#trr driam

[deb-1106]

Forever

Chapter 1

Rating: NSFW  (This Series contains mature themes, depictions of sexual acts including m/m, m/f, and m/m/f, and coarse language)

Pairing: Drake x Liam

Author’s Note: This series is set in an AU where Liam and Drake are in love with one another and there was never a conspiracy against Riley.  This has enough drama without all that Canon nonsense.  :)

Word Count:  2730

Liam heard the distinctive sound of Riley's musical laughter coming from somewhere in the great hall.  He stopped to listen, a smile playing across his lips.  She was such a breath of fresh air in the palace.  Her energy and joie de vivre was so infectious, it seemed as though no one was immune to her charms.  In fact, just yesterday he’d caught Bastien humming one of the pop tunes she loved so much.

Eager to see what was so delighting her, he followed the sound, stopping when he reached the library.  

He pushed the door open and peered inside, the smile fading quickly from his face as he took in the scene before him.

Drake sat in a wing-back chair by the fire, with Riley draped across his shoulder.  They had their heads pressed together as they laughed quietly.  They were so engrossed in one another that they hadn’t even noticed him.  

Liam cleared his throat loudly.  “Don’t you two look cozy.”

Startled, they looked up to find Liam leaning against the door frame gazing at them with a frown on his handsome face.  Riley stood and backed away, quickly putting distance between she and Drake.

“Liam.”  She said with a nervous smile, “You startled me.”

“So I see.”  He spoke to Riley, but his eyes never left Drake.

“We were just watching funny dog videos on my phone.  There’s one of this Corgi that can play piano.  I’ll play if for you…”

“Maybe another time, Lady Riley.” He interrupted, giving her a tight smile, “Right now I need a word with Drake.”  He returned his steely gaze to his friend, “Drake...if you wouldn’t mind.”

Without giving him a chance to respond, Liam turned on his heel and strode from the room.

Drake heaved a heavy sigh and pushed himself out of the chair.

“Well that sounded suspiciously like a royal command.”

“I’m so sorry, Drake.” Riley looked close to tears, “I don’t know what I was thinking.  I shouldn’t have been sitting so close to you.  It was... inappropriate.  I can only imagine what he’s thinking right now.”    

“Relax, Matheson.” He said giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze “I’ll handle it.  Don’t give it a second thought, okay.”

Riley bit her bottom lip anxiously and nodded.  

By the time Drake made it to the hallway, Liam was several feet ahead of him. Drake broke into a jog to catch up before falling into step beside the King.

“Liam…”

Liam held up his hand, silencing him instantly.   Drake snapped his mouth shut, sulking moodily as he followed Liam to his private chambers.

Liam swung the door open and motioned Drake in, slamming it behind them so hard that several pictures on the wall shook.

“SIT.” He commanded

Drake took a seat on the couch in the sitting area, leaning back and propping one ankle on the opposite knee.  

“So.” He drawled, raising a sardonic eyebrow, “Who pissed in your cheerios this morning?”

Liam shot Drake a quelling look as he crossed to the bar at the far end of the room.  He dropped some ice cubes into a tumbler and splashed a liberal amount of whiskey into the glass before returning to stand in front of Drake.

“I don’t suppose that’s for me.”

Their eyes locked and Liam raised the glass to his mouth, taking a long sip.

“Guess not.” Drake muttered.

“Would you like to explain to me what I walked in on just now?”  Liam’s tone was calm, but Drake could see the tell-tale tightening of his jaw.  He was pissed

He shrugged his shoulders meeting Liam’s icy stare with one of his own. “Just a couple friends watching dog videos, that’s all.”

“Is that so?”  Liam’s eyes narrowed slightly as he perched on the edge of his desk. “It was all just innocent fun?  Just friends...sitting by a romantic fire...hanging all over each other... watching YouTube videos?”

Drake cocked his head to the side and grinned at Liam.  “Are you seriously jealous right now?”

Liam gave a harsh laugh, “Of course not.”

“Good.  Because you realize how stupid that would be, right?”  Drake held his hand out and Liam passed the tumbler to him without thinking.

Drake took a sip of whiskey, studying Liam’s intently.  He seemed calmer now, his shoulders relaxed as he leaned back against his desk.

“If you’ll recall, you’re the one who told me to stick close to her.  To get her to trust me.”

“Apparently it’s working.” Liam said wryly

Drake’s face broke into wide grin, “You are jealous!”

The corner of Liam’s mouth twitched as he gave in to an embarrassed smile.  “Maybe just a little.”  

He pushed away from his desk and bent down to cup Drake's face in his hands, enjoying the familiar scrape of his beard against his palms.

“Maybe I don’t like the thought of sharing you with her.” Liam said softly as he guided Drakes lips to his.  He let out an audible sigh when he felt Drakes hand cup the back of his head, his fingers tangling in his hair as their tongues collided.  After a minute Drake pulled his head back and gazed into Liam’s eyes before falling back against the couch with a sigh.  

“You know, if anyone has a reason to be jealous these days, it’s me.”  He took another deep swallow of the amber liquid and handed the glass back to Liam. “This whole suitor situation is complete bullshit.”

“Drake...” Liam said gently. “We’ve discussed this.”

“Yeah Li...we’ve fucking talked it to death,” he said sharply. “That doesn’t make it suck any less.”

Liam hung his head.

“Do you have any idea how hard it is to watch those girls fawn over you.” Drake continued, his voice flat, “To watch you flirt with them, kiss them…”  He tilted his head back and sighed at the ceiling, “to listen to you fuck them.”

Liam winced and Drake couldn’t help a little smirk.  “You really should be more discreet.  You know what they’re calling you, right?”

Liam furrowed his brow and shook his head.  

“The Kinky King. Because of your penchant for fucking loudly in places where you know you’ll be caught.”

Liam had the grace to blush.  “You know why I do that.”

“Yeah, yeah.  I know.  To throw everyone off the trail.  To make sure that the courtly gossip focuses on your sexual encounters with the beautiful women of the court rather than your commoner best friend.”  Drake raked his fingers through his hair, his frustration apparent, “I get it.  But like I said, doesn’t make it suck any less.”

Liam leaned over and smoothed Drakes hair back into place, tugging on it a little until Drake looked up at him, his dark eyes clouded with sadness,  “I know this is hard on you, my love.” He said softly, his fingers stroking the back of his neck, “It’s hard for me too.”

“Then put an end to it!” Drake shouted, pulling away, “Marry Liv.  She knows about us and she’s fine with it.  It might even be fun.  I’ve fucked her, you’ve fucked her.  One big happy family, right?”

Liam was already shaking his head, “The people will never support a Nevrakis on the throne, you know this.  Cordonia is already far too unstable.  I need a Queen that will unify the country not plunge it into civil unrest.”

Drake slumped back against the couch in defeat.  Continuing this argument was pointless and he knew he’d never win anyway.  Liam was going to do the right thing, because that’s what Liam did.  He’d sacrifice his own personal happiness for the good of Cordonia.

They sat side by side on the couch, shoulders touching, knees bumping together as they passed the tumbler of whiskey back and forth.

“Damn Leo.” Liam mumbled, “This is all his fault.   If he hadn’t abdicated…”

“Jesus Liam...” Drake groaned, “Not this again.”

“But it’s true!  If Leo had stayed and claimed his birthright…”

“What would’ve changed?”  Drake said wearily, “A big fat nothing, that’s what.”

“That’s not true.  I wouldn’t be forced to marry...to produce heirs.  Everything would be different.”

Drake laughed. “Yeah?  You think we’d be able to be together, out in the open? The Prince and his gay, commoner lover?”  He shook his head, “It would never happen.  Not even if Leo was King.   You have to know that, Li.  What we have now is the best we can ever hope for.”

“It’s not fair.” Liam said softly.

“Nope, it isn’t. But when has life ever been fair?”

Liam stood and crossed to the bar to refill their glass.  On his way back, a picture on his desk caught his eye.  He picked it up and studied it for a minute before turning it around to show Drake.   “Do you remember this day?”

Drake didn’t even have to look to know what Liam was talking about.  It was a picture that Leo had taken of them the day they set sail on an epic adventure at sea.  The day Liam nearly drown.  They were standing side by side arms slung around each others shoulders, grinning like fools.

“Like it was yesterday.”

“You saved my life that day.”

Drake laughed.  “If I hadn’t dragged you out there when a storm was brewing, your life wouldn’t have needed saving.”

Liam smiled and placed the picture back where he found it before joining Drake on the couch again.

Liam gazed at Drake, studying the face he’d loved for more than half of his life.  He saw the little flecks of gold in his eyes that caught the light.   He knew how dark those eyes could turn when he was angry or troubled...or turned on. He ran his thumb over the small creases by his eyes that grew deeper when he smiled.  He hadn’t changed much over the years.  He was still every bit as handsome as he was when they were boys, maybe even more so now.

“Even then I knew I was in love with you.  But you had no idea.”

Drake laughed again. “Don’t kid yourself.  Subtlety has never been your strong suit.  I knew.”

Liam smiled, his eyes sparkling. “You just let me suffer then.”

Drake shifted his body, throwing his arm across the back of the couch as he leaned toward Liam, pressing their mouths together.  “I wasn’t sure how I felt about it yet.” He murmured against Liam’s lips.

The kiss was long and languid, with an underlying heat that could quickly ignite into a wildfire at any moment.  Reluctantly,  Liam pulled away, resting his forehead against Drakes for a moment before sitting back, an indulgent smile on his face. “When did you know?”

Drake smirked at him.  “Do you remember our first kiss?”

“How could I forget?” He said, a wistful expression flitting across his face.  “The summer we turned seventeen.  We were in Lythikos visiting Liv.”

Drake nodded. “She stole a bottle of 100 year old Nevarkis wine and we brought it down to the lake. We all got completely wasted and she convinced us to play truth or dare.”

Liam laughed, “That’s right!  The first of many over the years.”

“She dared you to kiss me.”

Liam nodded. “I never was one to back down from a dare.”  He quirked a brow at Drake, “Remember what happened next?”

Drake nodded and bit his bottom lip, trying to keep from laughing.  “Yeah...I...uh…”

“You fucking punched me.  Split my lip open.  I had to tell Bastien I tripped and landed on a rock.”

Drake smiled sheepishly.  “Yeah.  How many times are you going to make me apologize for that? You kind of sprung it on me.  I wasn’t ready.  I was young, confused…”

“Sleeping with Olivia....” Liam supplied helpfully.

“Yeah, there was that.”  Drake rubbed the back of his neck in agitation.

“And the next day” Liam continued, his voice suddenly thick with emotion, “You were gone.”

“Li…” Drake said softly, his eyes clouded with pain, “C’mon.  Don’t.”

“You ran away, Drake”

“I didn’t run away. I went to college.”

“You took off in the middle of the night and enrolled in a college 3000 miles away.  I call that running away.”

“Ok, Fine.  So maybe I ran.” Drake said with an exasperated sigh, “But I did it because I was really fucking confused.  My best friend kissed me...and I liked it.  I didn’t know what to do with that. All I knew is that up to that point, I was pretty damn into pussy.  I didn’t know what the fuck to do with the feelings I had for you.  So yeah...I ran."

“Don’t run again, Drake.”

“I'm not going anywhere.”

Liam reached out to stroke Drake’s stubble covered cheek tenderly.  “Promise?  Because I can see that this is taking a toll on you. I see you retreating...more than usual.”

Drake wouldn’t meet his eyes.

Liam punched him in the shoulder.

“OW!”  Drake glared at him rubbing the spot where a bruise was rapidly forming, “What the fuck was that for?”

“Tell me you aren’t going to leave again.”

“Fine, fine... I won’t leave.” he mumbled with a petulant scowl.

Liam rolled his eyes. “Now say it like you mean it.” He commanded

Drake reached out to yank Liam in for another blistering kiss, his fingers sinking into his hair as their mouths fused together. He curled his tongue around Liam’s and sucked gently, sending a jolt of desire racing through Liam’s body.  Liam brought his hands up to Drakes chest, the fingers of one hand grabbing onto Drake’s shirt while the other slid inside to roam over his tightly muscled abs.  Electricity crackled between them, as it always did, even after all these years.

After a minute Drake pulled his head back and looked down into Liam’s face.  

“I’m not fucking leaving.  I knew when I let Leo bring me back that I’d never find the strength to leave you again.  You’re my weakness, Li.  I love you.”

Liam smiled. “I love you too Drake. Forever.  I don’t want you to worry.  We’ll find a way to make this  work, okay?  I really think she might be the answer we’re looking for.”

“Riley?”

Liam nodded.  “We have a real connection.  I care about her...and I think she feels the same.  But I sense that she’s conflicted.  I think she’s falling for you too.”

“And...” Drake worried his bottom lip between his teeth for a minute before raising his eyes to Liam’s, “You’re okay with that?”

Liam nodded.  “It might work to our advantage.  If she feels some sort of affection for you she might be more willing to...turn a blind eye to our relationship.  She’d make an excellent Queen.  The people love her.  She young and vibrant and outgoing.  Her views and ideal are modern without being radical.  I think she’d be good for Cordonia.”

“I agree.”

“So I need you to help me convince her.”  

Drake’s brows drew together in a deep frown, “What are you suggesting, Li? Do you want me to seduce Riley?”

Liam threw his head back and let out a hearty laugh, “No, of course not.  Nothing so nefarious as that. Just keep doing what you’re doing.  She’s already drawn to you, not that I can blame her.” He reached out to brush a lock of chestnut hair from Drakes eyes, “You’re fairly irresistible when you want to be.”

“Heh. Irresistible huh?  Everyone else tells me I’m cranky.”

“Oh, you definitely are.”  Liam agreed with an affectionate smile, “But it’s endearing.”

“Do you think she’ll still want to be queen when she finds out about us?”

Liam ran his hand over his face and shrugged.  Finding out your betrothed is in love with someone else was usually a deal breaker under the best of circumstances.  Finding out that lover was another man, well...Liam was pragmatic enough to know that Riley may not respond well to the news.

“I don’t know.  But it will have to be a condition that she agrees to before we’re married.   If I do choose her as my queen, she’s going to have to know everything.  Because I’m not giving you up.  Not for her...not for Cordonia...not for anything.”

“What if she doesn’t agree?”

Liam gave a deep, shuddering sigh. “Then I suppose I accept Madeline’s proposed arrangement.”

[dcbbw]

Taking the L

I am participating in #KingLiamAppreciationWeek (#KLAW), hosted by the ever-lovely @lizzybeth1986​ and @sazanes​. This is my offering for Day 1: Throwback/Character Appreciation. I will be providing at least one more story for the event; if I do it correctly, the fic will cover the additional themes/days.

So, this is basically me giving my opinion and head canons about Liam while linking throwback fics into the dialogue; while I have all the love and appreciation in the world for my first, true LI, it may be best to have some of my Rileys express what they treasure and cherish most about the Liam they are paired with. After all, they are the ones with the man day in and day out.

Thank you to all who will read this brain dump; I can only hope it makes sense and comes across in a coherent manner. Everything is below the cut.

PB birthed Liam Rys, but us content creators raise him.

Song Inspiration: Fanfiction on the Internet, Jake Timothy

Word Count: 1,207

Why Liam?

My reason is incredibly simple (and it isn’t because it’s The Royal Romance) … I have dated enough Drake Walkers and Maxwell Beaumonts in real life; no way am I doing it in an alternate universe and spending real dollars to do so.

I dealt with enough games and guards/walls and insecurities and mothering of men; I have done more than my share of putting forth efforts and ego-stroking and reminders and pushing and prodding. I have begged men to love me and proved (to no avail) that my love is worthy of acceptance.

Playing the game with Liam as my LI is my form of escape from reality … the refreshing openness, honesty, and emotional availability Liam Rys provides gives me hope, and will always be my why.

Which Liam?

My preferred Liam is Asian Liam (Asiam). When I first joined the fandom almost 5 years ago, Caucasian Liam (Whiam) was the King of choice for the majority of the fandom, and I remember being nommed for a Clown Award for fetishy writing because I wrote a tall, black MC with Asiam. (I received 7% of the vote)

Asiam is my default Liam, and not just because I see him (looks-wise) as a cross between Gong Yoo and Alex Landi; in my head canon, Asiam is patient (more than most), more sensuous than sexual, logical, an overthinker, and has a humility that is rare for someone born into and raised in an environment of the highest privilege.

He is the driving force behind Riam, Sock Game Liam in the DC AU, UnRomance, and the majority of my TRR-themed one-shots and limited series including The Platinum AU, Driam, and Laxwell.

My love for Asian Liam does not stop me from using the other versions of Liam.

I know I’m in the minority here with my thought process, but I see each version of Liam as a separate person with a distinct je ne sais quoi who just happens to share core characteristics and personality traits with the other two.

I think it would be especially true for Asiam (whom PB did not even classify as an ethnicity, and let's not get into the whitewashing of his mother, Eleanor), and Black Liam (Bliam). While all versions of Liam have a mother who is both a commoner and foreigner, two of them have a parent of color, which (again, to me) has to influence how they are perceived by the international audience they are constantly paraded in front of.

