#Also why did my mind go directly to Flavor Of Love and not The Bachelor???

[foxilayde]

If Oscar & Elvira are taking applications for partners for a poly relationship I’ll def sign tf up.

If they make this a reality competition dating show, a la Flavor of Love, yes I’m first in line to publicly humiliate myself for the opportunity to win dates with those two.

[badchoicesposts]

Don’t Dream It’s Over Chapter 17

Series Summary: Liam and Ali thought that their relationship was perfect, but their whole world came crashing down when Constantine called him back to Cordonia. Four years later they meet again at Liam’s bachelor party, determined to make things between them work even if it isn’t always easy.

In this AU, Liam and MC (Ali Moonessar) dated for a year in New York while Leo was still crown prince. They broke up when Constantine asked Liam to come back to Cordonia, but they meet again at Liam’s bachelor party before the social season. The story will contain flashbacks, which will be italicized, of their relationship and follow them as they try to navigate the season with Ali as a suitor. I’ve messed around with the timeline a bit so that it fits the story better. I’ve also added in a few OCs of my own.

Pairing: Liam x MC (Ali Moonessar), Platonic!Drake x MC

DISCLAIMER: I’ve changed up the timeline of the social season a bit to fit my story better. I’ve based it off of some research I did on the British Social Season. Some of the dialogue was taken directly from Book 1 of The Royal Romance but was changed a bit to fit my fic.

Taglist: @flowerpowell, @ao719, @kingliam2019, @emceesynonymroll, @hopefulmoonobject, @dcbbw, @qammh-blog, @liamxs-world, @drakesensworld, @i-only-signed-up-for-fanfiction, @lauradowning29, @texaskitten30, @senseofduties, @indiacater, @alexintheskyy, @jared2612

A/N: This is my first time ever posting a fic. Please let me know if you enjoyed it and would like to read more. I thrive on validation, lol. Thanks for reading!

Catch Up: Masterlist

Ali smiled from her spot in the doorway as she took in the sight of Marshall twins cuddled up to Liam on the couch. Lily was sitting in his lap, fast asleep and drooling onto his shirt, while Tyler was resting against his arm, slowly falling in and out of consciousness. They had both begged to stay up a little longer than usual because it was a weekend, and Ali had obliged because she knew that this would happen. It was only ten minutes past their usual bedtime, and they were both almost completely knocked out. 

Both of the twins had taken a quick liking to Liam after meeting him that first day in the library. It was now an odd occurrence for Ali to babysit by herself. 

“I think it’s time to get these two into bed,” Ali whispered, walking over to them and taking Tyler into her arms. 

The four-year old protested very little before leaning into her embrace and resting his head on her shoulder. Liam smiled and stood up with Lily in his arms before following Ali to the twins’ bedroom. She placed the toddler down under the covers and placed a pillow on his left side, the way she knew he liked, and watched as Liam did the same for Lily. 

Ali made sure the small star-shaped night light was plugged in before grabbing Liam’s hand and leading him back to the living room of the Marshalls’ apartment. 

Liam pulled her down onto his lap, and Ali smiled against his lips as he kissed her gently. He pulled away from the kiss and looked into her eyes, running his fingers lazily through her curls. Ali could feel the love in his gaze and it made butterflies erupt in her stomach. 

“What’s on your mind?” she asked.

Liam opened his mouth to speak but hesitated and remained quiet. He moved his hand from her hair and wrapped his arms around her waist, keeping her pressed tightly to his chest. 

“Do you ever think about… about having kids?” he asked. 

Ali was startled for a minute, not having expected him to as her that question. 

“Yeah, I do. I’ve always loved kids, and I’ve always imagined myself having them. Not now, of course. But, when I’m older, and I’m done with school,” she said, gently tracing her finger across the stubble on his jaw. 

Liam’s face lit up, and he smiled widely.

“That’s great!” he said happily. 

“What’s with the baby talk all of a sudden?” she asked, resting her head on his shoulder. 

“I like seeing you with them,” he said, inclining his head towards the twins’ door. “And I’ve always wanted a big family,” he said quietly. 

“How big?”

“Maybe six or seven,” Liam said, smiling sheepishly. 

Ali shot up out of his arms. 

“SIX OR SEVEN!” she shrieked, her eyes basically popping out of her head. 

Liam laughed and pulled her back down against him. 

“We can talk about the amount later,” he said, a hint of a smile still on his face. 

“I am not pushing seven babies out of me, Liam. I’ll give you three at most,” she said.

“Shhh, we’ll talk about it when the time comes.”

