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livingthroughchoices-blog · 6 years

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The Marshmallow Chronicles (Ch. 14: Fair Game)

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Author’s notes: SURPRISE! I couldn’t resist writing this chapter! DRAKE SEMI CONFESSES HIS SEMI LOVE!! Idk why I’m screaming, we all know that but what can I say? I’m excited. I reaaally, really hope I did that particular scene justice!

Thanks to everyone who likes, reblogs and/or comments. It honestly means SO much to me! And even bigger thanks to @starstruckzonkoperatorbat, @notoriouscs, @simplyaiden-blog, @snyggflicka, @asprankle, @speedyoperarascalparty, @mirivalencia, @mymandrake and @asobigokoro2018 for asking me to tag them!

Love youuu <3

Rating: T

Pairing: Drake x MC

Words: 5,276

The country jamboree. Drake’s least favorite event in the social season – not including anything involving Olivia Nevrakis, of course. Still, Drake walked out of his room that day feeling cheerful; yesterday had been a success in terms of being friends with Riley.

You did have to hold yourself back from kissing her a couple times.

But did I? Nope! And that is success in my book. I’m gonna do it; I’m gonna beat this crush.

He whistled an improvised tune as he strode out after brunch to find a beautiful sunny day. Remembering their last interaction, he magnanimously decided to go talk to Bastien, who was standing at the gates.

“Bastien.” Okay, so he wasn’t completely ready to forgive him.

“Drake! It’s good to see you.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yes. I’m sorry I was short with you the other day.”

“See, that’s how Liam put it too, but I think I’d use a different word.”

Bastien frowned. “... A dick?”

“Ding ding ding!”

“I suppose that’s not far from the truth,” said Bastien ruefully. “Well, as I said, I’m very sorry. I just hope you can understand that...”

Bastien seemed to be having difficulty speaking; if Drake didn’t know any better he’d think there was a lump in his throat. He swallowed hard.

“I hope you understand that duty will always come first.”

Drake clapped his back. “Hey, you know I totally get that! I understand you can’t always talk! Only next time, maybe instead of being a dick you could just say that, okay?”

Bastien sighed. “Yes. I will.”

Drake smiled at him and turned to leave.

“Drake,” he heard behind him. He turned to look at Bastien squinting from the sun. “I really am sorry.”

Drake nodded, still smiling in hopes of reassuring Bastien, who was taking this way too seriously, in his opinion.

He ambled back towards the manor, not ready to face the jamboree with its variety of stupid games.

That I suck at.

Once he got closer to the enormous wooden doors, he could hear someone coming down the stairs. He stopped and waited; he wouldn’t say no to company either way. He realized with a stab of annoyance that he was hoping it was Riley.

Okay, stop. Whoever that is, I’m gonna keep rocking this friendship thing.

It was maybe because he mentally prepared himself this way that he only felt a small hint of dismay when Hana emerged from the threshold. He quickly covered it up with an easy smile.

“Hey, Hana!”

“Hi!”

If he’d been smiling it was nothing to the way Hana was grinning from ear to ear.

“Uh, why are you smiling like that?”

“Like what? Oh!” Hana’s hands flew to her cheeks as if she hadn’t realized what she’d been doing.

For a brief, awful moment Drake thought something might have happened with Riley. He pushed the image aside, chastising himself both for his selfishness – friends want their friends to be happy! – and for indulging his crush – friends don’t care who their friends kiss!

I’ve definitely been quiet for too long.

“So are you gonna tell me or what?” It came out harsher than he’d intended in his haste to say something.

Hana’s smile faltered a bit, “Oh. Yes, sorry. My Mom called and she-she was making me feel dreadful; she said I was being a disappointment and that I shouldn’t be making friends at court..."

Drake grimaced sympathetically.

“Yes, it was very distressing. Until Riley,” at this point her smile came back in full force, “intervened. She reminded me that this is my life and my choices and... well, she essentially gave me the courage to stand up to her for the first time in my life!”

Hana looked so utterly happy that it was contagious. Drake found himself grinning along with her and feeling an unfamiliar warmth in his chest.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it? Despite the pain.”

Drake tilted his head, completely nonplussed, “Huh?”

“Liking someone so deserving of it.”

That’s exactly what it was. Every time he heard of Riley doing something kind or intelligent – which is all the time, dammit – he couldn’t help but feel... joy. It was like an extreme form of pride, in a way. Proud of himself for having a crush on such an amazing person; proud of her for being that amazing person.

He just sighed and nodded.

It’s not looking good for our friendship. Pretty sure I’m gonna start writing poetry or some shit.

“Well, thanks for checking in on me, Drake, but I should go. I only went into the manor to get bandaids.”

For the first time, he noticed Hana was holding a small box of bandaids.

“Maxwell,” he said without any doubt.

“At the archery station. What I don’t understand is how he managed to hurt himself with a bow...” Hana shook her head, mystified.

Drake shrugged. “This is Maxwell we’re talking about. We should feel lucky we only need bandaids and not paramedics!”

Hana giggled, “That’s what Riley said!”

Drake chuckled. “Great minds and whatever. But anyway, I shouldn’t keep you, go save that kid’s life.”

Hana hurried off toward the games. Drake stood there for a moment, trying to get back to the calm, certain headspace he’d been in until a few minutes ago.

Maybe if I just spend some time with her as friends, I can remind myself what it’s supposed to be like.

With that goal in mind, he directed his steps to where Hana had gone, positive that Riley would be playing something; in the thick of the action, as usual.

He was right, and he immediately wished he hadn’t been, for Riley and Liam were playing a very flirty game of ring toss. He stopped abruptly when he spotted them, then moved to the side so he could watch them from a less conspicuous place.

Like a masochist stalker.

In fact, the game was just ending and it seemed Riley had lost.

Finally, something we both suck at!

