanding had been solved between you and the King. She could no longer stand you being this sad. And she somehow knew King Changbin had his own reasons for his behavior.

She hears soft sounds of kissing through the door and takes it as a sign to move away from the door, and join the other maids waiting outside the palace door. She smiles to herself.

The butterflies burn with passion.

"I do not wish for a child this early. I want to be here like this with you for a while, just y/n and Changbin and maybe two or three years later, we could try for a child. What do you think?"

When he kissed you initially, you half expected this to end up in the bed. But it did. And you're glad it did.

The butterflies bloom more than ever.

You're wrapped in his arms, tightly. The nakedness no longer bothering the either of you.

"I agree. I want to be this close to you every night, not as a Queen or the mother of your child. But as y/n. As your wife."

Changbin draws his face closer to you, pecking you on the lips, "And so you shall, my love."

And so you shall.

[windwheeler-aster]

caught in the act

summary: you and your secret lover, whom you’re sworn to protect, are discovered in the middle of a scandalous position

masterlist

pairings (separate): capitano, arlecchino, and dottore x reader

reader info: uses gender neutral pronouns (they/them), is a soldier for the characters mentioned, and reader is not traveler

word count: 1281 words~ per section (4 mins~ per section)

genre: romance, Royal AU, forbidden romance, suggestive

format: headcanons and blurbs

warnings: unbalanced power dynamics (ruler x soldier), suggestive themes and dialogue, arlecchino threatening some guards, and being caught in the middle of something spicy

a/n: tbh idk where this came from (i do. it is my capitano brain worm and royal AU brain worm’s combined efforts to make my life misrable). i really enjoyed writing some suggestive stuff, but it’s been a long while so i apologize if it’s rusty and stuff. i hope you enjoy it, regardless :)

capitano is more than capable of defending himself, but he still insists on keeping you as his personal bodyguard

it’s not at all because of his blatant favoritism for a soldier who had steadily risen throughout the ranks over the course of their career in the name of his protection. no, not at all

and it’s certainly not because the rooms of the castle feel less cold and lonely with you by his side

or how by entrusting you to be by his side for his every waking moment, capitano ensures that you’re safe. no, not at all

and in the eyes of the public, capitano and his bodyguard barely speak a word to each other. the relationship between the two is strictly professional, nothing more and nothing less

but behind closed doors? an entirely different story

he murmurs sweet nothings into your ears as he embraces you, his chest rumbling from deep within as he chuckles at your whines and gentle protests

capitano is a gentle and sweet lover, who admires you more with each passing day and would do anything for you

and those moments behind closed doors or scheduled hallways are always special to you both, memories that you’ll always treasure

until one of capitano’s servants walks in on you and him in a... compromising position

You held Capitano’s strong, capable gloved hands in yours, caressing his muscular knuckles gently. You peered up into the helm of darkness that hid his eyes from your view. But deep within your heart, you knew they shared the same sparkle of desire as yours. So, you smiled up at him and slowly fell back onto the bed that was behind you two, bringing him with you.

His bed bounced as you two found settled into the mattress, but it continued to jiggle as Capitano discarded his helmet and began to remove some of his clothing. You followed suit, tossing aside some layers as you pushed your lips up to meet his. He grinned into the kiss, taking it as a queue to hurry and disrobe himself fully.

But just as he took off his tight shirt, there was a swift knock at his door. You both froze, inches apart from each other, half naked, and staring at the two grand doors to Capitano’s chambers. Your heart beat continued to beat faster, but more so from fear than from the excitement before. Capitano and you waited for a beat, nearly forgetting to breathe. Then another moment passed, and then another. You both exhaled, thankful that whomever was at the door had left.

Or that’s what you thought before the doors were pushed open, and the head of a measly servant poked into the chambers. They stared down at their clipboard, pushing up their speckles as they did so, scanning the list of items they had before them.

“My lord, pardon the intrusion but I was just—” they looked up and gasped. “Dear heavens! M-my lord, p-please forgive me for—”

“Get out,” Capitano snarled, blocking his body to protect yours from the servant’s sight.

“Yes, right away, lord Capitano!”

And with that, they scurried out of the room, shutting the doors behind them just as quickly. You both heard the servant’s heavy breaths from outside the door, and then their footsteps as they made their way down the hallway.

Capitano glared at the door for another moment before turning to you, his gaze instantly softening. “Are you alright?”

You blinked, your throat tight and your skin feeling like it was set ablaze. Nothing about what just happened was alright. You and Capitano were in the middle of an intimate moment, one between the Lord of the castle and his lover, his bodyguard. You were mortified and anxious beyond means about what was next.

“No,” you told him. “N-no, I’m not alright.”

Capitano bent down and pressed a kiss to your temple. He then wrapped his big, strong arms around you to cradle you against his chest. One of his hands, now ungloved, made its way up and down your back, very slowly.

“It’s going to be alright,” he promised. “I’ll talk with them, alright? No one will find out about this, and we can—”

“B-but… but I don’t want to hide us anymore.”

Capitano paused and looked at you, his brows raised dramatically. “Really?”

You nodded. “It’s painful, love, to see you being flirted with every day in court. Or to hear the nasty rumors about us as we patrol the halls together. Rumors of us being nothing more than just two depraved and shameless individuals who unspeakable things behind closed doors. ” You shuddered. “It makes me feel bad.”

“But they’re true, aren’t they?” he chuckled, placing a quick in the space between where your jawline begins and your ear lobe ends.

You scowled at him. “That’s not the point.”

“Sorry, I couldn't resist teasing you,” Capitano snickered into your skin. “But I understand what you mean, dear. It’s quite… tiring to listen to those rumors and suffer through those attempts at flirtations,” he sighed. But then he turned to you and smiled, softly. “So I am more than content with being truthful about our relationship, love. Our love for each other will never be a secret, starting today.”

You kissed him, happiness effectively consuming you. But once you broke away, you frowned. “It’s a shame that the way our relationship was discovered was… well, like that. I wish it were more romantic.”

Capitano chuckled and kissed you again. “Well, if you ask me, darling, every time we make love is quite romantic.” He looked at you and smirked. “Though, I’m more than willing to… ‘let go’, if you will, and make it more carnally driven. Would you like that, darling?”

arlecchino is more than able to defend herself

in the past, she’s refused any and all offers of a personal bodyguard from her royal court

until you came along, just a new recruit when it came to the life inside the castle, guarding the lady arlecchino

the moment she spotted you, arlecchino knew she couldn’t have you out of her sights. what if something happened to her precious soldier? or worse, someone snatched you up and put a pretty ring on your finger before she could

she just could not stand the possibility of that happening, not one bit

so, she put the idea of you as a personal bodyguard into the court’s heads. and, soon enough, your name and file was presented to her when the court offered more candidates for her protection

a while after your promotion, the lines between professional and unprofessional blurs as you began your secret courtship with the lady

and a secret it is! arlecchino goes above and beyond to ensure your relationship isn’t known

well, that is until one evening where you were escorting arlecchino from a feast. which, directly after leaving, she pinned you into a nearby corner after

which is exactly the position two patrolling guards found you two in, with gaped mouths as they saw arlechino’s lips on your neck, glaring daggers at them

One moment, you were saying goodbye to Arlecchino’s guests on her behalf as you escorted her out of the chamber. Her arm was slung around your shoulder, and the lady of the castle was bold enough to lean into you. Luckily, everyone seemed too cup-shotten to bat an eye at the sight. Still, you waved goodbye and shuffled along with Lady Arlecchino on your shoulder.

And then just as the doors to the main hall are closed, Arlecchino snaps out of her drowsy state. She grabs you by the wrist and leads you around the corner, quickly pinning you to the wall. Your breath hitches as you look into her eyes, the red ‘x’ shape in each boring into you. Her lips were pressed into a tight line, and her breathing deepened as a blush spread over her lovely face.

“Want you,” she slurred out, her eyes tracing the outline of your lips. “I want you so bad, dove.”

“Arlecchino, we’re out in the open,” you hissed, craning your neck to look over Arlecchino’s shoulders.

“That didn’t stop us before,” she chuckled into your skin, now pressing hot, open-mouthed kisses along your jawline. But they were more like pecks than kisses, leaving you with the desire for more.

“Anyone can see us.”

“So?” Arlecchino lips pulled back into a mischievous grin. “Maybe I want them to see.”

You looked into her eyes once more, your cheeks set ablaze. Your whole body felt hot, and you felt a wave of excitement— or maybe arousal��� course through you. Finally, you relaxed under Arlecchino’s eyes and let her descend upon your neck.

She nibbled on your neck and you gasped. “Arlecchino!”

She cooed at you in response, kissing over the harsh mark she bit into your neck. “Need to show them all you’re mine, darling. Please, keep quiet.”

“No, Arlecchino—”

She pulled up from your neck and frowned. “What is it, darling? Do you wish to stop?”

“No,” you breathed out. But then you caught something in the corner of your eye and said, “But—”

“Hm, good,” the lady practically purred. “Now, where were we, my love?”

Something clattered to the ground behind you two, which made Arlecchino snap around and put her back to your chest. Both her chest and yours heaved and swelled as you took in the surroundings, preparing for some clumsy attack.

