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dxncingwithastrxnger · 1 year

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2. i wanna be so much more

A/N: Hey, guys!! Sorry this took so long!!! My focus has still been kinda shitty, plus I’ve gotten really busy and I shall continue to be a bit busy for the next week or two, but I’m still gonna try my best to get chapters out for you guys!! I’m working on this story, plus my other Trilance au annnddddd I may or may not start up another au that’s only focusing on Melizabeth, but I’m not sure if that’ll be sometime soon or not, it all just depends. Either way, I hope you guys like this chapter!! Ngl, I’m unsure about the first part of this chapter. It was written over a few days and it’s kinda foggy for me, I gotta read through it again, but I have no idea how good the quality of it is, so I hope it’s not too bad!! Happy reading!!

Pairing(s): Meliodas x Elizabeth, one-sided Tristan x Lancelot (you’ll see what I mean)

Summary: Prince Meliodas celebrates his birthday and two new visitors from the Fairy King’s Forest come to Liones. Lancelot meets people apart of his parents’ history and lays eyes on someone who makes his heart race in a way he’s never experienced before.

Tag(s): Mainly just fluff!! Also some of that ✨gay panic✨ and sexuality crisis starting up, lmaooo

Song Inspiration: Juliet By Cavetown

Word Count: 6,037

Not beta’d, all mistakes are my own.

~*~

[Series Masterlist]

[Chapter 1] [Chapter 2]

[Read on AO3]

[Author Masterlist]

~*~

"Melly, slow down! You better not let father see you running like that!" Margaret scolds from behind him.

Meliodas laughs, unconcerned, as he skids his feet and slides across the floor until he stops right in front of the dining hall doors. "It's fine, Maggie. You worry too much." He tells her.

"It's improper behavior for a prince, especially of your age." She informs him as if she hadn't already said almost the same exact thing to him millions of times in the past.

The blonde-haired man rolls his eyes. "I feel like I'm allowed to be a little improper on my own birthday." He points out, pushing open the large, ornate doors in front of them, stepping aside to let Margaret through.

The lilac-haired woman softens, smiling fondly at him. "I suppose you're right." She cups his cheeks for a moment. "Happy birthday, little brother."

Meliodas' face twists and he brushes her hands off. "Hey, quit it with that." He turns and walks into the room. He tries to act irritated by it, but the smile that lights up his face in response makes it difficult and he knows that his sister will see right through him, anyways. "Thank you, sister." He tells her before picking up the pace and jogging over to his spot at the table, right by his father and across from where Margaret will be sitting once she reaches the table.

"Meliodas! Happy birthday, son!" His father exclaims, reaching out to give the younger man a hard pat on the back.

Meliodas jolts forward and winces, the downside of being the smallest person in the family, but he shakes it off immediately and gives his father a grin. "Thank you, father." He says.

Margaret sits down right as their food is brought in and Meliodas' favorite breakfast is placed right in front of him. "Any plans for the day before your party starts tonight?" His sister asks him curiously.

"Any new friends you'll be inviting to your party?" His father asks him, trying not to sound too hopeful.

Meliodas answers his sister's question first. "Not really much, but there is this new tavern in the kingdom, right outside of town. I stopped by there for a moment last night just to say hi and it seems like a nice place-"

"Last night? When last night?"

Meliodas cringes, realizing his slipup. "Well, see, Grandmaster Hendrickson seemed a bit distracted, so I just wanted to give him the rest of the night off-"

"Brother!" Margaret says in a gasp.

"Meliodas." His father says in a disapproving tone, before sighing. "It's your birthday, so I'll let this slide for now. But next time you have sword training with one of our Grandmasters, I expect you to actually stick to it. Both Grandmaster Dreyfus and Grandmaster Hendrickson are very busy men who have dedicated their time to keeping our kingdom safe and protected and I would appreciate it if you showed them both the respect they've earned." The king lectures his son.

The blonde nods, giving the older man an apologetic look. "You're right, father, I apologize. I'll stay on task next time and stay through the whole training session." He assures.

"You better." And then the man smiles again. "Now. What about this new tavern?"

"Right!" Meliodas lights up again. "The tavern itself seems really nice and I met the owner as well." Elizabeth. "And I was wondering. Tonight, for the party, maybe we could invite the workers there to come serve some of their ale? We could pay them afterwards instead of the people attending paying for it themselves. It would be a good way for them to promote their business and it would certainly keep the people happy. I can talk to the owner today when I head over there." He tells them.

"Hmm. Well, it's certainly not a bad idea. Especially since I've heard that the representative that the Fairy King is sending is a very big fan of ale. Do you think they'd say yes?" His father asks.

"I'm sure she'd at least consider it." He tells them.

As he starts eating, he hears nothing but silence from the other two people with him and he looks back up, brows furrowed. Both his sister and his father are looking at him with surprise. "What?" He asks.

"She? This tavern is owned by a woman?" Margaret asks, a hint of teasing in her town.

"Well, yes, but-"

"Anything we should know about you and this tavern owner, Meliodas?" His father asks him, that hopefulness slowly coming back.

Meliodas flushes. "It's not like that, we just met last night and I thought she was really nice." And absolutely gorgeous, but that's besides the point. "I don't have any new friends, father, but if that changes, I will let you know as soon as I do. You know that." Meliodas assures.

The king sighs. "Yes, I know." He chews a bite of his food and swallows before continuing. "I'm sorry for my eagerness, Meliodas, but I'm really not getting any younger, you know." He points out. "But I'd rather wait a little longer rather than force you to marry someone you have no feelings for."

Meliodas nods. "I know, father. And trust me, you have no idea how much I appreciate you allowing me to find my own wife. But also, it wouldn't be taking so long like this if certain someones hadn't decided to just dump the responsibility of the entire kingdom on me." Meliodas says pointedly, narrowing his eyes at his sister. He tries not to feel too bitter about it, but Meliodas really feels that it's a bit unfair. He loves Margaret and Gilthunder dearly and becoming king won't be the worst thing in the world. He just wishes he'd at least had a say in the matter.

Margaret gives him an apologetic look. "Look, I know it isn't an ideal situation, Melly, but Gil and I really feel that the titles of King and Queen don't suit us, it's not how we want to spend the rest of our lives together." She explains.

Meliodas shrugs, giving her a bright grin. "No worries, sis, I'll be fine. As long as you and Gil are happy, then I have no problems being King." He tells her reassuringly. Despite his other feelings about it, he tells the truth. His sister and his best friend deserve happiness and he likes that he can help them get it.

"And you have nothing to worry about, either." His father speaks up. "You, my son, are going to be an incredible king. I have no doubt about that." The older man smiles affectionately at the blonde.

"Father is right, brother." His sister agrees.

Meliodas turns bashful, looking down at his food as his cheeks turn pink. "Thank you, father, sister, I'm glad to have your support." Both of them find amusement in his reaction to their compliments, his father chuckling and his sister giggling. He huffs slightly and continues to focus on his food, enjoying his breakfast with his family.

~*~

Two hours later, Meliodas walks up to the Boar's Hat tavern, knocking lightly on the wooden door. It's early morning, so he's almost certain they aren't officially open yet. He just hopes that Elizabeth is alright with him stopping by outside of business hours. He doesn't plan on staying long, as he doesn't want to intrude. He's just here to ask her about his party tonight and then he'll be on his way. It takes a long moment for anyone to answer and he's just about to knock again when the door finally opens.

He blinks in surprise at the person standing right in front of him now. It's not Elizabeth, but a man who looks eerily similar to her. He's got the same silver hair and wears it long, almost to his elbows. He has two different colored eyes, one green and one blue and he's wearing a light blue, sleeveless tunic with white trousers and yellow boots with a silver trim over them. Huh. He shoots the man a grin. "Hey! I'm Meliodas. I know you guys probably aren't open right now, but I wanted to discuss something with the people who work here, if that's alright." He greets kindly.

