#been really irritable all day and now im crying bc i snapped at my mom's dog

[kroakish]

Remind me to never forget my meds

[snapitseventeen]

best friends to lovers!woozi

I’m suffering real post concert depression right now and overwhelming love for my boy lee jihoon

alright let’s be real

jihoon’s a v shy person

and he also has no time for socializing and making new friends bc svt’s real busy

and he also produces and practices like 24/7

actually when does this boy sleep???

but alright let’s get to it

you and jihoon have known each other your whole lives

your parents and his parents both are high school sweethearts and best friends so of course they planned to get knocked up the same time and have kids the same time

t o tally norm i mean i would

he was born first so he automatically has the ‘seniority’ card my ass it was 2 weeks

there hasn’t been a day that you haven’t spent with him

of course i mean until he goes to seoul

b ut im just getting started so not yet

it was natural for you two to become friends honestly

everyone knew you were inseparable

you lived next to each other so when one of you woke up, you ran outside next door to wake the other ass up

usually u waking him up bc he’s a rock my head rock my head ok bye

you guys went through everything together

first fight

first grounding

first period if you’re a girl

first detention

first time you made one another cry

first family vacation

that one time jihoon beat up the dude who bullied you at 7????

and then he got accepted to be a trainee at pledis

you were devastated as fuck!!!!!

you two almost parted ways in bad terms

when he found out, you were the first one he told bc hello best friend!

you were honestly at shock like you knew he was talented and loved music like hell he sang and played for you all the time

but lowkey although you supported him 10000%, you never thought he would actually get in!

so your congrats was just sorta like “y-yay?”

jihoon was so disappointed at your reaction like he thought you would be screaming and bouncing off the walls like usual

so our bub got a bit sad and then you noticed and was like

“n o no noooonooo jihoon I’m so happy for you!!! you gOT IN YAY!!”

and then he did that eye smile and your insides just melted thank you

so you were helping him pack but you felt just like empty a bit??

like it didn’t hit you yet that your best friend of forever was leaving you and home for god knows how long

and so you just blurted it out one night like a few days before he was leaving

you two were playing video games when you put down the controller like “don’t go.”

jihoon was like “what????”

“to seoul, don’t go.”

he was flabbergasted like ????

and then you just started pulling things out of your ass

“what are the chances of you actually pulling this off???”

“jihoon this is dumb”

“just stay here”

oh and then this one triggered him

“what if you’re not good enough”

hiS FACE GOT SO COLD, he never looked at you that way before you were honestly a bit scared

he started yelling at you about his dreams and how you were supposed to support him and how he felt so betrayed and then

“you’re not my best friend. get out.”

and that’s how you ran out crying back to your house

you didn’t talk to him the next day, you actually couldn’t face him

but the day after that he was leaving and as much as you were scared to see him, you couldn’t let him leave without saying goodbye so you woke up and ran to his house in your pjs to see him eating breakfast with his parents

“oh y/n, jihoon was about to see you” his mom said with a smile

“make up already, we all know you two can’t stay mad at each other for long” his dad said as you and jihoon were walking upstairs to his room

it was quiet at first but then both of you started saying sorry at the same time and you kept talking so just like honestly it was a relief

you ended with a hug and a few tears saying how much you were both going to miss each other and how you’ll text and keep in touch

sadly you couldn’t accompany him to the bus bc you had a school thing so you said goodbye at his house

you guys did keep in touch of course but as the days weeks months and years went on with him not coming back home bc practice you eventually stopped texting and calling each other

you began pursuing your own thing - highkey you were a really talented volleyball player and you were happy your parents were your biggest fans and you actually thought you could do this for a career

when jihoon debuted you were so excited you were keeping tabs on him and his group bc hello you were his best friend!

you literally burst out laughing at his pink hair but you were also like “aw he looks so different nice job puberty”

you sent him a text on his debut day and he responded so fast you were a bit shocked tbh