White Liam (Whiam) to me, is trusting, definitely carnal, and has a boldness ...a recklessness if you will; yet he is hesitant to fully embrace his role as King. This Liam takes the lead in stories such as The Commoner’s Wife, Streets of New York, One Night Stand, and he is the Liam of choice in the upcoming stories, Sins of the Father, Best Friend, and Body Count.

I have plans for Bliam; he is the star in a few upcoming fics: Looking, Heartland, Life in a Southern Town (the Election AU), and Eight Minutes. For me, Bliam exudes a confidence the other Liams do not, which is at odds with my head canon that this particular Liam is more guarded than Drake and more of a loner.

Currently all three Liams can be found in my Remix series (only two chapters in, but more is coming!) where Asiam is a complete thot. (He can be an anomaly at times)

Head Canons (strictly my envisionings, opinions, and thought processes that formulate my version of Cordonia’s favorite King)

·         His name is Liam, not William; his mama named him Liam and that’s good enough for me. And coming from a family where me and my siblings all have names that begin with an R, I like the Leo, Liam, Lena thing; bonus that the first syllable for each is pronounced “Lee”

·         He has BDE, and the BD to back it up

·         He is not submissive in the bedroom. Being King is a 24/7 job, and I do not see him just shedding that type of power the second nakedness enters the picture

·         I also do not see him as dominant in the bedroom; for his partner’s pleasure, he can be assertive (not to be confused with aggressive). The man is still kinky though

·         However, he has no problem with a transference of power between he and his partner between the sheets (within reason)

·         Liam grew up in an environment where unilateral decisions that affect the entire country are made in a millisecond; hence the Coronation night fiasco. If keeping you a secret from Cordonia means you’re safe … it’s worth the fallout

·         Madeleine was his only choice that night because another suitor’s acceptance would immediately become a political arrangement, with their families/houses effectively trapping Liam in a marriage neither party wants

·         It doesn’t happen often, but he and MC argue. Loudly

·         He’s a social smoker, especially when networking or brokering a deal/arrangement/alliance

·         If he’s pouring a scotch, he’s stressed

·         MC is his first true/real relationship

·         He is not perfect

·         He makes mistakes

·         Two of my Liams can cook; the rest are at the mercies of the kitchens and Riley

·         He doesn’t flaunt his wealth

·         He is deeply spiritual (believes in a higher power and prayer), but doesn’t begin attending church until he and MC have created a family

What is the one thing Riley appreciates most about (her) Liam?

Riam Riley: I’ll have to get back to you on that.

Riley B.: I would have to say his thoughtfulness. When he borrows my car, he returns it with a full tank of gas. When he comes to my place, he brings in my mail and packages. He’ll Venmo me money when it’s a couple of days before payday. He looks out for me.

Mermaids Riley: His vulnerability. It’s hard to open to someone you hated for absolutely no reason, then find out you’re going to marry them, and now you have to get to know said person and let them get to know you as well. The more we talk and spend time together, the more I learn and not just the surface stuff. That takes more than courage, and I admire it.

Platinum AU Riley/Raleigh: I haven’t seen him in 10 years, but I remember his intelligence. He was more than educated or smart; Liam had a hunger for knowledge, and constantly fed it. He was open-minded as well, so prone to listen to opposing perspectives and broadening his mindset.

Discontent Riley: What I appreciate most about Liam? His selflessness. We’ve had … we’re having our share of problems, but he is always there for me despite public opinion, and at great risk to his reign. I can only imagine the toll our losses and my drinking have taken on his health on all levels, but he only cares for mine. I don’t deserve him.

UnRomance Riley: I appreciate the way he takes care of me. It may not always be the way I would want or even like, but he knows what I need without me saying a word.

Riam Riley: Oh, dear Lord! It’s my turn again? Okay, okay … I got one. It’s his even-temperedness. He’s the calm to my storm, he listens to me go on and on and on, especially when I’m hormonal which is all the time. Liam is steady. He makes things make sense. Not saying he doesn’t get frustrated, fed up, and angry … he does. But he’s never volatile, and it never lasts long. He truly forgives and forgets.

And there you have it, dear reader … a few things I think makes my Liam(s) tick and sets him apart (if only slightly) from the others. Your mileage may vary.

Tagging: @jared2612 @ao719 @marietrinmimi @queenjilian @indiacater @kingliam2019 @bebepac @liamxs-world @mom2000aggie @liamrhysstalker2020 @neotericthemis @twinkleallnight @umccall71 @superharriet @busywoman @gabesmommie1130 @tessa-liam @beezm @gardeningourmet @lovingchoices14 @mainstreetreader @angelasscribbles @lady-calypso @emkay512 @princessleac1 @charlotteg234 @queenrileyrose @alj4890 @yourfavaquarius111 @motorcitymademadame @queenmiarys @kingliamappreciationweek @lizzybeth1986 @sazanes​

[kaitycole]

a series of meaningless fights

Summary: Liam and Drake can’t seem to have a simple conversation without ending up at each others throats. Is it a full moon or has the honeymoon phase just worn off?

Pairing: Liam Rys x Drake Walker

Word Count: 3053

Warnings: Small couple fights. Adult language. Minor accident. Fluff ending.

A/N: This is for @sirbeepsalot​ who requested the Beaches quote for my 1k event (late, I know, sorry) Also, the names of the restaurants are all famous ones from around Europe, just pretend they are all in Cordonia lol

Monday: First Fight

“Where do you want to go for dinner?” Liam asks, loosening his tie as he sits on the chair across from Drake.

It’s Monday which means it’s date night and the two are going out to eat, although Drake thinks it’s a waste of money since they have a world class chef employed in the palace, but Liam says it’s nice to get out every once in a while.

Drake glances up from the paper he’s been reading, shrugging at his husband’s question, “I’m not sure what I have a craving for.”

“We haven’t been to The Golden Peacock in a while, you like their Indian food.”

Drake shakes his head.

Liam clicks his tongue a few times, he didn’t get to finish his lunch so anything sounds good to him right about now, “there’s L’Ambroisie if you’re feeling some French cuisine.”

Drake, once again, shakes his head.

“Let’s go to Armeni, I’ve been thinking about their spicy feta cheese spread and grilled chicken souvlaki all day.” Liam can already smell the food, mouth starting to water as he waits to hear Drake agree.

“I don't want Mediterranean food today.” Drake looks up at Liam with a straight-lipped expression before going back to his paper.

“Then what do you feel like eating?”

“I don’t know, but I know I don’t want that.”

Liam runs his fingers through his hair, messing up the properly styled black hair, slightly tugging on the strands to calm himself down. Usually, he wouldn’t care that Drake was being picky, but he is hungry, swearing that he can feel his stomach starting to eat itself (dramatic much?) and just wants to set a place so he can change and leave.

“Let me guess, you’d like to just go to Donovan's.”

“Actually, that’s not a bad idea,” he puts the paper down, pushing himself off the couch, “you ready? Let’s go.”

Liam tries his hardest to keep his jaw from hitting the floor, the hungry pains slowly festering into anger, “you can’t have a proper meal at a bar, Drake.”

“We’ll sit at a table then; I’m not seeing the problem.” Drake shakes his head, he really didn’t understand the big deal, didn’t get what was so bad about having food at a less fancy place every now and then.

“That’s not the point, I wanted to go out and have a nice meal with my husband. Not one that’s been sloppily thrown together in under ten minutes.”

“Li, not every single meal has to be several tiny portions that make the dinner last three hours!”

Liam throws up his arm, annoyed, “then go eat by yourself.”

*                      * Wednesday: Second Fight

Liam lifts his arms over his head, leaning side to side to stretch his back, having spent the last several hours in bed, propped up against his pillows, truly embracing the meaning of a day off. It’s a rare occurrence for sure, but Liam’s completely embraced it, sleeping in a whole two hours, staying in his pajamas until noon, taking the day to pamper himself, the only thing he wanted was for Drake to stay home, but he couldn’t due to the waitlist this particular equine breeder has.

However, after lunch, Liam found himself restless, he had already reorganized his records, refolded Drake’s sock drawer and had finished two of the books he’d been trying to read for months now. That’s when he plopped himself in bed, squished himself into his pillows and started to look for something to watch on the multiple streaming services, half of which he only needed for one or two shows. After mindlessly clicking down on the remote an ungodly number of times, he settles on watching more of a series they’d been watching called Abdicated: The Leo Rys Scandal, an American docuseries on his brother’s abdication and Liam thinks it’s hilarious.

Most of the facts presented are nothing more than popular rumors that hold no merit, but he’s learned anything revolving royalty fares well in the states. Just a few months ago, he and Drake watched another American show, this was a simple 2-hour documentary called The Royal House of Rys. The synopsis seemed promising, stating that it would break down the history of the Rys legacy, when they became the house in power, when his great-grandfather Augustus saved Cordonia from a war with Drakovia and ended with briefly mentioning Leo’s abdication. The show paled in comparison, relying on outdated sources, coming off like a poorly put together 10th grade history project.

Liam’s in the kitchen, getting himself a snack and refilling his cup when he hears stomping, assuming Drake has not only gotten back from the stables, but is clearly irritated, taking a guess that his meeting with the equine breeder didn’t fare well. He grabs his bowl and cup, walking down the hallway and back towards their bedroom, confused as to why Drake is standing next to the bed, irritation written on his face.

“I can’t believe you!”

Liam looks around the room, he didn’t get any crumbs in the bed nor was he using any of Drake’s pillows, he’s lost, “heh?”

“We were watching that together!” He points at the TV, “and you’ve watched like 3 episodes without me!” Lately the two of them have been watching American shows on royal families the same way others watch reality shows, just as junk food entertainment, finding it to be a nice bonding activity for the two of them, especially since work keeps them both busier than usual lately.

“Calm down, I’ll just rewatch them with you.”

Drake shakes his head, pushing past Liam to get into the en-suite bathroom, “no because you’ll do that annoying thing where you stare at me right before something happens or is said, essentially spoiling it.”

“I do not do that! Take that back right now!” Liam sits the bowl and cup down on the nightstand, moving to block Drake from getting through the doorway of the bathroom.

“Is lying to a king not treason? I’d like to keep my head, thank you.”

“You’re just being mean.”

“Mean? Liam, I’ve been at work all day, while you what, binge trashy shows.”

“I’ve just been…” He stops himself, trying to calm down, not wanting to say anything that he can’t take back, “whatever, Drake. Don’t take out whatever you’re upset about from work on me.”

“Oh, please. You’re just trying to punish me because you’re still pissy about what happened a few days ago.”

Liam takes a deep breath, reminding himself that murder is still murder even if you’re a king. He really hadn’t been upset about Monday’s disagreement, but now that Drake mentioned it, he felt himself getting irked over it. “Why would I punish you for having poor taste? I’ve learned to accept that about you years ago.”

“Ah, I believe it was you that had a fling with, who was it, ah yes, Cedric Vescovi. Can you really afford to throw those stones in that glass house of yours?” Drake tilts his head to the side, if Liam wanted to play, well so could he.

“But wasn’t it you that got hung up on some random guy from a nightclub? Whining that he didn’t call after a brief one-night stand in Escherstein? His name was what,” Liam snaps his fingers as if that will spark his memory faster, “oh yeah, Alexei something or another.”

“At least my first time wasn’t with my personal private tutor!” Drake raises an eyebrow, a half smug, half triumphant smirk on his face as he watches Liam’s face start to burn red.

The Cordonian king walks over to the bed, yanking his pillow off the bed, quickly stating that the tutor was only two years older than him at the time. Anger’s boiling in Liam’s veins, storming out of their bedroom, loudly proclaiming that he couldn’t stand to his husband’s face any longer and he’d be staying in one of the many empty rooms.

*                      * Friday: Third Fight

A few questioning stares follow Drake as he storms from the kitchen to the guest room where Liam’s been sleeping for the last few nights, carrying a pot full of water, irritated that the kitchen didn’t have a large bucket he could use.

He opens the door, eyes locking on his target, a fire burning his eyes as he sees Liam peacefully sleeping before he turns the pot over, pouring the ice-cold water mostly on his husband’s face, moving slightly so some hits his chest.

Liam shoots up, gasping for air, shouting a few choice expletives, giving Drake a very nasty glare, “what the fuck?”

“You cheated on me!” Drake shouts, dropping the pot on the ground, shooting daggers at his husband, not caring that a group of servants are on either side of the door.

“How many times do I have to tell you, watching a show without you isn’t cheating!?” Liam throws the wet blankets on the floor, walking into the bathroom to strip out of his wet sweatpants and grab his robe.

“You were with some suitor, getting a bit too cozy for a married man.”

“When the hell did I do that? I haven’t met with anyone other than Olivia lately.” Liam towel dries his hair a bit, abandoning the idea when he realizes he still needs to show, eye twitching when he sees he was woken up at 4:50am.

“In my dream!”

Liam hears nothing at that revelation, Drake telling him the details of the dream and how he saw them in the hedge maze and that was supposed to be their spot just comes out like the voices of adults in The Peanuts movies. There was a time he thought nothing could be harder than stepping up from spare to heir, that the crown would be the hardest job he had, but it quickly pales in comparison to being a husband trying to understand how dream him is causing real him so much trouble.

“So, who was he, Li?”

“Drake, it was a dream.”

“Dreams sometimes mean things, does this mean you’re already tired of me?”

“I’m tired of this conversation,” he mumbles, low enough for Drake to miss it, “of course I’m not.”

“Then why’d you do it?”

“Drake! It didn’t really happen!” He runs his fingers through his hair, “why aren’t you listening?”

“Because I saw it and you’re lying.”

“I’m not going to talk in circles all day.” He brushes by his husband, walking out of the room, watching those who have been eavesdropping try to look natural as he makes his way to his study.

“You’re such an asshole, Li!”

“Right back at you!”

*                      * Sunday: Reconciliation...?

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The Lord Chamberlain and Private Secretary exchange a brief look before focusing back on Liam, who has been tapping his pen on the desk in a rather annoying manner for at least five minutes, driving both of them insane, not that either would dare saying anything.

Everyone in the palace has already heard the whispers of the royal couple fighting, have seen Liam retiring to one of the spare rooms on the other side of the palace from the one he shares with Drake, and picked up on the prickliness that coats the air when they’re forced in the same room. Those who have been serving the royal family for generations are used to this, especially around the first year of marriage or during stressful negotiations, and the current royal couple is coming up on that first-year anniversary.

Still, it’s a bit unnerving since Liam has always been extremely stoic, keeping personal emotions out of professional settings, not to mention the two have been thick as thieves since young children, leading many to understand the expression that there’s such a thing as seeing someone too much. Drake on the other hand has spent most of his time down at the stables, the pair had decided to invest more in racing horses and Drake wanted to learn more about what their mares had to offer or if they should consider buying more.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Liam continues to stare at the paperwork on his desk, some new legislative paperwork, but he has no idea what it says because he’s not bothered reading it, instead just mindlessly looking in its direction. He’s upset, sure they’ve had fights before but never like this, never to the extent of him staying in another room and Drake taking off to Valtoria claiming he just wanted to check the renovations in person. How had a few stupid fights ended up with them being miles apart, not even speaking to each other after Drake sent a very curt ‘here’ with a period when he got to the duchy.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

“For the sake of Lythikos, stop tapping that damn pen.” Olivia strides into his study, she had heard his incessant tapping as she walked down the hall. She watches as Liam drops it, clearly unaware of his nervous habit, clearing his throat.

“To what do I owe this pleasure?”

Her face softens, hating that she has to bring him the news, wasn’t that a position at court: bringer of bad news? If not, maybe Leo could fill, clearly, he already had experience doing that. “Liam, there was an accident. Drake’s in the hospital.”

** There have been very few times that Liam has willingly used his king card, rarely using his commanding tone to get what he wants, but he does when he can’t find his way around the hospital, when no one will tell him anything, instead just sending him to someone else. He looks much like the mess that his mind is, his dress shirt is misbuttoned, maroon sweater in his hand because he didn’t bother to put it on, hair unruly.

Room 305 is where he’s told his husband is, that another car had hit the one he was it, and that it didn’t seem like an assassination attempt since there hadn’t been an official announcement Drake would be in Valtoria nor was he in a royal car. He takes a deep breath, already panicked about what he’ll see on the other side, their vows had included ‘through sickness and in health, till death do us part’ but he wasn’t prepared for anything other than the ‘in health’ part.

“I don’t even remember what it was I was mad about and I don’t care. Whatever it was that you did, I forgive you.” Liam rushes into the room, making the sudden declaration, “let’s just start on a clean slate, here and now.”

He stops, looking around the room, thoroughly confused by the sight, wondering if he had accidentally barged into the wrong room. Drake stands up from the other side of the bed, the side furthest from Liam, holding up his phone.

“My phone slipped off the bed.”