The man visibly swallows and he looks a little surprised, something else in his expression that Meliodas can't quite place. But then the silverette in front of him shakes his head slightly and his face softens into a kind smile. "Welcome to the Boar's Hat tavern, your majesty, c'mon on in. Luckily, you've caught all of us gathered together." He opens the door and holds his arm out to gesture Meliodas inside. The prince steps in and the door closes behind him. He sees Elizabeth sitting at the table closest to the center of the room along with a magenta-haired woman, three mostly empty plates on the table.

"Oh, I didn't mean to interrupt your meal. I can come back at a better time if you guys would like." Meliodas says apologetically.

"Oh, no, you're fine!" Elizabeth tells him.

"We're almost done anyways." The woman beside her says.

The silver-haired man takes a seat at the table where it seems he was sat before and the unknown woman holds her hand out to Meliodas. "I'm Veronica. Elizabeth's sister and the one and only chef of the Boar's Hat." She introduces herself.

Meliodas reaches out and shakes her hand. "Nice to meet you! I'm Meliodas, one and only Prince of Liones." He tells her. "Sister, huh?" He looks to Elizabeth.

Elizabeth smiles. "Yes, older sister, believe it or not."

"Huh. Good to know." He turns to the last person in the room that he hadn't been introduced to yet. "What about you?" He asks curiously.

The man looks up, seemingly startled. "Huh? Oh, uh, I'm-I'm Tristan. I'm the waiter, usually. And she's my mom." He says, nodding at Elizabeth.

Meliodas' eyes widen and he chokes on the air he's in the middle of breathing in. "M-mom?" He looks between the two.

Elizabeth gives him a small smile. "Yes, Tristan is my son."

Meliodas shakes his head. "But you look so-"

"Young?" Elizabeth raises an eyebrow at him. "Don't you dare go asking how old I am. Didn't anyone ever tell you that it's rude to discuss a woman's age?" She questions in a teasing tone and Meliodas flushes.

"Oh, n-no, no, n-nothing like that at all, I-I wouldn't dare be so rude!" Meliodas says quickly, mentally cursing himself for stuttering so much as heat fills his face. And then it all seems worth it as the most beautiful sound he's ever heard comes from the woman. Her laugh is like a gift from the goddesses themselves, the sound like music to his ears, and suddenly all he wants to do is make her laugh like that again.

When Veronica clears his throat, he realizes that he had been standing there and doing nothing but staring at Elizabeth in awe. He shakes his head, the heat on his face spreading to his ears as Veronica speaks again. "So, what is it you need to speak with us all about?" She asks him.

"Oh, right!" He smiles at each of them. "So, hear me out. Tonight, there's going to be a big party at the castle. And I was wondering if you guys would not only attend, but I was thinking you could bring a few barrels of ale for everyone. I was thinking of it mainly as a way for you guys to promote the business since you just got into town and rather than guests paying you, we would. A-and you wouldn't have to work the whole night or anything, you'd be able to enjoy the party. And! You can totally say no i-if you'd like to, I mean-"

"Meliodas." Elizabeth cuts his rambling off, placing a hand on his shoulder, and he jumps slightly. "That sounds like a wonderful idea. We'll be there."

"I mean, it's more money for us and I'll never say no to a good party." Veronica says, shrugging.

"Great! I can't wait to see you all there, then!" Meliodas exclaims.

"It's your birthday today, isn't it? Is that what the party's for?" Tristan asks and Meliodas gives him a confused look. "I-I heard from, uh, the holy knights that I, uh, met last night."

"Oh! Do you mean Gil and the others? I ran into them here last night as well!" At Tristan's nod, Meliodas nods as well. "Well, yeah, it is my birthday today. But I didn't want you guys to say yes just because it's my birthday, you know?"

Tristan shrugs. "Don't worry, whether it's your birthday or not doesn't change our answer, we'll be happy to go either way." The man smiles at him and so do Veronica and Elizabeth, nodding in agreement with Tristan. Seeing all three looking at him like that makes a strangely familiar and warm feeling bloom inside him and part of him feels the urge to run away from it. He smiles softly and thanks them before quickly coming up with an excuse to head out and leaves, trying his best to shake off the uncomfortable familiarity he'd felt just a moment before.

~*~

"Man, they better have some good ale at this fancy party of theirs. Leave it to Harlequin to send me to socialize with some stuffy royals."

"Didn't you volunteer to go?"

"Yeah, but that was before I knew I'd have to actually talk to these people. I thought I was just gonna scope it out to see if it's safe and then he would come and do all this shit." The white-haired man sighs softly and kicks at the dirt below him as the two of them stop walking, the town of Liones before them.

Lancelot shrugs. "I'm just glad I get to come along." He admits.

"Yeah, I guess that's one good part of it. 'Bout time I got to take ya on a trip outside of the forest." His dad reaches over and musses his hair with a grin.

"Dad!" Lance groans and ducks away from his dad's hand and the older man just chuckles.

"Oh, hey! Look at that!" His dad looks to something behind Lance. "There's a tavern over there, I think I'll head in and check it out. You comin'?"

Lance looks at the tavern and then at the other places around it, considering. Then he spots the woods behind the tavern and his eyes light up. "No, I think I'll go explore the woods a bit, actually." He tells him.

His dad gives him a look. "I bring you into town and you go right back into the woods?" He asks.

Lance grins. "The woods are fun! You can find anything in there!" He says excitedly. "I'll explore the town later!"

The other man rolls his eyes. "Alright, go have fun in the woods, kid. Meet me back here in about two hours, yeah?" Lance nods and his dad heads towards the tavern while Lance himself heads towards the woods.

The blonde hums softly to himself as he enters the woods, reaching one arm out and letting his hand brush against the bark of a tree. As he starts his walk, he looks around at all the plants and flowers growing along the forest floor and recites information he knows about each one in his head. Sparkella Mushrooms - Can be ground up to make an extremely flammable substance, mostly used in potions and not very good for eating. Violet Jewel - Flowered vines, not used for much but works great in flower crowns. Golden Maple - Great for cooking, best in desserts due to it's sweet taste, one of mom's favorites because of it's pretty golden-orange color. He stops and picks a few blossoms to give to her when he returns home, placing them in the bag over his shoulder.

Lance comes to a stop as he reaches a bundle of sapphire wisp, sky blue flowers that are in the rose family. It had always been one of his personal favorites and he bends down to take a closer look at it, but he frowns when he realizes that the flowers are starting to wilt and droop down. He looks around the area. Sapphire wisp usually only grows near water, it needs soil that's constantly wet or damp. As he looks closer at the ground in front of him, he notices that just on the other side of the flowers, there's a trail of ground that's sloped inwards, like water used to be there.

He stands up and looks left, then right. He tilts his head to the side slightly, listening. He thinks he hears the faintest tinkling of water off to the left and he turns and walks in that direction. After a few minutes of walking, he finally finds it. There's a small stream that's been blocked off by a fallen tree branch. Without hesitation, he lifts the branch up and tosses it to the other side and all the water that was being held back immediately rushes forward and fills the stream once more. He walks back to the flowers and crouches down, holding his hand out as red magic lights up his hands.

A small orb of water the size of his palm floats up out of the stream and towards him before hovering right above the flowers. Then his other hand lights up as he brings it level with the orb and the orb forms into four separate ones before he moves his hand down slowly and the orbs turn into downward streams, curving around the flower as they slowly seep into the soil. "Revitalize." He whispers, and a soft red glow surrounds the flowers before they come back to life, half-dead petals stiffening and straightening back out, their beautiful color returning and gorgeous green leaves sprouting from the stems. He stands and smiles down at his work, nodding once before walking forward and jumping over the stream, following it left again, continuing his walk past the branch from earlier.