“CONGRATS JIHOON I SAW YOUR VID ITS SO GOOD I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU ACTUALLY MADE THIS SONG ITS SO GOOD I MISS YOU I SUPPORT YOU ALL THE WAY FROM BUSAN I ADORE YOU LOVE UR BEST FRIEND Y/N”

“I MISS YOU TOO YOU ACTUALLY LIKE IT??? THAT MAKES ME FEEL SO MUCH BETTER I GOTTA GO BUT I MISS YOU AGAIN BEST FRIEND :)”

“oh by the way nice pink hair”

“shut up”

you guys didn’t talk to each other again for a while bc hello he’s a hot idol now

bUT THEN YOU FOUND OUT you got accepted to the most competitive volleyball team in seoul so ofc you had to go

the first couple months you were so caught up with practice that you never even thought of texting jihoon

and then he called you one night like

“you’re in seoul??? what the heck man why didn’t you tell me?”

“what how’d you know?”

“one of my members watches volleyball and we were all watching and i saw you and yeah”

and that’s how you ended up setting up a date and time to meet up with jihoon at his dorm with the other 12 members of seventeen????

you were honestly a bit scared like you knew his group, you knew enough about the members to know who all of them were, you actually really liked their music and it still amazes you every time you think your best friend produced this song???? but like whAT IF THEY DON’T LIKE YOU

and then you rang the doorbell dressed sorta nicely like -> (girl / boy)

and this one really tall guy with dyed hair opened the door

“oH YOU MUST BE JIHOON HYUNG’S BEST FRIEND? HE TALKS ABOUT YOU A LOT!! IM MINGYU!”

and then jihoon comes out and tells mingyu to let you in and to stop being annoying and

yOU ALMOST HAD TO DO A DOUBLE TAKE BECAUSE brO

LEE JIHOON

YOUR BEST FRIEND SINCE BIRTH

LOOKS SORTA REALLY FUCKING HOT

and like you saw his pictures from his comeback BUT

him in person WOW and he got taller than you so like ;)))

and likewise he’s like in his head shiT WERE THEY ALWAYS THIS ATTRACTIVE????

but you two greet each other in a big hug and his busan accent came out while talking to you and his members are just like :)))) “we’ve never seen him so hyper :))))”

and so you meet all his members and you guys eat for a bit and honestly you hit it off with them thEY LOVE YOU and when you and jihoon go to his room for some best friend catch up time some of the boys start pouting and whining and it’s really cute but jihoon pulls you towards his room with jeonghan mingyu and cheol and just locks the door

you two talked for the longest time it was like you were back in busan in his bedroom and that made you tear up a bit like you missed him a lot like the first year or two coping without him was absolute hell for you

you were the only person that he felt so easy to talk to like words flowed out endlessly and without that comfort in the beginning he was so lost

sadly you had to go back to your own dorm and so you said goodbye to jihoon and seventeen (not before you got their numbers and snapchats)

you still didn’t see jihoon very often, but you certainly did communicate with him a bit more

every time one of you had a break, you would send a snap and a little “hey loser good luck with adsfgfdj today”

you honestly didn’t know when you began to catch feelings for jihoon and same with him

like the rare times you two hung out together, the first thing you noticed was how good he looked no matter what he was wearing

you just like began noticing every little thing he did

you especially loved seeing him work at his studio or seeing him dance

his body just moved so fluidly??? like he wasn’t in the performance unit or anything but he was so good at dancing!!!

and his seriousness when working at his computer like you were in awe how did you not notice this handsome face since idk your birth?

when he caught you staring at him yOU BLUSHED SO HARD and he did that little smirk like “you okay there?”

you almost smacked him

that night you were in your bed just thinking about him like you were making theories and everything