“But you...I thought…” Liam isn’t sure whether he should be relieved or pissed, a mixture of both churns in his stomach, “...a car accident.”

“Oh! It was barely even a fender bender; the car has the smallest scratch.” Drake starts to smirk, “did you rush down here just to see me?”

Liam flops down in one of the most uncomfortable chairs, pressing two fingers to his neck, surely he’ll have to be admitted, his heartbeat racing and he was feeling dizzy, feeling like a complete idiot. He should’ve confirmed the facts with Olivia before just rushing out, driving himself to the hospital, knowing he’ll get an earful from the king’s guard when he got back.

“Of course, I did, you’re my husband.” Liam wipes the tears from his eyes, feeling embarrassed when Drake kneels down in front of him, cupping his cheek, “I don’t want to fight anymore.”

“Yeah, me neither. I don’t think it really fits us.”

*                      * Bonus Scene

Olivia is walking out to her car, a satisfied expression on her lips, the mischievous look in her eyes is covered by her sunglasses, thanking her driver for opening the door. She slips onto the leather seat, letting out a deep breath as her shoulders relax, letting out a small yawn, babysitting those two is exhausting.

The first few moments of the drive are silent, the sound of the road underneath them filling the void when her driver makes eye contact in the rearview mirror. “Ma’am?”

“Yes?” She barely peeks over her sunglasses, a smirk on her face, already knowing his question.

“I saw King Liam rush out of the palace, why didn’t you tell him the incident was minor?”

“They’ll make up faster this way.” She laughs when she sees the driver shake his head, “honestly, what would those two do without me?”

*                      * Bonus Bonus Scene

Liam’s standing in the doorway of their bedroom, pillows in hand, staring at his side of the bed, suspiciously, “you were sleeping on my side!”

“What? I wasn’t...” Drake starts to turn bright red, fumbling over his words, “why would do that?”

Liam laughs, sliding Drake’s pillows back to the left side of the bed as he props his back on the right, he missed sleeping in their room, missed sleeping next to Drake, not that he’d openly admit that so close to them making up. He slid into bed, lifting his arm for his husband to cuddle up to his side, which he does almost instantly, the two turning on the series on Leo’s abdication.

“You just did it!” Drake pushes back to look at Liam, “you looked at me right before they mentioned him being seen with Katie.”

“I..I did not!”

“Is it so hard to not spoil the show?”

“Spoil it? We lived it!”

“Oh, and what was that about you forgiving me? Shouldn’t I be the one to forgive you?” Drake stares in disbelief as Liam rolls over, facing away from him as he turns off the lamp on his side table.

He gets ready to complain, to tell Liam that he isn't done talking and wants an answer but then he realizes that for the first time in a while, Liam is in their bed. He presses himself into Liam's back, hearing his husband mumble something about talking tomorrow, but if it meant Liam leaving again, he was fine with the fight ending there.

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[bebepac]

Ghosts of 2 Years Past: Part 2 (Drake)

This is Part 6 of the Their Hidden Pain.  Catch up HERE

This one was a really tough one to write, which is one of the reason why I had to walk away from it completely for a few days and focus on something else.  The Ghosts part of scar tissue was originally going to be only 2 parts, Riley and Cordonia.  However, Ghosts took on a mind of its own.  Drake and Liam’s pasts have completely different feels, so to do them justice, I had to separate the dark from the light.  

All but Mollie Lancaster’s character belong to Pixelberry.

Word count: 3274

Summary: Two years before the events of TRR.  So for my time line i’m saying this is a little shy of 3.5 years ago.  Drake dates his first serious girlfriend Mollie Lancaster.  

Warnings:  18+ only. multiple rapes, talk of rape, abuse of illegal and prescription drugs, drugging a person without their knowledge, date rape, date rape drugs, profanity, mental illness , torturing animals, violent behavior, and one disgustingly evil Drake. 

Music inspiration:   Crazy by Gnarls Barkley (I don’t own the rights to this music)

dhttps://youtu.be/U0EW0s1fN-8

! always forgive any typos! MUAH!

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He finally had a reason to gloat. No he shouldn’t gloat.  Yes the hell he should. They never had a problem boasting of their good fortunes.  Finally it was Drake’s turn to be in the limelight front and center.  Drake had a cute girlfriend, and the Spare Prince his “best friend” had been on a long going stretch of being single.  

Drake had liked Olivia for a while, but she was so busy ignoring him trying to get a chance to ride Liam’s royal member that she couldn’t see someone who had a genuine interest in her.  Liam was never interested in her like that.

Mollie was completely different.  Probably the fact that she was common born just like Drake.  She was the daughter of one of the kitchen cooks.  Drake had seen her around before but never talked to her.  She approached him first.

“You’re Drake right?”  

“Did you want to Meet Prince Leo or Prince Liam or something?” He asked not to show her any interest.

“Did I ask about the Princes?”

He looked up at her.

“No.”  

“I asked about you Drake.”

He smiled at her, and she smiled at him.   

From that moment on, he was hooked on Mollie.

He walked in the beer garden with his arm around Mollie  up to the table where his friends were sitting.  Leo had whatever flavor of the week he was with at the time.  Charlotte?  Cassandra?  Cassidy? Something with a C is all Drake knew.  Maxwell was there talking about peacocks as usual.  Olivia  and Liam were there.  He could tell from Olivia’s body language she was trying to cozy up to Liam, who was completely uninterested, and oblivious to her advances.  

“Hey guys!”  Mollie said sitting next to Maxwell beginning to chat.  Mollie got along with all of them really well. Everyone was laughing as Mollie interacted with the crew.  She was very social which was the complete opposite of Drake.  He’d rather be sitting home drinking alone than being out “Socializing.” with all these royals.  

Then Mollie asked the question that he was  surprised that she didn’t get her throat slit by Olivia.

“Prince Liam, why have you and Duchess Olivia never dated?”

Leo laughed. “It’s not for lack of trying by Olivia’s thirsty ass.”

“Say one more thing Prince Leo, and I swear I will cut you from navel to sternum. Being executed for murdering the crown prince in this instance would be worth it.”

Still her glance shot to Liam to see what he was going to say to Mollie’s question.

“I’ve known Olivia all my life, she’s like my little sister.  You don’t screw your little sister.”

Olivia’s face flushes, she wanted Liam so much she could taste him.  The things she would do if Liam gave her the chance to were innumerable.

Maxwell changes the subject.

Drake walked over to Liam.  

“So what do you think?”  He asked.

“Of?”

“Mollie! She’s cute right?”

“She’s your girlfriend.  It doesn’t matter what I think.  As long as you’re happy together, which it looks like you are, I’m really happy for you .  I think she’s funny, and you two complement each other. “

Of course Liam would skirt around the point.  Liam knew deep down he finally had the one up on him and he wouldn’t be man enough to tell Drake.

But Drake was missing something from his relationship with Mollie, hat he really wanted.  Sex.  Mollie let him do other things, and she could suck dick great, but Mollie wouldn’t have actual sex with him.  They had been close more than several times, and she would just clam up at the last possible second.  

He needed something to help her relax, and alcohol wasn’t enough.  He just needed something to break down the walls a bit, so he could get into her walls.  He found what he was searching for on the internet.  He got his card and ordered it.  It would arrive in a week.  His plan was to experiment with it a little first on himself and then figure out the correct dosing to give to Mollie.  He didn’t feel bad about what he was doing.  Why should he?  

He was just knocking down a wall she had in place, she wanted to do it.  He was helping her by lowering her inhibitions so she would do it.  Helping someone do what they would have done anyway isn’t hurting them.  Hell you’re doing them a favor.

He was helping bring her to the next level in their relationship.  

He took Mollie fishing.  Mollie wasn’t like your typical girl, she liked getting her hands dirty.   Drake looked at her again in awe.  Maybe he could love her, or something like that.

“What?”  Mollie asked when she saw Drake staring at her as they sat in his small boat.  

“I can’t believe you like fishing with me.”

“Yes fresh fish for dinner tonight is going to be great, as long as I’m not the only one who catches anything, because if you don’t catch anything, you’re not eating tonight Drake Walker.”

Drake perked up in attention.  “My Dad used to say the same thing.”

“My dad might not have been on the King’s Guard, but our fathers are very similar.  Also being the only child and only girl, I bonded with my father with activities he enjoyed.  Fishing isn’t bad.  It’s peaceful.  Being out here with you is peaceful Drake.”

Drake didn’t know what to say, but felt his cheeks get hot.  

“Maybe, if you wanted, you could meet my mom and dad sometime for dinner?” Mollie inquired.

“Meet your parents for dinner?” Drake asked.

“Mmmmhum…”  Mollie glanced in his direction quickly before turning her attention back over the water.

“Okay. Let me know when.”  

“Okay.”  A small smile crossed Mollie’s lips as she stared out across the water.  And at that moment he knew he’d made her really happy.  Mollie would be his.  

The week flew by as Drake was waiting for his package to arrive.   Finally it was here.  Even though he was alone in the cabin he felt that he had to close and lock his door before he opened the package.  

He tore into the package like a child at Christmas.  Once he opened the box within the box,  he got his prize.  

“Heaven.” He quickly opened the bottle.   It said it was supposed to be odorless and not have a taste.  He took a whiff.  He does not smell anything. He quickly found a dropper and dabbed a small amount on his pinky finger.  

He licked his finger.  He couldn’t taste anything.   This could really work he thought.  

Over the next few weeks he documented and tested  Heaven on himself.  It took him a little to find his threshold but he finally figured it out over the next two weeks.  Going from his first dosing which he wound up waking up on the floor from being unconscious on the floor four hours later to the hazy tingly euphoria accompanied with the desire to fuck anything that walked by.  He figured it would be best to start Mollie with a dose a third of his.  Considering he had been trying for two weeks to get his dose right.

Mollie invited him over for dinner at her apartment.   He got ready for his date with Mollie.He dressed nicely… well nice for him, and he packed condoms, lots of condoms. Tonight was the night.  This was a high he wanted to share with Mollie.  He was going to give her Heaven.

Mollie answered the door in a pink low cut dress, and bare feet.  Her hair flowing over her shoulders.  Drake thought she looked beautiful.

“Dinner’s ready,  would you like a beer,  I’m about to open one for myself.”

“Sure,” He said kissing her lips softly.  

As they finished dinner Drake noticed her bottle almost empty.  

He noticed the window of opportunity.   “Let me get you another one,“ he said.  

She handed him his bottle.  

Drake went into her kitchen alone and quickly dosed himself dropping the clear liquid on his tongue and swallowing, taking the last sip of Mollie’s beer.  He quickly opened a new one pouring the liquid into her beer.  

She called his name which made him jump, more of Heaven fell into her beer than he anticipated.  

“Shit!” he said.  

“What’s wrong?” Mollie asked, showing up in the kitchen with their empty dinner plates.  

He thought of a quick lie.

“You know how you remember you forgot something and it’s too late now to fix it?”

“Yep.”

“Oh well.” he said with a smile.  

She put their plates in the dishwasher.  

“Mine?” she asked looking at the beer in his hands, and taking it from him drinking a large gulp from it.

Drake swallowed thickly.  “Yes, yours.”  He quickly took note of the time.  7:52pm.  

By 8pm Mollie was giggly and slurring her words.  At 8:08 Mollie got up, wobbly.  “I think I shall have another. Would you like another Master Drake?”

Drake laughed nervously , “Sure.”

He decided to get up too.  Just when he did, Mollie started to collapse. He caught her.  Mollie’s body was nothing but dead weight.  Her arms dangled lifelessly as he picked her up and when he picked up carrying her to her room.  

He laid her on the bed.  He had tried calling her name and softly hitting her face.  Mollie was completely out.

He ran his hands through his hair.  “SHIT.”  He paced nervously for a few minutes, until he started feeling the nervousness fade away.  He felt warm and tingly and he knew the drugs were finally kicking in for him.  He glanced back at Mollie and there she lay looking like Sleeping Beauty.  His Sleeping Beauty.  He gently stroked her warm cheek, brushing the hair out of her face.  She had such beautiful features.  He felt the heat rising in him.  He bit his lip as he looked at Mollie’s body.  She had a cute little body.  Not usually the type he went for, he liked taller girls.  

He took his shirt and shoes off climbing into the bed with Mollie.  He whispered again in her ear.  Still no response from Mollie.  

He lifted her off the bed enough to slide her panties off.  Drake stared down at his perfect girlfriend.  He hiked her dress up around her hips, as he pushed her legs further apart she opened like a flower for him.  He positioned her arms about her head so he could pin them.  He quickly unbuttoned and unzipped his pants, releasing his hardened length.

He couldn’t wait anymore.  He ripped the condom wrapper open with his teeth quickly and in a few short moments, he groaned loudly as Mollie’s flesh unknowingly welcomed him in.  

He gripped her hands tightly keeping them pinned as he gently rolled his hips against hers.  She felt amazing to him.  He let go of her hands to grip her hips pulling them down to greet each rock of his hips.   It didn’t take long for Drake to feel his release the first time, or the second time… or the third time…

The fourth time, during Drake glanced down at Mollie and her eyes were open.  “Mollie you’re awake,” he whispered.

Mollie didn’t answer.  Then he realized,  Mollie wasn’t looking at him, she was looking completely through him.  Mollie’s eyes were open, but were vacant as she was still unconscious, but not completely.  

He touched her heart, He could feel it racing right along with his.  He could now hear soft gasps from Mollie that coincided with each of his thrusts into her. So he listened closely and wedged his head so that his ear was right at her lips, and he let her have it, gripping tightly to her body the whole time. 

This time with her wasn’t quick.  He lasted forever.  It was his most powerful release of the night. He felt like his whole world was spinning afterwards.

After he was done that 4th time.  He cleaned himself off, his body was slick with sweat.  He cleaned up Mollie, sliding her panties back on.  Mollie’s eyes were closed, still laying in the same position.  He gently pulled her legs back together more naturally.  Her body was still just as limp as before.  Her head rolled as he lifted her up, re-positioned her in bed.  He kissed her cheek, softly whispering the words “Thank you,” in her ear. “It was amazing.”

He got dressed.  He poured the remaining amount of Mollie’s beer down the sink, and took the bottle with him, along with all the used condoms, and wrappers. He left her apartment locking up behind himself feeling like a brand new man.  He glanced at his watch, it read 2:38am.  

He tossed the bottle into a random someone’s bin and walked a few more and disposed of all the used condoms.    That night Drake slept like a baby.  

He didn’t hear from Mollie until she showed up on his doorstep two days later.  

“Hey,” he said, kissing her cheek.   Mollie seemed upset.  

“Something’s wrong, can I help?”

“What happened after dinner Drake?” she asked jumping right into the confrontation.  

“You don’t remember?  We really had too much to drink, I’m a little hazy too.”

Lie. He remembered every second of what happened.

“Did we have sex Drake?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t remember.”

“You had a lot to drink, we both did Mollie.”

“I clearly remember having 3 beers.  That’s not enough for me to get blackout drunk. And besides why would you want to have sex with someone that was black out drunk?  What does “that say about you?  And if (she used air quotes)  we were so drunk why do you remember sex and I don’t?”

Drake felt his anger rise.   “Are you accusing me of something?”

“You slipped something in my drink didn’t you?  You gave me something. What did you give me?”

“Nothing …what?  I didn’t do anything wrong Mollie I promise.  I did nothing wrong…”

SHIT……..

“Good, but not good enough Drake.  You paused.   You know the ironic thing about all this was, I was ready Drake.  That night, I invited you over because I wanted us to be together for the first time. I would have willingly given myself to you.   But you couldn’t wait.  You took my yes away from me.”  

“Mol… don’t do what I think you’re about to do…”

“We’re over.”

“Mollie, please  don’t break up with me, I didn’t do anything wrong.  Please don’t break up with me.  I think you’re the one for me.  I’ve never felt this way before.” 

She backed away from him.  There was nothing but anger and hatred in her eyes now when she looked at Drake.

“This isn’t how you treat someone you love .  You’re toxic Drake. How does Prince Liam not see you for the monster you really are?”

Drake quickly lost his temper and got angry. “I’m not a monster you fucking cunt.”

He lunged at Mollie, and she jumped back running away from him as fast as she could.

“Prude ass Bitch!” He screamed after her. 

When Mollie arrived at Drake’s small cabin, she didn’t know where she’d wind up after talking to him.  Now she knew where she was going she had no doubt.

She walked through the doors, and up to the desk.  

“May I help you?”

“Yes, I’d like to report a sexual assault.”

“The assailant?”

“Drake Walker.”

Drake looked all out of sorts, and looked manic as he paced the room.  He had taken extra Xanax and couldn’t calm down.  It got worse when he heard a knock on the door.  It was Prince Liam.

Prince Liam looked concerned as he watched Drake closely.  

“What’s wrong?”  Liam asked.  

“Mollie broke up with me.”

“She thinks I did something.”

“Did you do it?  Did you rape her?”

“No, I did nothing wrong. How do you know?”

“Mollie went to the police.  Father is handing it.”

