#in a better world this is laurent @ damen all the time constantly

[silvials]

Treat It Tenderly

In which Laurent asks Nikandros for Damen's hand in marriage.

During the first year anniversary of the alliance between Akielos and Vere, Laurent was suddenly struck with the heart-stopping realization that he wanted to ask Damen to marry him.

They had never formally spoken about marriage before because it wasn’t at the forefront of their priorities. The first few months of their reign were dedicated to appeasing the warring factions in their respective kingdoms, and the following months were spent rewriting laws, proposing new treaties, arguing with the Council and the Kyroi, and doing whatever they could to make the alliance easier to digest for the public. Marriage had always been implied by the alliance, but now they were close to reaching the final steps of unification, some were starting to argue that marriage was unnecessary.

An empire needed heirs after all, and Laurent couldn’t count the number of times when he and Damen were subtly urged to remain as allies and take wives. Rumors speculating about the nature of their relationship also increased in frequency and unpleasantness, and on top of all that, they also started receiving more unwanted advances from people who believed their relationship was loveless.

Laurent had never been the type to care how others perceived him, but lately he had grown tired of having to constantly defend his relationship with Damen. He wanted the world to know that he and Damen belonged to each other, and if the golden cuffs on their wrists didn’t make it clear enough, then he was more than willing to take the next step. All he had to do was ask Damen.

It suddenly seemed like a daunting task, especially since he wanted to do it properly. Akielos and Vere did not differ much in terms of marriage customs, which meant that he had to ask for the permission of Damen’s family members. Since Damen no longer had parents or a brother, the closet person he had to a family was Nikandros.

This was going to be an interesting day.

/

Nikandros couldn’t remember the last time he had been this stressed.

Since he was one of the earliest supporters of the alliance and also the former Kyros of Delpha, the task of organizing the anniversary banquet fell to him. It would have been an honor, if there weren’t things going wrong every damn minute, so he was more than a little annoyed when Laurent summoned him halfway through the preparations.

“You asked for me, Your Majesty?” Nikandros said as he entered the royal solar and was met with a peculiar sight. Laurent was the only person in the room, but he wasn’t seated at his desk like usual. Instead, he was curled up on one of the reclining couches in front of the fire, with a small table next to him that housed two glasses of wine. This was the most comfortable that Nikandros had ever seen him. It made him wonder if he was hallucinating.

“Yes, I wanted to ask you something,” Laurent answered and gestured towards the empty seat in front of him. Nikandros couldn’t understand what kind of question would require him to take a seat, but he grudgingly sat down opposite of Laurent anyway.

Laurent handed him a glass of wine, and he downed it without a second thought. If he was going to have some kind of heart-to-heart talk with Laurent, he might as well be drunk.

“I have been thinking about the alliance lately,” Laurent began. He looked uncharacteristically nervous, which made Nikandros lean forward in his seat. “It’s going a lot better than I had expected, and it looks like we might be able to achieve unification soon. Perhaps it might also be time for us to take the next step in cementing the alliance.”

Laurent trailed off all of a sudden, and Nikandros nodded absently as he waited for him to continue.

“I intend to marry Damen,” Laurent said, watching carefully for his reaction.

Nikandros nodded again. It didn’t exactly come as a shock since he knew it was going to happen sooner or later. He was just surprised that it took them this long. “That would be the best move right now,” he said. “It will eliminate most of doubts about the alliance and stop other royal families from offering you any more marriage proposals.”

“I know, but do you…approve?”

Nikandros raised a brow at him. “Do you need my approval?”

Laurent stared blankly at him for a moment, as if it physically pained him to say the next words. “In Akielos, isn’t it also a custom to ask your intended spouse’s family for their hand in marriage? You are the only family Damen has left, so I’m asking you now if you approve.”

Oh. Oh. Now this was a surprise. If he had been asked this question exactly a year ago, he would have definitely said no. He had hated Laurent the moment he saw the scars on Damen’s back, but then he had seen Laurent lay down his own life for Damen, had seen him stubbornly stay by Damen’s bedside as he recovered from his wound, had seen the way he looked at Damen when he thought no one was watching. He had also seen Laurent mourn for his brother. He would never tell this to anyone, but there had been a time when he was unable to sleep during his visit to Arles, so he wandered the halls in the early hours of dawn and found Laurent crying in front of Auguste’s statue. He understood then how painful and genuine Laurent’s love for Damen must be.

Nikandros could never imagine denying Laurent of his approval. As much as he hated to admit it, he had grown rather fond of him despite how prickly he was, but a part of him was tempted to say no just to get a rise out of him.

Except Laurent was starting to look more nervous at every passing minute, so Nikandros relented and gave him a straight answer. “Of course I approve.”

“Do you approve because of my excellent character or because I am your king?”

“Both,” Nikandros told him. “Although the first one is highly debatable.” He wouldn’t normally speak so freely with Laurent, but the combination of stress and inebriation tended to loosen a person’s tongue.

Laurent didn’t show any outward reaction, but Nikandros could tell he was slightly more relaxed than before. “Is it so difficult to admit that I’m a delight?” Laurent asked, and then after a moment of silence, he added. “Do you think he’ll say yes?”

Nikandros felt his own eyebrows nearly climb up to his hairline. This day was indeed full of surprises. “Definitely,” he said. “Do you have particular reasons for your doubts?”

“No, it’s just…” Laurent absently traced the golden cuff on his wrist. “It’s been quite a while since the alliance was finalized, and Damen hasn’t mentioned anything about marriage yet.”

“Damen has never been one to plan things ahead,” Nikandros assured him. “He probably expects to marry you eventually but forgot that he never asked in the first place. Besides, he’s so utterly smitten with you, it’s actually disgusting.”

Not even the low light could hide the blush that crept across Laurent’s face. “Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the matter, Kyros” he said and stubbornly refused to meet Nikandros’ eyes. “You may go now.”

Nikandros resisted the urge to snicker on his way out the door.

/

Nikandros wasn’t expecting some kind of grand announcement at the banquet since both Damen and Laurent were intensely private about the matters of their relationship. He still kept an eye on them throughout the night, and as the banquet reached its peak and all the dignitaries were properly drunk, he saw Laurent lead Damen out to the gardens.

It took a while for them to return, but when they entered the room again, Damen was grinning like the besotted fool, and even Laurent was smiling openly in public for the first time. Their hands were linked in a rare display of affection, although it wasn’t so rare in Nikandros’ case because being the king’s advisor also meant that he was the unfortunate witness of one too many intimate moments. Damen didn’t seem to notice anyone around him, too caught up in his own happiness, but Laurent met Nikandros’ eyes across the room and offered him a smile in thanks.

Nikandros tipped his goblet in their direction and waited for them to disappear around the corner before taking a long draught. He always knew Damen would marry a blond.

[not-a-coral-snake]

I’ve been thinking about how it’s not really Laurent who’s responsible for portraying Auguste as a golden hero who could do no wrong. It’s actually mostly the regent, and the rest of the Veretian court following his example. It’s also Damen through his power as narrator.

Damen is the first character to describe Auguste. He introduces him as a noble warrior of indomitable spirit, a beacon of strength in the chaos of Marlas. An honorable man. A worthy foe. Even six years later, the impact he had on Damen is clear, and it’s also clear Damen respected him enormously.

Then throughout book 1, the regent and the court constantly hold up Auguste as a foil to Laurent’s shortcomings. Auguste was willing to serve his country as a soldier while Laurent is a coward who weasels out of border duty. Auguste was a true leader while Laurent just seduces and manipulates people. Auguste had honor, Laurent has none. This even goes on for more day-to-day events: the regent makes a point of reminding everyone that Auguste was actually good at hunting while Laurent has won only by killing a horse, and a random groom echoes his sentiments, telling Damen that Auguste tamed horses while Laurent kills them.

By the end of book 1, it was so well established that the world thought Auguste was the perfect warrior, perfect prince, perfect man, that I suspected that there would be a plot twist in book 2 that he was secretly evil or something. But at this point, Laurent has only mentioned Auguste indirectly, to say that he hasn’t believed in Akielon honor since Damianos killed his brother.

For all that Paschal says Laurent had hero-worshipped Auguste, we get a more human, less hero-worshippy picture of Auguste from Laurent than we do from any other character. Most of the time, when Laurent mentions Auguste, it’s to tell anecdotes of things Auguste said to Laurent or did with him--ordinary stories that suggest nothing more than that Auguste was a good brother. Laurent tells Damen that Auguste had no gift for practicing or recognizing deception, which in modern terms seems like a polite way of saying Auguste was a bit naive, and in Veretian terms might straight up mean Auguste was bad at politics. And he tells him Auguste preferred women, also not a trait valued in Veretian men.

This is significant, because it makes it far more striking when Laurent does make sweeping statements about Auguste’s greatness. It’s not that Laurent in general has an Auguste-shaped blind spot in his ability to judge character--instead, he’s talking about Auguste like that for a situation-specific reason. 

The two times I can think of when Laurent sounds more like he’s talking about Auguste as a hero rather than Auguste as a regular person are in his sword fight with Damen in Kings Rising, when he nonsensically insists Auguste would have beat Damen in a duel; and in Prince’s Gambit, when he calls Auguste the best man he ever knew. 

Laurent calls his brother the best man he ever knew and tells Damen he reminds him of him, and the fact that he always speaks of Auguste in down-to-earth terms makes the compliment more personal, more meaningful. There are similarities between Damen and Auguste readily apparent to anyone who knew the two men only slightly, or only by reputation. Both are great warriors, both are natural leaders, both are brave and loyal to their countries. But Laurent isn’t just saying Damen is like Auguste, the best man he ever knew, because Damen is a brave and honorable warrior. That’s not how Laurent talks about Auguste. No, Auguste is the best man Laurent ever knew because of who he was with his family, with the people he cared about, and Damen reminds him of that Auguste as well.

In terms of the sword fight, I think it makes the scene all the more heartbreaking. Throughout the trilogy, we hear again and again how good a fighter Auguste was. Laurent does this too, but not nearly to the same level. Laurent says he was not a fighter, like Auguste was, but it’s more a contrast of his and Auguste’s motivation to train than it is commentary on Auguste’s skill. Jord tells Damen you only need to be half as good as Auguste to be ten times as good as anyone else. In contrast, when Laurent explains he knew he would have to be very good to beat Damen, he doesn’t just say ‘because Damianos beat my brother,’ as Jord might have. He says it’s because Damianos was known to be the best fighter in Akielos and beat a large number of the best Veretian fighters.