“alright if he liked me this could honestly be the best thing ever. I know a lot about him and he knows a lot about me okay we grew up together we uSED TO BATHE TOGETHER alright mom and dad love him and hello aunt and uncle basically adopted me already-wait not adopted, that would make him seem like my brother hell no okay so-”

the day you both found out you liked each other was a wild ride

you got hella scolded by your coach bc you kept making mistakes at your game and you were just not having it so you went to their dorm a bit uninvited just like hoping they’d be okay with having your company for a bit bc you needed some lovin

you were literally about to cry and all the boys were like “y/n no!!!”

so they kept trying to make you laugh and that really made you feel better

and then they started being sly with you and jihoon bc you sure as hell know that they know about jihoon’s crush on you

“y/n who’s your favorite member???” jeonghan ha

“oh that’s an easy one!”

jihoon just expecting it to be him

“minghao!”

“yES!”

“what the hell???” jihoon accidentally said out loud

everyone was laughing like hard crore even you

and then baby just left to his room and you’re like ??????

cue seungkwan “u made him jealous y/n oh no!”

so of course you go after him and try to talk but he’s just in his room all stoic and a bit irritated just at the mere thought of you and minghao together

so you’re like “jihoon what the heck? it’s just a harmless topic”

“why don’t you like me??”

“don’t be dumb, we’re best friends-”

“exactly, that’s why I should be your favorite”

“stop being a baby”

“I’m not! just thinking about how you like minghao makes me wanna punch him”

and you like cross your arms and sigh bc even when he’s overreacting he’s still so fucking cute!

“it’s not like I wanna date him”

and he’s just like “whatever”

so you’re just pumping yourself up like thiS IT IT PERFECT TIMING DONT PUSSY OUT

“I mean, if they asked me who I would wanna date, I would definitely say you”

“what”

“what?”

he would be so shocked but also like :))))))

“-and I know this would potentially ruin our 19 year long friendship but-”

“shut up and come here” and he would pull you in and hug you so close like you would feel lightheaded a bit in a good way

and then he looks at your face and looks at your lips and your heart is beating so fast like you’ve been wanting to do this since you first saw him again and 

boom boom

“hey is everything-oH HEY!”

you and jihoon as a couple would be the cutest thing ever

jihoon hates pda with the guys but he LOVES it with you it sort of offends the boys a bit

he always holds your hand he loves being connected to you

really likes it when you give him back hugs tho

really appreciates when you force him off the computer and you two just lay down on the couch in his studio cuddling and you’re just stroking his hair

sort of addicted to kissing you too especially on the shoulder

it’s honestly perfect because you guys are just so comfortable bc hello again you’ve known each other since birth

the boys love you and they always count on you to take care of him when they can’t and vice versa

support 100000% he streams your games and you his performances

you’re his muse to everything you’re the reason he gets up every morning

tours are hell bc all jihoon wants to do is hug you and sometimes facetime is hard bc time zones but you both somehow make it work

you guys barely fight at least not big ones, you both understand it won’t be easy but you love each other so it’s okay

there’s a huge amount of trust which is so important when he travels

when he announces you to the public you get a fair amount of hate and he got so sad but you’re like “eh”

eventually the fans accept you and love you bc like you’re jihoon’s best friend and who better to be with him than someone he’s known his whole life???

omg when both your parents found out

your dad to his dad

“you owe me a car”

jihoon makes me so warm and this was longer than I thought it was gonna be but !!!

[laurent-ofvere]

amnesia snippets bc im a disorganized fuck

“ @safetytank the base plot is that ya boys are out doing something or other with some soldiers and get jumped by bandits, damen gets clonked on the head and THE REST IS HISTORY (fuck me i’d love to make this proper and finished but the wedding fic is taking up all my attention) also feel free to stick any of this under a readmore bc even these little bits are kinda long”

-

DAMEN GETS AMNESIA AND FORGETS LAURENT AND ITS SO SAD AND IM SO SAD EVERYONE READ THIS AND CRY WITH ME

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

            Auguste of Vere knelt over him, one hand tilting his jaw upwards as that accented voice said again, “Damen.”

            In the split-second it took him to drive his fist into the prince’s shoulder, he had the sense of mind to stomp down the pang of guilt at how his opponent’s expression had been one of worried concern.

