#Sure there's the Stress of having a foreign royal to protect but now he's got Crownsguard and Kingsglaive backup

[secret-engima]

story-spinner

Having a bad day. You happen to have any HCs or snippets for Kings Skjald verse? You may not but your writing always seems to cheer me up so

Me: So sorry I missed this! I didn’t log in yesterday like- at ALL and I only just got the notification. I unfortunately do not have any snippets to share, but HCs I can do. :)

-In the aftermath of Souls of the Sea (Still Belong to Blue Tides) and everything that happened in there, a couple things happen. One of the big ones being that Ravus joins the Kingsglaive. It takes him a year of stubbornly arguing with his mother over it, because she does NOT want Ravus to go haring off to war, but in the end Ravus wins and joins up at 17.

-The glaives at first are not too sold on this idea. Because... prince. Tenebraen prince with a resting murder face. He’s probably a wimp. Or just a jerk. Will he even obey orders and work with us non-royal Galahdian/Lucian nobodies?

-Then they actually throw Ravus into boot camp and learn that this boy may have enough formal manners to perfectly blend in with Lucian high society but once you take him out of that environment and stick a sword in his hand he becomes a bundle of Feral Anger And Bloodlust with a side of Really Scary Cunning. Also he spent part of those months on the run being grilled by Gladiolus in how to fight (on top of the royal sword training he’d already been receiving pre-Tenebrae’s Fall obviously) and spent putting food on the camp grill for his mother and sister by Killing It Really Hard First.

-Basically he fits riigghhtt in with the rest of the feral, chip-on-their-shoulder-rookies.

-Also, Ravus may not be a Reborn Viking of Pure Awesome like Gladiolus, so he can’t stand toe to toe with Cor the Immortal or anything but like- in canon this boy was able to claw his way up the ranks of a foreign military that WOULDN’T HAVE WANTED HIM THERE (see: Uldor’s comments during the Ignis DLC, and that cutscene with Besithia making snide comments at Ravus in the main game) and eventually become SiC and then Supreme Commander. Kid has talent and the stubborn to back it up.

-Nyx is not a fan of being Braincelled by this younger, more aggressive Tenenbraen, especially when half the time Ravus is only in yelling range because he’s DOING THE DUMB RIGHT ALONGSIDE NYX.

-Luche and Libertus are both a Stress.

-Tredd finds it fun to wind the kid up even though it repeatedly gets him a broken nose.

-Anyway as a side effect of Ravus joining the Kingsglaive, Luna and Gladiolus both take an interest in the Kingsglaive as a whole, and of course, whatever THEY take an interest in, Noctis will take an interest in too.

-Cue Smol Prince following along whenever Luna comes to check on her brother (and secretly use her magic to heal them even though Mother Strictly Forbids Using Her Magic Outside Emergencies Until She’s Fully Trained) and Gladiolus making friends with people physically a lot older than him but not mentally. And maybe mopping the floor with anyone who dares challenge him to a spar (this is the year Gladiolus is finally good enough to win against Cor in a spar according to a previous HC of mine, sorry but the Glaives have no chance, they give it a good go though).

-Gladiolus may or may not accidentally teach the Kingsglaive how to swear in Old Norse.

-I really really want the other Astrals (minus Bahamut) to start noticing and taking an interest in Leviathan’s new “kid”, because no one has given blessings since Solheim’s fall and of all of them, LEVIATHAN was not the one they expected to buck the mold in that way (in other ways sure, but Blessing a human???? THEIR angry rage snek???). But I’m still working out how all that ... goes.

-Leviathan probably browbeats the others into keeping it a secret from Bahamut tho. Because she is protective of her child and there’s no way she’s letting Bahamut hurt her Chosen again, even by accident.

-Gladiolus, with his newfound abilities to breathe underwater and such, sometimes gets an itch to go swimming. Considering the ocean is miles away most of the time and the pool has chlorine that stings his lungs when he breathes it, he finds the Royal Aquarium with all its ocean fish a much better place to hang out for a few hours.

-Clarus, Juno, Regis, Ignis, Cor, and more than a few freaked out Crownsguard would like to STRONGLY DISAGREE.

-Gladiolus, who lost track of time swimming around with the Really Dangerous Fish that won’t bother him because they can sense Leviathan’s Blessing, is just like- sorry? I’ll warn you next time.

-Everybody: WHAT DO YOU MEAN NEXT TIME.

-Sylva becomes a major voice in Lucian noble circles in favor of the Kingsglaive and efforts to clean up the refugee sector. Because she may not be Lucian, but she is the ORACLE and her voice carries a LOT of weight and she’s lived through what the Galahdians and other refugee groups have suffered through. She knows the smell of your home burning and blood on your clothes as you run from MT units and pray they don’t find you. She knows what it’s like to flee to another country. What it’s like to be HUNGRY and SCARED. What it’s like to cling to the children at night on a Haven, cold and tired but unable to sleep because the daemons wander and scream only a few yards away, and while the mind says they cannot come onto the Haven, the heart and the instincts do not believe. She knows ALL OF THAT.

-She also knows what it’s like to be saved. To be found and sheltered and taken to safety by soldiers who are just like her, and know to give her and her children soup and soft foods, who know to approach from the front rather than the sides and to move slow and open, to always say what they’re doing before they do it. She knows what it’s like to be so grateful for those simple kindnesses that it takes all she can muster not to start crying, because if she starts she will not stop and then her children will start crying too.

-So whenever some Lucian noble makes contemptuous noises over the “necessity” of the Kingsglaive or the refugee sector, or makes a comment on how Insomnia is for LUCIANS and not ragged strays, she will look them in the eye and say something perfectly cool and polite and deadly. Something that sharply reminds the noble that SHE, the HOLY ORACLE, is a refugee just like all the other “ragged strays”. That she and hers were “found” by Kingsglaive and escorted safely home. That her SON is now part of that very same organization.

-But do go on and tell her how the Kingsglaive are a waste of money and refugees should be left to fend for themselves.

-Needless to say, between Sylva backing them politically, Luna healing them on the sly (and also Sylva does come heal the bad cases whenever she has time), and Ravus being his feral budding terrifying strategist self, the Kingsglaive and Little Galahd as a whole rapidly come to adore the Nox Fleuret family. These are their Oracles. No touchy. They will Fite You.

-And of course, Noctis adores Luna and tries to emulate her because she’s Cool, and also his Shield-Brother cares for the Kingsglaive, and Big Brother Ravus IS a Kingsglaive, so Noctis rolls up his little sleeves and tries to help too. He’s too young to have a voice in politics, but he can and will follow his dad around nagging that hey-hey Ravus says their shoes don’t fit and the quartermaster won’t give them potions even though IGNIS says they have the budget for it and hey hey hey- (Regis would like to know how Ignis the Eleven Year Old got his hands on the Kingsglaive budget, but Cor has been making dire noises along these lines already so he sighs and siccs the auditors on the quartermaster).

-Noctis also visits a lot, and tries to give the Glaives games and things because hey those make him feel better so maybe it’ll make the glaives not look so tired too.

-The Entire Kingsglaive as they proverbially (and sometimes literally) pick up Noctis: We’ve only known this princeling for a few months but if anything happened to him we would kill everyone in Niflheim and then ourselves.

-Gladiolus approves this feeling.

I think that’s all the HCs I got for the moment, I hope these made your day a little better. :)

[procrastination-queenie]

BTS Princes! au Pt. 2 (Maknae Line)

Part 1

A/N: 1) First of all, thank you all so much for your support. I didn’t expect all this feedback, and I REALLY DO APPRECIATE IT. 

2) I have some news which I don’t know if you’re going to like or not. I decided to do two more parts for the proposals, royal weddings and finally the pregnancy+ royal babies, because the dating part is SUPER LONG so it goes like this ...

Part 1: general info on the boys as Princes.

Part 2 (Maknae line): How you meet + first date + dating in general.

Part 2.5 (Hyung line): same as part 2.

Part 3: Proposal + royal announcement + wedding and honeymoon.

Part 4: Pregnancy + royal babies. 

3) I wouldn’t really mind if you guys want to drop some ideas for the upcoming parts.  

4) I hope you enjoy this part.😍 and don’t forget to tell me what you think.

5) I am so sorry this took me so long to post because I wanted it to be perfect.🥺

Prince Jimin:

When it comes to the maknaes, Jimin is the most experienced among them in relationships.

He would be the most one to have had many girlfriends, but they didn’t work out.

Jimin met you under very weird circumstances.

To you, it was the worst day ever, until of course the part in which you met Prince Jimin because he made it better.

First, you woke up late which led you to run to work on your feet rather than taking a means of transportation that would have made you arrive later.

You were homesick for a while now seeing that you haven’t seen your family for a long time, which just added to your stress.

To top all of that your best friend had you set up on a blind date that you were not so excited for.

That night Jimin was out with some friends he hadn’t seen in a long time.

Then there you were ...

Dressed in a beautiful dress that somehow made you look outstanding among every person in that restaurant. 

The waiter led you to a table that was in Jimin’s sight.

And it was for two 🙂

Of course, you were here on a date ... what was he thinking!

A beautiful girl like you showing up in a dress like that must be here on a date.

Poor you! You kept waiting for your date, but apparently, he had things far more important than showing up.

Jimin had noticed from afar how you kept looking at the door every few minutes.

He thought that whoever stood you up was a douchebag.

You were intending to call your best friend and give her an earful, but after you order yourself a nice meal because you have had a long day and that guy couldn’t even call to cancel the date and let you use this wasted time on something more useful, so you owe it to yourself to have some good time.

Jimin was waiting a little bit after his friends left as he is always the last to leave out of these places for protection protocols.

He was going to leave but he changed his mind and asked his guards to wait for him. 

“Is this seat taken?” he asked after he cleared his throat to catch your attention.

“It was supposed to, but it’s not,” you said not looking up from your drink which you were sipping on so slowly making Jimin chuckle.

“May I?” he asked again before you gestured with your hands for him to sit.

He knew you were a foreigner because you didn’t recognise him immediately.

“Why do you look so familiar?” you said squinting your eyes at him.

Never really happened to him, but ... he started to panic.

“I feel like I saw you somewhere before.” you were trying so hard to remember where have you seen him.

“Maybe the news ...” he said giving you a hint.

“Are you some kind of celebrity?” 

you were pouting and he was giggling at your facial expression.

“Not really...no.” 

GASP

“Oh my God,” you started freaking out.

“Please don’t freak out,” he said looking around. Even though the restaurant had limited the number of their guests that night for the prince, there were still a few people around which Jimin had no desire of catching their attention, at least not with you freaking out.

He quirked an eyebrow when he saw you slightly leaning over the table towards him.

“Am I going to prison for addressing you informally?” 

The whole thing was so amusing to Jimin, here’s why:

First, you were whispering.

Second, he didn’t know whether you were talking seriously or not, but from the looks of it, you seemed serious.

Third, he was rolling his eyes in his head over the fact that people treated them as if they were some kind of tyrants who punish someone violently just because you did not address them the correct way.

Deciding to tease you because PRINCE JIMIN IS A TEASER.

“in fact, it’s a beheading in this case, but I’ll put in a word for you that 25 years of imprisonment is enough because you’re so amusing,” he said staring you in the eyes.

You were gaping like a fish with wide eyes as your shoulders sank and your face paled.

You knew that nothing would happen to you when you asked him that question, but your overly cautious self wanted to make sure that you were not in trouble for informally addressing the Prince, and you certainly did not expect this answer.

“W-w-what?”

Suddenly, Jimin burst out in laughter over your reaction.

“I am kidding. Please, calm down,” he said still laughing as he put a hand over yours to calm you down.

You calmed down as You and the prince started to have a normal conversation.

Now halfway through the conversation...

“Sooo?” he was looking at you like he wanted to know what went wrong with your night.

“Oh... long story short... I was stood up,” you said shrugging.

“His loss is my gain,” he said winking.

you blushed as you did not expect him to flirt with you like this.

But then again, Prince Jimin was known for being a huge flirt.

Surprisingly, that night turned out amazing.

Jimin insisted on paying for your dinner.

Although he had dinner just a few moments ago with his friends, he ordered another meal with you just so you wouldn’t feel shy and refuse to eat. How cute is that!

Jimin returned home that night with the biggest smile on his face that made Namjoon weary of him, and Jin thought he was drunk.

“You have royal engagements to carry out tomorrow with mum, and you return home drunk like that,” Jin said rebuking Jimin who sunk into an armchair looking at Jin with his mind elsewhere.

“Hyung, I am not drunk,” Jimin said with a big, fat smile still visible on his features.

“He’s not drun,.” Yoongi said as he smelled Jimin’s breath.

“See!” Jimin said giggling.

“Is he high?” Hoseok whispered to Namjoon.

Jimin was acting weirdly after your night out together, which made the boys slightly concerned.

He kept in touch with you after you both had exchanged phone numbers that night.

You treated him as a friend and tried not to expect more out of this friendship because expectations can really bring you down.

Jimin himself was quite confused whether to ask you out or not, seeing that you dodged his every attempt to flirt with you.

 But you didn’t do that on purpose...

It was a worldwide known fact that Prince Jimin has had his fair share of affairs with models, princesses and many other women with his flirty attitude...

So you tried not to take his flirtations seriously.

Prince Jimin is Bold ... okay?

like he will straight out say anything that comes to his mind.

“Is there something wrong with me?” 

he asked one day when he was over at your house laying spread on your sofa as if there wasn’t an army protecting the premises outside.

You looked up from your laptop, putting whatever it is that you were working on, on hold.

“What? Nooo, why would you say that!” you answered his question frowning.

“Then there must be something wrong with you!” he said quirking his eyebrows at you.

“Last I checked, there was nothing wrong with me?” you said in an almost question like manner.

“Then, why can’t you catch on any of my hints?” 

“What hints?” you put down your laptop because Jimin was confusing you right now.

“I have been flirting with you for a whole month now!” he said as if saying that to your crush is as normal as breathing.

Jimin never failed to make you gap like a fish because right now you were doing it for the millionth time just this week.

“What?”

“What do you want me to do more than that? I have been trying to show you that I like you and what’s worse is that you don’t even reject me like you made me doubt myself ... am I doing something wrong or what?”

“How can you be so straightforward?” you were amazed by his boldness.

“I just told you that I like you and that is all you care about!” he said scrunching his face.

“What do you want me to do?” you looked like a tomato right now.

“I don’t know .... maybe start with answering me back whether you like me too or not?” he asked now sitting up and looking you in the eye which only made you blush even more.

“I ....do?” you sounded like you weren’t sure but deep down you were willing to scream YES! I DO LIKE YOU, I MIGHT EVEN BE IN LOVE WITH YOU. 

but, again you were not as bold as Jimin to do such a thing.

“Why do you sound so hesitant?” he edged closer to you to look you in the eyes even more than before as if pressuring you.

He can be intimidating like that ...

You were sure you were going to die out of shyness and embarrassment.

covering your face you answered with “Cause you make me shy.”

Jimin chuckled over your cuteness as he took your hands off your face and held you in his arms.

“It’s okay sweetheart, there’s nothing wrong with liking me back,” 

He chuckled even more when he felt how tense your body was until you relaxed in his arms.

“Well, that settles it,” he got up and reached for his leather jacket.

“settles what?” you asked confused.

“I am taking you out on a date tomorrow night,” he said putting on his jacket.

Again, you were gaping like a fish as Jimin left.

Okay, so lowkey Jimin was panicking because in this short period he grew to like you ... a lot.

so, he wanted to impress you.

for the first time in his entire life, he went for the queen to ask her what to do.

“Good afternoon ma,” Jimin said approaching the queen’s desk.

“Good afternoon Chimmy,” she said looking over her glasses as she put down the pen she was using, and looking up at Jimin.

The boys got used to the Queen calling them by there nicknames, so they don’t bother with the face scrunch anymore.

“Ma! what do I do if I want to impress a girl?” he asked with hands behind his back out of respect (cute little chimmy, respecting his mama.😊)

The Queen was taken aback, seeing that Jimin doesn’t usually ask for her advice on dating.

“Strange! you never come to me for advice on dating... seems like this one is special!” she said taking off her reading glasses and smirking a little.

“Maaa,” this was probably one the very few times in which, you,  my dear reader can see Jimin blushing.

And he was blushing because it was now obvious to the Queen that you already have a special place in her son’s heart. 

“Okay fine, I won’t tease. Just stop whining,” she said chuckling at her son. Although they are grown men, they still seemed to preserve this childlike behaviour within that just made her heart melt.

Getting all the advise and help he needed from his mother, Jimin started preparing for your date right away.

So, the last thing you expected was to find yourself on the rooftop of one of the tallest buildings in the city, with decorations and fairy lights that could turn any gloomy place into heaven.

“Wow!”

“I am glad you like it,” he said pulling out a chair for you.

“It’s lovely,” you said still looking around.

Jimin chuckling at your cuteness for the gazillion time. 

Just know for sure that you didn’t stop blushing that night.

Jimin was being his usual charming self around you.

Except you noticed a few things that were not in his nature to do ...

Like how he hesitated to hold your hand even though he did it before.

Or, how he would gaze longer than usual at you.

He was trying so hard not to fall out of his chair every time you cracked a joke because he kept in mind how his brothers warned him about this habit of his. 😂

Him shifting or squirming in his place every few minutes when you were both inspecting the starry night.

You eventually caught on his plan...

The little mince was hesitant over whether he should pull you in his arms or not.

he did, well after coming up with the excuse of “wanting to keep you warm,” 😏

he was not confident like the usual.

“Why are you acting so weird, today?” you said turning slightly to face him.

“I am not acting weird!”

“Yes, you are!” 

“Well, because you’re making me nervous,” he admitted.

“What? Me?” 

“Yes, ... I mean you’re so quiet; I don’t know what’s going inside that cute, little head of yours,” he said as you felt him tug you closer to his chest while you looked up at him.

“Well, what do you want to know?” you asked shrugging.

It took him a few seconds of humming to ask you whether you like the date so far or not.

“I love it,” you said resting the back of your head on his shoulder.

“Glad you do, cause I had some help from ma,” 

You suddenly tensed, the queen helped Jimin with this...

sooo.... she knows about YOU.

“You mean the queen, herself, helped you with all of this?” you said turning to fully face him.

“Well, she gave me some ideas,” he said shrugging as if it wasn’t a big deal.

Something about dating a prince made you slightly tense.

You could not, still, get over the fact that for the last couple of months, you have been befriending a Prince. Not only that but now you’re dating him.

So, to know that the Queen, who by the way is a good ruler and is considered to be one of the busiest women on earth, took the time to sit with her son and help him plan this out is actually mind-blowing to you.

Jimin sighed knowing very well what you were thinking at that moment.

but he didn’t blame you. 

People always assumed that Kings and Queens don’t usually have a close relationship with their children. It was always and still is assumed that they marry to have children that enable their bloodline to continue ruling, so the idea of having this close parent-child relationship in monarchies seemed to be out of the question.

But he was sure that you would get used to it. I mean he always thought that there must be someone out there who would love him despite the chaos that comes with his life, and he had a feeling that you are this person.

“Sooo, did you run a background check on me before we became friends, or...?” you said trying to change the topic.

Jimin laughing because you’re so amusing and cute.

The rest of the night went on perfectly.

I don’t need to tell you that when the boys nagged Jimin after the date.

And of course, Tae was the first to provoke his twin to get his revenge since Jimin actually called him out on his girlfriend in front of the whole family during breakfast, before.

“Does mum and dad know about this?” Tae wiggled his eyebrows at Jimin.

“Yeah don’t worry Taetae, mum knows and I am sure she told dad,” Jimin said smirking at Tae.

“When are you going to introduce us?” Hoseok asked 

“You sound like mun when she gets excited when we see someone,” Yoongi said eyeing Hoseok weirdly.

“I am sorry fellas, but as you all know,” he got up and put his hand over Jimin’s shoulder as he continued, “ ... I and Jimin are the only ones among you who’ve been in the game for too long, and you know very well that it’s not that easy for us to settle just for anyone,” he said gesturing between himself and Jimin with his hand.

All the boys scoffing at Hoseok. 

“So I am curious to know about ..... the poor girl who is going to have to keep up with you.” Hoseok was laughing so hard because Jimin was hitting him for saying that.

later on, he did introduce you to them.

you came to see how down to earth they are.

they treated you like a sister

The Queen and the King approving of you right away.

“You know, it’s very rare when ma and pa approve of any of Jimin’s girlfriends,” Hoseok would say to you.

“Why is that?” 

“Well, aside from focusing on the girl herself, they tend to inspect our behaviour and judging from it, it seems like our little chimmy is serious about you,” Hoseok said winking at you.

This made you feel special. 

The boys always nagged Jimin around you because he’s such a softie for you.

Like he would have this big ass smile on his face when he looks at you as you speak or do something.

Proudest boyfriend EVER.

He’s also very touchy.

will always hold your hand or have you in his arms when you’re around.

He becomes so sad when the paps try to invade your privacy.

He really knows how they can be a pain in the ass and they would probably be one of the few things that can turn the confident, cocky Prince Jimin into a sad, small baby mochi...

because he wants to protect you and is terrified that you’d leave him because you can’t handle this type of life.

It would break your heart how he from time to time would bring up the question of whether you’d leave him or not because he can’t bring himself to think of a future without you.

So he’d try to protect you from the media as much as he can. 

along with his brothers who face the same problem.

so moving to the important stuff:

If you’re virgin and you intend to keep it that way till marriage, he would be very understanding.

because he was brought up to be a gentleman, not because he’s a prince but because it’s the right thing.

so he wouldn’t push you to do anything you don’t like.

But if you’re not ... then that’s a whole other story.

He would be a total beast ... don’t let his innocent looks deceive you.

loves to ruin you ... okay? 

Loves to spoil you.

like when he’s free, he would drive you to work and bring some breakfast.

he would try to make you feel like a normal couple.

Mostly he’s the big spoon.

would take your opinion on lots of things.

loves to listen to you rumble on and on about things you’re passionate about.

Him reaching the conclusion that he loves you more than he has ever loved anyone.

Prince Taehyung:

Taehyung is the most romantic among his brothers right after Jungkook. 

He thought it might take some time to find “the one” for him. 

He definitely did not see it coming when he found himself attracted to you.

Let me tell you, my dear reader, how you both met.

You worked in different art museums because you were so interested in art history and how artists expressed their emotions through various types of Art. 

How many artists had come up with their own schools and philosophies.

It all amazed you.

And because of that, you were the top in your game. 

You’d guide the most important people through the museums explaining to them everything about the work of art they witnessed.

The hidden messages, codes they call it. Everything. You pointed it out with such poise and passion.

Which leads us to how you met the charming Prince...

being the best in this field you worked with the elite of the society a lot.

And somehow one night you ended up giving one of these people and their best friend, Prince Taehyung, a guide through the museum. 

Ofc the princes befriended many of the boys and girls close to their age from some families who had titles.

(Don’t worry they made sure to stay away from the snobbish ones.)

And Prince Taehyung was no different. 

Lately, he has been working hard. 

To the point that  Prince Jimin was begging him to take some time off. 

He called Tae’s friends to try and drag him out of the palace and do something fun. 

Which leads exactly to that moment of you giving them a private tour to one of Taehyung’s favourite museums. 

He has never seen a girl dress this elegantly (aside from his mother ofc.) 

He didn’t know how but somehow he was really attracted to the way you dressed. Even though it was simple attire, yet very chic.

Not only that but also the fact that you were so confident with how you were explaining everything, very passionate.

He could see the fire of excitement in your eyes as you explained some of your favourite pieces. 

You even told him about things he never knew, even though he came to that museum quite a lot. 

You surprised him.

It got to the point that he was so engaged with you in every statement you made that his friends got bored and decided to excuse themselves and leave as Taehyung refused to leave and have dinner with them.

So they decided to leave the Prince with you alone to roam the empty halls of the museum to show him some more paintings and statues. 

Taehyung realised that he made you stay quite a long time which was really late for a museum to be open at this hour.

so as a thank you, he insisted on treating you to dinner. 

“Your highness, you really don’t have too...” you said as you were putting on your warm long coat.

“No I insist plus I thought I had told you to just call me Taehyung!” he said quirking an eyebrow at you as he wore his long coat, too. 

“It’s not like you meet a Prince every day and befriend them!” you said adjusting the coat and the strap of your bag.

He gave you his famous boxy smile that you swear can make your heart melt, even more, when seeing it in person. 

He got you a table at a decent restaurant away from any prying eyes. 

And that night you both got to know each other more. 

Taehyung knew that he was attracted to you the first time he saw you, but, unlike, Jungkook who asked his girlfriend out on a date just a day after he met her, he preferred to take his time with you.

Ofc after staying out late that night with you, he was met by a smirking Jimin on his return to the palace.

“What?” Taehyung asked query of Jimin’s attitude.

“Nothing!” Jimin shrugged with a smirk still drawn upon his face. 

Taehyung just looked at his twin brother in confusion as Jimin left him, with the same smirk growing more and more with each step he took.

The next morning during breakfast, hell broke loose... 

“Sooo, wanna tell us about the girl from last night?” Jimin said nudging Taehyung as the poor thing choked on his tea.

He was going to ask Jimin how he knew about you, but the queen was fast to interfere in the conversation. 

“What girl?” She asked putting her utensils down.

The king quirking an eyebrow from behind the newspaper he was reading.

“TaeTae went out on a date with a girl yesterday!” Jimin said proudly with a smug look as he delivered the news down the table amongst his parents and siblings. 

“Please tell me it’s not that Rachel girl of the Lee family. She’s unbearable!” Yoongi said wincing at the thought of that snobbish girl flinging herself from one prince to the other, in desperate need to marry one of them. 

Taehyung mirrored Yoongi’s wince as he remembered what she did the last time they saw her.

Said girl thought it appropriate to come to the royal family’s charity event in a dress that barely left anything for the imagination. 

She spent most of the night throwing herself at each prince. 

Until Yoongi had finally told her off making the boys sigh in relief as she ran off in “embarrassment”. 

“Good God! No! not her.” Taehyung said shaking his head as if to fling the horrible idea out of his head.  

“Thank God,” Namjoon said adjusting his glasses and focusing on his breakfast, again. 

“Then who is the girl you went out with?” Hoseok smirked as he swerved the conversation back to its main lane. 

Taehyung glared at his older brother.

“It’s not someone that you know.” He said looking down at his plate.

The Queen could notice her son’s behaviour. 

HE LIKES YOU.

but he didn’t want to show it yet.

She knew from the way he was playing with his food and his refusal to look anyone in the eye. 

The Queen looked over to her husband as he noticed, too. 

“However it turns out ... I hope that you will introduce her to us soon.”  She said picking up her glass of orange juice. 

“Ma, it’s way too early for this,” Taehyung said groaning. He knew they were not going to let him be. 

All of them laughed at his childlike behaviour as they continued their breakfast. 

A few days had passed since then, but Taehyung managed to keep in touch with you. 

You, on the other hand, tried not to think anything of it. Your insecurities scolding your hopeful and imaginative side for even thinking about the possibility that the Prince might be interested in you. 

You thought “Who am I to catch the attention of the Prince?” 

You were not naive, you kept up with the royal families of the world, not only because you were interested but because you major in art history required a certain amount of knowledge about the royal families. 

And you knew that Princes usually marry girls with high status, if not, then to girls who were heiresses to wealthy families. 

And you, you came from a middle-class family. You were not poor, but you were not rich either... You were comfortable enough. 

While your insecurities were feeding off your doubts, Prince Taehyung was trying to come up with the perfect date. 

Until Yoongi suggested the best ideal date ever.

Your heart stopped, it almost did when you found the prince’s guards waiting by your office at the museum.

“Hi,” Taehung said bowing a little. 

“Hi,” you said dragging the word out as you were sceptical of why he was here. Wasn’t he supposed to be carrying out royal engagements? 

“Are you listening to me?” Taehyung said snapping his fingers.

“Hmmm... What?” you said shaking your head slightly.

“I asked whether you’re free for the next couple of days or not?” he asked repeating himself with a small smile on his face. 

He may not be showing it, but deep down, his heart was beating fast and his hands were sweating as he clasped them together. 

“Other than work then I’ve got nothing to do,” you said shrugging and moving behind your desk to sit.

“What would you like to drink?” you asked taking a seat.

“Oh, no don’t bother I am not staying for too long,” he said shaking his head and taking a seat as well. 

“Can’t you take a couple of days off from work?” he asked as he scratched the back of his neck, getting more and more nervous by the second. 

“What for?” 

Before he could answer, both of you were interrupted.

“ Y/N you got 15 minutes until the German tourists arrive, what’s taking you so lon-... Oh!” A friend of yours slash your colleague entered suddenly without knocking. 

“I didn’t know you had company!” Your friend said still standing in his place and looking Taehyung up and down.

You glared at him, “Jay, this is Prince Taehyung!” you said through gritted teeth. 

The poor guy was not a native of the country so he didn’t really know about its rulers.

 “Oh! I am ... I am so sorry.” he said bowing slightly. 

He stood there not know really what to do in the presence of a Prince.

“Jay I’ll be out there in a few moments,” you said dismissing him.

Nodding he got out as he closed the door after him as Taehyung quirked an eyebrow.

“So, you were saying?” you asked getting back to your topic.

Taehyung adjusted his posture. He didn’t know what came over him but he did not like that Jay dude. 

He felt like there was something between the two of you, but he ignored it. 

“Can you take a couple of days off?” 

“You didn’t tell me why?” you asked sorting out a few papers before you head out to the group of tourists. 

“I-I-I want to take you out on a date.” He said, quickly avoiding your eyes. 

“What?” you halted your movement.

“A date? ... you know the one where I take out so that...” He was in the process of explaining what a date is, very slowly as if explaining it to a little kid until you stopped him.

“I know what a date is?” you said giving him a funny look.

“So...?” he was waiting for an answer as his legs kept on bouncing out of nervousness. 

“I-I don’t know ... Why?” you said astonished at the fact that he wants to take you out on a date.

“W-w-why!!! What do you mean why?” He asked starting to stutter in fear of rejection. 

“A-a-are you dating that Jay guy? Is that why you’re hesitant to go out with me?” He asked now ready to run out of your office and disappear for the rest of his life because of the embarrassment he was feeling. 

“What? No, I am not. I-I ... I am just surprised that you want to take me out on a date?” You said lowering your head to avoid his gaze.

Taehyung sighed in relief to know that there was nothing between you and Jay.

“What’s wrong with me taking you out?” He asked tilting you chin up so he could look into your eyes.

“I mean .. I am not rich and I am not the daughter of a duke or a viscount. I have no title and I know it’s preferable for a Prince to date someone of status.” You said looking down again.

“What?” Taehyung scoffed at the idea.

“Well, that was in the past monarchies, but now it’s different... I mean yes some royals still stick to this rule but we don’t.” He said explaining to you in hopes of tuning down your fears. 

You gave him a small smile. 

“So, will you go out with me?” he asked caressing your cheek. 

You nodded shyly. 

He kissed your cheek and headed for the door. 

“Make sure to take off four days.” He said as he got out.

“Four days for one date?” You asked in confusion as you scrunched your nose.

“I’ll text you the details, just do as I say.” He said chuckling at your cute expression and giving you a peck on your nose button. 

You blushed, hoping that no one saw that. 

You did take a few days off as Taehyung said but things were getting very suspicious when he asked to pack a small bag for travelling.

You certainly did not expect to find yourself in an airport waiting to board a plane to fuckin’ Paris.

And as we mentioned in the previous part, precious TaeTae supports environmental causes so he refused to fly both of you out in a private jet. 

Instead, he flew you both in first class with the rest of the people.

Moving past that, here’s how the date went:

Tae, of course, respected your privacy and your personal space so he booked a room for you, knowing that you won’t agree to stay with him in one room, and you guys are not close enough to take such a step. 

“There is no time to waste,” he told you.

So, you unpacked and made sure to wear comfortable clothes for the day. 

He was waiting for you in front of his room as both of your rooms were facing each other. 

“You ready?” He asked flashing you his boxy smile. 

Taking your hand in his, he led you to the elevator and down to the lobby.

Well here’s a surprise.

You went to your destination on bicycles.