Liam stared  at his best friend for a while in silence. “Be honest, did anything happen?”

Drake looked at his friend, and said.  “We had sex.  She was drunk.  Maybe I shouldn’t have, but I did.  That’s the only thing I did wrong.”

Drake really believed what he was saying was the truth.

Liam believed his best friend he had known since he was a child would never lie to him.

In 3 days time Mollie and her family left Cordonia with a sizable stipend from the Crown to be given to them indefinitely. The police report disappeared.

Drake got away with his first rape.  

Little did Drake know at the time not quite 3 and a half years later, he would be facing the fallout from another rape that would bring the Crown’s wrath raining down on him like a divine firestorm from that which he would not escape alive.

But honestly Drake knew from an early age, all the medications he had taken and therapy sessions he had been a part of, that he would not live a long life.  From the day his father found him torturing the animals he kept locked in cages in his secret hiding place.  He knew his life would end abruptly as a direct cause from something absolutely appalling he had done to someone else.  He never thought that person would be Liam. 

“YOU RAPED MY WIFE!!”

“She loved it,”  Drake said with a smile.  “Tell him how loud you screamed when I fucked the hell out of your tight pussy, Brooks.”

Liam backhanded Drake.  “DON’T YOU TALK ABOUT HER THAT WAY!!!”

He reached into his pocket pulling out 2 pairs of women’s panties.

“Recognize these?”  He held them up for Riley to see. 

Riley gasped.  

Drake licked his lips, laughing, tasting his own blood. Liam’s hits had gotten quite strong over the years.

“Not once but twice. Mementos of the two V’s, I shared with your wife King Liam, Vegas, and Valtoria.” He balled them up in his hands inhaling deeply.

Liam was completely floored. How did he not see all this crazy radiating from Drake until now? How the fuck did he miss all of this?!?!

“Mmmmmmm……they still smell like her.”

Liam heard Riley whimper. He looked at his Love, tears streaming down her cheeks, and she was shaking.  Had he believed Leo back then, who said he didn’t trust Drake, and Mollie, Drake would not have been here to do all this damage to her life, their marriage. Even the heir’s paternity had been potentially compromised by all of this.  It’s all my fault Liam thought. He basically handed Riley to Drake’s evil hands on a silver platter.

He caused Riley all this pain by not stopping the monster well before he could get to her. Riley couldn’t even touch her stomach to start bonding with the baby growing inside her, because she knew she was getting an abortion if it turned out to be Drake’s seed had implanted in her. On the flip-side she was missing out on the beginning stages of bonding with the royal heir if it was Liam’s baby in her womb.

Seeing the torture in Riley’s milk chocolate brown eyes as she stared into his blue ones, Liam growled in anger, turning to face Drake once again.  

“GET ON YOUR KNEES!”

Drake complied, and then smiled looking up at Riley.  His eyes rested on her stomach.

“DON’T LOOK AT HER, YOU LOOK AT ME!!!”  

Liam released the safety on his white and gold glock 9mm, pointing it at Drake’s head. 

Liam’s free hand, not holding the gun, grabbed for Riley’s hand pulling her protectively behind him.

“I really hope the baby is mine, do you want to know why King Liam?”

Sorry guys….we’re not quite ready for this part  yet….

[bobasheebaby]

Only You

Liam x Drake

When a kiss isn’t just a kiss, when one is royal, and one is a commoner, what chance do they stand. Their feelings are clear, more than friends but can they really have it all?

This fits in before In Their Hearts, Something More and What Almost Was series’. This is my canon for their relationship leading up to just before Liam’s social season.

Series warnings: It’s Driam, it will have all the feels and go very NSFW. If you ask to be tagged you acknowledge you are at least 18 years of age.

Current total word count: 1,577

It Started With a Kiss 🍋 (will probably rewrite at some point)

Stolen Moments 🍋

NSFW Alphabet

Fluffy ABC’s

Masterlist

[lembrol]

i want what they have

[storm-holt]

Marriage time.

[americasmostblogged]

drake teaching liam how to drive sure is... a concept... isnt it..

[thatscalledtoughlove]

‘Cause of You

Pairing: Drake Walker x King ‘Liam’

Book: The Royal Romance

Summary: Drake considers leaving Cordonia for the millionth time, but finds that his feelings for Liam make it difficult.

Author’s Note: I feel like credit should be given where it’s due, so this was heavily inspired by the song ‘Too Afraid’ by MARINA. Also, this takes place before the events of The Royal Romance, Book 1. It’s just my attempt at portraying a ship I’ve never done any writing for. I have no idea what this is, but thank you for anyone who decides to read it, haha.

Rating: PG

Word Count: 763

-----

Drake Walker wanted to leave Cordonia.

No matter how hard he tried, he never fit in. Noble women and men alike treated him like Prince Liam’s pet. They saw nothing but a filthy commoner when they looked at him.

I’m leaving, Liam. For years, he had tried to find a way to say those words to his best friend. But he never found the right moment.

Truth be told, Drake hated it here. Every day spent around the nobles made him want to drink himself into an early grave. And now his time would be limited with the one person he could stand.

In less than a year, Liam was expected to marry. To leave Drake behind and pretend that everything they’d ever had never mattered.

“Some of the usual?” The bartender at the dive bar knew his order by heart at this point. Like clockwork, Drake came here every Friday night.

Sometimes Liam accompanied him, but most of the time he came alone.

“Yeah.” Drake watched as some girls at a nearby table giggled to each other, their eyes drawn to him. “You know what? Make it two.”

This always happened. Women often recognized him as the crown prince’s best friend, and tried to take advantage. He was tired of it. His last relationship had ended for that very reason.

Suddenly, the bar grew silent. Gasps came from behind him, and Drake sighed. A reaction like that could mean only one thing.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were going out tonight? I would’ve walked with you.” Liam’s dark brown eyes wrinkled at the corners, the smile lines making him even more attractive.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Drake turned away, trying his best not to give anything away to their audience. “I like to be alone. You know that.”

Liam brushed his fingertips over his hand, the gesture so subtle it could have been entirely imagined. “Ah, but isn’t it the best when we’re alone together?”

“Don’t.” Tonight was the night. After so long, he would finally get over his fear and make the decision to leave. Cordonia had nothing to offer him. A forbidden relationship wasn’t a proper life.

“Drake, what is it?” He hated the way Liam was always concerned for his well-being. It made it all the more difficult to gather up the courage to leave.

He needed to leave. He hated it here.

When he looked into Liam’s eyes, any thoughts of leaving vanished.

Fuck. Why was it so hard for him to change?

Drake needed to leave Cordonia. Coming back for Liam had been a mistake. After that assassination attempt on the royal family, when Leo came begging him to return, that had been the end. Nothing would ever change. He was Liam’s pet. And he was too afraid to let the prince go.

“Nothing.” Drake downed his whiskey, avoiding his best friend’s eyes. “It’s nothing.”

The rest of the bar faded away when Liam reached for his hand again. “Come with me.”

Those words had never been innocent. Every time he got an invitation from him, Drake fell deeper and deeper. He was never going to get enough.

“People are watching,” Drake mumbled, sighing as he stared into his empty glass.

Liam leaned closer, a smirk tugging at his lips. “And since when have you cared what others think?”

“Since you are involved, and people will talk.”

In less than a week, they were planning to throw Liam a bachelor party. This would be it. Drake knew that tonight was meant to be a final farewell.

Somehow, the idea of continuing this friendship was harder to accept than the idea of them parting ways. But he knew he would still stay. He was too afraid to do anything else.

Drake Walker was in love with the one person he could not have.

Still, the temptation to have one last time together was too strong. They would eventually move on, get married, perhaps have children of their own. Liam would someday be king, and Drake would try his best to settle into a normal life once there was a queen.

The two of them left the bar, walking side by side back to the palace.

Come tomorrow, things would return to normal. Drake would continue to hate where he was, constantly afraid of making the one change that would make his life better, and Liam would do his princely duties.

This game would continue, but the smallest part of him didn’t care. He did this for Liam.

Everything was, and always would be, for Liam.

[jovialyouthmusic]

Two’s Company - Changes

A Royal Romance Polyamorous Fanfic

Lucy rejoins her partners - how will Brad react to seeing her again and will he remember her? What are the consequences of Drake and Brad’s romp?

Word count 3230

A/N No warnings - just a bit oF dirty talk and a LOT of angst - buckets of it...still no under 18s

You may like to read the chapter where things started to change - The Kiss

4 - Reunion

Drake woke with the dawn. Brad slept soundly on his back, arm half  thrown over his face. He looked so vulnerable and Drake remembered how rough he had been with him the night before. He was torn between anger with Brad and sympathy, and as for himself… He drew his hand down over his face, trying to work out how far across the line he had gone. He’d been vulnerable, lost – and he’d taken advantage of the person he most needed to protect. Or had he? They needed each other, Brad had wanted him as much as he had. Lucy was arriving later that day – should he call her first and tell her what had happened?

He was juggling so much, juggling the happiness of all three of them. He had no idea how much to tell Lucy, and so much hung on whether her presence would trigger Brad’s memory. Reluctantly he shook Brad awake. He opened his eyes, a soft look on his face as he saw Drake, but he refused to let himself to be drawn in. Now was not the time for kisses or promises – now it was time to go back to the real world – the end for now of Brad and Drake, and the continuation of the King and the Duke.

He heard Bastien draw up outside in the SUV and he went down to set about making breakfast for the three of them. They engaged in small talk, but there was an undercurrent – Brad looked at Drake shyly but he refused to engage. Bastien could tell something had happened but didn’t ask.

‘I’m not sure Sophia liked me being away overnight’ Bastien said ‘She wanted to come with me, but I told her she’d be more comfortable at home. She’s as big as a house but refuses to slow down or make any concessions to being pregnant. It helps that she can’t squeeze into the driver’s seat of the SUV’ Brad laughed.

‘I’m so pleased for you, Bas. You know the Crown will do anything to help you. Take as much paid leave as you need, you’ve more than earned it.’ A shadow passed over his face, and Drake knew he was thinking about having his own family – little did he know he would have it sooner than he expected, but would he recognise Lucy when they met later that day?

Breakfast over, they packed their few things and Bastien drove them back to the Palace. Drake sat in the passenger seat and Brad in the back, so any conversation they had was audible to Bastien, and there was no danger of touching each other or longing looks. Drake wanted to shut it down as much as he could until Lucy’s position was more solid. His need for Brad was physical, not emotional – or so he told himself.

There was little unpacking to do when they got back, and Drake took the opportunity to go back to his old room in the turret rather than the room in the Royal Suite. The door through to Lucy’s room had been locked so Brad didn’t get confused. Drake was glad to be alone for a while and just let his mind go blank, push everything out of his mind for a few precious minutes. He found it cathartic to do so – it often gave him a fresh perspective if he could clear his mind.

Finally he went downstairs and they had a light lunch with Regina. She knew the situation and kept the conversation light. As they sat drinking tea, Bastien came in to tell Drake that Lucy was about to arrive. Drake left Brad talking to Regina and went to meet her.

Lucy wore a thin summer dress, her dark hair loose, face pale and drawn. She had a vulnerable beauty, elfin like and delicate but in truth she was strong and passionate, and others often underestimated her. Drake could tell from the thinness of her face that she was not coping well. He embraced her – she knew nothing had changed concerning Brad’s memory and he felt her trembling as her contours melted into his. He kissed her forehead and gently pulled away.

‘I missed you – both of you’ she said wistfully, then set her face with determination ‘Okay, let’s do this. Take me to him’

‘I’ll do all the talking’ Drake said softly ‘Let’s take it slow and gentle’ She nodded and he took her hand and lead her to the drawing room where Bastien had taken Brad, Regina leaving them to their explanations. They paused outside the door and Lucy pulled herself up before they went in.

Brad stood to greet them, a smile on his face that Lucy recognised – the one he wore to welcome diplomats or delegates for the first time, a polite expression masking his true feelings, but his smile grew warm as she took his hand. He raised her hand to his lips to kiss it, and a spark of electricity shot up her arm and made her legs turn to jelly like the first time they had met. She couldn’t tell if he had felt the same thing.

‘Enchanted’ he said and turned to Drake ‘So who is this mystery woman? I need to know’ Drake took a deep breath.

‘Brad. I’d like you to meet Duchess Lucy Valois of Valtoria’ Brad frowned

‘Valtoria? I thought the Duchy was unclaimed?’

‘Brad’ said Drake ‘You need to sit down’ With a look of puzzlement on his face, Brad did as he was told, and Lucy sat also, straight backed, ankles crossed elegantly. Drake carried on ‘You gave the Duchy to Lucy shortly before your marriage. Lucy is also Queen of Cordonia – your wife’ He gave Brad time for the thought to sink in. He looked truly shaken, his face pale.

‘I – I’m sorry, I have no recollection…’ he said faintly. This was a lot to take in and Drake saw him struggling. But he had to go on.

‘There’s more, your Majesty’ he said ‘You also revived a Cordonian tradition of the Triple Marriage – the people of Cordonia, no matter what rank, can enter a marriage with more than one partner. Legally’ Brad turned to him, realisation dawning

‘The two wedding rings’ he said faintly ‘Who – is it you, Drake? Are you the third partner?’

‘Yes your Majesty’ Drake replied, and Brad got up, hands shaking, fingers pressed to his face, pinching his lips, and walked to the window, back to both of them. Drake saw his shoulders start to shake, and he heard a sob escape his lips. Lucy got up and he let her go to the King first and face him, gently taking his hands from his face.

‘Brad’ she said ‘Please, we’re here for you. Let me…’ gently she drew him to her, embracing him as he sobbed. He leaned on her, tears streaming down his face, burying his face in her shoulder. Drake went over to them and all three of them clung to each other. Drake had no more tears, but Brad and Lucy wept, and eventually Drake lead them to a couch to sit. Lucy got a tissue from her purse and dabbed at her eyes and Brad drew a handkerchief from his jacket pocket. They sniffled and blew their noses and Brad looked at Lucy shyly

‘Hello Lucy’ he said ‘You feel familiar - and you are very beautiful, I must have done some tremendously good deed to deserve your hand in marriage.’ Lucy’s smile was bittersweet as it was obvious he didn’t yet remember her fully, but he accepted her presence. She briefly flicked her gaze to Drake, hand fluttering over her belly for a moment, and he shook his head. Brad wasn’t ready to know he would be a father. She nodded and put her hands in her lap, biting her lip.

‘Really, this is a wonderful surprise’ said the King ‘I know it’s not exactly conventional, but I’m delighted to discover that I have a Queen – Drake, you should have told me sooner.’ Drake looked at them – it was like Brad was falling in love all over again, his face an echo of their first meeting. Lucy was not as comfortable, and he had to tell her what had happened between himself and the King – part of their nuptial agreement was that they would be honest about any interactions between any of them. But Brad was talking now.

‘I – I thought it was all bad, what you were keeping from me, Drake. but here I am, with a beautiful Queen – and my best friend as – what – my husband?’ He looked puzzled and Drake pursed his lips

‘Not exactly, we got together because Lucy couldn’t bear to be without me, and you agreed.’ Brad frowned, and Drake had to come clean before things got complicated. ‘We have a nuptial contract that we all signed, and we agreed to be honest with each other – so we have to tell Lucy what happened last night’ Brad sucked his breath in between his teeth and looked down. Lucy turned to Drake, her face dropping for a moment before she composed herself.

‘Lucy, something happened last night. You know we’ve been together, Brad and I, but we always thought of you.’ He looked down at his hands ‘We – last night it happened again, but I wasn’t thinking of you – and Brad couldn’t remember you – so it was – just us.’

‘What did you do?’ asked Lucy, her tone neutral ‘Exactly. Tell me – and not to turn me on, to let me know what’s going on’

‘We kissed’ Drake said, his words falling into a deep thick silence ‘We undressed each other. That’s when it happened - Brad went down on me, gave me a blow job.’ Lucy’s eyes were wide

‘And you didn’t think of me?’

‘I – the night before, we kissed, but I remembered you and – we stopped’

‘But not this time’ her words were clipped, short.

‘No’ he hung his head ‘And I returned the favour’

‘You sucked his cock’ she said firmly

‘Yes’ he realised that wasn’t enough ‘I sucked his cock, and I remembered you then, but I didn’t stop’ Brad cut in as Lucy’s eyes flashed with anger

‘We needed each other’ he said ‘I was going crazy. Blame me, I started it – It felt right, and I didn't know about you’

‘But Drake did’

‘He was beside himself, he was keeping it all in, he broke. I had to mend him’ Brad said

‘I can understand you giving him a blow job, but not the other way round’ Lucy said. Drake dropped to his knees.

‘I’m sorry Lucy, it just – I feel for Brad. I – wanted him’ Lucy’s expression softened – just a little.

‘I know you feel for him’ she said quietly ‘but you didn’t – you hid it from yourself – from me, from Brad. You always have, but it’s changing.’