From anyone else, Laurent’s insistence that Auguste was better, good enough to beat Damen might sound like disbelief that anyone could beat Auguste because Auguste was so impossibly talented. From Laurent, who doesn’t belabor his brother’s skill, it sounds like simple refusal Damen could beat Auguste because that would mean Auguste would die, and there’s a part of him that still can’t accept the world would let that happen.

[chaoticowlpost]

Hi GiRa, I don’t know if you do this, but do you have Captive Prince fic Recs? I’ve followed you for the Draco/Harry content, but Damen and Laurent looked like something I would enjoy so I’ve read all the books last week. It was sooooo good 😍 and now I need all the quality fic in my life. Please help!

Hello​ nonnie~ Yes omg I do have fic recs but I’m afraid they may be a little biased as of now haha. That’s because I leaned towards fics in the setting of the canon when I first started but then slowly began reading Modern AU fics as I went- and I haven’t gone through nearly enough fics yet,- so I’ll probably have to do another sweep of all the fics on AO3, BUT here are some fics I’d love to recommend to start with 

1. @mfingenius

That’s it, that’s the tweet. HBFSJDF okay no I’m joking but I absolutely love their works and they were the one who introduced me to capri. There’s a bunch of short fics on their account that I like to indulge in constantly and you should definitely check it out because there’s too many for me to just pick one!

2. itallends ( @goldencuffs )

For Better, for Worse (9.2k) - Laurent arches an eyebrow. “I am married, Jord.”

Jord blinks at him slowly. “…To your job?”

“To a man.” 

Jord’s eyes fall on Laurent’s bare left hand. 

”Right,” he says.

Or: five times Laurent says he’s married, and the one time everyone finally believes him.

Receipts and Reciprocity (9.5k) -  Damen has a thing for buying Laurent stuff.

I love their works with my whole heart nobody touch me hnfdgjg but seriously these are some of my favorite fics! They’re both Modern AUs if that’s what you’re looking for and partial reason as to why I started opening up more towards Non-Canon setting fics. 

3.  waywardwriter

Courts, Crowns, and A Little Game of Chess (55k) - In an attempt to diffuse the rising tensions between Akielos and Vere, Prince Auguste invites a group of Akielon ambassadors to the Veretian court. He expects many things to come out of this visit: trade agreements, festivities and celebrations, and perhaps the emergence of better diplomatic relations between the two nations. What he did not expect, however, was for his younger brother to take an interest in the Crowned Prince of Akielos.

AKA: The fic where Laurent is a reserved, bookish, hero-worshipping boy who meets Prince Damianos for the first time.

 Waking Up To You (1.7k) -  Damen wakes up from his wisdom teeth surgery only to find the most beautiful man in the world sitting beside him.

I couldn’t help but insert Waking Up To You  😞 It’s a weakness because why wouldn’t I want a high-as-balls Damen just being in love with Laurent in general. The first fic, however, is up among one of my favorites. Damen courting Laurent? Sign me the fuck up! This was so well written I just fell in love with all of the characters.

4. DisraeliGears 

Anything For You (39k) - Laurent will do anything for Damen. Including make friends with Nikandros…if he must.

The story of Nikandros and Laurent’s friendship.

A Party of Our Own (5.5k) -  Nikandros escapes Damen’s party for some alone time…and ends up locked in the wine cellar with Laurent. As one could probably imagine, some snarking happens. And some airing of grievances.

These fics are mainly Nikandros and Laurent building a relationship and getting to understand one another and I’m absolutely HERE for it! The characterization of Laurent was so well done and Anything For You is also among my top favorites because of how intense it was towards the end and just everything Laurent did in general, but through Nikandros’ eyes (even better!)

5. damnmads & The Librarina (tears_of_nienna)

Pawn Sacrifice (85k) - The war with Akielos has settled into an uneasy alliance, and Prince Damianos is sent to spend a year at Arles. Seven years later, he returns to Vere to offer condolences to King Auguste on the death of his father. But Auguste’s younger brother is much changed, as is the political climate in Vere, and Prince Laurent is the target of an assassin. When Damen returns to Akielos, an unexpected guest is sent with him—but danger follows, and the fate of two kingdoms hangs in the balance.

What might have changed if Auguste lived—and what was inevitable, even so.

Another Auguste Lives AU because I love him and yes (the best brother™)  . This is a slow burn fic about how the story might have gone if Auguste lived to become king and how Damen and Laurent’s relationship might have gone. It’s quite a lengthy read but I think it’s a great fic to immerse yourself in if you’ve got the time

6.  Just_Another_Day

Five Times Laurent and Damen Unintentionally Caused an International Incident (and One Time They Meant To) (28k) -  Everyone in the world knows for a fact that Laurent and Damen despise each other with a burning passion despite their countries supposedly being allies. Strangely, though, the two of them seem to have missed that whole ‘hatred’ memo. Nikandros really doesn’t get paid enough to deal with this shit.

The title says it all and it’s absolutely perfect! Pray for Nikandros and give him a raise in this Modern Royalty AU because Damen and Laurent can’t keep their feels out of view for anything so watch as these boys in love make Nikandros lose 10 years of his life.

7.  thewriterofperfectdisasters

kimihia (22k) - Laurent frowned and drummed his fingers against his laptop as he considered what to say. In theory, nothing was stopping him from going to Greece. Nothing was stopping him from maybe running into someone he met over Tinder. The only thing standing in his way was his own apprehension and mistrust about the whole situation.

A Modern AU with the help of online dating because why not. This is such a feel good AU and it just makes me so happy to read it so I hope you like it as well

8.  Entity_Sylvir

How Not To Court A Veretian Prince (13k) - “He was—” Damen breaks off, swallows hard, pauses in the manner of a man soundly failing to find an explanation in what he is trying to explain, “—really pretty.”

“What,” says Nikandros, “the fuck.”

-

The first time Damen meets Laurent, he mistakes him for a pet. It doesn’t go well.

No one lets him forget it.

Words cannot DESCRIBE how much I love this fic! The fanart, the way Damen’s actions come to haunt him, and Laurent being a little shit™ in the best way had me cackling and just everything about this fic had me in love.

9.  dawnofthursday ( @americancupsofbritishtea )

The Pitfalls of being Overprotective (2.2k) - Auguste makes a discovery, and then wishes he hadn’t.

Another fic that had me screaming because Auguste deserved whatever he got in this fic for being big brother™. I’m not sure what else to say without spoiling it because this is absolutely hilarious but you gotta read the tags (PLEASE READ THE TAG IT’S GREAT)

10.  LaLaCat1

The Oath (78k) -  Young prince Laurent arrives in time to stop the killing blow from falling at Marlas. A split second decision has Damen swearing Auguste an oath to protect his younger brother, and it’s not until he brings the Veretian princes back to parley with his father that Damen realizes how difficult that oath will be to keep.

Okay so this fic is also kinda intense but it’s another AU about what would happen if Auguste lived and the amount of feels and stress (good stress) that came with this fic was just.. damn. I’ve lost sleep on this fic and every moment was worth it so if you’re interested in this type of fic, definitely give it a read when you can!

There are probably a few more in my list somewhere that I haven’t been able to update but here are a few to get you started! I hope you enjoy them as much as I did and I hope I was able to help

By the way, if anyone knows the tumblr accounts of the authors I tagged, could you please tell me? I’d love to give them a follow to keep up with them and help others find their accounts as well if they’re interested! 

[goldencuffs]

I'M HORRIBLE AT PROMPTS. laurent trying to do something really nice for damen&it kind of goes to hell but damen loves him so much&can't quit loving on him for it all? or laurent goes to some university&everyone thinks he's gorgeous but he's kind of a bitch&when he tells them he has a boyfriend everyone is like yeah right then damen comes to pick him up, looking hotter than anyone has any right to be&laurent melts with him? i'll read literally anything you write, it could be a n y t h i n g

@marrieddorkss​ im so so so sorry this took so fucking long lmao my god. im a mess. hopefully you still like it?? and it isnt such a fucking disaster lol?? 

Summary: Laurent decides to do something nice for Damen – and then immediately regrets it.

When Laurent comes back from his last class of the day, it’s to find Damen standing outside his dorm room, wearing a nice, oversized tank top and fraying shorts. The duffle bag by his feet is packed full; Laurent can see the sides of it are lumpy.

 “Hey.” Damen’s smile is pleasant. It transforms his face and makes him look younger, despite the stubble growing across his face.

 Laurent smiles too. “Hello,” he says, and when he’s close enough, he rests his hands on Damen’s hips and goes on his tiptoes to kiss his nose.

 Damen’s smile widens, the creases by his eyes deepening. He scans Laurent’s face intently. “I’m guessing that your presentation went well?”

“It went well,” Laurent says. He pauses. “Actually, it went very well. I managed to answer every single question at the end.”

 Damen wraps his arms around Laurent’s shoulders in a tight squeeze. “Fuck yeah!” He cheers. His enthusiasm is genuine, and it makes Laurent’s face heat.

 “It’s not that big of a deal – I’m sure there are other people who did way better.”

 “Stop that,” says Damen. He kisses Laurent’s forehead. “You killed it; I know you did.”

 Laurent doesn’t answer. He just tips his head up in a silent request. Damen’s smile softens around the edges, and then he leans down to kiss Laurent fully on his mouth.

 The kiss heats up quickly, as usual. Damen licks inside his mouth with vigour, his hand moving down Laurent’s back to grip his ass. Laurent moans into it, tugging on the front of Damen’s shirt to pull him closer.

 Damen’s cock is already hard; it presses up against the inside of Laurent’s thigh in a slow, teasing drag. Laurent shifts his own hips forward, his body tight with anticipation.

 A door slams shut at the end of the corridor and Damen detaches himself from Laurent in a measured pace, realising at the same moment Laurent does, that they’re in a very open, public setting.

 “Come inside,” Laurent tells him.

 Damen squeezes his ass again. “Here?” His smirk is sharp and arrogant.

 Laurent hates how much he likes it.

 He doesn’t let Damen know that though; instead, he rolls his eyes and drags Damen inside to his dorm room. It’s far from its usual pristine condition; Laurent hasn’t made his bed in a week, his dirty clothes are in a pile by the door and his desk is overflowing with papers, textbooks and plastic wrappers from food he’s bought lately.

 Laurent grimaces at the mess. Damen doesn’t seem to mind, or even acknowledge it; he flings himself onto the single bed with as much ease as he can, hauling his duffle bag up with him.

 “What’s in there?” Laurent asks.

 The duffle bag is an expensive, leather one. For years, it had sat alone and dusty in the Revere’s garage, until Laurent had gifted it to Damen over the summer. Now, it’s used constantly; Damen takes it with him to classes and football practice and is rarely seen without it. He takes good care of it too: he diligently cleans it once a week and keeps it stored in his closet, away from sunlight.