He smiled at that, but it was fleeting, as he saw Riley and Liam make their way, smiling and talking, to the hedge maze. He felt the by-now familiar gut punch he always experienced when he saw them together. This time, however, it seemed to spread from his stomach all the way up to his chest like some kind of poison, eating him alive from the inside.

Goddammit. Who the fuck am I kidding?! I can’t be friends. I can’t. At least, not now.

He stomped back to the manor, wanting nothing more than solitude. And maybe some whiskey and dramatic music to go along with it. He must have been making a racket because he heard a voice call from the sitting room.

“Who’s there?”

He poked his head in and found Lady Kiara sitting in the same armchair she’d been using two days ago.

“Drake! What a pleasant surprise! I thought you’d be out there enjoying the games.”

“Nah, not a big fan. What about you? Shouldn’t you be mingling or something?”

“Bah, and what for? Prince Liam has disappeared again, with Lady Riley I’m sure, and I don’t like those games either.”

“Good point.”

She gestured for him to join her and with halting steps he went to her, sitting uncomfortably on the armrest.

“So... what are you reading this time? More sexy French books?”

She raised an eyebrow at him. “No, I have been skimming this landscape photography book.”

“Oh, cool! I love nature.” Drake had to restrain himself from leaving the manor or possibly the country after that.

Really? I love nature? How fucking interesting, idiot.

Lady Kiara was gracious enough to disguise a derisive laugh as a cough.

“So what kind of landscapes?” he asked in desperation.

“Oh, there’s all sorts! But I am particularly partial to the photographs of the vineyards in California and France. They remind me of my home,” she sounded far away when she said that.

“You have vineyards there?”

She snapped back to reality and turned to look at Drake eagerly. “Oh, yes. We make some of the finest wines in all of Cordonia,” she puffed up with pride. “We might even go toe to toe with the French, en fait.”

“And everybody knows the French make the best wine, right? The more unpronounceable the names the better?” Drake chuckled.

Kiara, on the other hand, did not look amused. “I would hardly say something like Bordeaux is unpronounceable, would you?”

Drake felt his neck grow hot. “I was kidding,” he muttered.

Kiara seemed not to have heard him, still engrossed by the photos. She flipped the page to yet another picturesque vineyard and suddenly her hand was on Drake’s knee. He glanced down at it automatically.

“I wish you could see it! The hot summer days, picking grapes and then crushing them with your feet...” she trailed off, looking up at Drake, whose mouth was inexplicably watering.

“Sounds,” he cleared his throat, “sounds nice.”

“It’s better than nice, c’est magnifique!”

“I-I’m sure.” He peeked down at his phone. “Oh, look, it’s time for dinner!”

“Right.” Kiara’s hand fell from his knee. “Well, let’s go, then.”

Kiara waited for Drake to get up and help her off the armchair. Once she was standing, she cleared her throat, looking pointedly at her arm.

“Oh, uh, yeah!” Drake offered her his arm and they walked out together in what, at least to him, felt like an awkward silence. He had the chance to feel relieved for a few seconds, before he realized they would probably sit together as well.

He was right. He sat down next to her and involuntarily scanned the crowd. It took him longer than usual to find Riley, which he was cautiously pleased about until he came to the conclusion that it was only because of her company.

What the hell is she doing with Tariq?

The fashionable noble appeared to be flirting and Riley looked hilariously bewildered. He almost snorted. Riley managed to extract herself from Tariq and took her seat at another table nearby, next to Maxwell and Bertrand.

He was wracking his brains, trying to come up with something to talk about with Lady Kiara, when he heard the blessed sound of a clinking glass.

“If I may have everyone’s attention, please,” came Liam’s voice. “I’d like to say a few words before we close this evening. First, I’d like to thank all of you for joining us out here at the country estate. I’ve had the honor and privilege to have you in my court, and I couldn’t have asked for better company.”

He smiled out at the crowd as he said this. It may have been Drake’s bitterness, but he thought he saw Liam’s gaze linger on Riley.

He continued, “As I step into my father’s place in a few days, I can only hope that I’m half the man he’s been for Cordonia.”

“Long live Prince Liam!” Maxwell yelled from his table with cupped hands over his mouth.

Cheers and claps erupted from all around.

Yeah, yeah, Liam’s great.

Drake couldn’t bring himself to clap.

Liam gestured for everyone to quiet down. “Thank you all. When next we meet like this, it’ll be the last event of the social season. As per tradition, this event will be hosted at the illustrious Beaumont House.”

“Yeeaaahhhhhh!” Maxwell exclaimed with both arms up.

Bertrand, ever the solemn one, agreed, “An honor, to be sure.”

He noticed Riley sharing surprised words with the brothers.

Huh. How are they gonna host that? Aren’t they broke?

“The Beaumonts will surely give us another legendary night to remember.”

When Liam said that, Drake felt Kiara’s hand squeeze his leg and nearly jumped out his seat. Looking mildly amused, she whispered, “It could certainly be a night to remember.”

Drake swallowed, although at the same time his mouth felt impossibly dry.

He barely heard Liam finish his toast with, “Until then, I thank you again, and wish you a good night.” He raised his glass and most people followed suit. Feeling guilty for his lack of applause earlier, Drake raised his own.

“Cheers!” Liam said, and the crowd echoed him.

Drake turned to Lady Kiara and as they clinked their glasses together, he murmured, “To legendary nights.”

For a split second, Kiara’s face was delightedly surprised. An instant later, she had regained her composure and was smirking at him.

Fuck, she might really like you. You’re an asshole.

Oh, come on! We’re both consenting adults and clearly there’s nothing I can do about... the other thing, so why shouldn’t I have some fun?!

Whatever, dude, you know what you are.

He drained his champagne in one gulp.

Dinner went by in a blur of delicious food and flirty conversation. Of course, they couldn’t make it too obvious – Kiara had a reputation to maintain, after all – so once in a while she’d turn to her other side to talk to Penelope.

