#also I always feel guilty for “leaving max alone during time we usually spend together

[devoutjunk]

i have to go to a genuinely cool! exciting! gallery opening thing tonight for work and i should be excited but instead i’m already kind of resentful it’s dragging me all the way to brooklyn on a wednesday and won’t be done until after 10, therefore cutting in to my all-important cozy time

[msjr0119]

We Belong

Part 4

Evangeline Bruley returns to Cordonia to take over her families Duchy. She was betrothed to the now King, however he is engaged to Duchess Riley but still has lingering feelings towards his first love. What will happen during her time back in Cordonia?

Warnings: Swearing, mention of abuse

Just using combined tag list, if you would like to be removed just let me know 😊:

@pedudley @kacie-0156 @loveellamae @annekebbphotography @burnsoslow @ladyangel70 @kingliam2019 @bbrandy2002 @butindeed @bascmve01 @drakewalker04 @captain-kingliamsqueen @duchessemersynwalker @insideamirage @of-course-i-went-to-hartfeld @kozabaji @texaskitten30 @ibldw-main @kimmiedoo5 @nikkis1983 @gnatbrain @walker7519 @lodberg @cmestrella @hopefulmoonobject @addictedtodrakefanfic @angi15h @liamxs-world @rafasgirl23415 @notoriouscs @yukinagato2012 @dcbbw @qammh-blog @nz1091 @cordonianroyalty @custaroonie @seriouslybadchoices @rainbowsinthestorm @princess-geek @jared2612 @desiree-0816 @gardeningourmet @twinkle-320 @queenjilian @forthebrokenheartedthings-blog @princessleac1 @scarletreesex

*****

“What do you want Brooks?” Not meaning to sound rude towards Riley- he was just eager to spend time with Evie after everything that happened between the two of them.

“Can we talk. That’s all I want to do.”

“Five minutes okay? Walk with me to my room, I’m actually due to be somewhere.”

“Does this have anything to do with Evie?”

“That’s none of your business...” Drake snapped at Riley, usually he wouldn’t be this harsh towards the woman who he instantly fell in love with. After she led him on during the engagement tour, he still held that torch hoping that she would choose him. He was grateful that all they did was kiss, as this was hard enough getting over the heartbreak.

“I’ll always love you Drake, I just want closure...”

*****

“Liam! What the fuck! Get out of here! Now!” Picking the duvet back up, she wrapped it immediately around her once again.

“Riley knows.”

“Riley knows what exactly?”

“I suggested that we both have a one night stand, a last hurrah before the wedding.”

“Good for you, but you aren’t having it with me! So goodbye Liam...”

“Evangeline... please hear me out...”

“No liam. You can hate me for what I’m about to say but I honestly don’t care.... the only reason we lost our virginities to each other was because we were drunk... at the time we believed that we were being forced to marry.... I never loved you in that way, you was more like my best friend- a brother. You’ve always known this. I’m not being your mistress, Riley needs you...”

“She knows though... I’ve always loved you because you was my first love- you will always be in my heart... it’s hard you being back. I love Riley, I do. But I also have love for you.” Rolling her eyes back, she didn’t know what to say- no matter how many times she would turn him down he would still be there.

“I slept with Drake.”

“What?”

“I slept with Drake, it’s not hard to understand Liam. You have to let whatever feelings you have towards me go- Riley needs you now more than ever. Please don’t ruin our friendship.”

“I’d say I’m happy for you both... Drake is probably with Riley now...he does love her after all...”

“No he’s gone to his to get his things, to stay with me.”

“What things does he need exactly? He could go when he woke up.” Evie didn’t think of it that way, now feeling paranoid and jealous that he was with Riley- she had no right to feel this way, they were only friends who had slept together.

“Evie?” Liam spoke softly, as he noticed her defensive yet confident facial expression fade.

“Can you leave? Please Liam.”

*****

Liam eventually left Evie, not getting anything from her apart from a hug. Even though she wasn’t in a relationship with Drake, she still felt as if she would be cheating on him. The typical Cordonian marriage arrangement was something that she never believed in even at a young age- so she definitely wasn’t going become a hypocrite giving in to her belief. Drake had now been gone for over half an hour, Liam’s words were stuck in her head- Drake is probably with Riley now...he does love her after all..

Her usual neatly trimmed nails, were now practically non-existent, as she paced the room. Wondering if Drake would come back as he promised.

“Hey beautiful...” Evie was conflicted with how to react to him to actually showing up-noticing the lipstick mark on his cheek, inhaling Riley’s vanilla scent and seeing him all flustered- all she wanted to do was believe that what happened between the two of them was a dream.

“Hey, what took you so long?” Drake noticed that she seemed a bit tense, guarded.

“Maxwell was asking questions, you know that he’s practically the court ‘gossip girl’.”

“I see.” I wonder if max likes to wear perfume and lipstick now. “Evie? Are you okay?”

“Yes.” No. “I’m just tired. I’m going to go to sleep. Are you staying or going awol again?” She asked in an obnoxious tone of voice.

“I promised that I’d stay the night... with you.” Evie just nodded, not wanting to stay awake as it could possibly cause an argument. Sliding under the cover, she rolled over on her side- not facing him. Drakes mind was wandering, wondering if Evie has an inkling about his meeting with Riley and that was why she was providing him with a cold reception.

“Evie?” Stroking her arm, she didn’t respond- softly breathing he soon realised that she was asleep. Wrapping his arm around her body, he pulled her flush to him- kissing her on the shoulder, he let it linger there before taking a deep breath.

“I don’t know if you can hear me or not, but I need you to know something... I’ve never felt this way before about anyone. Tonight you made me feel alive, finally thinking that I had a future with someone. Riley who? All those one night stands who? What we did is something I only ever thought would be a dream..please don’t shut me out. I think I’m falling in love with you Evangeline.”

******

I’m sorry, this wasn’t meant to be- we are friends. I can’t do this Drake, not whilst you’re still clearly in love with Riley. E x

For the last week, Drake had tried to rattle his brain around wondering why she would assume that he was still in love with Riley. There was no obvious affection towards Riley from his end, and she informed him that she just wanted to be friends. But Evie never gave him the chance to explain, instead she was gone in a flash when he woke up the morning after Vegas. Standing in the corner of the ballroom with Liam and Maxwell, Drake scrutinised the room hoping that Evie would attend. “Has anyone heard from Evie or Olivia?” Maxwell asked Liam concerned.

“Bastien said Olivia had things to attend to up in Lythikos. Hence why he’s acting all miserable. No one has heard from Evie as far as I’m aware.” Before anyone could respond, the doors opened.

Duchess Olivia Nevrakis and Duchess Evangeline Bruley

Of course Olivia knew where she was, Drake thought to himself- he wasn’t sure whether to be angry towards her or respect her for respecting her closest friends wishes. Gulping the remainder of the whiskey- he needed some Dutch courage. Ambling towards the two women, he bowed before giving them both a kiss on the cheek. Focusing his gaze towards Evie their looks towards each other provided a silent argument, Olivia excused herself- not wanting to be involved in the awkward situation.

“Your grace. I think you and I need some words....” Evie knew this day was coming, and so did Olivia. Ever since running away from Vegas leaving him in the hotel room- she regretted not talking to him like adults.

Frantically knocking on the door, Evie had hoped that her friend would be awake. Looking like she had been dragged through a hedge backwards- she didn’t care.

“Evie? Do you know what time it is?”

“Yes. I’m sorry. I’ve got a flight to catch... but I was just wondering....”

“Hold on a sec... you’re coming back with us right? So why are you catching a flight?”

“I fucked up. I slept with Drake. But I think he slept with Riley, he smelt of her and was wearing her lipstick. Liam came to my room asking to sleep with me. I’ve let myself go. I’m such an idiot. I need time alone. Can I stay at your Duchy? Please Liv.”

“You slept with Drake?” Bastien asked, interrupting the two girls conversation. Drake was like a son to him, and Drake confessed to him his true feelings. The guard didn’t want her to break Drakes heart, but he could predict that their relationship was always going to be difficult- this just proving it.

“Of course she did. You have a Duchy of your own if you haven’t forgotten? Just go home Evie.”

“I can’t. Everyone will know where I am. I need time away from them all. Please Liv. We’re best friends.”

“And I suppose I have to lie for you too?” Quirking her eyebrow, she knew that this was a rhetorical question not requiring an answer. Looking at Bastien the pair agreed to lie for her, but if questions were thrown at them constantly they didn’t know how longer they could keep her whereabouts hidden.

Just wishing that the ground could suffocate her- swallow her whole, as her heart began to hammer looking at him. Feeling guilty for leaving him alone, she was surprised that he could even look at her.

“You talk about me going awol... where have you been your grace? I think I’m owed some type of explanation.”

“This isn’t all about you Drake. I left you a note.”

“A shitty little note Evie! What the fuck... I’m not in love with Riley. Why couldn’t you just fucking talk to me? Why did you just fuck off and leave me? At least Riley never did that to me...” Turning around she didn’t want him to see her cry, she knew he said that out of spite but it still hurt.

“Because that’s what I do best Drake. I run away to boarding school, I come back. I run away to university, I come back. I ran away, and I came back. And I’m going to do it again.”

“Why did you turn Liam down in Vegas?”

“How do you know about that?”

“Men talk. Riley came to warn me about what he was planning.”