 Damen waggles his eyebrows in response to Laurent’s question. He sits up again and opens it with an exaggerated amount of fanfare, slowly inching the zipper in small tugs.

 It’s amusing; it shouldn’t be, but almost everything Damen does makes Laurent laugh. He likes that.

 Inside the lining of the bag, the tag is visible. It used to simply read ‘Revere’, but someone – probably Nikandros – has added, with marker, an apostrophe and the word ‘bitch’, so the entire thing says: ‘Revere’s bitch’.

 Laurent also likes that.

 Laurent doesn’t focus too long on the tag. The contents of the bag are much more appealing: there’s an assortment of treats packed haphazardly inside. Laurent can see chip packets, chocolate, tubs of ice cream and a four pack of Krispy Kreme donuts.

 Laurent taps the lid of one of the ice cream containers; it’s sea salt, his favourite. “Did you rob a grocery store? Is this your first step into the tantalising world of crime?”

 Damen’s shrug is uncharacteristically shy. His fingers are still toying with the zipper, but he still manages to look Laurent in the eye as he says, “They’re for you. I figured – depending on how your presentation goes – they’d either be celebratory snacks or conciliatory ones.”

 Laurent smiles. There’s a sudden, pressing warmth in his chest. “Really,” he says, touched.

 Damen is still shy; it’s a strange yet endearing look on him.

 Laurent’s smile doesn’t waver. He pushes the duffle bag a little, so it ends up against the wall, rather than between them. He crosses the now empty space, shifting closer to Damen until Laurent manages to straddle his lap, knees digging into the hard mattress below.

 He presses a soft kiss to the corner of Damen’s mouth. He keeps his mouth there, against the stubble across Damen’s jaw, and says: “Thank you. I love how thoughtful you are.”

 Damen swallows, eyes darkening. His hands rest on Laurent’s hips. His touch is deceptively light.

 This time, Laurent initiates the kiss. He keeps it slow, the way he favours, and Damen lets him. His hands begin to wander over Laurent’s body; even when they’re not fucking, Laurent has come to learn that Damen likes to touch him constantly.

 When Damen’s hands settle on Laurent’s ass once more, Laurent shifts his hips a little. Damen’s other hand drops to cup Laurent’s ass cheek.

 Laurent’s gasp is a quiet sound; most of it is swallowed by Damen’s mouth.

 They begin a slow, steady rut. It reminds Laurent of the first time they did this, a few months ago in a secluded booth in Route, the small club down the road from their campus.

 Laurent didn’t know Damen too well at the time, but he was always petering around the Student Life office, where Laurent had been volunteering on and off throughout the semester. He wasn’t sure what Damen did there: sometimes he volunteered to help with administrative tasks, but mostly, from what Laurent saw, Damen seemed to just want to hang around him.

 They formed a tentative, shallow relationship that consisted of very poor flirting on Laurent’s part and a lot of unprecedented confidence on Damen’s.

 It was obvious to everyone how much Damen wanted to fuck Laurent; he always looked half crazed every time Laurent so much as looked at him. Laurent found that he didn’t exactly mind it; Damen was attractive, receiving his attention was heady, and it wasn’t as though Laurent was swimming in proposals.

 So, when Damen had asked him to hang out at Route with him on a Saturday night, Laurent had said yes, fully expecting the outcome of the evening.

 Still, Damen had seemed surprised when, after two drinks, Laurent climbed into his lap. Their first kiss had been relatively innocent: just a short, chaste peck. Then Laurent, spurred on by the alcohol, deepened it. Damen responded eagerly, pulling closer Laurent and licking into his mouth with a shocking amount of indecency.

 After a while, he’d pulled back. His eyes had been so dark, and he’d gazed at Laurent with awe.

 Laurent had said: “If you’re going to keep looking at me like that, you might as well just fuck me here.”

 Damen had inhaled sharply; even with all the noise around them, Laurent still managed to hear it.

 Twenty minutes later, Laurent had been pressed down into his mattress as Damen licked him open for his cock.

 As he’d pushed into him for the first time, Damen panted into his ear, “Fuck, I don’t usually do this on a first date.”

 Laurent had laughed.

 Afterwards, Laurent had thought he wouldn’t see much of Damen anymore. He knew how one night stands worked. He suspected that now that Damen had been inside him – more than once, actually – he would stop loitering around the Student Life office.

 That didn’t happen. Instead, Damen seemed more persistent to hang around Laurent. Laurent let it happen. By this point, he’d grown fond of Damen, the way someone might feel fond over a stray puppy that constantly showed up at their door.

 Besides, as the weeks wore on, Laurent discovered that as well as being extremely sexually compatible, Damen and he were also compatible outside of bed; they became fast friends, much to the bemusement of everyone else.

 It’s amazing how far they’ve come, Laurent thinks. He doesn’t think he’s been so comfortable with anyone in his entire life.

 Now, in the silence of his bedroom, Damen’s lips drag across Laurent’s neck. Laurent shivers, fingers running over Damen’s shoulders. He’s careful as he tugs off Damen’s shirt. Damen’s chest is marvellous – it’s all sculpted pecs and hard planes. There’s a tattoo of a lion roaring on his right pec. It’s the most obnoxious thing Laurent has ever seen, and the first time Laurent had seen it, he’d licked it. He might’ve felt stupid about it at the time, but that feeling quickly evaporated when Damen’s hips stuttered, and he’d spilled his release inside Laurent.

 Once Damen’s shirt comes off, the need to get naked becomes a priority for both of them. Damen rolls Laurent onto his back after Laurent takes off his own shirt, mouthing over his collarbone, his nipples, his bellybutton, and then his hipbone.

 Laurent is quick to unbuckle his belt when Damen kisses the waistband of his jeans.

 Damen is always meticulous in preparing him. It doesn’t matter if it’s been five minutes or five days since they last fucked, Damen never rushes. Laurent’s given up on trying to coax him to be faster.

 Laurent’s knee jerks a little when Damen’s fingers, covered in cold lube, circle around his rim in sure strokes. Damen kisses the inside of his thigh, then the crease of his groin as Laurent pants. When his finger breaches Laurent, Laurent turns his head into the pillow, moaning against the silk fabric.

 “Please,” he says quietly, and Damen groans, long and loud. He likes it when Laurent begs, a fact that makes Laurent flush.

 Damen continues fingering him. The sounds are disgusting, wet and sloppy. Laurent doesn’t understand why he likes it so much.

 Finally, finally, Damen pulls away. Laurent’s fingers twist the bedsheets in anticipation. He knows he’s flushed all over; he can feel the colour vining across the bridge of his nose and down his chest.

 Damen’s cockhead drags down his crease. It makes Laurent delirious.

 “Yeah?” says Damen. His hand grips the base of his cock and his eyes are fixed on Laurent, like he can’t bear to look away.  Laurent knows the feeling; Damen looks so good like this.

 “Yes,” says Laurent, in Veretian.

 That makes Damen groan again. He only gets louder as he pushes into Laurent. Laurent’s eyes go cross eyed at the initial stretch. He loves this: the initial pain of Damen’s cock entering him.

 “God, Laurent.” Damen grunts as he starts thrusting, biting down on the column of Laurent’s neck.

 “Yeah, fuck me,” Laurent says. His hands slide down Damen’s sweaty back. “Harder – please, I need it.”

 “Fuck,” Damen gasps as he complies. He lifts his head from the crook of Laurent’s shoulder and kisses him.

 Laurent keens into it. He wraps his legs around Damen’s waist, murmuring encouragements in Veretian against Damen’s mouth.

 Damen’s thrusts start to get shallow; his rhythm isn’t synced, but it still makes Laurent’s toes curl.

 “Good?” Damen says. His biceps are straining with effort.

 “You know it is,” Laurent says.

 “I like the confirmation,” Damen says with that terrible smirk, and Laurent closes his eyes and lets himself take it.

 Damen comes first. He’s loud when it happens; Laurent is sure his neighbours hate him.

 His cock is straining against his stomach when Damen pulls out. Laurent flushes when he feels the wetness inside him, and he darkens further when Damen pulls his ass cheeks apart, watching in awe as his come dribbles out of Laurent’s hole.

 “Don’t touch your cock,” says Damen.

 “Fuck, fuck, fuck!” Laurent arches his back when Damen’s mouth seals over his hole.

 Damen slips his tongue in easily, licking into Laurent with enthusiasm. Laurent shakes under his grip. Damen’s stubble rubs against his skin, and Laurent knows it’s steadily pinkening.

 He feels on edge. His cock is so hard it hurts. He pulls on Damen’s curls desperately, and Damen buries into him deeper.

 Laurent’s mouth falls open. His quiet panting fills the room, joining the cacophony of sounds Damen’s mouth produces as he eats him out.

 Laurent feels like crying. He almost asks Damen to stop because it’s too much, too much, too much.

 Then Damen slows down to short, tiny licks. When he resurfaces, he gives Laurent a filthy wink. His chin is wet.

 Laurent comes.

 *

 Every Thursday, Laurent and Damen have lunch at a small brunch place just outside campus. It’s usually packed, but Damen always manages to secure them a table. Laurent suspects this is because Damen has slept with one of the baristas. Damen has never explicitly denied this detail.

 Today, their table is outside, along the gravel path leading to the campus gardens. The weather is nice; a rarity in Marlas, and Laurent enjoys the sunshine on his face.

 Initially their weekly lunch meetings had been a habit borne out of practicality: last semester, one of the only days they could meet up was on Thursday mornings. After a good, thorough fuck, Damen always needed a cigarette, and Laurent always got hungry, so their solution was to head out to this particular brunch place.

 Now, though, it’s become a fixed tradition between them. Damen also refers to it as their place – which Laurent still doesn’t quite understand.

 Damen orders his usual – the everything breakfast – and Laurent, pleasantly reminded of this morning’s activities when he moves in his seat, decides to order the same thing.

 Halfway through their meal, they’re interrupted by Nikandros, one of Damen’s teammates. Nikandros is wearing his letterman jacket, but he shrugs it off as he pulls up a seat at their table. He steals a chorizo sausage off of Laurent’s plate, despite Laurent’s protests.

 Nikandros starts talking to Damen about the statistics of their latest game while Laurent finishes up his food. Once he’s done, he pulls out his pack of cigarettes. He manages to finish half of it; he offers Nikandros the rest. Nikandros eyes fall on the cigarette, then Laurent’s mouth, before he forcibly tears his eyes away and shakes his head.

 He addresses Damen again, his voice slightly hoarse, “Hey! I just remembered – guess who I saw coming out the law library today?”

 “Who?” Damen takes Laurent’s cigarette.

 Nikandros pauses for dramatic effect. His smirk is not as attractive as Damen’s. “Lykaios.”