By the time they’d all finished eating, he felt drained. It had been such a long day, and it had taken his emotions for a ride. For someone who for years had felt either bitterness or a lukewarm contentedness, it was a lot.

As soon as it was barely polite to leave, therefore, he scurried away to his room. He lied down on his bed and fell asleep almost immediately.

“Eeeeeeek!”

Something shook him out of his deep sleep.

Did someone scream? Or was I dreaming?

He could’ve sworn he heard it come from the room next to his.

Addams’ room. But what if I dreamed it and I barge in there and wake her up? Or even worse, what it she’s awake... with somebody.

He weighed his options and concluded that he could not stay in his room while she might be in danger. And if he embarrassed himself, he embarrassed himself. He got dressed as quickly as he could, which was not very; flustered as he was, he put his pants on back to front and furiously corrected his mistake. Finally decent, he flew out of his room and threw Riley’s door open, caution be damned.

He found Tariq and Riley kissing. Or, should he say, Tariq kissing a very clearly unwilling Riley, who pushed him away as soon as she recovered from the shock.

Anger like he couldn’t remember feeling flooded Drake. Without thinking, he was by Tariq’s side in a second. “Get away from her,” he growled.

He seized Tariq by the shoulder roughly and dragged him away from Riley.

“Unhand me!” wailed the noble. ”How dare you enter my room without my permission!”

Tariq pulled the arm that wasn’t in Drake’s grip back and punched him square in the face. He reeled backwards in shock, his hand going to his jaw right away. He took a moment to get his bearings, then tackled Tariq with all his might. On the floor, he put up more a fight than Drake expected, rolling around and trying to pin him down. Drake struggled against Tariq’s hands and managed to flip him around once more and pin his arms.

Tariq tried to fight back a few more times. He must have known it would be useless though, because he went slack, conceding defeat. Breathing hard, Drake stood up and waited for Tariq to follow, glaring at him, daring him to attack again.

Tariq limited himself to yelling, “Who the hell do you think you are, bursting into my room?”

“This is Riley’s room. And I heard a scream.” For the first time, Drake allowed himself to doubt the conclusion he’d jumped to. “I think she wanted interrupting.”

He turned his head sharply to Riley, dreading she might contradict him.

With fire in her eyes, she replied, “Drake, Tariq deserves to have his ass kicked.”

He sighed in relief.

Tariq seemed to have shrunk. “So this isn’t to be the bold, romantic beginning to our love story?”

Riley crossed her arms and gave him a firm, “No.”

“But... I’d heard...” Tariq was looking at the floor, ashamed and confused.

You almost feel for the guy.

“You heard wrong. And for the record, before you try to kiss someone, ask first!” Riley said, her nostrils flaring.

Yeah, never mind, he’s a piece of shit.

Tariq flushed. “Let me deeply apologize here. I’m so sorry for this transgression. I was incredibly wrong.” He started heading to the door. “Now, before I can humiliate myself any further... let me take my leave.”

He left, slamming the door after him.

Riley rounded on him. “Drake, what took you so long?”

Not wanting to go into the details of his clothing mishaps, he answered, “I know I’m in the room next to yours, but it still took me a minute to make it over here.”

“Why are you in the room next to mine, by the way?”

“Liam made sure of that. Since he couldn’t be here himself, I mean.”

And instead of looking out for Addams, you crush on her and fall asleep when she’s in trouble. Nice going.

“Liam would never forgive me if something... bad... happened to you.”

There was a small silence and on impulse, he added, “And you know what? I’d never forgive myself, either.”

Having entered the room worried out of his mind and in a rush, he hadn’t had the presence of mind to register that Riley was not wearing a shirt. Until now.

Oh, shit. Ohshitoshitohshitoshit. Don’t be a creep. Don’t look at her. Oh my God, I looked. Holy shit.

She was wearing a lacy pink bra, which contrasted against her pale skin, which was luminous in the moonlit room, and her breasts – fuck me, her boobs are RIGHT. THERE – looked incredible. Drake had seen his fair share before, both in real life and in videos, but damn if there weren’t his favorite pair ever. It’s not like he hadn’t checked her out since he’d known her, but this was different. This brought him mental images he didn’t – couldn’t – want.

He licked his lips unconsciously, noticing a beauty mark right at the upper edge of the bra.

Okay, that’s enough or she’ll kick you out, too, you perv. Goddamn, this is gonna haunt my dreams.

He cleared his throat, “Er, Addams...”

“What?”

He glanced down again, forcing himself to make it a very quick, significant look.

“OH!” She blushed a deep red and reached to the chair where she’d carelessly thrown her top. She put it on hurriedly, and Drake was satisfied to see he was not the only one who had problems with hastily thrown-on clothes; she’d put her shirt on inside out.

Drake tried to pull his mind away from images of Riley and her bra and focus on the conversation. “Anyway, you can see why it looked bad. I heard a scream, saw you half naked with Tariq all over you...”

“Yeah, I get it.” Riley sank onto her bed.

Drake’s eyebrows furrowed with concern, “Are you okay?”

“I’ll be fine.” She sounded shaken. He couldn’t blame her.

I wish I could stay and comfort you. I wish I could put my arms around you, but that would be... dangerous.

Instead, he said, “Well, I should get out of here before we really cause a scandal.”

He headed to the door and as he leaned in to grab the handle, he winced. He might have hurt himself tackling Tariq.

Man, fuck nobles. Seriously.

He tried to play it off as nothing, grabbing the doorhandle, but of course she’d seen.

“You’re hurt.” He knew he shouldn’t be enjoying her worrying about him as much as he was.

He dropped the handle and turned to her, shrugging, “Nothing a few shots of whiskey won’t fix.”

She stood up and took a couple of steps toward him. “Let me take a look. It’s the least I can do.”

“You trying to get me to take my shirt off, Addams?” he smirked, hoping she’d let it go.

I need to get out of here.