‘I love you Lucy’ Drake begged ‘I’d go crazy without you. I was crazy’ She let her head drop

‘I’m tired’ she said ‘I need time to think. It hurts that you didn’t think enough of me to stop – but you’ve discovered how you feel about Brad, and that almost makes up for it.’

‘I – is this a game changer? asked Drake

‘It changes things, but I’m not sure how much. We have to find a way forward.’ She got up. ‘I’m going to my room. Let me have a little time to myself – perhaps I’ll come out before dinner’

 Drake sat on the couch, Brad paced the room after she had gone.

‘I can’t begin to understand how hard these past few days have been for you’ Brad said ‘I’m sorry for this whole mess – for driving off when I was tired, it was selfish of me. There are so many more questions, but I have to let all this sink in first’

‘I know’ said Drake raggedly ‘Do you remember any more?’ Brad frowned in concentration

‘It’s odd, it’s a physical memory. I can remember how Lucy feels, I recognise her scent, but I don’t know how we met or any of the things we went through to get where we are. Now we’ve met again I get flashes of her face and different places, but no context, no clue as to where we were’

‘Well at least you’re making progress’ sighed Drake.

‘We need to talk about our relationship’ said Brad gently. Drake pulled his hand down his face

‘I guess so. How do you see it, Brad?’ The King paced the room

‘It’s odd, I feel so comfortable with Lucy despite everything. I suppose I remember you because we’ve been friends for so long.’ He stopped pacing and faced Drake.

‘I care for you deeply – I always have. I guess our unusual marriage arrangement means we’ve seen each other more intimately than a lot of friends. Perhaps it’s only natural to develop feelings like we have. Tell me Drake, how have things changed? What have we done together?’ Drake scowled. He was being drawn way out of his comfort zone, but it had to be done.

‘To start with, it was just like the De Montfort sisters – we just focussed on Lucy and didn’t allow ourselves to get freaked out.’ Brad smiled

‘Now I do remember the sisters’ he said ‘I’m glad we had a precedent for Lucy’

‘It wasn’t quite that simple. They were just fuck buddies but Lucy’s different, she’s…’ He paused ‘I had to learn how to make love rather than just screw. I haven’t slept with another woman since’

‘So how did we…’ Brad waved his hands vaguely.

‘Can we at least drink some whiskey for this conversation?’ asked Drake ‘I know it’s early but it would sure help me’

‘Very well Walker’ Brad went to the drinks cabinet and got a bottle out. He was about to pour when Drake grabbed the bottle and almost upended the bottle into the glass. He knew it was expensive but he didn’t care. He took a great gulp, relishing the burn, and sat, staring off out of the window.

‘It all started off when you asked Lucy if there was anything different she wanted to do. She said she wanted to see us kiss – which we hadn’t done before – and you were very reluctant’

‘I was?’

‘Yeah, it didn’t bother me, I thought it wouldn’t be serious, just a bit of fun, but you almost walked out. It was just a bit of fun, but a week or so later Lucy was away and we both ended up in her bed and agreed to sleep – and I mean sleep – together because we were missing Lucy.’ Brad frowned

‘Yes, it just felt natural to sleep next to you, I guess we’ve done it a few times?’

‘Yeah and – well with Lucy around we’ve gotten used to plenty of sex, and after that, when she wasn’t about, we – helped each other out – like the other night. Hand jobs, blow jobs, but we always thought and talked about Lucy while we were doing it, and we told her. She found it a big turn on’

‘Which is why she was upset when you said you hadn’t thought of her. I’m sorry Drake, I got you into trouble.’ Drake shrugged

‘I guess it might have happened sooner or later, but were pushed into it – we were both emotional and needy. I had to tell her because that’s part of our nuptial agreement – we’re above board and honest about everything we do together – whoever it is, when there’s just two of us.’ Brad sat down heavily and sighed

‘It’s so strange hearing about things I should know. I hope it all comes back.’

‘I think you need to spend some time alone with Lucy when she’s ready’ said Drake ‘It may help your memory, or if not you can start to rebuild your relationship.’ Brad sighed

‘Of course, but what do we do until then?’

‘We need to stay close, otherwise I’d say we could go for a ride. How about we call Bastien and go to your study, clear some of the backlog of work? We had to hold some things back from you when you didn’t know about Lucy’ Brad nodded and the two of them set off to undertake their task.

 When Lucy had retreated to her room she felt exhausted – emotionally and physically. She drew the curtains closed and lay down on the huge King sized bed. Her head still swam with unanswered questions and in her heart there was frustration and grief. She ran her hand over her belly, tears starting to her eyes. This should be a happy time and they should be making plans, but she was stuck in limbo. At least now she had rejoined her husbands – but they had found something in each other that didn’t include her. How would it all work out?

She allowed the tears to flow – again. She thought she had cried herself out but she was wrong. How badly she wanted one of them to comfort her, just hold her and say her name. But which one? The one who had forgotten her after an accident and had no memory of her, or the one who forgot her when he was comforting the other? She felt so alone – save for the little life inside her whom she only knew through a line on a stick, a confirming letter from her doctor, the morning sickness that left her feeling weak and sore.

What Drake had done with Brad felt like a betrayal, but could she blame him? The two men were hurting too and needed comfort – and they were together while she was alone. Drake had told her what they had done - he hadn’t hidden it, that was something at least. It was bringing out deep feelings that he had buried for years. She had always known that the bond between the two men was strong, and perhaps their unusual arrangement had helped to develop it, brought it out. After all, she may have triggered it when she said she wanted to see them kiss, so should she be upset? She had just been the catalyst of what would have happened eventually given the right circumstances. It still hurt though.

She cried herself to sleep, and woke wondering what her husbands were doing, wishing one of them had already come to her to comfort her, then remembering she said she’d wanted to be alone. She picked up her phone and sent Bastien a quick text to discover what was happening.

Where are the King and the Duke?

In the King’s study your Majesty

Ask one of them to come to my room

Which one, your Grace?

Lucy smiled at the formal answer from the stoic guard. At least she could rely on him. She wondered how Sophia was and resolved to ask him next time she saw him

They can decide who

Am on it now

She went to her dressing table and looked at he damage all the crying had done. Her eyes were red and puffy, but apart from a splash of cold water there was nothing to be done. She waited, her heart in her mouth, and it wasn’t long before she heard a soft knock.

 @drakewalkerrosenberg @debramcg1106 @fluffy-marshmallow-heart @goirishsunshine @gardeningourmet @livingthroughchoices @mrs-nazario @mind-reader1 @ooo-barff-ooo @silviasutton1989   @missevabean @mrsdrakewalkerblog @cora-nova @missameliep @tanelle83 @endlessly-searching-for-you @jlouise88 @drakenazario @tabithacarlisle @furiousherringoperatortoad @notoriouscs @classylady1234 @wickedgypsymoon @carabeth @choices-fangirl @indiana-jr @indiacater @noey718-blog @katedrakeohd @bobasheebaby @annekebbphotography @kennaxval @sirbeepsalot @drakeandcamilleofvaltoria @aworldoffandoms @iplaydrake @drakesensworld @drakewalkerisreal @samcpossum @melodyofgraves @khakie4 @museofbooks @be-still-my-aching-heart@fromthedeskofpaisleybleakmore @hopefulmoonobject @emceesynonymroll @dcbbw @cgd03 @simsvetements @mrsdrakewalkerblog @ladyangel70 @crookedslimecreatorpasta @cora-nova @akrenich @stopforamoment​ @burnsoslow​

[deb-1106]

I just want to apologize in advance for spamming your feeds in the next few days. I've had some requests to put my masterlist back up, but to do that, I first need to post the fics on this new blog. 😬

Since it's Pride Month, I'm going to start with Forever... which is loooong. 🙈 Sorry!!

[kaitycole]

...but couldn’t make it work

Part Two

Summary: Liam and Drake throughout the years, trying to make their broken relationship make sense again.

Pairing: Drake x Liam

Word Count: 3728

Warnings: Angst. Suggestive content/Smut. Adultery. Language. Mention of gunfire. Character death. 

A/N: This is for @bobasheebaby​ and @bebepac​ who both picked “I wish I knew how to quit you.” for Driam as part of my 1k event!

34 years old

It’s been a long day, a day filled with talking to various diplomats and smiling so much that his face hurts. Over the years he’s heard several times that he was the proper choice for king, that Leo abdicating was the best thing for Cordonia and sometimes he accepts that, but on days like today he doesn’t want to.

He leans his head back against the headrest, imagining what it would be like if the town car he’s in was taking him home to Drake. Taking him to the other half of his heart where he’d listen to Drake complain about the new farmhands they hired for the ranch, muttering about how it’s too hot for September, and then finally giving Liam a welcome home kiss. Liam let’s himself think about the family they’d have had together; the two children they talked about adopting, a boy and a girl, Liam’s heart melted thinking of Drake with a daughter. And he couldn’t forget the golden retriever that Drake talked about their kids growing up with.

But instead, he’s been taken to some over the top hotel that his wife demanded they stay at, where his sons will crash into his legs as he opens the door, bouncing up and down as their voices overlap, telling him about everything they saw. Instead of ranch talk, he’ll hear his wife talk about how she hates the diplomats’ wives and listen to her bring up for the millionth time how cute Leo’s daughters are and how she wishes she’d had one, not so subtly hinting at wanting to try again even though they agreed long ago to just have two.

He runs his fingers through his hair, absentmindedly walking into the hotel lobby, glancing down at his phone that’s just alerted him of a text message or an email, he wasn’t too sure, but definitely not paying attention to the wall he’s about to run into.

“Li? LI!”

Liam’s head snaps up, turning to see who grabbed his arm, who pulled him off to the side, his security team immediately rushing towards him. He holds up a hand, unsure if he’s dreaming or maybe it was true that if you thought about something enough, it’d come true.

“Drake?”

** Liam’s trying not to stare, but he can’t help it, the man in front of him had changed a lot in six years. His skin’s tanner, evidence of long hours spent in the sun and that he still refuses to wear tank tops since when he stretches his arm he has a “farmer’s tan,” he’s grown out a little bit of beard or maybe it’s from not shaving for a few days and his hair’s a bit longer that he used to wear it.

“What are you doing in New York?”

“We came up for a weekend trip, mini vacation.” It’s when Drake lifts his glass that the silver band catches the light and Liam’s eye, a sinking feeling in his stomach.

“We? Oh, uh, who’s the lucky…” Liam trails off, not really wanting to know, but also wanting to seem polite and adult about it.

“His name is Sawyer Oakley, met in Montana, I went up there for the rodeo and he was competing. He offered me a job on his dad’s ranch and I didn’t have any reason to stay in Texas, moved up there, he eventually took over his dad’s ranch, and the rest is history. We never took a real honeymoon, so here we are.” Drake swallows thickly, hating his tendency to ramble when he gets nervous and his knee is close enough to brush Liam’s, so he’s extremely nervous.

Liam downs his drink, signaling for another that he swiftly knocks back before turning to Drake. “I’m here for business, diplomatic dinners and such.”

“Savannah mentioned something about that, I guess her and Riley are fairly close.”

“Our boys are pretty close with Bartie and love their Uncle Max.”

Our boys. The thought makes Drake nauseous, it wasn’t that he didn’t know Liam had children, Savannah mentioned it, but hearing it from Liam hits harder somehow. “Do you wan—”

“Daddy! Daddy!”

Both men turn from the bar, a little boy who looks just like Liam did as a kid comes running up to them essentially dragging a younger boy who looks more like Riley, behind him. Liam hops out of the seat, squatting down to wrap them both in a hug and Drake feels bitter that she was able to give Liam something that he couldn’t.

He stands up, holding the younger one, Arthur, on his hip while his bouncing spitting image proudly tells Drake he’s Charles, but he could call him Charlie. Riley calls for Liam, reminding him that he promised the boys ice cream tonight, taking Arthur from him.

“I should let you go, I’m sure your husband is wondering where are.” Liam’s smile is bittersweet, “oh, what did you want to ask me? Before the boys came up.”

Drake takes the last swig of his whiskey, a straight smile on his face, “nothing, nothing important.”

Liam excuses himself with a nod, Charles tightly holding onto his dad’s hand, eagerly naming off the different flavors he wants to try. Drake can’t help but smile when he sees the young boy has to take five steps to match just one of Liam’s. The weight of a hand on his shoulder brings him back to reality, the smile on his husband’s face makes him realize how selfish his unasked question was.

Do you want to get a room?

*                      * 45 years old

“Fuck.” Drake sharply sucks in air between his teeth, tilting his head back against the wall behind him. He can’t think clearly and when he sees Liam looking up at him, the head of his cock between Liam’s lips, his mind goes completely blank. The only thing he can think of, only thing he can feel is the warm sensation that washes over his body.

When he opens his eyes, he panics, Liam licking his lips, smirking up at Drake, “you’re probably the only one who’s ever lived after seeing a king on his knees like this.”

Drake rolls his eyes, pulling him by the tie into a sloppy kiss, one of them bumping into a broom, knocking it over.

“Careful, I don’t think you want to be seen in a broom closet, pants unzipped at your age.” Liam teases, pressing his forehead against Drake’s.

“I think it’d be worse for the king to be found like that, don’t you think?” “But I’m…” Liam’s words trail off, watching as Drake drops to his knees, teasingly running his fingertips up the backs of Liam’s legs.

** “Feeling a bit out of place?”

Sawyer rubs the back of his neck, feeling it heat up from embarrassment. When Drake mentioned making the transatlantic trip to see his Bartie’s titling ceremony, he was thrilled to meet his husband’s family, but the glitz and glam, it’s a lot to take into. “That obvious?”

Riley’s wearing a polite smile, grabbing a glass of champagne from one of the serving trays passing by. “Only a little, but I was the same way.”

Sawyer listens to her tell him her backstory, how she came to Cordonia as just a waitress from New York, winning the heart of the country and king. He immediately starts apologizing for not speaking more formal, offering to bow, but Riley waves him off, telling him it’s nice to just be normal for a few moments.

“Who are you looking for? Maybe I can help.” Riley offers when she watches Sawyer’s eyes scan the room for the third time in the last few minutes.

“Drake Walker, ma’am.”

Riley’s known since she first met Liam that he would never be in love with her like she is with him. That while the king had love for her, cared for her, his heart belongs to Drake. She knew that when he packed his own suitcases for business trips, that it was just a poorly coded way of saying he was going to see Drake. She’s grown used to that, used to watching her husband run off to see his lover at least twice a year, sometimes more, sometimes less, but knowing something doesn’t always mean you can handle it.

So even with everything he’s given her, with the lavish lifestyle, her two beautiful children, she couldn’t help but grow a little callous. But looking at Sawyer, the way he so affectionately says Drake’s name, the way his eyes have hearts in them as he looks around the ballroom for him, it’s clear he doesn’t know. It breaks her heart because she at least knew a bit about what she was getting into, whereas he’s been in the dark.

“When in doubt, look by my husband’s side.” Riley knows it’s petty, knows it’s hateful, but he had a right to know, no matter how long he’s been ignorant to the affair.

“I’m sorry?” Sawyer looks confused, sure he knew that Drake grew up with Liam, he had always been told they really weren’t that close.

“See for yourself. I should make the rounds.” Riley presses a comforting hand on Sawyer’s forearm, watching as he grabs his glass a little tighter. She always told herself she wasn’t bitter about the arrangement she had with Liam, but tonight shows her that she may be bitter after all.

Sawyer watches his husband walk back into the ballroom, unsure of when exactly he had left, the reason he had been standing at the bar was because that’s where Drake said he was heading. He takes a step forward, getting ready to walk towards Drake when he sees the king come up behind him, his hand gently resting on the small of his back.

The gesture is short lived, ending just as quickly as started, most likely lost on those around them, but it’s the comfortableness of it, the way Drake seemed to lean into it as if it’s the most natural thing, that has Sawyer questioning everything.

** “Sawyer? Where are you going?” Drake tries to grab his husband’s arm, trying to stop him from packing, but he’s overpowered.

“Did you mean any of it?” He looks back at Drake, eyes bloodshot, nose red. “Or was this all just some game to you?” “I clearly missed something.” He sits on the bed, pulling Sawyer down next to him. “You gotta tell me what’s going on.”

Sawyer scoffs, telling Drake what Riley said about where to find him, how comfortable Drake seems to be with Liam’s touch, telling him that suddenly the frequent trips to Texas he made didn’t really add up anymore and for him to stop treating him like an idiot.

“I never meant to hurt you.” Drake squats down in front of Sawyer, grabbing his hands. “I didn’t want to hurt you.”

“But you didn’t mind lying to my face, spending our money to go see him,” Sawyer snatches his hands away from Drake when he has the nerve to mention that Liam paid for everything, as if that alleviated any guilt on his end. “You didn’t want to hurt me yet you still fucked him behind my back.”

“Sawyer…”

“When did it start? And don’t bother lying.”

“Technically, it never ended.” He finally tells Sawyer everything, starting from the beginning of their relationship, the reason they broke up and Drake returned to the states, all the way to tonight and Sawyer looks like he’s about to puke.