“Of course she did! And I’m thrilled that I’m court gossip, you all make me sick.” Thinking back to the reasoning behind her parents death- the trigger point was being court gossip for years.

“She wanted me to fuck her...”

“Go and do it, don’t ever talk to me again. Any of you. Or better so whisper behind my back as you’ve already been doing....” Wiping her tears, she walked away from the situation; not wanting to cause anymore trouble. Drake hesitated as first, wondering what the best move to make was; to follow her, or to just remain pining after her.

She wanted me to fuck her but I said no because I wanted to be with you.

“Leave her. Don’t make the situation worse.” Olivia placed a comforting hand on his shoulder much to his surprise. Scrutinising her, he wondered when the infamous dagger was going to make an appearance.

“Why are you being nice?”

“Because you two morons are obviously falling in love with each other. I know she didn’t sleep with Liam, and I know that you didn’t sleep with Riley. However I do know that you returned to Evie’s room with a lipstick mark and was smelling all like Riley. Evie has got trust issues, you wouldn’t know about the reasoning why but she only gives her heart away to men who she truly believes she likes. One man messed that up for her, so when you returned late her natural instinct thought you’d hurt her too.”

“I’d never hurt her Liv.”

“Maybe not, but with your track record of never being in a long term relationship, and having feelings for your best friends girl, past or not- she is going to be feeling this way. I always knew you liked Evie, your confession to Bastien just confirmed it.”

“What do I do? She won’t even listen to me, she’s so stubborn and frustrating and....”

“And Mr Walker is in love, and asking me for advise? Just both of you chill out for a while. When Riley begins the lantern send off, maybe try and talk to her then.”

******

Everyone gathered around, listening to the new Duchess and soon to be Queen give a speech regarding her Duchy, people and the festival. Evie joined Olivia, apologising for her absence.

People of Valtoria it is my great honor to be here with you tonight...

“What are you going to do with your lantern Duchess Evangeline.” Olivia whispered as Riley continued her speech.

“Same as you Duchess Olivia, spark it up then disappear. Do what I do best.” She smiled at her best friend.

“You know what I mean.. what are you letting go of and what do you wish for?”

“I’m letting go of Cordonia, and I wish to not have some bullshit story from you dragging me back.” Drake overheard what she said, shaking his head at Olivia he stormed off with Liam and the men following him.

“Oh I’d have thought that you’d be letting go of this stubbornness and wishing to be happy - with someone like Drake.”

“What happened in Vegas was a mistake.” A fantastic mistake, I can’t have my heart broken though.

“Of course it was, you’re both just pushing each other away. Wake up Evie, what you’ve both been looking for has been here the whole time.”

“Hey, is everything okay?” Riley joined the two of them,already predicting the awkwardness- she decided now was the right time to confess to Evie what happened in Vegas- adding more fuel to the fire.

“Yes.” They both snapped in unison.

“Riley I’d like to thank you for inviting me but I have to leave. I hope the festival is successful.”

“Evie don’t go, I’d like to talk to you.”

“That’s not necessary, just ring me or something.”

“Please Evie...” Biting her lip, considering her options- she knew she couldn’t refuse the future Queen. Sooner I talk to her, sooner I can leave.

****

“So I spoke to Drake in Vegas...”

“I’ll always love you Drake, I just want closure...”

“If that’s all you have to say Brooks, you could have text me that. The feelings you apparently had towards me was probably because Liam couldn’t be there for you. I understand that now Ri, I’m happy for you both.” Continuing to walk forward towards his room, he wasn’t up for a debate.

“You look at her like you looked at me. Do you love her Drake?” Gulping, he knew it could possibly hurt her with their history- but it was only fair.

“Riley, I care for Evie a lot. I always have done. Before you and Hana were in the picture we were all close, you thought Olivia was bad- you should have seen team Elivia.” Both of them laughing, Riley had wished that she had known them all in the past.

“Drake, if you love her you need to tell her. Liam... he...” Pausing she didn’t want to cause an argument or a fight between the two men, but she respected Drake as a friend and believed he deserved the truth.

“What?”

“Liam suggested us having a one night stand with the two of you. I don’t want that, and I know that neither of you do. You need to go back to Evie, you are a good man marshmallow- you deserve to be happy.” Standing on her tiptoes, she kissed him on the cheek- and gave him a longing hug. Drake smiled at her as she left, not knowing what to think about Liam’s actions. Urgently running to his room, he couldn’t get out as quickly as he wanted to- Maxwell was persistent asking questions about his friends new sex life.

“He loves you Evie, I see the way he looks at you, as everyone does - he used to look at me like that, but not as adoring.”

“No offence Riley, but you and I are completely different. I don’t want to be heartbroken, I’m not known as the court whore unlike you. I’m best off staying single and keeping my friendships as they have been since we were younger.” Evie took a deep breath regretting referring Riley as the court whore, noticing Tariq and Neville with some strangers she began to panic. “I’m sorry Riley. I didn’t mean that. Why is Tariq and Neville here... and who are they?”

“I ... I don’t know. Going back on to Drake, he loves you but he won’t admit it. All I did was hug him and kiss him on the cheek. That was it Evie, I hope you believe me.”

“Get out of here now, go and find Liam and Bastien.” Is she even listening to me? Tariq and Neville aren’t issues.

“This is my Duchy! I’m not going anywhere.” Fucking hell Riley, maybe you and I are similar- both stubborn. Discretely sending a text to Liam, she hoped he would read it as soon as possible.

SOS TARIQ AND NEVILLE AND UNKNOWN PEOPLE ARE HERE- BRING THE GUARDS OUTSIDE ASAP

“Please Riley, I don’t trust either of them and whoever they are with....”

“Duchess Riley, Duchess Evangeline.”

“Hello gentlemen, I believe that you haven’t been invited to this event.” Tariq pulled Riley into his embrace, with a tight grip- seeing her struggle, Evie pulled him away from her. Fluttering her eyelashes at the man, she provided a fake smile- knowing that he probably could see straight through her but it was worth a risk.

“Tariq why don’t you let Riley go back to the festival, you and I can have a walk with Neville. I’m sure she needs to mingle as the host of tonight’s event.” Tariq gathered the men together, whilst whispering- smirking at the two duchesses.

“What are you doing?”

“Saving your fucking ass. And my country’s heir! Go to Liam now!”

“Like old times then Evie.” Evie grimaced as Tariq placed a longing kiss on her cheek, whilst wrapping his arms around her waist.

“Don’t fucking push it Tariq! A walk doesn’t mean sex... or rape in your case.”

“It doesn’t have to be that way Evie, we were all close back in the day. I mean you are the only woman that has rejected Liam, so you must have feelings for someone else- that could be me.”

“That is because I love him as a friend.”

“Like you both love Drake Walker too? That disgusting commoner.” Neville interrupted, scowling at Evie and Riley.

“They are both better men then you two will ever be.” Riley snapped, defending Drake- as well them both.

“What the fuck are you still doing here? You are due to be Queen- you have to mingle and look after yourself... I can handle this. I’m just a Duchess.”

“No Evie.” Before Riley could move or react, Neville pushed her towards the two strangers. Fucking hell, do I talk to a brick wall? Evie muttered to herself.

“Get the fuck off her!” Evie ran straight into Neville knocking him to the floor, using techniques that the Nevrakis’s taught her and Olivia as young girls- before pushing Riley out of the way. “Get help Riley! Or so help me I’ll kill you myself.”

*****

Bastien carried Evie into the ballroom, laying her down gently on the couch. Insisting that someone could see to her injuries whilst he and the other guards searched for Tariq, Neville and the men. Olivia noticed her best friend in a fragile way- before seeing to her she ushered all the nobles out of the room. “The festival is over for tonight, I’m sure Duchess Riley will thank you all for attending at a later date.”

“What the fuck happened Riley? Evie?”

“Those arseholes grabbed her.” Evie shouted as she held onto her ribs, every breath she took, every word she spoke the pain became more excruciating. “Treason on the future Queen... and....”

“And Evie saved my life.” And your baby’s life you dipshit.

“You need to go to hospital Evie.”

“I’m fine Max. They’ve given me the Botox look for free...” Trying to be funny even in this situation, pouting her now swollen lips- the friends didn’t know whether to laugh at her ‘joke’ or not.

“If Evie stood in why have you got mud all down you Riley?”

“She pushed me, not purposely. I’m fine Liam. Where’s Drake?”

“Fuck Drake. I’m fed up of you lying to everyone Riley. Take Liam upstairs and tell him the truth. I warned you that you needed more security. But do you listen? Do you fuck! Maybe now you may listen to me, because I’m not allowing you to play damsel in distress in my books anymore.”

Everyone turned to Riley, wondering what Evie was referring to. All assuming that she was playing down what they did to her.

“I’m going to go to my room if that’s okay everyone. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“I’ll escort you up Evie, Maxwell get her some painkillers and ice in her room. Riley I’ll see you in your master bedroom.”

“I’m fine Liam.”

“I insist, I need to talk about what happened and who was involved then we can get justice for you both.”

*****

Assisting her to stand up, Liam held Evie protectively and gently- before walking upstairs. It took them a while, but they eventually arrived at her room.

“So what happened?”

“Maybe if you read your text nothing would have happened- your Majesty.” Empathising his title, Liam felt guilty- knowing that the situation could have been more worse, or even fatal.

Riley ran into the ballroom, scrutinising it- Shaking, looking for her fiancé.