But instead, your eyes find a pair of guards on patrol. Their mouths were agape, and one of them had very clearly dropped their shield to the ground in surprise.

“L-lady Arlecchino,” one stuttered. “What are you—”

“Can’t you see we’re a little bit busy?” Arlecchino nearly snarled, lifting herself up to her full height, easily towering over the two guards. You couldn’t help but nearly moan at the intimidating sight.

The two guards looked at Lady Arlecchino, then at you, and then at themselves. A silent conversation seemed to pass between them both, as they both gave her a stuttered nod.

“Sorry ma’am,” one murmured as they bent down to pick up their shield.

Their partner grabbed them by the elbow and dragged them further down the corridor. “Have a nice evening, Lady Arlecchino.”

You both waited a moment, listening intently to the bickering voices that drifted down the hall. Once they had gone far enough, Arlecchino’s shoulders came back down and she heaved a heavy sigh.

“These are the people I’m hiring?” she asked herself. Then, Arlecchino looked over her shoulder and smiled warmly at you. “Sorry you had to see that, my dear.”

You couldn’t help but smile back at her. “It’s fine, love. Though, aren’t you a bit worried that those guards will go blabber about seeing us make out in the hallway?”

Arlecchino shrugged. “It was going to get out sooner or later, so I don’t think it really matters. But are you worried, darling?” she took your hands into hers. “Because if you are, I can call those idiots back here and—”

“No, that’s not necessary,” you say quickly.

“Ah, alright then,” she smiled. “Now, would you like to continue this or…?”

You answered Arlecchino’s question by initiating a passionate kiss, your hands and hers breaking apart to roam around each other. 

“Hm, very good, darling,” she mumbled against your lips. “Now, let’s carry this to my chambers before someone catches us doing more than just making out.”

dottore didn’t hire you for his protection

although he’ll never admit it, the real reason he hired you was because he was lonely

being cooped up in a lab all day with clones drives dottore mad, so it’s only fair that he at least gets someone new to look at

though, you serve as dottore’s lab assistant more than his bodyguard

which is fine to dottore. to be honest, he though you served up your usefulness on the first day 

but he was glad to be proven wrong, thankfully

and dottore won’t lie that seeing your face all day brings a comfort to him

but between all the accidental touches and longing stares, something was bound to finally happened between you two

so it shouldn’t be so surprising that you and dottore have abandoned a professional relationship and moved on to romance and passion

what is surprising is the fact that you two had managed to keep a secret for so long

but of course, just when you and dottore had thrown caution out the window and indulged in one another, dottore’s physician decides to finally check in on his lord

which leads to the physician discovering you and dottore in a very scandalous position

but to be honest, dottore only gets mad because your time together was interrupted. he couldn’t really care if the physician saw you two together

dottore is more than relieved that he no longer has to pretend there isn’t something between you two... it would jus tbe nice if his physician picked up his jaw and left already

“My dear assistant,” he murmured from beside you. “Can you look at me for a moment?”

You smiled. “Of course, my love. Though, I would prefer it if you addressed me by—” you stopped, the breath sucked out of you when you noticed just how close Dottore was to you. 

You stood before Dottore as he analyzed your face. His eyes darted from one spot to the next, memorizing each detail he couldn’t see before. But his eyes paused on your lips, over and over, and he can’t help but part his own.

He smirked. “Just as I thought.”

“What?” you asked, snapping out of your fluster.

“I had my suspicions for a while,” Dottore began, “but after a brief examination, I’m afraid that it’s true.”

“And what’s that?” you challenged.

“Oh, just that you’re completely enamored by me,” Dottore said, a cocky grin pulling his lips to the side. “And, luckily for you, I have just the cure.”

And before you knew it, Dottore had coaxed you onto his table. He had brushed everything to the side, ignoring the sounds of the stacks of papers falling and glass breaking. Dottore’s lips chased yours as he kissed you over and over, his hands roaming your thighs as he sandwiches his pelvis between them. He was desperate for you, and you couldn’t help but be just as desperate. 

Your hands made their way into his blue hair and Dottore hips stuttered, pulling out a soft gasp from you. One glance down and you were greeted with a familiar sight, which earned a chuckle from you. But before you could tease him, he grabbed your hips and slowly guided you towards him. Your breath hitched as your pelvis grazed over his and Dottore laughed at your reaction.

“Oh, look at you,” he cooed. “Already so desperate for me, hm? You’re practically drooling, dear.”

Your cheeks burned, but you managed to snap back at him. “You act like you’re not as desperate, Dottore.”

His chest rumbled with a deep chuckle from within. “My, you’re already talking back to me?” He smiled and leaned close to you. “Isn’t it a little early for you to be so bratty?”

But before you could reply with a carefully crafted retort, the familiar creak of the lab’s door interrupted you.

You whipped your head over and saw Dottore’s physician by the door. You froze, while Dottore simply looked over his shoulder, very much annoyed.

His mouth hung open as he took in the sight of you and Dottore. He dropped his pen and clipboard in his shock, and made no move to pick them up. For a minute, you worried that the old man was experiencing a heart attack from the shock.

“I-I heard some glass breaking and came to check on y-you, Lord Dottore,” the physician’s eyes filtered over to you. Instinctively, you leaned away from his sight so you hid behind Dottore, slightly. “Are you alright, my Lord?”

“Well, if you couldn’t see already, we’re perfectly alright,” he replied.

“Are you sure, my—”

Dottore nearly snarled. “Yes, I’m very sure. Now, please, leave.”

With that, the physician picked up his things, shut the door, and scurried down the hall. 

Dottore sighed, “Idiots. I work with idiots,” he caught your eye and smiled. “But not you. Now, where were we?”

 “But are you not… bothered, at all? The physician just saw us together and… well, you know,” you said, embarrassment coursing through you.

Dottore frowned.  “Darling, if you’re worried about my reputation; don’t be. I consider it a great honor to be your lover, and I could care less about what others think,” he looked at you again, and smiled warmly. “Now, would you like to continue what we started?”

You nodded. 

“Words, love.”

“Yes.”

“Excellent,” Dottore leaned over and resumed pressing kissed into your neck. “And my dear, don’t worry about being quiet. The whole castle will know about us by the time I’m done with you anyway, so there’s no reason to hide your pleasure.”

thank you for reading 💖 all forms of interaction to my posts are appreciated 💖

[ninapi]

●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・● ●・○・●・○・●

Premise: Prince Keisuke was known to be a troublesome lad, often bringing problems to the queen herself. In an attempt to tame the wild prince, the queen calls for a powerful witch to aid him with his cause, hoping to put an end to this quest sooner. What she didn't count on was love being what he needed most.

Word Count: 2516

Note: Welcome to my first Tokyo Revengers series~ I know it's weird for my first series to be an AU and not cannon, but I've had this idea in mind for some time now and really wanted to let it out of my system lol, I hope you guys like it~

*＊✿❀ Bewitched ❀✿＊*

Chapter 1: The witch and the Prince

The Kingdom of Tokyo was noticeably the most powerful in the entire realm.

The previous King had done nothing but good things and had taken them to the highest position they could ever wish for; but he was reckless, and ended up passing at a very young age, leaving a promising future to wither with his corpse.

His wife, ended up as queen regent since their son was still too young to assume the throne. But sadly, he had inherited his father’s wild nature, and was nothing but a headache.

Being honest, the queen didn’t want to be it at all. She had married the king without even knowing who he was, it was pure love at first sight and truth to be told, his wild and reckless side was what drove her to him. She was not prepared to be queen and clearly had no interest of ever being so, but she had to take care of her husband’s legacy, at least until their son became of age to assume his role as king.

Baji Keisuke, also known as the crown prince, was not your average prince���

While he wasn’t lacking on the looks of one, his attitude was the complete opposite of what one would expect.

He was indeed smart and well versed in the arts of ruling a kingdom, yet his passion laid in battle.

Just as his father, he was constantly in the field instead of sitting on the throne listening to the town people’s complaints.

The royal guard were more like his friends than anything and would follow him anywhere.

At the head of the Royal guard was the youngest knight in history, Matsuno Chifuyu, the prince’s right hand. While he was young and seemingly inexperienced, he did more than a fantastic job aiding the prince in all his endevours, just as the second officer in command did, Satou Ryusei; though he was a lot more unreliable. 

But the prince didn’t need protectors, he was strong enough. Hence, the entire army would listen to him and just him, even if Sano Mickey was indeed their actual leader and the best there was.

While the Kingdom of Tokyo was normally pretty safe and wasn’t under an ongoing war, there was a terrorist group that wanted to destroy the royal family and overtake the kingdom.

They called themselves, Valhalla.

While Hanma Shuji, their leader in name, wasn’t that much of a threat, Hanemiya Kazutora was.

He used to be a good friend of the prince, grew up playing together with him and the head of the army duo, Sano Captain and Ryuguji Ken, his right hand. They used to be best friends, all sneaked in the castle daily just to play with the young prince who was very much bored practicing how to write properly, a true joy and his best memories of childhood.