“I…I don’t want to look at you.” Fresh tears slip down his face, grabbing his suitcase, “ya know what makes this all worse, if I had just known from the beginning, I wouldn’t have made you choose.” “Plea…”

“I’ve been waiting 13 years for you to love me like I love you, so you have to pick. Me or him.”

*                      * 53 years old

He saw it as it came across the screen as breaking news, his 7am program interrupted by the broadcast, a baby-faced reporter announcing that gunfire erupted during a press conference in Cordonia. His eyes scan the screen as he takes in the details, it was a terrorist group, one wanting the monarchy to be abolished, mentions that the Queen and Princes weren’t there but had been taken to a safehouse, his hands grip the armrests waiting to hear news about the King, about Liam.

Just as the reporter start to mention Liam, his phone starts ringing, it’s Savannah and he already knows, has already predicted her words at the sound of how shakily her deep breath is, the way her voice cracked as she said his name, but in order for something to be real, you have to actually hear it, have to have it said aloud.

“Drake. It’s about Liam.”

He wants to focus on her words, but the birds chirping outside his window seem to chirping louder than normal. He usually thinks the song of the Western Meadowlark is beautiful, but right now it’s rather annoying and distracting.

“He was shot at the press conference.”

He watches as the reporter presses against the ear piece in his ear, a solemn expression on his face, opening his mouth to say what Drake’s sure Savannah is about to tell him. “It’s with great remorse that I report…”

“He…he didn’t make it.”

*                      * The regret of his last words to Liam weigh heavily on him as he stands there, in a sea of black and grief, listening to a pastor or someone talk about how much Liam would be missed. For years, the two of them had exchanged letters, the ones from Liam were filled with pleas to make plans with various dates he was free while the ones sent back were full of nothing but empty excuses for why Drake couldn’t – wouldn’t – visit.

It’s not an excuse that is dragging him deeper into his remorse, but instead it was the contents of his last letter to Liam, the one that only had four words, the one he sent back when Liam tried scheduling plans five months in advance, giving Drake a long list of dates, he had cleared, one of them being the day of the press conference.

“Please stop writing me.”

Drake’s eyes land on Charles, barely 23 and already king, looking more like Liam that he had before, knowing that once the service is over the young ruler will be expected to simply forget the loss of his father and rule.

He thinks back to when they were that age, a year after both their lives had been turned upside down, when they were both still hurt and confused, still thinking it was safe to find comfort in each other’s arms.

** Drake told everyone that he was back in Cordonia to get a few things, things that he wanted and left behind, but what he really wanted was to see Liam. He just wanted to make sure that he was at least okay, telling himself that if Liam was happy, he would shoulder the burden for the both of them.

Instead he found Liam locked away at Applewood Manor, refusing to do any duties related to the Crown Prince title, telling everyone that he was never coming out. Liam had tried to send the servants away, saying that he didn’t need anything, that he didn’t want anything if he couldn’t be with Drake. Constantine refused to indulge in his son’s antics, telling everyone that eventually he’d get over some meaningless fling and rule because that’s what he was meant to do.

Drake found himself outside Liam’s door, wanting to leave, thinking that might make it better, but he couldn’t because the two of them were like magnets, constantly being pulled to each other. When he opened the door, Liam’s back was to him and when he turned around, getting ready to dismiss whoever it was, Drake’s heart broke.

It was evident that the Crown Prince had lost weight, his hair unruly and long enough to be pulled back into a small bun. Liam looked pale or maybe that was just the lighting, but he could see that his eyes were bloodshot, probably from a mix of lack of sleep and crying. He left to avoid this, thought that without lingering Liam would be able move on, clearly, he had been wrong.

“Drake? Drake, is that you?” Liam ran his fingers through his messy hair, dragging his sleeve across his face, wiping away tears and snot as he sniffled.

“Yeah, Liam, it’s me.” He made shushing noises as he pulled Liam into his chest, the broken prince buried his face into Drake’s shoulder, fresh tears dampened the side of his neck as broken cries filled his ears.

“I thought I lost you forever.” Liam grabbed fistfuls of his shirt, refusing to let go because if this was a figment of his imagination, he didn’t want to let go.

“C’mon, let’s get you a shower.” Drake tried to pull Liam off of him, the mix of booze with lack of constant showering was a bit overwhelming, but Liam wouldn’t budge, muttering something about not wanting him to disappear again, so instead he half dragged Liam beside him to the bathroom.

** Drake pulled the blanket over them, Liam freshly showered, curled up to his side, a decent amount of tension now gone from Liam’s shoulders. For a moment he thought that the Crown Prince had fallen asleep, his breathing was finally even and eyes closed, until Drake felt his hand tighten around a fistful of his shirt.

“You ever wonder what things would be like it we met in a different life?”

“What?” Drake pulled Liam closer to him, pressing his lips to Liam’s temple.

“Like if we weren’t the son of a king and son of a guardsman. Just two people who stumbled across each other on a college campus.”

“Depends, tell me more about college us.”

“You’re studying animal science with the goal to be a veterinarian that specializes in livestock.” Warm tears ran down Liam’s cheek as he toyed with a button on Drake’s shirt, “I’m studying political science so I can go to law school to be a civil rights attorney.”

Drake smiled, he loved that no matter what, Liam always had a goal of helping others, it’s part of what he loved so much about the prince. “How do we cross paths with such different majors?”

“It’s in the plaza, I’m passing out flyers for some upcoming protests, trying to get people to come.”

“And I walk by…”

“More like shove past me, scowl on your face, trying to look intimidating.”

“I can be intimidating.”

Liam leaned up slightly, kissing Drake, “as intimidating as a puppy. I just follow you until you turn around, acting like you’re about to rip my head off.”

“But I stop myself,” Drake placed a hand on Liam’s face, thumb caressed his cheek, “because no matter where we meet, which universe it’s in, I’ll always fall in love with you at first sight.”

** “Mr. Walker?”

Drake turns around, he had assumed he was the last one at the cemetery, just needing a moment to gather his thoughts. “Cro—King Charles,” he bows his head a bit.

“Please, Charles is fine. It sounds kinda lame saying this here,” he motions to the tombstone, “but if I have that title, it means I have to accept he’s gone. I’m not ready.”

“I get that and just Drake is fine too.”

“I…my dad talked about you, ya know.” Charles shifts his weight between his feet, clearly nervous, “our bedtime stories were ones of you two growing up. I could tell that you were really important to him.”

“Oh, uh, I…” “I don’t know any details and don’t think I want to.” The pair share an awkward laugh, “but uhm, the night of the press conference, I went into his office, guess I thought he might be there, I mean he was always there. I found this letter, it was in the top drawer of his desk, I’m not sure why he didn’t have it mailed, but I think he’d want you to have it.”

Drake reaches out with a shaking hand, tightly grabbing the envelope. “Thank you.”

Charles nods, “Dad also had a box, locked in his safe, it had a few pictures and letters from you in it. I want you to have that, I can have it delivered to Uncle Max’s if it’s too much to come to the palace.”

“I’d appreciate that, if it’s not too much trouble.”

** Drake found a nearby bench, Liam’s eternal resting spot still in close proximity, fingers gently unsealing the letter. Tears begin to pool in his eyes, Liam’s elegant handwriting filling the lines of the paper, telling him that he shouldn’t be writing this since he had been asked not to write anymore.

All I’ve ever wanted was to give you what you want, any and everything that you desired, I wanted you to have, but how am I supposed to give you that? It’s selfish of me really and I know that, I know that we both have lives of our own, but it’s hard.

I’ve tried to let go, Drake, I swear that I have. I just…I wish I knew how to quit you.

I have a newly scheduled press conference to give tomorrow, but I’ll be traveling to Applewood Manor the following day and plan to be there for a month. This letter will go out today, hopefully get to you within the week, I’m demanding it gets sent express guarantee or whatever it’s called and I hope that you come. If you don’t, I’ll accept that things are over, but until then, I hope it’s okay that I’m a bit selfish and hold you in my heart for just a little longer.

Behind the letter, he finds a plane ticket, Liam’s way of making sure Drake didn’t have an excuse and he laughs, he laughs until he can’t stop crying, until it finally hits him all over again that Liam’s gone, that this is the last thing he’d ever hear from him, that he’d never see him again.

“I hope it’s okay that I hold you in my heart a little longer too, Li.”

likes, comments and reblogs are always appreciated!

interested in more? --> masterlist

Part One

[bobasheebaby]

Stolen Moments

Pairing: Drake x Liam

Word count: 1,839

Warnings: angst, steamy but not graphic (still would not read at work)

Summary: Night of the masquerade kicking off Liam’s social season. Liam and Drake are over and there isn’t anything left, right? (Before Liam realizes MC is there and also using the canon that everyone is masked.)

A/N: @sirbeepsalot wanted some steamy Driam and I had to deliver. What my boo wants, my boo gets. Thanks for your unwavering help, love and support. Love you beepsie! (I totally owe you happy, fluffy, steamy Driam. Let’s see if I can actually fluff Driam.)

Merry Christmas everyone, please enjoy your (hopefully) cathartic Christmas cry.

Disclaimer: I only own my OC’s, the rest I’m simply borrowing from PB.

He caught his sparkling chestnut eyes from across the room. Even with his face obscured by the simple black mask he’d recognize his eyes anywhere. He knew each and every part of him better than he knew himself. Their countless encounters and roaming hands commited his lover's physique to memory, every curve and contour perfectly ingrained in his mind.

He knew he should avert his gaze. They swore the weekend before was the end; try as he might, he couldn’t get him out of his heart or mind.

What they had was electric.

He rolled his shoulders back as his father cleared his throat, a subtle reminder that he had a duty to his country to attend to. The weight of the crown he’d yet to take already lay heavy upon his head.  He knew he needed to put his country ahead of himself.

Leo was always meant to be king, not him. He was betrayed by his own flesh and blood. He should be enjoying the night with his love at the bar. Instead, he had to force a smile on his face while he listened to each of the noblewoman prattle on as he was introduced to them.

They had thought with Leo’s engagement they would no longer have to be a series of stolen kisses and secrets in the dark. They were sure they’d be free. Free to be in love out in the open.

Leo stole their future.

He resented the way Leo could so easily turn his back on his responsibilities. He longed to have the strength to do the same; the words laid on the tip of his tongue. He wanted the words to spill from his lips but his sense of duty was etched into his soul.

What his heart desired the crown would always deny.

His eyes kept finding him as he glided around the ballroom with lady after lady in his arms. His dance partners changed so swiftly he could never quite place them. Each noblewoman was elegant and poised with grace, yet none of them could claim his heart.

He pulled his gaze from him, his onyx eyes gazing into stunning emerald. She felt familiar, but like all of his other dance partners of the night he remained unable to place her. His mind and heart kept drawing him away from the present to the one person he knew he couldn’t have.

As much as he knew he needed to, he couldn't end things with Drake.

How could you end the love story of a century? Leaving Drake behind felt like he was losing a piece of his very soul. Without the man he loved by his side he struggled to breathe.

As she slipped from his arms, a glimpse of red and a familiar frown made guilt tug at his heartstrings. He was so busy longing to be in the arms of the one person he so desperately loved that he’d missed that the woman in his arms was his lifelong friend. How could I not recognize Liv?

How had he been so locked in his own head, his own longing, that he was able to overlook the one person he knew as long as Drake?

His thoughts were interrupted as the scent of the forest in the rain invaded his senses. The familiar scent was intoxicating, swirling around him and draping him in a feeling of warmth. He turned, a smile creeping onto his lips as his eyes locked on the stunning chestnut he missed all evening.

“Thought you could use this.”

His eyes dropped to his rough hands, both cradling tumblers of warm amber liquid. “Thanks.” He brought the glass to his mouth, slightly wincing as the whiskey passed his lips. He didn’t much care for whiskey, but the taste reminded him of kissing Drake. Every sip always brought him back to a time of breathless kisses and heartfelt promises. His throat grew tight as he realized soon all he’d have was whiskey and memories.

He needed more. More than a beverage and bittersweet memories. He needed more time.

He fought the urge to pull him into his arms. He longed to glide across the dance floor with his love cradled in his arms. His heart would finally feel free as his feet moved through the steps. He’d be unable to keep the smile from his face and laughter would fall from his lips when they would stumble as they fought to lead.

His eyes scanned the room. Dozens of nobles dressed to the nines; even hidden behind masks a dance with his true love was out of the question.

His mind swirled with promises that would never come true. Dreams made in tangled limbs, dreams said between breathless kisses. Dreams that all changed in a heartbeat.

His heart ached with the memories of all they’d had and everything they’d never be. He turned and placed his barely touched tumbler on the tray of a passing waiter. “Sneak out with me.” The thought made his heart race, the memory of previous stolen moments still ingrained in his mind.

They needed more. More kisses. More moments. More memories.

If all they had was memories then what was the harm in making more?

He watched a smile spread over stubbled cheeks as Drake nodded. “Our usual place … five minutes.”

His heart raced. He longed to have his firm chest pressed to his and feel the scruff rub across his delicate skin. As much as he wished to take their time he knew he’d be missed before long. We should have forever.

He nodded in reply. Five more minutes and he’d be exactly where he belonged: in his arms.

--

Liam groaned as he pressed his body to Drake’s. It was only them and it felt as though all their plans were once again possible. Every care and worry was left outside the bathroom door. The surrounding room and festivities down in the ballroom falling away, leaving only hope and love.

“I missed you.” Liam said as he pulled Drake to him by the open collar of his shirt. Their lips fused together before moving in tandem in a passionate kiss. Liam let out a soft sigh as Drake wrapped his arms around him. He felt complete, as though his missing piece had rejoined him.

If only they could freeze time and remain locked away in each other’s embrace for all eternity.

But time couldn’t be stopped. If it could they would have frozen it long ago. Time kept ticking away. Each tick of the clock’s hands thundering loudly in their heads marking their inevitable end.

Perhaps they had simply lived on borrowed time. Now they were hurtling warped speed towards the day Liam would turn to someone he could never love and pledge his life to her.

Liam pulled back, his hand cupping Drake’s cheek. I’d run away with you in an instant, you just have to ask. His onyx eyes sparkling with unspoken words.

Liam brushed his thumb over Drake’s chapped lips. How can we really be over? They had no hope of a happy future any longer, all they could ever hope for was a series of stolen moments, each a reminder of the life they could never have.

They were more than just stolen kisses and hurriedly throwing on clothes as the sky started to tinge pink welcoming a new day. They were real and couldn’t be contained to nothing more than a secret.

“I need you.” Liam’s words hung frozen in the air. He wasn’t sure he could live without him. He didn’t want to try yet he had no choice.

If all they were was to be left in this room he needed to remind Drake that he’d always be his. No one could ever claim his heart the way Drake had.

Drake captured Liam’s lips for one more kiss. If only they had all night he’d go slow, take his time to appreciate his love’s body. His calloused hands ran down Liam’s toned chest, what he’d give to spread kisses along his torso.

One last time.

It wasn’t enough. It would never be enough. They craved a lifetime, to wake up in each other’s arms, to be the last person they saw each and every night.

Flushed cheeks and moaned names. Twisted sheets and hard sweaty bodies.

Drake’s fingertips grazed Liam’s waistband has he undid the belt buckle.

Fingers tightly gripping hair, tongues lathing across hard stomachs. Lips wrapping around hardened lengths. Loud moans echoing off walls, without fear of being caught.

Liam groaned, his head falling back as Drake’s calloused hands rubbed against his thighs, his pants and briefs pooling around his ankles.

Slow strokes and tender kisses. No worry about taking too long because they had all the time in the world.

One final kiss. The rub of scruff upon his cheek. Drake’s head dropped to his shoulder. We shouldn’t have to say goodbye. “I need you to turn around.”

The ticking grew louder, time marching forward. The end both so near and so far away.

Liam turned, the sound of clinking metal and pants falling to the floor filled the air. Rustling in a drawer, the sound of a cap popping open. Cool liquid being spread over his lover’s thick cock.

He pressed his flat palms against the cool marble vanity. A hand at his hip, Drake’s tip pressing against his hole.

Time slipped away like sand through fingers. Too much time spent apart and not nearly enough by his side.

Hips snapped and hands stroked. Sweat breaking out over brows and breath coming in short breaths.

Fingers dug into supple flesh. Lips bit to stifle moans.

Drake leaned his head against Liam’s shoulder blade as they caught their breath. Why does this have to be the end?

Liam took a deep breath, squeezing his eyes shut. He dreaded turning around and meeting Drake‘a gaze. He knew he’d have the same hurt and longing in his eyes. How am I ever going to let him go? How can I choose a queen when I already gave my heart away?

Liam straightened his tie as he walked to the door. No trace could be left of their tryst. He paused, his hand shaking on the door handle. As soon as he walked out the door they would be saying goodbye to any possible future. He didn’t want to say goodbye. Not now, not ever.

Tears stung at his eyes, a lump forming in his throat. He needs to know it’s him and always will be. He swallowed, his hand tightening on the door handle.