If you don’t know how to ride one, Taehyung would let you sit in front of him as he drove the bike with both of his arms engulfing you and your back pressed to his chest.

Cute! right? 

“You’re kidding me, right?” you gasped as you saw the Louvre in front of you. 

“What do you think?” he asked standing next to you inspecting your reaction. 

“Oh my God, it’s PERFECT.” you screamed as you jumped on him hugging him tightly. 

“I am glad you love it,” he said hugging you back.

“Oh God, I always wanted to come here since I graduated.”

“Do you know how many masterpieces are in there?” 

You kept on rambling on and on and telling him what you’re most excited to see.

He was so happy that he didn’t focus on anything but you as the two of you walked together hand in hand. 

“This is a painting by Jacques-Louis David. It shows you the coronation of Napoleon at the Notre Dame, here in Paris. It was completed in 1805 and belongs to the period of Neoclassicism.” You said standing in front of one of the paintings. 

Taehyung looked over the description of the painting to find the exact same info that you’ve just told him. 

He smiled at you and...

not being able to control himself he kissed you.

THAT WAS YOUR FIRST KISS WITH HIM

IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MUSEUM (and not any museum)

His lips were so soft.

And the kiss itself was so gentle and warm.

and it was so slow as if the savour every moment of it.

he cupped your face into his large hands.

There was something about the way he kissed you that made your heart thunder in your chest.

unbeknownst to you, a guy was approaching the both of you as you two were busy looking into each other’s eyes.

The guy was taking photos of people around the city and he took two photos of you both and gave them to you. 

“Thank you!” you said smiling as he nodded and left with his polaroid camera.

The photos were one of you kissing and the other after you both kissed and were lost in each other’s eyes. 

you smiled as you both looked at the photos that captured a magnificent moment; it was as if there was no one but you two in this world. 

The focus was on both of you as the other people surrounding you appeared blurry. it gave the feeling of time pausing just for the two of you.

They were beautiful. 

You almost spent the whole day there as there was too much to see. 

“I can’t tell you how lovely today was.” You said munching on your food as the both of you spent the remainings  of your night at a Parisian cafe with beautiful French music playing in the background.

“You just wait until tomorrow.” He said excitedly adjusting his glasses and biting into his food as well.

“What? No way. Taehyung this is too much.” you said as the cost of all the things that he did for you today, starting from the first-class ticket to the fancy food you were eating right now, started to haunt you at the back of your mind. 

“Don’t you think that this is too much for a first date?” you asked saddened at the idea that people will definitely think that you’re a gold digger, and that’s not what you are.

He shrugged, “I just want to impress you.” 

“You’re doing an amazing job at it, but I don’t like you spending this much money on me,” you said voicing your concerns. 

You didn’t want the words GOLD DIGGER to be plastered all over the news with your photo accompanying it, giving the people a face to hate on and bully. 

You shivered at the idea of you receiving hate.

Taehyung could basically tell what’s going through your mind. 

“Don’t worry about the others,” he said reaching out for your hand.

He couldn’t really stop your fears because the paparazzi were ruthless, and they would do anything to sell their articles or gain more audience. 

His secretary and his brother’s secretaries have always warned them against the paps. They feed off your mistakes.

One mistake, just one. And they attack you like a hungry shark that smelled blood for the first time in a while. 

All he or his brothers could do for their loved ones is to try and protect their privacy. 

He gave a reassuring smile as he squeezed your hand gently.

“Let’s just focus on our date yeah.” 

You nodded pushing the thought to the back of your mind.

The next day He took you to the “Musée National Picasso-Paris”. 

You were in awe. Literally.

Everything that you saw was either studied through various slides of power points or huge books AND RIGHT NOW YOU’RE SEEING THEM IN REAL LIFE. 

You were going to faint ... you were sure of it. 

Fuckin’ PICASSO. 

“I feel like I can’t breathe,” you said holding on to his arm.

He looked down at you with a smile that almost made his eyes unable to see you clearly from how wide he was smiling.

“ I feel like I am dreaming” you squeaked and did mini jumps. 

“Yeah I could see that,” he said pulling you to him and hugging you from behind as you both stood in front of one of the paintings. 

“Come on tell me about this one,” he said pointing at the painting in front of you. 

You kept on explaining as you usually do, lost in your own world while Tae was completely lost in ... you. 

He was still hugging you from behind with his head resting on your shoulder as he kept on looking at you as you went on describing the details of the painting.

That day you couldn’t keep your hands off of each other (not in that sense you perverts)

I mean, you kept holding hands, he would put his hands on your lower back guiding you through the place, pecking your cheeks every once in a while, you disappearing in the warmth of his arms with your arms circling him etc. 

It was safe to say that you’ve never had a date like that and probably will never have ... because at this point you were sure that there was no man like Taehyung.  

Of course, the rest of the day was spent visiting other museums, having delicious snacks here and there. 

He would literally pull you to dance with him the middle of the street when you both heard a nice melody playing somewhere. 

your arms around his neck as his hands held your waist delicately as you both swayed to the music.

“Thank you so much,” you said looking up at him and into his mesmerising and beautiful eyes as you threaded your fingers through his soft hair.

“What for?” he said resting his forehead on yours. 

“For all of this of course.” 

“Anything for you darling,” he said pecking your nose button.

You smiled and blushed heavily at his cute accent. 

The third day was spent differently than the last two days.

He’d insisted that you rest that morning at the hotel because of the heavy sightseeing you both did was just too much for your body.

So you did, you almost slept in most of the day until there was a knock at your door.

“Good afternoon Miss. His royal highness has ordered this for you, and he has requested that you’d be ready by seven o’clock.” A waiter said as he rolled a small table into your room left immediately afterwards. 

You didn’t really understand what was going on seeing as you just woke up.

So you decided to freshen up first.

Walking up to the small table you found that Taehyung has ordered you a small snack, a vase of flowers accompanied by a handwritten note.

“Be ready by Seven o’clock, love. enjoy your food and wear something fancy for tonight.” 

It was still half-past two when you woke up so you decided to eat while you watched the T.V.

Slept some more cause why not.

After that, you decided to get ready, picked out a fancy dress with your favourite heels.

You were clipping your earrings when you heard a knock on your door at seven o ‘clock on the dot. 

“Oh!” you gasped as you were met by a beautiful bouquet of roses with Taehyung hiding behind it. 

“Good evening, jagiya.... ready to go?” he asked handing you the flowers.

 “Yeah,” you said as you took the flowers, and closed the door behind you.

I know this sounds corny, but let’s not forget that you’re dating a prince who can make anything possible... like:

Having dinner in the gardens of the Chateau de Versaille. 

“Oh my God, Tae!” you gasped hiding your blushing face behind the bouquet of flowers he gave to you.

“I thought we could have our dinner on top of the Eiffel tower, but everyone has been doing so lately, and I wanted our date to be unique,” he said opening the chair for you to sit.

You turned around and gave him a look that said: are you kidding me, you talk about it as if renting the fuckin’ Eiffel tower is something that can be easily done.

“I am not kidding, my cousin proposed to his fiancee there, last year,” he said shrugging and taking a seat from across you, mumbling how his cousin’s wedding should take place the next month or so.

“I don’t know what to say!” you said chuckling, still astonished at how such things were so normal for him.

The night went on smoothly.

you then took a walk among the warmly lit streets of Paris, hand in hand.

“ I hope you liked our outings these past few days,” he said looking down at you while his thumb drew small circles on your hand.

“Are you kidding me!” 

“You fly me out to fuckin’ PARIS, take me to places that I am sure I wouldn’t have been able to go to on my own, at least not after I slave myself into work to save up for a trip like this, do all of this for me and then ask me whether I like it or not?” 

“Tae if you proposed right now, I’d say yes even though we haven’t been together for long,” you said expressing how happy he made you feel.

“you would?” he asked seriously, squinting his eyes at you. 

“You’re not going to propose, are you?” you said eyeing him suspiciously.

if you learnt anything from this trip, it’s that Taehyung is unpredictable. 

you never know what’s going on inside his head.

Taking a step towards you, which suddenly made you weak in the knees because of his close proximity and the way he was looking at you.

“No, I am not ... not yet anyway,” he said closing the proximity as he kissed you passionately.

What? was he thinking of a future for the both of you already?

but then what was the point of dating someone if you’re not going to end up spending the rest of your lives together. 

“Don’t worry we still got time to ... think about this stuff.” Taehyung said as he broke off the kiss which left you in a daze.

He chuckled at your reaction.

He started walking, pulling you gently along with him.

Unfortunately, this daze you were both in was crushed upon your arrival back to your country.

Paparazzi got wind of your romantic getaway. 

and the moment you stepped foot out of the airport, both of you were swarmed by a sea of flashing lights.

Everyone dying to see the face of the girl who stole Prince Taehyung’s heart.

Your fears became a reality as you saw the tabloids the following day as some of them stated the estimated amount of money that Prince Taehyung has spent during that trip, but on the bright side...

Other articles were very supportive and excited about you as they somehow managed to get hold of your info. 

They talked about how you were a successful woman and that you already dealt with the upper class of the society before.

Some even went far as to expect you to be the perfect royal bride for the Prince, and how you would be a lovely addition to the royal family.

You tried to focus on the positive ones.

Taehyung was very supportive ... and overprotective. 

Dating him was one of the best things in your life. 

You didn’t really imagine that he would be the type to be touching you all the time. 

But that’s just how it is. 

He would ALWAYS hold your hand.

Give you small pecks, which your supporters found it to be cute.

When he introduced you to his parents, you were collected and calm but knowing you, he was sure that you were panicking on the inside. 

reassuring you through his glances.

And that’s the thing about him, he could just glance at you and know what’s going on inside your head. 

The Queen and the King amazed by your love for art.

The Queen even asked for your help.

“I don’t know if Taehyung had told you or not, but my nephew’s wedding will take place next month.” She said putting her cup of tea down

“Yes, he told me a few weeks ago,” you said, remembering when you had your last dinner together in Paris.

“Wonderful! well, I and my sister are having difficulty trying to choose the best church for him because his bride wants to choose one that holds a deep meaning to it, so I was wondering if you could possibly meet up with her, during your free time, of course, to get to know each other and to help her choose the church. I am sure with your experience in art your choice will be wise.” She said with a glint in her eyes.

“Me?” you asked smiling widely not believing what you just heard. 

You and the Queen were sitting alone when she asked you this favour.

“Yes, my dear I know how excellent you are at your job, Taehyung has told me so numerous times, and I am sure you’d be of great help.” She said sipping her tea calmly. 

Of course, you agreed instantly. 

Taehyung was surprised when you told him the news.

“Really, my mother did that?” He made sure to thank his mum for opening up to you and making you feel comfortable.

You nodding excitingly as he placed small pecks all over your face praising you.

He was over the moon when you were getting along with his relatives.

Taehyung was an understanding person. 

Like if you don’t want to take your relationship to the next level, physically speaking, then he won’t pressure you at all. 

he’d be so understanding and he was happy with whatever you gave him, really. 

Not once did he pressure you, unlike past lover who tried to do so. 

But ... if you’re willing to move on to the next level.

then you should know that Tae is a very passionate and gentle lover.

definitely would be the kind to hold hands while making sweet love to you. 

He won’t do anything wild unless you’re both on the same page. 

Or when he’s jealous.

Remember that Jay guy from your work.

Taehyung doesn’t really like him especially when he visits you at work to see him eyeing in a way that infuriates him. 

Then I am sorry to tell you that you’d take the rest of the week off from your work because you’d be unable to walk properly.

Taehyung was not possessive, okay? He just doesn’t like the fact that at any moment you can walk out on him. 

It was something that all of the boys suffered from, especially when Hoseok himself has experienced such a thing when his girlfriend left him so that she could live a normal life. 

Speaking of his brothers, they enjoyed your company.

loved telling you all about Taehyung’s embarrassing moments. 

kept teasing him about that small polaroid photo of you both in Paris that he keeps in his wallet.

Him screaming and pouting childishly for them to stop with their abuse. 

“Baby, don’t listen to what they’re saying,” he said pouting at you.

And who were you to make fun of him when he was pouting at you like THAT. 

You were a sucker for him. 

And he was whipped for you. 

Him hiding in the crook of your neck to hide his blushing face. 

You giving the boys a Look to stop teasing him.

“Whatever you two love birds!” Jimin commenting, making Taehyung fire back at him. 

“You’re jealous because you don’t have a loving girlfriend like mine.” He said tightening his hold on you.

Both of them tackling each other to the floor. 

Jungkook clapping excitedly next to you as he watched his older brothers banter.

Yoongi asking you why you agreed to date a moron in the first place.

All in all the boys definitely treated you as a sister.

They could see how you made their precious TaeTae happy.

Let’s talk about Tannie, shall we? 

Tae would gift you Tannie on your first anniversary after you had expressed your desire to have a pet. 

YOU LOVED TANNIE (I mean how could you not)

Both of you being Tannie’s parents.

Tannie being protective over you even though he’s so smol and won’t probably be able to save you in case something happened, still he barks like a pitbull at anything that he thinks might be a danger to you.

Taehyung telling Tannie to bark at any man who tries to approach or flirt with you.

You laughing because he’s being a dork.

Tannie sleeping with you both in bed like a baby. 

Prince Jungkook:

Jungkook never thought that he would meet the love of his life while on a royal engagement. 

He met you when he was scheduled to promote the games he was launching in an event at your university. 

Looking back on that day, all he could focus on that day was you. 

You were so bold.

Like how you barged into the lecture hall, apologising to your professor for being late.

Which was a first for you.

As you barged in, you didn’t take notice of the young Prince standing next to your Professor who was shooting you daggers for not acknowledging the Prince.

Before running to your seat...

“Y/N!!!” your professor called and you could feel the irritation in his voice. 

Turning back v e r y slowly with a wince on your face... “Yes, Sir?” 

You didn’t want to be kicked out of class.

Jungkook chuckling quietly at the scene unfolding before his amused eyes. 

“This is Prince Jungkook, he is here to promote the games, remember?” 

Your professor said through gritted teeth as he tried to indirectly point your attention towards the Prince whom you should have bowed to and acknowledged properly. 

BUT your sweet innocent self didn’t catch on.

Moving your eyes from right to left as you tried to rack through your mind for the exact date of the Prince’s visit to your university.

Scrunching your face you went on and said...“Wasn’t that supposed to take place tomorrow?”

By now you were sure that your professor was facepalming himself mentally. 

Jungkook was trying to stifle his laugh because the whole thing was too funny for him.

Blinking a few times, You then realised that you HAVE to acknowledge the Prince. 

“Oh!....It’s our pleasure that you took the time to visit our university ... Sir?!” 

You were sure that your professor’s eyes couldn’t grow any wider as you felt that they may fall out of there sockets any moment now. 

You were supposed to address Jungkook with your highness, not sir. 

You tucked slightly on your (y/fav./c) headphones, which Jungkook assumed to be your favourite colour, as your head tilted to the side not really understanding what you did wrong. 

He thought you were really cute.

He chuckled loudly this time. “It’s not a problem professor, you can proceed to take a seat ...Miss?” 

Thankfully you caught on his questioning gaze understanding that he was asking for your last name.

You gave him a small smile as you bowed your head slightly ...”Y/L/N”.

Nodding back at you, satisfied that he got your name.

Definitely had his secretary run a background check on you, just to know the basic stuff nothing too personal. 

Going back to your seat, all he could focus on was ...

the way you were dressed so casually, somehow your style seemed to fit you perfectly and it caught his attention.

How the pen you were using was moving smoothly between your fingers when you were not taking down any notes.

How one of your knees was bouncing out of habit as you didn’t seem to be doing it out of nervousness. 

And finally, the fact that you were actually listening to what he was saying, unlike other girls who were shamelessly checking him out. 

One girl was bold enough so as to wink at him, but he paid her no mind as he shifted his attention back to you. 

And that was how you both first met. 

Returning to the palace that night he made up his mind that he wanted to ask you out. 

But being the nervous bunny he is, he didn’t know what to do, so he turned to the boys for help.

Jin told him to be natural and not to freak out, especially that it’s Jungkook’s first relationship.

And since most of the boys are experienced than him, they told him that it might be overwhelming for you, in the beginning, to be dating a Prince. 

Jungkook then suggested that he asks you out through a text and this was the boys’ reaction: 

 Yoongi sighing in disappointment. 🤦🏻‍♂️

Hoseok chuckling at his lack of experience on how to ask a girl out. 

Namjoon wincing at the thought. 

Jin immediately slapping him (Not harshly ofc, just messing with him.)

“Have you forgotten your manner? Is that how a gentleman asks a lady out?” 

You know how Jin yells at them? that’s exactly how he looked like.😂

Jungkook shaking his head no.

Jimin laughing at Jin’s reaction and falling out of his chair (falling of chairs is kinda his thing, you know?)

Taehyung snorting at his baby brother. 

“ You should buy her some flowers, most of the girls I went out with love it when I bought them flowers,” Hoseok said advising his little brother. 

“Yeah, especially if they hold a certain meaning,” Namjoon added agreeing with Hoseok as the rest of the boys nodded in agreement, too. 

“Don’t wear any of the fancy clothes that we wear during an engagement when you go to ask her out because it will cause unwanted attention, and it might make her uncomfortable,” Yoongi said as Hoseok nodded with wide eyes amazed that his twin pays attention to these details.

“Make sure to keep the bodyguards at a distance from the both of you. you don’t want to freak her out with the number of guards that follow you around!” Taehyung said.

“Yeah, the poor thing might think she’s under arrest,” Jimin said laughing as he imagined the situation.

Jungkook nodded furiously as he processed everything in his mind, and how he was going to plan your date. 

That day when he decided to pay you a visit to the university, he made sure to wear something casual that matched your style. 

He even got you one single flower which was a yellow Hibiscus that signifies delicate beauty. 

something which he sensed the moment he saw you.😍

Here’s an interesting fact...

The day he decided to pay you a visit to the university another guy was trying to ask you out. 

Here’s the funny part ... Jungkook was standing right behind you when that was happening.

But don’t worry before you could refuse the poor guy, he ran away in fear of a scowling bunny standing behind you. 

And because you didn’t feel him creeping up behind you, you jumped in surprise with a hand over your chest when you turned around. 

The first thing you noticed was his casual attire which was really good on him. 

He was silent for a few moments.

“May I help you with something ... your highness!” 

You made sure to address him correctly this time.

“Please, just call me Jungkook.” 

You nodded waiting for him to say what he wanted. 

Jumping again slightly as he almost shoved the flower in your face. 

He was so nervous, so excuse his clumsiness.

“It’s for you!” he said handing you the flower. 

“Oh! thank you, that’s so sweet... But what for?” 

“Would you do me the honour of going out on a date with me, tonight?” he asked scratching the back of his head. 

Why is he so formal? you thought. 

You couldn’t help yourself as you wanted to tease him a little and see his reaction. 

“Bold of you to assume that I am free tonight,” 

His eyes widened.

“I-I-I mean i-if you’re busy tonight, w-we can arrange ...” 

Poor thing was a stuttering mess. 

“No, it’s okay I am free tonight,” you said cutting him off.

He let out a breath that he didn’t know he was holding. 

You giggled at his reaction as you did not expect The Prince Jungkook in all his glory to be this nervous to ask you out. 

“Great, I’ll pick you up at 5:45,″ 

“And wear something comfy,” He said using his fingers to count the things he was telling you as if he’s been memorising this and didn’t want to forget anything. 

“Alright!” you said giving him a small nod.

“I’ll see you later,” he said slowly backing away from you and giving you a small wave before wiping his hands on his jeans. Obviously to hide the fact that his hands were sweaty because he was super nervous. 

Somehow he made you smile even though he didn’t do anything. 

But it was the little things that made you smile.

Like the cute little flower that was resting between your fingers.

Or the fact that he put effort into dressing as if he’s someone normal and not the son of one of the most popular royal families. 

Shrugging to yourself you headed to the rest of your lectures before returning to your home with a feeling that you’ll enjoy the date. 

..... 

Worried is not the word to what you were feeling right now.

Panic... yes, it’s definitely panic. 

You really wanted to impress Jungkook plus it’s your first date since a while and right now you seem as if you’ve forgotten how to act around a guy on a date. 

And more precisely ... How to dress for the occasion!

Picking up your phone, you looked for Jungkook’s number through your texts.

He had texted a few hours prior to make sure that you’re still on for tonight. 

You refrained from asking him how he got your number because that would be the stupidest question of the century seeing that he’s a fuckin’ Prince and can easily get a hold of any info he needed. 

“Can you elaborate more on the comfy clothes aspect???” 

He replied almost instantly. 

“Wear anything that makes you comfortable, just don’t wear heels or a fancy dress,” 

Well, that’s easy. All you need to do is calm down and focus on choosing an outfit that looks cute on you. Easy.

You finally settled on a nice outfit for the night, and just as you were getting ready to wait in your living room, you heard a knock at the door. 

5:45 on the d o t.

Opening the door you found Jungkook standing there with a small bouquet of flowers and a box of chocolates. 

“Hi!”

“Hey!” 

Before you could invite him into your house, you heard someone clear their throat along with “Your highness!”... it was one of his guards.

“Oh, eh Y/N I am so sorry but can my men take a quick look around your place, just a security check!” He said as his eyes gave you an apologetic look. 

He’s annoyed at the fact that he can’t just have a normal date. 

“Oh, no it’s okay,” you said letting them get in and check your apartment.

Waiting by the door you made small talk with Jungkook. 

“You really didn’t have to bring flowers and chocolates, that’s too much!” you said as he handed you said items. 

“Oh, no it’s nothing really. I just want this date to be perfect,” he said scratching the back of his head. 

“Thank you!” you said giving him a shy smile.

“Everything is alright, your highness,” one of his guards said giving him a small nod. 

Jungkook thanked them as he entered your house.

He took a look around your place noting how cosy it is. 

“It’s not that fancy,” you said putting the flowers in a vase and adding some water to it. 

“I think it’s brilliant!” He said still looking around with an awed look in his eyes. 

and it is, Jungkook actually loved your place because everything in it screamed YOU. 

The perfect lighting.

The soft music that was playing somewhere which led him to the thought of you getting ready with some music on. 

And the colour-coordinated cushions on your warm looking sofa. 

Also, your place had this rich, soothing and warm aroma that engulfed him. 

He thought your place was P E R F E C T. 

You smiled at his comment. 

“I’ll just get my things.” you said pointing towards your room. 

“It’s okay. Take your time!” He said shrugging as he buried his hands in his pockets. 

Turning off the music that was playing in your room, you took your jacket and bag, turned off the lights and closed the door as you headed towards Jungkook who was waiting by the door.

“Everything set?” he asked as he opened the door for you. 

You hummed as you smiled at his gentlemanly attitude.

He led you towards his car truck. 

“A truck?” you gave him a questioning look.

“I don’t usually drive this beast around, I just borrowed it for tonight,” he said chuckling. 

“You’re not a serial killer, right?” you asked eyeing him suspiciously in a joking manner. 

“I can assure you, I am not,” he said laughing as he opened the door for you. 

“What about your bodyguards?” you asked he got in the driver’s seat. 

“They will be around, but keeping their distance,” he said starting the ignition. 

“Great! making sure that you kill me without anyone witnessing,” you said sarcastically. 

He laughed at your sense of humour. 

My dear reader, the date was P E R F E C T .

First, he took you to the beach to have a picnic while watching the sunset.

He even let you choose whether you wanted to have your picnic on the sand or on the back of his truck. 

You were even surprised when you found out he made the food himself

“You made all of this!” You were impressed.

It wasn’t much just various types of sandwiches, some fresh juice and a light dessert. 

But you appreciated the gesture. 

“Yup,” he said with a smug look on his face. (Proud Kookie 😍) 

He was proud that he managed to impress you. 

and this was just the beginning of the night. 

He would sneak a few glances at you.

Almost spilt his juice on his shirt when he was staring for too long. 

decided to use a straw so he wouldn’t spill anything. (and so he can stare as much as he liked.😂)

(You know how Jungkook looks at someone while sipping on his banana milk, that’s exactly how he would look at you.)

“Can I ask you something?” he asked as his curiosity was eating him alive.

“Yeah, sure go ahead,” you said biting into your dessert. 

“What were you going to say to that guy earlier? The one who was asking you out,” he asked trying to avoid your intense gaze that was trying to understand why he was asking such a question.

THEN, it hit you... he was jealous. 

deciding against teasing him, you answered him directly.

“I was going to say no,” you said as you watched his reaction closely.

“Really?” he suddenly perked up.

“I mean why?” he clear his throat pretending that he was disinterested and was just casually asking.

He got even happier when he knew that, that guy is a jerk who was running after your friend and when she refused him he decided to run after you. 

“So that’s why you were grumpy this morning?” you asked with a teasing tone. 

“Who? me? I wasn’t grumpy at all,” he said denying, but you both know that it annoyed him that someone else was asking you out. 

You both laughed it off as you enjoyed the soft waves of the sea and how it tugged the setting sun to sleep. 

After that, he took you to a drive-in movie. 

which you got super excited about because you’ve never done it and wanted to do it for so long. 

Poor Jungkook almost jumped in his seat when you screamed in joy as he backed the back of his truck to a big screen.

He was so happy that you’re happy. 

He thought you looked so precious when you started clapping in excitement. 

He even put down a sheet and some pillows so you can sit comfortably, and when you both sat down he put a small blanket over the two of you in case you got cold. 

Would definitely be the kind of guy to make the move, you know what I mean? 

Like he’d pretend to yawn.

stretch his arms. 

And finally, put one arm over your shoulder. 

You ofc realised and chuckled at his cuteness.

Kookie was on top of the world at this moment.

especially when you leaned into him and put your head on his shoulder. 

He prayed that you wouldn’t feel his quickened heartbeats.

He was sure his chest was going to explode. 

He felt your head moving so he looked down at you to see you looking up at him. 

he blushed at your close proximity.

blushed even more when you thanked him for this beautiful night. 

“It’s nothing, and I already told you I wanted it to be perfect,”

“It couldn’t get any better!” you said giving him a big smile.

“Well, that where you’re wrong,” he said as he gently pulled you close. 

“Wait there’s more?” you asked as you suddenly sat up.

he almost whined at the loss of your warms. 

“Yeah!” he said rubbing small circles on your back.

“Jungkook, this too much,” 

“No, it is not,” he said pulling you back to him. 

Afterwards, my dear reader, he got you some ice-cream, and you both ate it as you watched the starry sky, away from the blinding lights of the city.

“It’s perfect!” you said astonished at the amount of the stars that are visible in the dark night.

You are perfect.

Jungkook commented in his head as he stared at you the same way he did when he was drinking his juice. 

“Right?” you asked when you didn’t get an answer from him. 

He hummed while nodding at you. 

You smiled as you licked into your ice-cream and looked back at the sky. 

You really hated that the night was over. 

you wanted to spend more time with Jungkook. 

Ever the gentleman he is, he dropped you right in front of your house, opened the car’s door for you and walked you to your door.

“I had the loveliest night ever!” you said holding onto your jacket. 

“Me, too! I am glad that you enjoyed our date, means I can take you out again?” he asked scratching the back of his head for the millionth time tonight. 

“Yeah, you definitely can!” you said slightly rocking back and forth on your heels in excitement.

He chuckled at your cuteness. 

“I’ll see you later then!” He said giving you a kiss on the cheek and left.

You cursed him for being a gentleman who doesn’t kiss on the first date. 

He told his brothers how well his date went, and they were so happy for him. 

“Oh look our little kookie is all grown up,” Taehyung said squeezing his cheeks. 

Making the others laugh.

“Did you kiss her?” Hoseok asked with a sly look in his eyes. 

“A gentleman never tells,” Jungkook said blushing and avoiding his gaze.

“I tell you what? We raised him well,” Jin said laughing and patting Jungkook on the shoulder. 

The others laughed and nodded their heads in agreement. 

Jungkook spent the night texting you. 

you guys ended up having more dates. 

He gave you a mind-blowing kiss on your second date. 

kissing became your favourite hobby for the following days.

he loves spending time at your apartment. 

Your relationship wasn’t a secret for too long. 

obviously someone took pictures of the two of you on your fourth date. 

The Media went C R A Z Y. 

Paparazzi followed you everywhere. 

Jungkook was afraid that you’d break things off with him because of the pressure. 

especially when people started to criticise your every move on the social media and say that you’re not enough for there Prince. 

Which was very tormenting to you because let’s face it, Jungkook is not called the golden maknae for nothing. In your eyes he is the definition of perfect, so you kinda felt that you were not enough for him. 

Jungkook almost cried when you opened up about this particular insecurity because to him you are more than enough and, he couldn’t bear the idea of you feeling low or sad.

And with his encouraging warm hugs and words, you managed to go through all of this. 

His mother was a little disappointed that she found out that her youngest was dating through the media. 

but instantly understood Jungkook’s intentions when he voiced his insecurity of you leaving him and that he was not sure if you could take it. 

He promised to make it up to her by introducing the two of you. 

which made her extremely happy. 

You never thought in a million years that when Jungkook gets mad he looks like a bull that is ready to kill. 

it happened once when you were both out, and one of the paparazzi dared to take hold of your arm demanding that you “give him a smile,” 

Let me tell you Jungkook was ready to pounce on him. 

Thank God, you are so smart that you know that they’re doing so to get a reaction out of him.

so you stopped him before he could punch the guy.

“Kook, it’s not worth it. They just want to rile you up to get a reaction out of you for their headlines next day,” you whispered in his ears as you tried to calm him down.

“Don’t touch her, ever again. Do you understand!” He said glaring and point his finger at the guy. 

The Palace had to release a statement asking the Paparazzi to stop their assault and not to invade the personal space of any of the Princes’ girlfriends/fiancees. 

When you met the Queen and the King you were so nervous, but Jungkook assured you that they will love you. 

And they did. 

in fact, they saw you as the perfect match for Jungkook. 

The queen was so happy that Jungkook has found a girl who could balance his over energetic self. 

she was sure that he’d propose to you.  

And you loved them both as they treated you so nicely. 

Jungkook would sometimes stay at your place for days and vice versa. 

The first time you stayed at the palace you were overwhelmed. 

But he managed to take to your mind off of it. 😉

Speaking of which:

if you’re a virgin and want to wait till marriage

Jungkook would totally understand

He is the most understanding baby ever... like

when you guys are in the middle of a really heavy make out session.

you can definitely see/feel how HARD it is when he pulls away reassuring you that everything is fine.

he never complains about it. NEVER. 

But... if you’re not waiting till marriage, then...

Prepare yourself for the wildest sex of your life

here’s something that I’ve wanting to say for a long time: ... 

Jungkook is a sweet bunny in the streets, but a wild bunny under the sheets.

LOTS of hickeys ... okay? 

like he doesn’t care, deal with it.

Prefers to be passionate.

would be the kind to hold you close during love making. 

won’t care if there’s photos of the both of you being affectionate all over the media. 

but bear in mind that he’s a Prince and was raised well, so he wouldn’t do anything risky in public. (Unless he’s sure you wouldn’t get caught)👀

He is the best cuddler. 

likes to be both the big or the small spoon depending on the mood.

like if he had had a rough day he’d definitely be the small spoon.

he loves it when you run your fingers through his hair. 

One thing he ADORES is when you’re needy ... not needy as in horny but like yearning for his warm hugs, small kisses, his eyes looking at you like you hang up the stars every night. 

he remembers that one time when you where having a hard time at college and when you saw him ... you just ran into his arms throwing yourself for him to catch you, and you looked up at him with a pout and said “love me!”. 

HE FOUND IT SO FREAKIN’ CUTE THAT HE THOUGHT HE MIGHT DIE ... OKAY?  IT MADE HIS HEART MELT.

You on the other hand had noticed a look in his eyes in that moment like you’re a small puppy that he must protect at all costs. 

Since that moment, and you both knew that he’s a sucker for you especially when you need affection. 

When you guys are out together, and there’s a huge crowd around you, he makes sure that you’re safe. 

like he puts his hand on your lower back. 

or grasps your hand in his, tightly. 

would always look at you every few seconds to make sure you’re next to him. 

His brothers love you. 

they would be so excited to tell you about all his embarrassing moments as a child. 