Ali could tell that he was still smiling as he spoke.

~~~

Ali made eye contact with Drake across the apple orchard and quickly looked away. She had been avoiding him like the plague for the last forty-eight hours, determined not to discuss the results of her pregnancy test. If she told him, she would have to tell Liam, and she wasn’t ready for that yet. She had no idea what she was supposed to do. It’s not like she could go up to him and say that she was pregnant with everything going on. 

Ali walked over to where the other suitors were standing and was greeted by Lizzie and Hana. She made casual conversation with the two of them, and even though they could sense that something was wrong with her, they made no comment.

“Welcome to the annual Apple Blossom Festival!” Constantine spoke, standing near several wicker baskets filled with the famous Cordonian Rubies.

“As is tradition, myself and several ladies of the court will sample the apples of the first picking of the season,” Regina said from her spot next to him.

The apples were distributed to all of the suitors, and Ali quickly realized that she had never tried a Cordonian Ruby before. All she knew was that they had an intense flavor according to Bertrand. Regina gave them permission to try their apples, and several reporters moved in closer to catch their reactions. 

Ali took a bite of her apple and was forced to hold back a gag as a mix of bitter and sour tastes filled her mouth. She unwillingly swallowed the apple and placed a smile on her face for the cameras. 

“That was tasty,” she said, hoping that she sounded more natural than she felt saying it. “It definitely has character.” 

The reporters got a few last minute shots of the ladies and their apples before dispersing to get more pictures and to speak with other members of the court.

The air was filled with a sense of calmness as the Apple Blossom Festival began, and people made their way around the orchard, picking apples and laughing with those nearby. However, Ali felt more on edge than ever. She caught sight of Liam standing nearby, speaking to a member of the court she didn’t recognize, and she felt her stomach begin turning again.

“Are you and Liam fighting or something?” Maxwell asked, falling into step beside her. 

“What? No, why would you think that?” she asked.

“You seem strange,” he said. “And you look sad.”

“We’re not fighting. I’m just not really feeling like myself today,” she said. 

“Well, in that case,” Maxwell began, holding out his elbow for her. “Care for a stroll around the orchard? It might take your mind off of whatever’s bothering you.”

Ali smiled and took his arm. They walked along in silence for a moment, taking in the crowds of people around them and just enjoying the fresh air. Their walk was cut short, however, by Drake approaching them. 

“I need to talk to you,” he said.

Ali nodded, her hands beginning to sweat as she let go of Maxwell’s arm.

She knew there was no way she was getting out of this conversation now.

“I’ll be right back, Max,” she said. 

Ali followed Drake through the orchard and to a large white gazebo situated in a secluded part of the gardens of Applewood Manor. She caught sight of a noble lady discreetly elbowing her friend to bring her attention to the two of them walking together as they exited the orchard, but tried to calm the surge of anger she felt. She reminded herself that she had bigger things to worry about right now.

“You’ve been avoiding me,” he said simply, turning to face her.

“Yeah, I have,” Ali said quietly, looking down at her hands.

Lying to him now wouldn’t do her any good. She was going to have to tell him the truth eventually, and there was no point in putting it off any longer. 

“You can’t ask me to get you a pregnancy test and then pretend like it didn’t happen.”

Ali remained silent, and that was the only confirmation he needed.

“Damn, what are you going to do?” he asked.

Ali felt tears well up in her eyes again. She knew that Drake wasn’t trying to upset her, but she got more confused and scared every time she thought about her situation.

“I don’t know,” she said, wiping at her eyes. “I’m scared, Drake.”

Drake sighed and moved closer to her. He looked hesitant for a moment, cautious of showing her any affection after their incident with the press, but then pulled her into a gentle hug. Ali rested her head on his shoulder and let a few more tears fall before pulling back.

“We’ll figure it out. I promise,” he said, in attempts to comfort her.

“I can’t have a baby! I’m still a baby!” she exclaimed hysterically.

“Eh, I think you’re more of an angsty teen than you are a baby,” he said with a smirk, attempting to lighten the mood. 

She glared at him through swollen eyes and resisted the urge to knee him in the crotch. The smile on his face immediately disappeared at her murderous expression and he raised his arms in surrender. 

“Sorry,” he responded sheepishly. “Look, I know you’re scared, but everything’s going to be okay. You’re not alone in this.”

Ali nodded as tears continued to fall down her face. 

“You have to tell him,” he continued quietly. 

“I can’t. I don’t know how,” she said miserably.

“Ali-” Drake began trying to reason with her. 