“Liam!”

“What’s up? Are you okay?” Holding her protectively, she began to hyperventilate- unable to prevent herself from shaking.

“It’s.... it’s... Evie...”

“She text me but I ignored it. I assumed it wasn’t important?”

“She’s hurt. She probably text you about that.... she needs help but wouldn’t allow me to help her.” Liam checked his phone, SOS- fuck. Insisting that Olivia, Maxwell and Hana stayed with Riley, whilst he and Bastien went to find Evie- he didn’t know what to expect. Arriving outside they saw her cowering on the floor, covered in blood and mud.

“Ev... Evie? What happened?” Wiping the fresh blood off her face, her lip began trembling- flashblacks of the night will forever haunt her. Bastien scooped her up, and spoke softly to her as the walked back towards the estate.

“Evie, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know what I was thinking. I just believed that you was texting me to berate me about my behaviour in Vegas. Do you want me to help you get undressed? Or I could get someone else to assist you?”

“I’m fine, thank you.” Watching her struggle, was frustrating for him- he just wanted to help her as a friend but didn’t want to force the issue. Eventually she was undressed and dressed in her nightwear.

“What did you mean when you asked Riley to tell me the truth? Why would you sacrifice yourself?”

“You really need to talk to her, it’s not my place to say it. I was angry when it slipped out.”

“Can you not tell me a part of it?”

“It was about saving my country’s future. That’s all I’m saying Liam.”

“Because she’s going to be Queen?”

“Something like that.” Maxwell arrived with painkillers and ice, immediately wrapping the ice in a towel he pressed gently on his friend’s lips, cheek and finally ribs after asking which parts of her body was hurting.

“I’m just going to find Drake, she needs someone to stay with her tonight. If she asks I’ve gone to find Bastien.” Liam whispered to Max, who nodded in response knowing that she would refuse any help- but possibly Drake could comfort her in ways that no one else could.

*****

“Drake, it’s Liam. Please open the door.”

“Li... what’s up? I’m tired.”

“It’s Evie... listen I know what I did in Vegas was unacceptable, but that girl needs you. People insist that she loves you even if she won’t admit it, like you.”

“Liam, if you can’t have her no one can. So whatever the issue is, I’m sure you can see to it.” Sipping the whiskey, Liam shook his head- disappointed in his friends lack of empathy.

“Drake she’s hurt! This isn’t about me and her. You know how I feel about her, I will always love her. But if you can love her, and make her happy, I’m thrilled for the two of you.”

“What do you mean she’s hurt? Where is she?”

“She’s in her room.... Tariq....” Drake didn’t give Liam the opportunity to finish that sentence- anger immediately ran through his veins. Forgetting that he was in only his boxers he really didn’t care- if Evie needed him he would be there in a flash, if she didn’t want him there he would probably ignore her and stay anyway. Storming through the door, he paused as he realised that she was hurt - beyond words.

“Evie?”

“Dr- Drake?”

“Maxwell!” Maxwell shouted enthusiastically attempting to cheer the atmosphere up. Pushing Maxwell away, she covered her injuries up with her hand as best as she could- not wanting Drake to see her in this way.

“What has he done to you?” Kneeling down in front of her, he held her hand attentively. A tear creeped from his eye, unable to stay strong- feeling weak, he needed to get his act together.

“I fear what I did to them back...I’m fine.”

“Stop saying that Evie. Liam could barely hold you walking up here. I still think you should go to hospital for a check up.”

“Max I’m fine. Please. Just check on Riley with Liam.”

“If you need anything let us know. I promise to read my texts this time.” Both Liam and Maxwell kissed her gently on the cheek- not wanting to hurt her, on their way out they tapped Drake on his bare shoulder- both providing soft smiles.

“You stink of whiskey...”

“You should know that by now... or have you been living under a rock all this time?”

“I must have been... I’ve been oblivious about other things surrounding me.”

“What do you mean?”

“It doesn’t matter. Have you brought that whiskey with you? It would probably be a better pain killer than these.”

“Does it look like I’ve brought it? I’ve forgotten my clothes. Am I hiding it in my boxers?”

“Don’t make me laugh Drake, it hurts. It does look like you’ve got something down there.. but it’s not in the shape of a whiskey bottle.” Blushing, she knew her poor flirting skills were a slight embarrassment. If he was to question it she at least had the excuse of suffering a head injury.

“You know exactly what’s down there Duchess Evangeline... we’ve both missed you.”

“Drake... I... I’m sorry for leaving you in Vegas. I had Liam wanting to sleep with me, then you didn’t come back and he said that Riley was going to do the same with you... when you came back, I didn’t smell that usual whiskey scent- I smelt her. I was jealous. I should have just spoken to you, I have issues with trust.”

“I should have spoken to you too... why did you protect Riley tonight if you believed she did that with me?”

“I was protecting my future Queen and the crown prince or princess.”

“She’s pregnant?”

“She hasn’t told Liam, I figured it out. I gave her lemonade, said if anyone asked it had vodka in it. Liam asked me to tell him but I couldn’t, it’s not my business - so please don’t tell him.”

“I won’t tell him. He’s going to be thrilled. Do you need me to do anything for you whilst I’m here?”

“I’m fine, I’m just going to sleep the pain off- hopefully.” Drake didn’t respond, instead he fluffed the pillows- hoping she could get comfy in bed. “Drake? You didn’t have to do that.”

“Didn’t need to, but I want to. Are you going to get in? Then I can readjust the position of them if you need me to.” Following his orders, she eventually was in bed- using a stoic expression she tried to hide the pain that she was feeling. “Are you comfortable your grace?”

“Yes. Thank you, but...”

“But?”

“I can defend myself.. but can you stay with me until I go to sleep. I’d feel more safe.” Agreeing, he hoped that he could control his cock- this wasn’t the time to want to be sexual. Sliding next to her, he shuddered immediately.

“Fuck, you’re cold.”

“Can you keep me warm then Mr Walker?” She asked in a seductive manner, turning her face towards him. She rubbed her fingers along his bare chest, as her head slowly rested on him. The bedding was thick and soft like a cloud- but feeling him next to her made her feel warm instantly as if she was surrounded by lava. When they finally held each other in a warm, tender loving hug; their chests rising, their breathing in unison- the ‘warm blood’ that they could feel whilst in each others embrace made them both feel content.

“Evangeline Bruley, I love you.” Her eyes widened at this impromptu confession.

“How can you be sure? We’re just friends, friends that have shared a bed- twice now. I can’t say....” Caressing her cheek gently, he moved from the side of her and straddled her- making sure to not lean on her too hard. Kissing her cheek and placing a loving kiss on her swollen lip- the pain she felt vanished for a slight moment.

“I don’t want you to say it back. I think I’ve been in love with you since we were children, remember when we was like six or something and I shared my fruit with you? I’d never share my food with anyone.” Thinking back she laughed in her mind, he was so sweet that day from her memory.

“And now it’s whiskey that you won’t want to share...”

“I’d share with you. Lina, if you ever decide to love me back- I don’t want you to tell me until you are ready. I just had to tell you, I don’t know what I’d have done if they had hurt you anymore than they have done. If I see Tariq and Neville again, I’ll kill them with my bare hands- if you’ll allow me to I’m going to protect you for the rest of my life - whether that’s as friends...”

“Or more than friends?”

******

A few hours after the incident, Bastien made his way up to the master bedroom- Olivia is going to quite potentially kill me for being this late. Knocking on the door, he hated disturbing the king at such a late time.

“Sir? I’m sorry it’s late, but I thought you’d like an update regarding the men involved in Duchess Evangeline’s attack.”

“Come in Bast, Riley’s asleep. Scotch?”

“No thank you. Sir, we found two bodies- and have the suspects in for questioning.”

“Two bodies?” Liam became nervous, his hand began to shake uncontrollably- slowly losing his usual stoic expression.

[hannahberrie]

Saturdays

Fandom: Stranger Things  Pairing: Eleven, Mike Wheeler Characters: Jim Hopper, Dustin Henderson, Lucas Sinclair, Max Mayfield, Will Byers  Rating: K  WC: 3418 Summary: "She's spent all week waiting for triple-decker Eggo breakfasts, slow rock on the radio, and most importantly, her friends." In which Eleven reflects on her favorite day of the week, and how it's spent with her favorite people.

[AO3]

[A/N]: This is my first Stranger Things fic! Hopefully you guys like it! 

It’s January, and Eleven still doesn’t understand why, if Hopper is her Papa now, she can’t live just like everyone else.

“How much longer?” She asks, staring out the window of their cabin. The glass is encrusted with ferns of frost, and she absentmindedly draws a frowning face in the ice.

“Just one more year, okay kiddo?” Hopper (Papa) replies, “We gotta make sure it’s safe. You can hold out that long, right?”

“Yes.”

No.

“Good. Now come eat your breakfast.”

El begrudgingly trudges over to the table. Sure, she can wait, but she doesn’t want to. How could she? Things aren’t okay, not really. She’s still only halfway happy. She still has to be hidden away. Still frustrated.

And yet…

She’d be lying if she said things were as bad as they were before, because they’re not. She’s not as lonely. She’s not as isolated. She doesn’t have to fear that her friends will forget about her, or that they’ll replace her. She has hope.

She has Saturdays.

“You ready for today?” Papa asks as they take their seats at the spindly table.