The queen showing you Jungkook’s baby pictures that were not released to the public.

You cooing because HE IS A CUTIE. 

Attends your graduation with his brothers. 

like they’re so proud of you. 

Specially Kookie.  😍

Takes lots of pictures of you.

Will spoil you for weeks after your hard work in your senior year.

He would even celebrate with you and his brothers when you get your first job.

Him lowkey being mad that you wouldn’t allow him to help you find a job because you know he’ll use his connections for you if he has to.

A/N: Please do not hesitate to tell me your opinion or I’ll cry.🥺🥺🥺🥺

[rosesisupposes]

If you're craving prompts, might I humbly request DLAMP, "we keep doing everything out of order."

…this took much longer than I planned, and is far longer than I planned. Also, much fluffier. But I hope you like it, dearest @potestessemagishomosexualitatis 💗💗

Last To Know

Pairing: (hurtling towards) DLAMP

Warnings: immigration, marriage of convenience, mild swearing? I think that’s it

Word count: 3,135

Tag list: @residentanchor @royally-anxious @bewarethegrammarpolice  @jemthebookworm @arandompasserby  @sparkly-rainbow-salt @astral-eclipse​ @thelowlysatsuma @adorably-angsty @max-is-tired @almostoveranalyzed  @hawthornshadow @mariniacipher 

read on ao3

There was a very reasonable explanation for all of this. It had been purely a logistical decision. Four acquaintances of Logan’s needed a place to live in his city; Logan had four vacancies in the house he owned and rented. He always kept the top floor for himself, making new tenants a risk, but he at least knew of the others through a combination of mutual friends, shared classes back in undergrad, and generally living in the same area.

They’d settled in fairly easily, right up until Roman confessed his visa was running out and he would likely have to leave the country. Patton had immediately started crying and hugging Roman and insisting they’d find a way to keep him there. Logan was unaware of when Patton had started caring so much. But even Virgil looked distressed, and Damien started wondering aloud how well they could hide him in the house so that he didn’t have to leave.

“Why can’t you apply for a new visa?” Logan asked.

“I’m no longer a student, and I’d need a more regular job for them to sponsor me for a full green card…” Roman said, facing Logan with some difficult thanks to Patton still being twined around him.

Dee’s dark eyes alit. “I know! You should marry one of us! Spouse visa! And then you can work on citizenship!”

“Isn’t that a bit extreme-” Logan started, but he was interrupted by Patton and Virgil both raising their hands as volunteers and Dee cackling in delight.

“But how to choose,” Roman said mournfully. “All my best friends in the world, how could I possibly marry only one of you!”

Virgil suddenly smirked, and Logan looked over curiously. “You know…” the dark-clad man said thoughtfully. “If you’re marrying someone for a visa, it really should be someone responsible and trustworthy. Someone who could believably support you.”

Logan had no idea what he was talking about, but suddenly all heads were turned towards him, and there was a more-than-a-little disturbing resemblance in the mischievous grins on each of his housemates’ faces.

Roman gently dropped Patton back onto the couch, and strode over to Logan wearing his “pompous prince” face (as coined by Virgil, of course). Stopping a foot away, he bowed elegantly.

“Dearest Logan, generous landlord, resident nerd, first stop for endearing space trivia and Sherlock obsessions, would you do me the great honor of giving me your hand in transactional matrimony?”

Logan blinked once. Then twice. Then attempted to speak but only achieved opening his mouth like a particularly stunned fish.

“Is that a yes?” Patton whispered to Dee in the background.

“I think it’s just gay panic,” Dee whispered back, looping an arm around the smaller man’s waist.

“…me?” Logan finally got out.

“Yes, my textually-charged academic,” Roman purred, taking Logan’s hand in his. “I need a man to support me in this foreign land of haw-yees and rednecks, you are the only one I trust to protect me.”

“Hey, we’d protect you too!” Virgil objected, sitting down on top of the couch. “But if you were in trouble, Patton would cry, I’d probably end up punching someone by accident, and Dee’s plan would either end in flames or crimes or both.”

“…isn’t this proposal also Dee’s plan?” Logan asked weakly.

“Yes, but this one is wonderful,” Roman said, kissing Logan’s hand in a way that was not distracting at all, thank you. “Plus, this way you don’t need to find a new lodger midway through the year!”

“I suppose that is a perk,” Logan admitted. “And the immigration process is so convoluted, this would likely be easier…”

“That’s the spirit! Almost!” Patton cheered. “Logan, you own a tux, right?!”

“Yes, why?”

“For the wedding, silly!”

~~~~

Logan really should have thought this through more. But the house had dived into preparations before he could properly object. Dee had made a Pinterest board and “ironically” sent Logan post after post of nerdy wedding aesthetics. Patton kept sneaking up on Logan and Roman with cake samples to try. Virgil popped his head into Logan’s room on a regular basis with out of the blue questions like “Black Parade could be a reception song, right?” and “How many volts of fairy lights could we run without fucking over the electric bill?”

And Roman just kept… being Roman. Flirting outrageously in that way that clearly meant so little to him but was starting to mean something to Logan himself. He’d taken to kissing his hand a lot and greeting him as “my darling fiancé,” and sitting next to or practically on top of him whenever the group was in the same room. Logan found himself agitated by how easily he was blushing now, all the time.

Roman had apparently opened the floodgates, because everyone was being far too affectionate now. Yes, Patton had always been a hugger, but now he kept planting kisses on Logan’s cheek, and holding hands with Dee, and sitting on Virgil or Roman’s lap and sometimes both at once. Dee flirted with, Logan was quite sure, every single person he laid his eyes on ever. But now he kept upping the ante and using fantastical phrases and wordplay tailored to the object of his attention. Logan had had no idea that being called ‘starlight’ would be quite so jarring and endearing and infuriating all in a moment. And Virgil had entirely betrayed him. They used to be the two reasonable ones, or so he thought. But no, Virgil was willingly participating with all of this madness, and had an amazing irritating habit of rubbing the nape of his neck when he was stressed so that all his muscles went involuntarily fluid and relaxed.

Logan arrived home one day to see their small backyard decked in lights, all the lawn furniture moved to the side so that the patio was clear. Patton greeted him at the gate with a hug and yet another cheek kiss as he said, “Lolo! Thank goodness you’re home, you need to get changed!”

“Whatever for?”

“Silly, it’s the 15th! The wedding!”

Logan stopped in his tracks. “I thought we weren’t going to the courthouse until next week?”

“Yes, but the semester will be over and all our friends still in undergrad won’t be able to make it. So we’re having the reception part tonight. We had this whole conversation after the movie last week, don’t you remember?”

But Logan did not. He didn’t even remember which movie it had been. Because Virgil had been slowly stroking his hairline, right at the back of his neck, and Patton had been lying across his lap so that he was across all three of Roman, Logan, and Virgil, and Roman had been giggling and leaning into his side in a way that it only made sense for him to lift his arm and drape it around him, and Dee had been telling Virgil how lovely his eyes were and… Logan had absolutely no memory of any other conversation that may or may not have happened.

But apparently that meant they had a party tonight.

Virgil convinced him to wear the tux still, and Patton blocked off the kitchen to finish the cake in secret. Dee kept making cracks about helping him change, but Roman was mysteriously absent all afternoon. Logan definitely didn’t miss him. It had only been a couple of hours! That would be silly and ridiculous and not what a highly logical person would do.

As 5pm arrived, Logan was in his well-tailored midnight-blue tuxedo. Dee, grinning in a tux with a bright yellow tie and matching gloves, arrived at his bedroom door to ‘escort the groom to the festivities.’ Somewhere on the walk down the stairs, Virgil joined them in a plain but nice-looking suit in black with a purple vest.

They walked out into the yard, filled with friends from the city and university they’d all attended. Everyone was in various forms of ‘their best’ from sundresses to cocktail dresses to gowns, from suspenders to jackets to tuxes, and some wonderful mixes of the two. Patton, glorious in a blue dress, had a microphone (where had they found a mic?) and greeted all his housemates happily and loudly.

“And now that the whole gang’s here, we can welcome the star of our hearts and the show! Roman, come on out for your first dance!”

Logan was pushed into the middle of the patio and Virgil held his shoulders facing away from the house. He could hear the door opening behind him and some “awws” and gasps from the crowd. Logan turned to look but Virgil held him, grinning. “Patience,” Virgil said teasingly.

Finally, the arms released him and Logan turned. Roman was only a couple of feet away, and he looked… stunning. He was wearing a gorgeous fluffy gown of red and gold and sequins, and matching makeup. Logan reached out a hand without thinking, and Roman took it with a smile. Music began to pour out of the speakers.

“It’s a beautiful night/We’re looking for something dumb to do/Hey baby, I think I wanna marry you”

Logan snorted. “A little on the nose, perhaps?” he murmured.

“I wanted to be precise,” Roman said back, lacing their fingers together and placing his free hand on Logan’s waist. With Roman taking the lead, they started to dance around the small dance floor of the patio. Virgil had done an amazing job with the fairy lights, rigging them to create a ceiling of sparkles that cast them all into a warm golden glow.

Roman suddenly smiled wide, and spun Logan around, letting his hand go free. Before Logan could catch himself, Dee caught his hands instead. Now Logan and Dee were waltzing around the floor in parallel to Roman, who was now dancing with Virgil. Their height difference made it a little awkward for Virgil to reach Roman’s shoulders, but then he lifted Roman by the waist to spin him through the air. The watching crowd whooped, and Roman laughed out loud, and Logan accidentally stepped on Dee’s foot because he forgot to watch where he was going. He stumbled, but was caught by something soft and blue. He looked down into huge blue eyes and a freckle-dappled smile.

“Thank you, Patton,” he said. “I’ve not quite got the hang of this dancing thing.”

“Maybe I can help!” Patton replied, pulling Logan close and guiding them into a simple waltz. “One-two-three, one-two-three,” he counted softly, and Logan followed the count, watching his feet.

He kept looking up slightly and then down again. Something about how bright Patton’s smile was, and how the lights reflected in his glasses and eyes, he just couldn’t look too long. But he did note that Dee and Roman were dancing now, some complicated dance that Logan felt himself mentally tripping just watching. But the two biggest drama queens of their house were in perfect sync, moving with fluid precision and both grinning hugely.

A tap on his shoulder pulled Logan’s attention to his side. Virgil smiled comfortingly. “Can I cut in, Lo?”

“Of course, Virge!” Pat said, stepping back. Logan was going to object to yet more dancing, he was, but Virgil had dressed up for this, and he was just self-conscious in front of crowds, so it would just be more polite to not turn him down. Virgil guided Logan’s hand to his hip, and Logan most definitely did not blush to be able to feel the shorter man’s muscles even through his formal outfit. And Patton had swirled off to dance with Ro, something much less regimented but with plenty of twirls and giggles. Dee kept the music going with “Can’t Keep My Eyes Off Of You,” and Logan and Virgil danced sedately, just swaying and turning.

“Virgil, why isn’t anyone else dancing?” Logan asked. “I thought after the first dance, the guests joined in?”

“Well, that is how it works for traditional weddings, yeah,” Virgil said in his familiar rumble. “But what about this is traditional?”

Logan chuckled at that, and let himself relax into the dance. Roman parted from Patton to change the music as Dee and Patton started to swing dance. Virgil and Logan both grinned watching them. Clearly all those old movie marathons had paid off.

Finally, Patton broke off and grabbed Virgil away from Logan. As the shortest members of the household, they were matched perfectly, and Virgil was willing to twirl and lift Patton to make the other man wriggle and laugh. Roman took the opportunity to pull Logan into his arms once more, and the crowd finally started to fill out the dance floor.

“Have I told you how good you look tonight, Logan?”

Blushing would absolutely be his cause of death. He hoped there wasn’t an afterlife, otherwise he would never live it down.

“I… thank you. Your dress is very dramatic and a little ridiculous but it’s so you.”

“They told me I couldn’t have a quinceñara,” he replied with a sniff. “So what better way to celebrate now?” They spun in relative quiet for a moment, when Roman smiled softly. “So, are you enjoying our wedding so far, Lolo?”

“You know, I rather am,” Logan admitted. “My feet are starting to get a bit tired, though.”

Roman swept Logan up off his feet and into his arms. “Is that better?”

Logan blushed hotly, muttering, “I meant I needed to sit down.”

“But is it better?” Roman wheedled. “No lying to your almost-husband, dear nerd.”

“…yes,” Logan admitted, and Roman laughed. The world was fairy-lights and glittering gowns, Logan was surrounded by his favorite people in the world, and later there would be five-tier cake and Crofter’s. It wasn’t something he’d ever expected, but he wasn’t such a stick-in-the-mud that he wouldn’t admit that it was magical.

~~~~

The flourescent lights of the courthouse were a far cry from the dreamlike lights of their reception, but today was the day and they were getting legally married. Logan was still a bit unsure about how they had reached this point, but found he cared less and less.

The whole house had come, of course, Patton linking Virgil’s and Dee’s arms around his own as he bounced in excitement. They waited through the decently-sized line until they finally reached the desk.

“Good morning, we would like a marriage license, please,” Logan said.

The clerk grinned just a bit bigger. “Congratulations! And what date would you like it made out for?”

“Today, please,” Roman said happily, linking his arm with Logan’s and squeezing. Patton make a sound of delight behind them.

The clerk nodded, and typed on the computer until they were interrupted by a question. “Do you know if it’s possible to enter a legal partnership with more than one person in this municipality?” The seemingly-idle question was in Dee’s unmistakeable drawl.

“Oh, yes, certainly! Marriage, domestic partnerships, and adoption can all be amended to have any number of partners. I think we need special permission at ten or more, but even that is still possible, just a longer process.”

Roman squeezed Logan’s arm tighter. “Lo? Is that okay?”

Logan looked back in confusion. “This is for you, Roman. Whatever you’re most comfortable with.”

Patton squealed again, and hugged them both from behind. “Form for five, please!”

Logan supposed that was all right. That would make it more believable, right? If Roman was equally committed to all his housemates, that would be more reason to let him stay in the country. And it made Patton so happy.

He felt slightly divorced from his body as he went through the motions of showing his ID, and signing the forms, but suddenly they were finished, and Roman had his arm looped around him on one side and Dee was on the other. Pat and Virge were on the outside, both snickering as the group tried to walk down the hallway without detaching with varying levels of success.

They were married. All five of them. And Roman would get to stay.

As they got home again, they all ended up sprawling across the couches. They fell into their most comfortable configuration, with Logan the only one sitting normally. Patton was taking full advantage of being the small one to sit across their laps. Dee was lying on the back of the couch up against the wall, fingers intertwined with Roman’s where he lounged diagonally with Pat’s head in his lap. Virgil was upside-down from the back of the couch, curled oddly so his head was on Logan’s thigh but Pat could still hold his hand.

Logan sighed contentedly.

“Whatcha thinkin’, Lolo?” Dee asked, a little sleepily.

“I was just reflecting on how comfortable I feel with you all. Even though we started as mere acquaintances, I do think of you all as very much like my family, now. And it’s rather nice that we’re legally a family now, for however long.”

Logan didn’t see the glances exchanged around and over him, but did hear Roman’s question. “How long would you like us to be, Logan?”

“Well, as long as it takes for your citizenship, of course.”

“What about after that, L?” Virgil asked.

“I… I don’t know. Divorce is rather a process, I suppose we could stay in this arrangement until a large enough inconvenience comes along to justify it.”

“So… you would like to stay married to us all?” Patton asked. Logan couldn’t tell what his tone meant, but there were hints of… curiosity.

Logan answered slowly. “I believe… yes. I would. I am… rather fond of you all, and always appreciate the time we spend together, for whatever reason.”

Roman smiled softly, and reached out to pat his face. “We love you too, Logan.”

Logan blinked. “Love? In which sense of the word?”

“Romantic, you dummy,” Dee muttered, practically falling asleep on the back of the couch.

“…wait, you… all? Romantic? Love?” Logan stuttered.

Virgil rolled his eyes. “Yeah, man. Normally that’s what marriage means. Plus our first dances? Of the people in love?”

“Hey, don’t make fun of Lolo, he’s not that good at his own feelings,” Patton chided. “Yes, cupcake, we all love you. We thought you knew.”

“Oh,” Logan said, blushing. “I… apologize for being the last to know. I suppose it’s a good thing that I’ve fallen in love with you all, too. We keep doing everything out of order, don’t we?”

“Nah, ‘s just you,” Dee said, snuggling into the blanket Roman had just passed him, seconds from sleep.

“But we all got here in the end,” Virgil said, a comfortable rumble on Logan’s left.

Logan ran a hand through Patton’s soft hair, and smiled at Roman, who’d started it all. “Here’s to arriving, then. I look forward to being your collective husband.”

“We love you too, Lolo.”

[sarcastic-sunshines]

Just For This Moment - Part 3

Author’s Note: First of all, Happy New Year! It has been a trying start to the new year, but I am back on here and writing again. Hopefully, I can keep the creative juices flowing because I have some great ideas I can’t wait to share with y’all 😊😊 Clearly I am a liar because I said I was done with this story but I couldn’t let it go. So I hope you all enjoy what will be the real final installment of Kisi’s story.

Part 1 I Part 2 I Masterlist 

________________________________________________________________The room was filled by Kisi’s soft hum as she fed her baby. It was her favourite time, just her and her precious gift, Ezinne. She wasn’t much bigger than when Kisi had brought her into the world a month ago. It had been a long and painful labour. Kisi was sure she had never experienced such pain in her life before, and right now, as she still healed, she wasn’t sure if she ever wanted to do so again. But she didn’t think about that as much. Just like the moment, she came into the world, Ezinne’s presence made her forget everything else in her life. She just stared at the gift Bast had given her. 

Right when all felt hopeless, Ezinne had arrived to give Kisi a reason to smile. She now understood why her mother obsessed with her and her siblings so much. The baby’s small gurgles brought a smile to her face. Kisi slowly pulled her breast from Ezinne’s sleeping body and covered herself. She didn’t want to put her down, but to let her daughter get too comfortable sleeping in her arms would only do both of them a disservice in the future.

She got up from the rocking chair, walking the length of the large nursery, placing the baby in the bassinet. She stared over for some time, completely enamoured. If not for the tap on her shoulder, she would have never heard the Dora standing behind her. 

“Lady Kisi, I am sorry, but your presence is wanted in the throne room.” Kisi’s perfect bubble had been burst, back to the complex realities she had to deal with when she wasn’t spending her time taking care of her daughter. She kissed her child one more time before following the Dora out the door.

“Aneka,” Kisi asked softly, “ is there any way you can let me know when my mother arrives?” Aneka nodded as they walked down to the throne room. Kisi wasn’t used to her new life as the King’s betrothed yet. The palace walls still felt foreign to her, despite her being there for over three months. She placed her hand on the little bump that still remained from her pregnancy, hoping to calm her nerves. She walked with her eyes darted to the ground, trying to avoid the curious stares she still received. 

When T’Challa had said she would no longer be a secret, he meant every word. Two weeks after their discussion, he came over again announcing he and Nakia had already started the divorce process and council had requested to formally meet her. After that, everything had happened so fast. Between telling her parents and facing the mixed reception from T’Challa’s royal court, Kisi had been stressed out during her last semester. 

Every night, T’Challa would try and convince her that everything was going to be okay. But his words were competing with the harsh comments she read online coming from across the country. Without even knowing her face yet, people had decided she was the villain in the story. Although she didn’t blame them for thinking so, she also wanted them to know she wouldn’t have been going through all this ordeal if she didn’t love T’Challa as deeply as she did. So she had learned to let his words be the shield she needed during her last few months. She let him do most of the talking while she focused on keeping her blood pressure low and her baby healthy. As usual, when she was alone with him, she was able to pretend none of her stressors existed. 

But despite the turmoil that was her life, she was grateful for it all, because, without it, she was sure he wouldn’t have been in the hospital with her rubbing her back and holding her hand as she brought their child into the world. It was during those moments, Kisi was able to remind herself what was most important. So, as she walked down the hall to the throne room, she thought of her daughter and remembered she deserved to have her father in her life. Times like this were the sacrifices she would have to make to ensure Ezinne was able to be with the man who fell in love with her before he ever met her.

The large doors opened, and Kisi was met with the faces of the elders and Ramonda. Kisi almost didn’t notice Nakia. She wasn’t sitting in her normal spot next to T’Challa. Kisi soon realized that that was the only open spot. That was where she belonged. She saluted everyone but stared only at T’Challa’s smiling face. He got up and took her hand, leading her to her seat.

“It was about time you joined us, Lady Kisi,” the River Elder spoke with a slight scowl. “We were simply wondering when you felt it would be time to formally introduced the King’s second heir to the nation as well as perform the ceremonies for your marriage.”

It just dawned on Kisi that she had barely thought of any of that. Very soon, she would have to stand tall in her choices and she wasn’t sure she was ready to do so yet. She turned to T’Challa to have him speak for the both of them. 

“Perhaps we could do the wedding within the next month and Ezinne may have her traditional birthright performed two weeks after that,” he suggested, looking at Kisi who nodded along. They had already discussed the matter when they were alone, but somehow being in a room filled with people who didn’t like her very much made it hard to speak.

“That being said, you then begin your duties as Queen after both events.” Kisi was a little shocked at the swiftness she would be forced to leave her baby.

“I was hoping to have more time with my baby… Maternity leave is a year and a half,” she stated skeptically, looking at T’Challa.

“Well life as a royal is much different and you are blessed to have several caretakers at your hands,” the merchant elder replied with a side-eye. 

“Well, I was guaranteed the first six months and it was something I benefited from greatly. I am sure Kisi would be appreciative of the same thing,” Nakia responded swiftly maintaining a smile as she stole glances at a nervous Kisi.

“I was about to say a similar thing. Thank you, Nakia.” T’Challa smiled warmly at her and she returned the gesture, though the smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. “It is only fair that Kisi is eased into everything. I will make sure to help her with any duties that come along over the next few months. I am sure the rest will work itself out.” His voice left no room for discussion.

Kisi looked at the few disgruntled faces T’Challa’s decree left. Kisi made eye contact with Nakia before she moved her gaze to the ground. She began to tune out all the voices around her. They had moved onto another topic making her presence at this point a formality. She wasn’t ready for this life. It was like the protective bubble T’Challa had been keeping her in over the last few months had begun to burst. She didn’t know how to deal with rapid change. She began to miss her bungalow, her little piece of earth that allowed her to escape the stressors of the world. 

By the time she lifted her head again, the meeting had been adjourned. Everyone had begun to leave the throne room. T’Challa turned to her, took her hand and held her gaze with a soft smile.

“I know it was all very intense but with time it will get easier,” he tried to reassure her. She let a small smile spread across her face as she nodded along with his words. Kisi did not feel like this was the place or time to share her discomfort with him. He kissed her hand promising to see her later in the evening before turning to leave the grand hall. Before she knew it, it was just her and Nakia.

She hadn’t realized that the woman had been waiting for a chance to speak to her. They hadn’t spoken to each other once during the transition. Any messages had been passed along through T’Challa. Kisi bounced from one foot to another before finally opening her mouth to speak.

“I just want to start by saying thank you for defending me during the meeting, I haven’t found my voice here yet.” Kisi felt her hands flailing around as she struggled to get the words out. She was nervous, even with her hands together, her nervousness still found a way to twiddle her thumbs.

“Every mother should be allowed time with her baby. Leaving Anathi every day is still a struggle so I understand your reservation” Nakia gave another small smile, this time Kisi could see the sadness she had caused up close and personal. She felt the guilt creeping up her body, just as it had every time T’Challa had left his pregnant wife to warm her bed instead.

“Nakia, I wanted to apologize -”, Nakia raised her hand before letting out a dry chuckle.

“You know, I wanted to hate you. I really did. I searched for every little detail that I could use to justify my hatred,” Nakia spoke slowly, ignoring the shake in her voice. “But I quickly realized I couldn’t hate you. You have always been a lovely person Kisi. And despite everything that happened, there is no way you could have stolen what was never mine.”

Nakia wiped away at the few tears that had escaped. 

“If anything, I resent you for being everything that I couldn’t give to him. We both knew that this marriage was built on political ties, but he was my friend, and I wanted it to work. So I put in the time and I fell in love with the man that was chosen for me. I was comfortable living like that. And he was too until you arrived.”

“I didn’t mean to-”

“No one means to fall in love, Kisi, but T’Challa did. His aura changed when you started seeing each other. It wasn’t hard to notice. I tried to pretend I didn’t notice him slipping away. I thought if I kept pretending, he would too. But he didn’t and yes, it hurts, but it was foolish of me to assume this wouldn’t have been a possibility.”

“Just know I wouldn’t be doing all of this if I didn’t love him as much as I did,” Kisi spoke slowly. Nakia nodded with every word, no longer trying to catch her fallen tears. 

“I hope one day when this all hurts less, we can be friends, at least for the sake of our children”

“ I hope so too. Please, know if there was a way for me to have done this without you hurting I would have.” Nakia looked down as she smoothed out her clothes as a distraction. 

The hall doors opened again with Aneka marching through. “Lady Kisi, your mother has arrived.” 

Kisi nodded taking a step to leave. Nakia turned to look at her again, her small smile still painted on her face. 

Kisi left the hall feeling awful. She began to wonder if the ends truly justified the means. She had caused so much confusion, and she wasn’t sure if she would ever be done paying the debt of her actions.

She pushed her thoughts aside as she entered the nursery. Instantly she felt happier seeing Ezinne in her mother's hands. She closed the nursery doors, pausing for a second to take a deep breath, before turning away from the doors.

She walked over and kissed the baby’s head before greeting her mother.

“Darling, where have you been?”

“At a council meeting… I am expected to attend them now,” she said slowly, never taking her eyes away from her daughter. “But today I, of course, was the main subject. We will be getting married in a few weeks, then we will have Ezinne’s ceremony. That will be exciting.” Kisi smiled softly as she tidied a few items in the nursery.

She snuck a peek at her mother’s face and saw the frown that was settled on her features. Kisi pulled the small ottoman closer to the rocking chair her mother sat in. It was about time they had the conversation that was bubbling in her mother’s chest since she had finally told her family who Ezinne’s father was.

“Alright, Mama, say what you have been dying to say.” Kisi waited patiently as her mother looked at Ezinne before speaking.

“Kisi, you know I worry about you sometimes.”

“Trust me, Mama, I know.” She looked away trying to stop the eye roll she felt coming.

“I am serious. I never said anything because I didn’t want to make the end of your pregnancy more stressful than it already was. But this man, King or not, the drama he has caused in your life is just too much. Now, he has practically thrown you to the wolves. The way the media has been speaking about you.” She paused to look down at the baby who was turning in her sleep. She looked back up at her daughter. “I just want to make sure you actually want to do this. There is still time to turn away. You can always come and stay with your father and me.” 

“Mama, I am not going anywhere. I am struggling, I will not lie. It is so much all at once but I am more than willing to do it if it means Ezinne having her father in her life.”

“It is not just about Ezinne having a father Kisi. T’Challa has proven that will always be a given. He is a great father, I will give him that. But what about you? Are you happy?” 

“I am,” she stated honestly, “because I get to be with the man I love, and that is the only reason I am going through this whole ordeal. I love T’Challa so much, Mama. He makes all my fears disappear.”

“And does he love you as hard as you do? What if he does the same thing to you that he did Nakia, then what?” Kisi paused for a second. She couldn’t lie, the thought had been creeping into her head more and more. She just wanted to make sure she was doing this all for the right reasons. She wanted so badly to believe that she was.

“Mama, I trust him. I trust him with all my heart. I know it sounds stupid to say, but I need to believe that it will all be fine.” Her mother stared at her intensely. Kisi recognized the look. It was the same one she gave Ezinne. Her mother just wanted to protect her from any pain that could come her way.

“Okay, my darling,” her mother finally spoke. She used her free hand to take Kisi’s hand, squeezing it tight. “Just know I will be here for you, no matter what. As long as you are happy, then I am too.”

“Thank you, Mama.” Her mother smiled finally, returning her gaze to Ezinne.

“I remember when you were this small. I would hold you for hours.” Kisi smiled as her mother began one of her elaborate stories. She was thankful for the distractions from her own thoughts.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He watched her slowly get ready for bed, taking in her full form while she stood by her vanity.  He could see the concern written all over her face. He waited for her to climb into bed with him. She situated herself under the covers. He was watching her every move.

“Talk to me, love, tell me what’s wrong.” He reached under the covers wrapping his long arm around her body. “Whatever it is, we can work through it together.”

“I’m just worried about everything… Are you sure we are making the right choice? And not just for us, but for everyone?” His touch on her skin was so soft. She tried to focus on that, instead of her anxious thoughts.

“I think we are doing the best we can do? There was no way we could have done this any better. But I promise it will all calm down very soon, I promise you.” He leaned down to kiss her. Her solemn face still met him when he opened his eyes. She smiled less these days, understandably, but he did miss it. 

She played with the seam of the cover before looking up at him and daring to say what had really been buried in her thoughts.

“T’Challa, I am giving so much of myself up for this relationship, I just want to make sure you know that.” He looked at her confused.

“What do you mean Kisi?” Now, she struggled to blink the tears away.

“I mean I love you so much, T’Challa, that I am willing to put up with all of this because I love and trust you with my heart, and I just hope you are as committed as I am in this relationship.”

She looked at him expectantly. He couldn’t blame her. They didn’t fall in love in the most organic way, but that didn’t stop his heart from constantly telling him how strongly he felt for her. It was like every day his love only grew stronger. So for the first time ever, he was ready to scream how much he loved her, and he didn’t care who heard or whether they agreed because all that mattered was her, and the life they were going to build together. 

“Kisi Addo, I love you so much it hurts. I have known that for so long. It was almost immediate with you. Although our journey was not easy, I would do it all again as long as it meant I can tell you how much I love you for the rest of my life. Even then, I don’t think I would be able to fully express how much I love you.”

He saw her smile come through. It made him feel good to know that he could have the opportunity to make her smile.

“I just want to make sure you aren’t going anywhere,” she said quietly, turning her body to fully face him.

“Why would I go anywhere when my soulmate is right next to me?” She didn’t respond. Instead, she placed her hand on his cheek. He placed a soft kiss on her forehead before smiling along with her. “If you have any other doubts, I promise to do my best to get rid of them, just give me the chance to show you, Kisi.”

She turned around in his arms so he could spoon her “You can do all that tomorrow okay, love. Just hold me for now”

“Of course, my love.” She took the hand around her and kissed it. She let his words and his touch soak into her soul, calming her worries allowing her to believe that everything would be fine. Any doubts and fears could be pushed aside for the new day. Just for this moment, she would pretend his love was enough to block out any obstacle in their way. She could avoid everything coming her way, but she believed he would always hold her hand through it all. She couldn’t ask for more. He was all that she wanted.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Taglist:

@chaneajoyyy @aloevverified @ghostfacekill-monger @shaekingshitup

@fd-writes @twistedcharismaaa @thadelightfulone @raysunshine78

[argylemnwrites]

Five Stages

Character: King Liam

Pairing: Drake Walker x MC (Riley Liu) referenced

Book: The Royal Romance (The Royal Romance Books 2 and 3, The Royal Holiday, The Royal Heir, and beyond)

Word Count: ~1700

Rating:  PG

Summary: There probably isn’t a framework for handling your best friend and the woman you love falling for each other, but that won’t stop Liam from trying to work through it all.

Author’s Note: Something about watching Drake and MC be all lovey-dovey in The Royal Holiday got me thinking about how unrealistic it is that Liam just apparently got over all his pain and heartbreak off-screen. I know Liam is a stoic, reserved man, but I just wanted to explore how I envision his internal healing process progressing.

Denial

For the sake of his mental health, Liam had chosen to ignore a lot of things over the past week or so. In some ways, it had been surprisingly easy. Not that Liam had anticipated needing to cope with a rejected proposal, but if someone had asked him last month how he would cope with Riley Liu rejecting him for his best friend, he probably would have thought it would have been harder than he’d found it thus far. 