            Strangely—if fortunately—the Veretian hadn’t expected the move at all, and hit the ground hard enough that the force threw him onto his back. In the space of a heartbeat, Damen rolled over and scrambled to his feet, yanking his sword from its scabbard in expectation that the other prince would have done the same.

            He hadn’t. His counterpart had only managed to wedge an elbow between himself and the grassy dirt, and now Damen could see what looked like a piece of yellow silk knotted tightly around the arch of his foot.

            He frowned, his sword’s grip never wavering. Auguste hadn’t been injured before they had begun fighting, he was sure of it. And neither of their armies carried yellow, only blues and reds. Now that he thought on it, he didn’t recognize their surroundings at all. Marlas was a wide-open field, not a valley between gently-sloping hills and dense forest.

            And Auguste…was not Auguste, he realized with a dawning moment of comprehension. The man lying at his feet was a fair double, possessing the same pale complexion and blond hair as the Veretian royal family, but he was thinner, softer, and wore his fear more plainly than any real crown prince would have allowed.

            “Damen,” the impersonator repeated. Then, in Akielon, “It’s me.”

            He breathed out, letting the tension drain from his shoulders. Just like Vere to claim they would hold to the rules of an honorable battle, and then send a body-double in their prince’s place. He sheathed his sword, staring down at the false prince with unmasked disdain.

            “Clearly,” he spat, “it is not. Tell me where you have taken me.”

            The confusion on the double’s face gave him pause, enough that the man seemed able to gather himself, wheels clearly turning behind those lake-blue eyes.

            “We’re camped at the foothills of Serecote,” the false prince spoke in accented Akielon. “You are in no danger.”

            His glance around them at the bodies strewn across the grass was a snippy retort all on its own.

            “They were brigands,” the Veretian continued, admirably calm for someone sprawled on the ground with what looked like a broken ankle and a ruse that had come apart inside of a minute. “Loyal to no country and no ruler. All of them have been dispatched.”

            As likely a story as any. “Why have you brought me here?” he demanded, very deliberately placing a hand on the pommel of his sheathed sword. “Are you hoping for an Akielon surrender if my father can’t produce a combatant? Because I can assure you that won’t be the case.”

            The imposter’s flinch was the only hint that his words had any effect whatsoever. No matter, he thought, taking a last glance at the corpses strewn around them for any clue that one might be playing dead with a knife gripped under their bloodied breastplate. The hills surrounding them would provide enough of a vantage point to gauge his distance from any mountain ranges, and from there chart his course back to the border.

            The only problem would be evading his captors but, as he met the double’s eyes again, he didn’t believe that would be too much of an obstacle.

            “Damen.” He paid the double no attention, choosing the nearest hill that wouldn’t leave his back exposed, in case the imposter had falsified his broken ankle as well. “Damen!” Then what had to be a filthy curse in Veretian. “Damen, wait!”

            “Don’t call me that,” he responded in annoyance, turning his head enough to catch sight of the imposter still propped up on his elbows—his injury legitimate, then.

            “Damianos of Akielos,” the double snapped, the title dripping with venom. “Your father has been dead for three years.”

            The lie was of such poor quality its brazen tone caught him entirely off-guard.

            “Is that what they told you to say?” he blurted after a moment or two. “Your masters are more terrible at this than I thought. Where’s your national pride in dishonesty and deceit?”