“Yes!” El replies, more enthusiastically than before. She’s spent all week waiting for triple-decker Eggo breakfasts, slow rock on the radio, and most importantly, her friends.

On Saturdays, Papa drives her to Mike’s house and lets her spend the whole day there. Will, Lucas, and Dustin will come too. They’ll play board games, watch the morning cartoons, goof around, catch up on their weeks, and sometimes play Will or Dustin’s Atari (depending on who’s more in the mood to lug it over to Mike’s house).

Max likes to spend Saturdays with them too, and El has to admit that she isn’t as bad as she first thought. Max offered to teach her how to skateboard, and when El had levitated something in front of her for the first time (an action Dustin was prone to ask for, despite Mike’s protests that Dustin could just get off his ass and get the dropped d20 dice himself), Max hadn’t called her a freak. “You’re like, awesome,” she’d said matter-of-factly. Eleven had appreciated it more than Max probably knew.

But as much as El loves spending time with all her friends, there’s something special about what comes afterward. After dinner time (which is usually better than Papa’s cooking). After the late winter sun sets, and the street-lamps illuminate the glittering snow. After Lucas, Dustin, Max, and Will say their goodbyes, and head off into the night, leaving a shuffled map of footprints on the snowy front lawn.

Afterwards, El and Mike get to spend the rest of the night together, just the two of them. It’s different then when they’re with everyone else. El doesn’t feel as weird about wanting to hold Mike’s hand or cuddle up next to him. Mike is less worried about making sure everyone in the group is having a good time and he can finally relax.

Papa still isn’t thrilled about these one-on-one visits with Mike, as he not-so-subtly lets her know on a regular basis. Like today, for example.

“What do you and that Wheeler kid get up to anyways?” He asks gruffly. His fingers drum on the side of his coffee cup, though El can tell he’s trying to appear casual.

Eleven shrugs in response, her mouth full of whipped cream, waffle, and chocolate chips as she answers, “Talking.”

“Talking?”

“Talking,” El repeats, trying not to smile as she nudges her waffle with her fork. She knows that Papa’s just worrying about her, like he always does, but he doesn’t have to. Mike would never hurt her.

Besides, she’s telling the truth. They do talk. They talk in his living room, in his basement, in the secret crawlspace in his attic that only Mike knows about, in his room. Most times, the conversation ends with discussing everything that happened in the year they were apart. El still has yet to share some of her darker moments with him, but Mike doesn’t seem to mind. He understands.

“That’s it?” Papa asks, chewing food on one side of mouth as his gaze scrutinizes her. “Just talking? All by yourselves?”

“Movies,” El offers, which is also true. Maybe even more than talking, El adores the nights spent on Mike’s living room sofa, captivated by whatever VHS rental he’d gotten for that week.

During these movie nights, she gets to see more members of Mike’s family, like Nancy, who always has a smile for her (not always for Mike, though). Holly often tries to join their movie-watching on the couch, but Mike bribes her with candy to leave them alone (not before Holly gives El a hug though, as she always does).

His parents are usually confused as to El’s presence, but Mike is always ready to rattle off the sedative excuse that she’s from another school. He also conveniently leaves out the part that “El from another school,” is the same “dangerous Russian spy” that they were warned to avoid a year earlier. His parents also still have yet to question why El always arrives in a Hawkins police cruiser, but then again, it’s rare that his father isn’t napping/at work/or “not interested,” or that his mother isn’t busy/in the bath/or “not interested.”

“What kinda movies?” Papa asks.

El shrugs again. “Ghosts. Outer Space. Sharks.”  

The last movie they watched was “R-Rated” which, according to Mike, meant that it was “Really Good.” His mother rarely ever let him rent these kinds of movies, so it was a “Big Deal.”

“I think you’ll really like it,” Mike had said, kneeling in front of the TV as El had waited on the couch.

“Is it scary?” She’d asked hesitantly.

“Not a lot.”

El gave him a look.

“You’ll be fine!” Mike assured her. He put the VHS tape in the player and joined her on the couch, slumping back casually in his seat. “It’s not that bad.”

“That��s what you said last time,” El grumbled, leaning her head on his shoulder.

“Because I forgot about that one part!”

El smiled wryly, but let the conversation slide. Even if she did get scared (which she didn’t, not a lot), Mike was there.

They were about ten minutes into the movie (which was kinda scary) when Mike had spoken up.

“When you don’t have to live in hiding anymore, we can go to a real theater.”

“Theater?” El echoed. Her brow furrowed as she turned her head to look up at him.

“A movie theatre,” Mike elaborated, “Basically, you get to go pay and see movies, only it’s not like on TV. They use a projector, so it’s really big! Like, bigger than the wall! You sit in this big dark room, and there’s lots of seats and popcorn and stuff. We have one downtown.”

“Oh,” El answered quietly. Mike had continued to watch the movie while she pulled up her knees to her chest, feeling a somber mix of both fascination and defeat. Going to a theater sounded like fun, and yet it was just another item to add to the list of not yet’s.

Can I go to school?

Not yet.

Can Mike take me to the arcade?

Not yet.  

Can I go sledding in the park with my friends?

Not yet.

Not yet, not yet, not yet.

El jabs at her waffle with a little more force than necessary. “Have you been to a theater?” She suddenly asks, looking up at Hopper.

“Yeah,” Papa takes a sip of his coffee and eyes her. “Why?”

“Mike wants to take me.”

He holds eye contact with her as he swallows his drink and lowers his mug once more. “You know you guys can’t do that,” he finally says, “You gotta stay indoors.”

“I know,” El replies, trying to keep her voice steady. “But…I want to.”

“And I want you safe,” Papa says sternly, “You’re lucky his parents haven’t turned you in. You know how much trouble I could get in trouble for lying to them?”

“I know!”

“Okay!” His voice has risen a bit, and he slumps back, collecting himself. “Okay.”

El looks down at her lap. “Sorry.”

“It’s ok,” Papa assures her, “I know you don’t like it, but it’s better to be safe than sorry, right?”

“Right,” El nods.

“And it’s not like last time. No more ‘soon’s’, okay?”

“Okay.”

There’s a moment of silence as the two continue their breakfasts. El feels her cheeks grow warm with shame — she knows she shouldn’t bother Papa with all her questions, she really does, but it just gets so hard sometimes.

She opens her mouth to apologize again, still feeling guilty, but Papa cuts her off before she can.

“You almost finished?” He asks, motioning to her plate with his fork. “It’s almost 7:30. We gotta get going.”

This brightens up El immensely. Pushing aside her discontentment, she eagerly finishes off the rest of her waffles, darts up from the table, deposits her plate in the sink, and dashes to her room to grab her coat.

“I’m ready!” She says breathlessly, trying to tie her snow boots as her winter hat haphazardly sits atop her head.

“Jesus, kid.” Hopper gives a huff of a laugh and steps forward to adjust her cap. “Let me get my coat.”

He does, and they leave, boarding into the Hawkins’ police car parked a little ways away from the cabin. The car is even colder than the cabin, and as El buckles herself in, she can see her breath fog.

Papa starts the car up, an unlit cigarette hanging from his mouth. The heating fans hum to life and the car is warmed with the familiar scent of old leather and nicotine.

El keeps her gaze out the window, admiring the snowy landscape as Papa hums along to the radio. As they near Hawkins, she feels her excitement only go stronger, filling her and making her toes curl.

“You’re really this pumped up for talking and movies?” Papa teases, glancing at her, “It sounds kinda boring to me.”

“We do more stuff,” El insists, throwing him a teasing look right back.

“Like what?”

El thinks for a moment. “Reading.”

“Reading?”

El understands the question he’s not asking. The one he’s probably too worried about her feelings to ask.

“He’s helping me,” she explains.

These reading sessions started a few weeks ago, during one of El and Mike’s nightly talks in his room. El would never admit it (especially not to Papa), but she loved spending time in there. Everything about it was just so…Mike.

She couldn’t really explain it, but she knew she always felt safe there. She knew that every time she came over, the wallpaper would still be the same muted navy blue. The walls would still be accented with posters from various movies and science fairs. The wooden bunk bed would still rest in the corner, though the lower bunk wasn’t much of a resting place. Instead, it served as a landing pad for Mike’s spare sheets, clothing, comic books, candy wrappers, and other junk that his mother hadn’t gotten him to clean up yet.

Mike apologizes for the mess every time, and El never minds.

On the night in question, El was examining his bookshelf — a bulky, wooden thing stuffed with glossy, floppy comics and dog-eared novels, nestled beside the bunks — as Mike recounted a highly-detailed summary of the latest Dragon’s Lair conquest.

“Max still has the high score, but Dustin is this close to beating her!” Mike had babbled, pinching his fingers close together for emphasis. He was sitting on the bed, facing her profile.  “He got completely screwed over by the Mud Monsters though, and he totally lost it!”

El, curious, picked a book off the shelf, though she was pretty certain as to what she’d find inside.

Sure enough, when she opened the page, words, set firmly in ink, stared back at her. Most of them she recognized, but the rest were nothing more than a complicated series of shapes and symbols, a foreign code she’d forgotten, a fragmented series of off-key notes. Trying to read them was jarring and felt like the one time Papa’s car engine gave out and he had to jumpstart it over and over again.