“Whoever I choose … I want you to know, she’ll never take your place.” He twisted the handle, the door cracked open. “I could never love anyone else the way I love you.”

He pushed open the door, walking into the dark hall. His past left behind him as he walked towards an unknown future.

One thing was crystal clear; he’d never be truly happy again ...

Feedback fuels me, please like, comment or reblog to let me know how much you like it. I can handle the screams, so scream away.

Masterlist can be found in my bio.

Permanent taglist will be reblogged.

[txemrn]

Do you have any fic recs for Liam x Drake?

Hey, anon!

You are in luck! I do! Check out these talented writers:

@debramcg1106 -> Masterlist [look for the series Forever; there are 3 series total (I believe), plus several one-shots to enjoy]

@ao719 -> Unexpected (the series isn't strictly Liam x Drake the entire time, but it's delicious)

@dcbbw -> Masterlist (Look for the pairing "Driam"; again, she has several delicious one-shots)

Does anybody have any other recommendations?

Happy reading, anon! 💜

[harleybeaumont]

Love Me The Way I Am- Book 1

Chapter 9

Pairings: Maxwell x Harley (MC), Drake x Liam, more in future chapters

Book: TRR Book 2

Synopsis- After King Liam proposes to Madeleine, Harley and Maxwell grow closer while they attempt to uncover who’s behind her blackmail. Maxwell is hiding a medical condition he’s kept secret for most of his life. Due to his father constantly berating Maxwell during his youth, he believes no one will ever love him.. until Harley comes along and he dares to hope.

A/N- This somewhat follows along with the events in TRR Book 2. I have removed/added certain events to go along with my story! Harley Hughes is my character who is based loosely off of Riley. The other characters belong to PB.

Warnings- language, drinking, sensuality, some NSFW

18+ only

Word count- 3,730

Catch up here

Finally, it seemed as if some information was coming to light. Harley gave the partial credit card number to Olivia who used her ‘sources’ to figure out that the card belonged to Penelope. All they had to do was confront her and she sang like a canary. 

“I'm sooooo sorry Harley! It was Bastien who told me to do it. I didn't want to hire the photographer, but he-he-he told me that it was just going to be part of a prank on you. I never would have done it if I knew what would ha-ha-happen!” Penelope sobbed.

Harley didn't think she could be that stupid. “You think that Bastien, the Kings Guard, wanted to play a prank on me?”

“I-I-I don't know! I did at the time!” She sniffled.

Harley rolled her eyes. Wow she is that stupid. I guess he picked the right person for the job.

Back at the hotel that evening, she let her friends know what was going on. 

Liam paced around the room anxiously. Harley was amazed that he always looked so composed, even when he was worried. It must have been all of his training over the years. Liam ran his fingers through his hair, “Bastien must have been the one who handled Olivia's blackmail as well. How could someone who is supposed to protect the Royal family do something like this?! Someone who I've grown up with!” 

Drake was pissed. Harley found out earlier that night that Bastien had practically raised him for a few years. When Drake was fifteen, his father died protecting the royal family as a Kings Guard. He kicked a chair in frustration, “Tell me about it.. I’m going to fucking kill him!”

“Drake, we need to play this smart,” Hana said calmly as she put a hand on his arm. “He doesn't know that we know it was him. Let's figure out the best way to confront him about this so he will be more likely to tell us the truth.”

They decided to confront Bastien at Liam’s bachelor party in Paris. Drake, of course, lost his temper and had to be escorted out for nearly punching Bastien in the face. Later, after Drake had cooled down a bit, Bastien went outside and told him he couldn't give him any information but basically hinted that he was just following orders. 

After the party, they all regrouped at the hotel to discuss what they had learned. “I don't want to be the one to say this but.. We all know who Bastien takes orders from.” Drake said as he looked uneasily at Liam. 

“My father.” Liam said angrily.

Maxwell was worried about Harley. He didn't know why the King Father wanted Harley and Olivia out of the way. Was he working with Madeleine and conspiring with her family to make her queen? They were all thinking it. Tariq was nowhere to be found. No one had heard from him since the coronation. And now that Harley was back at court and trying to uncover the truth, he was afraid Constantine might do something else to keep her from finding out. Maxwell made sure to always stick close to her; not like it was a hard thing to do. After his revelation at the dinner party in Italy, he stayed up most nights thinking. I love her. I really love her. I'm not supposed to love her. Bertrand is going to kill me. I just have to keep it under wraps. No matter how I feel. 

Poor Liam was overly stressed at discovering his own father was potentially behind the blackmail of his friends. Harley, Maxwell, Hana, and Drake got together and came up with a plan to give him a break. Drake found a campground outside of Paris and they all decided to go for a night to decompress. The Kings Guard set up a perimeter around their campsite but stayed out of the way to give them their privacy. 

“Ok, I have everything we need for the perfect camping trip!” Maxwell said as he took bottle after bottle of whiskey, rum, and tequila out of his bag.

“Clearly you've never been camping, Beaumont. Thank goodness you have someone here who actually knows what they're doing.” Drake said snarkily as he worked on building them a fire. 

Maxwell held up a bottle of rum, “Hey Drake, want me to pour this on the fire to really get it going?”

Drake looked like he was going to knock Maxwell out. Max laughed and jumped back, “Kidding! Kidding!”

Liam and Hana quickly set up three pop-up tents for the five of them to share, and Harley made some snacks.

Harley spread out some blankets and sat on the ground next to Maxwell, “Ok show of hands.. Who here has actually been camping, besides Drake?”

Everyone looked around. Liam said, “Uh, Drake and I sometimes camped outside at the Palace for a few hours..”

“Doesn't count!’

Hana perked up. “Oh good! We can use my ‘Fun Activities for the Perfect Camping Trip’ book!” She held it up proudly.

Drake scoffed, “You don't need a book to tell you about camping. You've got a master here.”

Harley rolled her eyes, “Drake, if we want to know how to kill a deer with our bare hands, or how to build a tent out of grass and rocks and shit, then we'll ask you. But we're here to have fun!”

Drake sputtered, “A tent out of grass and rocks!? That's not even possib-”

“Camp-ing fuuuuun!” Maxwell sang. 

Drake pinched the bridge of his nose. “Give me that damn bottle of whiskey, Beaumont.”

Hana opened the book, thumbing through several pages. “Oh here are some ideas.. It says you can sing songs by the fire.. Tell ghost stories.. Make stick mazes.. Have a treasure hunt with your parents..” Her face fell. “Oh.”

“Hana..” Harley tried not to laugh. “Is that a book for children?”

She frowned. “Oh dear, I think it might be. I saw the picture of laughing children on the front cover but I just thought they were trying to make it look more fun!”

Harley and Maxwell snorted, and soon they were all laughing, including Hana. “Wow this is embarrassing..” She threw the book to the side and looked away.

Harley pulled out her phone, “Ok new plan! We're gonna play truth or dare, but we’re not going to pick the questions. A friend showed me an app where you put everyone's names in, and it will give you a truth or a dare. Sometimes the whole group has to do something at the same time!”

“Sounds fun!” Maxwell said. 

Drake sighed, “Ya because ‘truth or dare’ isn't a game for children.. ”

Harley threw a marshmallow at his head. “Hush, you grumpy marshmallow!”

Drake rubbed his head, “What's that supposed to mean? I'm nothing like a marshmallow!”

“Please. You may have a rough exterior but deep down you're a softie… Wait, you're right, marshmallows don't have a rough exterior.. Hmm, maybe you're a toasted marshmallow.” Harley giggled as he caught the next marshmallow she threw at him.

Drake looked around. “You don't all think that do you?”

Everyone stared at him.

“Wha- Seriously?!” Drake stammered.

Hana and Maxwell shrugged. “Fits you pretty well.”

“Liam?” Drake looked at him questioningly.

“Meh,” he nodded and shrugged.

“Oh my god.”

“Face it Drake, you have friends who care about you, and we know how you really are deeeeep down. You can't keep up the tough cynical act forever.” Harley shrieked and dodged to the side as he chucked the marshmallow back at her. 

“Fine.” He shook his head. “I guess you guys aren't so bad either.”

“And there's the toasted marshmallow!” Harley yelled and pointed to him.

“Ugh, I'm going to go get more wood for the fire.” He stalked away into the dark woods. 

Liam chuckled and yelled after him, “Drake, they give us wood here! You don't have to go chop down a tree!”

He grunted and kept going. 

Everyone had a round of shots and ate snacks around the fire while Harley set up the game. Drake claimed that he knew how to make the perfect s’more and everyone kept goading him into making them more by feigning disbelief. He finally caught on and hid the marshmallows from them.

“I'm so nervous!” Hana said as she sat on the ground between Harley and Liam. “What if I have to do something embarrassing!”

Liam tried to reassure her. “Don't worry Lady Hana. Whatever happens here, stays here. Right everyone?”

Maxwell smirked. “Uh sure.. I'll just take lots of pictures of your embarrassing dares so we can all remember the fun later!”

“Dude, give me your phone.” Drake snatched it out of his hand and put it in his pocket.

“Aw.” he pouted.

“Ok, it's readyyyyy!” Harley sang as she waved her phone around.

“Hughes, are you already drunk?” Drake raised an eyebrow at her.

“Listen lumberjack sasquatch, don't hate on me because I know how to have fun and you don't!” Her and Maxwell high fived, and Drake rolled his eyes. 

The first question popped up, ‘Liam- truth or dare’. Liam thought for a minute, and chose dare.

 The phone read- ‘I dare you to kiss the person to your right.’

Liam turned to Drake with wide eyes and blushed. “Drake, we really don't have to do this. It's totally fine!”

Drake grabbed the back of Liam's neck and pulled him into a steamy kiss. 

Everyone stared at them in awe as they pulled apart and looked into each other's eyes. 

“Wow, that was hot.” Harley fanned herself. “I feel like there's a lot more going on here than I realized.” This was clearly not the first time they had kissed. 

Liam and Drake blushed, looking away. Drake cleared his throat, “Ok, who's next.”

The game continued with Hana having to prank call an old crush, and Max going to the next campsite and pretending he was lost- which was even more hilarious considering the fact that everyone there spoke French and Max barely knew even the basics.  Drake’s dare had him bench pressing Harley twenty times, which he did easily, and Harley’s dare was to give Hana a hickey somewhere of her choosing. Hana initially picked her arm, but it was Harley's choice so she gave her a big hickey on the side of her neck. Hana giggled and squealed the whole time.

“Now, you can make someone jealous if you want!” Harley giggled as she admired her work.

Hana blushed, “You know I’m not interested in anyone.” She checked her neck in a mirror smiling, “But this is so exciting! It's my first hickey!”

Harley laughed as she took a drink of rum, “You're too precious Hana Lee.”

“Oh hush!” She threw a marshmallow at Harley, nailing her right in the forehead. “Oh dear! I'm sorry!”

Maxwell checked Harley's phone, “Ok we've all gone, so now it says it's group truth or dare time. What's it gonna be?”

Hana said, “I feel like since we all picked dare, we should do a group truth.”

Harley read the question aloud, ‘Tell everyone about your first kiss.’

“Oh, I'll go first,”  Hana said bashfully. “My first real kiss was with my fiance when I was seventeen. Our parents pushed us to get engaged young.” She took a small sip of tequila and grimaced. “Anyway, he went in to kiss me in front of everyone and I stepped back at the last minute. He fell forward onto the concrete and got a bloody nose. The engagement ended shortly after.. Not because of that!  We just weren't right for each other.”

“Jeez, that's brutal on several levels.” Maxwell said. 

Liam began blushing furiously, as he realized he was next. “Do I have to go?” 

Drake snorted, “I can tell them if you don't want to.”

Liam covered his face. “Fine.. It was Olivia.”

“Daaaamn.. I don't even wanna know the details, but I also kinda do..” Harley leaned back and took a swig from the bottle of tequila. They all passed it around the circle. 

“Drake, what about you?” Liam gave him a sly smile.

“You know damn well who it was…” He sighed and took a drink. “Olivia.” He mumbled.

“No fucking way!” Maxwell exclaimed while shaking his head. “How did I not know this?” 

“Wow, I had no idea Olivia got around so much!” Hana said.

“Ya well growing up in the palace, it wasn't like we had much to choose from.” Drake took another big gulp out of the whiskey bottle. “And I may be into guys now, but there was a time when I wasn't sure.” He shrugged and glanced at Liam out of the corner of his eye.

Harley smiled, “This is the most I’ve ever heard you talk about yourself, Walker. It's nice!”

Drake took another sip, smiling shyly and looked away. 

Hana giggled, “Harley tell us the juicy story of your first kiss.”

Harley shrugged, “Sorry, but my first kiss story is super lame. It was when I was a freshman in highschool. We were friends and did it because we had never kissed anyone before and wanted to know what it was like. Nothing ever came of it.”

“Wow, that's even more pitiful than mine!” Hana snorted. Literally snorted.

Harley laughed, “Hana I've never seen you this drunk before! You're kinda savage!”

Maxwell laughed nervously as he hugged his knees to his chest. “I guess it's my turn. Um, well you guys probably know that I went to an all boys boarding school. So, my first kiss was there.” He looked down at his shoes, “We were kind of.. a thing for a while. Not that you can really ‘date’ in a boarding school. We just hung out a lot I guess. And kissed sometimes. Until my dad found out and.. Ya, well you can imagine how he reacted. He wasn't the most open minded person in the world.” Maxwell glanced at Harley. He hoped she wouldn't look at him differently now, the way his dad did. 

Harley smiled reassuringly at him. She could tell he was nervous. She had seen him dance with both guys and girls at the club, so she wasn't really surprised.  “That's sweet Max. But I’m sorry your dad made you feel bad about it. Do you guys ever talk anymore?”

Maxwell relaxed, “No, but I heard he moved to America and married a guy on broadway.” Of course she wouldn't judge me.

Throughout the night, they played truth or dare, took more shots, and ate plenty of snacks. Drake finally let them have the marshmallows back so they could make their own s’mores. He refused to make any more. The sound of the forest at night and the crackling fire had everyone feeling peaceful and relaxed. It was nice to do something normal for a change.

Drake pulled out his phone, laughing to himself. “Hey Hughes.” He beckoned her over. “Wanna see something funny?”

“Um, always!” She crawled over to him, and rested her head on his shoulder, glancing at his phone. Drake put an arm around her, and she nestled into his side. Harley smiled, “Drake Walker, you're cuddly when you're drunk!”

Drake laughed, “I'm just cold, and trying to steal your warmth.” Harley chuckled softly. It was definitely not cold out. He scrolled through his music and turned on ‘Crank That’ by Soulja Boy. He nodded to Maxwell, “watch Max.. he can't help himself.”

Maxwell looked at Drake in delight as the song started, “No you didn't.”

Drake smirked and whispered to Harley, “He learned that back in highschool when he was first getting into dancing. Every fucking time it comes on, he does the whole damn dance.”

Max jumped up and started doing the exact dance step by step, “Soulja boy off in this hoe!”

Harley giggled, “This is gold. Bless you, Drake!”

“‘Superman that hoe?’ What does that mean?” Hana giggled.

Harley and Hana jumped up and started dancing together clumsily. They were sloppy drunk. 

By the end of the night, Hana was passed out on a blanket by the fire, snoring loudly. She had never drank so much in her life.

“I'm properly sloshed.. What would the people say about their King if they saw him now.” Liam slurred as he lay his head on Drake's lap.

Drake was passed out in a seated position with his head leaning back on a large rock. 

Liam looked up at Drake adoringly, “And look, my dirty little secret isn't even awake to comfort me.” He laughed and shook him awake. “Wake up, Drake.”

Drake opened his eyes and grabbed his head, frowning. “Ugh, where am I?”

“Come on babe, let's get in the tent. I don't want an animal to gnaw your handsome face off in the night.” Liam was giggling hysterically and soon Drake joined in. Both were too drunk to care that they weren’t alone. They staggered into a tent together and soon both men were snoring. 

Harley snickered as she looked at Maxwell laying next to her. “Holy Brokeback Mountain, who knew?!”

Maxwell was trying to catch marshmallows in his mouth. “I did!”

Harley sat up quickly with her mouth agape. “Wait, what the hell?! You brought me here to marry him!”

 “Ok.. I didn't know know. I knew their history anyway. You know Liam’s bi right? A few years ago they were obviously hooking up, but I didn't realize they were actually together.” 

Harley was dumbfounded, “Wait, wait.. if Liam likes guys too, why weren't there like princes or dukes or whatever competing with us to marry him?”

Maxwell scoffed. “Constantine. His dad is just as much a bigot as mine was. Wants to make sure the traditional image of Cordonia is upheld. He doesn't give a shit about what Liam wants.”

“Fuck him… wait does Madeleine know?”

He shrugged, “I'm sure. Liam would do anything for Cordonia. Even if it would mean him being miserable.”