She said, “I just want to help,” but blushed again, which made his collar grow warm.

I need to leave NOW.

“I’m fine. Save your fussing for someone else.” He turned to the door once more, ready to escape Riley with her eyes full of concern for him, and her lips saying kind words, and her pink fucking bra.

He should’ve known, but he still didn’t expect it when she stepped in front of the door, blocking his way. The look in her eyes let him know he was definitely not going anywhere.

“Drake, you got hurt for me. I’m not letting you leave this room until you let me take a look at you!” She crossed her arms. “You can start by taking off your shirt. I think he hit your ribs pretty hard. They could be broken!”

Drake scoffed. “Wow, you’ve got a real bossy side to you, you know that?”

She put her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow. “You think I’m being bossy? Drake, I’m taking that shirt off you myself.”

Before he could utter anything other than a startled, “Hey...” he felt small, warm hands grab the hem of his shirt and lift it. He cooperated and took it off, trying his best not to think about how much he’d like her to say that in a different context.

“So, doctor, do you see anything alarming?”

Her hands ghosted over his ribs and then his back. He suppressed a shudder.

“You’re going to have a few spectacular bruises...” she grimaced.

“Yeah, Tariq hits harder than you’d think. He almost impressed me.”

She didn’t say anything back but he thought he saw the corners of her lips twitch.

He narrowed his eyes. “What is it?”

Riley snorted. “I can’t believe you lost a fight to Tariq!”

It took Drake’s wounded pride a moment to recover from that. “I didn’t say I lost! I never said that. I definitely won. I’m just saying he got in some good hits. And I didn’t expect that from a palace brat.”

“Mmhmm,” she hummed, biting her lip to keep from laughing.

He shook his head at her and ran his fingers through his hair.

“You can be so...”

Irritating? Funny? Smart? Fucking incredible? ... Yeah, I’d better shut up. “Never mind.”

He cast about for a distraction. “Hey, weren’t you supposed to be tending to my wounds?”

Riley smacked a hand to her forehead. “Oh! Right. I think one of the servants fills this bucket with ice every night. You know, in case I need to chill some champagne...” She said the last part in a mockingly snobby voice.

“Or ice down a friend’s bruises.” He knew at this point that friendship was all but futile, but he was going down fighting.

“Exactly.”

Drake noticed a small cabinet on the opposite end of the room. “And it looks like someone’s left a fully stocked liquor cabinet in the corner here, so...”

He went to it and poured himself a glass of whiskey – one the finest, obviously – and looked over at Riley, who was putting ice in a cloth.

She nodded, “I’ll have whiskey. I wouldn’t make you drink alone.”

He smiled. “Heh. Thanks.”

He poured another one and handed it to her. She put it on the bedside table so she could more easily handle the improvised ice pack. She pressed it on his ribs and he hissed in pain.

“Hey! That hurts.”

He regretted the words as soon as he said it.

Knowing Addams, she’s gonna crush the ice against my body now.

Yet, to his surprise, she touched it to his wound much more gently. It still stung, but not nearly as much.

Will she ever stop amazing me?

“Is that better?” she asked tenderly.

“... Actually, yeah. Didn’t realize you could be so gentle, Addams.”

“I’ve got a gentle side... you just don’t see it very often.” She continued patting him softly with the ice pack. Occasionally, she would rub her thumb soothingly over the areas she’d gone over. He knew he had the dumbest smile on his face.

“I could stand to see more of it.” It was meant as a jab at first, then he realized he would actually love to see that side of her more. Just him. He looked in her eyes and, for the umpteenth time, felt he might ruin everything if he held her gaze for too long.

He looked down at his glass and muttered, “Thank you.”

He drained it and went to pour himself more.

Bad idea.

“I know I don’t act very grateful for anything most of the time, but I do... care about you.” He’d said it before, only this time it felt more high stakes. They were alone and unlikely to be interrupted. He was shirtless. He shouldn’t be saying anything at all.

She moved a step closer and murmured, “Drake, I care about you too.”

She had also said this before, but this felt... different. There was an ache in her voice he hadn’t noticed before.

You’re imagining things. How can she even care about you?

“You... you do?”

Her answer came without hesitation and full of conviction. “Yes.”

He rubbed his face and clenched his jaw. “You shouldn’t say things like that, Addams.”

“Why not?” He knew her more than well enough by now to see that she was honestly puzzled. That’s how he knew she cared about him only as a friend.

Hell, I’ll explain it anyway.

He was in too deep and the whiskey, though not enough to get him drunk, had certainly encouraged him.

“You’re here for Prince Liam. All of the suitors are. And, well, so is the entire court. All of the nobles, all of the royals, all of the servants, even. Everything and everyone in this place exists to orbit around Liam. You could almost hate him for it, if he weren’t so damned likeable.” He shook his head. “It’s dangerous for people like you and me to forget that.”

Mostly me, really.

Riley still looked confused, but there was something else in her expression. Drake wouldn’t have believed it, except he’d become so closely acquainted with that emotion lately that there was no mistaking it: hope.

“What are you getting at, Drake?”

He sighed.

Are you happy in this hole you dug for yourself?

“Hell, Addams. Don’t make me say it.”

He looked down at his glass again.

Here goes nothing.

He finished his drink again and set his empty glass down next to her full one. His hand was trembling.

“If we’d met somewhere else... anywhere else. At a club in New York, or in an airport, or at a party... If you hadn’t been our waitress that night, and I hadn’t been sitting next to Liam...” He mustered all of his courage, balling up his fists.

“Do you think all of this... do you think it could’ve been different...” he swallowed, “between us?”

Say no. Just say no and kick me out. Do it.

“Drake...” she said slowly. “It would’ve been different.”

Drake inhaled sharply, wanting desperately to believe what she had just said.

“Sure, you would’ve still been gruff and I wouldn’t have let you get away with anything... But all the rest? Yeah, it would’ve been different.” They were standing so close. “Maybe everything would’ve been different.”

