#drake walker x male mc

[justcallmefox89]

Cinderfella's Adventures in Cordonia - Chapter Twenty-Three

An AU of The Royal Romance with a male MC and a bisexual prince.

Masterlist

Return to Cordonia

Liam restlessly drums his fingers against the armrest of his seat, occasionally darting irritated glances towards Callum and Drake.  Pangs of anger and jealously shoot through him as he watches the two interact; his chest tightening as his observes the tender way Callum treats Drake, as if he is something fragile and precious.

Callum tucks a soft blanket around Drake then slouches lower in his seat, allowing Drake to comfortably pillow his head on Callum’s shoulder.  Callum presses a soft kiss to the top of Drake’s head before picking up a battered paperback and starting to quietly read out loud.  Drake’s eyelids begin to flutter, and his breathing becomes deep and even as he quickly drops off to sleep.  Callum tenderly smiles down at him and resumes his reading silently, remaining as still as possible to avoid disturbing Drake’s sleep. 

If they weren’t currently 40,000 feet above the Atlantic ocean Liam would have thrown himself out of the plane without a second thought, anything to escape the painfully sick feeling he gets seeing Drake and Callum together.

Someone slides gracefully into the seat next to him, temporarily drawing his attention away from the two men. 

“I took the liberty of making you some tea,” Hana murmurs, passing him a steaming mug.

Liam inhales the fragrant steam and takes a sip, the scalding tea burning his tongue and temporarily distracting him from his misery.  “Thank you, Hana,” he says, smiling at her gratefully.

“How are you?” she asks, concern shining in her brown eyes.

Liam takes another sip of tea, trying to collect his thoughts.  “This is a situation I never expected to find myself in,” he finally admits.

“I doubt many people do,” Hana replies, stifling a smile.  “I don’t envy you, Your Majesty.  Madeline is furious.”

Liam stretches in his seat, picking out a familiar head of blonde hair sitting several seats ahead of him.  He shrugs, unable to muster enough energy to care about his fiancée’s anger.  “It’s no secret that our marriage isn’t a love match,” he sighs.  “I’m not sure what she expects from me.”

“Probably for you to not openly stare at Drake and Callum as if you’re a jealous lover.”

The king turns his head to stare at Hana, shocked at her uncharacteristic boldness. 

She nervously tucks her hair behind her ears and clears her throat.  “Her pride is hurt, Your Majesty.  No matter the truth of your arrangement it is important to her that the two of you appear to be a loving and committed couple to the public.”

“It’s getting harder and harder to pretend,” he admits, slumping back into his seat.  “I see those two together and I remember every wonderful moment I’ve had with them, and I can’t help but imagine what kind of future we could have together.”

He speaks without thinking, unwittingly admitting to his previous relationship with Drake.  Hana smiles to herself, happy to have her long-standing suspicions finally confirmed, but allows the moment to pass without comment.

“But then I remember how easy it was for Callum to give up, to walk away from me without a fight,” Liam continues.  “And I see how easy it was for Drake to just fall into his arms and I feel… betrayed.  I’m furious, Hana.  With both of them.  And I don’t want to be, but I can’t help it.”

Hana levels him with a disappointed look and he squirms under her gaze.  “I would hope you know both of them well enough by now, especially Drake, to know that none of this is easy for them.  It wasn’t easy for Callum to leave Cordonia, but at some point he had to prioritize his well-being over the chance you might choose him.  For you their relationship came out of nowhere, but Drake was Callum’s rock during the social season, sometimes even more than myself or Maxwell.  They understand each other in a way we never will, because in many ways they will always be outsiders in court.  They bring out the best in each other.  Drake grounds Callum.  And Callum makes Drake free.”

Liam frowns, silently ruminating over her words.

Hana sighs, softening her tone.  “I understand that you’re angry, and that’s fair.  But you need to understand that you played a part in all of this too.  You decided to prioritize your duty to Cordonia, and you have to accept all the consequences that follow.”

“You know better than anyone that I didn’t have a choice.”

“There is always a choice, Liam.”  Hana tentatively lays her hand over his and gazes at him earnestly.  “Drake and Callum chose happiness, it’s not too late for you to do the same.”

“I…” Liam hesitates, the very thought seems overwhelmingly daunting.

Hana squeezes his hand reassuringly.  “I will remain your friend whatever you decide, Liam.  But bear in mind that if you do marry Madeline you run the chance of losing them both forever.”

“I know,” he whispers sadly, glancing over towards the pair.  Callum has joined Drake in slumber; his cheek rests on the top of Drake’s head and he smiles faintly in his sleep.  “I know.” 

[flutistbyday-1]

One Number Away

I have been in my feels lately… This is the result of that.

It’s angsty. Very. Sorry.

Inspired by “One Number Away” by Luke Combs. (Listen to it before reading! Song may make you cry.

It’s a TRR/TRH fic and that’s all I’m saying.

Flashbacks will be formatted //like this// because I don’t feel like fighting mobile.

Unbeta’d 🤷🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️

I promise I’m working on JDG!

⚠️ WARNINGS: cussing, oral (both male and females receiving), squirting, ANGST.

Word Count: 1,256

(Image from the music video.)

His fingers hovered over her name— he could call her. She would answer, like she always did. She would come over and they would fuck like they always did. And she would leave after like she always did.

He knew that she loved him, she had said so time and time again. He also knew that when it came down to it, he had fucked up. He had made a piss-poor decision and had lost the woman he loved.

She had agreed to be his lover, on one condition: no feelings and no sleep overs.

He had agreed to that years ago, but he never bargained on her falling in love with someone else... especially his best friend.

He dialed all but one digit of her phone number before his wife came into the room and he had to set down his phone.

His mind drifted to their last meeting.

[[MORE]]

//His lips were on hers the minute the door was closed. He shoved her against the wall, lifting her hips and she could feel his emotions in his kiss.

“Stay,'' he whispered across her perfect lips.

“You know I can’t,” she whispered back, pulling his head closer to hers and kissing him back with just as much emotion.

“Why not?” He asked, unbuttoning her blouse and pulling it down past her shoulders.

“Because I don’t love you as much as you love me. Because I’ll never be enough for you. Because you deserve so much better than me. I don’t know what you wanna hear,” she whispered. “What can I tell you to make you understand that will never be good together?”

“We are amazing together,” he whispered as his hands traveled south, pulling out the waistband of her jeans and pulling them down.

“Yeah,” she said as her hands traveled to his button up. “When we’re having sex and no other time.”

He stopped her hands and his eyes search hers. “What do you mean?'' he asked. “We were amazing together,” he growled.

“Yeah, we were,” she emphasized as her hands traveled south and unbuttoned his slacks.

His hands rested on hers, stopping her motions. She groaned and looked up.

she whined. “You promised. No more feelings.”

He fought back tears as he searched his lover’s eyes.

“Easier said than done,” he whispered gruffly.

She shook her head and resumed her task of undressing him. //

She took a drag from her cigarette at the red lights. She could hear his voice, his laugh everywhere. It hurt.

She still loved him, but he had made his choice, and it wasn’t her.

She’d agreed to be his lover, as long as feelings were never discussed.

However, she hadn’t planned on falling in love... especially with her lover’s best friend.

When she got home, her husband was at the door, tugging her inside and kissing her passionately.

She giggled into the kiss and let him wash out the images of the last time she was with her lover.

When her husband had rolled over and gone to sleep, she dialed his number and almost hit call before his name lit up her screen.

She bounced out of bed and down the stairs to her office.

“Hi,” she breathed into the phone.

“Hi,” he said. “I miss you.”

“I miss you too. I was about to call you.”

“I can’t do it anymore. I need you,” he said.

“I know.”

“Come over. Tomorrow. Please,” he whispered.

“Okay,” she whispered.

//The man lavished her neck with sloppy, open-mouthed kisses as her hand wrapped around his cock, stroking him and gripping him till he was painfully hard.

He groaned into her neck as she played with the sweet spot at the head of his dick. Her fingers danced elegantly along his length, drawing all sorts of obscene noises from his mouth.

His lips traveled from her neck to her collarbone, leaving goosebumps in their wake. He deftly unclasped her bra and pushed the straps down her arms and began sucking and biting one nipple while his fingers played with the other. It wasn’t fair, really. He could— and had— made her come from just nipple play.

Her eyes rolled to the back of her head and her grip slackened. He took this as an opportunity to lose his pants entirely and toss her onto his bed.

He kissed down her stomach and past her hips and straight to her center. He spent no time teasing her. He wasn’t in the mood for it. No, he licked her folds like a man starved. He licked and sucked on her clit, writing I love you with his tongue.

He entered one finger, then two, and curled them until she was writhing under him.

Her groans spurred him on, made him even more anxious to make her come undone.

“Liam, I’m going to—” she called out, but he could feel her walls pulse.

She came seconds later, squirting everywhere

He kissed his way back up her body and she pulled him close to her, kissing him with a renowned fervor.

She rolled so that she was on top, kissing his neck, knowing that it drove him wild.

“Love,” he whimpered.

She chuckled but humored him by kissing her way down his body, leaving a hickey on his hip.

She also wasted no time teasing— she sucked his cock into her mouth and grasped his balls in one swift motion. She loved feeling him in the back of her throat.

He had a considerable length, but she was an expert at taking him in her mouth.

She hollowed her cheeks and he threw his head back into the pillow.

One hand fondled his balls and the other grasped him where her mouth was absent.

“If you— if you don’t stop—” he warned.

She let him go with a pop and smiled as she kissed her way back up his body.

She lowered herself onto him and began riding him with abandon.

Bruising fingers grasped her hips and feet planted into the bed so that he could jackhammer into her.

Tonight was about reminding her who she belonged to.

She gave up all semblance of control and let him fuck her sensless— she just held on to his arms for dear life, screaming when another orgasm tore through her.

She moaned his name as she squirted again.

He moaned as he emptied her seed into her.

She lay on top of him as they both came down from their highs. Riley placed one hand under her chin and blankly stared at the wall.

He played with her hair and cursed to himself when she started stirring.

She rose from her spot and the man’s arms tightened around her. “Stay,” he begged.

She just shook her head. //

As much as they would like to admit, goodbye never got any easier. It got harder and harder, so she just stopped showing up at his door.

It was especially hard to be his lover when she was pregnant with her husband’s child.

It was harder after the child was born and six weeks later, he was blowing up the woman’s phone, begging her to come over.

She never could say no to him.

So when they were finished and they rolled to their sides, he was surprised to see that instead of packing her things, she was dozing off.

“Are you staying?” His voice was even but his thoughts were hopeful.

“Just for tonight,” she mumbled.

“I love you, Your Grace,” he said.

“I love you, too, Your Majesty.”

**********************************************

(In case you haven’t figured it out, it’s Riley x Liam)

PERMA

@kingliam2019

@glaimtruelovealways

@drakewalker04

@kimmiedoo5

@imthequeenofcordonia

@texaskitten30

@dcbbw

@cordonia-gothqueen

@custaroonie

@shz256

@hopefulmoonobject

@sanchita012

@bebepac

@ac27dj

@we-lazystudent

@losingbraincellseveryday

@mom2000aggie

@ravenpuff02

[argylemnwrites]

Choice

Pairing: None really, this is a mother/daughter fic, but Drake Walker x MC (Riley Liu) is referenced

Book: The Royal Romance (It Couldn’t Wait Another Moment universe, set about 30 years after Why Are We Still Waiting?)

Word Count: ~3000

Rating: R (language, referenced childhood trauma)

Summary: Sometimes, you just want your mom, no matter how old you are.

Author’s Note: Well, I am very rusty!!! Writing has been very slow going as I work to get back into things, and please forgive the inevitable clunkiness here, but in light of certain national news, I felt compelled to actually write this story that had been in my head for a long time. Never really thought it would see the light of day, but I feel like it kind of works as a very non-traditional Mother’s Day story. This is very much a “not for everyone” kind of story, but it’s one that I felt like exploring at this moment.

Content warning for unplanned pregnancy, abortion, and referenced teen pregnancy. Seriously. That’s literally all it’s about. You have been warned.

It was rare when Jackie came to Riley first when she was hurt or upset. The last time she could remember cries for “Mommy” more consistently than “Daddy” was when she was a tiny toddler, waddling around a Brooklyn condo, pulling on the tail of a corgi who was simultaneously too old to have the patience for the energy of an 18 month old and too old to really care. But pretty much by the time that Jackie was stringing words together, Drake had become her preferred source of comfort. It had never bothered Riley. It wasn’t like she and Jackie had a strained relationship or anything. But Jackie and Drake had always just had a special bond. And over the years, as scraped knees and lost stuffed animals progressed to preteen clique drama and questions about her sexuality and then to failed physics tests and breakups, Drake had been the one to hear about things first, to hug her first, and to bake her a batch of butterscotch blondies.

But every now and then, Riley had been the one Jackie had turned to when she was in need. Her first period. Her first time on the receiving end of unwanted male attention on the subway. Her first trip to the OBGYN.  Riley knew there were things a daughter just naturally wanted to talk to her mother about instead of her father. Unsurprisingly, a pregnancy scare was also on that list.

It had been a scramble to change plans when Jackie had called Riley, her voice thin and small, saying she was a few weeks late. She’d rationalized a lot, saying that breaking up with Jason and moving out had been stressful, so of course she was late, but Riley could still hear the fear and anxiety behind her seemingly calm words. After all, she normally was pretty regular.

So, instead of Jackie flying down to the ranch for a week surrounded by the love of her family following her first adult break up, Riley had booked a red eye to New York. Hopefully, they’d be able to head down soon, but Riley knew that flying her daughter down to Texas when she might have an unwanted pregnancy was not an option. So, she hopped on the bus that would take her from LaGuardia to her daughter’s new studio apartment just as the sun was rising. She felt more like a tourist than she liked to admit - Queens had never been a borough she was all that familiar with, after all, but she still was enough of a New Yorker at heart to find a good option for bagels and coffee as she walked to the new address she had programmed into her phone.

When Jackie opened the door to her apartment, she immediately sank into Riley’s arms, crumbling down, no longer seeming to be taller than her. Riley hugged her back as best she could with a bag of bagels in one hand, a drink carrier with two coffees with cream in the other, holding her tightly, taking in the loose sweatpants and dirty sweatshirt her daughter had likely been wearing for at least a couple of days. 

“Mom,” said Jackie, her voice almost shaky.

“I’m here, sweetie. It’s going to be okay, no matter what.”

Jackie let out a little hiccup as she nodded, clutching Riley’s back tighter for just a moment before stepping back. “Welcome to my new apartment - the best that less than two weeks' notice could find.”

Riley smiled at her daughter’s deflection, taking in the boxes stacked around the room, the takeout packaging piled up on the counter, and the nest of blankets in the middle of the futon. 

“Sorry, I know it’s a fucking disaster.”

“I think, given the circumstances, that’s pretty damn understandable. You hungry?”

Jackie nodded, so the two of them made their way the short distance to the futon, sitting down cross-legged facing each other, Riley passing her a sesame bagel before pausing as she reached to hand her a coffee.

“Sorry, I should have asked if any smells were bad for you or -”

“No, I’ve just been mad hungry all the time. No nausea or anything. It’s probably why I didn’t even think I might be…” Jackie trailed off as she took her coffee from Riley, taking a sip with a shrug.

“Do you… do you want to talk about it right away, or do you want to eat breakfast first?” Riley asked, trying to keep her voice steady. She knew she needed to be a source of strength for her kid. It would only freak her out more to know that Riley was also worried.

Jackie bit into her bagel, chewing and swallowing before she answered, “I mean, I guess there’s no point in putting it off, huh?”

Riley gave a shrug of her own. “No, I guess there isn’t. Have you given any thought to what you want to do if you are pregnant?” Riley definitely had her opinion about what would be the best option, and she was pretty sure that Jackie was feeling the same way, but she didn’t want to sway her in any way. This had to be her choice at the end of the day.

Jackie nodded, running her hand through her long hair streaked with purple, the roots with a heavy coating of grease. “I don’t want a baby. I’m not ready to be a mom.”

Riley bit her lip, trying to figure out how to phrase her next question, since Jackie’s answer really only ruled out one option, even if she was pretty sure Jackie would have worded things differently if she was thinking about giving a baby up for adoption. Jackie must have realized where Riley’s mind went though, because after a moment, she added, “And I don’t think I could… I mean, I’m not sure…” She took a breath and a sip of coffee before she finished her thought. “I don’t want to feel like I’m going through this breakup for nine months, Mom. I know that probably makes me a coward or something, but-”

“That does not make you a coward, sweetie. No fucking way. Not even close. Any reason you have is valid to me.”

Jackie forced a smile before taking another bite of her bagel. “I don’t know. Not being able to pee on a strip of paper might make me a bit of a coward.”

Riley let out a chuckle at that. “I think lots of people are cowards in that case. Or maybe the old plastic tests used to just be a lot more intimidating.”

Jackie rolled her eyes. “Did you seriously just go all ‘back in my day’ about pregnancy tests?”

Riley chuckled again, shaking her head. “Living with Leona must be rubbing off on me.”

Jackie let out a snort of laughter before placing her coffee on the floor and wrapping her free arm around a leg, tucking her knee under her chin. “Okay though, serious question - were you ever scared… like this… to take one?”

Riley nodded without hesitating for a second. “Absolutely. Not the exact same circumstances, but yeah, I’ve been here a few times.”

“How many times?”

“Depends how you count things, but I would say three.”

Jackie tilted her head to the side. “What do you mean, ‘it depends on how you count things?’”

Riley let out a sigh. Discussing her sex life from decades ago with her daughter was not something she’d ever pictured doing, but she figured Jackie was looking to not feel so alone as she sat in a new apartment, reeling from a messy breakup, trying to mend a broken heart, and likely dealing with an unplanned and unwanted pregnancy. So, if some of her past might help show her daughter that this was a fairly universal female experience, that things can still work out okay, well then Riley could swallow down the awkwardness and share her stories.

“I’d taken Plan B after a condom broke, so that pregnancy test wasn’t quite as nerve-wracking. I didn’t have any reason to think that I would be pregnant, but I still wanted to just be sure.”

Jackie nodded against her leg. “How old were you?”

“Twenty-two.”

Riley watched as Jackie did some quick math in her head. “So, before Dad then?”

Riley cocked an eyebrow. “I hope I haven’t scandalized you too horribly with revealing that I didn’t wait until my wedding night to have a sex life.”

Jackie let out a genuine burst of laughter at that. “No, I was just trying to figure out if you… if you had support from the guy, I guess. Besides, nothing could scandalize me after seeing what you wore for Skype sex with Dad.”

“That’s what you get for not letting me know you were coming home for the weekend and showing up unannounced,” Riley said, feeling her cheeks flush. That moment had been highly embarrassing for all three of them. “But to answer your question, it was after a one-night stand, so while the guy came to Duane Reade with me to pick up the Plan B, I didn’t really feel like turning to him for support since I didn’t even know his last name.”

“What about the other times - was the guy there for you then?”