About an hour later, he's deep into the forest and ready to turn back around and head out again to meet up with his dad when he suddenly feels another energy nearby and he freezes. If he'd been paying enough attention, he would've noticed sooner. Whoever it was is very close, and their energy is strange, one he's never felt before. In a puff of pink smoke, he becomes a red fox, trotting forward slowly and carefully. He approaches a large tree and starts making his way up it, doing his best to make as little noise as possible. As he stops on a high branch and looks below him, he finds a large clearing on the other side of the tree. It's filled with wildflowers and the sun shines brightly within it, a break in the canopy of leaves allowing the light to flood through.

Lance's bright red eyes scan the clearing for the person he felt and when he finally lays on them, he freezes. Right in the middle of the clearing, laying in a bed of flowers and tall grass, is a boy that looks to be around the same age as Lance himself. His first thought is that the boy is absolutely beautiful. Lance has never thought of another boy as beautiful before. But standing there on that branch, it's the only description that comes to mind. The boy looks peaceful and content, eyes closed and a soft smile on his face. His long silver hair pools around his head, his bangs laying gently above his eyes. The sun shines down on the boy as if it's drawn specifically to him, bathing him in nothing but warm, golden light. Lance looks on in awe at such a sight.

The little fox takes a moment to focus on the boy's energy. It's not fairy or human and clearly this isn't a giant he's looking at. He tilts his head curiously. There's something dark about the aura surrounding the boy, something that sends a shiver through his entire body, but there's something else mixed in that's completely different. It all just makes Lance even more intrigued. He wants to know this strange, dark, beautiful boy. Then the wind blows and a leaf blows in front of his face, interrupting his vision. He blinks and remembers what he had been doing before, realizing he really should be getting back to his dad now. He looks at the boy one last time, swearing to himself that he'll come back sometime before he goes back home in hopes of seeing the boy again.

He makes his way down from the tree and starts following his previous path back, staying in his fox form to make things easier on himself. Every so often, he feels for the boy's energy, memorizing it in a way, until he's too far away to do so anymore. A little while later, he switches back into his human form at the edge of the woods as he sees his dad coming out of the tavern he was heading to earlier.

"Lance!" His dad waves him over quickly and Lance would be worried if it weren't for the almost excited look on the other man's face.

"What is it, dad?" He asks curiously as he jogs up to him.

"There's a couple of people I want you to meet, come on!" He guides Lance back to the tavern and tugs him inside. The place is nice. There's five tables around and a long bar at the back of the room, across from the entrance. Behind the bar on one side appears to be a kitchen and the rest of the space is used as a place for ale and mugs. There's a few people around, but not many, which isn't very surprising for the time of day.

"Lizzie!" His dad calls out. Lizzie? Who's that?

"Oh! Is this him?" A woman asks, and that's when he notices the short, silver-haired woman behind the bar, cloth on top of her head and braids at the front of her hair. She looks familiar somehow but he can't quite place her.

His dad nudges him forward and the two of them finally stop right in front of the bar. "Damn right, it is." His dad says, then looks to him. "Hey, you remember that story, right? About your mom and I way back?"

Lance's brows furrow as he racks his brain. "Uumm, which one?" He asks slowly.

"The one with the demon." His dad replies.

"You mean the one where a demon came and almost killed you and mom and completely destroyed the entire Fairy King's Forest?" Lance's head tilts slightly.

"Yeah. Yes, that one. But you remember the rest of it, right?" At Lance's nod, he continues. "Well, kid, this is Elizabeth, and-" His dad turns towards the left slightly right as a woman with a short, magenta-colored bob walks up. "This is Veronica." His dad introduces.

The blonde blinks at the two for a moment before it finally clicks, and his eyes widen. "Wait, so you mean these two are-?" He cuts himself off, realizing he isn't sure if it's common knowledge or not. Veronica grins and Elizabeth gives him a warm smile, her eyes flashing orange for a moment before going back to their normal blue. He gasps softly. These two women are goddesses. Some of the very last ones left. Not only that, these goddesses are two of the people that helped save his parents. He remembers the story clearly now. When his mom and dad were laying at the top of the sacred tree, barely alive, arguing over who would drink the last of the fountain of youth and live, three white-winged saviors came and rescued them. Healed them both and killed the demon, then helped save the still burning forest as well. Their names were Veronica, Elizabeth, and Tristan.

"Isn't there a third one of you?" Lance questions, looking around but only seeing customers enjoying their time.

Elizabeth nods. "My son, Tristan. But he's not here right now, he's out doing who knows what. Enjoying his free time, hopefully." She explains.

His dad chuckles beside him. "I still can't believe I never realized he was your son back then. Now that I think about it, it makes so much sense with how similar you two look." He says.

"Well, it's not like the kid was around much before we left." Veronica pointed out.

"Yeah, that's a good point, he seemed real off. What was that about?"

Veronica and Elizabeth stay silent and exchange a look, then Elizabeth turns to answer Lance's dad. "Tris just wasn't doing the best back then, is all. He had a lot going on." She gives a sad smile that says there's way more to the story, but then she turns to Lance and her face changes into a much warmer expression. "So, you're Lancelot, yes?"

Lance nods. "Yeah, that's me. It's really awesome to meet you both, I've heard a lot about everything you did for my parents." He says sincerely.

"Eh, just doin' our job, kid." Veronica shrugs.

Elizabeth shakes her head at the other woman. "It's wonderful to meet you as well, Lancelot. Your dad's been telling us a lot about you." She then turns back to his dad. "And I really can see so much of Elaine in him, you certainly weren't exaggerating, Ban." Lance's face warms slightly in embarrassment at being the center of attention.

"I told you, didn't I? Fucking spittin' image." His dad says.

"He looks just as much like you, though, bandit." Veronica tells him and his dad just shrugs.

"Well, we gotta get goin', the people at the palace are expectin' us anytime now. Is Tristan gonna be at the party tonight, too?" He asks.

"Yes. As far as I know, he intends on going as well, so you'll get to say hi to them there." Elizabeth tells him.

"Great! Maybe you and him will get along." He looks to Lance as he says this.

"Oh, I hope so. I can't wait to meet him." Lance says. Then both men say goodbye to Veronica and Elizabeth and make their way out of the tavern, heading straight for the castle stretching high above everything else.

~*~

"Penny for your thoughts, your majesty?"

Meliodas immediately turns in the direction of the voice. "E-Elizabeth, you made it." He says.

She smiles softly at him and walks to his side, placing her elbows on the balcony and looking out at everything. "Of course I did. I told you I'd be here, didn't I?" She asks, looking at him again.

Meliodas takes her in, watching the way the setting sun reflects off her shimmering, silver hair that he's seeing for the first time without a cloth in it. The flowing yellow top she wears suits her so well, seeming to brighten her entire aura and bring out the blue of her eyes even more. "Did you doubt I would?" She speaks up again when he stays silence.

"Wha- Oh, no, not at all. I knew you'd keep your word." Meliodas tells her, mentally shaking himself. "Are you enjoying yourself so far?"

"Oh, I'd say I am. We haven't been here for very long. But it's very lively here and it's good to be with good people." She turns and looks back into the ballroom. "Though I do wonder if Ban and Lancelot will be here soon." She muses.

"As in Sir Ban and Lancelot? Our guests from the Fairy King's Forest? You know them?" Meliodas asks.