She emphasized the word “everything” in a way that made his stomach flip.

Everything. That’s what we could be.

She said yes!

He could not wrap his head around the fact that she might return his feelings, even in a hypothetical scenario. Right now it didn’t even seem that hypothetical; her eyes were an invitation and it had never been harder to resist kissing her.

“Riley...”

He reached out, brushing his fingers on the back of her hand. He’d always thought that saying you could feel electricity when you were really attracted to someone was a cliché.

Well, maybe it is, but it is also true.

He felt the hairs on his hand stand on end.

This is no shitty electric current either, it’s goddamn lightning.

Riley looked down at their hands and her fingers twitched, itching to intertwine with his.

He panicked and dropped his hand. “What am I doing? I need to go.”

He made as if to sprint out the door, when he felt to soft arms wrap around his waist. It was not the first time he’d had the wind knocked out of him that day, but definitely the first time that made him so happy.

Fighting against everything he wanted, he forced out, “Addams... You shouldn’t.”

Or I’ll stay. I’ll go too far. This is impossible. What if anybody sees us? What if... Liam.

“Don’t you get tired of being so careful all the time?”

He closed his eyes and bit his lip. She’d hit the nail on the head, as she always did. He was sick of this. Sick of every second he couldn’t kiss her or even hold her hand.

“Constantly,” he said in a strangled voice.

Before he had time to think it, he turned around and pulled her close, her head resting perfectly on his chest. He tangled his fingers in her hair and breathed in, knowing he would never get this chance again, marveling at how soft it felt, how amazing it smelled.

This is... this is just... unbelievable. I get to hold her like this.

If it had been hard not to kiss her before, Drake’s effort now was nothing short of superhuman. Her smell and touch were invading all his senses and he knew he was close to losing control.

I have to leave while I still have brain cells and before I fuck up even worse.

He pushed her away gently but firmly and tried to ignore the hurt in her eyes.

“I’ve got to get out of here. Now. Before I do something we might both regret.” He looked down at her lips.

Riley was resigned. “Okay.”

She handed him his shirt and he put it on correctly, thankfully.

He got to the door, looking at her as little as possible. “And for all our sakes,” but mostly mine, “lock your door this time...”

He looked down at the handle and noticed something odd, “Huh.”

“What is it?”

He examined it more carefully, though it was hardly necessary; the handle was completely smooth.

“Addams... there’s no lock on your door handle.”

Riley knitted her eyebrows, “I thought they were all like that?”

He shook his head. “No. All of the other rooms on this floor lock.” Seeing her face all scrunched up with worry – she’s so damn cute – he backtracked, “It’s probably nothing.”

Her face relaxed a bit, but there was still a hint of anxiety between her eyebrows. “Probably?”

Drake had already resolved to tell Bastien about this tomorrow and investigate, but right now her rest was more important, though she should still be on guard.

“Just... be careful, okay?” He gave her a look which he hoped conveyed everything: how much she meant to him, how much he worried, that he would protect her...

He left her looking calm enough and slumped on his bed, determined to stay awake in case of anything. He didn’t think he could sleep anyway, his thoughts were bouncing uncontrollably from pure joy to heavy guilt. And hiding among them, waiting to pounce on him if he dared dream, was the image of Riley in her pink bra.

Nope, we’re not crossing that line.

He settled in for his sleepless night.

#trr #the royal romance #drake walker #drake x mc #prince liam #maxwell beaumont #hana lee #playchoices #choices #pixelberry #pb #fanfic #ch 14 #the marshmallow chronicles #long post

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survivormetaverse · 3 years

Text

Episode 4 - "Now the fun part begins" ~Colin

All I gotta say....finesse

Look at us go✨ I say us because if I say me that sounds conceited even tho it was literally a hero challenge 😂. [HI THIS WAS BURIED IN MY TABS IT'S FROM ROUND 3 I WAS PROBS GONNA WRITE MORE BUT OH WELL]

We tribe swapped and I was really stressed at first because now im on the tribe that loses all of the challenges. But its fine bcs im friends with everyone now and im in an alliance with Ginny and Amy. I also love Danny he is literally under the influence rn im exposing him. But hopefully when hws sober he remembers how cool i am and we will work together. And Jennifer is on my tribe and we're friendly with each other. But honestly it would be in my best game interests to have her the one voted out. If it comes to that. Bcs Im literally working with everyone and shes pretty inactive.

Welp. Here we are. Swapped. It's a lil fucked up but I saw it coming. So I got stuck with Brayden which is like whatever to me, I'm glad him and I talked enough on original phantoms. But the issue is that it's just him and myself. Along with that its the two S.E.E.S. and one Fool. So I immediately swooped in on Jared, I tried to be relatable with him by talking about Danny and Shaad, who I know, and I think gthat brought him comfort. I spilled to Jared that Danny and Shaad know each other to show him that I have info and I'm willing to be open about stuff and talk with him straight up. We got to talking, and we declared that we want to work together WHICH IS GREAT!! Idk how much I can trust him, but if I show him loyalty and openness I think I'd get it back from him which is clutch. I need him to be the third with Brayden and myself, but I'm sure Jay and Elle are thinking the exact same thing. That's why I swooped in so fast, and I'm sure he'll tell them what they want to hear and theres a chance hes doing that to me as well (and I don't blame him, make your own decisions Jared king), but I need to show him that sticking with me is the better option. Idk idk I'm just trying to avoid playing my idol rn. I'll keep working on Jared, and I'll see what Brayden's been up to. ALSOOO APPARENTLY so Brayden tells me that him and Elle played together (which I knew), but he voted them out so idk how their dynamic is. Lots to think about, I guess now I actually do want to win immunity because I don't feel as secure as I did on original phantoms. But I def have Brayden on my side, and I'm really hoping Jared is truly gonna ride with me. Idols/advantages are also a potential problem here because what if Elle or Jay have one. I hope Brayden is just lying to me and he secretly has something too. I almost told him about mine but I decided against it. Much to think about, much to do, much to win.