“One time yes, one time no,” Riley said with a shrug. “My foster moms were there for me though, and trust me, they were a better support than him.”

“So you were�� pretty young, then?”

Riley nodded. “Seventeen. Not that I felt that young at the time, but looking back…”

Jackie nodded. “Can I… I mean, don’t feel like you have to answer. I’m just curious if-”

“It was positive,” Riley said, answering the question her daughter was obviously dancing around.

“Oh.” They both were silent for a few moments, before Jackie spoke again. “So you…”

“I had an abortion, yeah. It was the right choice for me at the time.”

“But the guy wasn’t there for you? Even though you guys were so young?”

Riley winced. She could follow her daughter’s thought process easily - two high schoolers should both feel like they aren’t ready to be parents. But Jackie was making an incorrect assumption. “Well, he wasn’t quite as young as me for one thing.” Jackie’s eyes widened at that. “Yeah, it’s as creepy as you are imagining. Turns out assholes who prey on girls much too young for them aren’t super supportive when you tell them you are pregnant.”

“Oh, Mom. I’m so-”

“Sweetie, I appreciate it, but my goal here isn’t to make this all about me.”

Jackie nodded. “I know. But I still am sorry.” She paused for a moment, eyes dropping to her feet. Riley watched her tuck her toes under an orange blanket before she spoke again. “I guess I just assumed, but maybe… if he had been supportive, would you have made a different choice?”

Riley waited until Jackie glanced back up and then she shook her head. “No, I would have made the same choice. I never had any thought of having a baby or putting one up for adoption for a lot of reasons. His attitude wasn’t even really a factor.”

“Still pretty shitty of him, though.”

“Just one of the many shitty things he did,” Riley said with her shrug.

“So was that the scariest time you had to take a pregnancy test?” 

Riley shook her head. Jackie’s eyebrows shot up at that.

“You had a worse pregnancy scare? Oh god, and here I am, crying out for my mommy when-”

Riley placed a hand on Jackie’s forearm, effectively cutting her off with her touch. “First of all, this isn’t a competition. Any pregnancy scare can be unsettling, okay? You don’t need to hit a certain threshold of traumatic shit to be freaking out and worried. I can promise you, the last thing on my mind when you called me was that you were overreacting. All I thought was that I hoped I could be there for you in a way that was helpful, because worrying about an unplanned pregnancy on top of a messy breakup sounds like a recipe for a mom not being able to make things better for her kid, no matter how much she wants to be able to help.”

A tear leaked down Jackie’s cheek, but she smiled at Riley as she grabbed her hand. “Trust me, Mom, you’re helping. Just being here is helping.”

“Good. Just let me know what else I can do, okay?”

Jackie nodded, letting out a sigh as she shifted closer to Riley, snuggling up against her side. Riley wrapped an arm around her, remembering all the times they used to cuddle on the couch when Jackie was upset growing up. It was so reminiscent of those moments from many years ago that Riley couldn’t help but ask, “Should we put on Moana?”

Jackie burst out laughing, tugging a blanket over both their laps. “I don’t know if that would be helpful anymore.”

“I don’t know, it worked pretty well from what? Age three to nine?”

Jackie tilted her head against Riley’s shoulder with one last chuckle. “Maybe we’ll save that for later, then.”

The pair sat in comfortable silence for close to a minute before Jackie spoke again. “Was there a second of all?”

“Huh?”

“Before, you said ‘first of all.’ Was there something else you wanted to say?”

Riley quickly thought back to the last few things she’d said before realizing where she’d been going. “Oh, just that my last pregnancy scare wasn’t my worst. It was just my scariest.”

Riley felt Jackie pull back, so she twisted to look her in the eyes. “There’s a difference, sweetie.”

Jackie frowned, running her fingers across the edge of her blanket. “I’ll bite. Why was it the scariest?”

“Because I didn’t know what my choice would be. I was not even close to being ready to be a mom, but I saw kids in the future for me and him. I didn’t know which feeling would win out.”

Riley could practically see the wheels spinning in her daughter’s mind, mulling over that statement. “I can see that, I guess. I don’t know though. I know what my choice will be, and I’m still mad scared.”

“I never said that the other times weren’t scary. But it’s different for everyone. You know that, Jackie. So many factors come into play - jobs, relationships, money, living situation, age, personal beliefs, that sense of being ready. I can’t tell you how to feel about this because even though I’ve gone through my own scares, that doesn’t make them the same as yours.”

“I know, I know. I just… I thought the break up was bad enough. I thought that Jason and I were it, you know? And then out of nowhere I had to move and put my life back together when all I wanted to do was eat caramel corn and lay in bed? That sucked so bad. But now I have to deal with this on top of all that?”

“It’s shitty, Jackie. There’s no point pretending it’s not.”

“Was it shitty even when the guy supported you?”

Riley nodded. “The sheer panic rolling through my body definitely sucked. But knowing that he was going to be there with me, no matter what, well that did help calm the storm a lot. That’s why it was my scariest, but not my worst.”

“The way you talk about that one… it was with Dad, right?”

Riley nodded again. “Yeah, sweetie. It was.”

“Was it… was I-”

“No, that was years before you, and I ended up not being pregnant,” Riley interrupted, not wanting her daughter to wonder for even a second more if she had been some unplanned source of turmoil. “Not that all wanted pregnancies are planned ones, but I promise you that you were both wanted and planned.” She leaned over and dropped a kiss on the top of her daughter’s head, nodding in reassurance as she settled back down on the futon. 

Jackie let out a sigh. “I want to say that going through this with Jason would be easier, but maybe you’re right. Maybe if we were still together, I’d be less sure about things, think about keeping it.”

All Riley could do was shrug. “Maybe you would feel differently. Or maybe you wouldn’t. It’s one of those things that it’s hard to know what choice you’d want to make if it was a different circumstance.”

Jackie grimaced and shook her head. “I guess it really doesn’t matter. It is what it is, right?”

Riley nodded. “All you can do is make the decision that’s right for you based on how your life looks right now.”

Jackie took in a deep breath, then let out a long sigh as she scooted off the futon. “Well, I guess then I better go pee on a strip so I can find out if I even have a decision to make.”

“No matter what happens, it’ll be okay. I’m here, alright? I love you, no matter what.”

Jackie nodded before turning to her left and walking towards a door that was presumably the bathroom. Before the door closed, she stuck her head out and said, “I’m really glad you’re here, Mom. I don’t know that I could have done this without you.”

Riley quickly swallowed down the lump in her throat that had formed at her daughter’s words. After all, this was about how Jackie was feeling, not her. But that degree of trust and openness and love was something she’d never felt towards a parent, and sometimes it still caught her off guard that she’d done enough as a mother to be worthy of such emotions. That in spite of her flaws and blunders and mistakes, she’d done enough right to have a good relationship with her kid. But she couldn’t dwell on that now, not when Jackie needed steady reassurance. So she just smiled gently and said the only thing that she could.

“Of course, sweetie. There’s not anywhere else I would be.”

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

Perma: @forallthatitsworth @mom2000aggie @octobereighthfornow @kingliam2019 @lovingchoices14

TRR/TRH: @motorcitymademadame @iplaydrake @princessleac1 @twinkleallnight @ladyangel70 @marshmallowsandfire @axwalker @sirbeepsalot @iaminlovewithtrr  @marshmallowsaremyfavorite @hedgehogs-dilemmas

Drake x MC: @rubiwalker @debramcg1106 @walkerdrakewalker @petiteboheme @mskaneko

ICWAM: @sunnyxdazed​

[choicesficwriterscreations]

Throwback Fics #129

Open Heart

Baby It's Cold Outside | Tobias Carrick x F!MC - @jerzwriter

Here with Me | Ethan Ramsey x F!MC - @coffeeheartaddict2

Hottest Man Alive | Ethan Ramsey x M!MC - @dr-colossal-pita

Kokoleka Wela (Hot Chocolate) | Bryce Lahela; Keiki Lahela - @storyofmychoices

On the East Coast | Ethan Ramsey x F!MC - @potionsprefect

Still Into You | Ethan Ramsey x F!MC - @liaromancewriter

The Royal Romance

Cinnamon Spice | Unidentified Male character from TRR  x F!OC - @bebepac

Hinge: New Beginnings (Christmas in Valtoria) | Liam Rys x MC x Drake Walker - @angelasscribbles

A Winged Wish | Drake Walker x MC - @karahalloway

[camiddletonxox]

Baffled and Torn

Pairing - Sam Dalton (Male) x Charity Middleton (The Nanny Affair)

Characters - Male Sam, Charity (MC)

Rating - Teen+ mentions of sexual contact and swearing

Note - Somehow I just wrote this, and it turned out differently to how I planned it, please let me know what you think

Taglist - @drakewalkerfantasy @ao719 @princess-geek @polishchoicesfan @binny1985 @desireepow-1986 @adriansbiss @i-bloody-love-drake-walker @hatescapsicum @itscassandral @gardeningourmet @heauxplesslydevoted @thequeenofcronuts @kaavyaethanramsey @choicesolivia @waitingforalana @regencylady1810 @dailydoseofchoices @storyofmychoices @sanchita012 @sushiharrington @choicesficwriterscreations

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Prompts - Mistake Day 4 @choicesmonthlychallenge

Summary - Charity can’t get Sam off her mind, no matter how much she tries to convince herself she hates him....

Word count - 969

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Everyone makes mistakes, even Sam Dalton. But Sam Dalton, the ass of a employer of mine, had made the mistake of treating me like crap. All I wanted to do was punch his face but it was the fact his face was handsome is what made me decide against it. Ugh, why I am so attracted to him?? I had just dropped the twins off at school and I made my way to my room. I needed a shower. I take my clothes off, staring at the hickeys all over my body. Jesus Christ Charity, get a grip on your life. Your not needy that Charity anymore, the girl who followed the quarterback around like a lost puppy, my subconscious scolds me.

I touch the hickeys and the night before floods back to me, the taste of his lips on my own, the taste of pure blinding desire that enraptured my body and I shudder. No one does that to me the way Sam fucking Dalton does. Gahhh why can’t I get him out my head. I step into the shower, letting the water flow over my body, taking a deep breath as I run my hands through my hair, ensuring it gets wet. I grab my shampoo, dolloping a small amount on my hand and then i massage it into my scalp, rubbing it in, wishing Sam was doubt this to me. Gah, this is unbearable, my biggest mistake was falling for him. I sigh deeply as I stand in the hot water, rinsing my hair, repeating the process of washing before I put conditioner in and wash myself.

I turn the shower off, and step out, wrapping the warm towel around my body, looking at myself in the mirror. Sam had no right to drive me to insanity the way he did last night and then just ignore me as if I didn’t exist, it was rude and hurtful. I look at myself knowing my father would snort in amusement, me getting all in a state over a goddamn man! I brush through my hair before I place it in a plait, then change into a orange floral play suit. I start at myself in the mirror, the mark on my neck visible now my hair was in a plait. Why did I have to fall for my boss? And why do I have to be close to him all the time.

I enter the living room and Sam is there on his laptop, he doesn’t even notice me as I walk past which is something I guess. I walk in the kitchen quietly, hoping he didn’t see me. I settle at the island after making a coffee, sipping on it as I get lost in thought. Thought about what a mistake it was to want to work for a man who sends my brain into some mental breakdown whenever he smiles, whenever he is close to me.

“Charity?” Sam asks and I jump, realising he has come into the kitchen, his dark hair messy, but the cute kinda messy, ugh stop Charity just stop. His grey eyes burnt into my own as I looked at him.

“Do you need something?” I end up snapping at him but he deserves it, he’s been a jackass to me. He looks at me slightly surprised by my outburst but he doesn’t say anything to me. He sits down across from me, he can sense I’m tense, I can tell by the way he looks at me concerned. Goddamn you Sam Dalton, stop doing this to me. Stop driving me so mad that my body and brain hurt constantly with the way you look at me and they way you make me want to be in your arms.

Sams gaze never leaves mine, he sips on his own coffee. “You just seem tense, and annoyed.....” he trails off and I look him in the eyes. Yes I wonder who’s caused me to feel this annoyed, oh wait, it’s you.

“Well when you are kissing me like a crazed teenager then treating me like rubbish this morning, you should not expect a warm oh Sam I think your amazing from me” I spit and he looks at me, he looks guilty as he looks at me.

“I’m sorry” he says and I laugh, is that all you can manage Dalton? God you can be such a piece of work at times. He steps closer to me and I feel suffocated with longing. He stares into my eyes.

“You are such a baffling human” I tell him, looking directly at him and he looks at me apologetic. My heart starts to thump against my rib cage, every part of me wants to scream.

“Just being near you baffles me” he says, “how can I want you so badly” he tentatively brings his hand to my cheek, running the backs of his fingers over my cheek, every single awful thought I had about him seems to disappear, his touch calms me, his presence....

“This isn’t fair, Sam. On me” I whisper and he looks at me a intensity in his eyes, “I spend time with your sons on a daily basis and you, and I’m having a hard time when you are with Sofia. But I feel like I’m ruining something good” I continue. Sam looks as torn as I am as he stares into my eyes, his eyes are beautiful.

“I know.... it’s a mess” he sighs, “but I won’t lose you, we will work this out together, I promise” I can tell he is trying to make a sincere promise, but can I really wait on him to sort his shit out? I sigh and just look into his eyes. Is this really possible? Can I really continue to put myself through this? Could this turn into my biggest mistake yet?

[star-spangled-eyes]

Dirty Mind: Part 1: Simple Man

This alternate universe fan fiction uses characters created and owned by Pixelberry Studios. Character names, descriptions and likenesses are owned by Pixelberry Studios. Some dialogue and events in Book 1 of TRR are property of Pixelberry Studios. The MC, Bragnae Bennett, and story is created and owned by this author.

Book: The Royal Romance (Alternate Universe)

Alternate Universe Theme: Drake’s perspective  

Pairing: Drake Walker x MC (Bragnae Bennett – *pronounced Brawn-yah)

Warnings for this miniseries: NSFW, Adult content, suggestive and strong language, angst, sex (including character’s thoughts and innuendos)

Masterlist

A/N: I wrote this miniseries in the first person perspective of Drake Walker. It follows events in Book 1 of TRR, but not everything is as you’d remember it from the story. Some things have been altered to better fit this fanfic.

I really enjoyed getting into the brain of Drake, and I hope you like it too. He’s a stud, and I love his sexual, angsty mind.

There are THREE parts to this miniseries. They will be released tomorrow and the following day. Enjoy!

Word Count for this chapter: 8707

Permatags: @burnsoslow @cora-nova @dcbbw @thorfosterlove @emceesynonymroll @edgiestwinter @of-course-i-went-to-hartfeld @msjr0119 @notoriouscs @drakewalker04 @pedudley @desiree-0816 @choices-lurker @kingliam2019 @loveellamae @drakexnadira @flutistbyday2020 @indiana-jr​ @yukinagato2012​ @i-bloody-love-drake-walker​

My name is Drake Walker and I have a dirty mind. I know what you’re thinking. Of course I have a dirty mind, I’m a guy, right? Well, I have to concede that one for that very fact, but it’s more than that. To me, a mind consists of three major influences that can make it dirty.

First, are the things you wish you could say to people, but it wouldn’t be proper including the wide variety of curse words known to the world. Next, are all the crappy experiences in your life that muddy up your outlook. I can admit, I’m snarky, angry a lot and a real pill sometimes, but it all comes with the territory. And last but certainly not least is sex.

What an incredible experience. So incredible that it’s constantly on my mind. Countless dirty questions fill my brain like when is the next time I’m going to fuck someone, where will it be, what position will she be in? Oh, the thoughts are endless. Throw in a particular woman? You’re fucked — mentally. That’s me right now, in case you were wondering. More on that in a bit.

The female body is the most beautiful work of art that God ever created — of course there are exceptions. Like when a woman has a smoking hot body but her personality is so hideous that her sex appeal is lost. At least to me it is. There’s plenty of those around, but thankfully, there are some that surprise you. The ones that have it all — endless talent, sense of humor, dazzling personality, and such stunning looks that you have to pinch yourself to make sure you’re not dreaming.

My brain has been working overtime ever since she walked into my life. Well, butted into my life is more like it. And it’s been hell. Everything was just fine before she came along. Not great, but fine.

I live in the royal palace in a small Mediterranean country called Cordonia. I know what you’re thinking and no, I’m not one of those stuck up noble pricks. My best friend might be the Crown Prince, but he’s not one of those pricks either. If he ever tried to be, I’d damn sure call him out on it. I wasn’t born into this life with a fancy title or hundreds of acres of land in my name.

I was born to wonderful parents, who despite their status as commoners in the kingdom, made me feel like I was the richest kid in the world. Not by money, of course, but with life experiences and lessons only those who work hard for a living can impart to their children.

My dad was a part of the King’s Guard in charge of protecting the two princes before he eventually moved up to Head Guard watching over the King and Queen. He’s Cordonian, born and bred.

My mom stayed at home with me and Savannah, my younger sister. She was born in a small town in Texas in the United States, but stayed in Cordonia after meeting my father during a European college trip she took with her friends.

They fell in love almost immediately and were each other’s best friends. I’ve always looked up to them. Always thought how great it’d be if I could find that too. I often dreamed of meeting a beautiful woman who I not only was in love with, but we were as close as two people could be. Friends, lovers, partners. What a fulfilled life I’d live.

Of course, that meant I’d have to actually find a woman who was willing to put up with my sarcasm, moodiness, and the permanent scowl on my face. And to be honest, it wasn’t looking that great.

Back to the dirty mind thing — don’t worry, I didn’t forget. As I was saying, a dirty mind can develop over time as a result of many things. And I’ve been through a lot in the 27 years I’ve lived on this earth. Okay, fine. It’s not as dramatic and horrible as some people have endured, but I’ve had my fair share of shit thrown at me.

My dirty mind, in particular, consists of many dirty words. You’re listening, so you might as well get used to it now. I cuss... a lot. You would too if you had to hang around the palace every day dealing with snobby, rich assholes who think their shit don’t stink, and that it’s perfectly okay to treat people beneath them like undignified trash. These people have no idea what life truly has to offer. All they care about is their political status in the kingdom, and how they can make more money doing as little for it as they can.

As you can imagine, I have to keep a lot of my thoughts to myself. Unfortunately, you’re going to have hear them all. Consider yourself warned.

My dirty mind also consists of all the shitty things that’s happened in my life that’s left a bad taste in my mouth.

Remember my dad? Head of the King’s Guard? Yeah, well, he was killed while attempting to save the king during an assassination attempt. That sure was nice growing up without a fucking father. I was 13. A brand new teenager with raging hormones and in desperate need of a strong, male role model to keep me on the straight and narrow. It fucking sucked. My dad was everything to me. He was a friend, a teacher, and the best father in the whole world.

When he died, I had to step up to be the man of the house. Sure, my mother was strong — she’d always been strong. But she was having a hard time coping with dad’s death. Savannah was only nine at the time, and was made fragile by the sudden and horrific change in her life.