Part of the way he was handling it seemed fairly healthy as he was able to shift some focus towards being happy for one of his oldest and dearest friends. Still, somewhere in the deep recesses of his mind, he knew he was ignoring many little signs of their relationship. The looks they’d shared on the train back to the capital. The way they’d hung back from the group on the way from the beer garden to the palace. Her hand on his shoulder as she invaded his personal space with ease at the bar off to the side of the dance floor last night.

Granted, some things Liam had seen were harder to ignore. His hand low on her back as they left that same bar and attempted to sneak out of the ball without drawing attention to themselves. The fact that when they returned to the ball, they both looked slightly less polished and put together than they had before. The way the two of them held hands and cozied up to each other during the fireworks. And of course, Riley and Drake had both independently stated that they loved the other. But the mind could rationalize with amazing efficiency to protect itself. So, even in light of all of those moments, Liam had found himself able to forget about the realities of Drake and Riley being together. And then, the assassins last night had nearly completely distracted him from this topic. At least until this moment. 

There were a lot of things he could ignore when it came to Drake and Riley. The ring on her left hand as his best friend announced they were getting married just wasn’t one of them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anger

It was probably fitting that Liam had first felt an intense rage in regards to Drake and Riley in Lythikos. He got the feeling that Olivia would have almost been proud if she had known, most likely telling him that it was important to keep a fire burning inside your soul to stay alert and focused, as well as warm in the frigid climate. And now that they were back in Lythikos for the holidays, Liam felt some of that anger work it’s way back into his mind.

Watching Drake and Riley flirt and tease each other was still irritating. He didn’t want it to be, and he intellectually understood that newlyweds were going to radiate an aura of giddy love. He just couldn’t help but resent it a little, just like he had back when they were here during their engagement and he’d been forced to be their relationship’s number one champion, pretending that it wasn’t obnoxious to watch them cling to each other on the dance floor, his fingers tracing over the strip of skin across her midriff left bare by her dress. When he’d had to announce time and time again that he was happy for them when he was well aware of the fact that they had just snuck out, unable to keep their hands off each other until the end of the ball.

Did they think that the fact they hadn’t immediately jumped into bed together made it alright that they had lied to him? Because they seemed to act like the fact that they “resisted” their attraction for a few months left them above reproach, that their actions weren’t at all a betrayal. Did they want a prize for not having sex initially? Did they not understand that an emotional affair was still an affair?

Part of him knew that viewing their relationship as an affair was disingenuous. After all, he and Riley had never been an official couple. There were other women during the social season, and after that there was Madeleine. But then he would see them hand in hand, lips against each other’s ears, undoubtedly whispering sweet nothings, and he just felt the irritation and rage rise in his chest again. Wasn’t it enough that they had each other? Did they really have to throw it in his face?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bargaining

Liam felt a bit foolish. He’d spent so much time and energy thinking about how Drake and Riley’s relationship impacted his own romantic life, but he’d never considered the practical impact their relationship would have on his own relationship with Drake.

He had gotten very used to Drake being around, his presence a comfort in times of stress and strain. It wasn’t that he took Drake’s friendship and support for granted, but he was just used to having it. But right now, they were on their honeymoon, and Liam didn’t know who to talk to about the pressures Auvernal was laying on him. It just felt bizarre not talking to him about the situation as it was evolving, but that obviously wasn’t an option at this time.

As he thought more about it, he realized that this was going to become more and more common going forward. For so long, he and Drake had been one of, if not the most important person in each other’s lives. But now Riley held that title without question for Drake. Liam could never hope to compete, and it was only going to get worse when they had children.

He knew he still had things to work through when it came to Drake and Riley. He knew that he was still processing his mess of emotions when it came to them. But he swore he was working on it, that he was getting over her and moving on. He just would have to try harder, though. Because he couldn’t risk losing them both. He wanted to go fishing with Drake when he needed to escape for just a few hours. He wanted to joke with Riley at council meetings. He wanted to be “Uncle Liam” to their children. He just needed to keep them in his life in some capacity. If he could make that happen, well that would be enough. He was sure of it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Depression

Liam was lonely. That was a fact. He might be the most important person in the country, but that didn’t change the reality that he didn’t have anyone who saw him as the most important person in their life. He was publicly needed, personally all alone.

Leo called more often these days, inviting him on trips that would undoubtedly be filled with high-stakes gambling, Cuban cigars, expensive liquor, and even more expensive women. But Liam wasn’t up for that. He wanted the comforts and affection that came from long-standing love, not a temporary distraction. It wasn’t even really about not having a romantic partner, although that was certainly part of it. It was more about how isolated he felt, disconnected from literally everyone around him. 

He wanted someone to confide in and discuss his investigation into his mother’s death. He wanted someone who could comfort him as delving into his memories dragged up old pains and horrors. But instead he kept that all to himself, his feelings his alone to deal with as his time with his friends was focused on their lives. Olivia had her investigations. Maxwell had his novel. And of course Drake and Riley had impending parenthood and all that entailed.

Riley’s pregnancy seemed to be everyone’s focus these days, from the general populace to their entire social circle. And while Liam knew it wasn’t rational, he could help but feel alone and blue while everyone else moved on to better and brighter things. Drake and Riley just represented his separation with such profound clarity. His best friend and his ex, in love, married, and expecting a child, moving forward with their lives and leaving him behind. He knew he objectively led a blessed life. It just wasn’t what he craved most.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Acceptance

Liam smiled as he took in the sight around him in the palace’s private lounge. Olivia playing bartender, refusing to serve Drake whiskey until he drank a glass of Malbec, a sly smile sliding across her face as Drake scoffed and groaned while picking up the wine glass. Maxwell grabbing the baby from Riley’s lap, insisting he needed to teach his godchild some dance moves, the air filled with Riley’s laugh and the charming giggles that can only come from an infant who is completely delighted. Hana slicing a cinnamon apple cake she had made herself, all part of the perfectly simple birthday party she’d organized for him.

He had spent so long chasing things. Being a perfect ruler, the type of king that served the common man and the noble with care. Securing the country without repeating his father’s paranoid mistakes. Balancing foreign diplomacy with internal strength. But today, just for a few hours, he felt at peace, calm and content with the love of those closest to him.

Because love took on many forms, and the platonic love that surrounded him was absolutely something worth being grateful for. Just as he had worked to define the type of king he wanted to be, independent of his father and his legacy, he had worked to define what it meant for him to have personal connections, not just royal ones. And a low-key “commoner” birthday was just one way to embrace all the good things in his life.

Of course, he still hoped for a romantic partner, someone to share his life and with whom he could start a family. But wanting more didn’t mean he couldn’t celebrate what he had right now. He had gained enough perspective and experience to see that. Twenty-nine had been rough, and thirty hadn’t been much better, but painful times were not indefinite. Liam had no idea what thirty-one would bring, but he was hopeful. All he could really do was take it one day at a time.

Tags: @dcbbw @mfackenthal @yaushie @jovialyouthmusic @iplaydrake @gibbles82 @drakewalkerisreal @riley–walker @thequeenofcronuts @notoriouscs @butindeed @octobereighth @ao719​

[theveryworstthing]

(pounding fists on table) fashion, fashion, fashion, faSHION FASHION...

it is time to release the fruits of my patreon sponsored Dwarf Week to gen pop. the theme was the long awaited history of dwarven punk (furthermore known as Lunk) and woo did it become A Lot. music genres and fashion movements don’t just come from nowhere and transplanting a human genre that started from specific human times and sensibilities onto another race without thinking about why a thing ain’t my style. so! i’m gonna give you a nice chunky lore post and follow it up with some posts about Notable Lunk Ladies.  let’s begin.

A Long Short History of Lunk To really talk about Lunk we gotta talk about the rebellion. And to talk about the rebellion we gotta talk about the flood in the Mander Drop cave system.

Two Disasters. - The Mander Drop cave system was fairly small  as dwarven cities go. It was also very remote, and as far as top-sider territories are concerned, outside of the Woods. So when a devastating flood/cave-in combo forced  survivors up to the surface they found themselves in the human kingdom of Luxterra, and therefore on the land of the recently appointed King Regiis The 27th. For a while this seemed like good luck. The king welcomed the refugees in and happily provided them with housing and food. How could they be anything but helpful to the first dwarves seen in Luxterra for generations? Especially since, whether they knew it or not,  the royal borders made it so that these were clearly their people? Their brethren? It was just too bad about all the blasphemy. The King and his religious advisers all agreed that they’d have to do something about that if their newly discovered people were to be Saved with the rest.

Now religion can be a force for love and safety and a link to important cultural heritage. But also. You know. Sometimes it sucks. Rolism, which is what Luxterra had recently adopted as their primary and only religion, sucked. The Incomparably Holy And Absolutely Complete Sapient Bestiaries was a collection of books written by a young failed anthropologist/failed fantasy writer/failed(eventually successful?) cult leader  with an unchecked ego and a down right girthy god complex named Sir Adam Brightcrown (real name:Rod Flaff). They were said to contain the true and holy roles of every sapient being barring demons, who were  not in the books outside of mentions of general badguy behavior and their penchant for the perversion of nature. The series was barely older than the current king himself and had flown completely under the radar until the former king Regiis The 26th, received the books as joke gifts and  got way into them. Like, into them enough to abolish all mentions or practice of any other religions in Luxterra and turn the church over to the author of the Bestiaries/voice of god, Sir Adam.

The Mander Drop dwarves did not act the way dwarves were described in the Bestiaries (a common theme for any race described in the Bestiaries). They thought themselves all women, even as they wore long beards! There was no gleam of avarice in their eyes when they walked past the golden ornaments hanging throughout the royal gardens! They weren’t even violently rowdy alcoholics!

Scandal.

It couldn’t just be that they were survivors of a horrible disaster reeling from the loss of their homes and families as they tried to be polite to human hosts who knew next to nothing about their actual culture.

No, they had to have been Changed. Touched by demonic forces that all Good People knew lurked beyond their righteous borders.

But they would surely come around with a little instruction and the church got to it right away, sending their missionaries into the hospitals and dwarven camps to spread the word. But the word did not spread as easily as they would have liked. The word was kinda chunky. The dwarves were very set in their ways and the loss of their home had made them very touchy about altering their traditions too much. So after enough badgering, the remaining Elders decided that maybe it was best to leave Luxterra as soon as their wounded could be moved and take their chances in The Woods. They even went so far as to tell the royal council that they did not see themselves as true Luxterrans and so felt that they should not be beholden to certain church guidelines. The King took this pretty well and told them that he would respect their wishes and support any decision they made. So a few weeks later, when everyone who hadn’t passed was stable enough to ride with a caravan, they sent messengers out with pleas for help to other cave systems.

They never saw those messengers again.

A freak flash fire broke out in the dwarven camp that evening. All of the Elders and the adults most resistant to the church’s advances  mysteriously did not make any moves to escape as they were burned to death in the meeting tent. Most of the possessions and goods salvaged from the Mander Drop caves were also reduced to ash . In the end, all that was left were a few resilient trinkets and a vast amount of mostly orphaned dwarven youth that had luckily been away at the time. The king’s detectives declared that it probably was and accident, but the remaining dwarves should move to the land behind the royal monastery for a while just to make sure it wasn’t something more…unsavory.  And so the survivors were put under absolute royal protection. Which meant  a settlement furnished with everything the holy books said that a dwarf could want, entry into St. Adam’s Rolism School for the young ones, round the clock guards to ensure safety standards were met, and many other…perks.

All the king asked for in return is that they work the mines to repay him for his generosity. Since they were not actually Luxterran citizens, they could only receive a certain amount of aide without incurring debt from their hosts, and that line had been crossed long ago. But no worries! Once their debt was repayed and they felt stable enough, they could leave with the kingdom’s support and blessings.

House Arrest- The dwarves had a bad feeling about this whole deal, but weren’t exactly in a position to refuse. The initial agreement to pay for the  refugees room and board  looked completely fair despite their awful feelings toward it but like everything else in their situation, it sucked.   Hidden, vague stipulations in confusing foreign languages and weird time frames made them inescapable. The mining conditions were so hazardous that many didn’t live or stay healthy long enough to pay their due. Children inherited debt from their parents and were locked into the system as soon as they were old enough to enter the work force (an age that inched ever lower). As far as the king and the church were concerned, the dwarves had a sizable community debt not just from enjoying Luxterra’s  gracious hospitality but for having their souls saved by being shown their proper Roles. And that debt was so great that it made sense that it was impossible to pay off. Also, trying to escape the contract was as much a death sentence for you and your family as ‘consorting with demons’.  Leaving the kingdom or rebelling against Regiis’ rule was akin to stealing the prosperity they had surely enjoyed and no one stole from the king. It was rehabilitation from the church or death.

And let’s be real. It was usually death.

Besides, the Holy Bestiaries stated that dwarves lived for mining and their generations of work had made Luxterra prosperous beyond measure. Why would they want to leave?

Basic Rolism Dwarf Rules- Dwaves are masculine. Dwarves are brutish. Dwarves smith and mine but they do not craft. Dwarves only love Gold and treasure. Dwarves only take joy in fight and drink. There’s more but you get the idea. There were other random rules around appropriate use of the dwarvish language (no use. No use is what they wanted) that included acceptable names (most families got to keep their last names because they were appropriately Aesthetic but first names were changed for most people). These rules weren’t in the books, the church just decided they were for the best.

Music - music was the biggest and most freeing coping mechanism the dwarves had during the three generations of life in Luxterra.  This makes sense, as screaming rhythmic complaints is a known stress reliever for many sapient races. What culture could be recovered or remembered, which wasn’t much tbh, was used heavily in the Lunk (short for ‘spelunk’ which some dwarves did in secret to recover relics from the ruins of the Mander Drop caves) scene, and that included attempted replications of traditional instruments and songs. It was way different from classic dwarven music due to the new instruments, influence from human underground (not that kind of underground) musicians, and enhanced Angst, but like all of lunk culture it was good enough.

Dwarves were expected to sing per their entry in the Bestiary, and so were never bothered about practice during the work day unless snitch human coworkers or guards heard…less than tasteful lyrics. This meant anything treasonous or ‘contrary to their nature’. Fighting and drinking were okay subjects but critique of  religion, the social order, or the king? Literal devil music that was cause for possible arrest and ‘rehabilitation’. To be fair, a lot of human miners weren’t too fond of the king either (Rolism didn’t just affect dwarves) so they let a lot slide unless a dwarf got uppity and they were a huge bastard. Also fighting and drinking persisted as song themes long after they were freed from their restrictions because those are almost universally fun topics to scream about in a cave, but still.

While plenty of singing went on in work areas, actual concerts and events were held in deeper decrepit mines than were usually condemned for one reason or another. It was…not safe. But that was kind of the point. If it wasn’t safe for dwarves then humans certainly wouldn’t want to  venture down there, not that they didn’t. Human friends could come to shows if they were vetted by  enough dwarves, kept their mouthes shut, and brought their own safety gear. Crouched figures with oxygen tanks, harnesses, and dusty mohawks weren’t as rare as you would think. Especially when the war started and the king really kicked his religious fervor into high gear.

Strangely enough, none of these venues ever killed or injured their occupants. Future dwarven musical scholars would say that the shows tied into ancient protective ballads that are sung in unnaturally excavated areas, a bit of accidental protection magic, but at the time they just considered themselves lucky.

Music Part 2: Themes In Screams - Classic lunk was angry rebellion music, but it was also very fantastical and tended to veer into a surreal dreamy territory that at times produced echos of ancestral dwarven music. This was purposeful, as the descendants of the Mander Drop dwarves had a lot of culture scrubbed out of them, but they fiercely guarded and celebrated what remained. Lunk also had a kind of fun hopeful romanticism to it once you got through all the verses about beheading the king and pissing down the stump. Besides regicide and bar fights, major classic lunk themes were a mix of gender, identity, and love.  Lunk was a perfect medium to explore their  heavily repressed femininity and sexuality because as far as the Church was concerned all dwarves were manly men who only touched through punches and dwarven babies came from special chunks of gold and rocky debris found in mines.

Music Part 3: Instrumentals - a lot of scavenging and creative instrument construction went on to make lunk possible. The dwarves were limited to crafting weapons, tools, and armor due to their Role in the Bestiaries, but used their time combing scrap yards and dumps for forge materials  to smuggle out other interesting tidbits. Using knowledge gained from discarded manuals and spare parts hidden among mining equipment, a workshop (called the Ironing Board for its red walls and duel purpose as a place that outlaw seamstresses hung out while doing clothes alterations and fittings) was established in an empty  side tunnel, and secretive tinkerers would spend their spare time churning out strange stringed things, portable piano adjacent items, and drums that were honestly, Too Much. Some of the better sounding instruments became staples of the genre and were mastered by most players but there were a lot of funky one-offs only used by specific dwarves.

As for singing, Lunk started as a mix of dwarven throat singing, very energetic yelling, seductive crooning, and rare operatic belting. Mostly it’s just Loud. Microphones weren’t a thing and being heard over the instruments meant positioning yourself in the cave for maximum acoustic effect while wearing your lungs out.

Some original music from the time in Luxterra still exist in dwarven museums and private collections. Recorders were retrieved with the rest of the spare parts they hid down in the tunnels, and the ones that weren’t taken apart for instruments were used to record shows.  The quality of these recordings is middling to pretty bad, but considering how few of those bands survived the war with all their members, they’re treated like the exquisite treasures they are.

Aesthetic:

Hair- Mostly bald or buzzed short with bangs but short thin mohawks or rat tails were also acceptable. Usually bleached  completely golden blond or streaked with blond chunks as a sarcastic nod towards The Bestiaries stance on the dwarven race’s supposed obsession with gold. Besides, bleach was cheap and easy to get. Hats were worn constantly above ground to prevent questions about the styles from nosy humans.  

Beards- Styled to hell. Gelled monstrosities that were sometimes bleached and often dusted with mica powder until they resembled shimmery  stalactites /stalagmites. Lunk beards are dyed a variety of colors these days, but in the past mica powder was easy to make/steal and a dusty beard was easier to explain away than a rainbow one. Beard style varied, some cut them short and shaved them into easily spikeable strips, some only  shaved the chin  and wore the rest in two braids laced with found bits of metal and ribbon, and some went with the dwarven classic: letting it grow to ridiculous lengths. It really depended on how closely they were monitored and what they felt they could get away with safely.

Clothes Makeup and Accessories- The goal was to be a visually blasphemous fuck you. Rolism gave dwarves very strict very masculine fashion guidelines that favored rugged disregard for appearance over careful grooming.  Makeup and any accessory deemed too feminine was prohibited. Colors were restricted to shades of brown with an occasional splash of white or gold. All jewelry was bits of rough blocky metal with very little detailing. Free dwarves have an androgynous style that flips from feminine to masculine and everything in between depending on cave system and activity but the Lunk style aimed for less gender androgyny and more gender discord. In the beginning dwarves turned up to shows in a mix of their least ruined set of work clothes and whatever super  ‘feminine’ items they could get their hands on.   This made for some very patchwork looks like heirloom pearl necklaces and gaudy costume jewelry earrings were paired with grungy button ups and ripped jeans. As scavengers got bolder and seamstresses got better they started experimenting with castaway human sized dresses (and the rare ballgown) that were ‘harvested’ by being hacked apart and put back together to make two or three slightly scandalous smaller dresses and taking apart discarded heels to recreate them in dwarf sizes. Patches were made from leftover scraps and either sewn over holes on clothing or embroidered with slogans and symbols to decorate vests, jackets, and bags.

And oh man the underwear.

It’s seems weird to bring up underwear as a sign of rebellion but the church only provided the worst boxer shorts you can imagine and ill fitting ‘undershirts’ used for binding chests too big to be ignored. The first seamstress to reverse engineer a comfortable bra and make underwear that wasn’t constructed of congealed depression was regarded as a goddess. And the great thing about the underwear was that unlike their other clothing which had to be stored in the tunnels 2/7, they could wear them anywhere as long as they made sure everything was covered up and washed them out of sight. That little act of rebellion carried a lot of people through and though great creativity and care was put into all the clothing made underground, underwear were by and large the fanciest and best taken care of items.

Now back to accessories where everything was spikes. the style was meant to mimic the stalactites/stalagmites and jewelry was made with random polished rocks and fabric scraps when actual pieces couldn’t be found. Makeup was little more than getting creative with charcoal for eyeshadow and lipstick (it had to be something that didn’t stain easily and the dregs of old makeup they would find caused enough eye infections and cold sores to be undesirable at best unless you were really willing to risk it for that great pop of color) but eyelashes were more important. Dwarves naturally have long eyelashes but they were ordered to trim them to prevent gender ambiguity so of course this meant that super long false lashes became a big thing.   What else were they gonna do with all that beard hair they were shaving off?

Art- Outright rebellion would have meant death for every Mander Drop dwarf, so all Lunk activity was on the down low to a degree that it might as well have not existed to humans not in the know. It was very easy to tell where humans weren’t hearty enough to work though because there was Lunk graffiti everywhere. Most graffiti was chiseled or scratched into available surfaces with re-purposed broken work tools or pocket knives. A lot of it was standard sentient species graffiti, tagging, poetry, declarations of love/hate, badly drawn pornography, puns, calls for regicide, memorials, cryptic messages, well drawn pornography, ect. But there were also a ton of illustrated instructions. Popular clothing patterns in different sizes were etched into the walls of the Ironing Board by seamstresses. Important instrument parts and building shortcuts were sketched out for crafters to reference. Tips for smuggling contraband, finding the best garbage, and lists of which humans were to be trusted (and who was to be ignored if they happened to fall down a mine shaft one day) were also present. A lot of this art was lost in the ensuing escape cave in, but now that dwarven archaeologists are allowed to venture into the mines again much is being found and displayed in Woodland museums.

Tattoos- Tattoos were very important before the flood drove them topside but the church declared the dwarves’ traditional designs blasphemous, going so far as to decree that those that couldn’t be hidden at all times be magically removed.  If they really really wanted a tattoo in Luxterra it had to relate to Rolism in some way. This meant that most dwarves did not have tattoos unless coerced into doing so to prevent punishment. So while makeup and drawn designs like the Mander’s Drop (the raindrop and circle worn on the forehead) were frequently used,  tattoos weren’t  a thing in Lunk culture until after the war. After the war, when they didn’t have to worry about hiding identifying features and they had the freedom to choose what designs they wanted, a lot of dwarves got inked up. Tbh, the result was less desirable than the absolute high of real choice but being able to get their Drops properly tattooed instead of drawing them on in secret every day helped soothe the identity problems some dwarves came out of this mess with.

New Blood - While the Mander Drop dwarves took solace in their music, King Regiis The 28th and head priest Adam III were working on plans to take their forefathers’ conversion of the demonic touched races a step further. It obviously worked for the dwarves, why not send missionaries into the Woods and actively enlarge their congregation? Or failing that, why not kidnap dwarven travelers and stick them with the tamed-I mean pious dwarves until they shape up and join the church? That should work.

It didn’t work.

The new dwarves, upon waking from the heavily drugged sleep brought on by the free food from the previously mentioned missionaries and getting an inside look at this whole Situation give a healthy internal scream and started planning their escape.  Their goal was to warn everyone in the Woods that those kind of annoying human missionaries were a vanguard for something much worse and nip this in the bud before it got (more) out of hand.

They kept their distance and didn’t really trust the Mander Drop descendants at first as they assumed that they were brain washed weirdos.  They eventually  came around after then elder, Thorgold Buckmarble (a common and ‘traditional’ dwarven name from the Bestiaries I swear) was instrumental in making sure the new blood didn’t get murdered by guards for demonic behavior within a week. With her help they were able to gain the other dwarves’ trust and realize that their pious behavior and shows of loyalty to the crown was all an act.

Thorgold was the one who introduced them to the lunk scene, and with her gentle guidance and constant threats to ‘come over there and chuck you idiots down a mine shaft if you don’t cut it out’, everyone was able to get along. Mostly. The newcomers’ insistence on escape and tales of dwarven culture outside of Luxterra intrigued the locals, and as they became more involved with each other lunk started to change from a simple music scene, to a movement.

Spread The word - The Mander Drop dwarves didn’t know any dwarven and the newcomer dwarves only barely spoke Luxterran but both sides were eager to learn. The misunderstanding were making things more difficult than they should be. The exchange had an unintended effect however. The few trusted human acquaintances ended up learning dwarven too.  And dwarven turned out to be a pretty good language to be treasonous in. And treason was starting to sound pretty cool for the small population of people who weren’t keen on what was shaping up to be a bloody crusade over a religion that they didn’t really believe. Of course the dwarves and their sympathizers didn’t want all this treason traced back to them, so they created a code to talk trash in and tentatively labeled it Lunk-Speech. This new code language was used for more than light treason though. It was also used for elaborate escape plans and HEAVY treason. With the king growing more paranoid by the day and war becoming more likely, the dwarves used their human comrades to sneak Lunk S.O.S. messages into The Woods. Lunk code was also used to make literature criticizing the king and the church, which made the ranks of sympathizers swell dramatically.

The king did not like this.

He only heard the barest of doubtful whispers. Even with the secret growth of the lunk movement, most humans in Luxterra were sippin’ the same flavor kool aid that he was. He had no real reason to be concerned about a few weird notes but paranoia sure is a thing.  The demonic forces had clearly crossed his borders. No more missionary trips. No more acclimation experiments. It’s holy war time.

The Second Jewel Towne Fire - Faking their deaths seemed as good a plan as any. There wasn’t gonna be a search for dead dwarves.

The messages did their job and rescuers in the Woods got to work. The least crushed bits of the abandoned Mander Drop cave system was rediscovered and tunnels were connected to one of the dwarven-only work areas of the  smaller  royal mine. As soon as the escape route was open the signal was sent to every dwarf. 3 days.

By the time the king got word of the flash fire at the dwarf village,  now called Jewel Towne, the flames were a wall of rainbow fury from the metallic dust burning off of the clothes and buildings left behind and the thought that anyone could survive the inferno was laughable at best. Instead they focused their efforts on saving the monastery and other adjacent human buildings.

Meanwhile, the dwarves were making their way through their escape tunnels. Their last act was to detonate their exit.

It had taken three generations, but the Mander Drop dwarves were free again.  

Free Agents - So the Mander drop dwarves faked their deaths. Now what? Freedom was amazing but it wasn’t smooth sailing. They never completely fit in with the Woodland dwarves after their ordeal, and while they appreciated the help from the outsiders who freed them, they felt iffy about moves to coerce them into the Woodland army. This led to them being a pretty solitary nomadic tribe. They did their part though. It’s not like they magically stopped hating the king, they just didn’t want to give anyone else a chance to use them. During the war they worked alongside woodland forces as spies, info dealers, assassins, and Luxterra experts. They were a boon for anyone looking to infiltrate enemy ranks, pose as  slave traders to free captives, or safely escort refugees. They also served as an early warning system for different communities and provided hand transcribed copies of The Bestiary so that people could hide ‘demonic behavior’ from roving Luxterran forces looking for an excuse to go after them. These blasphemous reproductions included translations for common Luxterran phrases, inventive curses to yell at captors/raiders, beauty tips, song lyrics, and a variety of very raw comix. The info didn’t always work because if someone really wants you to be guilty you’ll always be guilty and many holy raids were just cover ups for land grabs and kidnapping, but they helped a lot and were pretty much how zines in the Woodlands were born.

You would think that trying to stay out of direct combat would mean they were relatively safe, but many Mander Drop dwarves fell during the war. They  were most often the first to warn towns of approaching Luxterran forces and last to leave, which meant they got into a lot of skirmishes. They also had a habit of always trying to rescue P.O.W.’s , kicking in the teeth of slave traders, and generally freeing anyone they could from the Rolism colonies (it seems dwarves weren’t the only people that the church had captured and tried to convert). Very touchy on the subject of stealing people those Mander Drop dwarves. Very willing to risk their lives for any opportunity to stomp on a Rolism priest’s nuts. 

And besides all that there was the fact that now that they were free, they were very loud and open about their seething hatred of Luxterra. They couldn’t let the enemy forces know that they were their former captives since they were still pretending to be dead (and in fact had stopped using the Mander Drop title in exchange for just calling themselves Lunk dwarves and adopting new names for themselves) , but they spread the tale like wildfire and turned a lot of would be allies against the Luxterra. Most of the groups that were the loudest, most widely spread, and biggest pains in the collective royal ass were led or assisted by Mander Drop dwarves. It was so much of a thing that in the Lunk scene people used bounties and wanted posters like stylish accessories. This of course meant that anyone with a heavily styled beard  and a mohawk was enemy number one.

Some Woodland forces pegged this as reckless and suicidal behavior, but they won more than they lost and their work with the goblins who created the Guides saved a lot of people so no one really said nothing to them. Plus Lunk musicians were still making tons of morale boosting music in between missions and were regarded as some of the greatest war bards the Woodlands had ever known. You came to their shows talking smack and you had better have had a good reason or great brawling skills.

End Of The War-  Stomping on slave trader necks was fine, but it was the spies that really helped bring an end to the war.

Intel from human allies still living in Luxterra revealed that the king was going to try revive his weird dwarf collection and use them as spies. This would be his downfall however, as it gave a few of the top Mander Drop spies a way to get in there and just mess things up real good.

The ladies who took on this mission were Basaltherick Boulderboar, Thorgold Buckmarble, and Brickarth Dirtraven. They posed as miners who had been trapped by  a cave in right before the deadly fire, claiming they’d been wandering the underground for over a year, surviving only on water and mud (which The Bestiaries totally said they could do in hard times). It was almost suspicious how quickly they were believed and offered the job. If there was any Divine meddling going on, it definitely wasn’t for the king’s side.

It takes another year, a lot of sabotaging the hidden camps holding the heavily guarded healer P.O.W.’s that the Luxterran forces had been using the keep their army borderline unkillable, the accidental seduction of the king’s cousin, the death of a brave comrade, a few murders here and there, and getting a real tasty peasant uprising going, but eventually the crown was scooped up off the floor next to the guillotine, dusted off, and placed on the head of King Renn. His two dwarven advisers, Ladies Boulderboar and Dirtraven, stayed in Luxterra for the rest of their lives, and  later became peaceful dignitaries. To this day they are still  a constant presence in the Luxterran courts in what totally isn’t keeping an eye on on whoever they didn’t kill/get killed the first go round. They are also  founders/joint leaders of the less peaceful secret society who totally are making sure that that bullshit never happens again.

Dwarves age amazingly but they both look very young for their respective ages. Just a fun fact.

Also they are still spiking their beards.

Post War - Everyone kind of expected the Lunk scene to die out once the war was over, but changing out a king doesn’t entirely change out the ideas implanted in his people so even today there are still pockets of Rolists causing trouble so in turn there are still Lunk girls carrying on the family tradition of stomping on their nuts. It was eventually revealed that the Mander Drop dwarves had faked their deaths, and negotiations started on declaring their ancestral cave system as dwarven land entirely separate from Luxterra. Today the system is mostly restored and serves as a dwarven historical landmark but few people took up residence there right after the war. They were happy to have access to their home again but the feeling of being in Luxterra borders was just…too much.  The majority of the Mander Drop survivors decided to spread their wings a bit and explore the Woodland on quests for insight into free dwarven culture. The bands that were still whole and didn’t hate each other toured wherever folks would have them, picking up new musical skills and spreading the Lunk sound across the land. The fractured bands did similar, banding together or training up new members from other cave systems. Seamstresses used their skills to transform the post war fashion industry into something weird and wonderful (and one has a granddaughter who’s the current talk of the non-human fashion world with her Chainmail Bikini brand). Some of them went into crafting apprenticeships. Some helped rebuild Mander Drop.

Some, maybe more than people talk about when discussing the Woodland’s victory, never recovered from Everything and it’s a shame what happened to the ones who got smothered by all that ugliness.  That’s what these things do to people though.

There are worse happy endings than this.

[ayakashibackstreet]

for the oc asks 20. Do they have any titles? How did they earn them? and 31. Does this character ever put somebody else’s needs before their own? Who do they do this for? How often do they do this?