“My dad used to read me that,” Mike had said, pausing in his impression of what an angered Dustin sounded like (high-pitched whining, mostly). “The book, I mean. Like, a long time ago. When I was still little and stuff. Back before he turned into such a…”

His voice trailed off as he struggled to think of the right word, and El’s gaze left the book to look up at him.

“Wasteoid,” Mike decided. “So, do you like Treasure Island?”

El hesitated. “I’m not sure. I haven’t — “ She didn’t want to finish the sentence. The familiar burn of frustration made her grip on the book tighten, and she suddenly felt so stupid. “Never mind,” she frowned, shutting the book hastily. “It’s stupid.”

“El!” Mike exclaimed, jumping up from the bed and yanking her into a hug. Her face was shoved into his shoulder and the book awkwardly squeezed in between their stomachs, but the hug was appreciated all the same. “It’s ok! You’re not stupid. Not everyone knows how to.”

“I know how,” El mumbled into his shoulder (when had he grown so tall?). “It’s just hard.”

“Well, I can help you, if you want,” Mike offered, pulling back to look her in the eye. He kept his hands on her shoulders and gave her a genuine smile, the kind that always made El feel warm inside.

“How?” She’d asked, looking up at him curiously.

And so it began.

Reading, as it would turn out, was even better than video games, talking, or movies. Mike, propped up against a small summit of pillows with Eleven lying at his side,  read Treasure Island aloud to her. They’d laid on the top bunk of his bed, huddled close together. The room was dim, illuminated only by the few lamps in his room and the soft glow of the street lamps filtering in through his window.

“It was one January morning, very early — a pinching, frosty morning — the cove all grey with hoar-frost, the ripple lapping softly on the stones, the sun still low and only touching the hilltops and shining far to seaward.

“The captain had risen earlier than usual and set out down the beach, his cutlass swinging under the broad skirts of the old blue coat, his brass telescope under his arm, his hat tilted back upon his head.”

El’s head was pressed into the crook of his arm, and she found that she could feel his words before she heard them. The once-fragmented notes instead reverberated low in his chest, filling her ears with a pleasant hum. Her eyes followed the words as Mike read them, studying, memorizing.

“I remember his breath hanging like smoke in his wake as he strode off, and the last sound I heard of him as he turned the big rock was a loud snort of indignation, as though his mind was still running upon Dr. Livesey.”

She mouthed some of the trickier words, repeating them to herself in the faintest of whispers. Indignation. Cutlass. Hoar-frost. She was so quiet and still, at one point, Mike thought she had fallen asleep.

“You still there?” He’d asked, pausing to look down at her.

“Uh huh,” she’d nodded.

“You’re not bored, or anything?”

“Mike.” El gave him a look. “Keep going.”

“Just making sure!”

He’d continued reading, and even though El’s eyelids grew heavy and her mind hazy, she’d held onto every word as if her life depended on it.

Mike read to her until Papa came to pick her up. The time came, as it always did, too soon. The languid spell they’d been cast under broke with the rumble of tires crushing the freshly fallen snow in the driveway. The car horn beeped twice, and Mike and El flinched apart.

“Guess you gotta go,” Mike said unhelpfully.

El gave him a small, half-smile and nodded. “I’ll be back soon,” she told him, and though she dislikes the word, she only used “soon,” because she knew it was true.

Mike helped her grab her hat, coat, and boots, making sure she was snugly secure in all of them. As his father napped on the Lay-Z-Boy and his mother chatted on the kitchen phone, he then escorted El outside.

The familiar brown police car awaited in the Wheeler’s driveway, headlights cutting into the darkness, illuminating the falling blanket of late-winter snow.

El and Mike glanced at the car before looking at each other, preparing for the umpteenth goodbye shared between them.

“We can finish the book next time!” Mike offered, giving El that adorably earnest smile once more. “Or even the time after that. I dunno, it depends on how fast I can read. But only if you want to.”

El smiled back at him gratefully and nodded. “Thanks, Mike.”

Mike nodded and pulled her in for a hug, though this one was notably better than the first. This time, El wrapped her arms around him too, holding onto him as tightly as if it was the last time.

His cheeks were rosy from the cold, speckled with freckles and snowflakes. El shivered when his face brushed against hers but didn’t let go.

“See you Saturday,” Mike mumbled into her hat.

“Saturday,” El echoed.

They moved back slightly, and El pressed her lips to his cheek in a quick kiss. Her mouth tingled afterward in the best of ways, and she smiled as Mike’s pink cheeks grew even redder.

Papa had honked his horn again, which caused Mike to jolt up as quickly and reactionary as if he’d been yanked up by a string. “Bye!” He’d said hastily.

They’d waved goodbye, El had boarded the car, and she hadn’t been able to stop smiling all the ride home.

El hangs onto that moment — that vibrant, radiant, perfect moment. If she concentrates on it hard enough, she sometimes can put herself right back in it, navy wallpaper, hoar-frost, rosy cheeks, tingling skin.

There are times when she fears that none of this is real, that one morning she’ll wake up back in the laboratory. That Mike, Papa, Lucas, Max, Will, and Dustin will cease to exist, or even worse, never have existed at all.

She takes a breath, digs her nails into the passenger’s seat of Papa’s cruiser. His hand is resting on the gear shift, and she ever-so-quickly brushes her fingers against the back of his hand.

Still real.

She feels herself relax into her seat, and it’s only then that she realizes Papa is talking to her.

“So he reads with you?” He’s asking. He throws her a glance and looks bemused, which makes El smile.

“Yes,” she answers, shaking herself out of her thoughts. “He’s really good.”

“Well, that’s nice of him.” The car makes the turn into Mike’s neighborhood, and El feels her heartbeat quicken. “Just as long as he behaves himself, okay?”

El feels herself flush pink. “He does! It’s just reading.”

“That’s all it better be,” Hopper says warningly, though El can tell he’s trying his best not to smile.

“I promise,” El assures him, and this time when she reaches to touch his hand, she gives it a reassuring squeeze.

The car’s dashboard reads 8 AM as Papa pulls to a stop in front of the Wheeler’s house. El can already see the four sets of footprints leading to the front door, a clear indication her other friends have already arrived.

“You got some good friends, you know that?” Papa says, motioning to the house.

“I know,” El smiles, unbuckling her seatbelt.

“And you know you can call me if you need anything?”

“Uh huh.”

“And you’ll tell that Wheeler kid to keep his hands to himself?”

“Yes!” El blushes bright red.

“I’ll take him to down the precinct if you need me to.”

“Papa!”

“I’m kidding! Mostly.”

El nudges his arm as he laughs. He always teases her like this, and it never fails to fluster her.

“Alright kid, get out of here,” Papa says after his laughs die down, “Your fan club is waiting.”

He motions to the window and El pauses to glance over her shoulder. Sure enough, she can see Mike, Dustin, Lucas, Will, and Max all pushing past each other to look out the front window of the Wheeler’s home. When they catch her looking at them, they wave excitedly, beckoning her inside.

El beams at them and waves back, laughing for reasons she’s not quite sure of. It’s still foreign to her, these feelings of pure, unadulterated happiness. Maybe one day, she’ll understand it. Maybe these radiant moments won’t seem so unfamiliar, or so good that she’ll have to wonder whether she’s dreaming or not.

Maybe one day.

Not yet.

[thepricecaulfield]

Some thoughts about the relationships between Chloe & Rachel and Chloe & Max

I want to start with that this is my entrypost into this tumblr world. I posted here and there, youtube, reddit, discords, steam, elsewhere, mostly sat there and listened and wrote small texts, not big walls of texts, like this one is going to be.

I’m insecure if I should have posted this, but well, I give it a try, it is a text filled with analysis, personal experience and some theories, I tried to clear that in the path.

Warning! Spoilers ahead for LiS and BtS!

Here you go:

First of all: Pricefield and Amberprice are both valid ships, I prefer Pricefield and stay there, forever.

Chloe and Max harmonize in many ways, like Yin-Yang, they are total opposites of each other. They had a deep relationship (friendshipwise, platonic) in their childhood and were at their edge to puberty, but it wasn’t meant to unfold because of dramatic changes in their lifes: Williams death - Chloe in grief, not able to overcome that trauma, Max leaving her (Not on intention.). Max on the otherhand may (My opinion, since we have no proof, but when we take her psychical condition into account.) had the same problems, since she refers to William as her second father to her, so she may suffered also from grief and pain and was not able to handle all of this and how to comfort her best friend.

The Max and Chloe comeout is building up more slowly in LiS1, more deeply in my point of view. Max is insecure, not sure what her feelings are, I tend to say she has zero experience with sexuality in general and has no clue what she is into (f/f or f/m). She has some sort of developmental disability (such as High Functioning Autism/Asperger Syndrome), as she is in an IEP (Individualized Education Program, a program usually reserved for students with said condition) according to her Student File. She feels guilty for leaving Chloe and there is always this “Rachel Amber” reference in front of her during those five days. That makes things complicated as well. And we have the circumstances of a mistery around us and that Max is building up a lot of feelings towards Chloe later on.

When we have the chance to kiss Chloe the first time, Chloe is not shocked, but overrun, not expecting that Max is actually doing it. When we did the right things, Chloes smartphone background is replaced with a picture of Max. Several dialogs point into the direction that Chloe is interested in Max in a way, Max is not thinking of first. Some moves and dialogs of Chloe during the first episodes also hint in that direction (”Same sex marriage” dialog/messages for example.) The pool scene is the first real direct hint what Chloe is up too in my eyes.