But his state of mind wasn’t always the best and after committing an awful, unforgettable crime, he was sent to the dungeons for well over a couple of years. There, he made friends of the wrong kind, and that’s what led him to be part of this horrible organization that threats the wellbeing of the entire kingdom.

So for obvious reasons, the prince was even more involved in this quest of sorts than usual. He wanted to dissolve this stupid gang, not so much thinking of the wellbeing of the kingdom, as he should be doing, but he really wanted to save his friend, to punch some sense into that empty head of his and make him realize that’s not his place to be at but at their side, just like the old times.

This quest of his resulted in multiple assaults to the Royal guard, the prince himself getting hurt in the process…and that was the last drop of patience for the queen herself.

“Keisuke you moron! Until when are you going to keep chasing that lost sheep? He’s a threat to our kingdom just send Ryusei to kill him, he has no feelings towards him…I’m sick of this quest of yours, you should be leading this kingdom not punching children!” the queen wasn’t one of decor, but that was part of her charm.

“I’m not leaving him, mother…he needs to understand what he’s doing is wrong. If his friends give up on him, then who’s going to save him?”

“Have you ever stop and think maybe he doesn’t want to be saved? Maybe he likes being with this kids better than with you. Maybe he is happy with what he’s doing and doesn’t want you saving him…” she really wanted to smack her son on the head, but he’s all covered in scratches and his arm might be broken according to the royal doctor. 

“You don’t know him, mother…not like we do…” he was visibly exhausted, but his resolution would just not let him give up on his friend.

“That’s it, I’m calling her..” this got his attention, “Calling who?” he could feel anger bubbling up in his core, she was definitely going to send an assassin of her own guard to kill them all, his worst nightmare. “The witch of the forest of course.”

“Who?” that was not what he was expecting…

“The witch of the forest. You need help if you want to end this Valhalla gang thing. They don’t have magic do they? Well you’re the prince, you have more resources, if you want to “save” this friend of yours, I’m going to help you capture him alive. But the rest of the gang…I won’t accept any of them unharmed. Understood?” like the happiest puppy wagging its tail to their master, he got up and the annoyed frown from his face was nowhere to be seen. “Yes, mother.”

In all truth he didn’t like magic. To him using magic felt like cheating, but if that would avoid Kazutora from being hanged in the plaza for treason, he’d take it.

─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───

The witch of the forest, a legend of sorts, has always been present in the lore of the kingdom. An unknown force loyal to the crown, always there to rely on her in times of need.

No one knew how old she was, or what she looked like even. So to say Baji Keisuke was surprised when he saw the most beautiful young woman he’s ever seen in his life standing in front of him, smiling warmly as she bowed greeting him, was an understatement.

“I thought you’d be like 500 years old…” really smooth Keisuke…Chifuyu could be seen shaking his head in the background while Ryusei couldn’t help but bursting out laughing.

“I’m about our age, your majesty. The title of the witch of the forest gets passed down through generations, just as the crown will be yours one day.” she was so gracious, the way she moved, the way words came out of her mouth so beautifully, she was definitely not a normal human…

“Ugh…ok yeah…good! I mean…” he cleared his throat as to clarify what he was trying to say, “It’s good that you’re not an old lady, it would be awkward to work together since we are all in the young side…” he could feel Chifuyu’s disapproving gaze on the back of his neck. He was really not the best at talking to pretty girls, but then again, he never has to…

The lovely giggles that left your lips caused an entire tornado of emotions go rampage inside the prince, he could swear a cow just went flying by his liver as she looked at him with those sparkly beautiful eyes. “I won’t really need your help though, as you may know, we are already pretty strong. Your job is to put Kazutora in some sort of restraint so we can take him with us. The army will take care of the rest.” Ryuguji Ken, otherwise known by everyone as Draken, was nodding at his orders representing the military portion, so you just nodded as well. “Very well, my prince. I will do as you say.” 

Her prince? He’s now ‘her’ prince…? Yes…he definitely was…100%…

His face was doing all sort of things now as his brain went down a dangerous path full of pink hearts floating, when Chifuyu got closer, whispering to his ear, “My king…you’re everyone’s prince…she doesn’t mean anything by that statement.”

“Oh….um…I knew that already…” coughing awkwardly, he got up from the throne, barking orders for everyone this time, “We'll leave tomorrow at dawn, I expect you all to be ready for battle by then.” He just went down the stairs, bumping onto your shoulder and giving you a nasty glare. While he was dying in the inside, he was also just a tiny bit upset that he was reading too much into things.

“He’s a great guy, think nothing of it. He’s just a bit embarrassed.” Chifuyu, being the angel he is, wanted to make sure his beloved friend wasn’t misunderstood, “He’s a bit rough in the outside but he’s a wonderful friend and has a very generous heart.” you smiled back at the blonde knight, blushing a little at his charming and soothing way of carrying himself. His words did make you feel better though and you were grateful for that.

─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───

It was now time to leave and you were going through your bag making sure you had everything you needed, waiting for the prince by Chifuyu’s side. Which seemingly bothered Keisuke.

The queen had given you another set of orders, you were to follow her son’s commands, yes. But you were also supposed to keep him safe. He was to return safely without a scratch on his handsome face, otherwise you’d be hanged in the plaza with the rest of Valhalla. So you’ve prepared a bunch of healing potions, just in case.

“What are you, his shadow now?” Keisuke scoffed as he saw you behind Chifuyu. You weren’t even that close, he was doing his thing and you were doing yours, nothing to fuzz about, but oh boy, was he jealous…

“Chifuyu, go with Ryusei. Witch, you go with Draken.” nodding, you walked over to the tall man wearing his military uniform, smiling warmly up at him he lifted you up like a princess and set you up on his horse before sitting behind you and keeping you close so you wouldn’t fall.

“Well shit…” 

“See? She was better off with me…” Chifuyu snickered as he went on his horse all the way to the front to lead everyone out and towards Valhalla’s hidden territory.

The way there was actually lovely, the weather was nice and you’ve never seen as much of the kingdom. Draken was a gentleman and he would show you things of interest along the way, even picking a rare flower from a tree that you were interested in.

In reality, you wanted it for a potion, and that’s why he got it for you. But all Keisuke could see was a lot of flirting and giggling, love in the air as one would say. “What happened to Emma-chan you bastard…?damn womanizer…” 

Chifuyu, Ryusei and Mickey could only laugh at his reactions, he was truly adorable, like a child who got his favorite toy stolen.

Though, once you arrived, the mood changed quite rapidly.

Even the trees seem to be changing, no longer green and lush, more like the dead landscape of winter. “I thought…they didn’t use magic…”

“They don’t…do they?” Draken was suddenly taken aback by your statement, all sources indicated they were nothing but a bunch of raunchy teens.

“You see those trees? We are in the middle of summer, Ryuguji-san…this is definitely a magical field. A powerful one, it’s giving me goosebumps…the blood thirst in the air…” 

“Good thing we brought’ya then.” nodding, you got your staff out, getting ready for a different type of battle.

“Your majesty, the girl says they have a magic wielder. We must be cautious.”

“Cautious my ass, I’ll kick them all where it hurts and we can go home with Kazutora before lunch.” 

The prince had a reputation of being invincible, but this was different, you had an awful gut feeling, though before you could say anything, scary looking guys came out of nowhere from every possible direction. They looked almost like zombies, like if someone was controlling them like puppets. “Chifuyu…they have a high level wizard amongst them. I will go see where the spell is coming from, they’re being controlled, don’t hurt them.” he just nodded and kicked one of them on the face as it was coming after you, giving you enough time to go your way.

On top of a big pile of trash rested a hazy figure, a dark aura coming out of him, “So they called back ups…I won’t let you interfere with my plans…”

“Who are you…?”

“Kisaki Tetta at your service, lovely. Wielder of dark magic and the one who will kill the Baji dynasty, the commander of the army must become our true leader…Valhalla is where he belongs…”

“Kill you say….?” without letting him finish you sprinted back to where the fight was, desperately looking for Keisuke…”My prince…where are you…?” drops of blood kept flying from everywhere, making your uneasiness grow, but then you saw a dash of blond hair running towards the prince with a knife in his hand. 

Casting a spell has never been easier, in a split of a second Prince Keisuke was floating in a bubble above everyone else. Kazutora was left speechless as his target disappeared right in front of his eyes, the confused crazed look on his face a disturbing sight. “I will not let you touch him, you rat! CHIFUYU NOW!” In a matter of seconds Kazutora was surrounded by the top tier of the royal guard and the army as well.

“Capture him alive, respect the prince's wishes. The wizard already escaped…but I had to save your majesty...” 

“You did good (Y/N)…thank you…” Chifuyu lost two lives at the moment he saw you cast your spell, seeing his best friend and role model almost being killed right there and then, an awful revelation.

Keisuke was watching everything from his comfortable and safe bubble, the way you commanded his men, the way you saved his life…how you chose to save him even if that meant letting a dark wizard escape. Even if these were his mother’s orders, he could see in your face how terrified you were when you saw that knife in Kazutora’s hand. You can’t order people how to feel, that was real fear.