Elizabeth looks back to him. "Oh, yes. I just met Lancelot today, but his parents are old friends of ours. Veronica, Tristan, and I spent some time in the Fairy King's Forest a few years back." She explains.

"Woah, really? What was it like?" He asks in amazement. He's never been much of anywhere outside of Liones, and especially not to somewhere like the Fairy King's Forest. Though he does hope that will change soon, as long as the fairies agree to become allies of the kingdom.

"It's a very beautiful place, quite magical, though I suppose that's to be expected." Elizabeth says with a bright smile. "The fairies are very kind people as long as you mean them no ill will. Some of the kindest I've ever met. Ban told me Liones wishes to open up communication with them, to become good friends and allies?"

The blonde nods at her. "Yes. We're hoping for that, at least. Today, we'll just be enjoying the party, but tomorrow is when Sir Ban and my father will sit down and talk about some things. If this visit with Sir Ban as representative goes well, then we'll meet the Fairy King himself next."

"Oh, wow. I didn't realize that anyone even knew about the Fairy King's Forest nowadays." She says.

He gives her a soft smile. "Not many people do. Father didn't really know much about it until he had a vision about it, and the fairies themselves. He foresaw that the Kingdom of Liones and the Fairy King's Forest will help each other greatly in the future." He frowns slightly. "Despite father's visions never being wrong before, I can't help but be uncertain on whether or not this alliance will happen. Sir Ban doesn't seem to like us very much." Elizabeth giggles and he looks at her in surprised confusion.

"There's no need to worry about Ban. He just takes awhile to warm up to people most of the time. And I guess the castle isn't his usual scene, so he may not know how to act around you both yet. The city is quite different from the forest." She points out.

"Yes, I suppose that's a good point. I just hope I can find a way for him to feel more comfortable soon." Meliodas replies sincerely.

"I'm sure you will." Then she leans down much closer to him. "Maybe I can even put in a good word for you." She whispers, winking at him before standing back up and Meliodas feels his face heat in a fierce blush.

"Th-that would be-" He clears his throat. "That would be wonderful, th-thank you." He tells her, trying to force his cheeks to cool.

She grins at him then, eyes teasing and amused. "I thought so. Now, I need to go check on Tristan. I'll see you again in a little while, yes?" She asks.

"Yes. Y-yes, definitely." He confirms. "Oh, a-and tell Tristan hello for me, please."

Elizabeth nods. "I'll be sure to pass on the message." And with that, she turns and walks back inside the castle, leaving Meliodas alone on the balcony once more.

~*~

"Miss Elizabeth, hey!" Lance says cheerily.

"Oh, Lancelot, hello again." She greets him. "And just Elizabeth is fine, please."

"Nah, Lizzie. We taught him manners for a reason, might as well let the kid use 'em." His dad pipes up from behind him.

"Uh, I very specifically remember mom teaching me manners, so I have no idea where that "we" part is coming from, dad." Lance teases the older man.

"Oh, really? So that's how it is, huh?" His dad grins at him.

"I don't know, Ban, he seems to have a good point. I don't think you've ever had manners to teach in the first place." Elizabeth raises an eyebrow at him.

The white-haired man places a hand over his chest with a face of mock hurt. "Jeez, Lizzie, and I thought we were friends."

"Oh, but don't you know, Ban? Ellie's nice to everybody. If she insults you, that's how you know she likes you." Veronica pops up beside Lance.

"Does that make you the opposite, then, Ronnie?" His dad asks.

"No, Veer just doesn't let anyone know who she does and doesn't like and everyone just has to guess." Elizabeth answers for her.

Lance is about to speak up again when his attention is drawn elsewhere. Across the room, he sees a boy that he swears is the same boy that he saw in the woods earlier that day. He's wearing the same clothes and has the same hair, those same bangs settled over his forehead. He heads towards the boy without a second thought, following him to the long table of food laid out to the side of the room. As he walks, he feels for the boy's energy, that same strange energy he felt earlier. And there it is, darkness formed around whatever else it's mixed in with, confirming that he's right in the identity of the one he's walking towards.

He stays back a little bit, not wanting to get too close at first. The boy surveys the options in front of him thoughtfully as Lance observes him. After a few minutes, Lance steps forward, right beside the boy. "You know, I've heard the rice balls the chefs make here are some of the best in all of Britannia."

The boy turns to him immediately and Lance is stunned before he even opens his mouth to reply. His eyes. Not just one color, but two. His left eye is a vibrant green and his right eye is as blue as a sunny day's sky. Lance didn't think it was possible for the boy to be even more beautiful than he already was, but clearly he was wrong. And then the boy speaks. "Are they really? I guess I have to try them, then, since this is only my third day here." He replies, a brilliant grin on his face. Despite the darkness in his aura, the boy radiates warmth, shining on Lance just as the sun had shined on him earlier today in the clearing. All Lance can do is nod as the boy turns to grab a couple of the rice balls, just as he said he would.

Lance then darts away, making his way to the complete other side of the room before the boy even turns back to him. He slips out of the ballroom and into the hallway, pressing his back to the wall and taking a deep breath. He closes his eyes and tries to slow his rapid heart rate as he questions why it's beating so fast in the first place. Then a certain pair of multi-colored eyes flash through his mind and his eyes snap back open. He thinks of the way the boy had looked at him, the grin his lips had tugged into as soon as he looked at Lance, and he feels a flutter in his stomach at the memory. In the back of his mind, he knows exactly what this feeling is, but...he's never been so affected by a boy before. What does this mean?

~*~

A/N: How was it?? Please, let me know what y’all think!!! I’m having a lot of fun with this alternate, swapped around versions of characters, and I especially love writing out Lance’s soft boy self. I’m also having some fun playing around with people’s powers and abilities, which I haven’t gotten to do before. Next chapter will switch back to Tristan and Elizabeth’s pov!! I hope you enjoyed this one!!

~*~

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@darkelf-7

[Lemme know if you'd like to be added to the taglist for this series and any other stories relating to it!!!]

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dxncingwithastrxnger · 1 year

Text

4. let’s run away and don’t ever look back

A/N: Only 5 days since I posted chapter 1 and we’re already at chapter 4!!! That’s a whole new record for me and I’m already starting chapter 5 as well, I have a good feeling about the rest of the story, tbh 😌 There’s a big Trilance fluff moment right in the beginning, but after that, it’s mostly some other character interactions and plot movements!!! Also, you get introduced to quite a few headcanons of mine in this chapter that I very much enjoyed writing out!! I hope you guys enjoy this one!!!!!

Pairing(s): Tristan x Lancelot, slight Meliodas x Elizabeth

Summary: Tristan and Lance part ways the next morning and Tristan takes the time apart to talk with both Isolde and his parents about his new decision while Lance does the same.

Tags: Aged Up Characters (21-24), fluff, lots and lots of fluff, both platonic fluff and romantic fluff, prescription medication, discussion of characters’ mental disorders, coming out, I think that’s it

Song Inspiration: Teenage Dream By Katy Perry

Word Count: 6,946

Not beta’d, all mistakes are my own.

~*~

[Series Masterlist]

[Chapter 1] [Chapter 2] [Chapter 3] [Chapter 4] [Chapter 5] [Chapter 6] [Chapter 7] [Chapter 8] [Chapter 9]

[Read on AO3]

[Author Masterlist]

~*~

[3 Months Earlier]

Tristan wakes up feeling like he's on a cloud. Physically and emotionally. A steady heartbeat is heard right below his ear and he smiles, turning his head to nuzzle against the bare chest he was laying on. He hears a snort and lifts his head to look at its origin, the still sleeping blonde man he's tangled up with. He takes a moment to observe Lance. He was so still and quiet, yet even asleep, his face was full of life. His cheeks were colored a soft pink and his lashes fluttered against his skin delicately. His lips were parted slightly, his breathing slow and quiet. Tristan couldn't help but compare him to an angel. A sleeping beauty. Tristan bit back a giggle. Maybe I'm not the only prince. He thinks to himself.