I got an idolllll✨ lol so glad i signed up because no one else from my tribe did so it was super easy 😄 Tribe swap!! Sad bc i'll miss Colin 😔 real homie right there um i mean sure others too maybe lol I switched with Jay so no worries there and Anastasia I'm sorry to say we've never really clicked like we've worked together before (and she's backstabbed me before) but we've never really been like *this* y'know??? And Babs and Jennifer I barely talked to Babs likes musical theater and vine references tho so she's cool B) Anywayssss Dennis knows the pain of being a Starbucks barista and I was with Jared in the shape memory and felt bad for them oof so yeah OH! and Brayden helped vote me out in Kyoshi after saying he wouldn't vote for me... Dont Love That but also it was kinda a hopeless situation in Kyoshi kinda tragicccc for me funnily enough I was tribe swap screwed over but that's not like this time (if it is I will SCREAM but also I'm chill with whatever place I get in this game so eh) yeah i kinda made myself stop drinking caffeine/copious amounts of sugar for a year and then started back at Starbucks and immediately broke soooo I have no idea how coherent this is I think we'll do well in the challenge!! It's scavenger hunt but also I am working this weekend :( hate that for me ik me too boo so we'll see how much I can do I remember being upset at myself in prev. seasons because I went too hard in challenges and I feel like in this one I just don't have the time to 😂 the way to get priorities is to get a life apparently lol kidding but also am I??? Idk kinda forgot what I was talking about. Yay in the Phantom tribe now and we will crush this challenge✨

This tribe is getting on my nerves. 2 of them are super nice and I'd love to work with them but I don't know how the pre-alliances worked before this tribe. I really enjoy Amy and Anastasia but trying to talk to Ginnifer is like pulling teeth and Jennifer still hasn't said....anything.

https://youtu.be/maj4CRLrsjQ sorry this is really long i didnt mean to

My tribe is going to council.

At first, I thought I was SCREWED because I got neither Amy, Dennis, or Brayden from my OG tribe for the swap. I barely spoke to Josh, but at least he tries in challenges and we have that going for us. I absolutely adore Colin, he's experienced and he doesn't hide it, but here's a good support system and I see why he goes far in these games. By virtue of me being active, I can hopefully stay alive from this swap. As for the challenge, it's incredibly difficult to do since only the 3 of us are actively doing it, and with 3 slots, it means everyone has to do everything, which is virtually impossible. Shaad complained about his old tribe but a lot of his tribemates' confessionals about him were about him being inactive, and I'm definitely seeing it. Babs hasn't even accepted my message request yet. I absolutely trust Colin and I'm debatable with Josh, but I sure hope that he's not working with Shaad and Babs. But I'm 99% sure that's not the case because even Colin hasn't talked to Babs much and they haven't even been accepting message requests. I absolutely think we're headed to tribal, but honestly, that might be fine because it'll save my other allies in the other tribes. I just hate going to tribal council because it's never fun and it makes me nervous. Every time. But hopefully my social relationships I've made will get me through this swap even if I have to (at last, I guess) go to tribal council.

https://youtu.be/FJOPBi8cnBk

The swap is fun so far doing a fun and hilarious scavenger hunt but yuck my face is sticky blech

Okay I think I figured out a lot. I think all the idols are on my tribe. The way Jared and Jay talk to me shows me that theyre smart players and I realllllly think they both have idols. And the three of us are just dancing around that subject. So if we go to tribal, I have to move very cautiously and thats why im trying to get another advantage. I think Jay is going for it too, homeboy messages me in 10 minute intervals. I think I can only afford going to tribal once with this tribe, I'm just hoping we win out especially if all the idols are chilling here I don't want to play it yet. Ima just keep hunting i dont have a lot of thoughts rn.

I'm not sure where I'm at. I feel decent about elle, she has familiarity with me, it should be convenient for her and I to stay together. I do like Jared too...the hope is that he links up with us and we can take out Brayden. Nothing personal against Brayden, but I like Dennis more, and I feel like I can work with Dennis in a merge scenario. If we can get Brayden out whenever we go to tribal, I'll also be put in a scenario at that point where I can either go with Jared and Elle, or maybe Jared and Dennis. Dennis seems very low key and more social than strategic, so he's a good person to play with for a decent amount of time.

Uh idr my last confessional or when it was :( we just did the scavenger hunt challenge and are waiting for results and i really hope we don't have to go to tribal bc what a crappy birthday present that'd be!! Bc my birthday is tomorrow :)))))) I hope people remember bc I'm not going to say anything 😶 just to see who remembereddddd probs no one and ill break midday or maybe I'll leave it alone who knows! I'm going on a picnic tomorrow tho and then probs celebrating with fam so it'd be a bad day for a tribal :( OMG what if I got voted out on My Birthday that'd be so r00d but like kinda iconic too very memorable 21st brithday the one where I was voted out Metaverse... anyways uh hope we win this challenge lol 😅

Okay so it's cute and all that we won but Miss Jennifer needs to go ASAP. I low-key wanted to go to tribal just so I could let her GO, but it's whatever. I get a day to chill finally. I don't have to think as hard anymore. I feel good.

I think the thing I am very interested in seeing is what's about to happen with Shaad in that tribe.