I didn’t want my mom and sister to worry or feel unsafe with my dad being gone, so I immediately filled that role. And it was fucking hard at first. There was no time for me to cry or grieve because I had to be strong for my family. I had to show them it was all going to be alright even though I had no fucking clue if that was actually true.

My dad’s partner in the guard was Bastien Lykel. He was a great guy. About half my dad’s age, but just as competent. He learned a lot from my dad, but also brought natural talent of his own to the table. Anyway, after we lost dad, Bastien sort of stepped in for us. Not that he ever tried anything with my mom or pretended to be our father — he knew better than that.

On his off duty time, Bastien would spend most of it with my family. He’d tell us stories about working with our dad and help mom with any chores around the house. As time went on, Bastien kept up with what he could, but got increasingly busy with work as he moved up the chain in the King’s Guard.

Mom never really got over dad’s passing. I don’t blame her. I didn’t either. I still miss him every day. But she handled it differently. Money was a real struggle after he passed. It was something she constantly worried about.

Liam, my best friend and prince of Cordonia, talked his father into letting us move into the palace. The king was more than happy to oblige. He was grateful for my dad’s sacrifice so that he may live, and must have noticed how we were struggling. It was kind, and not what I expected as a commoner.

I was 16 by the time we had settled into our new digs at the palace. Savannah was over the moon about it. She always loved hanging around the noble girls her age. She was into all that crap. Fancy dresses, gaudy jewelry, fake smiles. Not that she assimilated to them. Thank God for that. Despite adoring that pretentious life, Savannah remained down-to-earth and never forgot her roots.

It wasn’t long after that when Mom left to move back to the United States. Yeah... wasn’t that swell? Not even a full-fledged adult yet and both parents were absent. Dad died protecting the king, but mom straight up left us. Don’t get me wrong. I love her and will always love her. I know she had to do what she needed in order to deal with losing dad. So did I. But it was hell on Savannah and me.

Mom must have noticed we were strong and independent enough to live on our own. We had stable living quarters at the palace, and were well taken care of in regards to basic needs: food, warmth, shelter. So... she split. Went back to her family ranch in Texas. We talk on occasion, but there’s definitely more than an ocean that comes between us. Hopefully, someday, we can repair that disconnect.

Okay, now that you know a little bit more about me, let me tell you about this girl. Her name is Bragnae Bennett. I first met her in New York when Maxwell, Tariq, and I took Liam to the States for a guy’s only trip — a bachelor party of sorts. Liam would soon have to choose a woman to marry that would eventually rule at his side as Queen of Cordonia. This trip was meant to forget about all of that and have fun – just us guys. At least that was my plan.

On the last night of the trip, we stopped in a crumby bar for a late dinner and drinks. And there she was wearing a white collared shirt, black pants and a maroon apron ready to take our order. Listen, the first time she strolled up to our table, my jaw nearly hit the floor. Luckily, she was looking at the other two as she introduced herself, which gave me a chance to wipe the figurative drool from my mouth.

Long, silky black hair pulled into a messy bun on top of her head, naturally tanned skin, sparkling amber eyes, and delicious curves that would elicit an arousing response in any man. And it did. Maxwell and Tariq were just as captivated as I was, not to mention Liam, who stepped into the bar a minute later. Now it was her turn to be captivated. Of course she was. They all were.

Liam stood six feet and two inches tall – two inches shorter than me, I might add – and he was nothing short of a blonde Adonis. The ladies already swooned for him because he was the prince, but take that title away, and he’d still have no problem adding notches to his bedpost. With his ocean blue eyes and well-proportioned body, Liam was every woman’s wet dream.

So, you can see why Bragnae would immediately turn her attention to him as he made his way to our table that night. We enjoyed our burgers, drank a ton of whiskey, and all stole glances at the goddess that was our waitress. Then, Liam boldly asked her to join us after her shift was over. A part of me was more than happy to have more time to look at her, but a bigger part was annoyed.

Obviously, she was taken with Liam, so there went my chance with her. I never stood a snowball’s chance in hell with women when Liam was around. Yes, I can admit that the good Lord blessed me with attractive features. Brown hair that looked good at any length with eyes to match, a strong jaw line, and the ability to chisel well-defined muscles on my body certainly helped me get laid. It damn sure wasn’t my personality. But with Liam there? It was no contest.

You’d think it’d be easy for me to hate the guy, but I can’t. He’s my best friend. My brother. We’ve been friends ever since we were kids, and we’ve always had each other’s backs. I’d do anything for him, and I have. Dropped out of college, a life I was keen on living away from Cordonia, and came back to keep Liam company after an attempt on his life. I wouldn’t give up my own happiness for just anyone. There’s few people I care about in this world, and Liam is one of them. The rest can all fuck off.

So, as you can see, I put up with all the bullshit for him. He needs me. He needs someone to give it to him straight, to keep him humble, and to keep him safe from all the selfish vultures that lurk around the palace wanting more for themselves than for their Crown Prince.

So, when Liam showed interest in Bragnae, I had no choice but to back off. It was stupid as hell for him to get her hopes up for the one night. Then again, maybe that’s all she wanted. A hook up. From what I understand, none of that occurred. At least a kiss and maybe some light fondling if I knew my friend. But whatever transpired between them that night after they snuck out of the club together was enough to prompt Bragnae to make a life changing decision to temporarily move to Cordonia for the chance to compete in the Social Season to win Liam’s hand.

Ugh. The Social Season. Don’t even get me started on that. As if Liam didn’t already have a parade of ladies vying for his attention, the kingdom made it a season for the prince to choose his future bride.

And Bragnae accepted Maxwell’s invitation to take part in it. I have to admit. I lost some respect for her when I saw her climb aboard our private jet back to Cordonia. I thought she was just another crown chaser, but believe me, I didn’t think that for long. She proved me wrong almost immediately.

I won’t bore you with everything that’s happened since she arrived in Cordonia, for your sake – unless you want me to tell you how many pathetic times I stroked my dick thinking of Bragnae, wishing I was inside her instead. Don’t worry, I’ll give you the highlights though.

Obviously, I wouldn’t be telling you any of this if the damned woman didn’t mean something to me. With her being a suitor for the prince, I knew she was off limits. Maybe that made me want her more. I don’t know. But she was more than just a pretty face and a sexy body. God, the dresses she wears. I get hard just thinking about it. The way she elegantly walks into a room, swaying her hips in an unknowingly sexy way grabs my attention every time. I’m not the only one.

Being the exotic foreigner, Bragnae had captured the attention of many men and even some women with her alluring ways. She truly was the complete package. She knew how to have a good time, spoke her mind, and was gracious, even to those who didn’t reciprocate. And oh boy, did she give me the business. Still does. It’s like I’m her number one target that she attempts to crack. She always wants me to have a good time. What did I do to invite that kind of attention from her?

I’m quite set in my ways, but damn if she hasn’t already broken down some of my walls. I hate her for it. Okay, more like, I hate that she was able to do it. She makes me smile, damn it, and I’ve worked on this scowl for years. How could she do this in such a short amount of time? I’ve come to the conclusion that she’s some sort of temptress. She has to be. Someone with mystical powers of enchanting men, and bending them to her will.

Yeah, I’ve got it bad, but there were specific occasions that led me to believe she might also be into me as well. I know, I know. As I’ve already established, no woman passes up Liam especially for someone like me. So, I’m sure I’m fantasizing about this.

Aside from a few looks and smiles she had cast in my direction at the Masquerade Ball and derby, there were some instances that felt deeper. Like when we went to Lythikos, and that witch Olivia mocked me and my sister for no reason whatsoever except to be cruel. Bragnae stood up to her for my sake, which I wasn’t expecting. I hauled ass out of there wanting some fresh air and a chance to see a meteor shower. Low and behold, Bragnae followed me out.

We ended up having a heartfelt talk that came out of nowhere. I think this was the first time I really started to like her. I was attracted to her from the beginning, but it was when we were lying in a snowbank looking up at the shooting stars above us when I felt a twinge in my heart. I badly wanted to reach out to her, but knew that wasn’t appropriate. As the snow started the fall and we walked back to Olivia’s estate, Bragnae surprised me by slipping her hand into mine.

I instantly felt electricity from her touch. I was almost too stunned to speak. She told me it was for safety, but I could see the truth in her eyes. We had connected in that moment, and holding her hand felt right. There was no way I was letting go. So, we held hands until we reached the manor. Everything changed for me after that night.

Perhaps it was just me and my wishful thinking, but ever since we left Lythikos, I felt that Bragnae was intentionally getting closer to me – physically. It seemed she would find ways to touch my arm during a conversation or sit by me when the opportunity presented itself.

After the Royal Regatta, we went to the beach for a little fun in the sun. She insisted on rubbing sunscreen over my back. I protested only for appearances. Thank God only the ocean could see my face because I was having a hard time keeping my sanity as she rubbed her soft hands up and down my shoulders and back. It sent a shiver down my spine.

Then, she let me return the favor. God, it was amazing. I had a legitimate excuse to touch her… in public… and she was wearing a swimsuit. Up until that day, I hadn’t see more than flirty cleavage when she wore her dresses. She was so close to being naked that day that my heart nearly stopped. As I worked my hands over her back, my eyes traveled down to her glorious ass. Her cheeks slipped out a bit. As soon as I felt my dick twitch, I knew it was time to bail.

We jumped in the ocean soon after that. Seeing Bragnae dripping wet from head to toe quickly moved to the number one slot in my spank bank. The release I had later that day after remembering our shared touches, and seeing her so deliciously drenched by the ocean was amazing.  

And just a few days ago, after we arrived in Applewood, it was my birthday. Liam told Bragnae even though I asked him to not make a big deal about it, damn him. So, Bragnae took it upon herself to organize a night out at a country-western bar in town in honor of my birthday.

If it was anyone else’s suggestion, I would have heartily declined, but I was curious what she had planned, and definitely wanted to see her in a bar setting with a cold drink in her hand. When we arrived, she took me up to the bar and got me a free drink. She chose whiskey – my favorite. She didn’t make me suffer with some embarrassing girly drink. No, she ordered my most favorite libation on the planet.

I let it slip that I thought she was hot, and of course she called me out on it. There was nothing this woman missed. Later on, we found ourselves on the dance floor, and of all people, she shimmied over to me. Even though I told her I was a rotten dancer, she delicately placed her hands on my hips and told me it was as easy as swaying to the beat. She smiled up at me with a glimmer in her eye.

I could chalk it up to it being my birthday, and that’s why I received so much of her attention that night, but the vibes I was receiving from her was more than a friendly gesture. And as if that night wasn’t already better than I anticipated, I willingly shared a sappy story about my childhood birthdays with her, which prompted an unexpected embrace from Bragnae. She pulled me in tightly, her breasts smashed against my chest and her arms clutching my back as she stood on her toes to hug me.

I was stunned for a split second before my brain told me to wrap my arms around her soft, warm body too. She smelled like a fucking angel – citrusy and sweet. It’s my new favorite scent.

You’re all caught up now. Maybe you see what I do, and maybe you don’t. Either way, I’ve got Bragnae on my mind constantly, and it’s becoming a problem. I even began calling her by her last name in an attempt to seem nonchalant and casual on the outside, when I’m really about to hulk out of my own skin because I want her so badly. Hopefully, she couldn’t tell.

I’ve been trying to hide it for the past month now, and it’s becoming more difficult by the day. I don’t want to tell her how I feel, even though I really do want her to know, it’s not right. She’s here for Liam, and that’s that.

It was the morning after the Apple Blossom Festival. Thank Christ that bullshit is over. Bragnae looked cute in her authentic peasant costume, but that was the extent of the excitement for that day. Now, it was time to blow off a little steam.

Liam was actually available this morning for a little work out before he had to attend a few meetings later on in the afternoon. It was nice to have this time with him. Liam had been my work out buddy since we were old enough to start using the gym equipment, which is why both of us are exceptionally toned and buff. I spend a little more of my time in the gym than he does – sometimes three times a day when I’m really bored.

“So, is your dad putting pressure on you to pick a particular suitor?” I couldn’t help but wish they were pushing him away from Bragnae.

“Yes, of course, he is. He and Regina both keep talking up Madeleine.” Liam continued his set of bicep curls.

“And what do you think about her?” I knew what he thought because I thought it too. Again, just hoping for his attention to be swayed to anyone but Bragnae. I focused on pumping up my own biceps as I waited for his response.

Liam gave me a knowing look through the mirror. “She wasn’t good enough for my brother, and she’s definitely not good enough for me. I hate that they’re pushing her onto me like this. I feel bad for her in a way,” he said as he returned the weights to the rack. “She was so close to becoming queen before Leo abdicated the thrown, and now she’s back to try again. It’s pathetic.”

I loved when he was candid with me. He knew he can trust that I wouldn’t repeat his words. That’s what best friends are for. Support and total discretion. “She’s passionate at least,” I laughed thinking about her desperate need for the political spotlight.

Liam wiped his face with a towel. “Passionate for the crown, maybe. But me? It’s all a fucking show. If she’s chosen, I doubt we’ll even fuck. She hasn’t once tried to kiss me when we’ve had moments alone. All the others have. I don’t even think she likes men.”

All the others have. I shuddered at the thought of him being with Bragnae. I hoped to God they hadn’t had sex yet. I haven’t quite figured out what type of woman she was in that regard. What I do know is that she’s smart and adventurous. She dresses provocatively, but with a certain elegance. Who knows if she’s promiscuous or not?

I’m torn on the topic. I love a bold woman who knows what she wants and takes it. It’s nice when a girl comes with experience, but she’s also not just giving it away to anyone who asks for it. If that’s how Bragnae was, I would be happy to know that. Still, I couldn’t bring myself to ask Liam if they’ve gone that far. We’ve talked about sex plenty of times, but this was different. It might be too hard to listen to Liam tell me about how she was in bed. It’s something I’d rather find out for myself.

“Yeah, Madeleine stands out to the masses, but definitely not your style.”

Liam took a swig of water. “I’ll tell you, though, I really like Bragnae.”

Fuck. “Oh, yeah?”

“Drake, she’s amazing. She’s not only beautiful, but she’s insightful too. I feel like I can tell her anything. The people seem to like her, the press too. I’m really hoping my father and Regina give her a chance.”

Damn it. He really likes her. Am I fucking surprised? No. She is amazing. No doubt about that.

“What do you think of her?” Liam asked.

How do I answer this without making it sound like I really like her too? “I think she’s great. She doesn’t seem to have her head in the clouds like most of these women, and she’s genuine. You know that’s always something I can appreciate.” Okay, that was good. Very Drake of me to say. I think that was good enough and wouldn’t blow my cover.

 “I’m glad you agree.” He said, taking a seat on one of the benches. He looked down at the floor with a smile on his face. “That body. She’s so fucking hot. I wish I could spend more time alone with her. I hate the fucking tight schedule they keep me on.”

I blew out a slow breath of relief. Sounded like he hasn’t gone all the way with her. Normally, at this point, he’d be boasting about his opportunity to be with her, but instead he was pining over it. But how long would it last?

“Yeah, I can imagine how rough it is.” They pull him in every direction they can. I wish he’d just tell them to shove it up their ass once in a while. “You’re the prince, man. Do what you want.” Why the fuck am I encouraging this? I hate myself.

Loud music was suddenly audible through the walls alerting us both. As we left the gym, Liam and I walked down the hall to a room where the door was cracked open a bit. Liam pulled it open the rest of the way, and halted in his tracks.

I noticed a stunned look on his face before I saw what was happening inside the room. I stepped up to the doorway, next to Liam, and saw Maxwell leading a choreographed dance flanked by Hana and Bragnae. My mouth fell open in shock as my eyes poured over Bragnae’s body.

She wore a hot pink sports bra top and black spandex leggings that were glued to her skin. Kevin Rudolf’s Let it Rock blared over the speakers as they danced in sync with each other. The beat was fast paced and lively. I actually liked the song – even more so now that I watched Bragnae dance to it.

She moved with ease, spinning, dipping, twirling in rhythm with the song, and it was mesmerizing. The way her hands explored her own body so seductively made my dick jump. Oh, fuck. She just bent over. Now, she and Hana were slowing it down, mirroring each other as they slowly dropped to their knees on the floor. Pumping their bodies on the ground and thrashing their long hair from side to side. Within seconds, the ladies slowly rose again.

I glanced at Liam briefly to see his reaction. He was enthralled, just like me. I was rarely jealous of Liam, but this was definitely one of those times. Not because he was the prince, and not because Bragnae was one of his suitors, but because he could watch her now – unguarded. He could look at her without suspicion as to why he’s fucking her with his eyes.

If anyone saw the way I was watching her with insane hunger and need, they’d think I was a creep or an asshole for gawking at one of the prince’s suitors. How I wished I could look at her openly the way I wanted to. So much of my life nowadays was kept in secret because so much of my life was consumed by Bragnae.  

I had no idea she could dance like this. It was like watching a strip tease, without the stripping of course. God, I wish she was taking off her clothes, too. Damn it. She was confident in her body as she thrusted her pelvis to the beat three times. And there went my dick again. I had to readjust because the pesky thing wouldn’t stay down. I was wearing athletic shorts. Thank God they’re black. My hard-on won’t be as prominent.

The song came to a close as the girls ended in a pose with their backs arched and an arm stretched above their heads. Maxwell did his own pose, not that I gave a shit about how he looked. My eyes were trained on Bragnae. My heart raced and I was breathing quickly all of a sudden. I hadn’t realized it until now. I wanted an encore… bad.

Liam started clapping, which got their attention. Fuck. I wasn’t ready to be exposed as an onlooker yet. My dick was still hard.

“That was phenomenal,” Liam said as he made his way over to them. The room they were dancing in was quite large. It was a multipurpose room used for collective work out routines such as their dance and whatever else the royal family wanted to use it for.

I watched Bragnae as she spun around to face Liam with a surprised expression. Apparently, despite the few times she turned around in our direction, she hadn’t noticed she had an audience. Then, her eyes focused on me. A brief smile crossed over her lips before she looked away. She was embarrassed? Why? That was unbelievably hot. If I could hit replay somewhere, I would.

My dick finally gave me a break, so I walked into the room to where they were standing.

“Are you three practicing for a show that I’m unaware of?” Liam asked with a sparkling smile.

Maxwell laughed. “Nah. The girls just wanted to work out in a fun way, so we put together a flirty routine. You know me. I’m always up for dancing.”

“Yes, and it was incredibly exhilarating!” Hana said with enthusiasm, albeit a bit breathless. “I’ve never danced like that in my life. My mother would have a heart attack if she saw that.”

Yeah, I bet she would. That dance was pure sex.

“And you, Lady Bragnae? Do you dance like that often?” Liam asked politely, but I knew he wanted to see if there’d be a repeat performance in the future.

We were both thinking with our dicks in that moment. And I couldn’t blame him. I was still in awe of what I just witnessed, so I was perfectly fine letting Liam speak to satisfy both of our curiosities. I did my best reconnaissance when I observed with my eyes rather than inquired with my mouth anyway – usually because my words would get me into trouble.