He shakes his head at himself and rolls over, onto his back and off of Lance. He gives a full body stretch, his back arching as he does so. His entire body feels sore in the most pleasant way and he gives a contented hum as he settles back down on the bed. He blinks up at the ceiling, noticing a plain white ceiling fan resting still above him. He pushes himself into a sitting position, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed and planting his feet on the floor. The floor is made up of wooden floorboards that are a natural, light brown color. He looks up to look around the room more, curious to learn more about his mysterious Sir Lancelot.

The first thing he sees is plants. There's a large window in the wall in front of him, a cushioned, white bench along the wall right under it that has cupboard doors along the front of it. The window sill looks to be about 5 or 6 inches wide, making it the perfect place for the many potted plants that are placed on it. Tristan stands up and walks over to them, leaning one knee on the bench to observe them closely. There's six plants in all and there's only two that Tristan can really identify at all. A medium size fern and a gathering of peace lilies. The others are all flowers in various colors, ranging from purple to orange to yellow and white. Tristan smiles softly. He stands up and turns around, only to spot more. Some of the same potted purple flowers are on his left nightstand and there were 4 little succulents lined up along the top of his dresser, something he hadn't noticed last night. Tristan looks to the man still sleeping on the bed in the middle of the room, his head tilted slightly. He definitely never could've guessed Lance for a plant dad, especially with this many. But he wasn't complaining, not at all. He was just even more determined to learn more about the man now.

Tristan hummed to himself softly as he looked around the room again, looking for his clothes. He grimaces at the scattered clothes around the room. In the heat of the moment, he doesn't really care, but seeing it now, he feels the immediate urge to clean up. And so he does. He gathers their clothes from the night before and puts them all in the laundry basket he finds in the corner with the exception of his jeans. As much as he hates having to re-wear anything like this, it's a necessary evil since he'll have to go back out in public before he can get anywhere that has a proper change of clothes for him. He might not have to wear the same shirt, though. He looks between Lance and his dresser, considering. Finally, he decides to just go for it. He walks over to the dresser and rummages through it, snatching a pair of boxers and a red short sleeved shirt. It was definitely going to be too big on him but an oversized shirt was way better than oversized pants. He just hopes that Lance doesn't mind too much and if he does, then Tristan will just buy him a new one of each to make up for it.

He gathers up his clothes and scans the room once more. There's three doors in the room. He knows the one almost directly across from him is the main entrance to the bedroom. That left what he assumes is the closet and a bathroom. All he can do is guess, so he walks over to the door closest to him and swings it open, thankfully finding that it's the assumed bathroom. He steps in, closing the door quietly behind him. He quickly relieves himself and then gets dressed, enjoying just how large Lance's shirt is on his shorter frame. He walks over to the sink, looking at himself in the mirror on the wall behind it. His hair is a mess, as expected, and his neck is covered in hickeys. He blushes, bringing a hand up to press his finger to one of them, shivering as he does so. He pulls the collar of the shirt down slightly, noticing a few more littering the top of his chest. He bites his lip and adjusts the shirt to cover as many as possible without looking weird, but there was no way for him to cover all of them. Seems he'll have to borrow more from Lance then he originally planned to.

He sighs softly and washes and dries his hands before reaching into his back pocket to pull out the comb he knows is there and runs it through his hair as best he can. He isn't able to get all the tangles out, he'll need a full-sized brush for that, but he does manage to get it looking decent enough to be seen in public with. After placing the comb back in his pocket, he turns the facet back on and splashes some water over his face a few times, patting his face dry with a washcloth he finds on a towel shelf afterwards. Lastly, he pulls the tube of strawberry lipgloss out of his right pocket, smiling down at it as he does so. It wasn't his usual brand or flavor, but it was a gift from Isolde and he cherished it greatly. While he may not love her as his parents intended, he cared about her deeply. She was his best friend, the sister he never had, even if he's pretty sure she's in love with him. He just hopes that when he breaks things off today, he doesn't hurt her too badly and that they can still be friends afterwards. He isn't sure if he could handle losing her. His smile turns wobbly and he feels a burn in the back of his throat in reaction to the direction his thoughts have gone and he shakes his head rapidly, blinking his eyes a few times.

He quickly returns to the task at hand, applying the lip gloss to his lips and pocketing it once more afterwards. He blows out a long breath before turning away from the mirror and walking back into the Lance's bedroom, staying quiet in case he was still sleeping. As the door closes with a soft click behind him, he sees that the blonde is indeed still asleep. He smiles at him briefly before heading for the door to the hall. Right as he's about to step out of the room, he freezes and then backtracks a few steps. He stands there for a few moments, his eyes on the two pairs of shoes on the ground, one his own and one Lance's. Don't do it. Just leave them. Just go. He tries to demand, but his own brain was working against him. He growls as his body moves without his say so, grabbing both pairs and walking over to the door, placing Lance's shoes on the left side of the door frame, toes pointed towards the wall, and doing the same with his own shoes on the right side. Ignoring the instant relief the action brings, he quickly leaves the room, closing the door behind him.

He walks down the small hallway and enters the living room, enjoying the amount of natural light in the room. And he's only a little surprised to see more plants. The living room has a similar window and bench setup to the one in the bedroom, but this one was bigger in order to match the bigger room. In the two corners of the wall holding the front door to the apartment is two potted trees, both around the same height as Tristan himself. The window sill had eight pots lining it, each one filled with soil but no plants sprouting from any of them yet. In the right top corner of the window, there was a hanging basket of what Tristan recognized to be flowering jasmine, his fifth favorite flower. And finally, two more taller plants, one on each side of the window bench. These were nearly as tall as the trees, but they were both growing big, bright yellow flowers. It was a color that Tristan absolutely adored and he walked over to one of them, reaching out to touch one of the blossoms gently.

"Try to be careful with those ones." A soft voice calls from behind him. He whips around in surprise, eyes landing on the tall blonde standing in the open space between the hallway and the living room. Lance smiles at Tristan as he continues speaking. "They're real delicate flowers, they can rip easily." He informs him.

"Oh." Tristan says simply. He turns back to the flowers and traces a single finger over one in a featherlight touch just once before pulling his hand back. He then turns around and heads to the open kitchen area attached to the living room. Out of the corner of his eye, he catches a glimpse of Lance eyeing him carefully. Tristan suddenly has the feeling that he was just put under some sort of test, though he was confident that he had passed whatever it was. He notices more succulents in the kitchen and gives an amused chuckle.

"What's so funny?" Lance asks curiously as he also steps into the kitchen.

Tristan looks at him with a raised eyebrow. "Plants, huh?"

Lance's expression softens into understanding as he snorts softly and nods. "Uh, yeah. You can blame my mom for that. And my uncle, too, I guess." When Tristan gives him a questioning look, he continues, smiling softly. "Where they grew up was mostly just woods and after moving to the city, they couldn't help but keep as much of the outdoors with them as possible. I grew up surrounded by all kinds of plants and I guess I came to love all of them, too." He admits, his cheeks darkening slightly as he runs a hand through his hair.

"That's actually really cute." Tristan tells him honestly.

"Psh, sure it is." Lance immediately brushes off the compliment and turns away from him, but Tristan sees the red that spreads to the tips of his ears and he smirks at the sight.

Tristan feels the urge to start teasing him, but he decides to resist it for now. "Where are your cups?" He asks instead.