The relationship/come out builds up more slowly, Chloe on guard somehow, but interested in Max. Max seems to get comfortable with the situation over the course of the episodes when we follow her diary.

The Both have a deep relationship as stated before from her childhood, that was overshadowed, but it was rekindled, since it never really broke, and I tend to say, that Chloe was into Max already before LiS, but in her heart. The dream sequences from BtS where William hints into the direction that a greater beauty is yet to come after he warns Chloe of the fire and shows her the sky filled with stars maybe the hint.

Rachel, I don’t hate her, but I don’t like her either in some way. She is elusive in many ways. The whole BtS plot reminds me of my own teenage time, first love, fulled by passion, a short episode, built to last not long enough. Passion is the keyword in here. Rachel crashes in there with passion, shows up on scene for Chloe, when she needs someone the most. And Chloe falls for it. I know this feelings, when you are alone, lost beloved people, in grief and pain shrouding your mind, puberty and adolescence is complicating everything, your whole world is burning and breaking apart.

An interesting part is, that Chloe is saying the following words to Joyce during her conversation after the Firewalk concert: “And sometimes, when we’re incredibly desperate and lonely, we choose the absolute wrong kind of people to let into our hearts…..” - this is somehow blowing my mind, since she just ignores her own words a few hours later.

Chloe has major/minor mental issues and falls easily for someone like Rachel. Rachel seems perfect, but is broken inside. But she is manipulating people around her to her needs to a certain degree with great sucess. She is flipping switches as needed and attracts people she is interested in. I think she can be considered as being in her playphase, not sure what she is about sexualy and eager to find out what she is into, so she is willing to test it out with Chloe. But I pretend to say, that she is not gay, but more considered to be bi-sexual during her teenage years or later on when Frank and Mr. Jefferson get into play out of her experimenting phase. I know some people who had those phases in their teenage years between 14-17 and found their sexual identity not before they were 18. (Proud to say I know some gay women/men/transgender/bi-sexuals who found their identity and had their coming out.)

Several ppl analyzed the Tempest scene and mentioned that the roles where chosen perfect, that Chloe is a hostage to Rachel, mentally. I tend to say they are right.

Quote: “First things first: a tempest is a storm, the title of this mini-series is Before the Storm, and in Life is Strange, Arcadia Bay is about to be decimated by a giant storm that Max spends the latter half of the game trying to prevent from happening. This connection is obvious. Furthermore, all three episode titles for Before the Storm are references to quotes from The Tempest:

“Awake” references the Act I, Scene 2 call to Miranda from Prospero: “Awake, dear heart, awake! Thou hast slept well. Awake!” “Brave New World” is from Miranda’s speech in Act V, Scene I: “O brave new world, That has such people in’t!” “Hell is Empty” is from a much-quoted scene with Ariel in Act I, Scene 2: “Hell is empty and all the devils are here.”

Prospero is the architect of all that occurs around him, manipulating the relationship between Miranda and Ferdinand, and using the spirit Ariel and Caliban to mess with his shipwrecked enemies. He is the person who shapes the story of The Tempest, from creating the storm to treating other characters like puppets.” (Full article here: http://fandom.wikia.com/articles/life-is-strange-before-the-storm-the-tempest / There are many more articles about this around that state the same since the roles of Rachel and Chloe are given and the represent somehow the same roles in the play like they do in their life.)

Rachel can be seen as manipulative in that she charms everyone around her — her teachers, her classmates, and most of all, Chloe. She is the focal point that moves the story of Before the Storm forward. Rachel is also the thing that brings Max and Chloe together in the original Life is Strange, with her absence and the mystery around it bringing the two together.

Chloe builds up an emotional und psychic dependence (I tend to say borderline obsession.) for Rachel and Rachel sticks to that. She wants to be a rebel with Chloe and get out of Arcadia Bay pretty fast. But she tends to go her ways and switch ships to her needs later. Frank is one ship, and the Jefferson ship is real to, there is that crumbled letter on the junkyard. (http://life-is-strange.wikia.com/wiki/Rachel_Amber?file=RachelChloeLetter.png) (http://i.imgur.com/0f9UIFB.jpg)

Rachel is Chloes angel for the moment, her saviour for a short time, but not for the greater good. The realtionship they build up is not going to last long without severe damage for Chloes psychic health. The dependence Chloe is driving into is not healthy for her, but she gets there easily.

But we know from the third dream scene vom BtS that William predicted, that there will be a greater beauty to come and that Chloe has to be cautious because of the fire. The theme behind this dream is not truly clear, but many people back the theory, that William warns her about Rachel.

What I believe is that this is the truth and that the greater beauty to come is a reference to Max.

To summarize it:

Max & Chloe have a pure, deep and sure true love going on, build upon something they can rely: They complement each other with their traits and help each other to become better selfs. Chloes gets back into track, trying to beging a better life and keep her feet on the ground, Max gains selfconfidence, breaking the shell around her.

Rachel & Chloe have a passionate, stormy, and sure emotional love going on, build upon…..well, I don’t really know: They both corrupt each in some ways/many ways, Chloe infects Rachel with her rebellion to certain degrees and Rachel creates a dependency on Chloe that makes her easy to manipulate and worse, leaves her with this tendency of always putting Rachel first, basically not focusing on her own life that is a real mess.

Thanks for reading.

[fireballofinsanity]

✩

The ultimate ship meme!

Definitely gonna need a read more for this one XD

Disagreements:

Who is more likely to raise their voice? Aoi. Not because she wants to, but her temper is along the lines of mutual friend Chazz’s - If an argument gets really heated her volume goes up a bit. Thankfully Jaden’s aware of this and doesn’t really take it as a sign of anything but her needing to calm down and being stubborn like Chazz used to - he’s used to it.Who threatens to leave but never actually does? Neither. They’re way too tight and close to ever even think of it.Who actually keeps their word and leaves? Neither. Again, they’re too close to even consider it.Who trashes the house? Something might get knocked over by accident (or Yubel somehow manages to get involved), but neither of them really trash anything. They’re not that physical~Do either of them get physical? *points* See above. The farthest they get into physical is maybe grabbing a wrist/arm/hand in an attempt to get the other to focus and calm down, but it’s not that hard. Ever.How often do they argue/disagree? Disagreements are a part of life, and even Joi has them, but not too often? Towards the mid- to end of their time in the academy, they were a bit more frequent, mostly because of Jaden’s mental state and belief he was a major factor in everything that happened and he refused to let her get hurt because of him. Once Aoi made it clear she wasn’t letting him walk this path alone, though, things evened out again. Who is the first to apologise? Pretty tied - They both can tell when they messed up or took things too far and jump at an apology right after. Even a small disagreement would have them going “Hey uh… I’m sorry about that-” faster than you can shake a stick.

Family:

Do your muses plan on having children/or have children? Aoi’s not sure how Jaden feels about it, but she’d love kids with him someday XD In other words, Aoi wants mini-Jadens and we all know more than one Jay will make the universe explodeIf so, how many children do your muses want/have? Aoi’s fairly certain one might be their limit, max two. Doubt they could handle much more. XDWho is the favorite parent? Depends, what do the kids want? XD Aoi and Jay both have their strengths and weaknesses - like Aoi’s into fashion and could make anything the kids want to wear, Jay’s the dueling master and could have their decks looking perfect in under an hour, etc.. So I guess it’s pretty tied?Who is the authoritative parent? Jaden, believe it or not. After everything he’s been through, he’d rather buckle down and be more authoritative to make sure his kids are safe and happy.Who is more likely to allow the children to have a day off school? Aoi. The Slifer Slacker mentality is hard to shed from this one. XD Even so, she’ll only cave if the kids seem to be sick or in meltdown mode, otherwise they’re going.Who lets the children indulge in sweets and junk food when the other isn’t around? They both do, but Jaden just a bit more than Aoi. If he has to leave for any reason for any kind of traveling, be it on his own, for work, to duel, what have you, he usually brings back souvenirs in the form of specialty cards and sweets for the kids. And how can he say no to letting them sneak some before dinner?Who turns up to extra curricular activities to support their children? Unless one of them is out of town, they both do. Who goes to parent teacher interviews? Both~ Jay might complain a little and claim it feels like they’re getting in trouble again, like they used to in the academy, but Aoi always just smiles and nudges him along. Definite reminiscing after that. Who changes the diapers? Aoi. XD Jaden tries once in a while, especially when he knows Aoi’s too tired to get up or too busy, but that doesn’t mean he’s good with the smell- XDWho gets up in the middle of the night to feed the baby? Aoi, until Jaden gets used to the routine. Then it’s just the matter of who wakes up first and has the energy to… Though to be fair, Jay does let Aoi sleep sometimes and tend to everything himself so mom can rest. Who spends the most time with the children? Tied~ As previously mentioned, they both love and support their kids immensely; if they have the chance to spend time with them, you best bet they’re gonna take it. Who packs their lunch boxes? Tag team! Aoi cooks, Jay packs.XD They’re not just an epic team for tag duels~Who gives their children ‘the talk’? They both try, but things go so, so wrong. XD Aoi gets overly flustered and passes it off to Jaden, who doesn’t want them growing up that fast, really, and passing it back to Aoi while getting flustered and cracking, himself. Eventually they talk about it together and come up with a way to give it to them together that won’t break them all. XDWho cleans up after the kids? Aoi a bit more than Jay. Not for lack of trying, but their kids are just as hyper as they were/are - By the time things calm down enough to clean up, they’re all generally exhausted and wanting a nap, and Jaden caves to that urge a bit easier than she does. XD Of course she’s out cold and flops on him right after so-Who worries the most? Jaden. Especially if the kids go to Duel Academy like they did. Aoi’s used to pulling him close to hold and reminding him everything’s at peace now, and they’re their kids - They’ll be fine. Who are the children more likely to learn their first swear word from? Uncle Chazz. XD