93 fun OC asks because why not

Ahh, thank you sm, Bunni!! Since you didn’t specify characters, I was going to answer these for everyone but I got a little bit frustrated somewhere down the line, so this is how much I got, haha :P

20. Do they have anytitles? How did they earn them?

Finfe

She was born into aroyal family as the second child of the ruler of Esear – as such,the moment she was born, she gained the title of Princess of Esear.After the death of her older brother, she gained the title of Jauna –she was very young at the time and, as she herself says, ‘was notsupposed to be have it’, hence her rule was short lived before shewas dethroned. As a member of the Elehandro family, she was referredto as the Pink Rose.

Axciss

He’s Finfe’solder brother! As such, he was initially the Prince and later Jaunaof Esear; he also wielded the title of the White Rose. He’sconsidered to have been a quite revolutionary ruler, having been notonly for opening the country to foreigners once again but also havingpassed multiple reforms to make the lives of poor people easier. Hewas heavily criticised amongst members of the nobility for ‘wastinghis family’s funds on frivolities’ - the frivolities being simplyredistributing the money to his poorest subjects. He wasn’t able todo all he wanted to do due to his assassination.

As he comes back tothe realm of the living (‘on parole’, as he puts it himself), hecan’t exactly get himself involved in politics too much – he’sa dead man, after all. He joins the Exorcist Association under a fakename and with time gains the title of a Travelling Exorcist (he’stotally not doing it to avenge his father btw). He’s sometimesstill using his title of the White Rose in interactions with thosewho are aware of the existence of the Sould Realm or believe that hesimply faked his death. The moment it becomes clear that he is, infact, Axciss Elehandro, he’s going to use that title for all it’sworth.

Angus

Not many peoplebelieve him when he says he has a Bachelor’s degree, but he does!He finished Electronics Engineering, with pretty good grades, too.Going to college was a pain but he was sure it’d help him find abetter job and support his family better. Things didn’t work outand the closest he’s ever come to working in his field of study wasa salesman at an electronics store. He usually doesn’t even botherstating he’s technically a Bachelor of Science – he’s stilljust Angus and since employers didn’t seem to care an awful much,he grew to not care, either. Except for being very salty about it.

Loareth

They technicallyare an Exorcist but they lost their ID years ago and as such, theycannot actually function as a member of the Association. They don’tcare about that title much these days – after all, nothing comeswith it if they can’t fulfill his responsibilities to it. As such,if asked, they’d say the only title they can ever hold is maybe‘mister’.

Lea

Ifasked, she’d probably just answer ‘I’m only 18!’, smile andget on with her day. Inside, she’d get lowkey stressed out, asshe’d realise her mum wanted her to be in college already and shetechnically didn’t finish high school because she ran away.

Venicus

Ashe was born a noble, back when his family was alive, he’d be called‘young master’ by his family’s servants. As all of his otherfamily members died in the Purge, he could technically be addressedas Viscount Garrenia – hovewer, that’s assuming his family namewasn’tommitted from most recent records (it was)and that Esear currently still has nobles in the first place (itdoesn’t).

Despitethat, Axciss keeps referring to him as Lord or Viscount – he feelslike, at least in some way, it restores Veni’s family their status,makes it clear that what happened to them was a disgrace. Venidoesn’t really know how he feels about it – he treats it halfwayas a morbid reminder that he’s the only Bermirras still alive, aswell as an invitation for revenge. To be fair, that second one is notentirely unwanted on Axci’s part – he wants to make sure thedumbass murder boy still has something that he’s ‘left undone’so that he doesn’t do something stupid to himself.

Semyon

Hewas a peasant in his youth and a working class man in his adulthood,all the way up to the modern era. Despite most demons getting adegree or two (or more – they have a lot of time on their handsafter all), he didn’t bother getting a single one – he was toopreoccupied mourning his wife, as well as attempting to start asocialist revolution back in his country. He didn’t exactly getvery far with that, nor has the mourning calmed his nerves.

Tobe fair, Sema overall finds the concept of titles utterly stupid anduseless and even if he had one, he probably wouldn’t use it unlessit was funny. He won’t address others with their titles unless it’sfunny, either.

Mari

Shefinished Edgewood – however,while the academy is very much prestigious, it doesn’t give out anytitles relating to the primary field of study. The idea is that auramastery is not something that can be classified very easily withinthe academic system. In her resume, she’d probably just write downshe finished the Advanced Course. Still, at the same time, she wasparticipating in Edgewood’s art and language-related classes,eventually working her way up to a Bachelor of Arts title at the endof it all. She didn’t use that degree once. She just did it becauseshe kind of always wanted to.

Laterin life, she joined the Exorcist Association but as time went on, shestarted feeling like the job reminds her of her hometown way too much– as such, she basically quit and has been a mostly inactive membersince. Before that, she held the title of a Hunter Exorcist(capturing demons for the Association’s scientists). She, unlikeLolo, still has her ID and uses it now and then to access theAssociation’s databases. You never know what info might come inhandy.

Caroline

Carolinehasn’t held a title in her life – the Assassin Guild didn’treally give out titles – and she doesn’t really care too much.She finds them kind of pointless. If someone wants to be referred towith them, though, they probably will – they won’t understand whyexactly anyone would want that though.

Phil

She’shad her fair share of people calling her ‘sir’ due to herfather’s position as a baron. He doesn’t care though – he hatesthe very concept of nobility and bringing up his noble upbringing torefer to him with reverence of any kind willmake him sick. If you’re doing it to establish that he had it easyin his childhood though, he’ll concede and probably join inpointing out what a priviledged brat he was. They never use titles torefer to people.

Mergen

She’scurrently, in secret, doing online college courses. She’s partiallydoing it for the title, actually – she wants to be a Bachelor sodamn much… being self-taught is nice and all, but she envies thosewith academic titles after their names. Other than that, she doesn’thave any titles.

31.Does this character ever put somebody else’s needs before theirown? Who do they do this for? How often do they do this?

Finfe

She’sbad at taking care of her own needs. She’s never entirely sure whatshe wants, nor what she needs – still, she wants others, especiallyher friends, to feel good. Honestly, if you’ve been nice to Finfeat least, like, twice, she’ll probably want to do something for youso damn badly. If you’re her friend, she’ll move mountains foryou. Her biggest problem would be emotional support though – she’shorrible with words, so she feels she can’t help people much inthis regard. Honestly, she should take a bit more care of her ownneeds.

Axciss

Ifyou’re a member of hisfamily, he’ll literally die for you – no exaggeration, heliterally died protectingFinfe inher assassinationattempt. Hehimself, however, is uncertain just how much of it is due to puttingothers’ needs above his own and how much is it actually a need ofhis ina way. He still blames himself for what happened to his parents andthinks he has a debt to be payed towards his family. At the sametime, he’s afraid he’s doing any of it to simply calm down hisown conscience. He ends up basically putting his family (and Angus –he’s a friend close enough to be considered family) above his ownneeds but in such a way as to try to sabotage himself – trying topush them away at the same time, for example. As for how often…well, whenever the opportunity rises. Usually in regard to big eventsand important things, though. He’s the kind of guy who’llsacrifice his well-being for his loved ones and yet finds the conceptof, for example, helping out with baking, to be completelyridiculous. He doeswant to spoil his sister though. He doesn’t let himself, since hereasons it’s selfish in a weird way. smh, how annyoing -.-Honestly, in this regard, Axciss is very confusing, so it’s toughto answer.

Angus

Angusis always happy to help out – he wouldn’t mind staying up toexplain some maths to someone, even if it meant he wouldn’t getenough sleep. You’re a college friend of his and you’ve had abeer together? Probably won’t hurt asking Angus for help once theneed arises. He, however, doesn’t like being taken advantage of, soif you constantly ask for help and you’re not there when heasksyoufor help? Yeah, wouldn’t count on him letting that slide too manytimes, even if you apologise. He’ll probably be very upfront aboutit, too.

Ifyou have a slightly deeper connection with him (ie. you’re goodfriends, ex. Axciss, Finfe, Ethan etc.), he’ll be willing to helpyou out with bigger things and won’t mind getting hurt to do so.He’s protective of his loved ones – unlike Axciss, however,there’s a line he won’t cross. He wouldn’t be able to sacrificehis life for someone, at least not when he’s fully aware it were tohappen – not 100% sure if he wouldn’t do it in a heat of themoment though. If it were a desperate enough situation, he’d lookfor a third option.

Honestly,he puts others’ needs above his own quite often in those smallways. He makes sure to keep it balanced however, since he believesyou can’t help others well enough if you’re exhausted yourself.Basically, Angus is a very valid boy.

Once again, thank you for the ask!! Have a great day, I love you <3

[its-clementime]

That Something: Part 1

Title: That Something: Part 1

Pairing: Clementine x Louis

Word Count: 1304

Summary: Prince Louis and Marlon get ready for a new school year at Ericson Prep.

Next Part

DISCLAIMER THIS IS MY FIRST FIC IF IT SUCKS TELL ME WHY AND IM SORRY. :)

Part 2 coming soon -

WORLD BUILDING CONTEXT: Andway is a fairly strong country ruled by the Sterlings (Louis’ family) it’s a constitutional monarchy, with a strong economy and foreign relations, inside the kingdom is the true issue: the divide in classes, the rich and successful, who barely touched the lesser class, unless to employ them. The lesser class, is just trying to survive. There was no middle class the wealth wasn’t spread correctly at all. The country is diverse like America, essentially America with a monarchy (so England, but Geographic's of America lol)

      Louis sighed, sitting on his bed, wrinkling his perfectly laid sheets. He looked upon his unusually clean room, reminiscing on the summer moments that he spent there.  The window shoed a perfect view of the garden, where he and his “bodyguard” Marlon spent their days recreating jackass by doing stupid stunts. He looked upon the piano, now sadly pushed to a corner in his room, is where he spent most of his summer, he had angled the piano perfectly in the sunlight, singing and playing most of the day in a warm glow. Not to mention, the songs he’d been writing; Louis found himself at the piano, going through his ruffled notebook, filled with loose pages and chord progressions; and so many songs, all of them marked with his distinct passion and care. He stopped a specific page, the last song he had worked on this summer, still unfinished he had worked on this song for so long, but it never felt right. Something was missing. He analyzed the page, as if it would give him an answer. Suddenly, Louis heard footsteps, in a rush he shoved his notebook into a backpack, zipped it and faced the door.  

  The door creaked as it opened and a joyful teen entered room, “Louis, the car is ready, be ready to leave in five minutes”.  

Louis chuckled, “Dude, are you really going to go back to school with THAT haircut?” he gestured to the dead rat on his head.

“Honestly man, it’s kind of growing on me.” He brought his fingers through his blonde mullet, “I know it’s ‘cause I lost a bet, but I think I make it work.” His blue eyes showing through his mischievous smirk.  

“Marlon.” Louis started, “You know you're a brother to me man, but that haircut is terrible.”  

 Marlon really was family. He was originally the security guard’s kid, but he and Louis met by accident when they were little; They hit it off so well that 6-year-old Louis wouldn’t play with anyone else except Marlon. Sadly, Marlon’s parents died protecting Louis’ parents. So, Marlon stayed in the palace as Louis’ “bodyguard” just to have a name for him being everywhere with him. Apparently, to Louis’ dad, you can’t have family outside your class. This annoyed Louis, to the point where he basically made sure Marlon had all the privileges that a “lesser class” person could get. Marlon sure as hell didn’t want them, the society aspect is not what he was there for, he was here for his brother.

Marlon shrugged, “I'm just going to see how it goes for the first few weeks at school, plus if it was that terrible, your dad would have made me get it cut for your ‘public image’.” He air-quoted jokingly.

Louis shook his head, “I guess you’re right. I digress.”  

Marlon looked around the room, “Wow, so this is what your room looks like without all your clothes on the floor.”  

“Ouch.”  

Marlon smiled “Its, the truth man, sorry.”He kept on looking around the room and eventually his eyes landed on the piano. “So, is your Dad going to find a random piano in your room, or? ”

Louis made a straight face, “Some of the maids are going to hide it in my closet for me, plus it’s not like my dad goes into my room anyway. He’s too busy being ‘the Golden King’ to visit me.” He let out a crestfallen sigh.

Louis’ Dad in private, was a strict and unkind man. He was tall, with dark eyes with the stare that could kill, mahogany skin, and a booming voice that even an army Seargeant would fear. He and Louis rarely agreed on anything, it took Louis’ mother months to convince his father to let him play soccer when he was eight, and almost shaved his head when he found Louis’ decision to grow dreadlocks. However, to the public eye he was perceived as “The Golden King” because of how kind he was to his people and how wealthy Andway had become under his rule. Louis decided it was a better idea to hide his passion and hobby of music from his father; which was easy due to Louis living in the opposite wing of the castle, as well as going far away to Ericson Preparatory Academy, on weekdays for 8 Months out of the year.

Marlon broke the silence, announcing, “Well I think it’s time to get a move on, the Prince can’t be reported showing up late to school.”  

Louis nodded, getting his backpack and following Marlon down the first staircase of his enormous castle. They had all their suitcases packed, and goodbyes given to their favorite staff of the palace, and finally were in the backseat of a royal car. There was a whole fleet of cars escorting them to Ericson, Louis was annoyed of all the ruckus just because of his title.

Right as they were about to Leave Louis saw his mom, the Queen, approaching the car. He rolled down the window to see her smiling at him.  

“Oh, my little Lou,” She paused to kiss his forehead. “I just want to say bye baby, make me proud okay?”  

“I will mom” Louis said with a grin.

“You promise to study hard? More than last year, right?”

“I promise mom.”

“Okay, don’t forget to have fun too, I love you, bye!” she gave Louis another kiss on the head and turned to leave, before turning around again “Oh sorry Marlon, Goodbye to you too dear!”

Marlon chuckled, “Bye Mrs. Sterling.”

Louis waved, “Bye Mom, love you too.”

Mrs. Sterling waved as the car rolled out of the driveway, “Try to call me when you’re settled!”  

Louis was staring out of the car window, letting the trees and buildings fly past him while he thought of how thankful he was for his mom. He didn’t like being at the palace, but when he was, his mom was one of the better parts of it. He had more of his dad’s looks but he got his mom’s personality and freckles. She loved to laugh and was very vivacious. She’s the only one who ever convinced his dad of anything he wasn’t predisposed to. He already missed her.

“Hey.” Marlon tapped Louis on the shoulder. “You ready for another year at Ericson Prep?”

Louis thought for a moment, playing with his seatbelt. “I guess, it’s the same people trying to be my friend cause of my status-”

Marlon interjected, mocking Louis’ dad saying, “That’s just networking! That’s why I enrolled you here instead of getting a tutor!” in the king’s trademark booming voice.  

Louis laughed before he continued, “But it’s still the same teachers giving me too much homework, and the same call-ins by my dad to stress me out.”

“But we get to see the gang for the first time in a while.” Marlon added

“I am excited about seeing them again. But why do you ask about this year?”

Marlon reflected. “I'm not sure, I just feel like this year's going to be... different.”

“Marlon,” Louis confidently stated, “Whatever happens this year, I'm pretty sure we’ll be ready for it, Ericson is a Prep School after all.”  

He stopped playing with his seatbelt and looked to Marlon with an unsure expression,

“Right?”

A/N I know it’s a bit slow but It’s gonna get a better later, just establishing stuff rn. Stay tuned!

[loana1127]

People don’t lie when they say that the most difficult thing about writing is finding where to start! Especially when it is about thoughts and feelings you never thought you’d share with anyone! I’ve been meaning to write something that may to a degree explain the impact wrestling and more so Edge and Christian have had on me and my whole life! I’ve been very hesitant because it is so personal, I am not even sure I’m ready to share it with the world (maybe not the world but friends and family)! Also, I am not the first fan who has a cool story about Edge and Christian and how amazing they are! I’m also not going to be the last one! But after last night (1/26/20) I feel that it is time for me to do it! Not so much because I want to show my love and admiration for Edge and Christian! I need to do it for myself, I need to get it off my chest! I want to use it as a slap in the face and as a reminder! Reminder of what matters the most, reminder of how even in the darkest places we need to look for the light because the light is there!

I was in no way, shape or form a popular kid in school. I was really skinny; I had short hair and did not fit in at all. I just wasn’t cool I guess, I wasn’t into all the girlie stuff so the girls didn’t like me, I didn’t come from money, so the rich kids didn’t like me... And on top of that I was extremely shy. Put all of these things together and you get a tiny and shy Bulgarian girl with zero self-esteem being bullied and made fun on daily basis. I want to say I didn’t cry but I did, a lot. There was one thing that would help me get through all the tough days though. I knew that once I get home and I’m done with homework and dinner I can hide in my room and turn the TV on (secretly) and watch these larger than life characters! Yes, I am talking about wrestling! And more specifically the coolest “brothers” in the whole entire world Edge and Christian! I would see them and instantly forget about all the bullies, all the rich kids making fun of me for not having all the cool stuff they have, all the pretty girls making fun of my hair. And after the show is over, I’d go to bed and make up all these stories in my head where Edge and Christian are my older brothers and they protect me from everything and everyone! In my own imaginary world, I’m Edge and Christian’s cool sister, I have long black hair. I’d wear bad ass leather pants and I’d come out of the fire with them and walk them to the ring! I’d stare the crowd of bullies down and give them my best walk alongside my older brothers Edge and Christian.

I can honestly say that I feel like, actually I don’t feel like, I know Edge and Christian and wrestling saved my life more than once! Saved me from falling into deep depression and who know what would have happened if I didn’t have my “older brothers protecting me”! Well that and music. Too bad not a lot of kids in school were into rock and metal! Scratch that, none of them were! Good luck trying to find a 3rd grader who's into Rammstein or Metalica or KISS! I couldn’t!

Thankfully as the years went by, I found some friends that shared my passion for wrestling, sports and heavier music! Little Sonya is now a little older, she finally got the long hair she always wanted, she is all about distressed jeans and metal band T-shirts! The inside is still the same though, definitely on the shy side, still passionate about wrestling and still adoring Edge and Christian! By that time, I had figured out they are not actually brothers (bummer) and they don’t live in my TV! Now that I had that ‘inside knowledge’ I wanted to know more about Adam Copeland and Jay Reso! So, I decided a few years of studying English in school should be enough for me to be able to read a whole book in English! So, Sonya went hungry for a while and saved enough money to order ‘Adam Copeland on EDGE”! A book that changed my life entirely!

I got the book and with a dictionary next to me I ‘ate’ the whole thing in less than two days! Then I read it again and highlighted all the things that I could relate too, all the things that amazed me, all the life lessons, all the things that made me cry, all the things that made me smile! There was a lot of highlight action! I couldn’t believe my biggest hero was once an ordinary kid just like me! He didn’t have rich parents; he wasn’t into the thing most kids are into! I spend weeks, months thinking about it! And this is when my biggest hero also became my biggest inspiration in life! I pulled myself out of the hole I was in and I came up with a plan! I decided I was going to study hard, keep my head straight, make a good life for myself and one day see EDGE wrestle live and thank Adam Copeland for helping me get through the worst! P.S. Adam Copeland is indeed my biggest inspiration in life! But the hero in the book is for sure his mom, Judy Copeland! An absolute example of what a parent should be like!

Sadly in 2011 it was made clear that I’d never get to see Edge wrestle! I am not gonna lie I was devastated! Firstly, because nobody should be forced to retire at such early age and especially not someone as talented and passionate about the business as EDGE! And secondly because it would’ve meant the world to me to see him wrestle live! With that being said his retirement only made me more focused and dedicated to follow my game plan!

I aced all my tests in high schools, definitely focusing on English! Got into collage, studied English Philology for 3 year and I made it to the United States! I found a job I like and got good at it, saved money and in 2016 I got to meet Christian for the first time! 2017 was the year I met Edge for the first time! I want to say I got to thank them for helping me get through so much negativity and that I wouldn’t be where I am without them! At least I know I tried to do it but at that moment I’m sure I wasn’t able to stress enough how thankful I really am!

Unfortunately, from that point on everything that could’ve gone wrong in my life pretty much did! I fell right back into that dark whole of depression! The past few years I’ve been feeling as helpless as I felt back in school when I was the one constantly getting bullied and made fun of! Too bad when you are 26 years old you can’t just turn the TV on and pretend Edge and Christian are your older brothers who will protect you! You need to find a way and protect yourself! And being alone in a foreign country, away from family and friends, makes you very lonely and bitter! You keep doing all the right things and all the wrong things happen! You ask all the right questions and you get all the wrong answers, or even worse, no answers! After realizing 2019 was one of the worst years of my life I was just about ready to give up on everything I worked so hard for my whole life and just give up all together!

Then out of nowhere 2020 started with a bang! I didn’t know why but I could feel a tiny spark of old me trying to start the fire that was ones burning! Yesterday (1/26/20) was my mother’s birthday, the woman who gave me life and I know, wouldn’t stand the thought of me wasting it! Yesterday was also the day my biggest inspiration in life, EDGE made his in-ring return at the Royal Rumble in Houston, TX! After hearing No for so long, he finally got the Yes none of us ever saw coming! That’s where I get emotional! Funny story, he entered the Rumble as #21! Back in Bulgaria each student is assigned a number, and it is all done alphabetically according to their last name! Almost every year, if not every year I was #21! Coincidence? Probably! I will take it as a sign from the universe though! Someone, somewhere is trying to remind me where I started, and how hard I faught for everything in my life! Someone, somewhere made it possible for EDGE to return as #21 and now it’s my turn to reach deep down and find the fire little Sonya #21 once had and keep fighting! 21 has a whole new meaning for me now! Never say never sounds way too cheesy but NEVER stop fighting, never stop pushing, never stop loving and never stop believing! Great things are about to happen, Sonya! I promise you! Hell, maybe my wildest dream will come true and I will even get to see EDGE wrestle!

Thank you, Edge!

Thank you, Christian!

Thank you, Adam Copeland!

Thank you, Jay Reso!

Thank you, #21!

Thank you, whoever or whatever you are out there looking after me and making this ‘coincidence” happen!

Forever grateful, Sonya K.

[epic-summaries]

GOT Rant

Okay, so I rewatched Endgame last night and my mind has been fuming about Games of Thrones since Sunday. Endgame reminded me that I seriously just want Dany to burn all of King's Landing and maybe all of Westeros when she’s at it. While in Avengers I want them to bring back everyone. Why do I feel like this?

Maybe I just want to vent my feelings out because it’s Wednesday and I’m still mad about last week’s episode of GOT. It’s bothering me that I’m still mad about it. Hopefully this helps give me piece.

I think I found the answer to my own question and it’s all about the ‘smallfolk/non-superhero public/peasant?/little people/background characters’. (And partly characters are being used to forward the plot, like D&D wants to get this over with as soon as possible. Which they do want this to be over.)

I remember in Spider-Man Homecoming when Peter was walking/swinging around his neighbourhood and you got lines from the neighbourhood community. They were kind or normal. Some of them had bad days while others like Flash was a dick but he was not malicious. In the first Avengers in Germany, you have that one man who stood up to Loki. In Ant-Man, his ex and her family are extremely nice. In Ant-Man and the Wasp, Jimmy and his government agents are antagonistic but still just normal people doing their jobs (not like literal Nazis Hydra.) There are evil people, like Thanos or Red Skull or Ego, however they are not the norm. Also, people who are dicks do do heroic things and grow (and entertaining), Hank Pym and most of the Guardians.

Let’s compare that to GOT (I want to stress that this a show only complaint and not a complaint about the books). I am having trouble thinking about good people who are also smallfolk from Westeros (we are not talking about Essos). Any smallfolk I think about are from seasons which kept with the books (when D&D cared about the show). There’s Arya’s gang in the second season. Hot pie becomes a baker. Good for him. They start out as dicks but they get better. Then most of them die (but that’s from the books). Ummm. You have group of Ed Sheeran soldiers. There was that father and little girl that Arya and the Hound meet. Then they die. The Wildlings are more calmed down then the books, less rape and violence. Then most of them die. They aren’t even Westerosi citizens.

What did we learn in the first episode and first scene of the season 8 of GOT? The smallfolk hates foreigners. They look at them with disgust.

I know in the books there is a sense of xenophobia from the Northern but Northerners are also seen as lesser by Southerners. It’s more like a family group trying to stay together to protect each other because no one else will (that’s my general interpretation at least, there are actual racist people too). D&D wants to you feel for the North, they want to show them as the victims, they have been through Robb’s war and the Boltons and now they have an army of the undead coming for them. They are the underdogs, and we love the Starks. But everyone is an asshole to Dany’s army because they are not from here. Who cares that she doesn’t have to be here fighting for you racist assholes. D&D if you wanted to make me feel for the Northern don’t make them racist because in this political climate it will push me away. Dany lost her best friend and biggest supporter who was a Northerner btw (though them not liking Jorah would have made sense to me), she lost most of her army but are you grateful? No. She’s not one of us. (I’m going to have one of us from Lion King 2 stuck in my head now.) They forgave Theon for burning Winterfell and murdering most of the population in Winterfell (Theon’s redemption arc isn’t the point of this rant, just how other people react to it). He betrayed them after they let him in. What happened to betraying guest right as one of the worse crimes one can commit? Jaime is fine? He was one of the reasons your beloved Ned was murdered. But Brienne and Sansa are cool with him, so they are cool with Jaime.

(Sure the North Remembers. If only the Manderlys were in the show.)

I get you want your independence but Dany fought for you and sacrificed for you. But naw the only one who gives her any kindness is Missandei in the crypts. Opinions didn’t change after the battle where her dragon killed more people and they stayed dead because fire is the only way the undead stays dead. But who gives a fuck because she or her army are not from around here.

Now, Kings Landing. Maybe the whores are good, they haven’t done anything other then spy for Littlefinger. But other then that? Davos and Gendry are the only Kings Landing smallfolk that have shown any kindness which I can remember. (I’m coming to the remember point a little later.) The problem with Gendry is that I get Thomas Mallory’s Sir Tors feelings from him. When Guinevere and Arthur are married Tors come to the wedding and asks if could be a knight, but he was raised by peasants. But wait Merlin says that Sir Tors is the son of King Pellinore when Sir Pellinore raped Tors’ mother. So, that means Tors is a royal bastard meaning he is automatically better than everyone else, like Gendry bastard of Robert. Davos is a nice exception but he’s a book character and not an invention by the show, so is Gendry. Point being, the two named good Kings Landing characters are from the books. Then, I’m reminded for Sodom and Gomorrah. This is the run down of the story. Sodom and Gomorrah are terrible sinful cities and God/Yahweh/Allah wants to destroy it because the people are just that terrible. Abraham finds out then makes a deal with God. If Abraham can find a hundred good people in the city, God will save the city. Then, the number falls fifty and ends at 10. But only Lot and his family is worthy of saving. Sodom and Gomorrah are destroyed. Point being, Kings Landing is Sodom or Gomorrah. They riot, they rape, and are just terrible. We are told they hate Cersei but do they still hate her? I don’t know. We haven’t been shown that they hate her since she took the crown.

In the end, I can’t remember any good smallfolks (who survive and are show only) in GOT and that’s the biggest problem. I have no sympathy for them because the examples I think about are of terrible people or exceptions and almost all nameless. The only time this season you show the smallfolk is to tell me that they are racist which makes them unsympathetic to me. D&D keeps telling me Dany is crazy. Yet she has been rejected or betrayed by everyone in Westeros and the only person alive who hasn’t betrayed her is Greyworm. (A Targaryen alone in the world is a sad thing indeed.) (Sure she did burn the Tarlys but doing something one time does not make someone crazy.) I don’t care about the smallfolks and that’s the problem.

Dany, Dracarys.

[fascinatedhelix]

A shitload of Deltarune headcanons below the cut:

Hometown

Kris

Has selective mutism, but can really talk if you get them going.

Is skilled in many musical pursuits, including singing, but doesn’t like having to face the audience in order to perform, so they prefer the piano.

Might have something along the lines of bipolar disorder, but where that starts and the frequent possessions by foreign entities ends is a mystery. Adverse reactions to medicine prevent them from going the medical route of treatment.

Obtained the birdcage from the attic where either the previous homeowner or Toriel left it after having a pet bird.

Was adopted as a baby.

Highschool age but probably not a Senior or Freshman.

More of a battle strategist and puzzle solver than a leader, but still a valued member of the team regardless.

Susie

Has been an outcast from a young age.

Wore that funny ponytail from the concept art as a kid, as well as a bow. Probably dressed much more feminine back then.

Probably either poor or subject to subpar parenting, either neglect or hovering. Maybe something like Lancer’s situation where her family isn’t at rock bottom, but they don’t care enough to provide for her as much as they can.

Has some degree of pica, but has a stomach strong enough to not die from it.

Doesn’t like quiet people because one of her neglectful parents is like that.

Would probably eat cigarettes instead of smoke them.

If she had been introduced to Kris while they were pranking someone, they might have sparked a friendship as the school troublemakers.

The Town

Monster religion isn’t Christianity. There’s no cross, and there’s a pointed emphasis on worshipping an Angel as opposed to the son of God, so Jesus either isn’t in their mythos at all or is not considered as important a figure. One part of their religion is the reduced or nonexistent consumption of alcohol.

There was no full-scale war between humans and monsters, but there was enough conflict to designate territories where one is the vast majority over the other. Gerson’s writings may have been based on the tensions of this time period.

The school used to be a religious boarding school but was secularized sometime before the events of the game.

The general public isn’t 100% sure what is up with Kris. Though they’re a bit of a local celebrity, nobody’s really sure why Kris acts the way they do. Media doesn’t depict humans as being so taciturn or erratic, so they honestly don’t know what to make of them.

Darkworld

Darkeners

In nature, darkeners are not monsters, but rather another classification of magical being that is a little more physical in makeup. If a monster dies, they turn into dust, but if a darkener dies, they might leave a shriveled corpse or a pile of sludge.

Darkeners tend to be changeable based on the amount of light in the environment; too much light makes them antsy and irritable, while little to no light makes them relaxed and confident. Light and dark levels affect their power, so of course, it’d affect their moods too.

The Board used to be its own sovereign nation, but it was either conquered by the Card Kingdom or merged by way of royal marriage.

Darkeners can reduce themselves into cards or toys if too badly damaged, or to play dead if threatened.

Lancer

Middle school age. Probably knows where babies come from but he isn’t at the point where he finds it anything but gross (prepubescent).

More educated than he looks, but not in anything especially important, just stuff that looks good on a king.

Will eventually grow to be as big as his father, but he probably won’t develop his temperament.

He inherits his goofy personality from his mom, even though she died/disappeared when he was very little.

He’s got some dog-like traits, but not nearly as much as the dog monsters from Snowdin. It’s a contributor to his hole-digging habit.

He’ll probably have some initial trouble speaking when he grows his big boy teeth (fangs like his dad’s).

His goofy demeanor will cool down when he gets older so he might come to resemble Asgore in terms of personality when he gets to that point, though perhaps less oblivious to others.

The Kings

The King of Spades’ given name is Pike. He doesn’t like it because it sounds dog-like and makes him sound simple-minded, so it's using is only reserved for those extremely close to him (that is, his wife, at least before she left the picture, and maybe the other kings).

The other kings are either Spades’ cousins, his brothers, or members of three other royal houses. Either way, the lot of them have known each other for a very long time.

Clover is the Princess/Jack of Clubs, though she isn’t in the habit of acting like it, hence why she’s still running free despite being in competition for the throne, technically. Too busy arguing with herself.

The kings all had different reactions when the princess and later prince were born. Clubs was experiencing a lot of emotions when Clover was born, with pride and protectiveness lording over all the others. Diamonds thought the kids were cute as babies but he didn’t want them to puke on him so he kept his distance. Hearts loved the babies to the point he acted kind of like a second mom.

The King of Diamonds is a rather apathetic guy who just wants to do his job and get paid at the end of the day. He, like the Rudinns, has something of a weird dragon-like instinct to hoard shiny stuff, so he likes to have his things bejeweled to hell and back.

The King of Hearts is a lot like the Hathys in that he’s kind of a lovebug. He’s a sappy guy who probably reads romance novels, good and bad, out the wazoo and is probably the biggest consumer of romcoms this side of the Darkworld. Finds the art of courtship to be the purest of art forms, even though he’s single.

The King of Clubs has as many personalities as he has heads, and they all have their own names, but the consensuses he comes to are usually really sound and thought through, so he makes for an effective though slow king. He was perhaps the closest to Spades out of the lot of them, being black suits and all, but ultimately this helped none during Spades’ takeover. He’s kind of like a weird lion hydra.