But also, I really love Amy. I think she's really gonna be good for me.

okay i've been slacking on confessionals so im gonna pretend this is like 2 days ago and make one solely about the swap AHHH TRIBE SWAP i'm kinda excited that none of my alliance members are on my new tribe. that seems opposite but its gonna give me a better chance to branch out and make new connections, then when merge hits rekindle the old alliance that existed pre swap. hopefully that all pans out!! immediately I started vibing with Jodi. she's an absolute QUEEN and we match each other's energies perfectly. we've been shading others in the tribe, joking around, connecting personally, it's been great!! honestly i knew within like the first 20 mins I wanted to duo with her and be a f2. the rest of the tribe however? sheeeeesh babs and shaad are very inactive. apparently shaad blew up on his last tribe bc they almost voted him out... for being inactive? like sir if the shoe fits. pls fix it. babs is going THRU it and I feel for them. but... just say somethin josh is kind of a king. jodi likes him. he's putting in a lot of effort and I appreciate that. not sure if it makes him a threat but it definitely makes him an asset SO I approached both of them with an alliance!! and it worked!! i now have ANOTHER alliance woo!! with josh and jodi!! woo!! here's part of my host chat rambling bc I confess way more there than I do here i think Jodi and Josh might be like a duo tho the way Jodi talks about is kinda sus imma need to weasel my way in maybe I'll suggest a trio alliance as the most 'active' people on the tribe as a means to get close to them, then I'll use that to secure a f2 with jodi jodi radiates the same type of chaotic energy I do in games but she gets more bored than I do which is not good but more fun

we LOST but im not SURPRISED i feel like we shouldve won SOLELY bc I got SANDRA DIAZ-TWINE to send me a selfie. that's fucking iconic. one of my proudest org career moments. anyway now the fun part begins. gotta decide who goes. it's either shaad or babs. I think the easiest and most common sense thing to do is vote babs because they've been more inactive. but also its the first live tribal and I think shaad will give drama if we vote him off. and that makes GOOD FUCKING TV. so idk. options options. we'll see!

holy shit phantoms won immunity. phantoms stays the winning tribe 4 times in a row holy shit. i actually wanted to win this time and put a lot of effort into this because no ma'am i need safety rn and work on these relationships. just need time. speaking of time, im about to hit hour 12 of the endurance hunt and im starting to feel like a madman. but babyyyyy i want another advantage and hopefully another fucking idol holy shit can you imagine???? i still haven't told anyone and my lips are gonna remain sealed. however i still think that yall are messy and set up my tribe where u knew brayden and i werent super close and from what ive gathered jay and elle weren't close either. so u put the two pairs that arent close with the one fool. okay so what else could we possibly have in common on this tribe to add more mess? IDOLS!!!!! like the three people that got the idols got swapped onto the same tribe like that has to be it. so jared would have to have one, even though he told me he didnt but the way he talked to me about idols in general literally makes me feel like he has one. i was like it would be so nice to have a little bit of security and hes like yeah i know what you mean. like bro just tell me u got a fuckin idol already. so then jay or elle have to have one. and i am convinced jay has one. maybe elle is gonna gag me with her idol but im gonna assume its jay. jared has spoken with him, and i have spoken with him. the three of us feel really good with each other (but im pretty sure jared has me above him bc i got to him first). we'll probs make an alliance chat shortly. i recognize that jared and jay are good at the strategic part of the game and are really smart and just good overall competitors and ESPECIALLY if they have idols that makes them even more dangerous. so i have to work with them than against them i have to make sure that they know i have them above everyone else. i think three strong players naturally gravitated towards eachother and if we really all do have idols its so funny that we're not telling each other. but im slowly but surely working on getting it out of them but if theyre as smart as i think they are they wont tell me. im just gonna continue being "transparent" with them and we'll see where it goes i hope they dont catch on. also jays a fucking liar because we were on a call today and i asked him if he did any hunts. he gave me a pause and then slurred his speech when he said "i haven't done any" like broooooooo ur fuckin lying to me right through your teeth. im convinced hes doing this one because he was up early for some breakfast and his lil skype thing showed online status allllll day like i gotta assume hes doing it. even if he didnt do the first three like hes def doing the last three dont play dumb with me!!!! i am not the one baby. but actually as im writing this hes not online anymore so if he really was doing it maybe he stopped? so if he was up early i would assume he started at 7 or 8 and ending by 9:30 he did 13 or 14 hours? idk im literally going till i cant stay up anymore ive already hit the 12 hours mark now if i went this long i have to go for the w likeee i have to. thats all i got for ya right now dont ever ask me for anything again.

no joke my brain is melting pls help

i want a survivor wiki page :(

During challenge: https://youtu.be/IsGPtYtgnQ4 After challenge results: https://youtu.be/CgmLGWBvEhw

https://youtu.be/Yfsh_odV-Zg

The tribe swap really confused me. I was finally getting the hang of this game but now I'm doubting myself again. I also haven't been active much for the past 2 days and I think my tribe mates have noticed. I need to stay on top of things better if I don't want to (eventually) get voted out.

That this tribe swap screwed me over. It left me with Babs whos been completely inactive and Shaad whos been completely useless. At least I gained an alliance with Jodi and Colin but this is fucking pitiful.

https://youtu.be/pE207b8VRFE

can't wait to vote out jared and jay once jury starts

So I had planned on doing hourly milestone activities like calling a friend at 15 hours, eating ice cream at 16 hours etc and I was filming it to vlog the evening for my confessionals.. but my mom called me around 10:55 for a family emergency and when it was done it was 11:01 and my alarm got overridden by the call. That’s how I dropped and I’m really sad 😔 i low key don’t wanna play the game today but I literally have tribal so I have to stay online, even tho I’d still be more active than babs and shaad ☠️ I wanted this one so bad because the only thing I’m good at is not sleeping. Whoever went longer than 15.5 hours is now at the top of my hitlist, if I find out you also tried this hard for an advantage, I will take u out w my army. Even if it’s a superidol. The only good thing from this L is it ignited a huge motivator for me to play this game hard again (but not too hard) but have a goal and mission to complete.