Affection:

Who likes to cuddle? Aoi~ Well they both enjoy it, but Aoi usually instigates it by curling up beside Jay and cuddling and snuggling. Jay usually responds in kind in about a heartbeat~Who is the little spoon? Aoi about 85% of the time. The rest of the time, Jay is, though that’s usually when he flops into bed first. Also varies if they have nightmares; the one having them, while still asleep, gets turned into the little spoon and a little kiss to help try and ease their dreams into something kinder.Who gets naughty in the most inappropriate of places? As much as they try to keep things from getting to that point, Jaden might actually instigate something in the worst places, usually by accident. XD Aoi’s not always gonna say no, either-Who struggles to keep their hands to themself?  Once Jay’s home for good, Aoi does a bit more than him. Though walking around hand in hand or linking arms is fairly normal for them, even before they got together, Aoi keeps forgetting that wrapping an arm around his waist and sticking her hand in his pocket is a surefire way to set things off- XDHow long can they cuddle until one becomes uncomfortable? A few hours? At least as long as a typical movie, which they’re generally cuddling during unless it’s something super action-y they’re both really into. Even so, most of the time it’s just a simple readjustment and they’re right back to it~Who gives the most kisses? Aoi. XD She’s prone to excitedly peppering Jaden with kisses when she’s all hyped up or really happy, something he usually just laughs through and accepts.What is their favourite non-sexual activity? Dueling. Have you met Jaden? XD Aside from that tho, they’re pretty fond of adventuring around their home, taking trips together, seeing new sights - they’re still really alike, even as older teens/adults.Where is their favourite place to cuddle? Bed The couch, partly because it’s comfortable and there’s tv there, and partly because they have everything they might need within a reasonable distance away, be it the kitchen, bathroom, what have you. There’s also a window nearby, so they can just cuddle and watch the world outside in the process. Who is more likely to playfully grope the other? At first, they both do, though it’s a matter of “Oh god I didn’t mean that I swear-” and turning into tomatoes. But the older and closer they get (they can get closer than they already are? XD), the more they’re likely to do it on purpose, though honestly perhaps a bit more on Jay’s side when it comes to doing it intentionally. Like mentioned before, Aoi’s so happy to have him close she might not realize she’s doing it right away, like the hand in his pocket, but won’t stop once she does unless asked to. Jay might intentionally just go for it and then play innocent until she all but tackles him. XDHow often do they get time to themselves? After Jay’s settled down at home, fairly often. They live together in their own place, so it’s not hard to find time for themselves. While he’s traveling, they have to make the most of the time they get, since he’s not home long before he’s off again, so they’ll make time by calling out of work and skipping other meetings. And after they have kids, time alone, specifically, is a bit harder to come by, but they make do and still find plenty of it.

Sleeping:

Who snores? Jaden. XD Not enough to keep Aoi awake, but he so does-If both do, who snores the loudest? Jay~Do they share a bed or sleep separately? Share a bed. While they were in the academy, dorm rules forced them to sleep separately… But that never meant Aoi couldn’t crash in Jay’s room regardless- XDIf they sleep together, do they cozy up together or lay far apart? For the most part, cozy up. Jaden frequently sprawls out at first, but they usually end up snuggled into each other at some point during the night.Who talks in their sleep? Both guilty, but it’s rare. On Jaden’s end, it more than likely has to do with a nightmare of some kind, and on Aoi’s it’s.. Er… Let’s just say if she starts mumbling about bears in tutus everything’s fine. XDWhat do they wear to bed? Unless it’s super hot out, Jaden’s got himself a random shirt and shorts/sleep pants, and Aoi tends to wear a pair of short shorts and a tank top or a loose-fitting nightgown. If it’s really hot, he might ditch everything but his boxers and she’s wearing one of his shirts. XDAre either of your muses insomniacs? No. While it’s fairly easy for them to stay up all night for an adventure or to talk or what have you, it’s just as easy for them to crash in the middle of.. Just about anything, really. Their friends got used to finding them leaning against each other, fast asleep, at any given point in time. XD Can sleeping pills be found by the bedside? Not unless one of them in so stuffed up and sick they can’t sleep. Only then will there be cold meds at the bedside to help them nod off.Do they wrap their limbs around each other or just lay side by side? Wrap their limbs around each other. but like with cozying up, somewhere along the night they end up entangled in each other. If one of them should wake/get up in the middle of the night for whatever reason, once they settle in to sleep again it’s usually snuggled and wrapped around the other. Who wakes up with bed hair? Both, but Jay’s hair is the very definition of “I just woke up” anyway XDWho wakes up first? Generally Aoi. Jaden can sleep through their alarm, but Aoi usually wakes up within five minutes of it and smacks it to the floor. XD Actually getting up is a totally different story, tho-Who prepares breakfast in bed for the other? Depends on the day/night before. If Jay’s just gotten in from traveling, Aoi’ll let him sleep and bring him breakfast in bed once he wakes. If they had a rather active night and he’s still feeling fluffy, he’ll bring her breakfast in bed. And if one of them is sick, or had a particularly stressful day the day before, the other brings them breakfast until they feel better/to make them smile.What is their favourite sleeping position? Snuggling. This stems from the times Aoi would sneak in and spend the night with Jaden while they were in the academy; with a bunk barely big enough for even him, they had to learn how to snuggle in close to one another for comfort’s sake. This followed them through to adulthood, where even if they start out sprawled out, they usually end up snuggled in close with their limbs entangled by the middle of the night. They occasionally fall asleep spooning, but that’s not as common - they’ll normally end up just a big mess of limbs.Who hogs the sheets? Jaden. XD Especially during the winter - he’ll wrap everything up around him, and should Aoi happen to get up for any reason, when she comes back her lover’s a nice little blanket cocoon. XDDo they set an alarm each night? They do, but only one of them wakes within a reasonable time of it going off~Can a television be found in their bedroom? Yup! A small-ish one, but they have one in there. Usually used for lounging around in bed on lazy days or a late-night movie, though when they have kids they end up watching it a lot more, since the kids hog the living room tv. XDWho has nightmares? They both do, but Jaden a bit more frequently than Aoi. Even years later, it’s a bit hard to shake the horrors he’s seen completely… Though Aoi’s always there to help ease them away and support him.Who has ridiculous dreams? Definitely both XD Who sprawls out and takes up most of the bed? Jaden! Pretty common for him to start out the night sprawled out and snoring XD Aoi thinks it’s adorable~Who makes the bed? Aoi, who does it right after breakfast out of force of habit. Sometimes tho Jay makes it in the bedroom first and does it, but usually Aoi.What time is bed time? Whenever they’re tired. XD They try to be physically in bed by midnight the latest usually, but it doesn’t always work out like that and they’ve got no problems with that. If they have early morning plans the next day, they’ll try for ten, maybe eleven,  but again it doesn’t always work out.Any routines/rituals before bed? It’s fairly simple; Aoi lets down her hair and brushes it out, teeth get brushed (usually with a bit of joking and nudging over the sink), and while Aoi tosses dirty clothes in the laundry pile Jay turns down the sheets. If they’re not too tired, they’ll usually snuggle into each other and maybe watch something on tv, talk, reminisce, joke around… If they’re feeling frisky tho absolutely none of this happens. XD But no matter what, they always end their night with a “g’night- Love you~” before trying to nod off.Who’s the grumpiest when they wake up? Unless they’ve had a rude awakening of some kind, neither is exactly grumpy? They’re tired and sluggish, but not grumpy. Now jump on them or scream at them to get up or something to that effect and they will be-

Work:

Who is the busiest? Assuming Jay goes pro after he settles after traveling, he would be.Who rakes in the highest income? Jay~ Are any of your muses unemployed? If he doesn’t go pro, Jay might be? While he’s traveling tho, he would be.Who takes the most sick days? Pretty even. XD If one takes a sick day, it’s safe to say the other will, too~Who is more likely to turn up late to work? Again, fairly even XD If not because one of them slept in, then because they got carried away doing ah.. Other things-Who sucks up to their boss? Aoi, if only to stay on their good side.What are their jobs? Originally, Jay traveled, though probably goes pro after coming home. Aoi… Aoi probably either goes into being a teacher at their local dueling-based school, gets into duel-based fashions, or occasionally offers aid to Chazz and his pro career.Who stresses the most? Fairly even-  For different reasons, but they both get stressed out about one thing or another. Kids, work evaluations, upcoming duels- could be anything as long as it gets under their skin. Honestly, it’s harder to get under their skin than anything else-Do your muses enjoy or despise their careers/occupations? Pretty much enjoy them? Jaden’s lifeblood is dueling, pretty much, so as long as he has his friends, Aoi, partners, and his deck, he’s a happy pup. No matter the path Aoi takes, too, she enjoys the fact she can keep dueling, stay in with fashion trends, and still keep in touch with their friends, even if its for work.Are your muses financially stable? Pretty much? They’re nowhere near rich, but they have enough for a comfortable life and still get to to travel sometimes and treat their kids in the future~