He opens up a cupboard next to the sink that's the same color as the floor of the bedroom and living room. "Right in here." He moves back to allow Tristan to see inside the cupboard. "If you're looking for water, though, I also have bottles of water in the fridge." He informs him.

Tristan smiles. "I'll take one of those, then. Thank you." He takes a step forward to peck Lance on the cheek. As he pulls back, Lance starts to say something before he freezes, his eyes widening slightly.

Before Tristan can ask what caused his reaction, he gets an answer. "I-is-is that-" He chokes out before stopping to clear his throat. "A-are you wearing lip gloss or something?" He asks.

Realization dawns on the silverette. Oh. So he hadn't noticed last night. "Yeah, I am. I usually am." He admits. "Is...that a problem?" He asks uncertainly, trying not to let the sudden jolt of fear that runs through him show on his face.

Tristan can almost see the gears turning in Lance's head as he processes, his face becoming one of understanding and then quickly shifting again as his eyes darken slightly, leaving Tristan very confused, his brows furrowing. Lance then kisses him fiercely, the action filled with desire and leaving Tristan burning all over when he pulls away a few moments later. "Definitely not a problem." Lance assures him quietly.

"So I've noticed." Tristan mumbles back, his cheeks warming over with a light flush.

He then turns around without another word and walks over to the fridge, seeing multiple water bottles lined up along the bottom shelf of the fridge door. He leans down to grab the fifth one in the row, closing the fridge as he opens the bottle. He swallows down about half of it before setting it down on the island in the middle of the kitchen as he hears Lance turn on the kitchen faucet. He reaches into his left pocket and pulls out his little pill capsule, popping it open and dumping the three pills inside into his hand. He pops them into his mouth and swallows them down along with the rest of the water in his water bottle. When he pulls the plastic away from his lips, he freezes, seeing Lance staring at him again. He has a glass of water almost to his lips, hovering there as he looks at Tristan with curiosity. Upon seeing Tristan looking back at him, he nods his head towards the blue pill capsule Tristan still has sitting on the island.

Tristan gives him a smile, but it's more sarcastic than anything else. "Actual meds, not a drug problem, just in case you were questioning that." He jokes half-heartedly, grabbing the pill capsule and closing it before putting it back in his pocket. "Two for Bipolar Disorder and one for OCD." He says quietly. The only way to let someone know you're open to trusting them is by being honest right from the start. That's what Dr. Dreyfus says, anyways.

Lance sets down his water glass and turns to him with a soft, affectionate smile that makes Tristan feel all fluttery inside. The silverette watches as he walks over to the opposite side of the sink and opens up another cupboard, pulling something out and placing it on the counter. It's an orange prescription bottle. "ADHD." Lance tells him.

"Ooh." Tristan says slowly. "Well, that's good to know." Tristan returns his smile.

Lance shrugs. "It's not too big of a deal." He then gestures a hand behind Tristan. "The shoes - back in the bedroom - that you?" He asks.

Tristan gives him a sheepish little grin, rubbing the pads of his fingers over his palms in a nervous habit. "Yeah. Sorry about that. I tried not to." He admits.

"Hey, no, you don't need to apologize for something like that. You lined up some shoes, it's not like you rearranged my entire apartment or something. Just not something I'm used to someone doing after I've spent the night with them, that's the only reason I really even noticed in the first place." He says sincerely before picking up his abandoned water and downing it in a few gulps. Tristan gives him a grateful smile when he's able to catch his eye again.

Tristan spots a trashcan in the corner and tosses his water bottle into it. "Hey, do you, uh, have anything I can use to cover, you know," He gestures to his neck. "All this?" Lance walks over to him as he speaks and he places his hands on the other man's chest, looking up at him. "As much as I'd love to show off your handiwork, the paparazzi are probably already out and prowling the streets and if my parents find out I hooked up with you last night through the internet before I even get the chance to talk to them about my decision, then there's going to be some problems."

Lance wraps his arms around Tristan's waist. "Is that what I am to you? Just a hookup?"

Tristan would've started to worry if not for the teasing glint in the man's red eyes. "Of course not. You're quickly becoming much more important than that." Tristan says shyly, ducking his head and looking at him through his eyelashes.

It's true. He's not stupid. He knows what's going on between them is anything but platonic, and it's way more than just sexual. He wants to know every single thing there is to know about the man in front of him, everything he's willing to tell him. He wants to know more about his childhood and meet more of his strange friends. He wants to know about his favorite places in the city and why he grows peace lilies instead of daffodils. And with how comfortable Lance's arms are around him, he's convinced he wants to be held by them forever.

Lance observes him with soft, tender eyes. "Yeah, I know what you mean." He whispers, and he kisses him again, slow and sweet. It feels like some sort of unspoken promise that neither knows the meaning of yet. Lance pulls away from the kiss only slightly, his lips hovering right above Tristan's. The silver-haired man's eyes stay closed, lingering in the moment just a little longer.

"You can take the black jacket by the door when you head out. It should be big enough on you to keep your neck covered up. I'll toss on a hoodie as well. It's a good thing it's supposed to rain today." Lance says quietly and it takes Tristan a moment to process what he's talking about. When he does, he sighs in relief.

"Thank you so much, seriously."

"You're welcome. Though I'm sure you would've managed just fine without me telling you." He quips, grinning and gesturing to the t-shirt Tristan is currently wearing.

Tristan blushes, remembering exactly where the t-shirt came from. "I can go ahead and give it back if you'd like. Wearing my button up from last night isn't exactly ideal, but I'd do it if you preferred I not take your shirt with me.' He says.

Lance leans forward and nips at his ear, causing a gasp to escape his lips. "Don't you dare. You're not giving that back to me until after I've had the chance to fuck you in it." He whispers. Tristan whimpers softly at the thought. But before the silverette can respond, the place where Lance was is completely empty. "I just gotta get dressed real quick and then I can drive you home. I'll be right back!" He calls from the hallway.

Tristan stands there sputtering for a moment, face completely red, before he recovers enough to yell back at him. "Rude!" All he hears in reply is Lance laughing loudly from his bedroom.

~*~

Four hours later, Tristan is showered, freshly dressed, walking up to Isolde's doorstep. She lives in a quaint, little, brick townhome on the south side of Liones. He walks up to her front steps and slips through the door, closing and locking it behind him. He had asked her if it was okay for him to come over today and she had told him that it was and that she would leave the front door unlocked for him as always. He pushes his hands into the pocket of the large jacket he's borrowing from Lance, fiddling with his car keys.

"In the kitchen!" She calls out to him.

He smiles and walks through the house until he reaches the kitchen. She's bustling around the whole space, the light pink apron she's wearing covered in flour and other powdered baking ingredients. He doesn't see anything wrong with the scene until he notices the smell of the room as well as the batch of already baked cookies out on a cooling rack. A strong scent of cinnamon and nutmeg. A bowl of cinnamon sugar resting off to the side. She's making snickerdoodles. His absolute favorite. His brows furrow and he looks at her, finding her standing completely still and already staring back at him.

"What's wrong?" They both say at the same time.

"Wait, what?" Tristan blinks.

Isolde sighs and grabs a kitchen towel from the counter behind her, using it to wipe off her forehead. "Tristan, you've been acting weird since yesterday. You were so quiet all day, you spent way more time than usual getting ready just to go to The Rogue, of all places, you were so tense the whole time we were there, and then you just ditched with Lance so quickly, I just-" She throws her hands up in a frustrated gesture. She looks his form up and down as if just now actually looking at him. "What's with that big jacket? See, you're acting weird!!" She exclaims exasperatedly.

Oh, Isolde. Always working yourself up. Tristan takes in a long, deep breath, wishing there was a way he could stall this conversation a bit longer, but he knows there's no point in pushing it away. He and Lance agreed that they'd break things off today and he was still planning on talking to his parents after he finished talking with Isolde. "Isolde. I'm ending our arrangement." He breathes out, holding his breath.