            He shouldn’t have stayed to insult the exposed fraud, no matter how amusing it was to see the man take such offense that he was rendered practically speechless.

 ~~~~~~~~OH SHIT EVERYONE ELSE SHOWS BACK UP~~~~~~~

            “United?” he blurted, the words punching through the shock rooting him to the spot. “How—when—”

            “I believe it would be appropriate,” Auguste’s double interjected, silencing Nikandros’ beginnings of an answer, “for proper introductions at this time. None of this will make sense to him otherwise, so it would be prudent to begin with what is most important.”

            From the gathered men’s silence, it seemed they agreed. Damen bristled silently at their acquiescence to a Veretian, and a professional liar at that.

            “Fine,” he agreed reluctantly. “I would hope you know me already,” he addressed the gathered Akielons, whose nods without hesitance were a comfort. “In fact,” he turned back to the man wearing a prince’s armor, “the only one here I don’t know is you.”

            Were he not seated as close to the imposter as he was, he might not have caught the minute strain of a tendon in the man’s neck, only a flicker of movement before those icy eyes settled on his own.

            “Very well,” the man replied, his tone deliberately kept even. “Your people know me as King Laurent of Vere.”

            King? His mouth fell open. He didn’t bother trying to close it again.

            “You, however,” the man, the king of Vere, continued, “know me as your Prince-Consort.” He spoke the Akielon words with more of a pronounced accent than he did his conversational vocabulary. “We have been married for two and a half years.”

            “We have not,” was all that came out of his mouth, on such a whispery breath that it robbed the words of the argumentative tone he’d intended. “We haven’t—Nikandros, this is—”

            His friend’s lowered eyes were answer enough on their own.

            “Married?” Damen blurted helplessly. To him?

            “Whether you remember it or not, it was somewhat of an extravagant affair,” continued King Laurent, as if he were discussing the weather. “Three days of ceremonies, seven more of feasting, some ridiculous display you insisted on that involved horses—”

            “The first ride is a revered tradition,” Damen mumbled, cheeks flushing with warmth. The thought of parading around atop a ceremonially-decorated steed with this mouthy Veretian royal in his lap was embarrassing enough without the addition that everyone presently gathered had likely witnessed it as well.

            “So you told me, repeatedly.” The king’s tone remained cool and unperturbed as one pale finger idly circled the rim of his goblet. “Perhaps it’s better you’ve forgotten the mountains of paperwork that came after. Ratifying the merge of two kingdoms did not make for a particularly thrilling honeymoon.”

            They were married.

~~~~~~~~MOM THE BOYS ARE FIGHTING ;A;~~~~~

            “Oh,” he groaned aloud. Right. Married. Of course there was only one bed. “Did we—”

            “We shared it,” Laurent answered, his eyes never straying from his sheaf of paper. “And many other things besides.”

            He was glad Laurent hadn’t looked up. He wouldn’t have approved of Damen’s appalled expression.

            “You needn’t subject yourself to my presence tonight.” Of course Laurent had caught his shudder despite Damen’s best attempt to hide it. “My own quarters are distanced enough that my existence shouldn’t offend your gentle sensibilities.”

            “Are you always like this?” he responded irritably, his words harshened by exhaustion and still-lingering disbelief. “I can’t think what I must have seen in being insulted every time I so much as breathe with you around.”

            “It’s no concern of mine that you shy away from responsibility like a whipped dog,” retorted Laurent, finally deigning to lift his gaze from the report fix Damen with an icy, calculating stare.

            “I’ve been told not half a day ago that not only is every member of my family dead, some after trying to kill me, but that I’m supposed to lead two kingdoms’ worth of people that want any excuse to throw us back into war!” he exclaimed in exasperation. “It’s a lot to take in, thank you!”

            He’d hoped pleading for sympathy might soften those blue eyes, but they merely narrowed in subtle displeasure.

            “Ten years might have passed for you, but they haven’t for me,” he continued, too tired to keep the helplessness from seeping into his voice. “I’m not the Damianos all of you are convinced I must be. I have no idea what to make of any of this, to be truthful. I’m still not sure I believe any of this is really happening. And you’re not helping with this needless vulgarity.”

            Laurent simply stood and made to leave. “You are correct,” he spoke over his shoulder in parting. “You are not Damianos. He would never defend his inexperience by bleating like a sullen child.”