“No! Liam just got done telling me that Constantine wants him to make me his mistress because he doesn’t think I can handle being queen. What do you think is going to happen when I tell him that we’re having a baby?”

“You can’t keep it from him,” Drake said insistently. 

“I know. I’m just not ready to tell him yet. I need some time to figure all of this out myself first.”

“Fine, but you have to do it soon. I may not be the only one who knows about this,” he said. 

Ali’s body immediately went into panic mode.

“What do you mean?” 

“Bastien’s been keeping close tabs on that gossip blog ever since they ran that article about the two of us. He got a tip off from an inside man that someone was trying to sell pictures of you to them again,” he said, in a low voice. 

Drake pulled his phone out of his pocket and showed her a picture of her throwing up in the grass after the Regatta with Liam holding her hair back. 

“I was just seasick after the Regatta,” she said, feeling slightly more reassured. 

“No, you had morning sickness,” he said, swiping right onto his phone screen. 

Ali felt her stomach do a somersault as she looked at the new picture. Drake was standing in line at a drugstore, several pregnancy tests clutched tightly in his hands. The picture was taken from far away and was slightly grainy, but there was no denying what was happening in it. 

“Our guess is that they planned on running a story saying that you were pregnant with my baby and make it out to seem that we were both playing Liam,” he said.

“What do we do?” she asked, holding back tears for the third time in the last five minutes.

“For right now it’s taken care of. Bastien bought back the photos, so they can’t run the story. But, you need to tell Liam about the baby, and it probably wouldn’t hurt to figure out who’s been trying to spread rumors about you,” Drake said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder when he noticed how sick she looked.

“Do you think it was the same person both times?” she asked.

“Probably. Either way I think it’s safe to assume that whoever is doing this wants to hurt you, so that makes finding out who it is even more important.”

She took a few deep breaths to calm her increasing nerves when a thought occurred to her. Her head snapped up, and she looked back over to Drake, a wide smile on her face and happy for a distraction. 

“Why are you smiling like that?” Drake asked, furrowing his brow in confusion. 

“I can’t believe I forgot. Today’s your birthday!”

Drake groaned and awkwardly ran his fingers through his hair. 

“It’s okay. I think we have more important things to worry about.”

“Look, like I said. I can’t tell Liam today, and we’re not going to figure out who’s doing all of this in one afternoon. You might as well have a good time,” she said. 

“A good time? No, no good time is going to be had. Wait, what are you doing?” he asked, his voice sounding panicked as he watched her pull her phone out of her bra. 

“Group text,” she said, pulling up the message chain she had going with Maxwell and Lizzie.

She shot them a text asking them to round up Liam, Hana, Ben, and Charlie if he was available and to meet them under the gazebo. 

“What? No! Don’t do that,” he said, looking over her shoulder to see what she was typing. 

“Too late,” she responded with a triumphant smile. 

They waited a few moments in silence with Drake glaring daggers at her before they saw the others approaching. 

“What’s going on?” Maxwell asked. 

“It’s Drake’s birthday!” Ali responded happily.

“It’s Drake’s birthday?” Maxwell exclaimed, looking over at him excitedly. 

“You didn’t know?” Ali asked.

“Drake’s never told me,” Maxwell said, a frown tugging at the corner of his lips. 

“Haven’t you guys known each other since you were kids?” she asked 

“That doesn’t mean he needs to know,” Drake said. 

“Isn’t your birthday something you tell your friends about?” she questioned, her eyebrows raised in amusement.

“We’re not friends,” Drake said, causing her to roll her eyes.

“Okay, but you’re kind of friends,” Ali teased.

“No, we aren’t,” Drake scowled. 

“Face it, Drake. You have friends,” she said, gesturing to the people surrounding them. 

“We need to celebrate!” Lizzie said, practically bouncing up and down in place.

“There’s an American Western-themed bar I’ve been wanting to try out,” Maxwell said. 

“Western-themed bar?” Hana asked.

“Yeah. Cowboy boots, mechanical bull riding, that kind of thing,” Maxwell answered. 

“I’m in,” Lizzie said, and everyone else nodded in agreement. 

“Onward!” Maxwell called, jumping down the steps of the gazebo. 

“I texted Charlie the details, he said he’ll meet us at the bar when his shift is over,” Lizzie explained, following after Maxwell.

Drake was grumbling under his breath as they made their way out of the gardens, but it was obvious that he wasn’t too upset.

After a short drive, they arrived at a bar that had been decorated to match every western stereotype Ali had ever heard. The walls were made out of wood panelling and were decorated with several bull skulls, the bartender was wearing a cowboy hat with a red and white plaid shirt, and there was a large pit in the middle of the room where people were attempting to ride a mechanical bull. 

“The party has arrived!” Maxwell said, “Yeehaw!”

He turned around and gave Lizzie a high five, before they ran off with Ben and Hana to find a table. 