"Oh, thank gods." Is the first thing out of Isolde's mouth and the thing he expected to hear the least.

"Excuse me?" He coughs.

Isolde walks over to him, reaching out and grabbing both of his hands in hers. "Tristan, I love you to death, but marrying you would be the equivalent of marrying my brother." She makes a disgusted grimace and he can't help but mimic her expression for a moment.

"Yeah, that's exactly how I feel about you. You're amazing, Isolde, but I really couldn't ever see you that way and I'm really, really glad that you don't see me that way, either." He tells her sincerely.

She smiles softly. "No worries, Trist. You're honestly not even my type anyways."

At Tristan's questioning look, her smile turns shy. "It's not just you. No guy is my type." She admits.

The silverette's eyes widen. "Oh. Oh. Wow. I...never even realized. That's...wow. Of course, I accept you, you know that. Well, at least, I hope you know that, cause if you don't, then that would be a problem that I definitely need to fix because I'm-I'm rambling and I need to shut up." He takes a deep breath.

Isolde giggles, letting go of his hands. "Everything's okay. I know what you mean and I do know that you accept me, I've never thought anything different. I am curious, though." She studies him closely. "After all this time of just going along with it, what's gotten you to finally switch things up?"

Tristan's face blooms into a brilliant fire hydrant red, making Isolde look at him with great interest and curiousity. "Alright, this is gotta be good. Spill it." She demands.

Tristan chews on his bottom lip. "Okay, first of all, I have to apologize. Because I totally lied to you about what I was doing last night." He admits sheepishly.

Her eyes narrow and one of her eyebrows raises, her arms crossing over her chest. "So you didn't go spend the night with Lancelot?" She questions.

"Oh, uh, I, uh, definitely spent the night with Lancelot." He says, clearing his throat as the heat burning across his face spreads to the tips of his ears. Rather than try to explain outloud, he decides it best to rid himself of the jacket. It's getting a little stuffy wearing it since he's inside now, anyways.

He avoids looking at Isolde completely as he unzips it and pulls it off of his shoulders, folding it over his arm. He studies the floor for a long minute or two before finally looking up to see Isolde's reaction. All he's wearing under the jacket is Lance's red t-shirt, which he had slipped back on after his shower, which means that all of the dark bruises on his neck are still on full display. Isolde is looking at him about how he expected her to. Her eyes are wide, staring directly at his neck, her mouth open in surprise. She looks the definition of shock.

"So, you-. But you-. And he-. His apartm-. I-I mean-" Isolde shakes her head rapidly. "J-j-just wait a second, let me get this straight." She stutters out finally. "Lancelot..." She looks at Tristan again now. "And you. You guys-" She cuts herself off, gesturing to the man's neck.

Tristan chuckles nervously. "Y-yeah, we did. Lance and I. We slept together. Last night. At his apartment." He confirms.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I got that part now." Isolde starts pacing back and forth in front of him. "I mean-" She stops and gives him a skeptical look. "Lancelot?? Really?? Isn't he supposed to be getting engaged to Guinevere??" She questions.

Tristan's eyes harden slightly at the mention of Guinevere. "Yes, he is, but he doesn't have any feelings for her. Like, literally. They're not even friends, based on what he's said." He informs her.

The pinkette in front of him looks at the counter she's standing next to, lost in her head. "Huh. Weird. The way Guin talks about him, you'd think the two were all in."

Tristan scoffs and crosses his arms. "Not even close. It's all one-sided. She just likes to think that she has some claim over him when in reality, he wants nothing to do with her, which is exactly as it should be." He says, irritation seeping into his tone. He couldn't help it. He doesn't like Guinevere at all, never has. There's just always been something about her that makes him feel uneasy, though he's not quite sure what. Not only that, but she was always clinging to Lance whatever chance she got and Lance was clearly uncomfortable each time she did it, yet she either didn't care or wasn't paying enough attention to him to even notice.

"...Tristan, was that a hint of jealousy I heard just now?"

Tristan's eyes shoot open. "What? No! Why would I ever be jealous of Guinevere?" He immediately denies her claims.

Suddenly, Tristan's vision is filled with nothing but Isolde's face, the woman grabbing his shoulders lightly and leaning down so that her face was level with his. "Trist, what aren't you telling me?" She asks him gently.

Tristan immediately deflates and groans as he steps over to one of the kitchen island stools and plops down onto it. "Lance and I have been flirting with each other for the last 8 months, pretty much ever since we first met. For awhile, it was just attraction, but eventually it started to change. Or maybe it had been like that the whole time and I'd just never noticed. But suddenly it wasn't just that I wanted to sleep with Lancelot, I...wanted something more than that, I thought. And that thought solidified more as time passed and then we'd settled on a date for the wedding and I just couldn't take it anymore." He runs his hands over his face. "So, last night, we talked before we went back to his place. I told him how I feel and he feels the same. We made an agreement that I would end my arrangement with you while he ends things with Guinevere, and then him and I are gonna get to know each other, see where this whole thing goes." His voice is quieter as he finishes talking, a small, warm smile spread over his face as he looks down at where his hands are resting on the island counter.

"Tristan Nathan Liones, is that the look of love I see on your face?" Isolde gasps playfully.

Tristan turns to her, sputtering. "What- I- No!" He looks down as he nibbles his bottom lip. "Not yet, anyway..."

Isolde squeals and pulls Tristan into a tight hug that Tristan gladly returns. "Oh, Trist, I'm so happy for you!! This is amazing!!"

Tristan laughs. "Thank you, Isolde, I know it is." They pull back from the hug, Isolde holding him at arms length. "I think he's really great so far." He pauses for a moment. "...this morning, he told me that I'm becoming important to him." He whispers, gaining another squeal from Isolde in reply.

He laughs some more as she coos at how cute that is while walking over to the fridge and pulling some things out, starting to get back to her baking. He sits and watches her mix and knead and bake for a couple more hours, the two of them talking the whole time. Tristan is so glad that things have worked out between them like they have.

~*~

"Hey, Thetis, is my mom busy right now?"

"I wouldn't know, Tristan, she's not here. She's working with your father today." His mother's assistant tells him formally.

"Oh, okay. Well, thank you for letting me know." He thanks her.

"You're welcome." She says before hanging up. He sighs. Same old Thetis.

He switches lanes, then, heading for city hall instead of his parents' house. The difference in drive time isn't much, thankfully. He pulls into the outer parking lot that the public used. It wasn't very crowded at the moment and he's hoping as much as possible that he won't be here for very long. He locks his car behind when he gets out before stopping a moment and making sure his jacket is adjusted correctly. He doesn't even want to imagine what would happen if his parents saw any of those damn hickies.

He enters the building, relieved that it doesn't seem to be too terribly warm inside. He waves at a few people as he walks through the halls. He's a familiar face and he knows all the passcodes to the staff only rooms and elevators, so it's not too much trouble getting to his dad's office. He spots Rose at her desk, as usual. She's his father's secretary. From what Tristan's heard, his dad didn't actually want one at first, but everyone else convinced him to, eventually. Rose has been around for nearly ten years now, ever since he was a preteen, and she's about that much older than him by now.

"Hey, Rose!" He greets warmly.

"Mr. Liones! It's been awhile since you've been around here, how have you been?" She asks just as warmly.

He sighs inwardly. For the longest time, he tried to get her to just call him Tristan, but he gave up on that ages ago. "I've been good. Really good. And you?"

"Oh, I've been wonderful, thank you. Oh, and your parents are right through in the office." She informs him.

