#his speech certainly isn't overly formal or anything but i do not think he would use the word 'washed' to describe someone

[in-a-cave-with]

tony is a sad wet beast in this new run and gets called a woke DEI lib by angry conservatives. 10/10 can't wait to see where it's going

[leggerefiore]

Do you think you could do a funny headcanon/story with Lear and an S/O who thinks he’s not actually royalty and just joking? Like S/O doesn’t actually believe he’s royalty and just supports his “persona” unaware of the kingdom he rules over. They just love Lear and think he’s a silly guy and not an actual Prince.

rereading his dialogue... Sawyer is such a good person... Judging by how old he seems too, he's probably the only healthy adult figure that was in Lear's life (outside of his mom)...

cw: comedy mostly

pairing: Lear/Reader

You supposed rich boys could be a bit over the top – Especially those with apparently enough money to both build and own an entire artificial island with enough room to host a population and events constantly. Really, Lear appeared to be made endless cash. When you had first come to the island, he had been quite haughty. You barely understood anything about him outside of being the creator of Pasio. Well, that, and how much of ass he was. It certainly had been a shock when Sawyer had proclaimed him his prince after Rachel had claimed they both loved him. But, when you gave it some thought, it seemed entirely likely that he meant he was prince-like.

Even his entire speech about becoming a king, it was far too easy to chop it up to him being some heir who fell too far into romanticism. Even his retainers clearly calling his father His Majesty might have just been playing into Lear's fantasy. You simply just assumed it was something that started as a child, and everyone around him was kind enough to indulge him. It was easy to play along, too, when you became his partner.

Granted, you did feel a bit strange when he insisted that if you two were to become truly serious, you would need to study up on his country's culture due to your future role as a royal. You wanted to scoff and ask if he simply wanted you to just be better informed since you would be living there with him. He was even talking about you would need to have a coronation separate from his own. You wondered what that could even mean. Sawyer seemed quite insistent on you learning, too, offering himself as your tutor. Rachel mumbled about having to help you find clothing more befitting of royalty.

Really, you had no clue, even as he took to one knee and promised to be a worthy husband to you. Honestly, you have been completely shocked when you brought to his home country to meet his father to gain his approval properly. You nearly fainted when you were brought to an actual palace. This led to your current situation of being in Lear's quarters trying to cope with the fact that he was an actual prince. It was not some strange fascination those around him indulged. He was actually a genuine prince. You stared at him as he desperately tried to calm you… which he was bad at.

“Wh-why are you panicking?!” He tried to get answers, completely unaware of what had distressed you so much, “I can assure you that my father will approve you of you! He already has! This is merely a formality!” Lear's hands were held out in front of him. You felt even more panicked at the thought of meeting an actual king. Your supposed rich boy boyfriend had turned from some romantically obsessed with royalty to an actual prince you were engaged to. Some small part of you wished that you had taken up Sawyer's offer of tutelage on culture. It certainly would have cleared things up even sooner.

“… You're actually a prince? Like… This isn't some weird house, right?” you still tried to rationalise everything. The overly rich might build an entire palace… But the theming felt far too intense and precise. Lear blinked a few times. He took off his sunglasses, even to meet your eyes with his own properly. He tilted his head. It was clear he had no idea what you were thinking.

“… I am a prince,” he deadpanned, “Do you recall your own name? Is this a fugue episode!? I need to call Sawyer… No, anyone!” He seemed to fall into a panic himself. You realised he must have thought you knew he was being serious. Reaching out, you grabbed his arm before he could call for any kind of help.

“Lear, no, I'm not having any kind of issue,” you shook your head, “I, uh, thought your whole prince thing was some fantasy you had.”

His expression at your words was indescribable. Those purple eyes of his were wide open while his mouth fell into a grimace, not unlike when Hoopa pranked him. He brought a hand to run through his hair. Silence overtook the bedroom. He turned away from you, placing his face into his hands. “… How… How many times did I mention wanting to succeed the throne?” he mumbled quietly, almost to himself.

“A few, but I thought it was like inheriting a company or something!” you argued. There were not any royal families still around to your knowledge! He was acting like it was normal to meet and somehow get into a deep relationship with royalty. And… like, you felt fairly certain rich company types were the modern equivalent to royalty anyway. He turned back to glance at you with lidded, exhausted eyes.

“… I gave you a speech about the five traits meant for Kings in my family…” He continued, “Sawyer often talks about my father. I…” He placed his face back into his hands. Swallowing, he sighed. “… How did you… How…” He peered at you through his fingers. You wished you could answer that. In retrospect, it certainly seemed more logical that he was a prince. Seriously… Retainers? He would have called them by something else, assuredly. Sawyer certainly was not hiding anything about his connection to Lear's family and how he supported him in acceding to the throne. “I even mentioned that if we got married, you'd be royalty, too!” he threw himself onto the bed at this point, clearly overwhelmed by this realisation. You laid back, too, glancing at him.

Eventually, he offered to give you as much information as you needed to help this meeting with his father go more smoothly. Sawyer eagerly offered his help when he learnt of the situation. Apparently, he truly felt happy that his young master had found love and happiness.

~

“Um, Lear… I know this probably isn't a good time to mention this,” you spoke to the prince after finishing the meeting with his father, “I… I don't think I can ethically support a monarchy.”

He stared at you with that same indescribable expression once more.

This truly must have been love since he otherwise would have sent you away after the first situation.