Bragnae nodded as she finished taking a long drink from a water bottle. Her chest glistened from the work out, and her quick and heavy breaths pushed her breasts out every time she inhaled. Goddamn. I raised my gaze to her eyes again in an effort to keep my dick out of the matter. No need to awaken him again. Not until I could at least be alone.

“I dance recreationally like this from time to time, but I’m not a part of a crew or anything. Just for fun.” Bragnae offered up a dazzling smile as she regained control of her breath again.

“I asked the other ladies if they wanted in on this, but Kiara declined saying she was too good for it. Penelope always mimics Kiara’s responses, so she was out. Madeleine acted like she didn’t even hear me when I asked, and Olivia said, and I quote ‘dream on, home boy’.” Maxwell shook his head and chuckled.

Liam extended his arm to the three of them. “Well, why don’t we all walk next door and grab a protein shake. Drake and I just finished working out as well.”

Hana’s face lit up with excitement at the suggestion, and Maxwell put some equipment away before he started for the door. I waited until Bragnae agreed before I turned to leave the room. I was sure Liam was waiting to walk next to Bragnae as they left the makeshift dance studio, so I wasn’t even going to try.

It was convenient for me that Liam also enjoyed working out, and considered it as much of a hobby as I did. That meant that as we got older, the gym equipment got better and there was a small protein stand built into the estate. Here at Applewood and back at the palace.

I made it to the counter first. With chocolate and vanilla protein powders as options, they also offered a few other flavors as add-ins. I would shake it up from time to time, but my favorite was chocolate-cherry. I placed my order with Jean, the middle-aged woman that worked the counter, and stepped back for the others.

Maxwell ordered a chocolate-banana, Hana got chocolate-strawberry. Like I guessed, Liam and Bragnae strolled up a minute later in a slow paced walk. He offered for her to order ahead of him, but she declined so she could look at the options. Liam asked for vanilla-strawberry, his favorite.

Bragnae stepped up to the counter. “May I have a chocolate-cherry, please?” Jean nodded, and turned away to fix the drinks.

I looked down to conceal my smile. She ordered the same thing as me. I knew she had good taste.

“Drake? Here you go, honey.” Jean placed my shake on the counter.

I walked up to retrieve it. Bragnae was still standing there when she looked over at my drink. I removed the wrapper to the straw Jean had set next to the cup, and pierced the plastic lid.

Bragnae’s eyes met mine as I smirked. “You ordered the same thing as me, by the way.”

She beamed. “I did? Well, we have good taste.”

“That’s exactly what I was thinking.” Before I could think of what to say next, Jean had placed the other orders on the counter. I got out of their way and walked to a nearby table. The others joined me along with their shakes.

“You know, ladies, you’re welcome to work out in the gym, too, if you want. Here and back at the palace. I’d be happy to show you a thing or two if you need assistance.” Liam, the ever-willing prince. I chuckled at his invitation. This was guy code for, I’d love to see more of you in your tight clothes while working up a sweat. And then maybe we could take a shower together afterwards.

I knew my best friend, and I knew myself. We were both thinking the same thing. However, I doubt that comment was intended for Hana even though she was also beautiful and beyond talented in almost every capacity.

“That’s nice of you to offer, Your Highness,” Hana said before taking a drink.

“We got quite the work out in today. Full-body. Do you guys do that every time you’re in the gym?” Bragnae asked. She looked to Liam and then to me.

Liam had just taken a swig of his shake, so I answered. “Nah. We break it up. Today was just arms and abs.”

I kept my gaze on Bragnae as her eyes shifted down the length of my arm. She had her elbows on the table holding her shake up just below her chin. Her fingers absentmindedly moved the straw in and out of the lid as her eyes locked on my bicep.

I know I shouldn’t have, but I knew she was impressed, so I clenched my fist and flexed my bicep for a split second to gauge her reaction. I smiled inside as I saw her lightly gasp before taking a drink and looking away.

“Ooh, Bragnae, we better get going if we want to shower before the next event,” Hana said looking at her watch.

Oh, nice. A shower. Are they going to shower together? That’s what Hana made it sound like, or maybe that’s what my dirty mind wanted me to hear. Either way, picturing Bragnae naked in a hot and steamy shower was definitely an image I wanted to fill my mind with. If Hana happened to be showering near her, that’d be okay too. But I’d prefer to be in there with Bragnae instead.

“And what is the next event for you ladies?” Liam asked.

Bragnae and Hana stood from the table, prompting the rest of us gentlemen to do the same. “We are having tea with the queen. All the ladies are expected to be there and on time.” Bragnae emphasized the last part with a different inflection in her voice and widened eyes.

Liam laughed. “Yes. It’s best not to keep her waiting.”

“Oh, I know. If I’m late for another event, Bertrand will give me a very stern talking to for ‘besmirching House Beaumont’.” Bragnae spoke emphatically, and teased Maxwell by pinching his cheek.

“You and me both,” Maxwell told her. “Now, get going, so Bertrand stays off both of our asses.”

Bragnae laughed and waved before turning to walk away. My eyes traveled down to her magnificently presented ass. There should be a standing rule that Bragnae always be in tight, spandex leggings when she wasn’t wearing a dress. Jesus Christ, she could stop traffic. And I’m getting hard again. Time to go.

“Alright, I’m going to get cleaned up as well. I’ll see you fellas later.”

~

The next day was the traditional fox hunt for the royal party. Our ancestors used to hunt fox for sport, but today, the event only retains its name. Good thing too because I bet over half of these so-called nobles had never even held a gun, let alone knew how to use it.

This was actually an event I was happy to be a part of. We had to ride horses across a three mile trail through the woods and a bit of the mountains. This was my forte. Growing up with a mother who lived on a ranch in her youth, I was practically raised on a horse. I got up early and headed to the stables to pick out my horse for the day before the fussing nobles ruined the experience.

Since Lonestar, my mother’s horse, was at the stables near the palace, I had to find a different steed. Natalia was always my choice when we came to Applewood. We got along well, and she was better for more experienced riders anyway. She liked to run, so I thought I’d take her out to the field before the fox hunt to stretch her legs a bit.

After she was saddled up, I hopped on, and led her out to the field to trot, being sure not to tire her out too much before the trail ride.

Before long, the nobles had assembled and the fox hunt had begun. I was at the end of the procession, but I led Natalia to the sidelines, so we could pass a few people. There was no way I was going to be stuck behind Penelope while she was telling her hundredth story about her poodles that morning. Plus, I wanted to find Bragnae.

After seeing how she ogled the muscles in my arm, and not Liam’s, I figured it was time to stop playing this game. I needed to start being nicer to her, and explain myself. She deserved that. And out of all the people I wanted to be a prick to, she wasn’t even on the list. So, it would end today.

As I made my way through the trail, the crisp air was refreshing. The woods surrounded the manmade path. It was beautiful, save for the bickering nobles. I shook my head in disgust at them. It was a shame they couldn’t appreciate what was around them. Just shut the fuck up, and enjoy the ride.

I finally saw Bragnae up ahead. She was on a black horse – oh, wait, that was the horse who won the derby. Huh. I wondered how she happened to possess her. Bragnae was riding alongside Hana who was showing her some sort of dressage move. I smirked thinking about Hana’s plethora of talent.

I wasn’t going to intrude on their moment, so I kept my pace and position in hopes that Hana would ride off eventually. My patience had paid off as Hana rode ahead a minute later. Now was my chance.

I squeezed my legs around Natalia and gave her a slight kick with my heels to give her the sign to trot ahead. When she approached Bragnae and her horse, I pulled back on Natalia’s reins to keep up with Bragnae’s horse.

“Hey, Bennett. You look nice.” She did, too. She managed to find a rider’s outfit. A maroon jacket and tight, brown pants with knee-high boots.

Bragnae pulled back in surprise. “Wow. Opening with a compliment, huh? You feeling okay?”

I chuckled. “Yep. Just fine.”

“I’m surprised to see you out here today. I would have figured all the nobles would have repelled your desire to join us.”

“This is actually something I love doing. Riding horses, I mean. And it’s entertaining to watch the stuffy nobles fuss over their blazers. It amazes me how much they’re missing what’s around them, though.”

“Is that why you’re smiling more today?”

I couldn’t help but smile again as I looked at her. “It has more to do with who I’m riding next to.”

She feigned a surprised gasp, complete with a hand over her heart. “A second compliment!”

“If you’re lucky, you might get a third.” I loved bantering with her. It was always fun.

“Oh, then let me find a four-leaf clover really quick.” She winked at me with that dazzling smile I liked so much.

I sighed giving Natalia a couple pats on her neck. It was time to be honest with her. I needed to explain why I’d been such an ass to her. “You know, when we first met, I wanted to dislike you so badly.”

Genuine surprise highlighted her face. “Why?”

“Well, you were crashing Liam’s bachelor party. That was supposed to be our last night out together before all this nonsense. I don’t get to spend much time with him, and now, I’m lucky if I get to spend five minutes with him before a noble girl throws herself in front of him.” I also didn’t want to like you because I knew I couldn’t have you. Wish I could tell her that.

I looked over at her to see a somewhat pained expression. “Sorry. I didn’t mean…”

“I knew what you meant.” There was compassion in her eyes. Thank God. The last thing I wanted was her thinking I was insulting her in any way.

“Anyway, I know we got off to a bad start, but somewhere along the way,” I paused to gather my courage, “…things changed.” I hope she could read between the lines.

“I wanted to dislike you too,” she replied.

Now it was my turn to be surprised. “You did?”

“Well, yeah! I mean, you were a total dick to me.” She turned toward her horse, stroking its mane. I was a complete dick to her, and I hated that I did that. “But now…”

“Now?” My nerves were making my hands shake. I gripped the reins tighter as I waited for her response.

“It took time, but I figured out that you’re actually human under all those scowls.”

I shook my head as a smile crept over my lips. She wove a joke into her reply, and it was the cutest damn thing. Now the air was cleared, and it felt good. “Well, this has all been touching, but I need to rescue Liam from his family for a couple minutes. I’ll see you later.”

“I hope so,” she grinned.

Damn, that went well. I heeled Natalia again to get her to trot towards the front of the procession.

Soon, the trail led everyone to an old village where we would all have dinner. I was starving and very much looking forward to eating the giant feast. As everyone got in line to be served, I saw Tariq and Bragnae talking just ahead of me. His body language suggested that he was into her. I knew from the bachelor party in New York that Tariq was attracted to her, but he hadn’t done much more than mention it at the time. Not that I saw anyway.

As I moved forward in the line, I watched Liam trade places with Tariq. His body language was even more obvious. Liam had it bad. I could easily recognize when he was really into a woman, and there was no mistaking it here. But the stakes were even higher this time around. Liam was looking to pick a bride, a future queen. I didn’t know if he was in love with her, but he’d been much more preoccupied with her than any other girl I’d seen him with.

Later that evening after we got back from the ride, I helped the stable hands corral the horses and take their saddles off before I headed to my room. It had been a long day, but despite the length of the ride and being outdoors all day, I wasn’t ready to call it a night.

I needed to see Bragnae again. For some reason, I felt that I didn’t get my fill of her today. Then again, I felt like that every day even when I was with her. Maybe she’d like to go to the gym with me for a late night work out. Would that be too obvious that I wanted to spend time with her?

I decided I didn’t give a shit about that. Some of her signals made it seem like she was into me, so maybe she’d be happy to come along. I changed into a razorback tank top and athletic shorts and made my way to her room. I hoped she wasn’t asleep yet or otherwise busy. Her room wasn’t too far from mine. Liam made sure of that. At the beginning of the Social Season he had asked me to keep an eye on her. At first, I was unsure about it, but that quickly changed. If anything, I was grateful that I had an excuse to be hanging around her.

I came up to her room, and the door was wide open. Does the woman not enjoy privacy? I peeked my head in the door frame searching the room with my eyes before spotting Bragnae straddling the floor, resting on her knees. Her hands pressed against the floor in front of her as she slowly moved up and down.

My eyes nearly bulged out of my head. What the hell was she doing? She was still wearing her riding pants, but had removed her blazer and took her hair out of the bun it was in, and cascaded it over one shoulder. I was frozen. Only my eyes could move.

Bragnae’s eyes were closed, and I watched as her full lips transformed in what looked like agony to relief. It was incredibly erotic to watch her in this way. My dirty mind pictured myself underneath her. I wouldn’t mind at all if she wanted to ride me like that. Seeing her now made it easy to imagine her legs squeezing my hips as she felt every inch of my dick inside her.

My hardened and impatient cock brought me out of my trance. I needed to make my presence known before someone noticed I was just standing in her doorway watching her like some fucking pervert.

“Need a hand there?” Fuck. That was my dick talking. Why did I say that? Fuck.

Bragnae’s eyes snapped open, and an embarrassed smile crossed over her lips. “Hey, Drake.”

“Whatcha doin’?” I was genuinely curious.

Bragnae slowly stood up. “I was just stretching. It’s been a while since I last rode a horse.”

Hmmm. Could that also mean it’s been a while since she’s ridden a man that way? I know if she rode a stallion like me, she’d be sore. No getting around that. Her inner thighs would strain to hold onto me as I would thrust into her over and over again making her come so hard she’d struggle to breathe after her screams of pleasure finally subsided.

I cleared my throat to push the thought out of my mind. “I ride pretty regularly, so I’m used to it by now.”

“What are you doing for the rest of the night?”

I’d love for the answer to be you. “I was actually going to head down to the gym, and I was going to ask you if you’d like to join me, but I guess you probably don’t feel up to it being sore from the ride.”

“No, I can still go,” she said immediately with a smile. “Just give me a minute to change.”

Wow. Cool. So, she doesn’t mind working out even as sore as she is. I didn’t want to get too excited, but I was pretty sure it was because of me. At least I hoped so.

I nodded after processing her response. “Yeah, sure. I’ll just be outside.” I closed her door behind me, and leaned against the wall.

My heart was starting to race again, and butterflies fluttered in my stomach. I took a couple deep breaths to calm my nerves. After another minute, her door opened and Bragnae emerged wearing an electric blue sports bra top, similar to the one she danced in, and black spandex leggings to match. Her stomach and lower back were completely bare.

My dick took over again. It was making my eyes get lost in her body that was standing so close to me that I could feel the heat between us. I had a sudden urge to tuck the tip of my finger just beneath her waistband, and roll it across her pelvis, undoubtedly making her tremble. My gaze traveled up to her top where the most spectacular cleavage I’d ever seen peeked out.

The tightness of her outfit pushed her breasts up and together. If I wasn’t mistaken, I was pretty sure she had pulled that zipper in the front of her top down even more than it had been the other day. She was flirting with her clothes, and I was completely onboard with that. If she only knew what her outfit was doing to me.

Thank Christ my brain woke up in time to save me from myself as my eyes returned to hers. “Shall we?”

[mrsrhys23]

Countdown

Countdown -  Lay me down (chapter one)

Summary: People are dying,  they’re dying in the most unusual ways and nobody seems to be taking notice. When somebody close to Eliza Smiths heart dies, the young queen embarks on a journey to find out what really happened. 

(This summary is awful. I can’t write it effectively without giving so much away.)

Parings: Liam x MC (Eliza Smith)

Warnings: Depression, suicide, Self-harm, murder, major character death. This series is going to get pretty dark quite quickly, so If you are sensitive  to any of these things please don't read this. 

Word count: 1508

A/N: These characters belong to Pixelberry Studios. This was inspired by @msjr0119‘s forgive me and the smiley face killer theory. I’ve been doing loads of research, which I do realise seems like a bad thing to research and got an idea. I’m going to deviate a little bit from the theory just so it fits the plot. 

Permatags: @itschoicesstuff, @roisebeaumontworld21, @desiree-0816, @cordoniaqueensworld Just let me know if you’d like to be tagged.

It was a normal day, looking at what  Eliza could see now you wouldn’t have thought so, but it was.

She got out of bed, showered, got dressed did all of it, met her friends in the dining room,  ate breakfast and got to her meeting. Like any other day.

Why didn’t she see that something was wrong? Why couldn’t she stop him? She had been there so many times, she knew the signs, but he showed none, he was happy, grumpy like usual but happy. But he wasn’t because he’s now dead, so something must’ve been so wrong that he just couldn’t bear one more day.

Eliza Harris and Drake Walker, quite the partners in crime. Yes, he was jaded and unsociable when they met but he morphed into one of her best friends, someone she shared both highs and lows with, someone who she could talk to and not pass judgment only advice, the person that meant everything to her. She loved him, platonically though, but she did love him.  

It was hard to think that just a few hours ago he was alive and now he wasn’t. Now he had taken his life and there wasn’t a damn thing anybody could do about it.

Just a few hours ago Eliza was sat eating breakfast with her husband, Liam, and friends, Maxwell and Hana, laughing as one of their best friends took his own life.

Granted, they hadn’t spent that much time together of late because they both were so busy, Eliza was helping her husband rule a country and Drake was now the stable hand and was also involved in the council, but she should’ve made time for him, she should’ve been there for him in his darkest hour, but she wasn’t and now he wasn’t here anymore.

Three hours ago.

Eliza was awoken by Liam’s cold feet brushing against her leg, she kicked him as he chuckled. “it’s time to get up,  my love,” Liam explained. 

“No,” Eliza mumbled from halfway down the bed, Liam often wondered how she could breathe down there.  

Liam pressed his cold foot against her bare leg again earing a grunt from her and a slap on the leg. “It’s still dark.”

“That’s because the curtains are closed,” Liam chuckled, “Come on, we won’t make the morning council meeting if you don’t get out of bed now.”

“Why did I have to marry a morning person with extremely cold feet?” She grumbled.

“Come on,” Liam said, getting out of bed and into the en suite bathroom. She heard the shower turn on through the still open door.  Eliza sighed and threw back the comforter and followed Liam into the shower.

After they’re morning ‘activities’ they headed down to the dining room. They met Maxwell and Hana outside.

“Where’s mister grumpy pants?” Eliza joked.

“We’re not sure. We haven’t seen him this morning,” Hana explained.

“He’s probably just recovering from last night,” Liam suggested.

“Yeah, he did go pretty heavy on the whiskey,” Maxwell added.

That was something Eliza had noticed; Drake was drinking more. To somebody that didn’t know him all that well his normal alcohol consumption would seem a little obsessive, but this was more so. Other than drinking a little bit more he seemed fine. Liam was probably right; Drake would just be sleeping it off. But then again he seemed pretty out of it last night…No she was worrying too much, but she knew things about Drake that nobody else did, which made worry about him very valid.

“Yeah,” Eliza agreed as they headed on in and enjoyed their breakfast then all headed to the council meeting. It was just going over some details about an upcoming ball, quite boring for most people in attendance but it needed to be done, things needed to be finalised. 

They meet up with the other council members and took a seat, Eliza started at the clock and then at the door. 