Tristan is about to open his mouth to thank her when he suddenly realizes what his mom and dad together in a close space with a lockable door might mean. His face scrunches up into a look of disgust that Rose seems to notice immediately. "Don't worry, Mr. Antin is in there with him. I believe they're discussing this year's Pride parade." She says with a laugh, knowing exactly why he'd pulled that face.

He visibly relaxes. "Okay, good. Thank you so much." He tells her as he walks forward, seeing her nod as he pushes the office door open and walks through.

"...I don't know, I just don't think we should do all that without getting a confirmation back from 'em first." He hears his Uncle Ban say.

"It's really no problem. They'll come through for us, just like they do every year." His mom.

"See? It'll be perfectly fine, Ban." His dad.

As he enters the room, he observes them. Uncle Ban is leaning his back against the right wall of the office with his arms crossed over his chest while his parents are standing in front of his dad's desk. His dad is looking at the papers scattered all over his desk, his hand under his chin and a thoughtful look on his face and his mom is standing right behind him, peeking over his shoulder.

Uncle Ban mutters something along the lines of, "Why do I even bother?" before the door finally closes behind him with a heavy thud, drawing the attention of all three people right to him.

"Oh, Tristan!" His mom comes rushing towards him with open arms and he returns her hug without hesitation.

"Hey, ma." He greets her.

As they pull away, a warm hand is placed on his shoulder. "Hey there, Trist." His father says with a grin.

"Hey, pa." He replies, returning his grin. Then he turns to the other man in the room and greets him as well. "Hey, Uncle Ban!"

"Yo, kid, how ya been? It's been awhile." He points out.

"That's true, actually. The last time you came to my office was nearly a year ago." His dad says, walking back over to his desk.

Tristan walks towards the desk as well. "I've been really good. And I wanted to talk to you guys about something, actually." He tells them, looking pointedly between both of his parents.

Both of them look at him with furrowed brows. "Oh, okay. Would you like Ban to step out for a few minutes?" His mom asks him gently.

"Oh, um, no, he's fine to stay in here. I don't really plan on taking very long, there's just something I want to tell you both in person." He explains, his nerves flaring up now that he's actually at this point. He just can't say anything about Lance. Not like he had been planning to, anyways.

His dad sits down in his chair and his mother leans against the front corner of the desk. Even Uncle Ban comes over and stands next to Tristan's dad, a grin on his face and a mischievous glint in his curious eyes. The eyes of all three adults are now on him and he holds back a nervous squeak. "So, what is it?" His dad prompts.

"Is everything okay?" His mother questions, her eyes worried.

Tristan isn't sure if he's even breathing or not anymore. He quickly forces the words out, afraid that if he takes too long to say it, then he'll end up bolting out of the room before he gets the chance to. "I'mnotmarryingIsolde." He forces out.

"Um, what?"

"Excuse me?"

"You're gonna have to repeat that, sweetie."

Tristan mentally slaps himself and huffs slightly, his cheeks puffing up as he lets out a deep breath. He shakes his head at himself and straightens his shoulders. "I'm n-not marrying Isolde." He wanted the sentence to come out sure and confident, but in reality it came out small and quiet, barely above a whisper. He looked at his mom, not wanting to see the look of disappointment his dad was undoubtedly sending in his direction.

"What?" The silver-haired woman questioned. "Why? Did something happen between you two?" She questions, her concern growing.

"Oh, no, nothing like that at all!" He reassures. "Isolde and I are perfectly fine, great even. Nothing's happened between us." He finally looks to the two older men behind the desk. His dad's face is completely blank and his Uncle's face is skeptical. He looks down for a moment, thinking of Lance. A blush comes to his face and he can't help but smile as he remembers his morning with the man just earlier. The two of them had left Lance's apartment and stopped for a quick breakfast together, Tristan learning that the blonde prefers his coffee with plain creamer but no sugar, and that he favors biscuits over croissants.

He gets lost in his thoughts for a moment and is suddenly brought back to reality when his mother speaks up again. "Oh. I see." Tristan's head shoots his head up as his mother steps closer to him, reaching her hands up to tuck his hair behind his ears before cradling his face gently.

"Ma...?" He asks uncertainly at the same time that his dad says, "Elizabeth...?"

His mom has a warm, knowing smile on her face. "Tristan isn't going to marry Isolde because there's someone else he has feelings for instead."

Tristan's blush deepens slightly upon realizing how quickly she was able to figure him out, but he returns her smile, nodding in confirmation. "Yes. Things aren't very far along, yet, but I think I'm going to fall in love with him, ma." He admits softly.

"I think you already are." She tells him and his stomach flutters. Is that true? He wonders. Have I really started falling so quickly? The knowing in his mom's eyes only grows as she watches the emotions swirling in his eyes and she kisses his forehead before stepping away from him.

He finally looks to his dad, his nerves returning. His father is still looking at him with that same blank look as before, but suddenly, he grins widely and lets out a small chuckle. "Okay, Tristan. As long as this guy is treating you right and makes you happy, then I'm perfectly okay with your decision!" He tells him brightly.

Tristan stands there blinking at him. What? He waits for the blonde man's expression to change, for it to be some sort of joke, but his dad's grin was completely unwavering. Tears spring in Tristan's eyes and before he even realizes what he's doing, he's behind the desk and throwing himself forward, hugging his dad tightly. The man doesn't return the embrace right away, instead staying completely still at first, before slowly wrapping his arms around his son.

"He's treated me wonderfully so far and he makes me feel like I could do anything." He admits quietly.

"Good." His dad says. He reaches up and pats the top of Tristan's head a few times. "Good."

"Man, first Lance and now Tristan. What even is today, huh?" Tristan perks up at hearing Lance's name as he pulls away from his dad.

"What about Lancelot?" His dad asks the other man.

"The kid called Elaine and I up this mornin', says he isn't gonna marry Guinevere. Wouldn't tell us why, though." His Uncle Ban tells them. Tristan bites back a victorious smirk at the news. "But it's whatever. As long as he knows what he's doing. Anyways, do we get to know anything about this guy of yours, Tristan?" He asks with a grin.

Tristan shakes his head, nibbling at his bottom lip. "No, not yet. There's still a lot that him and I need to figure out first." The silverette tells his uncle honestly.

The tall man's shoulders slouch. "Aw. That's no fun."

"Don't worry, Ban, I'm sure Tristan will share more once he's ready to." His mom reassures. Tristan nods and turns to smile at his mom gratefully.

Soon after that, Tristan is leaving his dad's office and heading back out of the city hall. He feels so much better than he did 24 hours ago and he can't wait to see where this new path takes him. Right as he steps through the front entrance and out into the light drizzle that's falling from the clouds overhead, his phone buzzes in his pocket. He pulls it out and sees a text from Lance. He beams and unlocks his phone, pulling the message up to read through it.

'Just finished talking to Guinevere and already talked to my parents this morning. No other strings to cut. I believe this means I'm all yours, your majesty 😉'

Tristan bites his lip, giggling softly. He walks over to his car slowly as he types out a reply.

'I believe it does, Sir Lancelot. But only if I can be all yours, as well 😘'

Tristan falls into the driver's seat of his car, feeling giddy and warm all over. He has a feeling that this will be one of the best decisions he's ever made.

~*~

A/N: What did you guys think?? Please let me know!!! There’s gonna be lots of more characters in the next chapter, most of them being introduced in this AU for the first time!!! A few more ships as well!!! ALSO!!! In the series masterlist, I’ve added the names of all upcoming chapters, so if you’d like to take a peek at those to try and see what kind of hints you can find, you can now do so!!

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@ivyllamauwu

[Lemme know if you'd like to be added to the taglist for this series and any other stories relating to it!!!]

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