“Damn.” Harley pushed out a long breath.  “Well that sucks. Hang on, do you think other people know about Liam and Drake? Like the other women at court who wanted to marry him?” Harley took another drink out of the tequila bottle and grimaced. It was time to switch to water.

“Duuuuuh Harleeeey, I thought everyone knew!” Hana sat up chiming in for a second, then passed right back out on the ground and started snoring.

“Ok that was scary..” Harley stared at her wide eyed, before turning back to Max. “But seriously I must be the most oblivious person in the world. I can't believe we never talked about it.”

Maxwell shrugged. “I guess it never came up. I don't know. When I'm with you I don't really think about anyone else.” He froze as he realized what he had said. 

“Aww Max, that's so sweet.” Harley tried to put her hand on his arm but missed and it went straight on his crotch instead. “Whoopsieeee” she giggled. 

Maxwell gulped. He clearly was not as drunk as she was. “Harley Quinn, why don't you eat something? You're gonna have an awful headache tomorrow!” 

“I don’t wanna eat, I wanna dance with my Joker!” She wobbled as she stood up and motioned for him to join her. She leaned her head on his chest, put her arms around his waist, and they swayed back and forth. 

“You know this isn't the proper dance form.” Maxwell laughed nervously as he put his arms around her.

“Mmm, I don't care. I just wanna cuddle with you.”

Maxwell's heart swelled. He loved having her in his arms. And she wanted to be there. He smiled as he savored the feeling of Harley's body against his. The stars twinkled and the moon shone above, casting a luminous glow over them. Frogs croaked and crickets chirped in the distance, completing the scene that felt like something from a fairy tale. They danced that way for a long time, even without music.

Hana woke up again and looked at them bleary eyed. “Oh my god, you guyyyyssss. Harley, I told you you'd make the cutest couple.”

Harley stopped dancing and smiled up at Maxwell as she answered her. “You're right Hana.”

Maxwell couldn't believe what he was hearing. The way she was looking at him made his heart skip a beat. They've talked about me before. Harley leaned closer to him and he froze. Oh god, I can't kiss her while she's drunk! Harley suddenly stumbled backwards and he caught her.

“Whoa!”

“Ok let's get you to bed!” Maxwell helped Harley climb into the tent she was supposed to be sharing with Hana, but found Hana had taken his tent instead. “Umm, I can sleep outside,” he said.

“No way, you can sleep in here with me. I'm not done cuddling you.”

He laid down in the tent next to Harley and she snuggled up to him. He hesitated, unsure of how close to get to her, but she grabbed his arm and wrapped it around her. Then she closed her eyes, resting her head on his shoulder and laying her hand on his chest. Within minutes she was fast asleep. Maxwell couldn't believe how right it felt having her in his arms. The corners of his eyes crinkled as he smiled at her in disbelief. This was the best night of his life.

[jovialyouthmusic]

Two’s Company - Changes

A Royal Romance Polyamorous AU fanfic

Brad struggles to remember. Drake takes care of him and has to question the relationship between himself and the King.

Word Count 3009

A/N Mature content, not suitable for under 18s. Polyamory and M/M action

‘Here we are’ said Drake as they drew up at the Palace gates. ‘Home sweet home.’ Brad’s face lit up

‘It’s good to be back’ he said ‘From what you said, there’s a few gaps in my memory, so maybe being home will help bring some things back.’ Drake had to be selective about what he told Brad, so as not to overwhelm him. He was distressed to find out his father was dead, and that he was King – he couldn’t add to that by telling him he had a wife he couldn’t remember. The doctor said he would probably get his memory back in dribs and drabs, and maybe not in a logical sequence.

The staff had been told not to mention Lucy for now, it was enough for him to come to terms with being King, and a press statement had been issued saying he was convalescing from his accident. Drake and Lucy kept in contact, planning to take on as much of Brad’s work load as they could, along with one or two trusted aides and members of the court.. For the time being she would stay with Savannah and Bertrand. Drake planned to have her come over in a few days in the hope that the sight of her would trigger Brad’s memory.

For now, Brad was glad to be home, and thankfully he remembered every member of staff, even the ones that had been hired since the beginning of the social season. He didn’t seem to remember anything before (and including) his bachelor party in New York.

‘I thought it was tradition for the monarch to have a Queen within a year of being crowned’ he frowned ‘Haven’t I got to go through the social season to pick someone?’

‘Brad, don’t worry about that’ said Drake ‘You’ve enough to get used to right now, and I’m sure you’ll remember some other things very soon. You’re not in a fit state to go picking a Queen anyway.’

‘Okay, thanks Drake’ Brad smiled. The rest of the day was uneventful, Brad settling back in and walking around to find out if it triggered any memories, but nothing cropped up. The evening wore on and he and Drake talked late into the night. Eventually Brad yawned and Drake felt tired too

‘Remember when we had sleepovers with Max and Bertrand?’ Brad asked ‘Why don’t we do that tonight? Stay in my room, the bed’s big enough for both of us’ Drake cleared his throat

‘I – I don’t know Brad, I’m not sure I’m comfortable with that’ Brad’s face fell, and there was an awkward silence.

‘Drake, we’ve always been close – that hasn’t changed recently has it?’ the King asked ‘The truth is I’m kind of afraid to be alone – like if I lose sight of you I’ll forget you – does that make sense?’ Drake shrugged

‘Not really, but if it makes you happy…’ Brad smiled in relief and led him through to the bedroom. Drake swallowed, remembering that only a week ago all three of them had shared the bed. Brad stripped to his boxers, folding his clothes as he usually did while Drake just dropped them by the side of the bed. Brad got into the side he usually had and watched Drake get in. He lay down facing him, settling and making himself comfortable

‘That girl that was with you before – do I know her?’ he asked ‘She’s very pretty – is she your girlfriend? Am I keeping you from her?’

‘Kind of, but don’t worry about it, Brad. It’s complicated.’ Drake replied ruefully

‘Oh, I’m sorry’ Brad replied, and turned to lie on his back. Drake was just dropping off to sleep when he felt Brad shifting again.

‘This feels very familiar.’

‘Well yeah, it’s your bed.’

‘I mean lying next to you’ he said ‘I can remember something…’ Drake sucked his breath in. It broke his heart for Brad not to remember Lucy, and wondered when he could bring her back to the Palace. As he broke out of his reverie, he realised that Brad had moved closer, and he reached out to put his hand on Drake’s cheek, gazing into his eyes. He flinched, and Brad looked sad.

‘I remember this’ he said ‘Would you – can you hold me? Please?’ Reluctantly Drake nodded and Brad lay next to him, throwing his arm over his chest. He rested his head in the crook of Drake’s elbow as he snaked his arm around his shoulders. He breathed deeply to calm the hammering of his heart, gritting his teeth as he tried to stop the hardening of his cock. It was the association with Lucy, he told himself.

‘I – Brad, it’s been a while since I – since I was with my girl. Don’t think that…’

‘It’s okay Drake, it happens’ Brad said quietly ‘Thankyou for being here’ He was asleep within minutes as Drake lay awake staring at the ceiling, thinking of Lucy sleeping alone with the seed of Brad’s child in her belly.

 Thankfully when they awoke Brad was sleeping with his back to him, curled up slightly. Drake got up carefully and went to shower. Brad was waking as he went back in, towel around his waist.

‘Hey Drake, where’s Lucy?’ he asked, and Drake’s heart leapt, but then Brad looked confused. ‘Why did I say that? Who’s Lucy?’ he said ‘It just – it just popped into my head. Is she your girl? The one you’ve got a ring on for?’ Drake cursed himself for not taking his ring off, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He drew a deep breath.

‘Brad, it’s complicated. Really complicated. You’re still recovering from that bang on the head – and the operation. You have to take it slow.’ Brad nodded, looking downcast.

‘Bas tells me I drove when I was tired. Where was I going? Why was I in such a rush?’ I don’t remember a thing’ Drake shook his head again

‘The doc said you have to remember yourself, if I tell you too much it will be overwhelming.’

‘Dammit Drake, I’m not a child’ Brad said, scowling. ‘You’re my oldest friend, surely that counts for something. Give me something, please’

‘I found you wandering – close to the car. You were confused, said you couldn’t find your crown’

‘That kind of rings a bell. But I can’t work out where I was’

‘Brad, have a shower, let’s have breakfast and then we’ll go for a ride. Perhaps something will trigger your memory. Don’t force it’ Brad pressed his palm against his cheek, thumb on his jaw.

‘Okay, I’ll do it your way.’ He looked at Drake’s bare chest with an odd expression ‘It feels like I get to see you with your shirt off way more than I should’ he mused ‘Go get dressed, order breakfast in the study and I’ll join you shortly’

 Briefly Drake updated Lucy on what was going on before Brad reappeared. She was understandably upset, but conceded that Drake needed to be with the King. The two friends ate and went for a ride, and laughed and joked about the things he could remember. He could remember the de Montfort sisters and the things they had gotten up to before Drake went to college. He remembered the assassination attempt when Drake had returned, and that was hard for him. He knew Leo had abdicated and knew he had been crowned King, though he had no direct memory of the Coronation. He remembered fragments of the attack when Constantine pushed him aside from the falling ceiling, but apart from the brief flash in the morning, nothing of Lucy.

Bastien had prepared some paperwork for Brad and had screened it to make sure there was no mention of the Queen, and Brad sat and took care of it, Drake assisting.

‘I remember something’ he said ‘A mountain of paperwork – I went at it to clear it away so I could – so I could be with you’ He looked triumphant ‘That was it, I wanted to get to you, and I packed a bag and got into the SUV – but I have no idea where I was going’ he looked puzzled ‘you couldn’t have been at the Palace – was it your cabin?’ he pressed his fingers to his forehead and frowned, and Drake patted him on the shoulder.

‘That’s great Brad, things are starting to come back to you. Take it easy, it will get easier the more you remember. Let’s have dinner and then you can get some more sleep.’ Secretly he was dreading bedtime. He was going crazy thinking about Lucy on her own, and his libido was swinging wildly – his body telling him it was too long, his mind telling him he shouldn’t. With Lucy out of the picture, recently he’d been going to Brad so they could ‘help each other out’, but that wasn’t appropriate now in his confused state

Brad became tired not long after dinner, and was yawning furiously.

‘I’ll turn in now Drake – I’ll see if I can get to sleep on my own. You’ll be in the next room, right?’ Inwardly Drake sighed with relief.

‘Sure Brad – you go get some sleep, I’ve a call to make’

‘Your girl?’ Brad asked, and Drake just nodded, forcing a smile ‘I’m sorry to keep you from her. You should invite her over’

‘Maybe soon. See you in the morning Brad’

‘Yeah thanks Walker – for being here for me…’

 Drake called Lucy again then went to bed, asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.  He sprang awake as he sensed someone entering the room.

‘Drake – Drake it’s me, don’t click into combat mode’ he heard Brad say ‘Remember that time I crept in and you got me in a stranglehold?’ Drake growled.

‘Yeah I do. Okay, it’s safe. What do you want?’

‘I – this feels right’ said Brad, coming in and sitting on the edge of the bed, and Drake snapped on the bedside lamp. ‘It feels like we spend some time together like this, am I right or am I going crazy?’

‘It’s complicated, but yes we do’

‘Drake – I can’t remember courting anyone, but I do remember you. Drake…’ he swallowed

‘What, Brad?’ Drake said gruffly ‘come on, say it - ask me’

‘Am I gay? Are we - together?’ Drake sucked in his breath

‘No Brad, no you’re not gay. But we – we have an understanding. We help each other out from time to time. In bed.’ Brad let his breath out

‘Well that explains it’ he said ‘I think. All I wanted to do was come in here and – well cuddle I suppose, but it’s kind of muddled up, it’s more than that’

‘Yeah. Complicated. Get in and we’ll see what comes up – dammit I didn't mean…’ Drake groaned  and Brad laughed out loud.

‘Come on Drake, that’s funny. Let’s not be too serious, this is creeping me out as it is.’ He got into bed next to Drake and they lay side by side for a while, staring at the ceiling. Drake’s whole body tingled, and again he thought of Lucy, alone and wondering what was going on in Brad’s head, aching to give him the news that he would be a father.

‘Do we usually touch?’ Brad asked ‘Because it kind of feels like we do’

‘Yeah, sometimes. But only if we’re both happy with it’

‘That goes as read.’ Brad was silent for a moment ‘would you mind?’

‘You can try, I’ll stop if we go too far’ Drake wondered inwardly if he could – he was wound up, trying to deny his need for intimacy. He was playing a dangerous game but Brad needed him. In what way he needed him remained to be seen.

Brad moved closer, lying on his side and looking over at Drake. Tentatively he put his arm out over his chest as he had the night before, and shifted closer still, head on Drake’s shoulder, chest pressed to his side – his belly… Drake sucked in his breath and his hand hovered over Brad, unsure of where to land.

‘Far enough, Brad, I don’t want to know what your little soldier is up to right now.’

‘I – someone said – not so little’ he screwed up his face, trying to remember ‘Was it you or…hell it’s so muddled. I hate this’ He curled into a ball, head still on Drake’s shoulder, knees drawn up against the other man’s hip. Drake felt him shudder and heard a sob escape his lips. His heart melted for his friend and he turned toward him, reaching out, embracing him as he sobbed with frustration.

‘Hey hey, it’s okay, I’m here’ He rubbed his back soothingly ‘Look at me Brad, we’ll get through this. Whatever it takes, I’ll help you’ He smoothed Brad’s hair off his forehead and brushed his wet cheeks with his thumb. ‘I’ve got your back, buddy’ Almost absentmindedly he kissed the tears as he would a child, but then something happened as Brad tilted his head up.

In an instant everything changed – he wasn’t sure who moved first, but their lips met, softly at first, and it was a shock, but he couldn’t stop himself. Brad tasted of coffee and brandy but sweet. His lips were soft while the slight stubble on his chin and upper lip scratched and caught at his. He was hungry for him and their mouths crashed together, hot and wet. Brad’s hand went to his shoulder, smoothed across his chest to his hip and stayed there, pulling him closer as he uncurled from the defensive ball he’d been in. Drake’s body rolled toward him like a jigsaw piece seeking its neighbour. His body was on fire, and Brad was blazing hot too, and he moaned softly into his mouth as their tongues danced.  Unlike Lucy’s soft curves he was all angles and hard surfaces, something tangible to hold on to.

Lucy – Lucy, he thought - lying in bed alone, missing both of them. Missing him and a man who couldn’t remember her, whose child was growing inside her. Reluctantly he drew away, and Brad moaned in frustration and puzzlement.

‘Drake, what is it? Did I do something wrong?’ Drake sat up, legs drawn up, elbows resting on his knees, face in his hands.

‘Brad, you’ve no idea – it’s complicated. There’s someone else.’

‘Your girl? But if we’ve done this before – does she know about us?’

‘I’m not sure what ‘us’ is, but she knows. It’s just not that simple’

‘Please Drake, don’t push me away. You’re all I have right now, I need you. Just – I won’t try again, we can just sleep in the same bed, is that too much to ask?’

‘Brad, I’m not all you have, but you don’t remember’ he sighed ‘It will come back to you, you’ll see. I’m not angry with you, I’m not pushing you away. We should just – you know, keep it simple for now. Hugging is fine, kissing – not so much…’ Drakes’ thoughts were running wild. For those few moments he’d wanted Brad – he’d not a thought of Lucy in his head like he usually had.  What was going on in Brad’s mind? Had he felt the same? Had he felt like that before the accident? He wasn’t even sure how he wanted Brad. He settled back into bed and Brad turned his back to him, breath unsteady. His heart broke that he was hurting, so he just lay behind him with his hand on his hip, and Brad sighed and his breath steadied.

Drake lay awake, wondering. He wanted to touch him, he wanted to explore his body, to make him feel good, he wanted to be touched, caressed…what did men do together? He’d watched porn - but like every other heterosexual man he’d watched women together, he’d never liked watching men together - it made him feel uneasy. He’d heard things but not paid much attention. When he and Brad had been together they’d jacked each other off and each had given the other a blowjob, but they’d been talking or thinking about Lucy at the time and had told her all about it as a kind of erotic bedtime story. He’d helped Lucy to use a strap on with Brad, and he’d had that done to him in another relationship. He had a feeling that was only the tip of the iceberg. Of course porn wasn’t representative – what was a loving relationship between two men like? What the hell was a loving relationship between two men and a woman like?

He couldn’t walk away from Brad, and he’d promised Lucy he’d look after her. He couldn’t deny his feelings – he’d have to at least be honest with himself. He’d just assumed Brad would remember Lucy and things would go back to normal – but normal had changed. He had feelings for Brad that he’d pushed down and denied, probably for years. They would have a family soon, and how would that work?

He couldn’t give in to his urges either – Brad wasn’t himself right now and it wasn’t fair to take advantage of him. He lay sleepless wondering what to do next. Perhaps if Brad saw more of Lucy he might begin to remember her – but it was so hard on her to go through that when she was wanting to tell him her news. He resolved to spend another whole day trying to prompt Brad, then he’d send for her.

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