It made him feel warm inside…for a few seconds at least, until he realized the weight of the situation and the fact that one of his best friends really wanted him dead…

●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・● ●・○・●・○・●

Masterlist

[txemrn]

King Liam Appreciation Day 5 👑 (part deux)

In honor of KLAW #5, I'm sharing 2 different creations about one of my AUs called Stay (Masterlist). I hope y'all don't mind, but I felt like this one deserved a post all to itself to give props to the artist! Check out this GORGEOUS piece, created by @/artbyainna (on insta!)! It still takes my breath away.

*This is a paid commission; do not alter it or repost.

"... let's at least give them something to talk about." 🖤

---

Missed my previous post? Check it out here! Happy @kingliamappreciationweek!

[sincerelyella]

The Only Gift - The Loft

I know it’s been a long, long time since I’ve been on here and posted anything but I wanted to share this gorgeous fanart done by the amazing @gokushairgel 💝💘💖 thank you for bringing my babies to life and being my popcorn soulmate!

My taglist isn’t up to date at all so I apologize if you’re there and you don’t want to be. Please let me know and I’ll remove you asap, no hard feelings ☺️

“What do you want for Christmas this year?” Ella tossed a kettle corn up into the air and Liam caught it in his mouth.

“I don’t need or want anything, love,” he tossed one up in the air and cheered when Ella caught it.

“You say that every year,” she protested.

“It’s true though,” Liam caught another kettle corn in his mouth before doing the same for her. “I just want you.”

“Fine, I’ll figure out something,” Ella munched as she shook her head.

“Alright, alright, I do want something,” Liam smiled as his heart thrummed in his chest.

“What?”

“A fiancé.”

Ella froze mid-throw, the kettle corn landing on the floor next to Liam. “A-”

“You heard me, I said fiancé,” he smirked as he looked down at her bag of kettle corn. She followed his gaze and gasped when she saw a diamond ring. “Ella Christianne Brooks, will you-”

“YES!” She tossed her bag into the air and jumped up to tackle him onto the wooden floor. “Yes, Liam!”

“Ouch, love,” he murmured between kisses. “Can you maybe find that bag with the ring?”

“I don’t want anything but you,” she mocked.

“Very funny … but seriously it was really expensive,” Liam pleaded.

“Okay fine,” she stood and began to look around the room. “Put it on my finger and we’re doing it in the living room.”

Liam’s jaw slacked. “Against the window?”

“Yep,” Ella’s smoldering look made his cock jump in his grey sweats. “With all the lights on.”

“Merry Christmas to me,” Liam yelled as he searched for the engagement ring.

**

Permatag @ao719 @burnsoslow @aestheticartsx @ofpixelsandscribbles @hopefully-sky @thegreentwin @alyssalauren @cordonia-gothqueen @twinkleallnight @charlotteg234 @kat-tia801 @debramcg1106 @gkittylove99 @kingliam2019 @mainstreetreader @neotericthemis @ladyangel70 @forallthatitsworth @princessleac1 @gabesmommie1130 @emkay512 @sfb123 @foreverethereal123 @lovingchoices14 @21-wishes @karahalloway @tessa-liam @mom2000aggie @tinkie1973 @emersyn-in-cordonia

TRR/TRH @jared2612 @marshmallowsaremyfavorite @iaminlovewithtrr @nikkis1983

[simsim54]

Alex sprawled across Henry’s lap, cocooned in the soothing warmth of Henry’s neck, savoring every word as he reads The Song of Achilles in that utterly enchanting British accent. In the soft glow, his thoughts drift to how it could’ve been them in another world.

Blond prince who looks like a Greek god~ check

His incredible dark-skinned love—check.

Defying homophobia and family drama—double-check.

But as he considers how Achilles and Patroclus missed out on happiness in the end, a shiver runs through him. Henry sets the book aside, and suddenly, he finds himself enveloped in the sturdy embrace of Henry’s arms, accompanied by a tender kiss planted on his curls. In the softest of tones, Henry inquires, “Sweetheart, are you okay?” Alex responds with the faintest of nods, sensing a gentle flurry of kisses being placed on, forehead, cheeks, and, ultimately, his lips.

He then thinks of the ring box nestled in his stationary collection, patiently biding its time for that perfect moment. He can almost hear the words, whispered between heartbeats, sealing a pact made of shared dreams and endless love.

Achilles and Patroclus might not have gotten their happy ending, but Henry and Alex were going to.

Alex will make sure of that.

[cordonianroyalairlines]

Staking a Claim

Series: Cordonian Royal Airlines

Fandom: The Royal Romance

Pairings for series: Various

Pairing for this chapter: Riley x Drake

Word Count: 2,340

Rating: MA

Warnings for this chapter: Language mostly

A/N: This is for the @choicesholidays Valentine's Day prompts: "Be my fake date for a wedding."

The hair color is wrong for my Riley, but this image was perfect!

The copilot twisted around in his seat one too many times, craning his neck as if searching the cabin for something, jostling the pilot in the process.

Liam grunted in consternation. “Drake!”

Drake spun back around, “What?”

“What is your malfunction?”

“What do you mean?” Drake blinked at him in confusion.

“What do you mean what do I mean?” Liam grunted, “We haven’t made it through the preflight checklist because you keep turning around to stare into the cabin! What the hell is so interesting out there?”

“Nothing!” Drake rolled his shoulders, stared blankly out the cockpit window for a moment then turned back to Liam, “Can you see the guy in 12B?”

“What?” Liam’s head swiveled around and then back. “No. Why?”

Drake’s bottom lip protruded as he shook his head. “No reason.”

Liam watched him skeptically. Drake had been visibly agitated since he’d reported for duty. “There has to be a reason.”

“I…he just….he looks a little squirrely. You know what I mean? Untrustworthy.”

Liam’s eyes widened in alarm. “Is he a threat? Do we need to alert security? Did you see a weapon?” He whipped his head around quickly to try and get a good view of the man in 12B. “I can’t see anything. Riley’s blocking my view.”

“Is she talking to him?” Drake’s entire body moved just as Liam turned back around. Their heads collided with a resounding thwack.

“Ow! Fuck!” Liam grabbed his forehead.

“Sorry, sorry!”

“Seriously man, tell me what’s going on right now. I’m calling security!” Liam reached for the microphone but just as he got it to his mouth, Drake slapped it out of his hands.

“No!”

Liam watched in astonishment as the microphone flew out of his grip and hit the window then bounced off the dash. “Are you on drugs right now? Do I need to get another copilot?”

Drake gaped at him. “Seriously? When have I ever done drugs?”

“I don’t know man, but you’re acting really fucking weird.”

Hana ducked her head in to ask, “Are we almost ready? A couple of the passengers are getting antsy.”

“Which ones?” Drake asked.

Hana’s brows pulled together for a moment then smoothed out as she chuckled. “Oh. You know Riley’s ex is out there, don’t you?”

“What?” Drake’s eyes shot to Liam then back to Hana as he denied it. “I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

A relieved breath whooshed out of Liam. At least he now knew Drake wasn’t on drugs and there wasn’t a terrorist on board. He stifled a laugh. “Sure you don’t.”

“I don’t!” Drake glared at them both.

Hana giggled as she backed out of the cockpit.

They finished the checklist and got airborne, but Drake’s agitation quickly returned. “Do you think he’s better looking than me?”

“Who?”

“The guy! In 12B.”

“How would I know?”

“You’re bisexual, right? You can judge that kind of thing.”

Liam scoffed. “First of all, I haven’t laid eyes on the guy. Second of all, I thought you didn’t care.”

“No, I don’t! I mean….just objectively speaking, out of curiosity….I overheard Hana call him eye candy. He can’t be that good-looking, can he?”

“I dunno Drake, Riley is a ten, so I imagine her ex is no slouch in the looks department either.”

“Great.” Drake huffed as he spun around in his seat again.

“Oh, for the love of God, just go look!”

“I can’t do that!”

“Why not?”

“Because then she’ll know I care!”

Liam cocked an eyebrow at him, “So you do care?”

“I mean she’ll think I care!”

“You’re really an idiot sometimes, you know that?”

“I don’t follow.”

“Of course you don’t.” Liam shook his head. “The only person you’re fooling is yourself. Put the rest of us out of our misery and just tell the girl that you like her already!”

“I’m not going out there.”

“Okay.”

Drake tapped his fingers on his knees for several seconds before jumping out of his seat. “I need to use the bathroom.”

“Sure you do.”

“I had a lot of coffee before we boarded.”

“Sure you did.”

“Fuck you. I’m going to take a piss.”

“Great. Tell Riley I said hi.”

Drake ignored him as he exited the cockpit and headed for the back of the plane where the restrooms were located. He slid his eyes sideways as he passed aisle 12 and scoffed to himself. The guy wasn’t that good-looking.

He was clean-shaven with a strong jawline, and raven hair swept back and gelled to perfection. Was that an Armani suit? How were his eyes that blue?

He slammed into the lavatory and locked the door to glare at himself in the highly polished silver surface of the mirror as he regarded his deep copper-colored eyes and messy, fly-away hair that barely saw a brush, much less hair gel. He ran a hand across the stubble dotting his jaw. It was a strong jawline, wasn’t it? Should he shave?