            The canvas flap of the tent entrance had already swung back into place before he’d finished spitting an obscenity at Laurent’s retreating back.

~~~~~~everyone’s upset, let’s calm down a little and try again~~~~

            “His Majesty humbly requests your presence, Exalted.”

            The messenger was well-trained enough not to react to Damen’s disbelieving snort at the use of the word “humbly.”

            The tableau in his head hadn’t been exact, but he’d carried a clear expectation of how the King of Vere might present himself upon Damen’s entering his tent. From what little time they’d spent together he’d become quite accustomed to the haughty reticence and lancing words, familiar with his supposed-husband’s meticulous dedication to exacting social performances. As such, Damen had expected to find him lounging disinterestedly on some ornate piece of Veretian furniture, or perhaps seated at his missive-covered desk with a quill and impossibly straight-backed posture.

            He certainly hadn’t expected to catch the ruler of two nations in the midst of pouring tea.

            “Damen,” Laurent acknowledged, “thank you for coming.”

            Everything about the scene was jarring. The fussy, demanding King Laurent bent over a low-set table with an overly elaborate piece of porcelain in hand, serving tea as if the camp wasn’t full of attendants to do it for him. The pair of cups he must have acquired specifically for this purpose, as their Akielon simplicity couldn’t have looked more out of place surrounded by Veretian opulence. The fact that Damen had been greeted cordially, almost warmly, rather than enduring some manner of snide comment upon his entrance.

            He hadn’t been this wary since his father had agreed to hear the Veretian herald’s terms at Marlas.

            The dark turn of his thoughts must have shown on his face. Laurent set the teapot down, one pale hand indicating the seat arranged opposite his own.

            “I fear we’ve made poor first impressions of one another,” he said, making no visible acknowledgment of Damen’s cautious approach and guarded sitting posture. “Yesterday was a volatile time for the both of us, yourself in particular. I believe it would be to our mutual benefit if we could, perhaps, start anew?”

            If it seemed too straightforward for what Damen had come to understand was a treacherously corkscrew Veretian nature, it was probably exactly that.

            “As much as I’m sure you’d love to uncover some hidden motive of mine,” Laurent interrupted as if reading his thoughts, “you will be disappointed to find that I am perfectly capable of honesty, should the situation call for it.” Some unidentifiable emotion passed over those blue eyes. “I have you to thank for that, in fact. Tea?”

            Whatever his dedication to remaining steadfast against Laurent’s machinations, he could perhaps hope that one claiming to be his husband would not try to poison him with so many Akielon soldiers gathered outside. His first sip had his brows raising in surprise.

            “This is—”

            “Ironwart,” Laurent finished for him. “You introduced me after we returned to Ios.” Something gentle flitted across his face, quickly hidden by the action of lifting his own cup to his lips. “You pouted at me for an entire afternoon when I told you Veretian tea is taken with milk.”

            “That doesn’t make any sense,” he said, “you’d just end up—”

            “—Diluting the flavor,” Laurent said together with Damen, their voices mingling in unison. “You were quite clear in your belief that I’d rendered the health benefits entirely ineffectual.”

            “Not that it stopped you, I’m assuming.”

            “Now you’re catching on.” The approval in Laurent’s tone sounded strange, at least compared to the predictability of his snappish insults, but it was not unpleasant to have directed at Damen for once.

             His eyes caught on a glitter at Laurent’s wrist. Strange, he hadn’t thought the king’s austere preferences included jewelry. Laurent, of course, noticed immediately, and lifted his other hand to tug back his sleeve.

            The golden cuff encircling one slender wrist was Akielon in design, simple in shape and minimalist in decoration. Were the implication of such an item not paramount to its aesthetics, he might have said the color suited the Veretian king.

            “You gave me this,” Laurent said, turning his hand so that the metal glimmered in the lamplight. “Its twin sits on your own arm.”

 ~~~~~~~~~~REBUILD UR RELATIONSHIP AW YEAH~~~~~~~~~

            “Tell me about Damianos.”