The King of Spades was, at one point, a rather quiet guy himself. He preferred to work in the shadows and keep to himself, and to his credit, this worked well for him, though he tended to feel forgotten and useless at times. The Knight came after him because he was a relatively insecure soul and more prone to holding grudges, which gave the Knight something to latch onto and blow out of proportion.

Rouxls Kaard

He’s made of silly putty. Though most headcanons of him make it so he melts when stressed, I think he only gets all liquidy when he’s relaxed. He probably sleeps in a bathtub.

He consciously has to keep up that eloquent facade, because he thought it was cool at one point, but he’s done it so much it’s become a force of habit and now he can’t not do it.

I like to imagine he’s bisexual, though he’s probably too preoccupied with trying to keep himself alive than pursuing love. If he did return anyone’s affections, he’d probably be very hush-hush about it at first because of his concerns with Spades.

He probably has slurped worms from a soup bowl like he was slurping up ramen before.

He literally can’t stop smiling. Has anyone else seriously not noticed how his smile never wanes when he gets mad or scared? It actually gets wider, you can only see how he feels through his eyes and tone. Not sure if this is how his face is structured or what.

I like the idea of him having some degree of reality-warping powers as the rules card, but that’d require his opponent to be playing his game. So, the only instance in which he could do that is if someone accepted a proper challenge from him. Puzzles are not his forte at all, and it’s implied he’s incompetent at battle too, so what is his game, then?

[amongthebriars]

Keeping Watch || Harddox

In which this follows Burn the Heart Out. A Council Elder and an Unseelie guard play a game. They learn more than they probably bargained for. 

TW: Abuse, Manipulation, Coercion, Graphic Sex Explained, Violence (from something Maddox talks about); Alcohol Consumption; Brief Mention of Drowning

@the-kit-scarlet

MADDOX:

Maddox felt as though he could finally exhale. Kit was asleep, no matter how restless her sleep seemed to be. The King would be halfway to Roheim by now. Duke Briar had finally seemed to wrangle the guards left behind in some form of order. At the very least, there seemed to be a pattern to the way they posted outside the various doors. Thank the Ancients, they all were posted outside the doors. None- barring Duke Briar, the physician, Maddox, or Clarissa, Kit’s taster-were allowed in the room where Kit resided.

Currently, the room was empty save for himself and Kit’s shallow breathing. So he knelt beside her, clumsily. He had been out of practice for a long time and it showed. But still, he folded his hands over hers and bowed his head.

The language was foreign on his tongue after so many years but he persisted.

“Ancients, keep watch over her. She is too young, too good to suffer so. She came seeking out a lost friend and found only pain. Grant her the strength to move past this. Grant me the strength to keep her safe while she recovers.”

He continued, the Owain feeling odd on his tongue. He lapsed into prayers from when he was still a sapling, relaxing into the ritual of it all.

HARLAND:

Once Oberon had been placated, Harland's reassurances uttered through clenched teeth, the Duke allowed himself to finally relax the feeling that he needed to keep everything at bay. He watched until the Unseelie king was out of sight before his shoulders sagged inward and he finally allowed his hand to unfurl from the fist he'd kept it in after he had left the guards behind.

The tremors were something he could barely control, the aching in his joints a counterpoint to the ache in his arm. The pain he felt had been a constant thrum until now, background noise to the thoughts driving him forward. Now, however, he had nothing to hide it behind. There was a profound sense of loss here, though of what Harland had no idea. There was loss and pain and tiredness, but his work was yet to be done.

Returning to the manor, the Duke positioned the guards he had allowed to remain at strategic points in the building, some outside as well, and kept them away from Kit's rooms. They were given strict instructions not to come unless needed, and the serious look on Harland's face meant they respected the order, even if they did not respect him.

The door fell shut behind him with a soft click and Harland watched in fascinated silence as he listened to the Owain falling from Maddox's mouth, the prayers he was speaking over Kit. In a quiet voice, Harland hesitantly joined along, intoning his own verses to weave between the guard’s, the Owain as smooth as Maddox's own, “May the Mother keep her, the Ancients protect her, and the Forest heal her. May the strength she needs be the strength of the mountain. May her recovery be soothed by the wind through the trees. Let the Ancients hear this prayer. Let the Celestials keep it.”

He had given many similar prayers to those Clansmen who had fought alongside him. It had been his duty, an oath he owed them as their commander, and the Duke had never believed the reassurances of High Fae were enough. Even now, with so much hanging in the balance of Kit Scarlet's recovery, he did not feel that way. Almost on autopilot, Harland unwound the bandages and medical salve he had collected from his personal stores. Ciril had given him a long, hard look when he had come to gather them but knew not to say anything. The valet knew the Duke would speak with his staff in the morning, when everyone had gotten some sleep and the threat of Oberon Aven did not loom over their heads.

At least they had listened when he told them to hide after sending the missive, knowing what would come.

“I didn't know you were Solitary, Maddox.” The Duke's voice was low, not willing to wake the blonde on the bed. She would sleep fitfully for weeks now. Kit needed the rest if she were to heal. He'd packed the wound with the salve, made sure the edges were clean and the dried blood had been washed away, and now his fingers wound deftly around his forearm, used to the motions. Still, the tremors did not stop. Harland sighed, resigned to an evening of them, and turned more fully towards the other faerie when he'd tied off the bandaging. “How is she? And you, for that matter.”  

MADDOX:

Maddox did not turn to see who spoke with him until the prayers were finished, not daring to interrupt a message to the Gods with such trivial human matters. He remained kneeling by Kit’s side, one hand over hers, but turned his head to meet the Duke’s gaze. “Father was of the Shark Clan, mother was a Sidhe. They ended up giving him some ambassador title to preserve my mother’s dignity,” Maddox said, his voice hardly above a whisper. “Is knowing Owain part of the diplomat’s requirements? Or is their Solitary blood in you, too?”

“The draught did well for her. If we had not sedated her, I am sure someone would have had to break her arms to get her to let go of King Aven. She is a fierce little thing.” At this, he turned away from Kit, unable to look at her. He shut his eyes, running both hands over his face as if he was trying to wash the image from his mind.  She had taken the news of her injuries much better than the news of the King’s impending departure, the physician had said. Maddox wanted so badly to throttle the man for that but stayed his hand out of respect for the Duke. He hated to see Kit’s weakness on display for so many strangers. She had worked tirelessly to create a reputation of a spitfire lover who was beyond reproach or tradition. It was better for everyone if all thought Mistress Scarlet and King Aven’s relationship was purely sexual.

Yet, no soul in the Briar estate could believe such a lie now. Not after seeing the King or hearing her howls. The truth of their relationship was etched into the shock on Briar’s face. He wanted to trust this Duke that all of Kit’s secrets would be protected here, but trust did not come easily to a man like him. He alone had shouldered the burden of all the intrigue that surrounded Midsummer’s most infamous couple for decades.  

Finally, he opened his eyes and stood up and faced the Duke. “I did not realize that Dukes tended to their own wounds. Is Wisteria so poor they cannot afford physicians for you? Or are you too proud to allow someone else to tend to you?” He raised an eyebrow. “After your little stunt with the guards, I will assume the latter.” He touched the wrapped forearm gently, a nod of approval given before he let go again.

“Drinking will stop the tremors. Had an Archer once that was useless on the field unless he had a pint of ale beforehand. With the pint on board, he never once missed.” Maddox raised an eyebrow at Briar, a half-hearted smile forming. “Between your tremors and a royal visit, I think we could use a few.”

HARLAND:

The Duke watched the older faerie as he spoke, crossing his arms over his chest in a last-ditch effort to still the trembling. Usually, they did not get so bad but the strain of pain and his own stubborn will not to show weakness in front of the rat king had done a number on him. He nodded at the information, a small smile forming on his lips. "Wouldn't have known by looking at you, though you've got the Shark clan height," he murmured, gesturing to the fae as he shifted around on his knees.

Harland shook his head at the assumption, though. "I learned Owain long before I was a diplomat. My best friend was a half-Shark, like you. He died, during the war." It still hurt to speak of Arro, even after so long, but the remembrance of him was bittersweet, as was the smile that made his lips turn up tiredly at the thought of him. "There were always rumors about my mother, of course. She was never 'proper,' but I wouldn't know."

Maddox stood to his feet and could no longer keep his eyes on the blonde. Harland understood it, in some abject way, but it was still puzzling, the things that he had heard and seen. The King had acted as though Kit mattered to him but Harland had believed it was much different. It was not a love. It was a possession. The mere fact that he had been more concerned with his own needs, visiting Kit to do whatever he wished, spoke of that truth to the Duke. He would, of course, never voice those concerns. Not to Kit. But it had lingered, from the moment he had seen the king.

When Maddox turned to face him, came forward and spoke to him, Harland raised a brow and gave a tired snort. Offering up his arm for inspection, the blond spoke as Maddox looked the bandaging over. "No, just the ones who fought in a war and know how to do it themselves. I've a scar to match on the other arm. A very similar process, that was. And it was no stunt, Maziac, I meant every word and every action. Besides, he was a pompous little bastard. It was rather fun, teaching the lordling a lesson."

The information about the archer was not shocking. In fact, it made Harland laugh, quietly. "I'm sure we could. It would be well-deserved. Pain isn't the only reason I've tremors, though. I broke my hands during the war." It was all he was willing to give, now, but it was more than that. Fatigue, stress, pain. It all set the tremors off. The faint spider web of scars on each hand were barely noticeable now and rarely were they noticed but Harland knew they were there, all the same. Pulling away, he gestured to one of the rooms off to the side. "Think there's booze in there. Take your pick. I doubt you want to leave your mistress. The chairs are comfortable enough, if not the floor."

MADDOX:

“Is there anyone who survived that war without losing a friend or family member?” Maddox asked, his voice soft. His voice conveyed the condolences he would not give words to. Condolences were useless in his opinion. Let the dead rest, his mother would say, our tears will not bring them back. Keep them alive in our memories. “May they all rest easy,” Maddox said in Owain.

Maddox turned past the Duke, a smirk tugging at his lips. “I have not yet decided if you are the bravest or most foolish fae I have ever met. Perhaps both.” He placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it once before moving past the Duke to fetch a few bottles from the spare room the Duke indicated. He passed one into the Duke’s good hand and clinked the bottles together before the Duke could fully accept it. He sat down, facing Kit, and popped the bottle open with his teeth before spitting the cork onto the floor.  

“Tell me, Briar, did you used to drink with your men as well as command them? Under different banners, our commanders drank with the King alone. But we found games to drink too all the same.”

HARLAND:

"Some just lost themselves along the way," he murmured, voice soft as he stared past the other man, into the fleeting light from the candles. "Some men lost themselves because they couldn't save the people they cared about. You mourn yourself just as you mourn them: in silence." It was a familiar ache, this thought, one that could only truly be shared with another soldier. There were things they had done, witnessed, carried out that could destroy bits and pieces of their humanity. That had done just that.

It was only by remembering themselves that they remembered those they had lost.

Even if it was, perhaps, the hardest thing to bear.

Harland felt his lips curl into an incredulous smile, a small thing, tired around the edges. He gave a snort at the look on Maddox's face, his words. "Probably more foolish than brave, if I'm being honest. Haven't had to do that in...decades. Didn't think I quite remembered how. But…it was for a good reason. I would do it again if I needed to." Though his voice was light, there was a heaviness in his gaze, a gravity there that Harland wished to convey even without needing to spell it out.

The sinking feeling in his gut had subsided when that mark had glowed on Maddox's shoulder, a security net that could not be breached unless the perpetrators wanted to be drug before the Queen, her Council. As it was against a member of said Council, the decision would be quick, certainly more so because he had invoked his rights as a lord. The other faerie squeezed his shoulder and Harland felt the heaviness of the touch, the weight of it as it seeped through his tunic.

The blond watched, curious, as Maddox selected a number of bottles from the spare stores, chuckling quietly when he returned with two ready at hand. One was deposited in Harland's left, and Maddox clinked them together before settling down facing Kit. Prying the cork from his own bottle, Harland did the same, stretching out a leg with a heavy sigh.

Eyes sharp on Maddox's face as he spoke, the Duke could feel his brow furrowing at the words. It was unthinkable that the men couldn't drink together. For him, that had been one of the things that kept him sane, pushed him. He protected his men, and he protected his Queen. "I did. Many a time, in fact. We lived together, slept together and ate together. It wouldn't do just to beg off to my tent and keep away from everyone. It kept them...moving, I think, pushed them forward. There were things you could talk about there with a bottle in your hand that would never see the light of day again after." Harland stared at his bottle for a moment before giving a wry grin, raising it in a loose toast before taking a long pull.

"And you? What games did you play? I am certain they were similar, if not the same, as our own."

MADDOX:

It was not a lack of understanding that kept Maddox from replying. It was the opposite, in truth. The weight of understanding- of all the experiences that burdened them- seemed to suffocate him. There were things too dangerous, too powerful to give voice to. What the war had done to both of them was something too strong already to give any further influence. He drank, tilting his head back and shutting his eyes.

“Do what you need, Briar. But I am no damsel for you to protect. I have my own charge. I cannot hide behind you, no matter how lovely a figure you might have. When we return to Roheim, Kit will need her shadow to be regarded with the same fear from before we even came to Wisteria.” Maddox sighed. “Her enemies will grow bolder and the King will inspire more with his fury. She will need me.”

“The most dangerous games there are to play, Briar,” Maddox replied, his voice gruff. “It appears we are me uniquely suited for such risks.” Maddox leaned forward, holding the bottle with both hands as his forearms rested against his thighs.

“A guessing game. Not much eloquence to it, but it never failed. You divine what you can of your partners. If you are wrong, you drink. If you are right, they drink.”

HARLAND:

The Duke noticed the silence and kept it, recognizing the importance of it. Regardless of the sides they had chosen, he and Maddox had experienced the same war. Even beneath different banners, death and destruction still wore the same face. The only difference was who carried it out. Once Maddox had opened his eyes again, Harland turned more fully to face him, bottle hanging loose between his fingers.

The remark made him grin, mischievous and a tad smug. "Ah, but you made such a pretty one, Maziac." He fiddled with the bottle for a moment, gone quiet, just watching the side of Maddox's face. He finally spoke up after another pull from the bottle. "It was not only because of Kit that I did it. If I hadn't...Oberon could harm you here just as easily. At least in Wisteria you can do what you need to protect her. Let me worry about the assassination attempts. I'm quite sure that display will bring them but that," he tapped a finger against Maddox's shoulder, indicating the thread that had receded back into the garment once more, "keeps you as safe as you can possibly be, for the time being."

Harland's eyes lit up at the prospect, taking on an interest that overrode his tiredness and his pain. Yes, he knew all about guessing games. "We played similar things. Most of the men would grouse about it the next morning, but it was good fun. But if we're playing you need to stop calling me Briar. I've a name." He gestured for the other faerie to go first, wondering what he would ask and amused by the prospects.

MADDOX:

“Would you like me to abide by formalities? I could call you Your Grace,” Maddox said, unable to contain the grin on his face or the mischief in his eyes. He spoke no further of what Roheim held for him. Let the Duke fend off the coming tide and he would be at Kit’s side through it. When the time was right, he would bring her back into the world.

“Do remind me, Your Grace, to douse myself in cold water. My Mistress always told me that men only brand what they intend to possess fully. I can only shudder at what you have in store for me,” Maddox said, taking a theatrical drink from the bottle before making a show of shivering.

He considered easing into the game, but gentleness was a clumsy thing in his hands. So he held the bottle to his lips, resting the rim against his bottom lip.

“This Black of yours. He never mentioned my Mistress to you, despite how close you are with him.”

HARLAND:

Harland wrinkled his nose at the title, glaring half-heartedly at the other faerie. "Please don't. That's almost as bad as my full title, and I haven't heard that since I was given to the Royal Knights." He hated how he'd won his place there, truth be told, just as much as he honored the virtues he was tasked to uphold. It was a fine line that he walked, shame and triumph, and he never knew how he could make up for it.

At the guard's next words, Harland looked at him with a sudden sharpness, something to cut through him if he'd been a lesser faerie. It held a truth there that Harland was afraid to say aloud. In fact, he had been ashamed to even think it earlier in the evening. Maddox was a conundrum, a challenge, and it was as intriguing as it was damning. He could burn himself on it, willingly, but Harland was much too sober and much too proud to admit it this early in the game. Instead, he would say only: "Only what you would give."

Despite the leading question and the pervasive feeling it gave, Harland rolled his eyes. "Black isn't my anything, princess. I don't own him. I'd kill him if I did. He saved my life, I consider him a friend...but no he did not speak of Kit." He mumbled a 'bastard' into the neck of the bottle before drinking a quarter of it in two, long pulls. He would need the alcohol if he was going to keep this up. He turned a critical eye to the other faerie then, eyes searching, before landing on the scar at his face. His eyes lingered for a moment, before sliding across to look Maddox in the eye, give him a small smile to show he meant no harm.

"Your scar, the one on your face. It wasn't from the war. I'd have remembered it. Not from a battlefield anyway. It was Oberon." He had been unsure of the thought when it crossed his mind upon first sight, but with the way the rat king was, Harland would not put it past him.

MADDOX:

He let out a whistle as Harland turned to him with a look that might have annihilated an army. He merely smiled and shrugged.  

“Might not be yours, but you clean up his messes all the same.” Maddox held up his hand as if to assure Harland of his good intentions. “You don’t even have to drink to that one. Consider it a gift of goodwill. That and the fact I do not cut you down for that,” he said, his nose wrinkling as he thought of that damned endearment. He feared that the Duke would never stop using it now.

Maddox drank as much as he could take, before wiping his mouth. “It’s not a pretty story, ser, I do not care how much you think you might understand the King’s cruelty.”

He sighed, before lowering his voice so that Harland had to lean in and even then, his lips told the story more than his voice could. He could not bear to think Kit would hear it, but could not bear the thought of either of them leaving her side.

TW; abuse, manipulation, coercion, graphic sex, violence

“It was towards the end of the war, actually. When the King realized he would have to marry the she-wolf to win his war. He would not give up Kit. I do not think he could, even if he wanted to. He wanted her to have a bodyguard. ‘A shadow,’ he said ‘one that blends in with her own.’ “

“Of course, he wanted to ensure none would covet his beloved. So there was an audition. Seven of us, lined outside a tent, like saplings straining to catch a glimpse of a woman bathing at the river. She did not know we were watching. Not then, anyway.”

He took a drink, disgusted with himself even still.

“After, Oberon left her in the bed. She was so confused as to why he departed so quickly. It broke my heart, how abandoned she looked. He cut down any of us that he thought were aroused. Only I and one other remained. A few days later, he brought us before her. Asked her which of us she wanted for a bodyguard. I am only alive because she did not like me at first.”

He closed his eyes, remembering the way the fae’s blood splattered. Remembering Kit’s shriek.

“At the end of it all, he wanted to punish me for seeing his beloved so indisposed, but stated he could not bear to deprive his beloved’s bodyguard of an eye.”

He reached a hand to his scar.

“She was terrified of me for the first few decades,” Maddox growled. “I don’t think she looked me in the eye once those years.” He turned to Harland, huffing.

“I told you it was no pretty story.”

HARLAND:

Giving a bit of a nod, Harland shrugged as he got himself comfortable resting his chin on a knee that he'd pulled into his chest. It was almost boyish, the action, an almost comical for such a large faerie, but the Duke made it look graceful. Settling down to listen, the grim face he pulled when it began would set the tone for the rest of the tale.

He had expected something like this but...for it to be so clearly outlined, so...vile...it turned his stomach. There was something to be said for a king's cruelty, but this was not even cruel. It was barbarity at its most base form. To not only use Kit in such a manner but to brand the man in front of him, all because he had not….reacted to what had been done to her. Privately, Harland thought there was something commendable to killing the fae who had.

That was no man, to react to a woman being used in such a way, so heartlessly, so…fully. It was something Harland could not even wrap his mind around, truthfully.

And for the way he was chosen...it was no wonder Maddox did not speak of it. Why he hated that scar.

The Duke had such a visceral need then, to offer something. Not truly knowing how, Harland did what his hands wanted: to touch. Shifting around so he could free one of them, hesitant, the blond reached over and moved the other faerie's hand away from his own face, tilting it with a gentle grip on his chin so he could get a good look at the scar. A long look, and there was pain and sorrow and anger there, for Kit, for her shadow, for every pain that that rat had done to them all, Harland included. For the fact that Kit herself did not even realize…

The pad of his thumb was gentle as it passed once over the divot in Maddox's face before he drew his hand away, tucked safely around his own knees again. He looked down, eyes just hovering along Maddox's neck. Harland felt the need to say something, anything, but he could not form the words.

They had lodged in his throat, now, but actions spoke far louder, he knew. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he murmured, "It might not have been pretty, but it was true. I-thank you. It won't-" It won't leave this manor. He didn't know how to say that, not really, so he stopped the words before they began, hoping the other man could hear them.

With a sigh Harland looked back at Maddox and offered him a small, sad smile. "Have you ever heard the tale of how I came to be here? Most versions….they don't explain the truth of it but...I would share it. If you'll have it."

MADDOX:

He stiffened at the Duke’s touch, feeling as if his blood had turned to ice. Yet, he did not turn away or flinch. Merely allowed himself to be touched, even if he could not relax into such a feeling. But he did not look into the other’s face. There was something between the two of them and neither of them could bear to gaze upon it.

It was too real and too raw. It had no business existing while Kit lay on a table, fighting for her life. It had no business existing when they were on opposite sides of a forest likely to erupt into war again.

“Only what you would give, Harland.”

HARLAND:

Not many people knew the truth of how he became a knight. Much of it was shrouded in his own father's shame, the fact that he believed his son was a disappointment. Much of it Harland himself internalized but he would not be ashamed of it now.

"The first man I watched die I was 220. He was attacked by bandits, I think. He died choking on his own blood. When I got home that evening after I'd buried him, my father sneered at the blood on my hands. Told me that I'd be up early the next morning, mucking out the horse stalls since I'd begged off lessons." He sighed, picking at the hem of his shirt, lost in his thoughts. "I left instead. Went carousing. Found a noble's son at a party I was meant to attend anyway. Just wanted the thought to go away and...we were caught."

He laughed, bitterly now, at the image of it. They'd done nothing wrong, hadn't even had their trousers down, but the scandal had caught fire all the same. He picked up his bottle and swirled it around, staring without seeing as the liquid moved behind the glass. He took a drink and sighed through his nose.

"The rumors spread like wildfire, as you could imagine. My father...said I would ruin the family. That I had, probably by just being born. He gave me two choices: I left for training to become a knight, earned my keep that way, or I left. He would take everything from me, my name, my home. Everything I care about." Really, that only belonged to his mother. Idoya Briar had been the only solace her son had in this family. "Not that there was much to lose. My mother, perhaps, but she wouldn't have listened even if I hadn't tucked tail and ran."

And there it was. The fact of what he had done.

Shown his belly, given up.

"The intent was always there, to serve. But I'd not been given a choice. So I chose to fight and to learn. I hated it, but I did it. Then I was conscripted for the war. Spent a few hundred years fighting, learning to use my magic for violence...and then I was told to kill as many bloody faeries as I could with it." His voice had turned bitter then, eyes hard and his chin rested completely on his knees now, everything about his posture a shield to keep all of his most exposed bits shielded even as they were being laid bear.

"I should have died, Maddox. I almost-" he sighed, turned his head to look, unfurled his fingers to tug at the edge of his collar, expose his throat for the other man to see, the ugly scar that curled around his neck. "I paid a price for it, and I continue to. I saved my men from being slaughtered and nearly died there, too. Instead of allowing me the shame of my actions, the Queen made me one of her own."

He dropped his gaze then, curled tighter in on himself. The bottle had been set down to the floor, and Harland didn't pay it any mind now.

"The only reason I was even able to offer a lord's rights is because my father won't disown a man seated at the council. I've a daughter. If he'd known about her, gotten his way, she'd have been drowned at birth."

MADDOX:

He took a long drink as he listened. He placed the tips of his fingers on the other’s neck, tracing an ugly pattern on a beautiful man. “Your father sounds like a cunt,” Maddox said, his harshness a stark contrast to his gentle touch.

What a cowardly man, he thought, to mistreat his family so.

“Those who ask us to fight always seem to take our shame and call it a victory, don’t they? As if any bloodshed isn’t a crime of its own. To celebrate something that only occurs for necessity's sake-” Maddox scoffed, withdrawing his touch and returning to the bottle.

He wanted to be able to say something to comfort him, but there were no words. Cruel men remained in power and good men remained haunted by the things they had done for those same cruel men. Innocents’ blood was spilled without any tears to mourn them.

He did not know how to pull either of them out of the dark hole they had fallen into. Instead, they seemed to grow closer with each minute and cling to each other. He had not known how dangerous the game would be. He had underestimated the Duke again. Celestials and Ancients only knew what ruin would come of them now. But it was far too late to stop their descent now.

“This daughter. You treasure her more than anything.”

HARLAND:

Even though the touch was gentle, even though he could not feel it, Harland still flinched at the fingers on his throat. He was unused to gentle hands, to comfort given in actions, even if he was practiced in giving it himself. He had been denied such things the moment he had come of an age that his father decreed it to be so. Not even his mother had denied the edict; it was easier to acquiesce to it than it was to fight it. So Harland didn’t and neither had she. Still, the breath he sucked in and the way he tilted his head was entirely involuntary, a reaction to something he had lost and had never regained.

After a moment, a stark and shameful feeling bubbling up in the Duke’s belly, Harland ducked his head and pulled away. A laugh that broke off at the end escaped from his throat but there was almost no feeling behind it, so lost was he still in the mire of his own thoughts. It wasn’t until Maddox spoke again that he looked at him, surprised by the question.

And, then, Harland smiled.

It came easy to him, this smile, this one that the thought of Freya caused. He had never known her as a little girl, had never gotten to be a true father to her then, but he was trying now. Celestials, how he was trying. So, he nodded, took a small drink, and settled in to speak for a moment on her.

“She is all I have left of her mother. I didn’t know how to keep myself out of the Wildlands, still don’t. Quite literally ran into her when I’d fucked off from an argument with my father. She was clanless, then, but the Wolves took her in…” he stopped, hesitant. He would not reveal his daughter’s name, did not want her identity to get back to the king. It would harm her far more than anyone could ever know. He glanced away, a wry smile on his lips. “I never knew. Not until after the war. Three hundred years, and I never knew I had a daughter.”

He took a drink, realized that his tremors had subsided, and wondered at how well alcohol could cure pain. Perhaps if he drowned himself in it it would all go away.

“Her mother died just before the war ended. She’s been with me now...six years. It is...difficult. She’s stubborn. Strong-willed,” a hint of pride entered his voice even as he complained, “but she is mine. And I would kill anyone who hurt her.” He turned to the other man then, and there was a sliver of a truth there, something that had gone unsaid but was known, all the same. In some way the gravity of the situation had been lost; whether it was the booze or the conversation, Harland did not know, but they’d been laid bear for the evening. There was something powerful in that, even if it was hard to swallow. After a moment, he tried his hand at another guess.

“You wanted to be something other than a knight, once, before the war. Maybe a blacksmith, a sellsword, perhaps even a wood carver, but it never so intimately involved the king, or your mistress.”

MADDOX:

He smiled in return, glad to see the Duke smile in spite of himself. In spite of how it was safer for them to take no joy in each other’s relief.

“Family does always seem to find a way back to each other,” Maddox said, not probing any further. It would do no good to ask questions that could not be answered for anyone’s safety. It was better he did not know about the identity of his daughter. It probably would have been better if he did not know about the existence of a daughter. It was information he knew was not shared lightly.

Maddox laughed, “Drink, Your Grace. All I’ve ever wanted was to be a Knight. Wanted to protect everyone I could. Defend the innocents. Imagine my surprise when I realized how infrequently Knights were able to do anything honorable. What a bloody fool I was.”

“You surprise yourself with the tenderness you feel towards my Mistress,” Maddox began, eyes firmly on the nearly empty bottle in hands, “and towards me.” He did not dare look up to see where his words had landed.

HARLAND:

The Duke’s eyes caught the answering smile and filed it away, tucking it into the corners of his mind to keep safe. He had a feeling it was a rare sight, indeed, to see the shadow smile. Or, rather, to smile like that. “Indeed it does,” he murmured, nodding along with the words. It was truth enough.

Somehow the thought didn’t surprise him. Then again, Harland had found himself thinking many things about the other man in a single evening. Not all of them came to shock him anymore. But he huffed through his nose all the same and took a drink as he was told. He smiled when he was through, cocking a brow at the other man’s words. “Naive or honorable, but not foolish. Or perhaps I’ve yet to decide which is more correct.” It was a twisting of Maddox’s own words, just another thing he had done this evening that had twisted Harland’s gut into knots.

"I wanted to be a carver, if I'd not been a noble's son. If he had disowned me instead of bothering with it all. I honed the skill during the war but," a shrug, almost dismissive, "now it is something I do when I cannot sleep." The guard’s next guess made Harland go quiet, a breath sucked in and held there, tenuous as the frail truce they’d somehow fumbled out in the dark. But, in a way, it was not. Maddox’s eyes were downcast but the bottle still felt heavy in the Duke's hand as he lifted it to drink.

The rest of it was gone by the time he was through.

Then he steeled himself, jaw clenched, as he reached for the other faerie. If he was going to damn himself, he might as well do it fully.

Harland turned Maddox’s head with a firm, gentle grip on his jaw, dragging him closer by that hand alone, eyes searching and careful as he felt for the scar that had marked him so harshly. In a way, the thought that it didn’t matter where it had come from crossed the Duke’s mind. He liked it, all the same. His eyes held Maddox’s for a moment, a single sliver of time, before Harland crashed his mouth into the guard’s own, head angled so he could deepen the kiss if he wasn’t bit or stabbed.

MADDOX:

When the Duke went to drink, Maddox placed the now empty bottle on the ground.

Again, he stiffened at the touch. He did not necessarily want to meet the fae’s eyes. It would be better if it was dark. It would be better if they would be able to pretend this was the result of stress and alcohol. It would be better if it never happened at all. His Mistress was lying motionless, fighting for her life. Her bodyguard was drowning in a Seelie Duke’s eyes.

His stomach tightened, from shame or desire he did not know.

But his mouth opened all the same. He was growling against the other fae’s lips, his hands running up his sides and yanking him almost off balance. It had been too long since he had known anyone’s touch, but the motions came back to him all the same. A hand rested on Harland’s neck, tilting his head with a force too rough to be considered gentle and too soft to be considered firm, and Maddox began planting kisses along his chin, his ear, his neck.

They were doomed now. Might as well enjoy it.

HARLAND:

Harland laughed, quietly, into Maddox's mouth, the sound barely concealed as he felt the other faerie respond. It was something he was almost dizzy with, the response. He always was. But, more than that, it was the fact of what they were doing. There should be nothing gentle about it, should be nothing but bruises and biting kisses. Yet, Harland wanted none of that. None at all.

Maddox's hands found his sides and tugged, pitching the Duke sideways and off center, but he could respond in kind. The bottle had fallen from his grip when the guard had traveled down his jaw, towards his neck, the hand on him guiding as much as it was a force he couldn't ignore. Harland's hands itched to touch so he let them, skimming them up Maddox's back, one to grip at his shoulder and pull him closer, the other to curl around his waist and tug.

The leverage from the chairs made it easy to get the other faerie into his lap, even if it did require a bit of maneuvering. However, once he was satisfied, Harland surged upward, lips attacking the skin at the juncture of Maddox's neck and shoulder, trailing up his neck and into his jaw, lips dragging against the scar beneath them, a hand curling fingers into the fine hairs at the nape of his neck.

He'd happily pay it lip service if it replaced the look of disgust on the guard's face at its mere existence. It was the least he could do.

MADDOX:

Maddox leaned his head back. Oh, Harland would never hear the end of this. He had spent half the night with that damned princess nonsense and now he was pulling him onto his lap. He was lucky he knew what he was doing otherwise Maddox might have knocked him onto the ground. Or knocked him upside the head.