The guy in seat 12B looked like a CEO or something. Did she like that type? Drake was far more likely to be found in a tent than a boardroom. Did he even own a suit? He owned uniforms. Didn’t women like men in uniforms?

He made pretty good money as a first officer for Cordonian Royal Airlines.

Not CEO money.

“Fuck!” He spun and lashed out at the toilet. His foot connected to the stainless steel sending a sharp jolt of pain shooting up his leg.

There was a knock at the door. “Everything okay in there?”

Shit! It was Riley! “I’m fine. Dropped my…. Wallet…” Fuck, Walker! What the shit is wrong with you, man? Your wallet really?

“Are you sure because that didn’t sound like—”

“I said I’m fine!”

“Okay. Just let me know if—oh, excuse me what?”

From the other side of the door, a man’s voice murmured something he couldn’t make out then both people moved away.

Was that the ex talking to her? He forced himself to count to twenty so he didn’t just barrel out of the bathroom after them. He took several deep calming breaths like Max had tried to show him last time he had been upset about something. At least he thought it was what Max had done. At the time, he had mostly ignored him.

With an air of calm he most certainly did not feel, he exited the lavatory. His eyes went straight to seat 12B. Empty. He backtracked and ducked into the crew area.

Sure enough, there was Riley standing in the middle of the empty inflight catering kitchen talking to Mr. CEO.

All his jealousy evaporated in an instant as he took in her demeanor. Her arms were folded defensively across her chest and her face was furrowed into a frown. She was shaking her head as she leaned forward, her voice lowered but her entire body radiating her discomfort with the conversation.

The guy reached out and grabbed her arm.

She flinched away.

Oh hell no.

Drake didn’t remember moving but he was suddenly next to them, his hand wrapped firmly around the man's wrist. He flung the other man’s arm away from Riley and through gritted teeth asked, “Is there a problem here?”

The man gave him a startled look then annoyance flashed across his face. “We were just having a discussion.”

“Doesn’t look like the lady’s enjoying the conversation.”

“Mind your own business,” he shook his head dismissively and reached for her again, “Riley, if we could just talk privately—”

Drake intercepted the motion before he could touch her. “If you’re attached to that hand and wish to keep it, then I would strongly advise you against touching her again.”

He jerked his hand out of Drake’s grasp and rubbed his wrist. “Was that really necessary?”

Drake never took his eyes off the man as he leaned his body toward Riley, “Do you want to talk to this guy?”

“No.”

“But, Riley—”

“We have nothing to talk about, Nick!”

Drake angled his body so that he was blocking Riley from Nick’s view. He crossed his arms over his chest. “You heard her.”

Nick looked like he wanted to press the issue, but after taking in Drake’s stormy expression, thought better of it. He straightened his suit jacket with a sharp tug. “Fine. I’ll see you at the wedding. We’ll talk then.”

“You’re not coming to my sister’s wedding!”

“Oh, didn’t I tell you? I’ll be there as Clarissa’s plus one.”

Riley shook her head back and forth. “Seriously? When we were dating, you couldn’t stand her!”

A gloating smile crept across his face. “Jealous?”

“Why would I be jealous?”

“Because you’re not over me, Riley. If you were, you’d have bothered to line up a date for the wedding.”

“I—”

“She has a date for the wedding.” Drake cut in as he casually slung his arm around her shoulders.

Nick turned his gaze to Drake for a long, evaluating moment. “Are you the new boyfriend then?”

“Yep. And I’m only going to ask you once to return to your seat. If you don’t stop harassing the flight crew, I will land this plane and have security escort you off of it.”

Nick’s eyes widened slightly as he huffed out, “You wouldn’t dare!”

Riley ran her hand down Drake’s arm as she smirked at Nick, “He would. He’s very protective when it comes to me. I wouldn’t test him if I were you.”

“Whatever,” Nick bumped Drake’s shoulder as he shoved past them and exited the kitchen.

Drake’s arm was still around Riley as he turned his head to watch Nick leave. “Let me know if he bothers you again and I’ll—”

Riley spun on him in fury, her fists raining blows on his chest. “What the fuck did you just do, Drake?”

His hand flew to his chest. “Ow! What the hell, Riley? I just rescued you from that guy!”

“I didn’t need rescuing, Drake. I can handle Nick. He’s an asshole, but he’s not a serial killer or something!”

Drake scoffed with a shake of his head, “I think the phrase you’re looking for is thank you.”

“Oh yeah? Really?”

“Yeah, really!”

“Do you know what you just did? Do you?”

“Um…got the asshole ex-boyfriend to leave you alone?”

“No, you fucking jackass.” She slapped his arm. “You just told him that you’re my boyfriend and my date to my sister’s wedding!”

“So?”

“So?” She threw her arms up in the air. “So when I show up at the wedding with no date and no boyfriend he’ll know that was a lie and I’ll be humiliated!”

“Oh.”

“Yeah…oh!”

They stood in silence for a long moment, Drake rubbing his chest and Riley fuming. Then Drake quietly said, “I’ll go to the wedding with you.”

“What?”

“I mean….if you want me to.”

“I…”

“I did get you into this situation. Let me make it up to you by getting you out of it. One fake boyfriend slash date for sister’s wedding coming right up!”

All the fight went out of her as she took in the hopeful smile on his face. “I can’t ask you to do that, Drake.”

“Why not?”

“Because the wedding is on Valentine’s Day and I’m sure you already have plans. I can’t ask you to cancel—”

“Pfffftttt.” He waved a hand dismissively in the air. “I do not have plans for Valentine’s Day!”

“You don’t?”

Did she sound hopeful?

“No, I do not. No girlfriend, no friend with benefits, no romantic entanglements at all.”

Except with you.

A delighted smile broke out across her face. “Okay, then.”

“So, we’re good?”

She gave him a flirtatious smile as she flipped her hair and turned to leave. “We’re good.”

“Okay, good.”

He watched her walk away with a contented smile on his lips then followed her out of the kitchen and back to the front of the plane. He glowered at Nick as he passed aisle 12.

Nick returned the glare as he adjusted his headphones and slid down in the seat.

When he stepped onto the flight deck Liam greeted him with smug satisfaction. “That was the longest piss in the world.”

“Shut up.” He slid into the copilot seat without looking at his best friend.

“So how’d it go? Did you get a good look at her ex?”

“Um….yeah… he’s a pushy bastard. I had to tell him to keep his hands to himself and….”

“And?”

Drake released a long-suffering sigh knowing Liam was going to find out sooner or later. Riley would tell Max and Max would tell everyone else. “I’m going as her date to her sister’s wedding.”

“Wow! That’s quite a jump from ‘I don’t like her like that’.” Liam chortled gleefully.

Drake kept quiet but his foot started tapping nervously.

“Oh, shit, there’s more! What is it?” Liam prodded.

“Ah…”

“Don’t make me call Max and find out.”

“Fuck,” he muttered under his breath.

“Come on, what else?”

“It’s on Valentine’s Day,” he answered with a resigned sigh.

Liam practically danced out of his seat. “This is amazing! This is epic! Mr. I will never take a woman out on Valentine’s Day because that’s far too much pressure and it’s all about commercialization anyway is taking a woman out on Valentine’s Day. To her sister’s wedding!”

“Why does this make you so happy?”

“Because I get to say I told you so forever!”

“It’s not even a real date.”

“Sure it’s not.”

“It’s not!”

“Does she know that?”

“Yes! I just said I was her boyfriend so that Nick guy would stop—”

“Wait! Wait! You played the pretend boyfriend card to back off her ex?”

“Yeah…so?”

Liam threw his head back and belly laughed. “You are such a goner!”

Drake pressed his lips into a tight line and returned his attention to the control panel. He wanted to argue, he really did. But he couldn’t.

He was absolutely a goner.

And he was going to have to buy a suit.

Shit.

[ao719]

Best Kept Secrets

Best Kept Secrets - Maybe We’ll Get It Right (Chapter 18)

Characters belong to Pixelberry.

Summary: An unforeseen encounter with the past proves that even the best-kept secrets eventually make their way into the light. 

Title inspiration: Hold On Tight - Forest Blakk

Book/Pairing: TRR; Liam x F!OC

A/N: Thank you to @burnsoslow for prereading most of this. Please excuse any errors. 

Rating: M • Warning: This series will contain NSFW material. If you read, you acknowledge you are 18+

Catch up here

Standing in her bedroom inside the north wing, Amara stared at her reflection in the floor-length mirror. She scanned over her outfit before meeting her own anxious gaze; she took in a deep breath and slowly let it out, trying to settle her nerves. 

Today would be Amara’s and Liam’s first public outing with Sophia since the statement had been given. It would be the first time the press would not only catch a glimpse of the heir but see the three of them together … as a family. She knew that the purpose behind the outing was to show the public that their King had moved beyond her betrayal and that they were putting the past behind them for the sake of their child. It was all in hopes of shifting the negative attention she was receiving and showing her in a more favorable light. 

Amara was nervous, however. One would think she would find this to be fairly simple; working the press to change public perception was literally her job, but it was much different being the one whose image you’re trying to change their perception of. She wouldn’t be working her PR magic behind the scenes because she was the one under the microscope. She knew her every move was going to be picked apart, questioned, and, at times, manipulated to fit whatever narrative they were attempting to paint of her. Whatever they felt was going to sell a story was what they were going to try and sell, truth or not. 