 Damen drops his cigarette. He doesn’t pay it much mind; instead, he leans forward in his seat, eyes alight. “Wait – seriously? You’re not messing with me?”

 “Nah,” Nikandros shakes his head, looking pleased. “Asked her what she’s doing here, apparently she’s starting postgrad law this semester.” Nikandros pauses again. “Like you.”

 “Wow.” Damen’s expression is brittle with disbelief. “What are the chances?”

 “Seems like fate.”

 “Who’s Lykaios?” Laurent asks.

 “Oh,” says Damen. “She’s an old friend from when I still lived in Ios.”

 “A friend,” says Nikandros. His expression is amused. “Oh, come on, you two were practically together.”

 “That’s not true,” Damen says quickly. He casts Laurent a reassuring look. “It honestly isn’t.”

 Laurent doesn’t understand why Damen is being so defensive; it’s not news to him that Damen has been with other people.

 “You were pretty much in love with her, dude.” Nikandros picks a sausage off Damen’s plate this time.

 “Oh,” Laurent says before he can help it. The statement takes him by surprise. One of the first things Damen had told him when they’d first started hooking up was: I don’t know what it’s like to be in love. In the stillness of the night, Damen had been vulnerable and open; it was the first time Laurent realised the person in his bed might be more multifaceted than he let on.

 “No,” Damen gives Laurent another reassuring look. His foot presses against Laurent’s underneath the table. “I wasn’t.” His voice is firm. “There was a time I thought I was, but I was wrong.”

 Nikandros clearly doesn’t believe him. He rolls his eyes and utters a small, “Whatever.”

 Laurent pulls out another cigarette, thinking.

 *

 Later that night, Laurent is contemplative. It’s late: almost two in the morning and the rain outside is a welcome, soothing noise.

 Laurent is so sore, he almost regrets the last round, as short as it was. It doesn’t keep him from draping himself over Damen’s chest, fingers lazily tracing over the tattoo on his pec.

 Damen keeps running his fingers through Laurent’s sweat soaked hair, his fingernails gently scratching against his scalp. It’s so relaxing, Laurent feels like he could fall asleep like this. Practically, he knows he shouldn’t: there’s dry come on his stomach and between his thighs. He’s also sweaty, and Damen is too.

 But instead of getting up, Laurent asks into the stillness of the night: “What is she like?”

 Damen jerks a little; his eyes have been closed for a while now.

 “Hm?”

 “Lykaios,” Laurent says. “I want to know what she’s like.”

 There’s a small pause. Damen shifts again. “Why?”

 “I don’t know. It seemed like she means a lot to you – and I’m interested.”

 “She meant a lot to me. As in, past tense.”

 “It didn’t seem that way during lunch,” Laurent points out. He doesn’t know why Damen is being so evasive and why it’s bothering him so much. “You seemed excited to hear about her.”

 “Well yeah,” Damen says. In the darkness, it’s hard to read his usually expressive face, but Laurent can still sense a growing tightness in Damen’s body. “But that’s only because it’s been a while since any of us have heard from her. She sort of disappeared after first year.”

 Laurent pinches Damen’s bicep. “Tell me.”

 Damen sighs. He rolls over, so Laurent is unfairly jostled aside. He turns on the lamp on the bedside table. As the room is washed in a dull yellow light, Laurent can see how matted Damen’s hair has become, as well as the fingernail indentations along his shoulders.

 “There’s honestly not much to say,” Damen says. His voice is very quiet, mindful of the neighbouring dorm rooms. “We were family friends for years, and in my senior year I realised I liked her a lot – more than I thought I did. But she had a boyfriend, so I never did anything about it. And then she dumped him because she liked me, but this time I was seeing someone. So, in the end, nothing happened.”

 “That’s it?” Laurent frowns. In his mind, he keeps replaying Damen’s reaction at lunch; surely, there must be more to the story. Damen huffs. It almost seems like he’s pouting. He pokes Laurent’s stomach, hard. “You’re being very annoying.”

 Laurent swats his hand away. “Are you still in love with her?”

 “I already told you I never was. I just thought I could be because I was a horny eighteen year old.”

 That makes Laurent laugh. It’s an unintentional sound, but it makes Damen smile.

 “I’m not interested in anyone but you,” Damen says, too sincerely. The words hang heavy in the air.

 Laurent doesn’t know what to make of it – not just the words, but Damen’s tone as well. It makes his stomach clamp up. He thinks Damen is making a point about how attractive he finds Laurent; in bed, the subject of Laurent’s body is always a welcoming topic.

 So, Laurent says, a little awkwardly, “Thank you.”

 Damen snorts. He looks fond. He kisses Laurent, and Laurent gladly welcomes it.

 It’s a slow, sensual kiss. Damen keeps mapping out Laurent’s body with his hands, fingertips tracing over the veins across Laurent’s wrist, his chest.

 “Think you can go again?” Damen says against his mouth. Pressed to each other like this, Laurent can feel Damen’s erection. It’s hot, he thinks to himself, how Damen physically reacts to him, even when Laurent hasn’t done anything to particularly excite him.

 He’s still sore, sweaty and gross, but Laurent says: “Yes.”

 *

 Laurent is late to his study session with Damen on Wednesday. They normally don’t study together; tonight is an exception. Damen is apparently tired of being cooped in his room alone as he pours over his essays.

 Outside the study room, Laurent pauses. Through the clear glass, he can see Damen is already seated, textbooks placed carelessly over the wooden tabletop. But he’s not alone. There’s someone seated on the edge of the table, in the one corner free of Damen’s things.

 It’s Lykaios. Laurent knows it must be; Damen’s face is exuberant, creased with warmth. His smile is filled with teeth, white and straight, and there’s a lingering softness there. Laurent’s chest clenches with a foreign feeling. He’s unsure what it is, but then deduces it must be relief at seeing Damen so happy.

 Laurent almost turns back. He wants to give Damen and his not-quite ex-girlfriend time to catch up. The thought of intruding on them with his presence fills him with anxiety. But he remains rooted on the spot because, for some strange reason, the thought of leaving them alone also fills him with anxiety.

 Luckily – or perhaps, unluckily; Laurent still hasn’t made up his mind – Damen spots him through the glass. His smile, now directed at Laurent, changes instantly; it dissolves into a steady kind of fondness. His eyes seem to shine brighter.

 It completely baffles Laurent.

 His chest tightens again; this time, it’s much more pleasant.

 Laurent supposes he should enter now. Damen seems to have forgotten about Lykaios; his eyes remain on Laurent as Laurent fumbles with the doorknob and steps into the room.

 “Hey,” he says. His smile – and voice – wobble. “Sorry I’m late.”

 “Don’t worry about it,” Damen’s smile, impossibly, widens even more. Laurent’s gaze is helplessly drawn to it.

 They stare at each other for a few moments longer than necessary until Damen seems to remember they’re not alone. He fumbles over the introductions, face flushed.

 Lykaios is unbelievably gorgeous. Like most Akielons, she’s very tall; even wearing flats she’s a few inches taller than Laurent. Laurent tries not to be bitter about it. Her hair isn’t as blonde as Laurent’s, but it’s long and shiny. Her eyes are amazing; long lashed and an intriguing colour, somewhere between green and blue.

 Standing next to Damen, the two of them look like a regal painting. They look good together. They complement each other.

 Laurent – unexpectedly, painfully – feels inadequate.

 Lykaios rounds the table and shakes Laurent’s hand with vigour. Her smile is kind and open; her enthusiasm is genuine. “It’s so nice to finally meet you! Damen has managed to mention your name about a hundred times in the last half an hour.”

 Damen flushes at that, suddenly busying himself with rearranging his textbooks.

 Laurent smiles. He can feel the heat travel across his face. “It’s nice to meet you too.”

 “I’m sorry for interrupting your study session.” Her voice is so sweet, Laurent thinks he could listen to her talk all day. “I was literally just walking past and saw Damen in here. I almost couldn’t believe it.” She turns to Damen and gives him in an assessing look. “It’s been what – six years?”

 “Fuck off,” Damen says, with little heat. “I don’t want to be reminded of how old I am.”

 Lykaios laughs at that. Her laugh is sweet too.

 Laurent says, “You guys will probably see more of each other now. You’re in the same course, right?”

 Lykaios beams. “Yep! Another weird coincidence.”

 “Or fate,” Laurent points out.

 Damen gives him a strange look. “Definitely just a coincidence.”

 “Ah, who knows the mysterious ways of the universe,” says Lykaios. She gives Laurent a wink.

 Laurent decides he likes her, despite the twisting in his gut.

 It’s why he says: “Did you want to stay and study with us? We were also going to grab some dinner afterwards. You could join us for that too.”

 Damen gives him another strange look; this one is brittle with disbelief.

 Laurent ignores it. He keeps his eyes on Lykaios, who smiles at him.

 “Thank you for the very kind offer, but I’ve already got plans tonight, I’m afraid.” She seems genuinely sorry, and it makes Laurent like her even more.

 “Maybe next time,” Laurent says.

 Damen frowns.

 Lykaios doesn’t stay too long after that; she claims she needs to start getting ready for her night out. When she leaves, she kisses Damen’s cheek. Laurent bristles a little at that.

 But his annoyance morphs into pleasantness when she hugs him goodbye – like Damen, she is very touchy, Laurent notices.

 As soon as the door closes behind her, Damen kisses Laurent, hard and open mouthed. It’s a terrible kiss; Laurent isn’t expecting it, and he almost topples backwards with the force of it. Then he starts laughing, so Damen’s mouth mostly meets his teeth.

 The second one is much, much better.

 “I’ve been wanting to do that for the past ten minutes,” says Damen. “Next time, kissing first, and then we move on to having a conversation.”

 “Shut up,” says Laurent. He pulls out his textbooks, trying not to laugh. After a few moments, he says, “She seems really nice. I can see why you liked her so much.”

 He imagines Damen at eighteen, maybe a little naïve and cocky, completely enamoured by Lykaios’ sweetness.

 Damen rolls his eyes. “Yeah, yeah.” He squints at Laurent. “You’re not still hung up on that are you?” His mouth deepens into a smirk. He waggles his eyebrows. “Need me to prove my loyalty, baby?”

 Laurent flushes. It’s not the first time Damen has used that endearment – he mostly says it in bed – but it still catches Laurent off guard every time.

 His mouth is suddenly very dry. The only thing he can manage to say is: “Shut up.” And then he gets to work, smiling into his shoulder when Damen’s foot wraps around his underneath the table.

 *

 Lykaios’ Instagram is an explosion of colour: she likes wearing a lot of red and green and purple. Her entire profile is filled with her travels, charity work, her friends, and some shots of her eyelids coated in glitter. The more Laurent scrolls, the more careful he is not to like anything.