“I don't think the commoner is coming,” Neville sneered. Nobody even invited him really, he had been filling in for Madeline since they had been shacking up and she had been taking some leave. 

“Lord Neville,” Eliza began, leaning forward on her elbows, “Continue to call my friend a ‘commoner’ when he is superior to you in many aspects you will not be welcome here again. Do I make myself clear?” Neville nodded reluctantly; Eliza raised an eyebrow at him. 

“Yes, your majesty,” he grunted. 

“Good,” Eliza exclaimed, leaning back and giving one last look to the door and then the clock. They didn't have all day, they all had other things they needed to do, “Well, it seems like Lord Neville is correct, Drake isn't coming.” And with that the meeting kicked off and then they headed their own way. 

Eliza and Liam walked toward their offices together, “I'm worried about, Drake,” Eliza said. 

“I’m sure he’s fine,” Liam dismissed. He did care about his friend, but this was typical Drake when he was hungover, “If you’re that worried why don’t you go and check on him?” Liam suggested. 

“My meeting...” 

“You’re the queen. You can do what you want within reason of course.” 

“Sure?” 

“Yeah, go.” Eliza leaned up and planted a kiss on his lips then took off toward Drake’s quarters. She had a bad feeling, one that was getting difficult to ignore.

Eliza tapped her knuckles against Drakes door, no answer, so she did it again. Again same thing, not even a  grumbles telling her to go away. She tried the door, but it was locked. 

Eliza  left Drakes door and knocked on another. “Come in,” she heard the deep males voice yell. She opened the door and peeped in. “Oh, your majesty. What can I do for you?” 

“Hey, Bas, could you unlock Drake’s door for me?” 

“Is something wrong?” Bastien questioned, getting to his feet and grabbing some keys from a draw in a cabinet on the other side of the room. 

“I don't know,” Eliza answered truthfully, “I just want to check on him.” 

“You’re sure that’s all this is?” Bastien double checked. 

“Yeah,” Eliza nodded. With that they headed out of Bastien's office and to Drake’s door, he put the key in the lock and turned to look back at her. 

“What if he’s asleep?” 

“Then I will take his hungover grumbling. Just open the order,” Eliza ordered. He twisted the key and pushed it open, allowing the queen in first. The room was Dark, the curtains were closed and there was a strong smell of whiskey in the air. 

Eliza walked carefully over to the window, watching her step in the dark, and pulled the heavy drapes open. The sunlight momentarily blinded her but then her eyes sight adjusted. She turned to looked back at Bastien was who staring at something, frozen. She slowly turned her head and saw her friend, lying on the floor, unmoving. Tears stung her eye. “Drake?” Eliza asked, as she and Bastien ran across the room. “Drake!”

Bastien turned him onto his back and pressed two fingers to his neck. “He’s not breathing.” 

Eliza started screaming, grabbing the attention of Liam who was walking toward his oldest friends room in search of his wife and to make sure everything was okay, but when he heard Eliza he started running, getting strange looks from staff members but he needed to know what was wrong. 

Just as Liam arrived, Eliza came bombing out and threw up into a nearby planter. “Eliza, what’s wrong?” 

“D-Dra,” she was cut off by feeling the need to empty her stomach yet again. Liam rubbed her back, whatever was happening wasn't good, not if Eliza was in such a state and then the palace doctor came onto the scene and ran into the room, not even acknowledging the king and queen. It was then Liam got a very, very bad feeling. 

“Eliza, what’s happened?” Liam asked, as he headed toward the doorway, but was yanked back by his wife. She just shook her head at him. 

“D-don’t go in there,” she said, unable to stop the new lot of tears cascading down her cheeks. When she looked back up Bastien was stood in the doorway, also unable to stop his tears. 

“Bastien...?” Liam asked, not letting himself break down until he knew what was happening. 

“Bastien,” Eliza pleaded with him as she stepped closer to the head of the royal guard, “Please...”

He just physically couldn't tell the queen that the boy had raised, that was like a son to him, was dead, so he just shook his head. 

“Will someone just tell me what is going on?!” Liam bellowed. 

“Drake...He’s dead,” Eliza whispered, like if she didn't say it out loud it wouldn't be true. Bastien held something out to Eliza, she took it not releasing what it was.

She read the words on the page with clouded vision as Liam peered over her shoulder. One thing she didn't notice was the smiley face on the back of the page.

[justcallmefox89]

Cinderfella's Adventures in Cordonia - Chapter Twenty

An AU of The Royal Romance with a male MC and a bisexual prince.

Masterlist

Drake and Liam learn more about Callum's past.

“What’s going on, Pops?” Callum asks again.

“You’re back earlier than I expected,” Niall answers, shooting a dirty look at Donny.

The blonde man shrugs nonchalantly, taking a pack of cigarettes from his jack pocket and tapping it against the palm of his hand.

“Yeah… turns out there wasn’t a problem at the club after all.”  Callum narrows his eyes at his father.

Niall innocently widens his eyes.  “I must have misunderstood.”

“Then you just mistakenly let yourself into my apartment while I was out?”

“I do own the building, Callum,” Niall sniffs.  “Technically I can go into any apartment I want to, with or without your permission.”

Donny lets out a slightly breathy and panicked, “Oh shit.”

Drake’s eyes bounce back and forth between the men like ping-pong balls and Liam sits rigidly next to him, tension evident in every line of his body.

“That’s how we’re going to do this?  Seriously, Pops?  You didn’t try that line on me when I was sixteen but you’re doing it now?”

“You had better sense at sixteen,” Niall snaps.  “Back then you weren’t jumping at the chance to ruin your life every time a hot piece of ass smiled at you.”

“I need a smoke,” Donny suddenly announces loudly.  He points at Liam and Drake.  “You two.  Come with me.”

Confused, Liam blurts out, “We don’t smoke.”

“You can hold my lighter,” Donny replies, tugging the pair to their feet.

Ioan rises from his chair.  “I think I’ll join you -”

“You better keep your ass in that chair, old man,” Callum grinds out between clenched teeth.

Stunned at his grandson’s tone, Ioan plops back into his seat, and Donny seizes the opportunity to hustle Drake and Liam out onto the balcony.  He manages to slam the sliding glass door closed just as the shouting starts.

“What the actual FUCK were you two thinking?” Callum yells.

Donny lights a cigarette and inhales deeply, letting the pale grey smoke slowly curl out of his nostrils.  “I hope the two of you are pleased with yourselves.”

“Us?”  Liam gapes, pointing between himself and Drake.  “You think this is our fault?”

“Isn’t it?”  He takes another drag.  “Callum was fine, happy again.  You two are back in his life less than three days and him and his father are at each other’s throats with Ioan snapping at their heels.”

Liam’s cheeks flush and he scowls.  “The MacKenzie family’s dysfunction has nothing to do with us.”

“It has everything to do with you, cupcake.”

Drake braces his forearms on the railing that runs around the perimeter of the balcony.  “I didn’t mean for anything like this to happen.  I never wanted to cause Callum any problems.”

He sounds so miserable that Donny takes pity on him.  “I know you didn’t mean to, kid.  But goddamn… why couldn’t you just stay away?”

The voices from the living room get louder and the three men wince in unison.

“He’s going back with you,” Donny says, flicking his cigarette butt onto the ground and crushing it with the toe of his boot.

Liam sighs.  “He hasn’t made a decision one way or the other yet.”

“I know my son.  He’ll go.”

Drake and Liam exchange startled looks.

Donny chuckles at their shocked expressions.  “I’ve been raising that boy for nearly thirty years, and I’ve been with Niall for almost as long.  Callum’s my son.”

“We didn’t realize…” Drake trails off, embarrassed.

“Did Callum ever tell you about his mother?”

“From the way he phrased it I assumed she died when he was very young,” Liam says slowly.

Donny barks out a harsh laugh.  “Fuck.  That woman will still be alive when there’s only cockroaches roaming the earth.”

Drake’s mouth drops open and Liam frowns uncomfortably.

Taking in their shocked expressions Donny sighs and lights another cigarette.  “That was probably unfair to Cassie.  We’ve always had a… complicated relationship.”

“So his mom is alive?” Drake asks.

Donny shrugs.  “He’s never met her.  She showed up once when he graduated high school.  Niall almost had an aneurysm.  She futzed around a bit, said she wanted to finally meet her son.  But in the end she did what she always does and disappeared before anything could happen.  Thank god we didn’t tell the kid anything and get his hopes up.”

“How did… How long… um…” Liam flounders, unable to articulate the potentially offensive question.

“You wanna know how I fit in to all this?”  Donny grins around the cigarette in his mouth.

Drake and Liam nod in unison.

“I met Niall when I started working for Ioan, back when the old man was still running everything.  I was young, stupid, pissed at the world.  Dishonorably discharged from the military.  At the beginning I was just supposed to be muscle at a few of the different strip joints, but for whatever reason Ioan took me under his wing.  Brought me into his home, started teaching me about the business.”

“Is that when you started dating?” Liam asks.

Donny laughs and rolls his eyes.  “Fuck no.  Back then there was no telling me I was anything but straight.  But we got to be friends and if I had the occasional thought about how good his ass looked then I would just ignore it.  I knew Niall batted for both teams and it never bothered me… but back then I just wasn’t ready to accept certain things about myself, you know?”

“Oh, I know.”  Drake gives Liam a slightly dirty look from the corner of his eye and the king’s cheek flush a soft pink.

“Anyway, one night we’re out with some of our other friends doing a bar crawl and we wind up at this dive that has live music.”  Donny stubs out his cigarette on the balcony railing.  “Cassie’s band was playing that night.  I hate to say anything nice about the woman but she’s a fuckin’ stunner and goddamn talented to boot.  Long story short Niall starts chattin’ her up after her band has finished for the night and they start seein’ each other.  This goes one for a few months, and Niall and I started drifting apart a little.  I didn’t really understand it then, but looking back I was jealous of Cassie and seeing them together… hurt.”

“I get that,” Drake murmurs softly, looking down at his feet.  With a sad smile, Liam silently reaches out and takes his hand.

“So after they’ve been together a few months Niall gets picked up on some charges related to uh… a few substances that were being sold out of a few of the clubs.  Gets sentenced to five to ten.  Cassie disappears.”  Donny rolls his eyes. “Me and Ioan weren’t all that surprised, she was never all that serious about Niall and it’s hard enough being in a relationship with somebody on the inside when you’re committed.  We moved on thinkin’ she was gone for good.  Niall being locked up was hell on the old man, and I wasn’t taking it much better, but we were doing the best we could.  Then about eight months into Niall’s sentence, I get a phone call from Cassie.”

Drake and Liam lean forward, drawn in by the older man’s story.

“So it’s two in the morning, and I’ve got this chick I can’t stand calling me at the club I was working at that night.  I was ready to tell her to piss off, but she starts crying, telling me she’s at the hospital and I’m the only one she can call for help.  And me being a total fucking sucker I went to the hospital because I knew that’s what Niall would’ve wanted.  I show up and she’s in a hospital room, lying in bed, holding a fucking baby of all things.”

“Callum,” Liam says quietly.

“Bingo.”  Donny shoots a pair of finger guns towards him.  “At first I didn’t know what the hell to think.  Honestly I just wanted to leave her there and pretend I never saw a thing.  She breaks down crying again, saying she doesn’t know what to do, didn’t know who to call since Niall’s in prison, she’s scared of Ioan, she needs help, and on and on.”

“Wait, why was she scared of Ioan?” Drake asks.

“You’ve met the old man, yeah?  Are you scared of him now?”

Without hesitation Drake and Liam both nod.

“Now imagine him thirty years ago and pretend you’ve been hiding the fact that you were pregnant with his only son’s child.”

The pair shudder.    

Donny nods.  “Exactly.  I didn’t know what the fuck to do anymore than she did, and I told her so.  She begged me to stay with her just a little while, asks me to hold the kid so she could take a shower and get some things situated with the hospital.  I didn’t have the heart to say no.  I mean, the poor girl had been alone in the hospital with a brand new baby for three days at that point, I figured that was the least I could do for her.  So she gives me the kid, just this squishy little thing, and I settle down with him while she goes to clean up.  He was the cutest fucking thing, all fuckin’ chubby baby rolls and this thick, curly black hair.  I didn’t mean to but as some point I fell asleep holding him.  Next thing I know, Callum is screaming his lungs out and I got a pissed off nurse shaking me awake asking me where Cassie was.”

“And where was Cassie?” Liam asked.

“Fuck if I know.  As soon as I fell asleep she grabbed her shit and got the hell out of dodge.”

“She just left her baby with you?  Without telling you where she was going?  She didn’t even really know you!” Drake exclaims.

“I feel like we’ve already established she’s not a good mom, kid.”  Donny gives him an exasperated look.  “So I’ve got Callum, fresh out of the oven, Niall’s locked up, and I don’t have the first fucking clue how to find Cassie.  I’m only 28, living in a shitty apartment, spending nearly all my free time drunk, high, or both.”

Drake starts to speak, hesitates, then powers on.  “Why didn’t you just call Ioan and let him take care of it?”

“Siobhan, Callum’s grandma, was fighting a losing battle with breast cancer.  Ioan wasn’t handling it well… didn’t seem fair to add something else to the bullshit he was dealing with.  He wasn’t in the best headspace then anyway.  Siobhan was the only thing he cared about, only thing he could focus on.  Even if I wanted to let him have Callum I don’t think he would’ve been able to take care of him.  So I told the hospital I was Callum’s father, signed the birth certificate and everything.  Cassie hadn’t even named the kid yet, so I had to do that too.”

“You named Callum?”  Liam arches an eyebrow in question.

Donny’s cheeks turn pink and he squirms in place, an oddly endearing gesture for a man in his fifties.  “I knew Niall would want to honor his dad in some way, so the middle name was easy.  Then I just thought about what name I’d want to use if Niall and I would ever… you know,” he mumbles.

Liam and Drake share a conspiratorial smirk.  “That’s adorable,” Liam says.

Donny coughs, looking slightly uncomfortable.  “Anyways.  The nurses gave me a crash course in fatherhood then shoved me out the door.  I waited a few days before I told Ioan and Siobhan… I wanted some time to think on what I was going to do.  I brought Callum to their house, told them everything that happened, and said I wanted to take care of Callum until Niall got out.  Siobhan wasn’t on board at first, and I don’t blame her.  I was young and stupid, never taken care of a baby before, didn’t know a damn thing about kids.  But for whatever reason, I knew I was meant to protect that baby.  Ioan was relieved, in a way, I think.  God only knows why but he trusted me with his grandson, and I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to repay him for that.”

“What did Niall have to say about everything when he found out?” Drake asks.

“Oh he was pissed,” Donny laughs.  “He would’ve taken care of Cassie if she’d told him she was pregnant, made sure she had everything she needed.  But the fact that she just abandoned Callum without a word was the thing that really rustled his jimmies.  He would’ve forgiven anything else but that I think.”

“How did that work though?” Liam asks delicately.  “With Niall being… indisposed?”

“You can say he was in prison, Your Majesty.”  Donny smirks.  “Niall didn’t want Callum to see him in that place, so they didn’t actually properly meet until Callum was six.  Niall wrote letters every week, and I read them to him.  Things got a little more complicated when Callum started to talk and then he had a whole lot of questions.  I always made sure he knew that Niall was his dad, but I never let him forget just how much I loved him too.  The adjustment period after Niall got out was rough on all of us.  Callum didn’t want to leave me, and Niall didn’t want to be away from his son.  Understandably.  So Niall got a bigger apartment and Callum and I moved in with him.”

“So is that when you and Niall got together?”

Donny grins at Drake question.  “Not quite.  By that time I had pulled my head out of my ass enough to realize that I wasn’t quite as straight as I wanted to believe.  It was a couple more years before Niall and I got into a proper relationship.  But that is a story for another time.”

Donny sighs and runs his hands through his hair.  “Look, at the end of the day Callum is going to do whatever he wants to do… no matter what me, Niall, or Ioan have to say about it.  Just… just take care of my boy, ok?  Try not to hurt him any more than you absolutely have to.”

“I don’t… I never want to hurt Callum,” Liam protests.

“Are you still going to marry that girl you’re engaged to?”

Liam stay silent, anxiously gnawing on his lower lip.

“Then he’s going to be hurt,” Donny replies with a sad smile.  He looks through the sliding glass door into the living room, frowning.  “Shit.”

Drake and Liam whip around just in time to see Niall glare up at his son one last time before stalking out the front door, Ioan following closely behind him.  Callum tips his head back and his shoulders slump, but he quickly collects himself and moves into the kitchen.

“That went about as well as I thought it would,” Donny sighs.  “Give me a few minutes.”

Drake and Liam wait out on the balcony while Donny says goodbye to Callum.

“We’re being selfish,” Drake says eventually.

Liam glances over at him.  “Excuse me?”

“We have royally fucked up Callum’s life.”

“I see what you did there.”  The Cordonia king smirks over at his friend.

Drake shoves him away half-heartedly.  “Stop.  I’m being serious.  I wasn’t thinking about Callum when I dragged him back into this.  Not the way I should have.”

“I don’t understand.”

“When we got to New York all I was focused on was finding Callum again because I missed him.  Because I wanted to remind you that you could actually be with someone you loved instead of Madeline.  I didn’t think about what would happen to his life, how all of us being back together would affect him.”

“Considering how close the two of you have gotten I wouldn’t say our returning presence has been all bad.”

Drake blushes furiously.  “I...  That’s not…  Liam!”

“Just saying.”  Liam shrugs innocently. 

“What I meant was that I only considered how having Callum back would make our lives better, make us happier.  I didn’t even stop to think about what that would mean for his life here… with his family, and his job, and his other friends.  How can we ask him to leave all that for us again?  Especially when you’re still going through with the wedding to Madeline.”

Liam groans.  “Why do we keep having to go over this?  I have a duty, an obligation to Cordonia.  That doesn’t mean we can’t be together.  All three of us.”

“This!”  Drake smacks Liam’s chest.  “This right here is the problem!  Callum won’t be happy just being your affair on the side.”

“And you will be?” Liam challenges.

“Of course I won’t!  But if that’s the price I have to pay to be with you again I will.  Callum can’t do that though.”

Liam scowls.  “Can’t or won’t?”

“That’s not fair,” Drake sighs.

“What Callum’s asking isn’t fair either.”

“Callum actually isn’t asking you to do anything,” Drake points out.  “He only told you what he was willing and not willing to do given the circumstances.”

Liam falls silent, unable to come up with a reasonable counter argument.  The pair stare out at the bustling city streets for a while, each lost in their own thoughts.

Drake is the first one to break the silence.  “Liam, what are we going to do?”

@superharriet

@angelasscribbles

@kingliam2019

[camillemontespan]

fictional boyfriend [drake walker x mc]

I was given a prompt by @moonlightgem7 who asked for a one shot about Drake, Camille and Lily at Disneyland. Here you go, girl!

This is pure fluff. I asked for cute prompts, this is as cute as it can possibly get. 