He contented himself with kissing him harder, his fingers digging into anything he could grasp.

Kit began to groan and Maddox extracted himself from Harland like he was being burned. They held their breath for a moment, but she did not wake up. Maddox ran a hand through his hair, muttering a curse.

“I’ll grab us another bottle. We need it.”

[ihaveanimagine]

I'm so sorry I keep hogging the all the ask, but what if for UF!sans, UF!Papyrus, G!Sans and G!Papyrus's s/o broke up with them, but about a week or two later the skeleton finds out it was only because the s/o's ex threatened to hurt the skeleton if they didn't break up him?

(Don’t you dare be sorry!!! I love your asks!!! Also I’m SO so sorry for not getting to this sooner, I got swamped with stuff to do then completely forgot about this  T-T)

Underfell!Sans (Red)

At first, Red is completely devastated. He thinks that you got tired of putting up with everything wrong about him and kind of snaps. The break up is clean but very emotional because Red will go on about how if you no longer want to date him just tell him why because he’ll immediately think that everything about him pushed you away.

When you don’t give a reason, Red just shuts down. He wants to yell and sob but he knows that will just hurt you more and just solemnly accepts it.

He’ll change his status to single on all his social media and will change his pet name for you in his phone back to your regular name. If you’re living together, he has all his stuff moved out before the end of the day.

After that, the only time you will see him is if he’s with his brother and Edge insists on speaking with you.

During the week after the break up, Red is very very emotional and will either cry or throw a tantrum at a moments notice.

He didn’t know how to deal with having another living being having emotions for him, let alone how to pretend like those precious moments of you showering each other in affection and praise like it never happened.

Somehow though, Red found out your ex was threatening you to break up with him. The first thing he does is find your ex, shakes him up, and then drag him to you so he can apologize.

He would normally kill someone for threatening you, but since he wasn’t sure if you’d like your ex’s body to show up on the news the next day, he brings your ex’s battered but alive body to you as a peace offering.

He’ll understand if you wanna stay broken up but he wants to at least give you the peace of mind that you won’t be threatened by your ex anymore.

Although if you do get back with Red, he’ll be OVER THE MOON and won’t stop spoiling you for months.

Underfell!Papyrus (Edge)

Edge throws a bit of a temper tantrum, he doesn’t understand what he did wrong, he thinks he was doing just fine according to his dating manual but apparently he screwed up his relationship with you.

He won’t harm you in any way during his tantrum and his anger will be mostly directed at himself. He doesn’t cut off all ties with you immediately, the romantic part of him hoping you’ll call him and ask him to come back (which he would in .2 seconds and act like the break up never happened).

But when you don’t, he shuts himself in his room, only allowing himself to spend time with his cat Doomfanger and his brother. He keeps mulling over every second of time he spent with you, asking himself what he did wrong.

Eventually one of Edge’s and your mutual friends contacts him and tells him what’s going on.

Edge only hears the words “your ex” and “threatening” before launching himself out the window to find you. He doesn’t give you any time to respond, he just tells you that he doesn’t care that your ex has been threatening you.

He loves you and doesn’t fear your ex and will protect you if your ex comes around. First thing Edge does is try to call the cops on your ex but all he can manage to get out is that your ex is a sleazy bag of moldy onions (which obviously isn’t evidence allowed in court).

But the friend who called Edge in got some video and text evidence of the ex threatening you and you got a restraining order on the ex.

Which made Edge happy in every way, especially if you get back with him. (Although now he’s gonna be teaching you self-defense, whether you like it or not).

If you stay broken up with Edge, he respects your space and treats you as a friend, even though he’ll sometimes lapse back into habits he had as your boyfriend.

Gaster!Sans (G)

G is numb when you break up with him. He doesn’t ask why you’re breaking up with him, he just sort of chalks it up as it somehow being his fault. He’ll apologize for anything he did that made you break up with him and tells you he’ll respect your space and just…leaves.

He’ll take his motorcycle out and just drive his emotions out until he gets back to his home, completely exhausted. He doesn’t really cry but he lapses back into old habits he had as a bachelor and just tries to backpack through a foreign country until his emotions stop hurting.

In a twisty turn of events, G actually meets your ex in a club before he leaves town and the ex tries to harass G. At first G just brushes your ex off as someone who never got over the boogey man under his bed.

But then your ex whips out a picture of you on his phone and starts bragging about how easy it is to manipulate you and G snaps.

G slams your ex’s head into the bar and starts screaming insults at your ex while praising you for being an angel on this earth and how it’s a miracle a guy like him even got noticed by someone as pure as you.

A classic bar fight ensues (much to the owner’s chagrin) and both G and your ex end up in the hospital. G gets off easy (being a sentry in the royal guard has its perks) while your ex gets in trouble with Asgore’s Royal Guard for harassing you.

No matter the outcome, G is a smug skele.

If you get back with him, he’s gonna treat you like an angel and will take it upon himself to make sure you forget that ex, and does everything he can to make sure that you know your worth and that G will never let anything bad happen to you.

If you don’t get back with him then G will still stick around and act as a bodyguard until your ex gets out of town or you tell him to bug off.

Gaster!Papyrus (Aster)

Aster takes the break up very hard and may start crying on the spot, depending on how you tell him.He won’t start bawling in front of you, but some sniffles and tears may escape his attempt to appear calm.

He might apologize for taking up your time and asks that even if you don’t consider him your s/o anymore that you’ll still think of him as a friend and leaves.

Aster’s first instinct is to go find his brother and cry on his shoulder, he doesn’t really know what to do, and isn’t sure if he wants to stress eat or stress read and just clings to his brother while sobbing and asking for advice.

This poor boi has no idea how to handle a break up and will Google up a bunch of remedies. He’ll try to act as if nothing happened but at one point he can’t take it anymore and goes to find you to ask exactly what made you break up with him.

But when he finds you, he finds your ex shouting at you and acting very aggressive towards you while you just look at him with a blank look, not fighting back but just waiting for him to stop.

This infuriates Aster to the point where his magic starts manifesting in his hand.

No one treats you like that while he’s around.

Aster pulls the most intimidating face he can muster and just stands behind your ex until he stops ranting until he stops to look at Aster. Now, Aster is a pacifist by nature, you’ve never seen him so much as swat at a fly, but right now he looks ready to stab your ex.

Aster uses his huge height to his advantage and tells your ex in a scarily calm manner that he’s being an abusive jerk and if he doesn’t apologize to you and leave you alone, he’ll call the police and have them handle your ex.

The ex obviously tries to play victim and says he’s been doing nothing wrong but that has no effect on Aster and Aster repeats again that your ex owes you an apology for being rude and threatens to take this to the police again.

The ex looks ready to fight but an off-duty cop who was passing by stops and confronts the ex. Aster calmly explains his side of the story before your ex launches into a tantrum about how HE’S the victim of Aster’s threats and tries to play innocent.

But one quick check with you to see what’s up, the ex gets arrested for harassment and is taken away.

Aster doesn’t wait until the ex is gone, he just immediately goes to your side and asks if you’re okay and that he’s so sorry he didn’t come to help you sooner and is there anything you need him to do for you.

Aster really wants to become your boyfriend again but if you just want to remain friends, he’ll understand and will stand by you until the ordeal with ex is solved.

If you do get back together, this pure beanpole will treat you like royalty and vows right then and there that he’ll treat you like the most precious artifact in the universe and may or may not accidentally trick people into thinking this is a heartfelt proposal.

(Seriously, there were people with cameras out who got very confused when he didn’t take a ring out of his pocket when he was done confessing his love for you).

[clevernewdimension]

Exhaulted - Tie The Knot (M)

Parts: Prologue, One, Two, Three (M), Four, Five, Six (M), Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen, Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, Seventeen, Eighteen, Nineteen (M), Twenty, Twenty-One, Twenty-Two (M), Twenty-Three, Twenty-Four, Twenty-Five, Twenty-Six,Twenty-Seven, Twenty Eight, Twenty-Nine, Finale (M)

Genre: Drama, Romance, Violence, Smut, etc.

Pairing: SehunxReaderxMinseok

Word Count: 7.8K

AN: I want to do a few more one shots in this. Some with Minseok and Y/N because I feel like they deserve some more love. That being said, enjoy this little smutty diddy right here.

“This is the hardest decision of my entire life,” I say, pouting as I look at the table.

Cera laughs, “Y/N, it’s just cake!”

Lina shakes her head, “No, it’s a wedding cake! The single most important cake!”

It’s been almost a year since Sehun asked me to marry him. We’ve been planning it slowly and steadily. Everything was already to go except the cake. Cera said she and Chanyeol were personally going to make it themselves, looking over every detail. She was tapping her pen to the pad of paper, looking at me with an amused smile.

“I love that Sehun is just letting you choose, though,” She says with a grin. “It’s not like he would have said no to whatever you wanted, anyways.”

“Bottom layer is the coffee whatever that Minseok likes,” I say, nodding. “You know, his favorite. It’s a damn good cake and he could have his fave since he has to literally marry Sehun and I.”

“The mocha with the cappuccino mousse filling,” She says, nodding. “You wanted three layers,right?”

I nod. We weren’t having a huge wedding, thankfully. That was Junmyeon’s and Lina’s, since Junmyeon was the crown prince. It had foreign dignitaries from all over coming. There were literally thousands of people there. Thankfully for ours it was just the royalty from our own country, our friends and that’s it. We will have to pose for public pictures after the ceremony but before we have the reception, but overall, a small affair.

“I want the next one to be the marble with the hazelnut mousse,” I say, looking at it, “And the top one a carrot cake, because why not.” I mutter, leaning back and letting out a sigh.

“Alright. Now, how do you want it to look,” She asks, writing it down.

“Like a fucking cake…? I don’t care,” I say, with a shrug. “As long as it’s yummy.”

“Sugar flowers it is,” She says with a smile, “Let me see your arm! I’ll put the ones from your tattoo on it.”

I let her examine the tattoo as I see Chanyeol helping someone at the counter. His big and bright smile as he hands her the box of homemade truffles. When she leaves, he smiles, moving around the counter over to us. He sits down, grinning as he glances at the order. He nods, “Nice choices.”

“Is this over yet,” I ask, pouting, resting my head on the table.

“No,” He says with a laugh, “But we have all the other chocolates, truffles and fudges we’re bringing almost done as well.” I could hear the door open and close, someone coming into the shop.

Lina nods, “Have to tried on your dress? Seen if it was good to go?”

I nod, “Yeah, it’s fine. I just want this to be done with already.”

“Getting married to me that much of a chore,” A voice asks, a hint of sarcasm on the voice.

I glance up, seeing Sehun who was in just a normal tee and jeans. “Honestly? Yes. If you weren’t a prince we could have just had like, Yixing or someone over and Minseok could have married us at home and been done with it.”

“You’re a princess, though,” Chanyeol points out.

“Not since Junmyeon became king,” I say with a grin. “Back to being a civilian for me!”

“Until you get married, then you’re a princess. Again,” Lina points out with a grin.

“Shut the fuck up, your highness,” I say, shoving her. To the side was one of her bodyguards who went with her everywhere. Personally trained by Kyungsoo. He was use to the way I treated Lina. The first time he put me in a neck hold and Kyungsoo about ripped his heart out from anger at his overreaction. I felt bad, because he was just doing his job, after all. She’s my best friend and I’m happy that someone is protecting her who is willing to do whatever they need.

Truthfully, she’s been an amazing queen. Very caring and helps out the people of our country the best she can. She’s kind, and wants every kid here to live with as much promise for a better future as she can.

Sehun smiles at me, holding his hand out, “Come on, Minseok is waiting for us. We’re supposed to get the paperwork ready before the wedding tomorrow.”

“Thanks for waiting last minute for your cake,” Chanyeol says, pouting.

I give him a middle finger as I walk out the door, Sehun holding it open for me. The drive there was quick as we move towards Minseok’s office. His secretary looks t us, smiling before telling us we were good to do.

The door opens and I see Junmyeon there, looking over a few things. He seemed less stressed than he was a few months ago, when there was a conflict between one of our neighbor’s soldiers and a tourist from our country. After a month of back and forth, their country gave in and placed the man under arrest for raping her. Apparently there, soldiers can pretty much do whatever they wish for the most part. Disgusting. The fact was, he never relented. Junmyeon stood his ground, he wasn’t about to let that man get away with rape. She was thankful, and now works as a sexual assault counselor.

He looks up, a smile on his face as he looks at Minseok, who was at his desk typing at his computer. Junmyeon looked back, “Hello little brother.”

Minseok looks up, glasses slipping down his nose as he grins. He moves away from the computer, pushing his chair to the other side of the desk. We saw, on elegant paper with the prettiest font, the royal marriage licence.

He siles, taking a pen and holding it out. “You have to sign in five places,” He says with a grin.

Sehun takes the pen first, looking over the paper as Minseok pointed out all the places. Junmyeon smiled on, his eyes a little teary as he put and arm around my shoulders.

“I can’t wait for the ceremony,” He says to me, “I bet it was a pain to plan.”

“Picking the cake was torture, Junmyeon,” I whine, only to make him laugh.

Sehun turned, a smile on his face as he passed the pen to me. I grin, taking it and moving towards the desk. Junmyeon hugged Sehun tightly. I looked up at Minseok, seeing him pointing at the first place to sign. A few moments later, the paperwork all set, and, after tomorrow, Sehun and I will be married.

“I have the legal name change documents ready to go just like you asked,” Minseok says.

“Name change,” Junmyeon asked, looking at me, then Sehun.

“After tomorrow, Y/N and I are going to be Mr. and Mrs. Kim,” He says with a small smile, a red blush across his cheeks. “Because we felt bad that we can’t include Minseok, so we decided to in our own way.”

Junmyeon grins, “That’s brilliant!”

Minseok takes the papers, putting them into a folder, “I don’t deserve them, Jun. I tell you this all the time.”

I smile, pressing my lips to Minseok with a grin.

Tomorrow will be pretty swell.

I look in the mirror, my hands shaking as I just stare at my reflection. The white dress was lighter. I didn’t want a heavy ball gown to lug around. I got a dress that was one I could dance in later after the whole ceremony. The straps on my shoulder were thin, about an inch wide as I try to keep myself from biting my lips from nerves. The back of the dress was fairly bare, showing off some skin. It was fairly fitted, though about my hips it just goes down, not really pressing against my skin. It had laces over it, and the skirt part had a see through tulle with lace stitched in over the top. A ribbon of dark purple about two inches wide around my waist, a pattern of crystals in the middle.

I was scared. Not to marry Sehun. That I was perfectly fine with. I just… felt weird. I don’t like having a ton of eyes on me, and now they won’t be able to help but look. I hear a knock on the door as I look back, seeing my father step in. A suit on, his eyes meet mine as he just stares for a moment. He smiles, brightly and walks towards me. “You looks beautiful,” He says, moving and pressing a kiss to my temple. I smile at him, before looking back at the mirror.

“Being nervous is alright,” He mutters quietly to me. “I was shaking like a leaf before my wedding. Your mother was perfectly fine, oddly enough. Said she got her nerves out the night before.”

“Sehun is definitely the calm one of us, then,” I say with a smile.

“He also had Minseok there for him,” My father reminds me. He looks, seeing me wear my mother’s necklace as he just smiles. “She would have been so proud of you.”

I feel my eyes start to tear as he takes a tissue from his pocket, handing it to me. I take it, trying to dry my eyes before I ruin all of Lina’s hard work. “I think she would have understood. After time passed, she would have gotten why you made your decision,” I say to him, as I dab the tears away from my eyes.

A head pokes in and I see Lina. She smiles, holding two bouquets. One small and one a bit bigger, handing he the bigger one. “It’s time,” She says, smiling. She hands me the big one and moves, to take her place in the hall. I smile, as my father offers his arm. I take it smiling and walking in the hall.

We’re getting married in the garden, in front of the large fountain. I saw the chairs being placed and flowers being set earlier which just added to the nerves. We are getting married in the fll, right when all the leaves just started turning because I alway thought those colors looked beautiful. The line of people trying to get pictures when I got here last night was intense, too. They were practically climbing over one another trying to get the best picture. Security has been buffed up, keeping people at least a fifty foot perimeter away from the castle. Kyungsoo made sure to tell me this last night. I suppose he could see I was a bit freaked out.

I look in the hall, seeing our bridesmaids and groomsmen standing there, waiting. Lina was my maid of honor, Junmyeon his best man. They were joking for a few weeks now that they get to walk down the aisle again with one another. After them was Yixing and Cera, both of them talking and smiling. Then it was Selin and Jongin, the two of them making up goofy dances to see if the other could repeat them back.

Before they could look at me, the music started. I could feel my heart in my throat as I watched everyone in front of me slowly disappear. Then, it was my turn.

My heart was hammering in my chest as we started to walk. The light hitting my face as I look over to where the ceremony is. My view of Sehun and Minseok blocked. As we walked, slowly, I could see Minseok, who’s smile just lit up. He looked magnificent. The suit he wore was a dark grey, the official sash of the Royal lawyer over his shoulders. His hair was black, for the first time I’ve known him it was a normal color. He looked stunning. I see him lean over, saying something toward where I knew Sehun is. Then, a few more steps as the people started to stand, looking at me. A few taking come pictures with their phones as I looked, finally my eyes meeting Sehun’s.

It was like all the air was taken out of my chest. The nerves are gone as I see them both here, grinning. There he was, in a black suit with an accent f purple. His hair back as he looked at me, crown glittering on his head. He looked stunning and absolutely perfect. Sehun smiles, and I could see him tear up a bit as he looked at me. The walk there felt like it took a century, but then we stopped. My father turned to me as I looked at him. He pulled me into a hug, placing a kiss on my forehead.

“I love you,” He says, smiling.

I nod, “I love you too.”

I look, seeing Sehun offer me his hand so I could walk over towards him. I grin, letting him help me onto the small raised platform.

The music stopped as we stood, hands holding one another in front of Minseok. I reaches over, wiping his tears. He laughs, giving my hand a quick kiss since it was close to his face.

“You’re so stunning,” Sehun says, “You always are.”

I smiled at him hearing that. Sehun tells me this all the time. Even when I was sick with the flu last winter. That I was always beautiful to him. It felt like the three of us were in our own little bubble as I looked at Minseok, smiling. He nods, staring his job. The words unimportant as I glanced from Sehun to Minseok, as he did the same.

“Now, it is time for the vows,” He says, looking over at me.

I planned what I was going to say for ages as I looked at him. “Sehun, meeting you and getting to know you was one of the best things that has ever happened to me,” I say, grinning. “It was life changing, meeting someone who completely understood me and who didn’t judge me… well, except my fashion choices.”

Minseok laughed a little as Sehun did too, his eyes tearing up again. Junmyeon hands him a tissue quickly, smiling and patting him on the back.

“You believed in me, you helped me though the hard times. I can never tell you how much that meant and continues to mean to me. I love you, Sehun. You’re wonderful, you’re kind, you’re hard working. Even after all the things you’ve been though, you still have a soft heart and you still continue to be a bright light in the lives of everyone who knows you.” I say, looking at seeing him trying to wipe away the tears as quick as they fell. “I’m honored to marry you. I promise that I will continue to be there for you, through the good and the bad, as you have done for me.”

I look over at Minseok, nodding to signal I was done.

Sehun wipes his eyes, smiling at me as he look at me. “Well, how can I beat that?”

I could hear some laughter, but my eyes are glued to him. “Y/N, you are on of the rocks in my life that has helped me build myself back up after being broken. You tell me it’s ok to have moments of weakness and self doubt, and you never hold it against me or tell anyone. You just smile, quietly help me regain my sense of self and who I was.” He smiles, handing me the pack of tissues as my eyes are starting to tear up. I take it with a smile, quickly getting one out as the waterworks are coming. “Because of you, I opened myself up more to others, too. I’m not afraid because I know you’re there for me. You’ve seen me at my worse, when I felt like I was shattered beyond repair, and you still stopped and helped me pick up the pieces.” He looks at me with a grin, “I love you. I love you so much. I swear I will be there for you, whenever you need. Even if it’s just waking me up at three in the morning to show off a painting.” He grins.

I wipe my eyes as I smile, feeling him play with my fingers of the hand he was holding.

“When you walked out, and I saw you, my breath was stolen away. Not because I thought you were extra beautiful, because you always are,” He says, his face a little flushed, “But because I know that even with all my faults, you still said yes. I love you. I’m proud of you. And I will be proud to be the husband of such a kind and intelligent person like you.”

I wipe my heads, as Minseok pats my shoulder. I look over as he smiles, tears in his eyes.

“Then, with that, it is my honor to pronounce you husband and wife,” He says, holding out his arms. “You may no-”

I ignore him, not wanting to wat as I take Sehun’s face in my hands, pressing our lips together. I could hear cheering as he wraps his arms around me, picking me up as he spun in a circle. I laugh, as he sets me down softly, taking my hand. I use my other to pick up the front. The gathering of people was small, but our friends were cheering loudly. Chanyeol was yelling along with Jongdae, making most of the noise. It was cute, especially when compared to the Southern dignitaries who had to be there, who were just clapping and silently judging them.

After, we had to take pictures in the guardian. It was mostly a blur, save for one picture that Sehun and I got with Minseok where we both surprised in and each kissed a cheek. He laughs, leaving us so we could have pictures done with the rest of the wedding party, “You two! I swear!”

Soon, It was just Sehun and I, walking in the guardian as we move towards the hall that leads to the ballroom. He smiled, and just before we got inside, moved me to the side of the door, with a quick look, no one around, he pressed his lips to mine. This kiss unlike the one we shared during the ceremony and the pictures. It was all tongue as he held me close to him, one hand on my back and the other holding the crown that me took off so it wouldn’t fall and hit me as he was leaning down.

He pulls away, putting the crown back on, “That’s just a taste of what will come soon, Mrs. Kim.”

“I can’t wait for more, Mr Kim,” I say, giving him another small chaste kiss before we turn into the hallway. My fingers link with his as he just grins. We walk along, grateful for the moment alone as we enter the room. A loud cheer roaring around us as we walk in. I could see Minseok smiling as we walk towards the center of the room. He raises a glass to us, a huge smile on his face as I stop, looking up at Sehun.

The rest of the night was a major blur. The first dance we shared was accompanied by a song sung by Jongdae with Chanyeol playing the guitar. I was lovely, but I couldn’t remember it as I was too busy just holding Sehun close and trying with all my might not to cry. After that I was passed around between all of ours friends and my father. So many smiles and people telling me how happy they were.

My dance with Minseok was just as heartfelt as my dance with Sehun. He held me close, told me how beautiful he thought I was. I held him close, pressing a kiss to his cheek as I just smiled.

“Does anyone know about your name change,” He asks, looking at me. His eyes showing how proud he is.

I shake my head, “We wanted to keep it a secret until after the wedding. After all, many people wouldn’t understand.”

“You mean the South would speak up about their opposition,” He says, smiling as he glances over at his mother and father, looking out of place.

I use a hand and turn his face back to me, “Who cares what they think. We just wanted it to be something for us for a little bit.”

He nods, “I understand.”

I smile at him, holding him close. The smell of his cologne was nice. Pleasing. I’ve grown accustomed to this smell. “So, have you thought about what you wanted to do for the night,” I asked. “We told you, you’re more than welcome to be with Sehun and I.”

Minseok laughs in my ear, “I know, but I feel like this night should be for you and him. I’m going to stay here for the night. After all, Jun and I have a few things to talk about. Nothing serious,” He says, knowing I was about to ask. “Besides, after my parents leave in about twenty minutes, like they usually do, I think I’m go have a few drinks and enjoy this party a bit more.” He looks me in the eyes, “After all, the rest of us are going to have an after after party.”

“And this if the first time I’m hearing about it!” I say over the music, hearing him laugh. “Well,” I mutter, whispering, “Sehun and I won’t be upset if you decide to find some other fun for the night, you know.”

“I know,” He says quietly, “I’ll think about it.” He smiles, giving me a kiss on the forehead before passing me off to Baekhyun. The dancing, the drinks, the cake, everything was just amazing and perfect as we start hitting one in the morning. Finally, Sehun pulled me to him, his hands pressing my face and mushing it like he usually does sometimes. He smiles, before pulling me in and kissing my lips again.

“At least get to a room first,” Lina says, as the ballroom was fairly empty and the only people left were our circle of friends.

I give her the finger, which she only laughs at.

Junmyeon was smiling, hugging his wife from behind. The crown he wore, along with Yixing’s and Sehun’s, on the table left there to wait as they left their Royal facades behind for a night. He just rests his chin on her shoulder, “We, as a collective, got you all a gift. Honeymoon trip.” He looks at Minseok, “And you’re going too. Lina was poking Y/N for clues and all she mentioned was how her and Sehun wanted you there too. You you officially have the next two weeks off.”

Minseok was staring at his friend, eyes wide with shock. “Oh… but what if-”

“If there is an emergency then we will send the private jet,” Yixing says, his words slurring a bit with the amount of alcohol he’s had.

“Or a Fighter jet, if you really want to be quick,” Kyungsoo says, smirking from his places besides Yixing. “But you deserve a break. You haven’t had one since you were made Royal Lawyer.”

Minseok rolls his eyes, “You could have just told me you were planning this.”

“Then it would hardly be a surprise,” Baekhyun says with a grin, seated on the bar as he got a bottle and poured himself another shot.

“You all leave in two days,” Cera says. She winks at us, “They were kind enough to let me contribute a little.”

“But for now, you to have to go consummate your marriage,” Lina says with a cackle.

“I don’t want to think about my little brother having sex,” Yixing whines.

Sehun’s face was bright red as I just roll my eyes. “Well be at home. Enjoy your after after party. Remember to drink a lot of water.”

“Try not to get in trouble,” Sehun replies, pulling me gently towards the exit.

“Wait,” I say, letting go of his hand. I move over, though them all to Lina. Junmyeon lets her go, moving and going to help Yixing. I pull her into a tight embrace. “Thank you for the help,” I whisper in her ear.

“It was my pleasure,” She says with a grin, her arms wrapping around me. Thought this whole process, the fact that she’s been there for me has made this a lot easier. She’s been here and planned a whole wedding, one that was bigger and even more grand and she somehow handled it with so much grace. I couldn’t be more proud of her and I’m so delighted she was there for me.

“Also, I noticed you weren’t drinking,” I mutter even softer, patting her back. “Congratulations. I can’t wait to be the favourite aunt!”

She pulled away, looking me in the eyes. The look of shock on her face was worth holding in the fact that I knew. She stares, starting to ask, “How did you-”

“Did you really think I wouldn’t have noticed,” I ask, cutting her off. I pat her shoulder winking as I see Sehun over with Minseok. I leave her standing there stunned, moving towards them both, hugging Minseok from behind. Sehun pulls us towards him and we create a Minseok sandwich.

“Enjoy the night,” Minseok says quietly. We pull away, as I look at him. He smiles at us, taking one of each of our hands. “You both… seeing you both like this was a dream,” He mutters to himself, a shy smile on his face and a blush. He smiles, “Officiating your wedding… I couldn’t have been more proud.” He squeezes our hands, now that it was just our group of friends. Unafraid to show his feelings as he looks at us, “Thank you, for letting me be a part of today.”

“Of course,” I say, smiling.

“We wouldn’t have had it any other way,” Sehun says.

Minseok grins, taking Sehun’s tie in his hands and pulling the groom towards him. “I love you, brat,” Minseok says, pressing his lips to his, prying his lips open easily.

Sehun groans in the kiss, taking Minseok’s face in his hands and letting him take control. Minseok pulls away, smiling at him. “You better give her the wedding night of her life or else,” He says with a grin.

He turns to me, this time more gentle as he pulls me in his arms. The safe and warm feeling I get anytime they hug me is addicting. I smile, hugging him back.

“You were absolutely stunning,” He says in my ear. “And we’ll never ask you to dress up ever again because we know it makes you uncomfortable, but my god, Y/N.” He says, pulling away, “It’s probably good you don’t dress up. You already put every other woman to shame. Wouldn’t be fair, after all.”

I shake my head, my face flushing from the complements. He smiles, one hands moving to my neck as he pulls me towards him. The kiss with me just as hungry and passionate. I moan quietly, feeling him smile as he lightly bites my bottom lip. He pulls away, letting Sehun put his arm around he as he smiles, “Go on!”

I smile, as Sehun turns and we move towards the exit.

“Have a nice night, Mr. and Mrs. Oh,” Chanyeol calls out towards us as Jongdae whistles at us and Baekhyun just yelling nonsense.

I look over my shoulder, flipping them the bird. “That’s Mr. and Mrs. Kim, actually,” I shout back, hearing them gasp in shock. I see everyone look at Minseok, wanting an explanation as we leave the ballroom.

The ride to our house was mostly just Sehun and I taking a moment to breath. Finally the calm after the storm, so to speak. I close my eyes, and the next moment I knew we were home. The driver smiling at us, telling us congratulations. We wave as Sehun unlocks the door, turning and picking me up easily. I laugh, as he just keeps carrying me.

“I figured your feet must be hurting,” He says, “A long day in heels sounds like torture.”

“If you weren’t so tall heels wouldn’t be needed,” I says back as he just laughs. It bubbled out of him before he could stop it and the sound just making me grin.

I let the shoes fally from my feet at the doorway before he lets me down for a moment in order to lock the door and activate the security system. The moment it’s done, he turns and I reach for his tie, pulling him to me with my back against the wall. I press my lips to his, the kiss skipping the soft stages as I immediately bite his lip. His hands moves to my hips, pulling me flush to his body, letting me feel him hard in his pants. I smile in the kiss, “Sehun, if you don’t get me out of this dress soon I’m going to lock you out and tell Minseok you failed.”

“Don’t,” He mutters against my lips, reaching back and finding the zipper quickly. “If you do that he’ll never let me cum again.” He pulls it quickly, as I take it off and let it fall to the floor.

“Then I suggest you hurry and start making me feel nice,” I say.

He picks me up again as I wrap my leg around his long frame. My lips sucking on the skin of his neck as he was walking quickly. My hands in his hair, biting into his skin and earning a hiss from him. “Fuck, Y/N,” He mutters, before letting go of my legs. I drop down to my feet, seeing we’re in our bed room. I smile, seeing the candles and rose petals.

“Even when he isn’t here he’s being romantic for us,” Sehun mutters with a grin. “We’ll have to thank him later.”

“We will,” I say, turning and feeling his eyes on me. “But I want to get my mouth on your cock.”

I push him so he was sitting on the bed, sinking my my knees with a smile.

“You certainly dressed for the occasion,” He mutters, looking at my matching underwear. The strapless bra, with windows of lace. My completely lace panties too, as I look up at him, reaching for his belt.

“Only the best for my men,” I mutter, looking up with a smirk.

“Your men greatly appreciate it,” Sehun says, watching me unzip his dress pants and pulling his thick member out. I smile, leaning and kissing the leaking tip. He lets out a strangled gasp as I look up at him, rolling my tongue around the head.

“Always nice to hear that you both notice the little things I do for you,” I mutter.

Sehun smiles, reaching into his pocket, taking out his phone. I could hear him start something as he mutters, “Look up for Minseok, baby.”

I look up, wrapping my mouth around the tip. I look into the camera, sinking down slowly and sucking, making Sehun moan out. “Fuck,” Sehun mutters, “Mrs. Kim really knows her way around a cock. Don’t you? How about you show Minseok how much you love it, hm?”

I sink all the way down, gagging a little. Sehun’s hand moves to my hair, still pinned up but he didn’t care. He fingers grip tightly, “God, yes. Just like that. Choke yourself with it.”

I swallow around him, hearing him let out a long gasp.

I pull off, spit dripping down my throat as I smile at him. “Sehun, please,” I mutter. “Can we film this for him?”

“Absolutely,” He says, moving and letting me get on the bed. Sehun sets his phone pointing to us, giving it a wink before looking at me. I reached behind my back, taking the bra off and throwing it to the side. Sehun grins, moving so his body hovered over mine. He pulls his shirt apart throwing it, the tie and the suit jacket away. I let my fingers glide down the expanse of his hard muscles.