 There are plenty of pictures of her from high school; Damen is in most of them, fresh faced and youthful. It’s strange to look at: nothing about Damen is boyish, but these pictures prove otherwise.

 Laurent comes across a photo of Lykaios and Damen from six years ago. In it, Damen has his arm around her waist while Lykaios rests her head on his shoulder.

 The caption is: hbd to this guy aka my soulmate #finally18

 Soulmate, Laurent thinks. His mouth purses.

 Damen’s comment is the first comment. It reads: love u ly!

 Laurent puts his phone down.

 His thoughts come too fast: he starts to think of all the ways Damen and Lykaios fit together, how connected they seemed even after so much time apart. He thinks of how nice they looked together.

 Then, Laurent starts thinking of all the nice things Damen has done for him over the last few months. The duffel bag full of his favourite snacks comes to mind, as does the time Damen took him to a fancy restaurant when Laurent had averaged a high distinction last semester. Damen had even driven him almost forty minutes to the dentist once, even though he had an assessment due in the afternoon.

 Damen is always doing nice things for him, and Laurent realises, guiltily, that he’s never quite returned the favour. His own gestures have often been small and unnoteworthy; they’ve never possessed the grandeur of Damen’s actions.

 Laurent knows exactly how to change that.

 *

 Laurent isn’t the most forthcoming person. It takes him an embarrassingly long time to gather enough courage to message Lykaios on Instagram. But once he makes it past his awkward introduction – hey this is laurent in case you don’t remember me – to which Lykaios had responded ofc i do silly!, their conversations are light and easy.

The more Laurent talks to her over the week, the more he’s convinced of his plan. Lykaios is everything Damen needs and vice versa. It’s crazy how similar their personalities are: they’re both incredibly sweet, intelligent and interested in almost all the same things, from okton to hiking.

 The next week, Laurent invites Lykaios to his and Damen’s weekly lunch outing.

 Damen smiles when he sees him. He doesn’t lose the smile on his face when he sees Lykaios, but his eyes snap to Laurent’s in confusion.

 “This is a nice surprise,” he says, although his tone is dry.

 Laurent pretends not to notice it. Lykaios kisses Damen’s cheek in greeting and Laurent scratches at his chest as he sits down.

 Damen leans over the table to kiss him, but Laurent quickly picks out the menu and starts to read it, even though he’s practically memorised it by now. He doesn’t want Damen to kiss him now – especially in front of Lykaios – and ruin his plan before it’s had the chance to even formulate.

 When he puts the menu back, Damen is openly frowning.

 It disappears as Lykaios begins talking. The transformation is amazing; Damen is instantly captivated by her. Laurent swallows. This is good, he reminds himself.

 Laurent waits about ten minutes. He’s started to notice that even though Damen is laughing along to all of Lykaios’ jokes, he’s still shooting Laurent glances every few seconds.

 The question on his face is clear: why is she here?

 Laurent plays with his phone for a while. He tries to make it look like he’s texting something important; he keeps his brows furrowed in concentration.

 Laurent isn’t the best actor, but even he’s proud of himself as he lets out a small gasp.

 “What is it?” says Damen, instantly alert.

 “Nothing,” Laurent waves him off. “It’s just that I completely forgot I had a study session right now.” He stands up, grabs his bag. “I should go.”

 “Wait –” Damen’s face pinches. “You’re leaving?”

 “I’m sorry, but this is really important.” Laurent turns to Lykaios and smiles. “You two stay and have fun.”

 “But –”

 “Bye!” Laurent says it too enthusiastically, cutting Damen off. He walks out of the brunch place with hurried steps. He turns back at the end of the gravel path just to check if –

 His chest tightens with pleasure – yes, pleasure, although he’s not sure why it doesn’t feel like it – when he sees his absence has made little disturbance. Damen and Lykaios are laughing together, mouths open in delight.

 Over the next few days, Laurent organises more and more outings with Damen and Lykaios. Damen never seems to stop looking confused whenever Laurent invites Lykaios, but he also seems happy to see her, so Laurent counts it as a win. During each outing, Laurent manages to come up with a different excuse each time as to why he needed to leave early. Damen always looks disappointed. Laurent is weak for it; he can’t count how many times that look has almost made him stay, but he doesn’t, because it would be detrimental to his plan.

 Laurent makes sure to text Damen whether or not he enjoyed his time with Lykaios. Damen’s responses are pretty much the same every time: Yes, but it would’ve been better if you were there too.

 It frustrates Laurent. Damen isn’t supposed to still be thinking of him while he’s hanging out with his potential soulmate.

 Lykaios is the first to grow suspicious. She confronts him at the next outing. They’re in an idyllic little bar in the city, with a cosy atmosphere. It’s a perfect date venue.

 Damen heads to the bathroom, and Laurent stands up, ready to leave, when Lykaios stops him with a hand on his arm.

 “Laurent,” she says. “Is there a reason you keep depriving us of your company?”

 Laurent manages a sheepish smile. He wonders if he should say anything at all. Then, he decides he should: he feels like Lykaios would appreciate his directive.

 Laurent plays with the little sugar packets on the table. “I’ve been trying to get you and Damen to spend more time together. Alone,” he adds, when he sees her confusion.

 “Why?”

 “Well…” Laurent hesitates; he’s just now beginning to realise how awkward this is. “I think you two would be good together…romantically.”

 Lykaios raises her eyebrows.

 Laurent continues, fingers still fidgeting. “It’s just…Damen mentioned how much you two liked each other a few years ago. And I think Damen still regards you very highly. Plus, you two are so alike – I just think it makes sense.”

 Lykaios’ eyebrows don’t lower, but she casts a backward glance towards where Damen has disappeared to.

 “I can’t say I haven’t thought about Damen and I…” she begins, and Laurent’s gut twists with…relief? Yes, he’s sure it’s relief. It’s a good – great – thing that Lykaios is interested in Damen. “But I thought –” Lykaios pauses for a few seconds. “I mean, I was under the impression that you and Damen were together.”

 Laurent laughs, and then he realises she’s being serious. “You – no. We’re not. We’re friends.” Friends who spent a lot of time sleeping together, sure, but Laurent doesn’t think mentioning that now will do him any favours.

 Lykaios’ face instantly changes. Her smile takes up her entire face; it’s stunning. She’s stunning.

 Laurent shifts in his seat. He clears his throat. “So – you…you want to date him?”

 She flushes, and it only makes her look more beautiful. “Like I said…I’ve definitely thought about it.”

 “Oh – good. That’s awesome. Damen will be so happy.” He stands up. “So, I’ll leave you two alone?”

Lykaios nods. “Thank you, Laurent.”

 “Don’t mention it.”

 He turns around to leave. Everything in his body is screaming not to.

 He keeps reminding himself that he’s doing something nice for Damen: that Damen will appreciate the fact that Laurent set him up with someone like Lykaios, a brilliant woman he has a past with. His mouth is dry, and Laurent’s palms are suddenly sweaty. Briefly, he wonders if this is always what happens when people do nice things for another. If it is…he might have to limit his niceness.

 *

 Laurent doesn’t mean to start ignoring Damen’s calls or texts. It just happens. He isn’t in the mood to listen to Damen go on about Lykaios; Laurent already knows she’s amazing.

 He’s also confident that they’re dating now – or at least getting there. Lykaios posted a lot of snaps from the last night Laurent left them alone, and all of them had been of Damen smiling, drinking, smirking at the camera. They’d been there until three in the morning; Laurent knows because he’d stayed up until then, refreshing his Instagram feed to see any updates on Lykaios’ story.

 What had they even been doing for so long anyway? Damen had called him until eleven, before he presumably gave up. Had Lykaios pulled a move on him? Had they gone back to Damen’s room, fucked on his bed? Had Damen thought of how he’d fucked Laurent on that same bed just last week? Or had he been so consumed by Lykaios and her pleasantness that Damen hadn’t even thought of Laurent?

 Laurent had had the worst night of sleep.

 And then a few nights ago, Nikandros had posted an image of the football team hanging around at his dorm room. (Laurent vaguely remembers being invited to that). In the photo, Laurent’s eyes had immediately been drawn to Damen in the corner, his head bent down as he said something to Lykaios, who had been smiling widely. It had looked very intimate. Laurent had turned his phone off when he saw it.

 Alone in his room, Laurent lies on his bed, heart constricting. He should be happy for Damen. It’s frustrating him that he isn’t. And worst of all, he doesn’t know why.

 He thinks it might be because he’s gotten so used to having Damen around all the time. If Damen starts seeing someone, then he’d obviously start spending less time with Laurent.

 Laurent doesn’t want Damen to spend less time with him. If anything, they should be spending more time together. He only sees Damen about four times a week! That’s too little. Laurent should talk to Damen about that. He should tell him, Damen, even though you have a girlfriend now, I still want you to spend all your time with me, and I still want you to take me to fancy restaurants and then fuck me hard when we get home.

 Horrified, Laurent rolls over and screams into his pillow.

  *

 A few hours later, while Laurent is trying to clean out his desk drawers, there’s a knock on the door. It’s a rapid set of knocks, loud and urgent.

 Laurent frowns. He opens the door and his heart jumps when he sees Damen there, wearing a shirt Laurent had gifted him in the summer. Damen’s face is annoyed; it’s not an expression Laurent has seen often on Damen - and even rarely directed towards him. 

 Damen pushes past Laurent into the room. He takes up most of the space in it. Laurent’s heart still hasn’t calmed down. 

 “Tell me,” says Damen.

 “What?”

 “Tell me what I did wrong. I don’t like this passive aggressive bullshit.”

 “What?” Laurent says again.

 Damen crosses his arms in front of his chest. “You haven’t returned a single one of my calls or texts. You don’t want to hang out with me anymore. And I waited all night for you to show up to Nikandros’ and you didn’t.” When Laurent doesn’t say anything, he presses on. “Well? What did I do to piss you off?”

 “I – nothing,” Laurent shakes his head, shocked. “I’m not mad at you.“

 "Please,” Damen scoffs. “You -”

 "I’m not,“ Laurent says. “I was just giving you some space.”

 ”Space. Why?“

 "Well…” Laurent finds himself hesitating. “So you and Lykaios can spend more time together.”

 “Why the fuck would I want to do that?”

 “Um. She didn’t tell you?”

 Damen’s eyes harden. His mouth presses into a tight line. “Can you please just give me a straight answer?”

 “I’m – I’ve been trying to set you and Lykaios up.” Damen’s mouth drops open. Laurent quickly adds, “I talked to her about it and she said she’s been thinking of dating you too! So you know…” He trails off weakly.