******************************************************************************************

'I just saw Flynn Rider! Can we go back please?! Please?!'

Camille giggled at her five year old daughter who was jumping up and down, her Minnie Mouse ears close to falling off from her excitement. 'Honey, we're in line to see Ariel at the mermaid fountain! We'll lose our spot if we find Flynn. Maybe we could find him after?'

'But, but.. Flynn..' Lily whispered, looking crestfallen.

Drake's heart tugged. He nudged Camille and murmured in her ear, 'Take Lily to find Flynn. I can keep our spot in line.'

Camille smiled. 'You sure?'

'Definitely. Go!'

Camille took Lily's hand. 'Come on marshmallow, we're going to find your boyfriend.'

'He's not my boyfriend!' Lily protested, turning red. Drake chuckled. She was definitely in love with Flynn Rider from the film Tangled. She swooned every time the cartoon character came up on the TV and he had seen her kiss the poster she had of him. 

They had decided to take Lily to Disneyland for her fifth birthday. Lily had been hinting for ages that she wanted to go and when she opened up the gold envelope on her birthday morning, her eyes went wide like saucers when she saw the Disney logo. She had burst into tears when she realised she would have the chance to meet Flynn Ryder - if she happened to see him, that is.

Lily dragged Camille away with purpose. She was going to find Flynn Rider.

Drake held Lily’s Sleeping Beauty rucksack, which stored Lily’s sandwiches and her teddy bear, and waited patiently in the line. He tried to ignore the fact he was the only person in line who was male, by himself and with no children beside him. Thank God it was a sunny day and he was wearing sunglasses, otherwise people might have started whispering, ‘He looks like the Duke of Valtoria..’ 

Drake and Camille, despite being noble and very well known nobles at that, had wanted to give Lily the most normal upbringing they could. Yes, their house was actually a manor with 5 acres of land and servants at their beck and call, but they made sure that she wasn’t affected by it. Drake sat with Lily whenever she did her homework, helping her when needed. Camille would take her into the kitchen on a Sunday and bake fairy cakes with her, telling the kitchen staff to take the day off. Lily had a privileged childhood which many children would have envied, but Lily never boasted about being noble and she never demanded anything.  She was proof that noble children didn’t have to grow up arrogant or spoiled. 

**************************************************************************************

‘Mummy, he’s there!’ Lily squealed, pointing. Camille looked and saw Flynn Rider swaggering towards them. Lily jumped up and down, a wide grin on her face. ‘Flynn Rider!’ she screamed. 

Camille held in her laughter. Flynn Rider cocked an eyebrow and saluted at Lily. He got closer and Lily pulled Camille along with her to meet him. ‘Well, who have we here?’ Flynn Rider asked. 

The actor who was playing him looked uncanny. The voice, the mannerisms, everything was acted out perfectly. Lily stared up at him, gaping. Her first crush come to life.

Flynn knelt down and held out a hand. ‘Hey there, pretty thing.’  Lily positively blushed and wrung her hands together, suddenly shy.  Flynn chuckled and stood up, his eyes meeting Camille’s before he spoke to her. ‘I know not who you are, nor how I came to find you, but may I just say... Hi. How ya doin'?  Camille blinked then realised he was quoting from the film. He had to. It was just surprising that the first thing he said to her was a pick up line. 

‘Do you mind if I take a picture of you with my daughter?,’ Camille asked, changing the subject. ‘She’s been dying to meet you.’ Flynn nodded. ‘Sure! Always happy to meet my fans! I’m sure Rapunzel would love to meet you too.’ Lily beamed at him. ‘I love her hair! Ooh Pascal! Can I meet Pascal?!’ He knelt down beside Lily and put his arm around her, readying himself for a photo. ‘Oh wait.. got to perfect my smoulder.. one second...’ The actor fixed his expression into the smoulder Flynn Rider adopted in the film. Camille laughed and took out her camera so she could take a photo.  Lily’s eyes were dancing and she looked like she could burst from happiness. She laughed when Flynn suggested they try different poses, such as finger gunning to the camera. They did this for about five minutes and it meant everything to Lily, playing with her fictional boyfriend.

***************************************************************************************

Drake was at the front of the line now. He needed Camille and Lily to get back now. Ariel was perched on the fountain in her purple clam bra and watching him with her big eyes. Drake felt like a creep. A creep who visited Disneyland alone and perved on the mermaids.

‘If I squint, you look just like Prince Eric except he doesn’t wear those black things over his eyes!’ Ariel squealed excitedly. Drake reddened and cleared his throat. ‘Uh, thanks but I really don’t..’

‘Daddy!’ He turned and breathed a sigh of relief. Lily bolted into him, wrapping him in a bear hug. ‘I met Flynn!’ she cried. Drake grinned. ‘Did he take you out on a date?’  Lily blushed. ‘Shh Daddy... Mummy took photos of us.’ Camille showed Drake the photos. Ariel waved at Lily now. ‘Hello sweetie!’

Lily ran forward and Ariel held out her arms to bring her into a hug. They embraced and Camille took another picture.  Drake smiled and wrapped his arm around Camille’s waist. ‘This is so special,’ Drake murmured. Camille squeezed his hand and they watched their daughter chat away to Ariel about fish and school and Flynn Rider. 

Drake looked down at Camille and studied her as she watched Lily. Camille was smiling, her skin glowed and she looked so happy. ‘How about we have another one?’ Drake whispered, his mouth quirking up at the corner. Camille broke out of her reverie and stared up at Drake. ‘Another what?’ ‘Another baby.’ Camille tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and smiled shyly. ‘You think we’re ready for another one?’ ‘If they’re anything like Lily, definitely.’  ‘Maybe when we get back to Valtoria then..’ Camille replied, giving him a mischievous grin.  ‘Actually, I was thinking, since Lily is going to the Kid’s Sleepover with Sleeping Beauty later... maybe we could try it tonight? We’ll be alone..’ ‘Oh really?’ Drake smirked. ‘Really. Maybe swing by the gift shop? Pick you up a clam bra?’ Camille burst out laughing. ‘Ariel? Really?’

Drake stared at her, his face serious. ‘You left me alone in her line for a really long time, I’m converted.’

@jovialyouthmusic @pug-bitch @drakesensworld @sirbeepsalot @ifyouseekheart @tacohead13 @fromthedeskofpaisleybleakmore

[bryceslahelas]

My Choices LIs

i've seen this been done by several people but i only remember @mrsthomasorsonhunt and @ahmedkhabbaz lol. so i thought what the hell, let's do it, here's my Choices LIs list:

The Freshman Series: Zig Ortega (i dated Chris in TF book 1 and 2 before i knew he was an option). Zig is my ideal type irl, so i was over the moon when he was introduced, love that man 💖

Rules of Engagement: Leo x MC. Jess (Party Twin) x Blake.

LoveHacks: Mark ❤️

Most Wanted: no one (i shipped Sam and Dave pretty hard though)

The Crown and The Flame: Dom x Kenna, but i also love Dom x Sei and Kenna x Diavalos

Hero: i didn't really spend diamonds on this book but, Kenji i guess?

Endless Summer: Jake Mckenzie

The Royal Romance: Drake Walker 💗

Desire and Decorum: Ernest Sinclaire

Perfect Match: Damien Nazario, Alana Kusuma and male Hayden Young. i miss them sm 😭❤️❤️

A Courtesan of Rome: Cassius was my first LI, but uh the Antony hype might've got to me 👀 so now i'm romancing both Marc and Cassius and i have no idea who's my endgame 😂

Open Heart: Ethan Ramsey and Bryce Lahela 💞

Wishful Thinking: Anna 💕 (i still flirt with Jaime and Aubrey tho lol, i can't help that they're both adorable 😔🤧)

Nightbound: too soon to tell, but i might have a soft spot for Nik Ryder, and i like Katherine so far 🤔

Passport to Romance: Ahmed Khabbaz

America's Most Eligible: Adam or Mackenzie 🤷🏽‍♀️ (depends on if i have the strength to replay for her, or if i'll just take the easy way out and rename Adam "Damien" in book 3)

Red Carpet Diaries: Thomas Hunt ❣️

Big Sky Country: im not super into any of them or the book in general, but Juliette is my LI.

Across the Void: Meridian 🤤 Holmes and Lyra for Pax and Eos, but i'm not as invested in them lol

The Heist Monaco: Sonia Alves 😍

It Lives in the Woods: Andy

It Lives Beneath: Garrett Danni

The Elementalists: Shreya 💗

Bloodbound: Jax Matsuo 💘

Veil of Secrets: Flynn O'Malley 😍

Ride or Die: by now i've tried all romance routes which led to me accidentally falling in love with all 3 of them whoops, but Mona is my LI ❤️

Haunting of Braidwood Manor: the book was 6 chapters long so it didn't really give me enough time to get attached to any of the characters 😐 pretty sure i kissed Victor though lol. so Victor/no one

High School Story: no one, i wanted Julian 😤

High School Class Act: Rory Silva/Skye Crandall

Home for the Holidays: Nick Peralta. does it even count though if i don't remember anything from the book

[choicesficwriterscreations]

TRR/TRH/TFR FotW - Dec 12 - 18 2021

🖤 = Adult Content 🔥= NSFW/18+ 🎄 = CFWC Holiday Celebration

DRAKE WALKER x F!MC

Mission Grumpy: The Tale of the Courtly Lady (Series) - @sillydg Part 2 🖤 🔥

DRAKE WALKER x F!OC

Sleepless in New York (Series) - @karahalloway Chapter 2: First Impressions 🖤

LIAM RYS X F!MC

A COVID Christmas - @sfb123 🎄

The Beginning of the End - @starfurylord

The Rebel Crown Prince - @thegreentwin Clubbing 🖤 🔥 The Day After 🖤 🔥

MULTIPLE CHARACTERS

Cinnamon Spice | Male TRR LI x F!OC @bebepac

My Best Friend’s Girl (Series) | Liam Rys, F!MC, Drake Walker - @angelasscribbles Chapter 7: Birthday Wishes

Savage Love (New Series)| Drake Walker, Liam Rys, F!MC - @angelasscribbles Savage Love Prologue 🖤 🔥

MULTIPLE RELATIONSHIPS

Complicated | Drake Walker x MC, Liam Rys x MC - @angelasscribbles Chapter 24: When Hearts Get Broken 🖤 🔥 Chapter 25: The Fixer Chapter 26: Controlling the Narrative

CFWC MAIN FOTW LIST

CFWC OPEN HEART FOTW LIST

[mind-reader1]

Home Away From Home (Ch.3)

Catch up with Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 here 

TRR AU: Drake decided to leave the engagement tour in LA after they found Tariq, what will that mean for Drake and Emma? Will she end up with Liam?

A/N: Julian, CA is a real place lol. Look it up if you don’t believe me. Also, yes I do speak some Italian! 

Pairing: Drake x MC (Emma Barnes); Liam x MC

Warnings: None

Word Count: 1,989

Last Time: Drake was wrenched back in his memories to the first time he thought he may have feelings for Emma, and the very first time they kissed, but he got a rude awakening that same day when he accidentally caught her making out with Liam. 

Chapter 3: Make you Feel My Love 

When his thoughts finally cleared he realized he was getting low on gas and had no idea where he was, somewhere in the mountains, he had no recollection of how he got from the beach to the mountains, but now he needed to figure something out. As if it was divine intervention, he saw a sign for a town called Julian, only ten miles away. He followed the sign and he honestly almost drove right through it was so small. Turning onto a side street he found some parking and climbed out, wandering through the town. Every other shop had some kind of advertisement up about apples. He thought he was going crazy at first, it was like someone had condensed Cordonia into a tiny little town and dropped it in California. It didn't take him long to find the town hall, he meandered in and learned a lot. It had been an old mining town, that would explain the decor and style of buildings, and then it became known for all their apple orchards and famous apple pie. There was a cabin just a few miles away that had gone up for sale, Drake hadn't thought he'd find someplace so quickly, but he did. Julian was his place. Big enough that not everyone knew you, but small enough where it wasn't too crowded. Even though he was surrounded by apples, it reminded him of home, of Cordonia, and not of her. He took a few days to settle in before he really started to explore, little boutiques, cafes, souvenir shops, even some wineries in town.

Once he had settled in, he got a new phone and texted Liam.

I'm safe. That’s all he said, Liam asked him more, but Drake wouldn't share. He knew the kind of persuasion power she had, she was a temptress, he could never say no to her and she knew it. She had that same kind of hold on Liam, Drake was sure of it. He remembered the first time she gave him a nickname, that was when he knew he loved her, despite all his attempts to push her away, to not want her. She was irresistible and fierce, pushing back ten times harder than he pushed her away.

****

Drake was on his way out to find some real food when he ran into her. She was still wearing the dress from the event in Italy earlier that night. Sparkling red, a plunging neckline with small lines of fabric running down her chest, almost like trails of blood. Every step she took the dress swished by her ankles, the rest of it hugged her curves so tightly it left little to the imagination as her hips swayed. Holding his arm out to her, Drake led her through the quiet lamp-lit streets, dashing into the first open restaurant he found. The aromas of fresh tomatoes and spices filled the air of the tiny restaurant, it had a cozy kind of mom and pop feel to it as they slid into a booth. A kind, middle-aged, man offered them some menus.

“So, this is more your style huh?”

“A menu, a table, and the promise of good food. That's all I need.” The man asked them a question in Italian. Drake didn't know much Italian, any really, just a few basic words. Emma smiled at his confusion, not passing up the opportunity to tease him.

“Didn't think your plan through?” She was going to answer for them. She had taken Italian in college, not that she ever thought she'd actually use it, but she had the chance now.

“No, I've got this.” Emma decided to sit back and watch Drake who turned to the man.

“Spaghetti and pizza.”

“Drake... you forgot the lasagna.”

“You're right, my vocabulary’s too limited.”

“I'm disappointed in you.” Drake saw that familiar gleam in her eye, she was teasing him, like she loved to do.

“We'll have to make do.”

“So, do you do this often?”

“This isn't my first time going rogue. Following Liam around you often end up in foreign lands.”

“Well, now you've got me for company.” her hand twitched like she wanted to reach over and grab Drake's, but she stopped herself.

“That means more pressure to not look like a fool.”

“You could never look like a fool to me, Drake.” His eyes met her steady gaze and he knew she meant it, no jokes, he dragged his eyes away, she always got to him. Just then, the man returned with spaghetti and pizza for them. The man gave Drake a smile and turned away.

“Grazie, signor!” Emma added as he walked away, the man cracking a real smile as he nodded at Emma. Drake looked at Emma, surprised but impressed, she never ceased to amaze or surprise him.

“Oh, I think he misunderstood.” Drake looked down and saw only one bowl of spaghetti. Emma giggled and grabbed a fork diving in.

“We'll make do, Drake.” He shrugged and grabbed his own fork diving into the delicious noodles before he could get a bite, Emma snagged it off his fork. Sucking the noodles up, she left one hanging, leaning in so close to Drake he could smell her intoxicating perfume. He wanted to scoop up that noodle, bring her in for a kiss, but he had to restrain himself. He forced himself to look away and grab a slice of pizza instead.

“So why didn't you speak up earlier when I was struggling? You clearly know some Italian.” Her lips curled into a lazy smile.

“I didn't want to show you up on our first date. The male ego is a fragile thing.”

“What?” Drake almost spit his food out all over the table at the mention of the word date. Sure they'd been flirting and shared some kisses, but they weren't dating, she was still Liam's girl and that's the exact reason he hadn't kissed her just seconds ago.

“A nice meal at an Italian restaurant, you invited me to.”

“I invited you for food because I thought you were hungry. Normal people eat when they're hungry!” Drake's words came out fast and flustered, color rising to his cheeks as Emma watched, suppressing a laugh.

“I'm okay with it.” She batted her eyelashes.

“I… err… you're killing me, Barnes.” Drake sighed, wiping some pasta sauce off his face. Deciding she tortured him enough for the moment, she changed the subject.

“I noticed we didn't have to sneak past any palace security tonight. Can you just come and go as you please?”

“I'm not nearly as important as Liam, besides Bastien trusts me. Knows I can take care of myself, we go way back.”

“Ooh, storytime!” Drake suppressed a smile.

“I don't know what's gotten into me tonight. I guess I'm just in a sharing mood.”

“Maybe it's the company.”

“I want to give you a hard time, Barnes, but the truth is I'm just so damned happy to be spending time alone with you, away from that circus.” So, he opened up about Bastien, his father, his childhood when Bastien would babysit him and Savannah. Drake went on to tell her about how he idolized his dad, how he went away for college until the assassination attempt on Liam's family. Drake twisted his fork idly in the pasta, lost in thought, Emma reached over and grabbed his hand, squeezing.

“You're a good friend to Liam.” Drake smiled half-heartedly as his eyes shot up to hers, his gaze swept over her face hungrily.

“... Most of the time…” his gaze landed on her lips and stayed there until she leaned in to kiss him. She pressed herself against him, kissing him sweetly, catching him off guard. His body tensed at first before melting into her touch.

“Barnes…” he pulled away, Emma gently rested her palm against his cheek before sliding to the back of his neck, tangling her fingers in his hair, pulling him closer for a deeper and more passionate kiss. Her tongue teased his bottom lip and he couldn't resist even if he wanted to, their tongues dancing together before she finally pulled away breathless.

“You're full of surprises tonight.” He rested his forehead against hers, a hand idly resting on her waist, the other he had to untangle from her blonde curls. Emma chuckled.

“You can't just take me to dinner, pour your fluffy marshmallow heart out, and not expect me to fall a little more for you, Drake Walker.” That was it. That was the exact moment he knew he was done for, that he knew he loved her and there would never be any going back. Drake sighed, reaching out to cup her cheek, his lips brushing hers ever so lightly once again until they heard footsteps. The man from before had brought their check, Drake snatched it up before Emma could even look at it.

“Let me get it.”

“So, this was a date?” She teased but stopped when she saw the look on his face.

“It's the least I can do for talking your ear off all night, dropping all that on you.”

“It doesn't bother me, Drake, I like seeing this softer side of you.” She whispered.

“This is my lowest low. What have you done to me, Barnes?”

“I like your gooey center, Drake. I can tell you're secretly a big marshmallow at heart.”

“Thanks, Barnes.” He cleared his throat awkwardly. Moments ago, he had thought he was in love with her, that it couldn't get any worse than that, then she called him a marshmallow, gave him a nickname and he didn't mind. In fact, he secretly loved it, knowing that she saw right through him. He knew he couldn’t keep this up though, Liam was still committed to being with her once they found Tariq, some small part of Drake held out hope it would never happen and she’d pick him, but he also knew Liam would stop at nothing.

They strolled back slowly, enjoying the warm evening air, stopping on the famous Ponte Vecchio to gaze out at the Arno river below them. Emma sighed and turned back around to lean against the wall when someone walking by caught her eye.

“We should ask them to take our picture, Drake!”

“No, Barnes! We can’t!” He protested but she had already dashed off to stop them.