Despite knowing this was something they needed to try, Amara had second-guessed the decision since Daniel suggested it; they’d given themselves an extra week behind the palace walls to prepare, but she felt anything but because she couldn’t get out of her own head. She didn’t want her presence during these planned outings to make things even more difficult for Liam than she’d already made them. 

However, when Amara subtly brought up the concern, Liam didn’t seem all too phased. They planned to spend the day on the private beach, and he reminded her that while, yes, the press was sure to be camped out nearby, they would still be far enough away so they’d be able to enjoy their day together with Sophia and that he was looking forward to spending the day out … with both of them. He seemed to be treating it as both a casual and normal outing and not one that was planned with a purpose.

Amara wasn’t reading too much into what he’d said, however, seeing his words for exactly what they were. She knew it was nothing more than his way of trying to make her feel more relaxed because he could sense that she was on edge about it. To think he meant anything beyond that was pointless. Despite her feelings for him, she’d forced herself to face reality over the last month and a half, a reality where she knew that any chance she might have had at continuing to rekindle things between them was long gone. After what she’d done, he’d never give her a second chance, and she didn’t deserve one. Her feelings for him didn’t matter and didn’t mean anything to anyone but her, so she shoved them into a box and pushed any notion of them being anything more than co-parents as far down as she could. It hurt, of course, but it was the consequences of her actions. And she’d suffer in silence because she wasn’t going to let those feelings get in the way of his and Sophia’s relationship. 

A knock on the door pulled Amara’s attention, and she gave herself one last glance in the mirror before turning and exiting her bedroom. When she opened the door, she smiled at Sophia, who was giving her signature toothy grin.

“Mama!”

“Hi, baby,” Amara chuckled as she took her from Liam’s arms when she leaned over to her. She kissed her cheek as she ran her hand over her head of blonde hair. 

“Morning,” Liam said. 

Amara offered him a tentative smile. “Morning.” She stepped aside to let him in, closing the door behind her. “I have her stuff ready. I’ll just go get her changed real quick.” 

Liam nodded and watched the two of them disappear down the hall, listening to Sophia babble and Amara laugh, smiling as he sat down in the living area to wait. He drummed his fingers against his thighs, wondering what the day was going to bring.

They would be spending the day at the private beach, and while he knew it would be accessible to the press, it would keep them far enough away so they wouldn’t be too overbearing. They couldn’t go out in public and make it obvious that they were putting on a show for the cameras. 

Truthfully … it wasn’t about the cameras for Liam nor was it a show. Yes, he was doing this as a way to hopefully shift the narrative surrounding Amara, and he was looking forward to finally taking Sophia beyond the palace walls, but it was more than that for him. He wanted to spend the day out with Amara, too. 

Over the last month and a half since everything had happened, one of the things he struggled with most was his feelings for Amara. At first, those feelings were suffocated by anger and resentment, but once he forced himself to let go of those emotions for the sake of moving forward, they came back tenfold. Now that he’d been spending every day with her the past two weeks, practically playing house inside the palace with her and Sophia … the three of them, together, as a family … everything he felt before seemed amplified. His feelings began to consume him, and he wasn’t sure how much longer he’d be able to continue to shove them aside. And maybe he shouldn’t. He’d been trying to do what was best for Sophia, but perhaps what was best for her was the very thing he’d been trying to ignore. 

Liam had a couple of reservations, however, and they seemed to be the one thing holding him back. 

The first reservation was trust. No matter which way Liam looked at the situation, he’d been betrayed. Did he now understand the place in which Amara was coming from? A little. He’d allowed himself to see things from her perspective, and he understood her headspace at the time. It didn’t change the fact that he was still lied to and kept in the dark about something as important as the existence of his child. Were there other secrets she was keeping? He didn’t know. And he didn’t know if he could trust her to not keep more in the future. 

The second reservation was fear. Twice now Liam had tried to make things work between them, and he was left broken both times. They say the third time’s the charm, but this was something that now went beyond just him. If they tried again and they failed a third time, not only would it affect him but Sophia as well. He and Amara had a knack for being unable to get their stars to align. Could he really risk Sophia being collateral damage in a game he wasn’t sure he would ever win?

“Dada!” 

Sophia’s squeal pulled Liam from his thoughts. He glanced over and a laugh bubbled out of him at the sight of her toddling towards him in a white cover-up that concealed her bright pink bathing suit, tiny aviators, and a floppy white sun hat. “Look at you looking like a little beachy princess,” he chuckled as he scooped her into his arms. “Are you ready for our day at the beach?” Sophia nodded with a clap of her hands. “Is mommy ready?”

They both looked at Amara at the same time, and she forced a smile. “I’m ready.”

****

When Bastien pulled into the private parking lot of the beach, Amara turned her face away from the window, shielding her eyes from the flashes of the cameras. The press had been camped outside of the gate when they left the palace and had followed them. Having spent so much time tracking the royal family’s movements, it didn’t take them long to realize where they were headed; they raced ahead so they were there waiting when they arrived. 

When Liam exited the vehicle, the press, who were contained behind another gate where two more guards stood to ensure they didn’t cross, began shouting his name. He turned and tossed his hand up in a wave as they snapped photos before turning back toward the vehicle. 

Liam met Amara’s gaze as she finished unbuckling Sophia from her car seat. “Here we go …” 

Liam lifted Sophia from her seat and into the safety of his arms, and when he pulled her from the vehicle, the frenzy ensued. The press shouted louder as the shutters from their cameras went off. Sophia turned her head toward the clamor as her grip on his shirt tightened. “It’s ok, little love,” he whispered. 

Occupied by their first glimpses of the princess, the press almost missed the moment Amara came into view. Almost. The moment they noticed her, more shouts ensued as their cameras continued to snap photos. 

“Why is she with you, King Liam?”

“Anything to say about your betrayal to the King, Ms. Onasis?”

“Will she be leaving Cordonia soon?”

“Will the Princess be staying?”

Amara turned so her back was toward them and inhaled a deep breath. She felt Liam’s hand on her shoulder a moment later and looked up at him; he gestured toward the path that led to the beach and she nodded before starting toward it. 

Once down on the beach, Amara set the bag she’d packed beside one of the chairs that were set up beneath an umbrella. She glanced around, taking in the silence, feeling a little more at ease, but only for a moment before she saw the press hurrying toward the edge of the barrier. The guards were already in place, ensuring they stayed on the other side, and they were far enough away where they wouldn’t be a bother, but just knowing they were there at all had her right back on edge. 

“Did you hear me?”

Amara snapped her gaze to Liam. “No. I’m sorry … what did you say?”

“Sunscreen?” Liam pointed to Sophia.

“Yeah.” Amara shook her head and crouched down next to the bag, pulling out the sunscreen she’d packed for her.

Liam set Sophia down on the chair, and Amara removed her tiny cover-up before smothering her in sunscreen. Once she was finished, she stood and turned to see a now shirtless Liam setting up the toys he’d brought on the massive beach blanket that was laid out for them; he’d slipped inside the tent just behind their chairs to change. She turned away from him and closed her eyes; between the press and him, her mind was jumbled.

“Ready?” Liam’s voice sounded from behind her, and she turned, but he was speaking to Sophia. He scooped her up and set her on the edge of the blanket so she could reach the sand before laying on his side next to her. 

Amara stood and stared at the two of them as they played. Then her gaze flickered to the edge of the beach where the press remained, continuing to snap photos. She couldn’t help but wonder what story they were going to try and spin from this. 

“Are you going to join us?” Liam asked.

Amara looked back at him. “Uh … yeah.” She kicked off her flip-flops before reaching down and grabbing the hem of her cover-up to remove it but froze as her eyes lifted to the press again. She casually brushed her hand against the fabric of the cover-up as she moved toward the blanket and sat down on the other side of Sophia. 

Liam looked up at her, squinting against the bright sun. “Did you not bring a suit?” he asked, gesturing to her cover-up that was still on. 

“I’m … I’m fine right now,” Amara lied as she looked out at the water. She wasn’t fine. 

Under the heat of the Mediterranean sun and the watchful eyes of the press, Amara was hot and flustered … but she didn’t want to take off the cover-up, afraid of what story the press would spin from it. Would they say she was trying to seduce him into forgiveness by flouncing around in a bikini? Would they criticize her for said bikini because she was the mother of the heir and not setting the example they thought she should? Hell, she was afraid to even look at Liam for a second too long, knowing what type of story one photo of that could paint. 

Liam stared at Amara as she gazed out at the water. He knew something was bothering her and he didn’t have to ask what it was. She’d been on edge the past week since they planned this first outing, and when he saw her this morning, he knew she hadn’t eased up. It was easy for him to ignore the presence of the press because he’d grown up with it and learned to drown them out a long time ago. Amara, however, wasn’t used to being on this side of things. On top of that, she was consumed by how her presence would rub off on him and Sophia and worried what stories would be in the papers the next morning. Because of that, she was being careful. Too careful, considering she wouldn’t even remove her cover-up. 