            Laurent, perceptive as ever, had immediately turned those blue eyes upon him with an unreadable expression. “What do you wish to know?” The guarded tone was clear, though his closing and setting aside his book was a sign that it was safe to proceed.

            “What you—what he was like,” Damen corrected. “There are ten years between us, and I have…difficulty understanding the place he occupied in the world.”

            Though Laurent remained seated with a wary stiffness, the admission seemed successful as an extended olive branch. “He was an effective ruler,” he began, clearly playing his words close to his chest. “Much beloved by his people, and passionate about the merge of two kingdoms so long at war with one another. Though he was one of the best captains I had ever served with, he did not possess a violent heart, and was pleased to see conflicts ended with a minimum of bloodshed.”

            It was entirely possible Laurent was withholding anything but praise for the Other Damen out of a hope that compliments would earn him the veneer of trustworthiness. Still, Damen couldn’t bring himself to think that his counterpart could have been a greedy miser or a murderous tyrant. The Akielon honor guard would never have treated him with respect if he had, let alone the unanimous support Other Damen seemed to have garnered from the kyroi.

            “Who was he when he wasn’t king?” Damen asked, hoping to keep from demanding too much too quickly, else his best source of information might shut down and wave him off entirely.

            Laurent broke their held gazes, turning instead to his hands clasped in his lap. “He disliked confinement,” he said after a moment’s pause. “If there was nothing to hold him from it, he would be out riding or hunting, or participating in some manner of sport.”

            That, at least, sounded familiar. He didn’t even realize he’d let a smile creep onto his face until a glance at it seemed to strengthen his plea in Laurent’s mind.

            “He gave endless amounts of advice, whether it was called for or not. He made no mystery of his opinions, and stood by them with a conviction I’ve yet to see matched by any other man.”

            “He sounds incredibly stubborn,” Damen offered.

            “I’ve met rocks with less commitment to holding their ground.”

            He chuckled aloud at that, imagining the Other Damen and Laurent debating into the night because neither believed in surrendering his point. The sound of his voice seemed to startle Laurent, earning him another of those looks that carried within it a strange jumble of approval, mixed heavily with sorrow.

            “What brought the two of you together?” he asked, tentatively and hoping his intrusion might be buoyed forward on good humor. “It seems a strange coupling, given how different you both are.”

            “A shared goal,” Laurent answered simply. “He wanted his country back, I wanted mine. His brother stood in his way, my uncle stood in mine. Any course other than working together would have been ill-advised, suicidal at worst.”

            “Did you get along with him then?”

            “Of course not,” Laurent practically snorted, though such a crude verb could hardly be applied to the delicacy of his every action. “He found me insufferable and I found him defiant and uncultured. Had he not proven his usefulness to me I’d have had him executed on the flimsiest of premises.”

            He’d heard the gist of the story, but to have it confirmed so flippantly put an uncomfortable weight in his stomach that he couldn’t quite get rid of.

           Of course, Laurent would have noticed even if it hadn’t shown on his face. The observation seemed to sober the other man somewhat from the light tone he’d used moments before. “I treated him poorly,” he admitted in what could almost be described as a small voice. “He didn’t deserve the punishments I inflicted upon him in my misplaced anger. He proved his unwavering loyalty time and again, and I couldn’t have asked for a more honorable companion.”

            “You cared for him very much,” Damen observed, dropping the pretense of phrasing it as a question.

            Laurent sighed, his gaze rooted firmly to the floor. “I did.”

            In that moment, he could begin to conceptualize the sheer weight of loss that had to be hanging from the Veretian king’s shoulders. The Damianos he spoke of was everything Laurent himself was not. Together they’d tackled situations neither of them could have survived on their own, and had deposed two usurpers to rule two kingdoms’ worth of people through their combined efforts and complementary strengths. To lose that person, with whom he had built so much and weathered so many storms…

            “I’m sorry,” he said weakly, though the words seemed to inadequate to fill the silence that had opened between them like some great, gaping chasm.

~~~~~i’m sorry~~~~~~