“Scusi. Potresti fare la nostra foto, il mio ragazzo è arrivato molto lontano per sorprendermi.” She said, he had no idea what it meant, but she returned smiling brightly.

“What did you tell them, Barnes?”

“I said it’s our first date and we want a picture to celebrate.” He rolled his eyes playfully, not knowing she’d actually told them her boyfriend came very far to surprise her. She’d loved how easily boyfriend rolled off her tongue when referring to Drake. He pulled her close from her side, trying to hide his face in her neck, the corner of his mouth twitching into a smile as he turned away, Emma laughing at his stubbornness. The man handed Emma her phone back and admired the picture. He’d caught Drake’s smile as he turned away, and Emma throwing her head back laughing at him.

“Grazie, buona notte.” As she looked, she couldn’t help but feel conflicted, shoving her phone away hastily. She knew she’d fallen in love, but with who was the big question. The commoner who tried to hide his affection for her from the world, or the king who would’ve been beaming proudly beside her, telling the world how lucky he was. She didn’t want to be just another secret, but she wasn’t a trophy to be paraded around either and she knew her time to decide was shrinking every day.

Meanwhile, Drake couldn’t help but think this woman would be his downfall he thought at that moment, he had no idea just how right he was.

  Drake Tag: @notoriouscs @speedyoperarascalparty @andy-loves-corgis @furiousherringoperatortoad @sue9659 @smritysriv @mrsdrakewalkerblog @carabeth @jovialyouthmusic @mrswalkernazario @moonlightgem7 @nikkis1983 @drakesroyalromance @gibbles82 @simsvetements @feartheendlesssummer @drakewalkerisreal @thequeenofcronuts

Perma Tag: @brightpinkpeppercorn @sleepwalkingelite @ooo-barff-ooo @endlessly-searching-for-you @agent-bossypants @roonarific @likethetailofacomet @zaffrenotes @mysteli @vickypoochoices @kayann93 @jlouise88 @zigortega4life @findingdrake @bbaba-yagaa

[the-everlasting-dream]

Sticky Situation - Maxwell x MC ft. Drake

Summary: Maxwell’s attempt at manscaping goes awry. 

A/N: This is not an original idea. It was inspired by this post but after reading it I KNEW I had to se a Maxwell version for reasons. If I’ve done my job right, you’ll all be rolling with laughter soon. Slight Drake x MC Elizabeth here. 

Submission for @choices-september-challenge Day 17 Unexpected  hosted by @i-dream-so-i-write. I think I might be a day early but its the 17th for me lol

Maxwell Beaumont: Xavier Serrano Thea Larkin: Olivia Holt 

Word count: 4100+

Warnings: Description of male genitalia, sexual references

Permanent tags: @choicessa, @pbchoicesobsessed , @meeraaverywalker , @drakewalkerwhipped , @mfackenthal , @srawesleyghuewrites , @topsyturvy-dream , @enmchoices , @gardeningourmet @debramcg1106 , @alesana45 , @meladoridarcy, @blackcatkita , @tmarie82 , @annekebbphotography , @xxrainbowprincessxx , @lizk77 , @jayjay879 , @tornbetween2loves 

TRR only: @speedyoperarascalparty

‘Are you going to take long little bird?’ Maxwell asked with a huff as he reluctantly guided the car through the streets of Cordonia. 

He was currently driving his fiancee over to their best friend Elizabeth Richmond-Walker’s Atlantean manor for a girls afternoon with their friends Hana Lee and Olivia Nevrakis. He’d voiced his protest earlier at having to part with her for a few hours after expecting to have the whole day together to spend as they pleased. 

 ‘Oh Max its just for one afternoon. Besides,’ Thea Larkin grinned, tossing a lock of blonde hair over her shoulder cheekily. ‘I think you’ll be very pleased with the result after we visit the beauty parlour.’ 

 Maxwell’s eyebrows perked up as he caught her meaning, deliberately urging the car on faster. ‘Full speed ahead then! Beauty parlour here she comes!’ He announced as Thea let out a peal of laughter.

Maxwell was just driving away from the manor when something on the seat glimmered in the sunlight and he glanced over to find that Thea had left her purse in the car and immediately turned the car around. After one of Elizabeth’s staff members pointed him in the direction of her parlous where they were all gathered, he stood at the door, poised to knock before he heard their voices travelling through the door. 

 ‘-believe he waxes Liv!’ Elizabeth was saying. ‘Are you sure?’ 

‘Of course I’m sure!’ Olivia’s voice conveyed a slight hint of irritation. ‘I’ve been married to Liam long enough that he can’t hide that from me…’ 

‘Huh I’m just surprised he would go to all that effort,’ Liz replied thoughtfully. ‘Drake just shaves, says it makes him look bigger.’ 

Maxwells eyes widened as he realised what the women were talking about. In spite of himself he glanced down his own body thinking of his negligence of proper grooming down there. Sure he’d attempted to clean up the downstairs in the past but after one very unfortunate encounter with a razor and a whole week of having to come up with an believable enough excuse for walking funny, he’d been deterred from the whole concept together. So far Thea hadn’t said anything about it when they’d been together so he’d just assumed she didn’t mi- 

‘Does it really feel better like that Liz?’ 

That was Thea speaking now, her tone curious, revealing just how innocent she still was at 22 years of age. Maxwell leaned closer to the door, gripping the handle in anticipation, his ear flat against the wood to avoid missing a word of what she was going to say. 

‘Thea girl...,’ Elizabeth answered, her voice dropping in pitch. ‘It makes all the difference in the world.’ 

 ‘Plus it makes blowjobs that much more pleasant,’ Olivia put in bluntly. ‘You won’t have to be picking hair out of your teeth hours later.'   

A loud gasp escaped Maxwell. He forgot he still had a hand on the door handle in his surprise at Olivia’s bluntness accidentally twisted the handle. With the side of his body pressed heavily against the wood from his eavesdropping attempt, it gave way easily now and he tumbled headfirst into the room where the ladies were sitting. 

 ‘Maxwell?!’ They gasped collectively at his abrupt entrance. Blushing furiously red and inwardly cursing his luck, he picked himself off the ground. ‘Hey girls… uh… Thea forgot her purse so I just dropped by to give it to her.’ 

He sheepishly handed the item to his surprised fiancée. 

 ‘Quite literally too,’ Olivia purred in amusement as she eyed his reddened state. 

Thea eyed him quizzically. ‘Max how long have you-‘ 

 ‘Barely two seconds,’ he called out over his shoulder, perhaps a little too loudly. He steadily avoiding all their gazes, making a beeline towards the exit. ‘I’ll see you girls later, have fun!’

-

"Place tub in microwave, warm in short bursts, stirring after each burst of heat until wax was a smooth, honey like consistency. Apply a liberal amount of wax to area to be epilated, apply linen strip rubbing firmly in direction of hair growth, pull skin taut and remove wax strip.” 

‘Huh.. seems simple enough,’ Maxwell mused out loud, scanning the label on small round pot he’d found. 

 When he’d returned back to the Beaumont manor, instead of spending the afternoon playing video games like he’d planned, the girls’ conversation had made him curious and he’d immediately headed to the cupboard under the bathroom sink of Thea’s bathroom, rummaging around until he found it. A small pot of wax and the accompanying strips. 

Rereading the instructions, he turned it over in his hands. 

 ‘That doesn’t sound too hard. I got this,’ he reassured himself again as he made his way down to the vast kitchen. 'If girls could do it so can I.’   

House Beaumont was entirely empty, the servants had the day off and Bertrand was with Savannah and Bartie at her place so it was the perfect time to try this, he reasoned with himself, imagining how surprised Thea would be when he showed her the finished result. 

 Slipping the pot into the microwave, Maxwell headed to the cupboard in the store room holding their camping supplies, reasoning that this could be a messy process and he’d rather not face his older brother’s fury for spilling wax on their kitchen stools. Dragging out a canvas camping chair, he positioned it in front of the kitchen island as he waited for the microwave to finish, wrapping the flaps of his dressing gown tighter over his naked body underneath. When he heard the DING! of the microwave, he carefully extracted the pot and laid it to cool on the bench top. 

 'So far so good,’ Maxwell muttered to himself, surprised at how smoothly this was all going before he realised his real predicament. 

 How was he supposed to get the wax on his man parts without slopping it everywhere?

He spent a few moments, attempting various positions to see which would be the most effective for the task he was about to undertake, finally settling on a seated position on the canvas chair with his legs raised up on the kitchen island spread in a wide pilates V. It took a moment to juggle with the positioning of his cock and balls but so far this was the best option he could think of. 

Mortified at the thought of anyone — least of all Bertrand — walking in to see him in such compromising position, Maxwell reached for the stick in the pot, hoping he could get the task quickly without any major spills. He gingerly moved to apply it quickly to his skin almost immediately he cursed out loud. 

‘Shit!’ 

 He hadn’t left it to cool long enough and the wax was much too hot when it made contact with the tender skin of his balls, drawing reflexive tears of pain. When the intensity died down to a dull warmth, he hastily applied the linen strip over the area, rubbing it soothingly to ease the pain. No, he reminded himself. The most painful part was still to come. 

‘Come on Maxwell,’ he muttered trying to psych himself up. ‘You can do this.’ 

Clenching his eyes shut, he took a deep breath and flexed his abs in preparation for the shock that was to come. With his fingers under the edge of the stip, he counted to three and ripped the strip off as quickly as he could. 

‘Mother fucker!’

His shout of pain echoed through the halls of the Beaumont manor and if anyone were home they’d have some running by now. His vision flashed white as pain emanated from between his legs and he fought to keep his breathing under control. Eventually Maxwell opened his eyes, bringing the strip up to inspect his handiwork expecting to see it filled with unwanted hair but was surprised to find… nothing! 

‘What the hell?’ Maxwell exclaimed, staring at the little piece of cloth, void of both hair AND wax.

’Something’s not right,’ he began, reaching for the pot to reread the instructions labelled there. He’d followed the steps perfectly. 

Warm. Apply. Rub. Pull. It wasn’t rocket science! 

He glanced down at himself to find the cooled wax perfectly attached to the pubic hair on his balls. 

‘Maybe I didn’t put enough wax on,’ Maxwell reasoned with himself and reached for the stick again — another huge mistake. 

In his hurry he’d taken too big of a scoop of wax out of the pot and it had dripped all over his flaccid cock making him hiss as the still-too-hot wax hit his most sensitive area. He’d put so much on that it began to drip down over his balls down to his taint in between his butt cheeks. 

 Unfortunately his attention was focused elsewhere for now as his fingers scrabbled across the bench top to reach for another strip of linen. When he finally placed it where he deemed appropriate, he patted it down with more force than earlier, attempting to distract himself from the strain of his muscles from keeping him in that position for so long. Gasping for breath, Maxwell braced himself for the impact as his held his skin tight and yanked the strip with all his might. 

 ‘FUCK!’ 

His howl of pain was louder this time and a whole octave higher as the pain seemed to be ten times worse this time around. He was gasping for air, covered in a light sheen of sweat from the exertion and lifted his hand up to inspect his handiwork. 

Surely that had to work this time…

He hadn’t put himself through that a second time to turn up - 

‘EMPTY?’ Maxwell screeched, staring at the pristine wax strip staring back at him, almost mockingly. Defeated and angry, he dropped his legs from the bench top, hissing as his tired muscles spasmed when he closed his legs. His back was killing him too as and he tried to shift in the chair, his eyes widened in horror as he found himself unable to move! 

‘I’ve glued myself to the chair,’ he stated blankly, trying not to lose his cool but failing miserably. ‘I’ve glued myself to the chair!’ 

 And if things couldn’t get any worse, Maxwell shifted again only to find that he’d waxed himself… to himself! 

A frantic panic welled up in him as he tried to pry his legs apart but they refused to move, sealed together perfectly by the wax. He let out a whimper of defeat. 

How am I going to get free? What if I need to pee? Another more drastic thought struck him. What if I’m stuck like this forever? 

 His eyes widened at the thought of being confined to the chair for the rest of his life. I’ll never be able to dance again, he realised with horror before correcting himself. He’d never be able to be with Thea again. Now that shocked him into silence and he stayed frozen like that for a few moments. 

He needed to do something… He couldn’t remain like this forever. He refused to. Channelling his inner Bertrand, he psyched himself up again. He was Maxwell Percival of House Beaumont. Surely he wouldn’t let a little bit of hot wax get the better of him.   

Steeling his nerves, Maxwell gingerly attempted to inch one butt cheek off the chair which caused a slight sucking noise to echo out through the kitchen and if it was possible he felt himself blush even more at his own predicament. While his sense of urgency told him to hurry, his pain threshold screamed at him to take his time, lest he got himself into an even more compromising position. His muscles strained with every inch he shifted but eventually he was able to peel himself off the chair. 

Next problem, his legs were still glued together. 

Maxwell’s mind raced trying to find a solution that did not involve stripping himself of his ability to have children and finally settled on the first somewhat sensible option that came to him. 

Grabbing his robe and phone, he began to take painfully tiny steps towards the bathroom. No matter how big or small his movements were, each step was a new fresh hell as the wax pulled at his hair and genitals. Instead of walking, he resigned himself to an awkward sliding motion as he shuffled towards the stairs, realising all the bathrooms big enough to accommodate his needs were stationed one level above. Sweat dripped off his body as he painfully inched himself up the first step, gasping heavily when he’d cleared it. 

Only fifteen more to go….

-

In the bathroom, Maxwell turned on the faucet as warm as he thought he could handle and when the tub was sufficiently filled, he eased himself into the water, sighing in relief rather than pleasure that he would finally be able to be free of this accursed wax. The bottle of rose scented bubble bath caught his eye and he reached for it, hoping for something to make his unfortunate experience a little better. Shortly after dumping in a generous dollop, the bubbles began to form and he leaned his head back against the bathroom wall, giving himself a few moments to relax before he tackled his downstairs issue. 

It had barely been over a minute when he felt something tickling his nose and opened his eyes to find his entire visual field filled with foam as the bubbles had multiplied incessantly filling the entire bathtub. He shut the water off and swiped a few bubbles out of his way. 

Surely the wax would have melted by now… 

Maxwell attempted to a slight wiggle to adjust himself 

Nothing happened…. 

He wiggled again… 

Still nothing..

For some reason his body was refusing to cooperate! Frantically he swiped more of the bubbles away to find that instead of melting the wax off his skin the warm water had the complete opposite effect and in his attempt to free himself, he’d essentially created a vacuum seal between his balls, legs and the bathtub! 

Maxwell was shocked to his very core, unable to decide whether to laugh or cry about his predicament. Instead he reached for his phone, dealing the first person he could think of… Bertrand. 

 His older brother had gotten him out of scraped a hundred times over. Surely he’d know what to do right? Maxwell drummed his fingers against the side of the tub while the phone rang over and over before finally going to voice mail. 

 ‘Bertrand’s always got his phone on him,’ he exclaimed. ‘What could possibly be happening now?’ 

Sighing in frustration he dialled Liam’s number. Surely the King of Cordonia would have a solution for him? Unfortunately that call too went to voice mail and Maxwell sighed again. Liam was probably off doing kingly things and didn’t have time to answer.  

His finger hovered over Thea’s contact, millimetres away from pressing the green button before he clicked out of the contact. She was busy with the rest of the girls at the salon… Besides he sure as shit wasn’t about to tell his fiancee about his stupid endeavour, knowing she’d tease him endlessly about it. He’d be taking this to the grave, which left only one other person to call.

‘Drake? Drake my buddy, my best friend how are you?’ he began nervously, relieved that someone picked up. 

 Drake’s flat tone told him immediately that he was neither impressed not entertained this. ‘I’m fine.' 

 ‘Greaaaat’ he replied and immediately realising he’d drawn out the syllable a bit longer than necessary. ’Say whatcha doing right now?’ 

‘I just got Darcy down for her afternoon nap,’ his friend replied shortly before his voice got suspicious. ‘What do you want Beaumont?' 

Maxwell felt his face heat up at the prospect of having to explain his situation to his ever cynical best friend. Of all the scrapes he’d gotten himself into this one was definitely up there with the worst of them. ‘I… uh… might have gotten myself into a bit of a… ah, sticky situation.’ 

‘Get to the point Maxwell,’ Drake replied, his tone definitely irritated now. ‘What have you done now?’ 

Maxwell shifted uncomfortably then immediately regretted it as the strands of waxed hair pulled painfully against his balls. ‘I think its better if I show you,’ he squeaked in pain. 

 ‘Beaumont if this is another one of your fucking pranks, I swear to god I’ll-‘ 

‘Drake just get over here!’ he burst out desperately, unable to take it anymore. ‘I need help!' 

‘Alright, alright, just sit tight I’ll be there soon,’ he grumbled before clicking the call off. 

 Maxwell settled his phone on the bathtub’s edge and waited, praying his best friend would arrive quickly and have some sort of idea on how to get him out of his predicament. Twenty minutes passed and the temperature of the water in the bathtub dropped by more than 10 degrees but he was still no closer to becoming unstuck. 

 ‘Come on, come on,’ Maxwell muttered under his breath, hoping to the highest heavens that Drake hadn’t forgotten and would arrive soon. Ever since Darcy had been born, his best friend had taken his fatherhood role very seriously which meant he’d seen less and less of him in the last few months. At long last his phone buzzed and he lunged for it, sure enough finding a text from Drake.

I just got here. Where are you?  in the master bathroom. hurry, idk how long i can be like this 

After what felt like hours but was probably about a minute, Drake appeared in the door way carrying some sort of large basket in his hand. 

'Drake buddy!’ Maxwell burst out in relief. 'Man am I glad to see you.' 

 'Maxwell, please tell me you did not disrupt my daughters nap just to show me you were having a bubble bath,’ Drake growled, setting the basket down and Maxwell caught a sight of baby Darcy inside, still sleeping soundly. 

'No Drake its not like that!’ he protested before gesturing down to himself. 'I’m stuck!’ 

His friend’s face crumpled in confusion and irritation. 'What the fu- What do you mean you’re stuck?’ 

'I’m stuck Drake!’ he wailed despondently, almost on the verge of tears. 

‘Alright alright! Keep your damn voice down,’ Drake grumbled, jerking his head at the sleeping baby. ‘Why don’t you tell me what happened from the beginning?’

'I wanted to surprise Thea so I tried to self-wax my… um… you know —  I mean if Liam can do it, it shouldn’t be that hard right?’ Maxwell began rapidly, keeping his gaze firmly away from his friend's as he continued. ‘And I followed the instructions but then the wax didn’t come off,  and oh my god it fucking hurt, so I tried it again but it still didn’t work, and when I put my legs down… everything sealed together and now I’m stuck to the bathtub!'

He glanced up to see Drake’s eyebrows raised almost to his hair line in astonishment and the two men just stared at each other for a long moment before Drake burst out into uncontrollable laughter, his broad shoulders shaking. 

‘Fine, fine,’ Maxwell grumbled. ‘I guess I deserve that… Laugh all you want.’ 