 There’s a sudden, pressing silence. It engulfs the small space of Laurent’s room.

 In a very quiet, measured voice, Damen says, “What makes you think I would want to date Lykaios?”

 “She really likes you Damen. And I think you two would be a good match. I mean – you’re so compatible.”

 “No.” Damen’s voice is hard. “I meant: why the fuck do you think I would want to date Lykaios when I’m already dating you?”

 Laurent’s eyes widen. His breath stutters in his chest. There’s a strange ringing in his ears. “We’re not dating.” His voice is too quiet; he can’t bring himself to repeat himself any louder.

 Damen’s eyes bulge. It would be a comical expression if the atmosphere in the room wasn’t so deadly.

 “Not. Dating.” Damen repeats between his teeth. “You – You really believe that?”

 Damen’s mouth loosens around the edges. He looks like he’s received the worst news of his life.

 “I –” Laurent fumbles with his words. The back of his neck prickles with discomfort. “We’re friends.”

 “Is that what we are?” Damen scoffs. “My mistake, then.”

 Laurent still feels wrongfooted. It’s almost like he’s not even experiencing this conversation, just watching himself have it.

 “I don’t understand,” says Laurent. “I was just trying to do something nice for you. I thought it’d be good for you if you had a girlfriend like Lykaios.”

 “For fuck’s sake, Laurent.” All of Damen’s anger melts away. His tone now is sullen.  “I’ve literally been obsessed with you for the last six months – are you seriously just realising this now?”

 “I’m –” Laurent swallows. “But you’ve never asked me out or called me your…boyfriend.” His tongue dries up around the world.

 “I asked you out to Route all those months ago!” Damen says.

 “No. You said: ‘do you want to go out with me to –’” Laurent cuts himself off. Now that he thinks about it, he’s sure that Damen did ask him out on a date. He’d also said, I don’t usually do this on a first date while they’d been in bed together, hadn’t he?

 The realisation stumps Laurent.

 “Oh,” he says.

 Damen sits down on the edge of the bed, groaning. He buries his head in his hands. “Oh my god, Laurent. How can someone so smart be so stupid?”

 Laurent supposes he should feel offended by that. He isn’t, though, because he genuinely feels stupid.

 “You still didn’t make anything official.” Laurent says after a while.

 Damen looks up. “Fuck you.” His eyebrows furrow. “What was stopping you from asking me?”

 “Why would I say anything?! I thought you were only interested in fucking me!”

 Damen groans again. He sounds like he’s dying. “If that were true, then why would I –” He gestures around the room. Laurent knows what he means. He thinks of all the…dates Damen has taken him on, all the gifts he’s been given, the fact that Damen doesn’t leave his side when they go to parties together.

 Laurent closes his eyes. This is too much. He’s shocked by the anger that overtakes him – anger at himself.

 “I’m sorry,” he says. “I can’t believe how stupid I’ve been.”

 Damen looks at him steadily. He gathers his thoughts. “Do you still think I should date Lykaios? Because you seem pretty invested in the idea and I –” Damen sighs. “I don’t want to – I don’t think I can be with you if you don’t feel the same as I do.”

 “How do you feel about me?” Laurent asks softly.

 Damen’s gaze is burning. Laurent is pinned beneath it. “Laurent, I love you.”

 Laurent gasps. It’s a soft sound, but in the stillness of the room it rattles against the walls. His throat closes.

 When a few silent moments pass, Damen sighs. He stands up, mouth drooping and fingers tense by his thighs. “Alright…That’s.” He stops. He gives Laurent a small nod. “I’ll just go then.”

 Laurent blocks his path with a shrill, “Wait!”

 Damen stops.

 Laurent’s fingers twitch. He wants to touch Damen. But he knows he should – “I don’t want you to date Lykaios. I don’t even know what the fuck I was thinking, alright? You just – you seemed so into her Damen, and I thought it would be nice if I did you a favour and set you up with her because you’re always doing nice things for me but then I got so sad and angry and confused every time you were together and then I felt guilty for feeling those things and I just –”

 “Okay, slow down,” Damen’s hands grip his shoulders.

 Laurent shakes his head. His chest is bubbling with all these emotions he’s refused to acknowledge. “I don’t want you to date Lykaios,” he repeats. “I want you to date me.” He pauses. “Only me.”

 Damen snorts. “Easy. I’ve already been doing that.”

 “I’m sorry I didn’t know,” Laurent says. His throat is still tight with emotion.

 “We’ll work on communicating better,” Damen says. He peers down at Laurent until their eyes meet. “I only want you, Laurent.”

 Laurent collapses into Damen. He buries his head against Damen’s chest, weak in his relief. He even sniffles a little, something Damen thankfully ignores. “I only want you, too.”

 Damen’s body loosens; he exhales and squeezes Laurent in his embrace. He kisses Laurent’s temple. “That makes me so happy.”

 “Me too,” Laurent says.

 Guiltily, he thinks of Lykaios. He remembers her excitement at the thought of being with Damen. Laurent needs to make it up to her, somehow, if she’ll let him. Maybe he could buy her flowers? Laurent has never bought flowers for anyone in his life, but he thinks Lykaios might like roses – unless that’s too romantic? Or maybe he could –

 “Hey,” Damen says, interrupting his thought process.

 Laurent looks up at him. Damen’s smile is radiant; it’s all white teeth and creased eyes. “Yeah?”

 “Do me a favour.”

 “Anything.”

 Damen kisses him. Laurent smiles into it as his entire body fills with an unparalleled warmth. He’s not sure if he loves Damen back…but he’s confident he’s getting there.

 Damen pulls back. He assesses Laurent with a stern frown. “Don’t ever do anything nice for me.”

 Laurent huffs. He hides his face in Damen’s chest again. “Shut up.”

[behind-the-hood]

Here's How Overwhelmed I Am:

WIPs (In No Particular Order)

1. Superbat. Omegaverse and character death. Jason died while Clark was in space looking for Krypton, and he comes back to Bruce in major mourning. A Superman Returns and Death of the Family crossover.

2. Superbat. No warnings. Clark is taken in by the Luthors while he's still a baby, but not as part of the family. He's treated as a experimental pet, and locked in the secret basement of LexCorp. Batman saves him--by accident. The Batfamily works to help Clark adjust to human life. Inspired by Togainu no Chi's Kau.

3. Superbat. Major character death. Bruce dies during a battle and Clark falls into a deep depression after not being able to save him. This story is him working through the stages of grief.

4. Lamen. No warnings yet. Laurent is a vampire hiding a werewolf in the dungeon of his castle. Damen is that werewolf. The plot is still in progress.

5. Superbat. Omegaverse and dub-con. Omegas are top dogs and will keep alphas as their pets, since alphas are such a rarity. They are prized but are little more then breeders. Bruce is heavily against this, but he couldn't help falling in love with his silent alpha. The alpha runs the first chance he gets, after years of being in Bruce's care. Bruce let's him go. He meets Superman years later, and is still hung up on his alpha. But Superman is persistent, and there's something just so familiar about him.

6. Bruce x Lex/Superbat. No warnings yet. Bruce and Lex are the power couple of the East Coast. But Superman keeps getting in the way, and Lex keeps endangering civilians to kill the alien, and Bruce has to make a choice of one man, or neither. The plot is still in progress.

7. Superbat. No warnings. The Batman of Gotham has to be a myth. No one outside of Gotham has seen him before, he's completely silent to the rest of the hero community, and even half the Gotham police force claims he isn't real! But the other half does, and that's enough to convince the Justice League to look into it.

8. Bruce x Talia/Superbat. Dark themes and emotional child abuse. Bruce makes his first kill just after he turns sixteen, but he's avenged his parents and pleased his master. With Talia as his bride and their first child on the way, he feels like he could rule the world. Talia has worries however, as their lives carry them back to Gotham and Bruce goes heavily undercover for Ra's. The brainwashing isn't taking like it used to, and Bruce is slipping more from her fingers everytime he comes back from a meeting with the Justice League. The plot is still in progress.

9. Superbat. Implied emotional abuse. Batman is captured by Luthor and, instead of killing him as planned, Batman's reverted to a teenager. The problem with this, other than the obvious, is that all of his memories have gone as well. Bruce thinks he is still being trained by the League of Assassins, and is horrified to discover how old Alfred has gotten, and that he has children, and has an alien boyfriend.

10. Superbat. Omegaverse, threatened non-con, and some dark themes. Clark is the last alpha on earth, and Bruce is one of the few omegas left. And once captured by the government, they are expected to mate and produce more alpha and omega children, like it's that easy. Being locked in a room together forces their hands; they must either comply, or work together to escape.

11. Laurent x Torveld/Lamen. Omegaverse. Damen and Laurent have pined after one another for many years, but Damen didn't make his intentions known soon enough, for the next time he sees Laurent, he learns of his betrothal to Torveld, an alpha prince from Patras. With broken hearts and much longing, will Laurent and Damen accept what fate has wrought?

12. Lamen. Implied underage themes and slavery. Auguste and Damen meet on the battlefield, and Auguste lowers his sword, begging for Damen to hide him away. He warns that his uncle is attempting to have him and his family killed so he can take the throne for himself. Damen doesn't want to believe it, just another Veretian lie, but then the horns blow. A signal that a royal has fallen, and Damen knows it to be true. That is how Damen finds himself with the Veretian crown prince hiding undercover as his slave, just long enough for Auguste to come up with a plan to save his brother and his throne. The plot is still in progress.

13. Lamen. Emotional child abuse. Damen and Auguste meet at Auguste's coming of age, and then again at Damen's. They've grown close over the years, but Damen hasn't yet met the younger prince. Auguste tells Damen of how shy Laurent used to be, even with the crush he'd developed for Damen. Damen is curious and comes to visit Arles to meet the young prince, only to find that at every turn, Laurent is under his uncle's wing, constantly in one lesson or another. The plot is still in progress.

14. Lamen. Underage themes and dark themes. Auguste and Damen were cops, partners actually, until Auguste got shot and killed during a drug bust. Damen was supposed to watch his back and keep him safe, and now Auguste's little brother has no one but his uncle left. After losing his brother, Laurent is trapped with his uncle, a sex trafficker and pimp. A pedo too. And Laurent can't meet Damen's eyes anymore, especially once the physical abuse starts, after Laurent's grown too old for his uncle's pleasure. So he avoids Damen, and it's all too easy for Laurent to slip back into the trade. He knows sex, and he's good at it; and with enough money, he can run away from his uncle and this town and this life, and start over fresh. Even if he can't see Damen anymore. The plot is still in progress.