“Amara,” Liam said, and she glanced at him. “Relax.”

“I am relaxed.”

Liam snorted. “No, you’re not.” She dropped his gaze and bit her lip self-consciously. “Hey, look at me,” he whispered, but she shook her head. “Look at me.” She hesitated another moment before glancing up. “Don’t pay them any mind. It’s just you and me here, ok? Just us.”

Amara held his gaze. He knew exactly what was running through her mind without her having to say a word. And she felt the sincerity behind his words from the way he looked at her. But she needed to defuse the situation before her stupid heart took any of it to mean something more than it really did. “And Soph,” she quipped. 

“Yes,” Liam shook his head with a small smile. “But you know what I meant.” With Sophia occupied with filling her bucket full of sand one small scoop at a time, he laid on his back, tucking his arms under his head as he closed his eyes. “Take off the damn cover-up and enjoy yourself.” 

Liam heard her let out a quiet chuckle, and after another beat of silence, he could hear the quiet shift of the fabric against her skin. He opened one eye and inconspicuously slid it in her direction; his chest tightened at the sight of her body in the navy blue bikini before he quickly snapped the eye shut. 

****

That night, Liam and Amara put Sophia to bed inside her room in the north wing. They’d spent the entire day at the beach, playing in the water and lounging on the shore. Once they returned to the palace, she’d taken a bath, and barely made it through dinner before she passed out in Liam’s arms. 

The press had watched them the entire day, but Amara took Liam’s advice and ignored them as best as she could. She knew she had to come to terms with the fact that they were going to write what they wanted and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it except suck it up and deal with it. 

They quietly shut Sophia’s door behind them before creeping down the hall, stopping in front of the living area. “She racked out,” Liam quietly chuckled. 

Amara smiled as she leaned against the entryway, crossing her arms and tucking her hands beneath them. “She had fun today.”

“Minus the evil wave,” Liam quietly laughed. 

Amara jutted her lip out in a pout before bowing her head and covering her mouth with her hand to contain her laugh at the memory of the wave that washed away the sandcastle they’d helped Sophia build. She was not happy, and her extreme meltdown over the loss was when they knew it was probably time to pack it up and leave. 

“I thought she was going to try and kick that wave’s ass,” Liam chuckled. 

Amara snorted against her palm before looking back up at him, and when she did, a strand of her hair caught on her eyelashes. Instinctively, Liam reached up to brush it away. 

The air suddenly felt very thick as they stared at each other and both their smiles slowly faded. 

Snapping from his momentary daze, Liam quickly dropped his hand. “Uh … sorry. You had — your hair, I mean … it was …” He trailed off and blew out a breath. 

Amara continued to stare at him, feeling a bit bemused as her heart and mind argued over what just happened and what it meant. Nothing, she told herself. It was nothing. “Yeah … uh, thanks.”

“Well … I should probably …” Liam gestured over his shoulder to the door. “I have sand in places where there shouldn’t be sand and need to shower,” he chuckled, earning a laugh from her. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Yeah. I’ll let you know when she’s up so we can meet for breakfast.” 

“Sounds good.” 

Liam leaned down and kissed her cheek, letting it linger a heartbeat longer than normal before he drew back; he met her gaze for a split second before he turned and opened the door, quickly disappearing into the hall.

*******

Sitting inside his study, Liam read over an article from Trend magazine, detailing his and Amara’s outing over the past weekend in Applewood; he was needed there to go over a proposal to expand the orchids and invited Amara to bring Sophia. The article had several photos printed beside it, each one from a distance; a few of him and Sophia as they walked through the orchids, some of just her, and a few of the three of them together.

It had been nearly a month since that first outing at the beach, and the many they had after seemed to be doing the job they were intended to do. Most of the press — Trend being one — had done exactly what Daniel had said and followed his lead, looking beyond the past and focusing on the here and now. A few remained skeptical, however, questioning Amara’s motives for remaining in Cordonia and her intentions going forward. They didn’t know that she’d already decided to stay because he had yet to make a public statement. He knew he would need to make one soon, though; he’d spoken to Daniel, who told him the next step would be for the people to hear directly from him since they hadn’t at all since Sophia’s existence had been made public nearly two months ago. 

Liam was happy to know that things with the press were starting to settle down. What wasn’t settling down were his feelings for Amara. Each night after they would put Sophia to bed, the length of time they lingered behind got longer. They went from a few moments of simple conversation to now talking over drinks or a late-night snack about their day and making plans for the next. They had gotten closer and had fallen back into a place where things didn’t feel so tense. 

It was comfortable. 

It was familiar. 

Every day they spent together chipped away at those reservations Liam had and drew out his feelings even more. And every day he came closer and closer to throwing caution to the wind and taking that leap. 

Hearing a knock on his study door, Liam called for them to enter; when it opened, he lifted his gaze from the magazine article just as Amara stepped inside with Sophia. 

“Dada!” 

“Hi, little love,” Liam grinned as he stood and walked around his desk; he crouched down as she toddled toward him and he scooped her into his arms, smothering a mix of playful kisses and raspberries against her cheeks as she giggled.

“Hope we’re not interrupting anything,” Amara said.

Liam situated Sophia on his hip. “Not at all,” he replied before leaning forward to kiss her cheek; his hand brushed down the length of her arm as he drew back. “To what do I owe the pleasure?” 

“I wanted to come talk to you.”

“About?”

“I’m going to have to make a trip to New York.” 

Liam looked at her. “Oh?”

“My lease is up at the end of the month,” Amara explained. “I’ve been putting it off, hoping to have found a place beforehand, but that hasn’t happened yet.”

Despite the surprise her words gave him, Liam kept his expression impassive. “I hadn’t realized you’d been looking.” 

“Well, I haven’t … not really, I mean. I’ve perused some listings, but I’m still weighing my options between renting or buying and haven’t made a decision yet. But I can’t put off packing up my apartment any longer since I only have a couple of weeks. And I’ll have to clear out my office space as well.” 

Liam nodded. “Ok. Are you thinking this weekend, or …?”

“I wanted to check with you first,” Amara said. “I didn’t know if you had anything going on, and I figured you’d want Soph to stay here with you.” 

Liam thought for a moment as he glanced at Sophia; he scrunched his nose with a smile when she offered him one of her toothy grins. “How about we go together?” 

Amara’s brows rose in surprise. “You … you want to go?”

“Sure,” Liam shrugged as he looked back at her. “Let Imogen know, and we can leave Friday and take the weekend … get it all done in one shot so you don’t have to worry about going back for anything. There’s plenty of room on the jet to store whatever you need to bring back with you.”

Amara stared at him for a moment. “If you’re sure …” 

“I am,” Liam smiled. “I’ll have Bastien make arrangements.” 

*******

A few mornings later, the SUV pulled up on the tarmac, stopping alongside the waiting jet. Liam glanced out the window at the press that were huddled together on the other side of a barrier.

“How did they know we would be here?” Amara asked.

Liam sighed with a shrug. “They always manage to find things out one way or another.” He looked over to where she sat on the other side of Sophia’s car seat. “Get her on the jet. I’ll handle them.” 

Amara nodded and unbuckled Sophia’s straps before lifting her out of the seat. A guard opened the door and she and Imogen slid out; she ignored the volley of shouted questions from the press as she carried Sophia up the stairs and disappeared inside the jet. 

“Sir?” Bastien said from the driver’s seat.

Liam looked up, meeting his gaze in the rearview mirror as the other two guards took their luggage and Sophia’s car seat to the jet. “I’ll talk to them.” 

Bastien nodded before getting out and opening Liam’s door. When the King came into view, the press shouted at him; he was a picture of calm as he buttoned his suit jacket and made his way toward the crowd. 

“King Liam, where are you headed?” Donnie Brine from the CBC asked as Liam neared. 

“I’ll be in New York for a few days,” Liam answered.

Another slew of shouted questions ensued, and they were all asking the same thing in various ways: is Amara leaving with Sophia? Thinking back on his several conversations with Daniel over the past couple of weeks, and knowing he could use this as an opportunity to put any more doubts about her intentions to rest, he decided to be transparent. 

Liam held up his hand to quiet them, and once he had their attention, he cleared his throat. “We’re headed to New York for the weekend to pack up Ms. Onasis’ belongings as she will be staying in Cordonia permanently so that I may continue to maintain a relationship with our daughter.”

More questions were immediately volleyed, but one in particular had caught his attention.

“Are you concerned she’ll try to leave again with the princess?”

Liam sighed, knowing they were referring to what was mentioned in Daniel’s statement. “The circumstances surrounding Ms. Onasis trying to leave in the past were entirely different.”

“Can you elaborate?” a reporter asked, holding their recorder out in front of him.

Transparency, he reminded himself. “Ms. Onasis had been spooked by the betrothal aspect of the alliance that Auvernal had been pushing for. When she learned of the blackmail threat, she became frightened of what that meant for our daughter, and in a moment of panic, yes, she tried to leave. But as a mother, she was trying to protect her child … and that’s not something I can or will fault her for. As for the move … she’s uprooting her entire life to ensure that the princess and I stay together, and I’m extremely grateful that she’s so willing to do that.” 