‘Wow Beaumont,’ his friend replied sarcastically, not even bothering to hide his amusement. ‘You’ve really done it this time,’ he replied, wiping a few tears away. 

 ‘Ok yea I admit it was a dumb idea but will you help me now?!’ He demanded. 

‘Hang on I’m not done yet,’ Drake shot back and laughed for a few more seconds to Maxwell’s chagrin. 

 ‘Okay now can we focus on the real problem here?!’ He almost yelled, completely disregarding the sleeping child a few feet away. 

‘Shit Maxwell I have no idea how to help you. Right now Google is our best bet I guess. But before we try anything, you should drain the bathtub,’ Drake advised in what Maxwell could only describe as his “dad voice". ’Nothing’s gonna work if with all those bubbles in the way... I’m also gonna assume you’re naked under all that..?’ He gestured vaguely to the soap suds. 

Maxwell nodded and silently obeyed, pulling the plug and letting the water drain out, rinsing himself of the soap suds as Drake thumbed through his phone, looking for a solution. 

‘Here it is,’ he finally spoke up. ‘Do you have any olive oil?’ 

‘If we do it would be in the kitchen,’ Maxwell answered, confused but not about to argue with his best friend who immediately disappeared and was back in a few seconds with it. 

 ‘Cotton pads?’ 

‘In the drawer,’ Maxwell pointed to indicate which one it was. Handing both the items to him, Drake slowly walked him through the process of unsticking himself from the bathtub floor with surprising patience and soon enough Maxwell found himself effectively detached from the porcelain. 

 ‘Drake buddy come here,’ he exclaimed, lunging up from the bathtub entirely relieved to be free. ‘You’re the best friend a guy could ask for!’ 

He attempted to pull Drake into a hug but his friend deftly sidestepped him, squeezing his eyes shut. ‘You know how I feel about hugs Beaumont. And you’re still naked by the way.’

Maxwell glanced down to find that he was indeed still naked and grabbed a towel from the nearby rack. 

‘Oh thanks for the reminder, pal,’ he replied shakily. 

Drake shook his head vehemently, shuddering. ‘Ugh don’t think I’ll be unseeing that anytime soon… Come on get dressed,’ he instructed, throwing Maxwell’s robe at him. 

‘Where are we going?’ he asked curiously as he slipped the robe over his shoulders, watching Drake pick up his still sleeping daughter and head out of the bathroom. 

‘Just do it,’ he ordered authoritatively over his shoulder and Maxwell had no choice but to follow after him. Drake loaded all three of them into his Jeep and turned glared at him. 

‘If you get wax on my new car, I will personally seal you to the roof of House Beaumont, got it?’ 

 ‘Got it,’ Maxwell gulped, knowing his friend was entirely capable of following through on his threat and the entire car ride was silent until Drake finally pulled up to a strip mall. 

 ‘What are we doing here?’ Maxwell questioned as he got down from the vehicle. 

 ‘Doing what you should have done in the first place,’ his friend replied as he carefully extracted his daughter from her carseat and heading towards the entrance of a beauty parlour. ‘Getting it professionally done. Are you gonna stand there on the sidewalk all day Beaumont?’ 

Shaking his head, Maxwell scurried after his best friend away from the strange looks he was receiving from passerby on the street. He’d barely taken two steps into the salon when a woman’s voice called out his name. 

‘Maxwell?’

His eyes almost fell out of his head when he saw Thea, Elizabeth, Olivia and Hana seated on the large massage chairs getting their nails done. 

‘Uh… hey ladies…' 

‘What are you doing here?’ His fiancee questioned, looking at him curiously. 

Maxwell felt his face heat up alarmingly. ‘Umm… I mean y’know… I was so lonely at home I decided to come join you…' 

‘Don’t be fooled,’ Drake cut in. ‘You’ll never believe what he did to himself this time.’ 

‘Thats it!’ Maxwell exclaimed out loud, heading for one of the waxing rooms at the back of the store, hoping to escape the ribbing his friends would inevitably give him. ‘I’m already late for my appointment!’ 

 As he settled himself down on the waxing bed, he could hear his friends laughing as Drake related the entire story to them. 

That’s the last time I attempt to do anything like this myself...

[givemechoices]

More Than 11 Questions xD

@kennaxval @lizzybeth1986 @violetflipflops tagged me. I’m so sorry it took me this long to respond >_<

The post is going to be super long so I’ll tag all the people I’ve got questions for before I do a Keep Reading tag

My 11 questions that will be going out to these lovely people are as follows:

1.    What is one particular storyline you would love to see on Choices?

2.    Whose plotline in all of the Choices books aka character’s journey did you most enjoy?

3.    Who’s your favourite MC?

4.    Who’s your least favourite MC?

5.    Which Choices background do you not mind seeing recycled?

6.    Which Choices character do you most relate to?

7.    If given the choice, would you choose the option to have a polyamorous relationship with any of the other characters? Who would you choose?

8.    Which Choices book would you most likely want to live through?

9.    Which Choices book, besides Most Wanted, do you want a sequel to?

10.  Which Choices book, besides ROE/HFTH, do you want to stop getting sequels of?

11.  What aspect of the Choices books would you like PB to improve on?

Tagging these lovely people: @hughater @puckishelfin @chiarace @tinypenguincheesemachine @hamulau @youruinedmylifebynotbeingreal @hhiggs @ellora-ameris @destinio1 @lilywoood

Sorry if y’all have already been tagged before >_< I don’t actually have that many people to tag in the first place heh

1. Favorite female Choices character?

God, too many tbh. Like I love all the female characters on Endless Summer. Literally. All of them. Even Seraxa. And the Endless. And I love Hana, she’s such a sweetheart. I honestly can’t pick just one. ^-^

2. Favorite male Choices character?

Liam, duh. And Grayson. And Sean. And Zig. And Chris. And Mark. And Diego. And Craig. And Raj. And Matt. *dead* I can’t choooooose

3. Favorite dessert?

Pineapple cream cheese pie. I even know how to make it mself ^-^

4. Least favorite food?

There’s this thing in Asia called the petai. It’s called Bitter Bean according to Google but I call it the stink bean because it stinks to high hell and it makes any and all excretions after that smell like death. It tastes awful to me and I’m sorry you had to imagine the excretions. ^-^

5. Are you a coffee drinker?

I’m a tea lover but I partake once in a while.

6. Dream job or career?

Career, I think. My dream job requires me to find a rich benefactor so I can get a proper degree and then pursue it.

7. Favorite non-Choices book series?

Harry Potter, Skulduggery Pleasant and A Series of Unfortunate Events.

8. Do you have any secret talents?

It’s not exactly a secret but I can play a song on any instrument by ear

9. Dream place to live?

Somewhere by the beach, despite the fact that I’m not a big fan of the beach? It’s more about the view than anything else.

10. Do you have any guilty pleasure TV shows?

I honestly don’t feel guilty about any of the shows I watch ^-^

11. If you won the lottery, what’s something fun you would splurge on?

A really good mattress. I’m not even kidding.

12. Are there film adaptations of books that you feel did justice to the book itself?

Sleepers. Brad Pitt, Robert De Niro, Minnie Driver…need I say more?

13. Favourite Choices Moment.

When Sean and MC became official. I didn’t always agree with the guy because he’s a white knight but I love the shit out of him and waited way too long to get him to 2 fucking hearts xD

14. How did you join the Tumblr fandom?

God…I just started liking Choices posts and it snowballed from there xD

15. Which place do you most consider home?

Cliché as it is, home isn’t a place for me. It’s wherever my family is.

16. Favourite cheese.

Mozzarella and feta

17. Most vivid childhood memory.

Me getting my bike handle jabbed into my chest after a particularly nasty fall and waking up at home. Me falling off the swing and falling on the concrete edge of the platform the swing was on and waking up in my aunt’s toilet being washed off because I had a lot of blood coming out xD I’ll probably never forget that.

18. Favourite hairstyle

The one I have right now is pretty decent. It’s just above my shoulders in a sort of bob-ish kind. Lol, for a writer, I am the worst at describing things.

19. How much do you enjoy naming your MCs?

I love it! There are so many names I love so dumping them on to a character is pretty damn fun ^-^

20. Favourite gemstone?

I don’t have one

21. Would you prefer wearing glasses or contact lenses?

Glasses for sure. They make me less ugly.

22. Favourite OST.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

Rent

Stick It

School of Rock

Moana

23. Who is your ideal person to play your favourite choices character in a movie?

So far, my favourite Choices characters already have pretty damn perfect FCs circulating (Liam=Daniel Henney. Diavolos=D.J. Cotrona. Sean Gayle = Jordan Calloway)

24. What, if anything, would you change in any choices story?

Nothing for a specific book but the most frustrating thing I’ve ever encountered for most all is the fact that they don’t offer customisable LIs and male MCs for the majority of the books. So if anything, that’s what I wanna change.

25. Have you ever had an idea for a choices book?

I’m always having ideas xD

26. What’s your favourite choices soundtrack?

I play Choices with the sound off xD But one particular soundtrack I reeeeeally like is the one during romantic/sex scenes. It’s pretty good xD

27. What non-choices form of entertainment do you prefer (movies, tv, books, etc)

I love all forms of entertainment tbh. I’m trying to get my nephew to be more excited about board games instead of his Nintendo so…

28. Who do you think is the most underrated choices character?

Blake freaking Yasuda.

29. Who do you think is the most overrated choices character?

Drake freaking Walker

30. Have you made any friends on Tumblr?

Yes I have. I love them to bits ^-^ Including the people who tagged me :D

31. If choices didn’t exist, would you still be on Tumblr?

I was on Tumblr way before I played Choices so yeah ^-^

32. What couples, if any, are on your notp list?

Drake x MC, Jake x MC. I’m sorry, I know a lot of the people who follow me and whom I follow are mega fans but I just don’t see their appeal :/

33. Which non-LI would you romance if you could?

So far Olivia from TRR, Blake from ROE, Addison from RCD

[drakewalker8]

Choices special ask! 2 , 6, 10, 14, 21, 25 🤗

Hey love! @kamybelen-blog I just noticed you asked me this!! Thank you so much for asking 😊💕Okay..2. What’s your top 5 male characters? Some are my LI’s and some aren’t. Drake Walker, Jake McKenzie, Maxwell Beaumont, Varynn, Zig Ortega.6. If you could rewrite any scene you want, which would it be? Hmm. This is a tough one. I don’t think I would actually rewrite any of them. Sure I wanna hop on Drakes dick like every scene we have with him lol but I really like the build up so 🙈10. Has anyone started playing choices because of you? Nope. Trying to get my best friend to but she’s been very busy lately! 14. For which release (book or chapter) are you most excited? The next chapter of TRR! I’m nervous because I really don’t want to break Liam’s heart but I’m really hoping Drake and MC will finally get together 🤞🏻 eeeeee21. Create a ship name for you and your favourite character. Lmao. Shrake? Drae? It either sounds like a green ogre or someone just can’t spell Drake correctly 😂25. Tell a plot you’d love to see in a choices story. I’d really love a new mystery book! Maybe an x-files type of thing? I think that would be super cool. Thanks so much for sending me these they were super fun to answer 😊❤️

[justcallmefox89]

Cinderfella's Adventures in Cordonia - Chapter Twenty-Four

An AU of The Royal Romance with a male MC and a bisexual prince.

Masterlist

Drake starts to move on without Liam.

“You sure you’re ok with this, Brat?” I ask, dropping our bags onto the floor of the hotel room.  Given the ridiculously high tension between me and Liam I’d opted to stay here instead of at the palace, and in a surprising move of solidarity, Drake had opted to join me. 

He huffs and rolls his eyes, turning away from me.  “I’m not going to fall apart without Liam.”

“Hey.”  I hook my index finger through one of the belt loops on his jeans and tug him towards me.  I run the tip of my nose against his cheek, and he shivers slightly as my breath ghosts over his skin.  “I didn’t say you would.  But this is uncharted territory for all of us… I want to know that you’re ok.”

Drake sighs, leaning his forehead against my shoulder.  “It’s weird.  I never imagined a point in time where Liam wouldn’t be in my life, but now that probability is staring me in the face and it’s not as terrifying as I thought it would be.  I’m happy with you… and for once I’m finally about to focus on my future without worrying about what I’ll have to hide or the things I won’t be able to have because of Liam.”

“I just don’t want you to have any regrets,” I whisper, a tiny shard of doubt creeping into my mind.

Drake kisses me softly.  “I could never regret you,” he murmurs.

“Hm.”  I hold him a little tighter, nervous energy thrumming through me.

Drake pulls away slightly and peers up at me.  “You wanna get out of here?  I have something I want to show you.”

“Oh?”  I arch one eyebrow in interest.  “What is it?”

“You’ll see.  Give me an hour to get everything ready.”

**** TWO HOURS LATER ****

“I want to go back to the hotel.”  I scowl over at Drake as our hired car pulls up to the security gates surrounding the palace.

“So cranky,” Drake mumbles, kissing my neck.  “I want to show you something on the grounds; we won’t see anyone else.”

“Promise?”

“I promise,” he says, nipping at earlobe, laughing in satisfaction when I shudder at the sensation.

“Fiiiiine,” I pout, exiting the car. 

Drake retrieves two hiking backpacks from the trunk of the car and tips the driver before thrusting one of the backpacks into my hands with a smile.

I stare down at the pack in my hands, baffled.  “What is this?”

Drake grins.  “We’re going on a hike.”

“But why?”

“It’s part of the something I want to show you.  Besides, you could use some time in the great outdoors.  Fresh air is good for you.”

I have my doubts.

“But there are so many outside things in the outdoors.” 

Drake steps a little closer, his fingers toying with the hem of my t-shirt.  “Please, Callum?  For me?”

I groan, unable to withstand the power of the soft voice/puppy dog eyes combination.  “The things I do for you, Brat.”

Drake grins.  “Thank you,” he murmurs, popping up on his toes and pressing a warm kiss to my lips.  He steps away from me and slings the backpack onto his shoulders.  “Let’s go!”

I hoist my own backpacks onto my shoulders with a grunt and begin tromping after him.

****MUCH, MUCH LATER****

“We almost there, Brat?” I call out to Drake, who is several feet ahead of me, perfectly at home among the numerous trees and insects surrounding us.  Meanwhile I’m convinced I’ve entered my own personal hell and reconsidering my attraction to the man in front of me.

“We’re nearly there!”  He looks back over his shoulder and flashes me a brilliant smile.

Goddamn it.  How am I supposed to stay annoyed with him when he smiles like that?

A few minutes later there is a break in the trees and we step out into an open clearing, where a small lake shimmers in the afternoon sunlight.

Drake takes my hands and eagerly leads me to the lake shore.  “It’s beautiful, right?” he asks, smiling at me.

“It’s pretty,” I agree quietly.  “Do you come here a lot?”

His smile momentarily falters.  “I came here a lot with my dad when I was younger.  This is where he taught me to fish.  After he died it was just… too hard to come back.”

I glance over at him in surprise.  “Are you good to be back here?”

“Yeah.”  He nods slowly.  “It’s easier, with you here.  And I wanted to share a little bit of my past with you.  This place is important to me… and so are you.  It just seemed right to bring you here.”

I pull Drake into a hug, resting my chin on the top of his head.  “I love you,” I whisper.

“Love you too,” he mumbles into my chest.  We hold each other for a few more moments before Drake gently pushes me away with a mischievous smirk.

“What are you doing?” I ask, as he slowly strips off his shirt.  I dig my teeth into my lower lip, transfixed by the sight of his sculpted stomach and the trail of dark hair that dips below the waistband of his jeans.

“Going swimming.”  He pops the button on his jeans, grinning as I groan softly.

A stray thought manages to break through even as all the blood in my brain rushes to my dick.  “Wait, what?  Swimming?  In there?” I ask, pointing toward the lake.

“…yes?”  Drake frowns at me. 

I stare at the lake, unable to stop my lips curling back in disdain.  As a born and bred New Yorker I’ve never met water that wasn’t better after being properly treated and filtered. 

I shake my head.  “No.  Nope.”

“Why?”

“That’s wild water, Drake!  Fish fuck in there!”

Drake blinks, then lets out an honest to God giggle.  “That’s not…  You’ll be fine.”

I cross my arms over my chest and plant my feet firmly in the dirt.  “No.”

Drake comes closer, snaking his hands under my shirt and splaying his hands over my stomach.  “Come on, it will be fun.”

I glance over my shoulder at the rippling blue water that I just know is teeming with flesh-eating bacteria and fish sperm.  I shudder.  “No.”

“Seriously, Callum?”  Drake frowns at me.  “Get in the water.”

I shake my head again.  “Can’t make me.”

Drake’s lips curl up into a smirk.  “No?”

“Negative, Ghostrider.” 

He shrugs.  “You brought this on yourself.”

Before I can ask what he means Drake bends his knees, places his hands on my chest, and shoves. 

“What the -”  Caught off balance I go flying backwards, my arms windmilling as I try to regain my footing.  One more slight push from Drake and I go tumbling into the water.

Oh he is so getting a spanking for this.

I break the surface of the water sputtering and cursing, and wipe the water from my eyes just in time to see Drake laughing his ass off safely on shore. 

“I told you you’d be fine,” he calls out once he’s collected himself.

I grimly start sloshing my way towards shore, trying to avoid thinking about how many disgusting microorganisms I’ve been exposed to.  “You better start running, Brat.”

Drake’s smile instantly falls.  “What?”

By now I’m within five feet of him.  “Run.”

He takes off into a dead sprint.  “It was a joke!” he shouts.  “I love you!”

I charge after him, laughing.  I catch up to him quickly, snatching him by the back of his shirt and tugging him towards me, before crouching and tossing him over my shoulder with a grunt. 

“Hey!  Stop!  What are you doing?” Drake yells, trying to wriggle free.

I give him a sharp smack on the ass.  “Hold still, Brat.”

He instantly falls still, and his rapidly hardening dick pokes into my shoulder, revealing just how much he’s enjoying my rougher treatment.  I quickly reach the edge of the water and toss him in, before wading in behind him.  He pops out of the water with a sheepish smile, brushing his wet hair out of his eyes.

I smirk, enjoying the way his wet t-shirt clings to his chest.  “Now we’re even.”

Drake swims towards me and I pull him into my arms.  He loops his arms around my neck and locks his legs around my hips, and brushes the tip of his nose against mine.

“Hey,” I whisper, grabbing his hips to hold him closer to me.  “Gross water aside, I’m really glad you brought me here.”

Drake’s eyes light up and he gives me a shy smile.  “Yeah?”

“Of course.  I love you.  I wanna know everything about you.”

Drake tucks his head under my chin.  “Really?”

“Really.  Sometimes I want to crack open your chest, crawl inside you, and walk around wearing you like a Drake suit - that’s how much I love you.”

Drake freezes in my arms.

“Too far?” I ask.

He snorts and shakes his head.  “You’re so fucking weird.”

“You love it.”  I poke him in the ribs, making him laugh.

“I have no idea why, but I really do.”