“Going to the gym with Minseok really has its rewards,” I mutter, biting my lip and looking up at him. This chest stronger, and fully defined abs. I’ve been noticing bit by bit, but now it seemed like he was in perfect shape without my realizing it.

“You should go just for the view of him doing squats,” He says, moving and pressing his lips to my neck. “Ask him to watch for a wedding gift.” Teeth biting my skin, making me let out a swift curse. My neck was going to be littered with dark marks tomorrow as he moves, adding some to my chest. I was clinging to him, letting my head fall back against the pillows with a low moan.

“If there’s anything I want to watch, it would be the both of you,” I say, reaching down and grabbing a handful of his plush ass.

“You want him to bend me over,” Sehun asks, biting into the side of my breast, making me whine.

I shake my head, “I want an even rarer treat. I want to watch you fuck him, Mr. Kim.” His tongue finds the sensitive bud, making me grab his hair. “Fuck, Sehun,” I mutter, choking the words out. “Please, touch me, I need you.”

I feel his fingers pull my underwear. I hear the sound of the flimsy lace tearing. He pulls it from around me, smirking. I spread my legs, wider.

Sehun grabs the phone, moving it and aiming to to point at me. “Look at her. How did we ever manage to fool a woman like this to fall for us,” He mutters, moving it down slowly. I pressed my arms together, squishing my breasts together. Further and further until he was pointing it right to my center. He moves it to the side, still holding it. He films himself as he takes one long swipe up my slit, making me moan. I grip his hair, hearing him chuckle, his hot breath driving me wild.

“So wet,” He mutters, getting his hand hold the camera on my stomach. Fingers press into me, making me whine in response. His tongue languidly circling my clit.

“Sehun, oh god,” I moan, my legs shaking.

His fingers working fast, thrusting in and out at a brutal pase as his tongue just moved in lazy circles. Often I would wake up with his head between my legs, making me climb the mountain of ecstasy as slowly as possible. His fingers pressing in just the right spots. His eyes looking at the camera, then past it to me. I see him press something on the screen as he blocks my view of his face. “Watch her cum,” He mutters, “She’s always so fucking sexy when she does.”

Finally, he sucks on my clit, not holding back anymore as I pull his hair. The groan vibrating, making me scream. I pull and pull, my back leaving the bed as I was shaking. The feeling hit me like a tsunami, fast, surrounding and inescapable. Even after the shaking stopped, he kept the pace up. I pulled his head, trying to move him away, but he doesn’t budge. He just moves the phone, winking at me before hiding his gaze again.

This one happened faster. Sehun knew my body so perfectly he didn’t have to work hard to make me into twitching and moaning mess. Tears feel from my eyes as I was screaming. It was so sensitive, so much, too much. I felt like I was being ripped apart in the best of ways as it snapped again. My body convulsing and I was screaming.

Sehun moved away, climbing and pressing his lips to mine. His face dripping as I just kissed him. He pulled away as I licked his chin, making him smirk as he sticks the fingers he had in my drenched pussy. I lick them, moaning as he just smiled.

He takes his hand, the one not holding the phone and uses it to pull my hair, some pins fell out, letting it slowly unraveled before his fingers finally can tangle at the base of my skull. He pulls, making me whine.

“If she was any wetter our house would be flooding,” He says, biting down on my neck. I let out a yell, feeling my eyes roll back, fingers clawing at his back.

He moved away, taking the last of his clothes off as I take the phone, pointing it at him. “Look at him,” I say, filming. “This goddamn model of a man. He’s perfect.”

Sehun bends over, taking off his shoes as I zoom in on his ass. I smile, “God, it’s so round and soft, like a goddamn peach. I just want to bite it.”

“You know Minne hates anything marking my butt but him,” Sehun says, turning as I smile, pointing the camera at his face. I move, laying back against the bed, propping the phone up do it was at the perfect angle to capture the moment. Sehun crawls over my me moving me to lay on my side as he gets behind me. He lifts my leg with his hand, pulling  it so it was giving the phone a perfect view. I smile, leaning back and pressing my lips to his. He bites my bottom lip before I feel him rubbing the tip between my legs.

“Please,” I beg, feeling his other arm move beneath me, going to rest on my throat.

With one quick snap of his hips, he was fully in me. I choke out a scream, feeling his hand tighten around my throat. The blood flow to my head being slowed, making me dizzy and pleading for more.

Sehun’s teeth bite my hear, his hot break on my neck. “Fuck, baby,” He growls, “You feel so good. Your pussy is perfect, taking all of my cock.”

Forceful Sehun is honestly one of the hottest things I ever get to experience. I was mewling, digging my nails into his arm as I was trying to push back against him, wanting to help in. The sound of his hips slapping against my ass being drowned out by my voice.

“Imagine if Minseok was here,” He says in my ear as I look at the camera. His hand tightens around my throat, “He’d be sitting in that chair, watching us, his eyes locked on. He’d tell me to make you into a mess, so that you couldn’t walk in the morning.”

“Sehun,” I gasp as he lets go of my throat, teeth biting into my shoulder. I reach my hand back, tangling it in his hair. I pull, hearing him growl from the pain in my ear.

“He’d sit there until he couldn’t take it anymore,” He mutters, “Then he’d walk over, lowering his head and licking that pretty clit of yours until you were begging us to let you cum.”

The feeling of my impending orgasm climbing higher and higher as I was yelling curses in the air.

Then Sehun stills, “Then he would stop me. Make you suffer for it. Telling you you haven’t earned it while he licks his lips.”

I pull his hair, “No, no please Sehun!” I was there. Almost there and now it was almost painful, stopping like that.

“I’d like to imagine he’d tell me to start fucking you slowly, not letting you cum until you use your mouth on his cock,” He groans in my ear, he’s moving, his long, thick member slowly moving in and out. “He’d tell you something like you can’t cum until he does.”

The hand holding my leg pulls up. My leg in the crook of his elbow, fingers pushing past my lips and in my mouth. Two long fingers, all the way in, making me gag. I suck on them, moving my head and pretend it was Minseok.

“Look at that, Babe,” Sehun mutters, “She’s sucking them like it is your dick. A naughty little slut wanting to cum for our master so badly.”

I moan, letting his fingers push as far into the back of my throat as possible. “Imagine it’s you, sir. She’s here, sucking on your cock like he’s the key to all her problems. Choking on it and gagging, wanting to make you happy so desperately.”

The hand on my throat tightens, making me moan, feeling his fingers as I swallow around them. “Then he’d finally tell you what a good girl you are,” He says, taking his hand out, they were dripping with saliva as he rubs them on my face, “His hot cum painting your face. You’d catch some in your mouth, swallowing it immediately,” Sehun mutters, reaching for a pillow quickly, putting it to our side. “He’s shower you with compliments as I lick some of his cum from your face, just because I know it makes me crazy. He would grin, a sense of pride washing over as he tells me I’m allowed to finally fuck you into the mattress.”

Sehun pushes me, so that I was lying face down on the mattress. The pillow under my his, raising them just enough for him. His hands move, one in my hair and the other  on my waist. He pulls my hair, making me cry as tears fall down my face. The power of this thrusts making my clit rub into the pillow. The bed shaking, his hips never stilling or slowing. I was screaming, my face pointed towards the camera, taking deep breaths whenever I could.

With one last pull to my hair, I was falling. Screaming and losing control of myself, tears falling down my face from the intensity. Sehun kept going, as I was crying from the pleasure. Over sensitive as I tighten as best I can to try and get him there.

With a loud, deep groan, his hips still in me, rocking , pushing me into the mattress. I could feel him throbbing in me, as I just smile. He grabs the phone, pulling my hips up. He smiles as I could feel his hot release slipping out of me.

Sehun’s tongue licks, making me scream before me move, pulling me over so we were chest to chest, he opens his mouth, the cum starting to drip from his tongue as I leaned up, sucking the muscle. The kiss was lazy, holding each other close before he smiles, resting his head on my chest.

“We just wanted you to be a part of today in some way,” He says, looking at the camera.”

I nod, “Now, if you’re not too hungover, if you get here tomorrow we won’t have to imagine you are here for the morning sex.” I wink, Sehun hitting the end recording button.

Minseok smiled, seeing a message from Sehun. A warning, about not playing this in front of everyone. He presses the button, metting Y/N’s face as she was sucking Sehun.

“That’s hot,” The voice hear him says, pressing kisses to his shoulder.

Minseok leaned back into Baekhyun, feeling the man wrap his fingers around his cock, stroking lazing as he was watching from over his shoulder.

There was part of Minseok that was happy, his heart swelling knowing that the loves of his life included him in some way. The other part was hot and bothered, moving and pushing Baekhyun onto the bed behind them. The video plays, Minseok and Baekhyun both watching as Minseok’s mouth closed around his friends cock.

“Damn,” Baekhyun mutters, pulling Minseok away, “Sehun knows how to eat pussy like a pro. Can he eat ass like that, too?”

“He’ll do it, but he’ll make you pay for it,” Minseok mutters, kissing the tip of the cock that was still in his face. “Says it’s gross.”

“Shame,” Baekhyun says, watching. “His ass is fucking perfect too.”

Minseok pushes Baekhyun onto the bed, quickly getting the bottle of lube and the condom. He goes to put some on his fingers, but the younger man stops him.

“Just fuck me,” He says, pressing their lips together. His tongue swirling along with Minseok’s, “I don’t want to wait.”

They were quick, all fast with teeth and tongue. Baekhyun liking to be slapped, something his discovered when Chanyeol accidentally did it. His hand hits his face, making the man below shiver and moan in delight.

“Is that all you go,” Baekhyun asks, looking up. He was bratty, almost as much as Sehun could be. “You’re their wonderful and perfect Daddy and that’s all you can do?”

The taunting made Minseok double down. Baekhyun getting wrecked by Minseok as he didn’t hold back. Deep purple bites, his hand on his throat, making the younger man beg for him. His hand stings from slapping the man again and again. His other hand around Baekhyun’s cock, holding it tightly. Baekhyun was crying from the  sensations, begging for it and then some as Minseok was thrusting, fucking him hard as Baekhyun screams out as he cums, covering Minseok and his own stomach.

Minseok rips the condom off, fist working himself over before adding to the mess on the man below him.

A few moments of heavy breathing as they laid beside one another.

Baekhyun laughs, the video playing on loop as he looks over at the Royal Lawyer.

“So the great Minseok loves cum sharing,” He says, “fuck. They’re so hot.”

Minseok nods, “Yeah,” He mutters, looking at Baekhyun, seeing his face red not only from their activity, but from the slapping. “I’m the luckiest man alive.”

“So… do you all ever want a fourth? And a fifth,” Baekhyun asks, making Minseok laugh.

“I’ll ask about it,” He says, “But first I need to get some sleep. I want to make them pay for sending me this and getting me so hot and bothered.”

“Give that nice bubble butt a big ol’ bite from me,” Baekhyun says with a laugh, sitting up, “I’ve got to go see if Chanyeol is ok or not. Dude really hit the tequila hard.”

Minseok nods, his back resting into the bed as he watches Baekhyun leave. The skin already starting to turn purple on his face. Minseok snuggled into the pillow, grinning. He sets an alarm on his phone, bright and early in order to wake those two up as quick as possible so he can spend the whole day making them cum over and over and over again.

[sleepy-sunlight]

A Questionable Visitor (Cullen x Inquisitor/Reader)

When an Orlesian noble comes with offers of trade, his motives become murky.

Word Count: 2103

Hello! I haven’t got much to say other than I hope you enjoy and have a superb day!! Thank you! ヾ(๑ㆁᗜㆁ๑)ﾉ”

This is a request from the lovely @brightenmylifewithlumos  

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“H-He sent that - for me?” You questioned as Josephine unfolded the gown that had been gifted to you, your eyes widening like saucers. “That’s looks as though it came straight from the Empress’s wardrobe!” 

The dress was endowed with diamonds that laced the waist and collar, painted in a royal purple that only flaunted the wealth behind it. 

“I know, and that means - you have to wear it,” She advised, setting it in your hands. “It was sent from the Bonheur family, the heir actually; Nathaniel was his name I believe...?”

She simpered, almost expectant for you to know, her smile only widening as you sighed.

“The nobleman with the trade agreement?” 

“The one arriving for dinner tonight~?” Josephine nodded, snapping her fingers. “That’s the one Inquisitor.” 

“I suppose he at least wasn’t lying about his wealth,” You muttered, your brow furrowing. “I can’t really be expected to wear this though, can I? It feels a bit...informal.” 

“Inquisitor, I can’t quite stress enough how important it is that you do,” She grasped your shoulders firmly, stern and collected. “This family could create another Skyhold - another Halamshiral even!” 

“You’re kidding.” 

“You wish I was, don’t you?” She sniggered, walking back. “I can’t make you do anything but I cannot stress to you enough how imperative it is that you knock that man’s socks off.” 

“I don’t know if I-” 

She shook her head, crinkling her nose.

“I’ve seen you play the game before against the whole royal court,” She retorted, her brows raised in doubt. “One man shouldn’t be too much for you to manage.” 

“It’s not.” 

“Then could you please simply just wear it?”

You let out a deep breath, resigning yourself as she pleaded, finding yourself unable to say no to her.

“I just thought it was a bit peculiar,” You huffed. “Alright, I’ll wear it, Josephine-” 

She beamed, nearly bursting with excitement as she hugged you briefly, the usually calm and cool diplomat relishing in her delight. 

“I expect you at dinner then to meet Nathaniel then?” 

You let out a deep breath, nodding weakly. 

“Yes, you will.” 

And she had.

You adorned yourself in the gown, your hair pinned and a certain lucky coin ribboned around your neck as you finished getting ready, preparing to make your way down the stairs.

But you came to a halt as you saw who waited at the bottom.

Cullen.

“Inquisitor I-” 

He stopped dead in his tracks as he saw you, his face bursting into red, whatever words he had meant to say now suddenly caught in his throat, utterly stunned. “I ah-”

It hardly helped as he caught sight of the coin, smiling warmly as he ducked his head, unable to mask his delight. 

“Y-You ah - um... you look - you look beautiful.” He murmured, finally able to meet your gaze. “Are you needing luck tonight?” 

“Y-You’ve heard of the Bonheur aristocrat haven’t you?” You asked, meeting him at the bottom of the stairwell, your stomach fluttering as you felt his fingers almost instinctively entwine with yours.

“Yes, I did that’s why I’m here, in fact, I came to come get you,” He answered. “He should be waiting for us in the main hall. He thought it’d only be customary that he give us an ‘Orlesian’ welcome.” 

“Meaning...?”

“Dinner, he insisted on providing dinner for the Inquisition.” Cullen scoffed, bother etching at the idea. “I don’t trust it at all.” 

“Are you thinking there’s a secret assassination plot?” You crinkled your nose, a tad bit more amused than you liked to admit. “That’d be rich.” 

“You know how these noble types are,” He confided in you, pulling you close, somehow protective even in the emptiness of your quarters. “They’re never kind without an ulterior motive.” 

“I suppose we won’t know until we confront it,” You shrugged lightly, “I’m ready if you are.” 

He hesitated, dropping his shoulders as he resigned himself. 

“I suppose it’d be rude for me to keep you here all to myself wouldn’t it?” He purred, pressing a fond kiss to your nose. “Should I get the door for you, love?” 

“How chivalrous~.” 

He laughed weakly, trying to hide how he reddened like wine, clearing his throat as he  opened the door to the main hall, light pouring onto you as you stepped out, eyes snapping onto you in an instant.

And a voice as well.

“Inquisitor!” You watched as a young man approached you, his face shield by his mask, only a smile decorating his expression. “I was wondering when you might arrive.”

“I’m sorry Nathaniel,” You curtsied politely, holding your head up high. “I haven’t worn anything so opulent in ages.” 

Cullen came up behind you, eying the man carefully as he spoke.

“I thought only the most elegant for the most gorgeous in Thedas,” He took your hand in his, pressing his lips to your knuckles. “it’s simple hospitality.” 

You could feel the discomfort almost immediately radiating off your advisor, his throat clearing abruptly as he moved between the two of you, nearly swiping away at Nathaniel’s arm. 

“Sir Bonheur,” He growled lowly. “You came to talk about a trade agreement didn’t you?” 

“Yes, but I couldn’t dream of ruining this lovely dinner. Especially before our gallant leader has had a chance to enjoy it!” He exclaimed. “The Free Marches only provide so much after all.” 

You tensed slightly, mustering a faux smirk.

“Yes of course,” You hummed. “I’m sure pleasure like this is long overdue for most of the people here.” 

“Sensible and kind,” Nathaniel complimented, gesturing to you to follow. “It’s only a matter of time before Oralis is favoring you more than Celene.” 

“Might you be one of those supporters?” 

“The biggest~.” 

He turned back to Cullen, his tone colder, uncaring.

“Commander, if you wouldn’t mind, I have delicate business with the Inquisitor to discuss.” 

You felt something light up inside of you, worry clicking in your mind as you saw how he was taken aback.

“Excuse me but -  Cullen is my most trusted advisor, if anything I would feel more comfortable with him accompanying me.” 

“Can we not have a free moment to ourselves? I wouldn’t think a friendly conversation is too much to ask for,” Nathaniel glanced at him, frowning. “Surely the commander would much prefer introducing himself to some of the guests...?”

Cullen stiffened, clenching tight onto the mantle of his sword. 

“I’ll update Leiliana on the situation,” He stated, folding his lips, sternly, a sort of darkness blending into his eyes he hadn’t entirely thought possible in him. “I won’t be too far away.” 

He barely brushed past you, practically shooting daggers at the nobleman as he left, his movements now rigid and stern, opposite of the man you had come with just beforehand. 

“Well, now that he’s been dealt with...” He hovered a hand over your shoulder, ushering you on. “Shall we?” 

You curtly obliged, listening to him as he regaled stories of his family to you, always speaking a bit too honeyed or inching a bit too closely. 

You would shuffle away most of the time, giving a mere polite smile whenever he spoke, giving him more questions than answers as you had learned with the court.

But for some reason, he wasn’t like them.

He pried, but not into what made you powerful.

He clawed into you.

“I’m sure the transition from nobility to - Haven must’ve been awful for you, in my estate you would’ve been treated like - no - better than royalty. Wouldn’t you like that?” 

“Haven was truly lovely. I never have minded the differences honestly,” You confessed, your legs crossed neatly. “I would’ve felt more uncomfortable being doted on constantly like a child.” 

“Well, depending on who it couldn’t be too much a burden could it?” 

“How do you mean?” 

“Surely you’ve been in a relationship before haven’t you?” He simpered. “Someone like you must be drowning in admirers.” 

You hadn’t even known how to respond. 

You found your only time of relief would be the seconds you’d meet Cullen’s gaze as he would check on you, his tense stature only ever calmed when you’d shoot him a smile, his cheeks peeking with pink.

It almost felt as if you might make it through.

Almost.

Until you finally brought it up, swallowing your pride as you clamped onto his arm. 

“Sir Bonheur I really must ask about our agreement,” You proclaimed. “It really is important to me that we do.” 

Nathaniel lit up, nodding. 

“It is to me as well, the details especially.” 

You couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief. “That’s fantastic, I would love to go over what exactly we need in order to agree for this to work!”

“As would I,” He tipped back, impatient. “You see I only have one condition for this proposal.” 

“R-Really?” You almost gasped, eyes widening like saucers. “What is it?” 

“A marriage proposal.” 

Your blood ran cold.

You didn’t even process it right away. 

“P-Pardon me...?”

“It’s commonplace in noble families you know that of course but I think we’d be an excellent match personally.” 

“M-Marriage I...” You stumbled back wearily, recoiling back as Nathaniel offered his help. “I don’t think that-”

The sound of footsteps nearing sank into your ears almost immediately.

Followed by a voice you had never missed more.

“Inquisitor?” 

Your commander came up between the two of you, edging close enough to set a gentle hand on your back, steadying you. 

“What’s going on?”

“We were discussing the single condition for the agreement,” Nathaniel remarked coolly, folding his arms across his chest. “It was just a simple proposal.” 

“A marriage proposal...”

“Marriage?” Cullen just about choked on air, a sudden air pouring in his voice that seemed foreign to you. “Maker’s breath you’re kidding...!” 

“Excuse me-” 

He didn’t even let Nathaniel finish, Cullen sneering.

“You must be out of your mind if you think you will ever be doing anything to the Inquisitor but apologizing for you ridiculous flaunting of your ego and dismissing yourself immediately!” 

“What right do you have to talk to me that way?”

“On the right that if anyone will be wedding the Inquisitor it will be me!” He snapped, hardly caring in the slightest. “and I’ll be damned before I let anyone lay a hand on the love of my life!” 

Your heart stopped, a warmth erupting inside of you like a blooming flower. 

“Get out.” Cullen snarled, his grip wound into fists. “I won’t say it twice.” 

 He hadn’t even begun to calm down until the man stormed from the main hall, not even needing to say it to know that whatever trade had been possible - was all but in ashes.

And for once, you didn’t mind.

He exhaled heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose as silence overwhelming the room, all eyes glued onto you.

“I’m ah...I’m sorry.” He murmured, just above a whisper. “I shouldn’t have-” 

“You think I’m the love of your life...?” 

He froze for a bit, mustering an embarrassed grin as he pulled you slightly closer, his hold gentle despite his angered trembling. 

“I...yes - yes I do.” He told you, laced with adoration. “but, it’s less of a think, and more of a know.” 

You snickered, feeling the first bit of relief you had since the night started, raising your fingers to wrap around his cheek. 

“Well...if it’s any consolation, I know you’re the love of my life too.” 

You had never seen him smile so wide as he did then, looking as if he hadn’t felt such joy as he did then.

And perhaps - for the first time that night, you felt true and utter happiness, ivied in his arms and doused in sunlight, the man softer than silk as he held you.

And the two of you, never so happy as you were, with each other. 

[intergalacticsuperstar]

Extraterrestrial | Alien!Tom Holland AU | Part 6

Okay, so I’m not sure how confusing this chapter will be, so if you do have questions...please ask! I tried to make it interesting, but it’s mostly a lot of info on Tom... but next chapter is going to get things crazy. Also, I thrive off of feedback, so comment, reblog, and leave me asks! They mean the world to me. Tomorrow I’m back at school so I might not update as quickly, but I’ll try to write tomorrow and Tuesday to get you part 7. 

Series Summary:

You had been waiting for something exhilarating in your life to happen for as long as you could remember. It was easy to get bored when you live in a small town, live alone, and work in a grocery store. You dreamed of living an exciting life, and your wishes were about to come true. One day, a naked glowing boy shows up in your backyard speaking about things that are simply out of this world.

Words: 2059

Warnings: None

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Part Six

Your heart was caught in your throat.

There was so much you wanted to say, but all you could hear was the intense beat of blood flowing through your brain. Your face was flushed, your hands were shaking, and a bead of sweat was gathering at the base of your forehead.

Why am I so afraid? Maybe, he just changed his name to protect his identity?

You tried unsuccessfully to calm yourself down.

Why am I freaking out?

What if he’s not an alien?

What if I’m being punked?

What if he’s a serial killer?

What if he’s an intergalactic serial killer?

What if

What if

What if.

All of these thoughts were spinning through your mind at 100 miles per hour in the matter of a few seconds. His eyes were locked on yours in a guilty manner. By observing your body language, he already knew what you did: you were freaking out.

Of course, he didn’t want you to freak out. But, the alien discovered in a very short time that this human, who oddly enough dislikes other humans, was a very trustworthy person. He was fascinated with her personality, her hair, her eyes, her laugh, her customs, and he wanted to know more. But, he felt awful for not telling her the truth in the beginning, especially now that he promised her a trip to his home planet.

“Please say something,” You muttered out, once again desperate for answers. Enough of the games, you thought, just give it to you straight.

He took a huge breath. “Perhaps, we should sit down.”

You wanted to scream at him. What had this stupid boy lied about? You had enough problems idiots who lied to you, you didn’t need it from Tom.

At last, you nodded and you went into the living room where you sat on the chair, and he sat on the couch much like two nights ago when the alien first arrived.

He smiled at you gently, as if trying to say, ‘I’m sorry.’ or ‘It’s not too bad’ and maybe even ‘Everything’s okay.’ And somehow, you knew that it was.

You stared at him expectantly while he gathered his thoughts. He was sat at the edge of the couch with elbows resting on his knees and hands clasped together. It was a strange look for him, it made him seem almost too human.

“Do you remember yesterday morning? When you answered a few of my questions and I answered yours?” He started and you nodded yes. “I told you how I got on this planet.”

You continued to nod, “Yes. You are the head pilot for the Duke’s ship, and your co-pilot betrayed you.”

He nodded and said, “That’s not the truth.”

You stared at him concerned. “What is the truth?”

You were getting annoyed. You just wanted him to come out and say it already. The anticipation was killing you. Silently to yourself, you remembered the hanger you threw on to the chair earlier in case it turned out he was an intergalactic serial killer.

“The truth is...I am the Duke.” He stated and pause letting you consider what he just said.

You sat up a little. So this was the big deal? He’s actually the Duke of his planet?

“You’re the Duke?” You restated and he nodded. “Okay. Explain how you got here then.”

“Right. It’s a long story so you might want to stay focused. For you to truly understand I am going to have to give a bit of a history lesson.” He prefaced and then began, “On my planet, the royal family and governing system are different than it is here. I remember how you were telling me about your country’s governing system and others throughout your world. On my planet, there are three founding families.

Years and years ago, a man and woman with three triplet sons took control of Maxmirius. They crowned themselves the King and Queen, and their sons, Princes and their sons' wives, Princesses. As the King grew older, it was time to decide who would be the heir to the throne. However, the King and Queen saw each of their sons of noble heart, and decide to split up the power between them.”

He paused to make sure you were still with him, and you were, so you nodded for him to continue.

“The eldest of the three triplets and his wife obtained the most power. Their family title is ‘The Powered Monarchs.’ This family rules as King and Queen of Maxmirius, and their children as Princes and Princesses.

The other two triplets were separated by power as well, but they were seen as equals. One family serves as the Lords of Civility and the other as Lords of Commerce. Different roles of leadership are separated between the two.

The parents are known as ‘Lords and Ladies.’ Their eldest children are the ‘Grand Dukes and Duchesses’ and after that, it is ‘Dukes and Duchesses.’”

Once again, he paused understanding that it was a lot of information to take in at once.

You nodded. “So… you are the Grand Duke of…?”

“Grand Duke of Civility.” He finished for you.

You took a deep breath and nodded again and let him continue.

“The Lords of Civility deal a lot in hospitality. We are often in charge of foreign affairs. Which is why I travel the galaxy a lot, visiting other planets and people. Which is why I have my own ship and my own crew that is hand-picked by the King himself.

The thing is… it is almost time for the King to renounce his crown and pass it on to his heir.”

He got quiet, and at first, you were confused. Why did he stop talking? But, then you noticed his shifting eyes, his shoulders were tense. He looked almost exactly the same when he was talking about his cousin that is sick.

“Your cousin.” You said. His eyes jumped to yours, surprised that you were able to draw that conclusion. “Your cousin that is sick. He’s the heir to the throne.”

He stared at you and then nodded. “Exactly. You see my cousin is the sole heir to the throne. He’s the prince. But, like I said he’s very very sick. They don’t think he’s going to last through the month.”

He stopped and for a second you thought he might cry, but he just continued on, “When no heir is present in the Power of Monarchs, the heir gets shifted to the Grand Dukes, first in line being the Grand Duke of Civility.”

You stared at him in shock. “You’re next in line for the throne?”

“Yes, at least after my cousin...you know.” He looked down.

Obviously, he was very close to the Prince of Maxmirius. And you didn’t want to push him because you knew he was uncomfortable talking about it, but you needed answers.

“Wait, so that doesn’t explain how you got here.”

“Right. Well, I am the acting ambassador of Maxmirius. The King from a planet in a galaxy not too far from yours wanted to meet with me and my other cousin, the Grand Duke of Commerce, for an economic deal.

The rest of my story is similar to what I told you. The Grand Duke of Commerce, my cousin, his name is Hazzion, boarded my ship. And as I suspect, by him framing me as a deserter and possibly even killing me, he can take the crown for himself.”

This information shocked you as it came at you fast and unexpecting. “Wait! Your cousin tried to kill you? This is so complicated.” You leaned back on the chair grabbing your head. You felt like you were spinning in circles or reading a complicated sci-fi book that was crappily explained to you in 10 minutes.

“Basically, yeah.” He grimaced, his face was contorting from sadness and betrayal into anger and resentment. “And now, I must return home, convince my people of my innocence, convince my people of his guiltiness, and stop him from claiming the throne. Obviously, he is not the right guy for the job.”

The anger was building up inside of you now. How could someone do that to their cousin all for a title and little bit more power? Tom was such a nice guy. You wished there were humans like him, but now you were starting to understand some of tendencies and pickiness.

You were joking about him being some sort of royal, but he actually is. You couldn’t quite believe it. Not only was an alien inside your house. This alien was a nice alien. He even agreed to take you on an adventure. And this alien was royalty.

You definitely did not know what you had gotten yourself into.

“Now you can understand why I am quite desperate to find my ship.” He smiled at you a little, but you could see the stress and worry hinting through his eyes. He was worried about his home.

“Well,” You stood up confidently. “What are we waiting for? Let’s go.”

He stared at you again with his ‘crazy girl eyes.’ “Right now?”

You nodded reassuringly. “If this is true, we don’t have a lot of time. Besides… you deserve to be with your cool cousin for as long as you can, Prince Mar-marc…”  You couldn’t quite remember his name.

“Prince Marcadias.” He corrected.

“Right, that. Go get dressed in the other outfit I got you and we can start our search.” You told him, taking charge. He obeyed and you both went and changed out of your pajamas.

When he emerged out of his room his shirt was on backward causing you to giggle a little bit. You helped rearrange the shirt and then packed and book-bag of water, snacks, and two flashlights...just in case.

“We should go into town first and see if anyone is mentioning anything strange that can lead us to your ship. What exactly does it look like?”

You motioned Tom out the front door and right before he began to answer he paused. This was Tom’s first time outside in the daylight on Earth. He was amazed.

His eyes were searching all around him at the blue sky and occasional puffy cloud. His eyes were gorgeous in the sunlight shifting from their dark brown color to almost golden. He took in a breath of fresh air and scanned the scene in front of him. He walked delicately over the grass by the sidewalk and bent down to touch it before noticing a group of flowers you had planted near your mailbox. He gingerly brushed its petals with his thumb before turning his head to grin at you.

“Your planet is beautiful, Earthling.”

For some reason, butterflies arose in your stomach. You set them aside as your amusement of watching him discover a new planet for the first time. He also called you ‘Earthling’ again, which at first you found annoying, but it seemed like he was calling you so endearingly. It was weird, but you liked it.

You never thought of your home as beautiful. You lived in the suburbs, but now you were realizing how much of the world you took for granted. Those flowers were really quite extraordinary.

You just smiled back and walked over to your car. You opened his door for him and he stared at you unsure of the machine he was about to get into.

“It’s okay. Just trust me.”

At last, he got into the car. You walked around to your side and started the engine causing Tom to jump.

“What’s happening?!” He asked frantically.

“It’s just the engine, calm down.” The alien did not calm down.

It took you a few minutes, but eventually, you were able to explain what the car was and that it was perfectly normal for making all of those sounds.

As you began your drive into town you reasked the question. “Okay. What are we looking for?”

His eyes were trained outside the window watching your world pass by him. His head was turned away from you when he began talking, “It’s small because it’s a breakaway pod from my true ship. It can only hold two people. It’s most likely camouflaged into its surroundings.”

Great, you thought, We are searching for an invisible ship.

Okay, so hopefully next chapter is going to get things going a little crazy. Wayyy more intense. I’ll give you a hint... Earth *might* be getting some more visitors soon. Please please please leave me feedback! Reblog, comment, send me asks. 

Thanks for all the support I’m getting on this story. It’s giving me so much inspiration to keep writing :) xx

I made another picture of alien Tom! I wanted to put a crown on his head, but I suck :p if anyone wants to make me a fanart or something you’d be my favorite person in the world

Taglist: @casualprincess77, @thollcnds , @emmeanintellectual , @shakaholland

If I missed you, yell at me