The reporters stared at Liam in a bout of awed silence, and a heartbeat later, they were shouting more questions.

“Will they be staying with you at the palace?”

“What’s the status of your relationship with Ms. Onasis?” 

“Are you rekindling your romance?” 

They’d changed their tune so fast, it gave Liam whiplash. He let out a breath, feeling a bit lighter, but decided he wasn’t answering any more questions. He didn’t really have the answers at the moment anyway. He threw his hand up in a wave before turning and heading towards the jet. 

****

After the long flight and traffic-jammed ride from the airport, Liam and Amara arrived at their hotel in New York that afternoon; they’d planned to arrive early enough to leave them time for Sophia to hopefully nap off the jet lag. 

Once Sophia was asleep in the guest room of the suite, Liam sent Imogen to her own room that was situated across the hall to rest. He plopped onto the sofa in the living area while Amara stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, taking in the view. 

“Have you missed it?” Liam asked. 

Amara shrugged. “Certain things, like pizza and breakfast bagels, yes,” she chuckled. “But other than that … not particularly, no.” 

Liam stood and came next to her. “Where’s your apartment from here?”

“About 15 minutes that way,” Amara pointed. “It’s in Tribeca.” They were at the Millennium in lower Manhattan. “And my office is only a block from there.” 

“Have you made any decisions regarding your company and what you plan to do?”

“Not yet,” Amara shook her head. “We’re on a bit of a pause at the moment until I figure things out. Daniel hasn’t decided whether he’s staying yet, but with both Riley and I now there and him not having anything tying him down here …” She shrugged. “But I could still run the company from there and set up an office … or I could sell it …”

“You’d really consider selling it?” 

“If that’s what needs to be done … yes,” Amara answered. And I know a couple of competitors that would probably be more than willing to take it off my hands.”

Liam leaned against the window frame as he crossed his arms over his broad chest. “You seem pretty content for someone giving up so much of themself on a whim.” 

Amara looked back out the window. “I wouldn’t say it’s on a whim.” 

Liam’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“I mean …” Amara paused, taking in a breath and slowly letting it out. “I mean that all of this was stuff I’ve thought about from the moment I found out I was pregnant.” She tucked her hands beneath her arms as she fought against the urge to look at him. “I always thought about the what-ifs … and I planned out all these different scenarios in my head for the day I finally drummed up enough courage to … to tell you. And in all of those scenarios, the outcome was the same … I was leaving New York, and either running the company from where I was or selling it. Now that I think about it … it was never really a what-if, but more of a when.” 

Liam remained silent for a moment before speaking. “I just … I don’t want this move to be something you come to regret later on.” 

“It’s for you and Sophia.” Amara looked up at him again. “I would never regret it.” 

Liam stared at her, not having realized until that moment how close they’d shifted to one another, and he saw the moment she realized it, too. Her gaze was both hesitant and questioning, but then she looked away from him and took a step back. 

“Um … I think I’m going to nap while Sophia is.” 

“Yeah.” Liam cleared his throat as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I, uh … I’m actually not that tired, so I can listen for her if you want to go lay down in the master.” He’d already offered for her to take the bigger of the two rooms. 

“Ok,” Amara nodded.

Liam watched Amara turn and heard her let out a breath as she disappeared inside the room. 

*******

The following morning, Liam and Amara headed over to her apartment while Imogen stayed with Sophia at the hotel. Liam had arranged for a moving company to meet them there to take the boxes she would be bringing back and load them on the jet. From what she’d told him, most of it would consist of her and Sophia’s clothes. Anything she didn’t need, she planned to throw out or donate. 

When they pulled up outside of the tall brick building, Liam slid out before turning to help Amara out. They greeted the staff of the moving company that was already there waiting before heading inside. 

After riding the elevator up to the seventh floor, they stepped out, and Liam followed Amara down the hall. She paused in front of a door and unlocked it, and when she pushed it open and stepped inside, he followed. 

Liam glanced around as he moved further inside. He’d never seen her apartment, but it was exactly what he pictured her having. Casual with a touch of modern sophistication. “This is nice.”

Amara looked around fondly; she’d always loved her apartment. “Thanks.” 

“Where should we start, Miss?” a voice spoke from the doorway. 

Amara turned to the movers lingering in the hall. “Uh …” She glanced around. “Living room and kitchen.” She then looked at Liam. “We can get started on Sophia’s room and then mine.”

“Lead the way,” Liam gestured. 

****

Within a couple of hours, most of the apartment had been boxed up. While the movers carried boxes from the kitchen, living room, and Sophia’s room down to the truck, Liam and Amara finished up in her room. 

“I’m going to take this out,” Amara said when she finished taping the last box of her shoes shut. 

Liam nodded. “I’ll bring the nightstand out for you.”

“Thank you,” Amara replied before pushing the box out the door and down the hall.

Turning to the nightstand next to the bed, Liam reached down and hooked his fingers under the lip of the top. He lifted it, and when he realized it was heavier than he anticipated, he tilted it to adjust his hold; the movement caused the drawer to slide out of it and crash to the floor. 

“Shit.” 

Liam set the nightstand back down before kneeling to pick up the contents from the drawer now scattered on the floor. As he scooped up the items, something caught his eye, and he froze as he stared at it. A photo. He reached down and grabbed it, bringing it closer, only to notice another beneath it. And they weren’t just any photos, but ones of him and Amara. He remembered the night the one he held in his hand was taken. They were watching a movie in his quarters and were on the sofa; she was resting back against his chest with his arms wrapped tightly around her and his face was playfully nuzzling her neck with a grin as she smiled. He picked up the other from the floor. It was of them in the maze; she was on his back with her arms looped around his neck, both of them laughing. 

At that moment, at the sight of those photos, at the realization that she’d kept them all this time, Liam felt the last of the reservations he’d been holding onto crumble. He wanted to be the two people in those photos again. 

Two people who could make each other laugh and smile.

Two people who were better when they were together. 

Two people who were happy and in love.

“Liam?” Amara’s voice carried down the hall. 

Liam snapped from his daze and cleared his throat. “Coming.” He placed the rest of the items back in the drawer but slipped the photos into his back pocket before standing and carrying the nightstand out. 

****

That night, Amara stood out on the balcony of the hotel suite while Liam put Sophia into bed. She stared out at the view of the city she’d called home all her life, but she couldn’t say she’d miss it all that much. 

“Penny for your thoughts?” Liam said behind her.

Amara glanced over her shoulder, and her eyes followed him as he came to stand beside her. “Nothing,” she said, “just … taking in the view. Did she go down ok?”

“Yeah,” Liam nodded as he leaned against the railing. “Out like a light.” He glanced out at the view, staying quiet for a moment before looking over at her. “Are you going to miss it?”

“No … not really,” Amara answered. “I think … I think I’m ready to start over somewhere else.” 

Liam stared at her for a moment before taking her answer for the opening it was. “Speaking of starting over …” He stood upright and reached back, pulling the two photos from his back pocket. “When we were packing … these fell out of your nightstand drawer.” 

Amara focused on the photos in his hand, fighting against looking at him as she blinked away the sting in her eyes. “Yeah …” 

“I didn’t realize you had them.” 

“I …” Amara let out a soft breath and cast her gaze to the ground.

Liam’s thumb slid under her chin and he lifted her eyes to his. “No more secrets.” 

Amara swallowed. “I would look at them … in hopes I could convince myself to reach out to you … to tell you about Sophia.” She fell quiet for a moment before speaking again, her next words coming out just above a whisper. “And on days when I missed you … which was all the time … I’d look at them to remind myself of what it felt like to be whole … because that’s what being with you made me feel. Whole and complete … and happy.”

Liam searched her eyes for a moment, and in the next, he leaned down, capturing her lips in his. Amara stiffened in surprise, needing to rest her hands against his chest to keep herself upright, but when his arm curled around her waist and pulled her closer, she went more than willingly. When her lips parted against his, she felt his tongue softly curl against hers, so slowly at first it was as if he were trying to savor the moment, but then he deepened the kiss, and she gripped his shirt to steady herself.

Forcing himself not to get too caught up, Liam drew back. It took her a moment to open her eyes, and they stared at each other in silence for a few heartbeats before she looked away from him. He could see the self-consciousness fill her expression and realized it was because she determined that he must have thought what just happened was a mistake … but she was wrong. 

“I want to go back to being the two people in these photos. I want this again.” Liam held up the pictures. When she looked at him again, he saw the surprise in her eyes, like she couldn’t believe what he was saying. “I want this … I want us. But I want to slow down because I want us to be sure when we go in, if not for our sakes, then for Sophia’s.” 

At his words, a tear trickled down Amara’s cheek, and he reached up, brushing it away with his thumb. “I didn’t think … after what I’d done—”

“When I told you I was leaving the past in the past, I meant it, Amara,” Liam interrupted. “I just need to know if you want the same … that you’re willing to try.”

Amara took in a shuddered breath as her tear-filled eyes searched his. And then she nodded. “I want the same,” she whispered. 

Liam dropped his hand from her face and curled his fingers around hers. “Then we take it day by day once we get back home … and we’ll see how things go.” 

***************************************

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