15. Lamen. The Papa Makedon series.

16. Original story. No major details yet. The plot is still in progress.

17. Lamen. Omegaverse and implied underage themes. To prevent war and keep his yet unborn sibling safe from his disgusting uncle's clutches, Auguste proposes that Damen, should he present as alpha, marry the unborn child, on the condition it be either a girl or an omega, so Damianos--clearly an alpha to be--can produce heirs. It is accepted on those term, and an unsteady peace is born, along with the child not minutes later. A boy. Over the years meetings are arranged so the betrothed couple can grow to know one another, but the problem becomes persistent and causes tension within the kingdoms; Laurent is well passed being of age, and has yet to present.

18. Lamen. Some underage themes and more to be added. Laurent is dragged away from the safety of his brother by his uncle and poisoned. The poison takes his sight from him. He's presented to the Akielons as a prize for winning Delpha back, a peace offering, a show of no hard feelings. Laurent knows if he is discovered, he'll be killed on sight, and he'll never be with Auguste again. So he keeps silent, and hopes the Akielons are not too harsh with him. The plot is still in progress.

19. Lamen. Canon theme warnings. Everything is essentially the same, except Laurent is a girl. This story will be exploring the taboos of Vere. The plot is still in progress.

20. Lamen. No warnings. Damen is the king of frat boys, and Laurent is his loving, nerdy boyfriend. The plot is still in progress.

21. Lamen. Pirates of the Caribbean AU. The plot is still in progress.

22. Lamen. Heartbreakers AU. The plot is still in progress.

Ideas Written Down But Not Yet Started/Elaborated On (In No Particular Order)

1. Superbat. Captive Prince AU.

2. Superbat. Injustice AU. Non-con and major character death.

3. Lamen. Soulmate AU.

4. Superbat. Batman Who Laughs AU.

5. Superbat. The trinity is a band.

6. Lamen. The Little Mermaid AU.

7. Lamen. Cinderella AU.

8. Lamen. Little Red Riding Hood AU.

9. Lamen. Alice in Wonderland AU.

10. Superbat. No capes AU. The batfamily are all part of the military. Character death.

11. Lamen. The Proposal AU. This has already been done by someone, so expect mine to be very different.

12. Pairing undecided. King Author AU.

13. Superbat. The justice league is a police department. I want this to be funny, but I'll probably put a bunch of angst in it instead.

14. Superbat. Identity Reveal AU. Every screen on earth starts revealing the identity of superheroes, both new and old. And suddenly, the world isn't a safe place for any of them.

15. Lamen. Loveless/Omegaverse AU.

16. Superbat. Bruce is abducted by aliens. The Justice League is looking for him and his family is covering his disappearance. The aliens remove one of Bruce's arms and injects poison into one of his legs, testing a human's limitations and weaknesses before they invade. Bruce still manages to fight them off and escape. The aliens are horrified and decide to leave earth alone. Bruce ends up needing to get the leg amputated. The rest of the story will be about him coping.

17. Pairing undecided. Omegaverse. Omegas are born human. Alphas are born as animal hybrids. Betas do not exist.

18. OFC x Elleon. Story is about why he faked his death and chose not to tell her.

19. Lamen. Medusa AU. Laurent is a priest of Athena, one of the very few, and is raped by Poseidon for his beauty. To keep him safe from any man who would dare harm one of her most loyal worshippers again, she curses Laurent to a horrid form, and any man who meets his eyes is cursed in return to be turned to stone. Enter: Damen.

20. Lamen. Princess Bride AU.

21. Lamen. Dragon Age AU. Probably just gonna be Porn Without Plot, maybe Porn with a little Plot. Damen will be a Qunari.

22. Lamen. Laurent is a stripper and Damen is head of the Akielon Mafia. I plan to have Laurent give Nik a lap dance on Damen's orders as part of the job application. So I hope that's something to look forward to.

23. Lamen. Princess and the Pauper AU.

24. Lamen. Break Up AU.

25. Lamen. Rewrite The Bet series to be better and longer.

26. Lamen. Damen works at a psychiatric facility and Laurent is a patient there. Laurent believes he's a prince and swears he can here his brother's voice in his head and that his uncle, who used to visit him monthly, is plotting to take his kingdom. Mentions of underage non-con and some sort of questionable work ethics on Damen's part.

[caravanslost]

34 and 47 :)

Damen/Laurent, Not A Date, Vacation Fic

Setting:

This fic would involve a story within a story. 

It would begin at Damen and Laurent’s wedding, in a modern AU. 

It’s an autumn wedding, in the early evening, under a peach sky.

Imagine, if you will, a big-ass wedding marquee. Rather than fairy-lights, the roof of the marquee is festooned with lush, leafy branches that hang high over the guests. Everyone is seated at three long tables that run down the length of the marquee. Down the middle of each table is a burlap runner, with alternating arrangements of mismatched flowers and candelabras.

I haven’t thought about this at all, in any kind of detail, as you can tell.

Nikandros and Auguste are designated Best Men, and engage in lengthy custodial negotiations about who gets to do what. In the end, they agree that Nikandros will organize the bachelor party, and Auguste will give the wedding toast.

The fic wouldn’t be about the story of the wedding. The fic is Auguste’s speech.

Scene

The speeches take place after dinner but before dessert. Auguste stands up, and although he clinks his knife against his champagne flute, our Sun King has most of the room’s attention before he’s completely upright.

Laurent and Damen are just over the right side of tipsy. Damen has his arms around the back of Laurent’s chair. Both their cheeks are rosy, and they’re smiling as they have been for most of that day.

But Auguste? Well, he’s smiling too.

Except like the devil. 

He begins with typical schtick - introduces himself; thanks the guests for coming out; promises to keep it very brief; teases at a whole host of inappropriate stories that he knows, but that he’s left out of the speech on pain of death from Laurent.

And then he says something of the effect of, “But, since we’re here … I do have a confession to make.”

Everyone sits up a little more attentively, at that. Damen and Laurent exchange confused glances, look back to Auguste, and divine nothing from his cheshire smile.

And then, Auguste begins telling the story of how Damen and Laurent got together.

Two years previously, Auguste and Laurent planned a weekend getaway in the middle of March - they were both busy men, and quality brotherly time was sorely lacking. A hotel was booked, activities were planned, and schedules were cleared.

Only — one of Auguste’s colleagues falls terribly ill at just the last moment, rendering him unable to attend a Very Important Conference —

— which leads the Faculty to rope in Auguste, to attend in his place —

—- which means that Auguste can no longer attend the meticulously planned weekend getaway. 

[At this point during the speech, Auguste pauses, takes a sip of his champagne, and turns to the happy newlyweds. He asks them if they see where he’s going with this, and they shake their heads. So he continues.]

Anyway, Auguste and Laurent have already spent all this money on the trip —

—  and it would be such a shame to cancel the whole thing altogether; and Damen (who’s Auguste’s flatmate at that point in time) just happens to have that entire weekend free; and Laurent gets along so well with him — so, really, Auguste feels that sending Damen in his place is just sensible.

Auguste then begins to recount the milestones of that trip that led to the couple getting together by the end of that weekend. [He wasn’t there for any of them, of course, but they’ve been recounted to him enough times that he feels like he was].

Like how they get to the Airbnb to dump their bags and find, instead of two separate double beds, one single Queen bed. 

And how at the degustation dinner that night, for some reason, they’re led to private dining room with roses on the table, lit exclusively by candles. I haven’t decided whether I want someone to come in and serenade them with a violin. 

Which forces them to swear up and down to the waiter constantly, between each of the nine courses, that this isn’t a date, we swear to god.

And he just looks at them like, “Sure, Jan.”

And how the four-hour hike the following morning leads them to this secluded little waterfall, with its own little lagoon, where Laurent refuses to swim because he’s quietly shy about Damen seeing him in his swimwear, which Damen deals with by wrestling him into the water.

Etcetera, etcetera, ad infinitum.

At this point in the speech, Auguste takes an intentional pause, timed for perfect dramatic effect.

[And then, he says something a little like this - which I would edit far more heavily in an actual fic, of course.]

“My confession is this: there was no ill colleague. There was never any conference. In fact, I had never planned to go on the trip at all. I had booked it all with the ulterior motive of sending Damen in my place. Why, you might ask? Well, dear guests, when your brother and your flatmate spend the better part of a year making moon eyes at each other over your head, you learn very quickly that you have a breaking point.” 

[By this point, I like to think that the rest of the crowd is howling with laughter. Meanwhile, Damen and Laurent are staring at Auguste like he’s slapped them sideways to Tuesday.]

“Now —,” he continues, relishing his audience’s responses, “a less patient man than me might have let them reach the inevitable conclusion in their own time. Unfortunately, I’m not a patient man. So I booked the accommodation with very specific directions about the sleeping arrangements. And I booked the dinners with very specific directions about the ambience. And I booked the excursions to isolate you both from the rest of the world, in the hopes that one of you might finally, finally say something.” 

“And if we hadn’t?” Damen pipes up.

“Oh, believe me —” says Auguste. “I planned for that too. There would have been an intervention the moment you returned home. It would have embarrassed all three of us. But luckily, you came to your senses.” He finishes, beaming slyly at both of them. He raises his flute in their direction, and the entire marquee follows his lead. 

“Tonight, on this, the happiest of occasions, we raise a toast to Damen and Laurent. To your union, to your joy, to your future.”

Laurent, heart fit to burst by this point, raises his own flute to his brother. “And one to you, you asshole cupid, for getting us here.”

[Prompt List!]

[glorious-sea-pancakes]

To people wondering why Captive Prince is beloved

Alright so I know a lot of people think that captive prince, the book series, is problematic. The whole thing is hotly debated. 

As someone who loves the series fiercely and doesn’t think that it is problematic, I wanted to put in my two cents to the debate... because a lot of people who explain why it is a good series often fall short and don’t really explain adequately in my opinion. If I were someone on the fence that read a lot of the explanations I've seen, I wouldn’t be particularly convinced or happy. So I’ll do my best to articulate what I mean.

EDIT: wow this is long. Sorry? 

EDIT EDIT: And in retrospect the only thing I see with Captive Prince that actually does bother me is the lack of female characters. This is very much a male dominated story. But you know what? That’s a pretty small gripe because I’m cool with a boy-focused story. Plus it has an awesome gay power couple as the main characters.

HOKAY so first: A lot of people try too hard to avoid any kind of spoilers that they keep it TOO vague. So, without spoilers, I’m gonna be a little clearer 

Thing One: The premise.