Home:

Who does the washing? Aoi about 80% of the time, Jay the rest. Aoi lived alone until he came home, for the most part, so she had to get used to running a home on her own. Jaden being home means they make an epic tag-team on household chores~Who takes out the trash? Jay~Who does the ironing? Jaden! Aoi made sure he knew how, so they can both do the laundry XDWho does the cooking? Aoi~ If only because she gets to the stove first XDWho is more likely to burn the house down just trying? Gotta say Jaden- He’s probably not that bad, but Aoi’s the better cook.Who is messier? Pretty tied XD They end up cleaning it up together, tho, so nothing stays a mess for TOO long-Who leaves the toilet roll empty? Both totally guilty. XD Not too often, at least, but with them it’s easy to get distracted in the middle of getting a new roll and just… Not do it. XDWho leaves their dirty clothes on the floor? Jay~ To be fair tho this usually happens at night, when they’re getting ready for bed, and Aoi grabs both his and hers for the laundry pile out of habit.Who forgets to flush the toilet? Neither-Who is the prankster around the house? Oh god. XD They’re both seriously guilty of this- They love teasing each other, so small, harmless pranks are pretty commonplace~ Now if they have friends come by, like Chazz, then pranks end up going up a level or so. Still pretty harmless, tho.Who loses the car keys when it comes time to go somewhere? Aoi XD When she’s on a roll, she’s gonna miss something… And that’s usually the keys. XDWho mows the lawn? Jay~ And Aoi’s always waiting for him afterwards with a glass of ice water and a smile~Who answers the telephone? Whoever’s closest to it. XD Aoi tho spends the first month or two after they marry rushing to answer the phone, just because she loves answering it with “Yuki residence”. Gives her the biggest smile~ Jaden has to laugh and remind her they’re married- she’ll be saying that for the rest of her life, a reminder that gives her the warm fuzzies and him a shower of kisses. XD Who does the vacuuming? Aoi, usually while he’s mowing the lawn or out.This way she can plug headphones into a music player and dance around while she’s doing it - Not because she doesn’t want Jay seeing her dance about the house, but because he likes watching it and usually stops her by hugging her from behind and snatching her away for snuggles or a bit of fun, be it bedroom or being generally silly~Who does the groceries? Unless something forces one of them to stay home, like the kids or illness or work, they do it together~ They’ve found that when they’re in a rush, the divide and conquer strategy works and they’ll split their list, take opposite ends of the store, and meet in the middle. Otherwise they take their time and chat about meal planning and what they’re in the mood for while they go~Who takes the longest to shower? Aoi, if only because she ends up daydreaming while she’s in there. XD When Jay first settles down at home, she ends up seeing his soap and shampoo in the shower and just stands there and smiles stupidly for a while because he’s home and with her~ Who spends the most time in the bathroom? Aoi. While Jay can just pass a comb through his hair and be good to go, Aoi is the fashion nut and still ties her hair up in pigtails until she’s pregnant. At that point she spends a bit less time in there and just holds her hair back with a wide clip… But the rest of her routine is still the same. XD

Miscellaneous:

Is money a problem? Nope~ Well, when they first start living together, things are a bit awkward in trying to combine their finances, but otherwise they’re good.How many cars do they own? They wait a while before getting one, and sticking with one. While they both can drive, they don’t see the point in paying for two cars when they both know how to take the bus or train or even walk if the car’s in use. Even so, they still tend to walk more until they have kids.Do they own their home or do they rent? Rent. They don’t actually own until after their first child, when they decide things need to be a bit more permanant for their family’s sake. Renting was just easier and saved them a bit of money in the beginning.Do they live near the coast or deep in the countryside? Somewhere in the middle. They’re within walking distance from the beach, but also not that far from the country, either. Plenty of chances for adventure~Do they live in the city or in the country? City~ A fairly quiet suburb, to boot - It’s not far from busy city life, the country, or the beach, so they could adventure and get to work without much issue, but it’s still a pretty quiet area they can relax and feel safe in.Do they enjoy their surroundings? Definitely What’s their song? From this moment on - Shania Twain, and All of Me - John LegendWhat do they do when they’re away from each other? They’re pretty good about being apart; if they’re separated due to work or Jay’s traveling, they talk via phone call at least once a day, if not every other day depending on how busy they are. Aoi hesitates to admit it, but unless she knows when Jay’s coming home, she sits outside and waits for him each evening. Not with any “He’ll be home tonight for sure!” thoughts in mind, but because she misses him and should he happen to walk down that road, she wants to greet him and welcome him home. Jay might flip through pictures on his phone to ease homesickness and missing her, call her just to hear her voice and remind himself she’s home safe and sound. But if they’re just apart for a day or two, they’re fairly good about dealing with their own lives and meeting up with a kiss and a smile later on. Where did they first meet? Duel Academy, Slifer Red dorm~How did they first meet? They literally stumbled into a friendship with each other. XD Aoi’s room in Slifer Red is right in the middle between Chazz (after he moves in there) and Jaden’s, and she happened to be leaning against the railing when he came out of his room and nearly collided with one another. XD Once they got past that, it was really hard for them to not realize how alike they were and end up as the best of friends, with Jay taking her awkwardness around boys and pretty much smashing the wall she’d built up. XDWho spends the most money when out shopping? Aoi, though she tries not to- It’s the fashions, man! Who finds it amusing when the other trips over? They both snicker a little as long as it’s a fairly harmless trip and neither are really hurt by it. If it’s something a bit more serious, there might be a smile, but they’re gonna be more invested in “are you okay” and helping them up~Any mental issues? ADHD is more than likely on Jaden’s side, Aoi’s just easily excited. XDWho’s terrified of bugs? AOI- Not ALL bugs, but safe to say if there’s spiders and legit creepy-crawlies, she’s running to Jay to squish them-Who kills the spiders around the house? Jay. XD See previous answer~Their favourite place? There’s a small cliff-ish type hill at the beach they frequent, be it to duel (which is definitely safer than unleashing monsters in the house, even if they ARE holograms XD) or watch the sunset. It’s also smack-dab in the middle of a festival area, so it’s even easier to frequent whenever a festival is going on, too - One of those places they just gravitate to. Who pays the bills? They both do. Another divide and conquer situation; once the bills come in each month, they’ll take a look at them together and decide who wants to pay what, and who can pay what given their recent paychecks.Do they have any fears for their future? They’re always going to be nervous about things going south again, like they did often while they were at the academy, but it’s a fear they both tend to keep under a rock in favor of looking towards a brighter, happier future. Jay worries sometimes about their kids wanting to possibly go to the academy like they did, too - totally understandable, according to Aoi.Who’s more likely to surprise the other with a fancy dinner? Jay~ Aoi usually cooks dinner unless they’re out and about or sick, so occasionally he likes to surprise her by doing something special~Who uses up all of the hot water? Aoi XD Not often, but still XDWho’s the tallest? Currently, Aoi is by a single inch. Once they’re all done growing tho, who knows~? Jay might snag an inch on her~Who’s more likely to just randomly hop into the shower with the other? Both guilty XD Especially if they don’t have anything going on during the day and can take their time, they’ll just hop in. After the first few times, it’s not all that surprising anymore XDWho wanders around in their underwear? Usually Jaden, especially if it’s hot out, though if they’ve been particularly active together and don’t feel like dressing afterwards, Aoi’ll join him~Who sings the loudest when singing along to the radio? Aoi, because she’s a massive music lover. XD Jaden usually ends up laughing at how into it she gets and forget whatever they were doing, it’s teasing and snuggling time~What do they tease each other about? What don’t they tease each other about? XD Even when they were in the academy, they’ve been harmlessly teasing each other over everything - her fashion sense, how cute he is when he’s flustered/surprised, the way she can lose track of what she’s saying and completely ramble on full-tilt, the eyes he drew on his eyelids to get away with sleeping during class, her losing herself to her music, his eagerness to jump into a duel at any given second- It’s all totally harmless, but it’s also really often. XDWho is more likely to cringe at the other’s fashion sense at times? JADEN. While Aoi’s on top of current fashion trends, she also tends to edit her outfits herself, so there’s been many occasions where he doesn’t say anything, just cringes and tries to smile. Aoi takes that as ‘please change’ and retreats to the closet. XDDo they have mutual friends? Yup! They have one really big one in common in Chazz, who’s Aoi’s other best friend and one of Jay’s closest. She might know the rest of his group, too, but it’s doubtful she’s be as close to them as she is with Chazz and Jaden.Who crushed first? Aoi, hands down. Jay’s never been totally on top of social cues, so while everyone else and their uncle could either see her feelings for him or even assumed they were already dating when they weren’t, Jay.. Didn’t. XD Any alcohol or substance related problems? Nope~ Not a one~Who is more likely to stumble home, drunk, at 3am? Neither. If either one of them gets drunk, it’s with either each other of close friends, someone’s driving, and it’s actually an accident - neither one really intends to drink to get drunk. Maybe a casual drink when meeting up with the group after some time, or with a fancy dinner, but not to get drunk.Who swears the most? Neither. XD One might slip here and there when they’re frustrated or scared (Ala jumping out from around the corner when they’re supposed to be home alone type scared), but they’re not actively cursing their heads off.