https://youtu.be/PR8XWvdH-Hc

update: i think Amy has it. I'll ask her about it at the merge, she won the 24 hour comp in her last org so it's very possible she gunned this advantage out. if she tells me she has it, then i know I'm absolutely her #1, if not, then we'll see what happens .....

~~~

Edgic:

Power Rankings:

Phantom

Jared: He has done well to place himself firmly in the middle of his tribe. The two sides are definitely going by tribal lines at the moment which makes him the most powerful person on the tribe. Everyone wants to work with him. He will definitely be safe if his tribe has to go to tribal council soon.

Jay: This comes as a surprise, but Jay has bonded well with Jared. So much so that Jared listed Jay as the person he trusts the most currently on his tribe. This gives the S.E.E.S. side a bit more longevity on this tribe which is definitely in Jay’s interest. I can see Jared and Jay forming a tight duo.

Dennis: He is definitely in a better spot than he was on his last tribe. No one on this tribe has explicitly said they distrust or want to target Dennis. He’s playing it safe which is good. He lands himself higher than Elle because Jared seems to trust him more. If the decision was between Dennis and Elle, he would be the one safe. Additionally, he’s also sniffed out that the idols are all on this tribe (which is just a coincidence). However, he believes that Jay has it rather than Elle which is an unfortunate guess from him. However, what is excellent game sense is that he wants to form an alliance with Jay and Jared which could definitely benefit him in the long run when he needs to separate himself from his Phantoms.

Elle: It is sad to see Elle near the bottom, but it doesn’t seem like they have won anyone over with their charm on this tribe. Everyone besides Jay sees Elle as someone expendable if this tribe were to go to two consecutive tribal councils. On the plus side, Elle has an idol. If it comes to that, she may be able to keep herself safe.

Brayden: For some reason, no one except Dennis trusts Brayden. In fact, I would not be surprised if Jared, Jay, and Elle came to the consensus that he should be the one to go out of the two Phantoms. Brayden’s unwillingness to work with Dennis rears its ugly head as, even now, Brayden wants to distance himself from Dennis. He seems to believe that he is good with Jay and Jared when both parties have listed him on the bottom of their trust rankings. If Brayden is not careful, he is going to find himself blindsided and voted out premerge in this game.

Fools

Danny: Amy and Anastasia want to keep Danny in spite of their alliance with Ginny. It feels as if both of them want to work closely with him AND want to ditch that alliance. Danny easily has the most control as he has key allies that are willing to go to bat for him if things get messy. I even believe that he would be saved rather than Ginny if this tribe were to go to tribal council consecutively.

Anastasia: Her prior connection with Ginny has instantly landed her in an alliance with Amy despite the fact she doesn’t even know Amy like that. In fact, Anastasia doesn’t even trust Amy that much, but is still willing to work with her and pretend to be allies. Additionally, she has gotten into the good graces of Danny for whom she is trying to work closely with. Anastasia is the most connected with Danny which means she is the safest out of the group. However, Amy sees right through the veneer which means that Anastasia could be labelled as a big threat and be subsequently taken out at the early stages of merge. It was definitely a mistake to inform Amy about their prior connection with Elle.

Amy: What lands Amy here is that Anastasia doesn’t trust her. I was surprised too, but, looking at it, Anastasia would cut Amy over Ginnifer. What puts her above Ginnifer is her activity, however. Hopefully Amy can gain more trust with Danny and Anastasia and be safer in the future. Amy has a good read on Anastasia which keeps her in this position as well. She knows exactly what she needs to do to survive this tribe with the necessary numbers, but can she do it?

Ginnifer: I believe Ginnifer made a misstep by creating an alliance with Anastasia and Amy. At least for Amy, she doesn’t know how to feel considering Ginny never mentioned the alliance and just put them in it. It may have been a bit too presumptuous which leads to hesitation and distrust with the people she wants to ally with. Finally, Danny was also annoyed by Ginny being inactive near the start of the challenge which lowers her overall safety at tribal council

Jennifer: Where is Jennifer San Diego? Her inactivity and unhelpfulness in the challenge makes her the easiest target. There’s not much to say except if she doesn’t pick it up soon and socialize, she will be sitting in the VL.

S.E.E.S.

Jodi: Once again, Jodi has emerged as the tribe leader. Despite being on a plane for the whole day, she has been the most vocal about organizing the challenge. People are very attracted to Jodi’s energy making it easy for her to make allies in any situation she finds herself in. Right now, she has allied with Colin and Josh which easily puts her on the top of this trio alliance. Therefore, she is the safest person on the tribe. She has also been dictating this vote pretty heavily. I fear that Jodi just does not know how to chill though. Her biggest weakness is that she will jump out at anything and try to keep talking when she should just hold back. If she keeps playing the way she is, she will end up as an early jury boot.

Colin: Colin has attached himself to Jodi pretty heavily. I can definitely see this being Colin’s Final 2 rather than any of his allies back on S.E.E.S. The good part about it is that Jodi seems to feel the same way which is great. Additionally, Colin can hide behind Jodi’s massive target at merge.

Josh: Josh does very well in the challenges which keeps him in people’s good graces. His activity definitely helps him survive this tribe as well. He has found himself allied with Jodi out of necessity though. I do not doubt that Colin and Jodi will leave Josh in the dust once merge rolls around and they have their allies back. However, Josh is doing the thing he should be doing at pre-merge: being good at challenges and being active. Anything more would put an unnecessary target on his back at merge.

Babs: Babs is never online and did not even try to help in the challenge. This leaves them low. However, they do still have a Vote Blocker so they can pull some shenanigans if they so choose. Additionally, their inactivity may be used as a shield for now as, at the very least, Jodi is still willing to gtry and get to know Babs.

Shaad: I do not particularly understand why the trio alliance wants to target Shaad. He has a pre-established enemy in Jared and is willing to blow up if he wants to. He could make a great shield in the future, and he would not target these people. However, they believe that Shaad is more useless in the challenges than Babs (despite Babs never being online). And, without any allies on this tribe, there is no one there to vouch for Shaad making his demise seem clear. I hope somehow Shaad can pull himself out, but it does not seem likely.

#episode #episodes

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