Damen is a warrior hero to his people, and the rightful heir to the throne of Akielos. But when his half brother seizes power, Damen is captured, stripped of his identity, and sent to serve the prince of an enemy nation as a pleasure slave. Beautiful, manipulative, and deadly, his new master, Prince Laurent, epitomizes the worst of the court at Vere. But in the lethal political web of the Veretian court, nothing is as it seems, and when Damen finds himself caught up in a play for the throne, he must work together with Laurent to survive and save his country. For Damen, there is just one rule: never, ever reveal his true identity. Because the one man Damen needs is the one man who has more reason to hate him than anyone else…

With this alone, I can see why people get the wrong idea. At a glance you think it’ll be a Stockholm syndrome kinkfest with tons of rape and Fifty Shades of Grey consent issues--hence it being problematic.

However, I am telling you right here and now, the two main characters hate each other’s guts. Laurent would sooner break his own fingers than touch Damen. The two main characters have sex and a romance eventually, but it isn’t until they develop real respect wwwayy later. Ridiculously later. By the time those two hold hands you’ve been screaming for entire books kiss already!

Sooo, the first thing that I assumed when I picked Captive Prince was that there would be immediate hate sex, but I am halfway book 2 and the sex is nowhere to be seen and instead I am so caught up in the political intrigue that I don’t even care-- cosetteferaud

They are physically attracted from the beginning, true, but they hate so strongly that they couldn’t be bothered to take much interest in pretty faces.

Damen frowned. Laurent was a nest of scorpions in the body of one person. Torveld looked at him and saw a buttercup.

So, no, this isn’t a stokholm kinkfest.

Things in this summary you should focus on: Not just the pleasure slave thing.

The real focus is on the political intrigue and twisty politicking with EXTREMELY slowburn romance on the side.

The first book is widely known as the darkest of the three. In places it is hard to read but you DO have to read it to fully appreciate the second and third books. You must know what is at stake, get plot threads going, really see what they’re working so hard for. Gotta meet the villain and understand why they’re so bad. You need that dark first book understand why they end up loving so deeply. You need to see them at their worst. And on that note, their worst…

Thing Two: Their hatred.

I mean it when I say they have anger and hate. The chasm yawning between them is an ugly one.

So Laurent haaaAAATES Damen. He treats Damen like garbage. And Damen hates him because of it. Laurent is actively TRYING to be a dick. He’s aware that he’s doing things that are mean. Laurent is trying to put down someone he genuinely sees as an enemy. So, yeah, Laurent does Problematic things. However that’s… to be expected? When you hate someone’s guts? If your goal is to make sure someone hates you there are some pretty clear ways to achieve that. He doesn’t want to like Damen. If you wince and think that, ouch, that was cruel and charged with a lot of ugly implications: know that Laurent is fully aware and is eyes open trying to create distance between them by using those things deliberately. You won’t completely know the why until later in the series. 

A thing to remember: you don’t yet know his motivations.

To me, the most important thing is not what the characters say or do but how the author frames those things.

When Laurent does something conniving or insults people: the reader, Damen, and the author all understand he’s being a dick. The author isn’t glorifying Laurent’s behavior. That means everything. She NEVER excuses them for what they do. You’re meant to look on the bad things that happen and agree that oh, no, that was a bad thing.

Characters should be able to do bad things otherwise what is the point of the story? Not every book can be conflict free coffee shop aus. If you only want to read problem free stories like that, this is NOT the series for you.

More than that, there’s value in discussing the dark things like the ones that this book discusses. There’s value in seeing people hate and attempt to destroy each other. I’m serious!

When Laurent says something nasty you’re meant to be like OOF LAURENT OW not ‘Oh the author believes this and wants people to be like this.’ Because that would be dumb? People should be able to talk about real life issues and problematic stuff without being equated as sermons. Because if you believe that even depicting the Bad Thing is gonna spread it, then you’re silencing education about the Bad Thing that could allow people to avoid and learn from it. Censorship does not encourage equality, it encourages ignorance. Censorship and purist ideology just denies that people, good people, can do bad things. It also denies the knowledge that Badguys are human.

One of the reasons I love storytelling so much is because it is the number one way to think about and discuss difficult topics that happen in the real world all the time. I’m sorry, you can’t escape reality. It is out there. Constantly. We need to think about and see these bad things and create a conversation about them to understand them. On a cultural level, storytelling is how we learn and frame opinions. We started out telling myths through oral tradition around campfires to explain and teach—what makes novels any different? Novels are one of many modern-day oral tradition adaptions. You must appreciate that for what it is.

Captive Prince is no exception.

Thing Three: The Virtues (AKA why you should read it)

-Srslyarts

This is a mature book. It discusses sex and has graphic smut. It discusses rape. It discusses pedophilia. People die. The author condones NONE of these things. But, more than anything, she also managed to capture delicious, thorny, complex, hard to explain pain of emotional conflict. Which is so hard to write. And that emotional pain and complexity is so interesting and beautiful.

This is a book about hurting others the way you’ve been hurt. It’s about abuse, recovery, redemption, forgiveness. Its about privilege, growing up too quickly, entitlement, sexual objectification, slavery, having no choice, responsibility, putting your past in perspective, realizing the people you hate are human, realizing you were wrong, realizing people aren’t who you thought they were, that you’ve made mistakes, realizing you don’t like the person you used to be, learning how much you’re willing to give up. It talks about abuse survivors who don’t get sad but become angry instead. It’s about the long-term effects, the vulnerabilities, of abuse. It’s about good people doing bad things. It’s about falling in love with someone who has done the unforgivable and being terrified of it. This novel does not take the easy way out on anything.

The emotional complexity in this book is gorgeous. I’ve heard so many people say they were moved deeply by Laurent because they saw themselves in him.

More than that, this book is intelligently written. All the political intrigue, the focus of the story, is SO SMART. Seriously. I predicted so little. Normally when I crack open a book I can generally see where a story is going and what is implied way before the reveal. But these characters are wickedly smart and four steps ahead of you as a reader. And you get to see their thought process!! I’ve noticed a lot of authors will tiptoe around the How of characters outsmarting people because they can’t figure it out themselves. Myself included. Not this story. You see every step of Laurent’s spider web being woven and the hand Damen has in it. Pacat is incredibly intelligent and it shows through her characters.

Laurent is quick as a whip and sees through everything—I never would have noticed half of the things he sees. Nor would I be able to prepare and respond so well. It is so cool seeing him explain what is happening politically.  

Its even better because you’re reading from the perspective of Damen. Damen is a prince and a strategist. Damen is a master military man. However social subtleties aren’t his forte and a lot goes right over his head but not yours. Damen is notoriously honorable and oblivious. He thinks he knows what is going on but you will stop and squint. Even still, in the end both you and him are shocked silly by what actually happens. Moreover, Damen is a wonderful person and it is really cool being in his head. He’s every bit the noble prince who is quiet, thoughtful, serious, and honorable to a fault. He’s also a brat and inwardly very snarky despite being so good natured. 

The writing style is delicate and eloquent. She remains consistent with lingo fitting for the time. And, honestly, the humor is super dry and I flipping love it.

Lastly. It is a truly good love story. For how ugly their relationship started Lamen ends up becoming one of the healthiest most loving and sweet I’ve read.

PS: We don’t deserve Charls the Veretian Cloth Merchant or Damen’s left cheek dimple.

-typohime

And, finally, a word from the author:

[stolligaseptember]

Tagged by the wonderful @kakoland!!

Tell us your favorite character from 10 different fandoms & then tag ten people

Elizabeth Bennet (Pride and Prejudice)

My fave of faves. Like, how can you not love Elizabeth? She fought for as much of her independecy as she could considering her situation, and she did it with her head held high and with her integrity intact. We should all strive to be Elizabeths.

Dinah Lance (Black Canary) (DC Comics)

I was introduced to DC through the Batmfam, as I think most of us have been. But it’s actually the Arrow!fam that has always held a very special place in my heart. I’ve always been a sucker for the Robin Hood mythos. And Dinah’s just been my favorite for as long as I can remember. I don’t even remember what initially drew me to her, I just know that she’s always been a favorite. And like, a superheroine kicking ass in a leather jacket and combat boots? Yes please, sign me up.

Laurent of Vere (Captive Prince)

My cast iron bitch son. Oh god. Laurent is a heart of gold turned into a tormentor just in order to survive. And he claws with tooth and nail for his freedom, and I’m crying. He just deserves the world. And luckily Damen will do whatever in his power to give it to him.

Mary Crawley (Downton Abbey)

Another iron cast bitch with a heart of gold. I have a weak spot for them. And Mary’s just so strong. Yes, she’s jagged and broken, and really much too beyond repair, but that doesn’t stop her from trying. Hell will freeze over before Mary Crawley gives up. And she’s stubborn and proud, and so wonderfully unapologetic for it. She’s not here to take your shit and she will damn well remind you of it.

Milady de Winter (The Musketeers)

I’m forever crying over Milady. Such a wonderful and complex character that was not given the justice and treatment that she deserved. She’s a true gray zone character, who’s constantly balancing on the border of good and bad, who strives to be good, but who’s always pushed back into the bad. And gosh darn you, she deserved so much better.

Frederick Chilton (Hannibal)

A snarky asshole who can’t keep his mouth shut. My love.

Little My (Moomin)

My parents used to call me a Little My when I was smaller. Impish, brash and in the possession of a horrible temper. And My’s just followed me ever since. She’s an inspiration. Never letting anything stand in her way, and always staying true to herself. Something I was once upon a time, and which I’m trying to find my way back to again. But maybe not to such a tiresome extent.

Jack Zimmermann (Check Please!)

I’m always drawn to characters that show even the smallest of signs of having an anxiety disorder, but then Check Please! came out of nowhere and gave me a canon confirmation within the first 6 episodes and I’m?? In love??? And it’s just so refreshing to see a character make the journey that Jack makes, showing that you can find happiness and love and some sense of security while still struggling. And he’s just a sweetheart. This boy just wants to be happy, play hockey and wrestle with his friends, so let him.

Sasha Braus (Attack on Titan)

I will defend Sasha Braus with my life. I trust Isayama hasn’t killed her off yet? Good for him. Because, just... The silly goofball that eventually turns into one of the bravest and strongest of them all? All while still doing their darndest at keeping their sense of joviality and hope? Yes please. Don’t you dare touch her Isayama or there will be blood. For real

Obi-Wan Kenobi (Star Wars)

Sass master of my heart. The story of Obi-Wan is a tragedy, but gosh darn, is it a beautiful one. Irredeemably broken characters who still refuses to let the darkness in their lives corrupt their goodness is my JAM. And I just love how he encompasses all that is light and good, but shows that you’re still allowed to have your flaws and weaknesses. And just. Urgh. Such a good character.

I tag: @fishee, @ftchocoholic, @radioactivebroccoli, @likesapphirestars, @somebodyhelpthenotdeadfreds, @bravadork, @reservoirite, @teamstopfightingassholes, @jammerzze and @useduppaper!!