“This is definitely going to be a night to remember,” Drake said, taking a look around the place. 

“Okay, first order of business is to get the birthday boy a drink. C’mon, Li,” Ali said, starting off towards the bar. 

“Please, don’t call me ‘the birthday boy’,” Drake called after her. 

Ali and Liam shared a devious smile.

“I make no promises,” she said over her shoulder.

After grabbing the drinks, Ali walked back to the table where Maxwell was trying to do what sounded like a bad southern accent, while Liam wandered off to find a bathroom. 

“How many times has he said ‘yeehaw’ since we left?” Ali asked, handing Drake his whiskey and taking a seat next to Ben.

“About seven,” Ben said.

The two of them choked back their laughter, while Maxwell continued his impression which was somehow becoming more Scottish the longer he carried on with it. Ali looked over to Drake from where he was seated across from her and smiled mischievously. 

“Hey, birthday boy, say it,” she said, taking a sip of her virgin cocktail. 

“I told you not to call me that,” he groaned. “And say what?”

“You know what,” she said, a smirk plastered on her face. 

Drake scowled and narrowed his eyes at her. 

“No.”

“You have to do it at least once while we’re here.”

“Yeah, Drake! Say it!” Maxwell piped up. 

Drake turned to glare at him, but the other man just shrugged his shoulders, the smile never leaving his face.

“Yeehaw,” Drake said in a monotone voice, rolling his eyes as the group erupted in cheers.

“I hate you people,” he groaned. 

“You love us. Don’t deny it,” Lizzie said, throwing her arm around his shoulders playfully. 

“Okay, my friend, the mechanical bull is all yours,” Liam said as he approached the table. 

“I thought you were in the bathroom,” Ali questioned. 

“I was, but I made a quick stop on my way back to the table. You’re up, Drake!”

“Me? No way!” Drake said, surprised.

“Oh, my god. You have to!” Lizzie said happily, bouncing up and down in her seat. 

“Drake! Drake! Drake!” Maxwell began chanting. 

“Why are we saying Drake’s name?” Charlie asked, walking up to their table.

“We’re trying to get him to ride the mechanical bull,” Hana explained, greeting him with a smile.

“Drake! Drake! Drake!” he began chanting as well, warranting an eye roll from the guest of honor.

“Okay! Okay, I’ll do it. Just quiet down,” he said, getting up and downing the rest of his whiskey in one gulp. 

The group watched from the table as Drake slung his leg over the mechanical bull. Ali wasn’t sure what was going to happen, but she definitely didn’t expect to see Drake keep perfect balance. The bull began to buck faster, but Drake kept a firm hold onto it, swivelling his hips in perfect time with it, and her jaw dropped as Lizzie and Maxwell began to cheer loudly for him.

Drake was thrown off the bull a few seconds later, but he returned to the table smiling happily. 

“You don’t have to look so surprised, you know,” he said, causing Ali to realize that she hadn’t closed her mouth yet. 

“How do you know how to do that?” she asked, still taken aback. 

Drake just shrugged and turned away from her as the band began to play a new song. 

“This is where I get to show off all of my moves,” Maxwell said, already starting to dance in his seat. “C’mon, we should hit the dancefloor.”

He grabbed both Hana and Lizzie by the arm and pulled them out with him. 

Ben and Charlie broke off from the group to get another drink, leaving Liam, Drake, and Ali alone at the table. Liam took Ben’s vacated seat and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer into his side. She relaxed into his body, glad that she was able to be close to him in public for once. 

“Don’t you want to go dance?” she asked Drake, pointing over to where Maxwell was doing the sprinkler and Hana was awkwardly trying to imitate him. 

“Dancing isn't really my thing. Especially that kind of dancing,” he responded as Maxwell began doing the robot. 

“I think it’s about to become your thing,” Liam said, as Lizzie and Maxwell came back to the table and each grabbed one of Drake’s arms.

Ali and Liam watched as Lizzie tried to get Drake to dance for several minutes, before he finally gave in and started nodding his head to the music.

“Oh, my god!” Ali laughed, as a crowd began to form around Maxwell who was break dancing in the middle of the dance floor. 

Charlie was mirroring his movements in what looked to be a dance battle.

“I can’t believe Maxwell actually knows how to breakdance,” she said in shock.

“I can’t believe Charlie does either,” Liam responded.

Everyone finally returned to the table, Maxwell completely covered in sweat, as the last song of the night was coming to a close. 

“So, what did you think, Hana?” Ali asked, as they made their way back out into the cool air. 

“This was scary, but a fun kind of scary,” she said, smiling. 

Ali could hear Maxwell talking about going out another time as she fell back away from the group so that she could walk alongside Drake. 

“Liam said that you never really celebrate your birthday, so I’m sorry if this was weird for you.”

“Actually, tonight’s been… really fun,” Drake said, a small smile on his face. “Different that expected, but still fun.”

“I’m glad it was. Maybe you should have told everyone about your birthday sooner,” she said playfully. 

“Don’t push it.” 

“Happy birthday, Drake.”